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5 Ways for Freelancers to Make Sure They Get Paid
We asked the director of the Brooklyn-based Freelancers Union for advice on bringing home those elusive checks
By Arden Phillips - July 27, 2018
Freelancers Union executive director Caitlin Pearce, right, with union member Randy Gener (Photo courtesy of Freelancers Union)
Working as a freelancer comes with a unique set of perks and challenges that full-time employees don’t experience. Upsides include the ability to choose your own hours, your own workspace, your own projects. What’s not to like? Well, the major downside, which is the struggle to get paid in a timely way–or get paid at all. That chronic problem was brought home earlier this month by a Gothamist story that reported a litany of complaints from freelancers about laggard payments from Brooklyn’s Northside Media, publisher of Brooklyn magazine and producer of the Northside Festival.
Brooklyn freelancers, however, have ready access to two locally-grown resources that can help them. One is the Freelancers Union, which provides advocacy and benefits for more than 375,000 members. The other is the city’s Freelance Isn’t Free Act, a first-of-its-kind-law which went into effect last year to provide legal protections for freelancers, as well as penalties of up to $25,000 for employers who violate the law.
Both the union and the law address a serious issue. “We found that 71% of our members said that at some point they had issues getting paid by a client,” says Caitlin Pearce, the union’s executive director. On average, the members with payment problems were owed $6,000.
Until the law was passed, freelancers had little recourse besides going to small-claims court. Now, however, “hiring parties working with freelancers for over $800 must use a contract. And if they don’t pay their freelancers within either 30 days or whatever date is stipulated in the contract, then they face penalties,” says Pearce.
But freelancers can look out for themselves, too, by following certain procedures that help insure they get paid. Pearce offered these five points of advice:
1. Vet your clients
It’s always important to know who you’re working for. One way that freelancers can find out about who’s hiring them is by talking to other freelancers. “Before you take on work, try to find out what you can from other freelancers who have worked for them,” says Pearce, “and what you can understand about their funding and their reputation. It’s just a small world in the freelance world.”
2. Have a good contract
A contract with clear terms is something Pearce swears by. “Have a good contract that’s really a template that you can customize and use with all of your clients. That way you know what’s in it and you can have a good starting point for negotiating the agreements and make sure that a client does use a contract. And you can remind them now that it’s the law,” she says.
3. Create a good invoice system
“Have a good system and always invoice right away. Don’t wait a few weeks to send over your invoice. Clearly stipulate when payment is due and follow up regularly,” says Pearce. “There’s a lot of apps that do this for you now automatically.” What this also provides is “a third party that’s nagging your clients and not you.” The Freelancers Union offers a free trial of an invoice template here.
4. Establish a direct connection
Make sure that you know who is in charge of disbursing fees. “Have a direct connection to the person that’s responsible for paying you,” says Pearce. “So if it’s a company that has a finance team, try to get their name and phone number, if you can. So you have a direct line to call somebody if the check doesn’t arrive.”
5. Monitor your payment intervals
Don’t wait until all of your work is completed to ask where your check is. “Make sure you’re getting paid at regular intervals or, if it’s project-based work, try to negotiate as much as you can upfront so that you’re not in a situation where you’ve done a month’s worth of work and then you’re waiting to collect the full amount afterwards.”
If all these safeguards don’t produce a timely check, however, the new law allows a freelancer to go to the city’s Department of Consumer Affairs (DCA) to file a claim for free. “The department will issue a notice to this company and try to help the freelancer get paid,” says Pearce. In the year since the law has gone into effect, “DCA has now reported that 61% of freelancers that filed claims are getting paid, or more successfully paid, within 90 days.”
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It’s Time to End Homophobia and Anti-Gay Bigotry in the African-American Community
For the Chris Murray Report and the Philadelphia Sunday Sun
“Civil rights, women’s rights, gay rights, it’s all wrong. Call in the Cavalry to disrupt this perception of freedom gone wild. Goddammit, first one wants freedom, then the whole damned world wants freedom. Nostalgia that’s we want. The good old days when we gave them hell.”-Gil Scott-Heron’s “B” Movie
Jason Collins admission that he is gay has sent shock waves throughout the world of sports.
PHILADELPHIA—Unless you have been living under a rock or didn’t pay your cable or Internet bill this week, you know that NBA player and former Stanford University star Jason Collins used an article in Sports Illustrated magazine to tell the world that he is gay.
The reaction was mixed. On one hand, Collins was applauded for having the courage to come out while he is still an active player. Considering the macho, often-times homophobic world of male sports, what Collins did took on a lot of significance.
But on the other hand, some believed that Collins would have been better off staying in the closet.
The most visceral of these reactions came from ESPN basketball writer Chris Broussard, who said that people who engage in homosexual behavior are in rebellion against God. To his credit, he mentioned fornicators and adulterers as among who are allegedly against the Almighty.
Then there was comedian Kevin Hart’s comment on Twitter:
“Tim Tebow: ‘I’m a Christian.’ Media: ‘Keep it to yourself.’ Jason Collins: ‘I’m Gay.’ Media: “This man’s a hero.” #justsayin.
Hey Kevin and Chris—intolerance and hatred of your fellow human being on the basis of religion is an even worse abomination against God. Just sayin’.
But the rather judgmental views of Collins’ admission from folks like Broussard and Hart is reflective of a deep homophobia and a curious insensitivity that seems to exist in the African-American community when it comes to the issue of gay rights.
I noticed on various social media sites that most of the negative reaction to Collins has come from African-Americans. I find the hostility to gay rights or someone revealing him or herself as a gay a strange brand of bigotry from a people who should know better due to its history of experiencing hate and intolerance due to difference.
The Black community’s estranged relationship with the idea of homosexuality has its roots in the Christian church as well as the mosque. Folks are quick to tell you that it is an abomination against God and then you receive the requisite scriptural chapters and verses as to why we should frown on those “people.”
Pssst, I’ve got a news flash for ya…: Folks have used scriptural passages to justify the enslavement of African-Americans, putting Jews in concentration camps for being “Christ killers” and to say interracial marriage among heterosexuals is against God.
Conveniently left out, of course, are those passages that refer to loving thy neighbor as thy self and judge not, lest ye be judged. In my view, the worse type of sin we have in the world today is the sin of the reasons and justifications we find to hate each other—whether it be race, religion, gender or income level.
What’s funny is that we as Black people have often been referred to as “those people.” For all the things we have been fighting for in terms of our struggle for equality, we now have the nerve to put a “scarlet letter” on another group fighting for their rights. Really?!
In social media parlance, I am SMDH
(That means “shaking my damn head” for those of you who don’t know….)
And when you dehumanize folks as “those people,” you have to come up with your own bizarre stereotypes.
Recently, one of my friends told me that a childhood friend, also an African-American, pulled her daughter out of basketball for fear that her child would become gay, as if it was some kind of disease. They are examples of the kind of homophobia that you sometimes hear in our community.
And today you have the curious habit of guys saying stuff like, “No homo” whenever some guy expresses some sort of agape type affection for another guy to let everybody know that he’s not gay. It’s like, who are trying to convince? Are you really that unsure of your own sexuality?
In what I refer to affectionately as “Black World,” folks are quick to tell you not to compare the Civil Rights and gay rights movements, although the Civil Rights Movement is the inspiration for all the human rights movements of the 1960s.
Some African-Americans will point out the visibility of our skin color as to why this struggle is different. We can’t help that our difference is evident. After all, gay people don’t have tell anyone that they’re gay. They can cover it up. No one has to know.
And there lies the problem. For fear of violence, discrimination, being shunned by friends and family, gays and lesbians have had to cover up who they are. The Gay Rights movement is about fighting for the right to be accepted for they are, not what society says is normal.
If they are seen in the streets holding their hands of their partners, they’ve often faced violence or the same types of hostile looks that interracial heterosexual couples would get back in the day, especially in the South.
Often times, openly gay people have beaten up and killed. The torture and death of Matthew Shepard in 1998 was eerily similar to that of Emmitt Till in 1955.
The 14th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution says that all Americans born here in the U.S. deserve equal protection under the law. That’s all gays have ever asked for and that’s what we as African-Americans have been fighting for as well, the freedom from injustice.
The African-American community and the Gay Community should be allies, not enemies in this struggle.
But even if you can’t see or don’t want to see the parallels between the civil rights experience and gay rights experience, shouldn’t we as African-Americans, for all the things we have gone through, have some empathy and compassion for our gay brothers and sisters, many of whom are our family, friends, and co-workers?
During the Civil Rights movement, folks felt they were marching not just for Black rights, but for the rights of all Americans. Dr. Martin Luther King, in his famous “Letter from a Birmingham Jail,” reminds us that everyone’s rights are important: “Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere. We are caught in an inescapable network of mutuality, tied in a single garment of destiny. Whatever affects one directly, affects all indirectly.”
We might want to remember that when the next Jason Collins decides to share his truth.
Categories Blogroll, NBA, Philadelphia, Politics, Sports, UncategorizedTagsAfrican-Americans, Black community, Civil Rights, Gay Rights, homophobia, Jason Collins4 Comments
4 thoughts on “It’s Time to End Homophobia and Anti-Gay Bigotry in the African-American Community”
D Nash says:
Well said. Perfect quote.
Zuri says:
Great stuff. Thanks for sharing.
danielwalldammit says:
If Collins takes to kissing a team-mate after every basket, then the Tebow analogy might be relevant.
Walter Moody says:
You sir are on target. Good for you,offering some sanity to maddness.
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Woman on the Edge of Time
Often compared to Margaret Atwood's The Handmaid's Tale and Naomi Alderman's The Power - Woman on the Edge of Time has been hailed as a classic of speculative science fiction. Disturbing and forward thinking, Marge Piercy's remarkable novel will speak to a new generation of readers. Connie Ramos has been unjustly incarcerated in a mental institution with no hope of release.
The authorities view her as a danger to herself and to others. Her family has given up on her. But Connie has a secret - a way to escape the confines of her cell.
She can see the future. . .
For fans of THE HANDMAID'S TALE, this is a reissue of a much loved feminist classic. 'She is a serious writer who deserves the sort of considered attention which, too often, she does not get...' MARGARET ATWOOD
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2075 Main Street #38 Sarasota, Florida 34237
info@teamflg.com
Sarasota Criminal Defense
Experienced Defense Attorneys for Drunk Driving Offenses in Florida
If you’ve been arrested (and possibly charged) with a Florida DUI offense, then you may be feeling overwhelmed and anxious. This is perfectly reasonable, as a DUI conviction can lead to severe criminal and civil penalties that could have a significant impact on your overall life trajectory.
Given the stakes, it is important to consult an experienced Florida DUI defense lawyer as soon as possible for guidance. Here at Fowler Law Group, our Sarasota and Bradenton DUI attorneys have helped numerous DUI defendants avoid criminal liability, particularly in cases where law enforcement was overzealous and lacked sufficient proof of misconduct.
Understanding the Potential Defenses to a DUI Charge
There are a variety of effective defenses that can be employed to fight a DUI charge. These defenses include, but are not limited to:
The law enforcement officers did not establish the necessary “reasonable suspicion” to engage in a legitimate police stop.
The law enforcement officers did not establish “probable cause” of intoxication necessary to perform the arrest.
You were not actually in control of the vehicle (i.e., you got into your car to search for a personal item but were not actually intending to start and drive the car anywhere).
You were not actually intoxicated.
The DUI tests were improperly performed, inaccurate, or otherwise unreliable.
Let’s take a closer look at how to attack the DUI tests that were administered.
Police Alcohol Tests May Be Unreliable
Testing is a critical issue in DUI prosecutions.
If you can show that the DUI test the law enforcement officers used (to establish probable cause) in making their arrest was inaccurate or otherwise unreliable, and therefore could not form the legal basis for an arrest, then you may be able to have the DUI charges dismissed.
Field sobriety tests (FSTs) are tests administered on-site (i.e., at the “crime” scene) to determine whether the driver is intoxicated. In Florida, there are a few standardized FSTs administered by law enforcement officers:
The horizontal gaze test (i.e., tracking the law enforcement officer’s finger with your eye);
The walk-and-turn test (i.e., walking in a straight line and turning, all while counting out loud and maintaining balance, and starting-stopping at the officer’s discretion); and
The one-legged balance test (i.e., standing on one leg and maintaining balance while counting out loud.)
FSTs have been criticized for decades, and for good reason.
FSTs are not particularly reliable tests of intoxication, given that there are a number of confounding factors — an individual may simply have a poor sense of motor balance (perhaps due to a medical condition), which has nothing to do with consumption of alcohol. Some individuals simply have trouble with divided attention tasks, like FSTs, whether intoxicated or not. It is not hard to imagine that many drivers would struggle to balance on one leg and count out loud, even when completely sober.
Chemical tests for DUI include the following:
Breath (e.g. breathalyzer)
Though chemical tests are sometimes perceived to be relatively more reliable than FSTs, they are not necessarily reliable in absolute terms. Testing may be conducted improperly, causing errors. False positives are not uncommon — for example, there are individuals who have alcohol content in their blood due to a medical condition, and it has nothing to do with actual liquor consumption.
Breathalyzer tests are perhaps the most notorious of the chemical tests and are the most commonly implemented in real-world scenarios — law enforcement officers frequently conduct breathalyzer tests (at checkpoints and otherwise) to establish probable cause to make a DUI arrest.
There are a number of problems with breathalyzer tests. First, it is quite common for law enforcement officers to perform the test incorrectly — often due to their failure to properly calibrate the breathalyzer prior to testing. Second, breathalyzers may not be up-to-date and therefore might not be accurate. Breathalyzers have a limited shelf life, and if the breathalyzer was used after its intended “expiration date,” then the results can almost certainly be challenged for inaccuracy.
Refusing a Floruda DUI Test — Is that a Good Choice?
In Florida, field sobriety tests are voluntary — you do not have to submit to an FST, though there are real consequences for refusal. Namely, your refusal to submit to an FST could be used as evidence against you in court. As such, in many cases, it is better to submit to an FST and subsequently challenge the findings than to refuse testing outright.
Chemical tests are different. Florida is an implied consent state with respect to DUI chemical tests (breath, urine, blood). Essentially, when you obtained your driver’s license, the law says that you consented to submit to a DUI chemical test. Refusal to submit to a breathalyzer test could lead to the suspension of your license and potentially even criminal charges.
How Can a Florida DUI Defense Lawyer Help?
Lawyers are fundamental to success in fighting a DUI.
An experienced DUI defense attorney has litigated numerous DUI claims and understands the strategies typically engaged by prosecutors, giving them the insight necessary to go on the offensive and seek an early resolution (i.e., showing that the test results were not definitive, thus forcing the prosecutors to drop the charges). In cases where you were actually intoxicated, a skilled attorney can argue persuasively on your behalf to minimize the penalties and therefore limit the negative impact on your life.
Contact Fowler Law Group for a Free Consultation
DUI advocacy is ultimately a matter of building a persuasive defense by “poking holes” in the prosecution’s arguments.
Here at Fowler Law Group, our Florida attorneys have decades of experience working with those who have been charged with a DUI. We are keen litigators who understand the challenges facing defendants, from severe penalties to the social and career ramifications of a criminal conviction — as such, we are committed to investing sufficient time and attention towards each client to ensure they receive thorough, personalized legal representation.
Ready to speak to a skilled DUI defense lawyer at Fowler Law Group?
Call us at 941-404-8909 or send us a message online to schedule a free and confidential consultation today.
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James A Fowler Jr, Esq.
Alene Sartori Fowler, Esq.
What To Expect When Hiring Our Office
"Jimmy Fowler was very open and honest about my very bizarre case. Eventually he got all charges dismissed. I couldnt be happier that I hired Jimmy and neither will you."
Greg Logan
HAVE YOU RECENTLY FACED LEGAL ISSUES? WE CAN HELP!
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Fowler Law Group proudly represents the citizens of Sarasota and Manatee Counties as well as the surrounding Tampa Bay area. Our experienced team will help guide you through the judicial process and answer all of your questions with honesty and integrity. We understand the important nature of your call, and we will strive to return all calls within 24 hours. Contact us today by completing our online form or calling us at 941-404-8909.
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Tag: King David II
Annabella Drummond, Queen of Scots
July 21, 2013 August 15, 2019 Susan Abernethy13 Comments
Annabella Drummond was married to Robert III, King of Scots. They had the longest duration of a Scottish royal marriage in history. It lasted for thirty-five years and seven months.
Annabella was born c. 1350. Her father was Sir John Drummond of Stobhall, near Perth. He was the eleventh Thane of Lennox and Chief of Clan Drummond. Her mother was named Mary Montifex. Sir John’s sister was Margaret Drummond (also known as Logie by her first marriage). Margaret was the second wife of David II, King of Scots. We know little of Annabella’s early life or education. When Annabella was about seventeen, King David chose her as the bride of the thirty-year old John Stewart of Kyle who was in line to inherit the throne if King David died childless. The marriage was a gesture of recognition of John Stewart as heir to the throne. As a consequence of this marriage, John Stewart received the earldom of Atholl from this father in May of 1367 and a grant of the old earldom of Carrick which was adjacent to Kyle from the king himself in June of 1368.
When King David annulled his marriage to Margaret Drummond, John’s position was threatened. In addition, John and the Stewart family were in opposition to the king taking a new wife. John suffered interference in his lands from the king and may have been put in jail. How Annabella felt about all these troubles, we will never know. King David died in 1371.
John’s father became King Robert II upon David’s death. John was named heir to the throne by parliamentary act in 1371. In the 1370’s John became a leading prince of the blood south of the Forth-Clyde line. He was in charge of maintaining peace on the English border and keeper of Edinburgh Castle. His ambition put him in conflict with his father and his brothers.
Annabella’s husband, John Stewart of Kyle who later became Robert III, King of Scots
Annabella was absorbed in the family power struggle from the early years of her marriage, especially with John’s brother the Earl of Fife. Fife had designs on the throne. In 1373, Annabella and John had only two daughters and no sons. Fife pushed through legislation saying all heirs to the throne must be male. It was a blatant effort to go around John and his daughters and put himself in direct line to the throne. Finally on October 24, 1378, Annabella gave birth to a son named David after the former king.
Annabella gave birth to two more daughters and a son Robert who died in infancy. In 1388, John would suffer a terrible accident with a horse where he was possibly kicked. His health was never the same after this. King Robert II died on April 19, 1390 and John Stewart of Kyle, Earl of Carrick became King, changing his name to Robert. Robert was crowned on August 14, 1390 at Scone Abbey and Annabella was crowned the next day. A great crowd gathered to witness the coronation and for the festivities afterward.
In March of 1391, Annabella was granted a pension of 2, 500 merks by parliament for her to adorn her person and for her household maintenance. On July 25, 1394, when Annabella was probably in her forties, she gave birth to her last child, a son named James.
Sometime in the summer of 1394, Annabella received a letter from Richard II of England most likely inquiring about a marriage for one of her daughters. Richard’s letter no longer exists but Annabella’s response does. It is dated August 1 and it is in Norman French. She most likely dictated it to her secretary as it is not written in her hand or signed by her. She expresses her pleasure at the possibility of a match for one of her daughters. She mentions her reason for the delay in responding was due to her pregnancy. None of her daughters married anyone from England.
Annabella began to actively promote the interests of her eldest son David. By the time he was fourteen, he had a functional part in government. She planned a huge tournament in 1398 that was held in Edinburgh during which David was knighted. On January 27, 1399, Annabella and Robert were at Scone when David was made Duke of Rothesay and named “Lieutenant of the Realm”. On the same day, Robert’s brother the Earl of Fife was made Duke of Albany. Not long after this, Annabella had to make a complaint that Albany’s deputies were withholding her revenues and Albany was ordered to remedy the situation.
By this time King Robert was incapable of any control in his kingdom. There was corruption and bribery throughout Scotland and civil war between the Highlands and the Lowlands. David was debauched, self-indulgent and erratic in his behavior. He still needed full council approval to do anything and the Duke of Albany was once again in control. Robert’s health had deteriorated even further and he was in a deep depression. Annabella asked him how he would like his epitaph to read. He stated his desire not to have a proud tomb but to be buried in a “midden”, meaning a rubbish heap. He wanted his epitaph to read “Here lies the worst of kings and the most miserable of men”.
Due to Robert’s ill health and the ineffectiveness of David, King Henry IV of England decided to invade Scotland in August 1400. He managed to besiege David in Edinburgh Castle but ran out of money and supplies and returned to England doing relatively little damage. Annabella died in the autumn of 1401 at Scone and was buried at Dunfermline. The chroniclers spoke well of her and praised her conduct as Queen.
Shortly after Annabella’s death, Albany seized David, Duke of Rothesay and imprisoned him. He was to die under mysterious circumstances. King Robert feared for the life of his young son James. Robert died in April of 1406 after spiriting away James on a ship headed to France. The ship was seized by pirates and the new King James I was taken to England where he became a prisoner of King Henry IV.
Sources: “Scottish Queens: 1034-1715” by Rosalind K. Marshall, “British Kings and Queens” by Mike Ashley, “The Kings and Queens of Scotland” edited by Richard Oram
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The Inquisitive Narrative
musings, essays, opinion & history
Grand Deluges
Some Creation Stories
A Stream of Prophets
The Age of Myth
The Age of Myth – Chapter Four
Posted on February 7, 2013 by Joe Peters
Cro-Magnon, the first anatomically modern man, began to move into Europe about 40,000 years ago, with the skeletal remains of one of its population, found in the cave Pestera Cu Oase, in Romania, and radiocarbon dated to 37,800 years ago. They had broken away from the main group of Homo sapien survivors of the eruption of Mt Toba, 30,000 years previous, who had come out of the Ethiopian highlands and had replaced survivors of the earlier species, Homo erectus, throughout Africa, Southeast Asia and the Middle East. And though they had also made their way to Australia and the Far East, the majority of the Cro-Magnon population lived around the lakes of the Mediterranean basin, which was not a sea yet, North Africa, the Canary Islands, and the Eastern Mediterranean. They had become highly specialized hunters and gatherers and had developed speech, and soon, their own languages, while the environment of wherever they had ended up on the planet would dictate the race of human they would become, with random mutations in our DNA providing the basis of variation.
Moving north Cro-Magnon began to run into the Neanderthal, who would eventually be pushed to the edge of their world, with the last few Neanderthal tribes’ remnants found in Western Spain and Gibraltar. Before Cro-Magnon, the Neanderthal population was perhaps 15,000 to 20,000 individuals, living between the Atlantic Ocean and the Ural Mountains and though the Neanderthal species would perish, it was not their complete extinction, for many were undoubtedly assimilated into the newer species. Some theories suggest the contributing factor in the Neanderthals demise was simply, “when limitless imagination replaced robust physiques.”
Just recently, Swedish archeological geneticist Svante Paabo completed mapping the DNA of the Neanderthal and found that many people today, except for most all African descendents, have about 3 to 5 per cent of their DNA in common with Neanderthals. Interestingly, but then considering the harsh environment in which the Neanderthal lived, the genes we share with them are all in the parts that make up our immune system.
With the demise of Neanderthal, the Upper Palaeolithic period (40,000 to 10,000 years ago) began and represented a gigantic step forward in our species consciousness and abilities.
Cro-Magnons were taller than other Homo sapiens and the earlier species, with a more erect posture, prominent nose and chin, lower brow ridges and unlike the Neanderthal and Erectus’ backward sloping skulls, had a rounder skull, with a more vertical forehead. Thus a bigger brain, which was crucial, considering being stupid usually got you killed, while ingenuity and intellect was needed for survival. And with a higher forehead, more muscles formed in the face, with more control of eyebrows and forehead skin, which aided in communication.
They wore clothes of softened leather sewn with bone needles and thread from an animal’s gut and wore lots of necklaces, bracelets, and amulets made from shells, flowers, teeth, and bones. Their quilts were animal pelts and they often lived in pit-huts, similar to North American natives’ tepees. During the winters they would live in semi-permanent settlements, usually in narrow valley bottoms or caves, while over the summers, and using lightweight, portable tents, they would follow the herds of their prey. Their campsites contained oil lamps and hearths that were very complex in themselves, with much forethought made every time they camped. For instance, each tent would typically face the east, to catch the morning sun’s warmth. They had developed many tools which could work bone, antler and hides. They had darts, harpoons, fish hooks, rope, eyed needles, and hunted with spears and javelins. Unable to store or keep food they were typical hunters and gatherers, constantly on the move.
Over time, family size groups of these earliest modern humans, perhaps ten to twelve individuals, would grow to thirty to forty people. With the group replenished most often with arriving males from other tribes. Eventually leaders would arise within these larger groups and were either dominant males and females or elders who held wisdom in the form of the collective memories of the group. Their basic, isolated way of primitive life began to change and would evolve into the hierarchy system, and because the populations of many areas had grown, for the first time groups started coming into closer contact with each other, intruding on each other. But at the same time the increased interaction between groups also meant the sharing of ideas and exchange of raw materials.
A leader and other strong members of the group would become the most active in protecting their particular group, as well as settling any squabbles within their own group and between others. This is the time many believe early man began to fight each other. Mostly for two reasons, to establish dominance in a group or to establish territorial rights over a particular piece of ground. But if fighting ever did break out, very rarely did anyone die.
As to the individuals with psychopathic natures, which does not necessarily mean violent, but individuals who would attempt to steal, cheat or bully were suppressed by a consensus process amongst the tribe, which had the power to ostracize, banish or even kill. Any psychotic behaviour had to be controlled, because to survive, the cohesion and stability of the group needed cooperation amongst its members to exist. Only after farming was developed, thousands of years later, would psychopaths no longer be held in check and would rise in power, right up to the present day.
Though over time the whole life of a tribe would revolve around its leader, these earlier humans had become more co-operative hunters, and the leaders of these ever growing groups found out that often times dominant authority had to be curtailed somewhat to retain the loyalty of the group. Each member was just as strong as the next, with the dumb, weak and frail rarely surviving into adulthood. Even the children, who of course were not passively entertained by video games, television, their phone and movies, would spend their waking hours actively doing something, such as talking, playing, learning to hunt, and helping out in gathering. Constant interaction with nature and each other, they had much more childhood stimulation and activity than most children today, which promoted mental development, confidence and better health.
Having to get along with more and more people within the group, as well as with other groups, a leader could not be feared so much anymore and instead, had to get everyone on his or her side by getting them to want to help him or her. Eventually as the populations grew, with everyone having their say, leaders had to become just another member of the group, because they could no longer command unquestioning support, obedience and/or influence. But with the groups growing into ever larger populations there was still needed an all powerful figure who could keep the group under control and over time there came the invention of a god.
Early modern man did not fear nature or feel helpless against it, but instead made the forces of nature into things with whom they could associate with and even regard as equal. They all thought very independently and yet were never intimidated by each other’s intellect, and did not feel submissive to anyone or anything. There were few illusions and most all instinctual impulses they would have, never disregarded the relationship of any other individual to them. These early peoples focussed more on living in equilibrium with their environment. Assured that their existence in the world was the same in the past, and would be unchanged in the future.
Symbolic behaviour would become ever the more prominent and was linked to animism, humanity’s oldest belief system, the belief that natural objects were conscious forms of life, and that they affect humanity. They viewed the forests, mountains, oceans, even the wind, as spiritual forces, and displayed a reverence for the natural environment. They believed a soul or spirit existed in every object, living, as well as inanimate and that in a future state, an object’s soul exists as part of an immaterial and universal soul. These early beliefs were based on instinct, emotion and intuition. Most tribal religions, even today, are different in form and ritual, but all seek to explain the mystery of life by insisting that nature is animated by spirits. Though these early peoples began to have supernatural beliefs, they did not serve to justify any central authority, transfer of wealth or maintain peace between unrelated individuals. Nature and humans were to be respected equally and would live in complete harmony with one another. Humans at this time did not feel separate from nature that belief would arise later with the first civilizations.
But the ego was rapidly developing, along with language, the first signs of abstract thought, finely made tools, the concept of fishing, and the understanding of bartering. Anthropologists, through ethnographic research studies of hunter-gatherer societies suggest that with some tribes, individual status was based on how generous a person was who has acquired wealth, while other groups remained egalitarian and non-hierarchical societies, sharing their food and materials. Art and jewellery also became prevalent, as did game playing, music and ceremonies for their dearly departed.
Besides the development of more complex hunting strategies, sophisticated planning, and social structure, certain aspects of a human’s life became more sacred, such as births, deaths and the passage to adulthood. Symbols and rituals became more elaborate. And as projectile points, engraving tools, knife blades and drilling tools evolved, so did art, with the first signs of art appearing in fossil records, 50,000 years ago, in Africa. The earliest known cave paintings, found in France, are dated 34,000 years ago and picture rhino, bison and horses, done in black charcoal and red ochre. A lion-headed figurine carved out of a mammoth tusk found in Germany, is from the same time. In Czechoslovakia, fired clay figurines and woven baskets have been found dating back 27,000 years, and proving music was also evolving, a bird-bone flute found in France is 23,000 years old.
These early peoples lived in an age with no reason, and relied on their feelings to make any decisions. With much of what they thought about each day driven by their emotions. Any problems were dealt with instinctively, thus quickly. Other problems would evolve when, much later, humans would first start experiencing reason. Reason was still thousands of years in the future and really did not last very long when it did arrive, since today we have already abandoned it and replaced it with ideology. Besides, when we cut off our feelings and ignore our gut feelings, only then does decision making become difficult. And as we have now come to realize, life is all about decision making, in fact, to somewhat prove the point, though our brains only makes up about 2 per cent of our body weight, the electrochemistry within it, when working hard on making a decision, will burn up a fifth of the food and oxygen we consume.
What was also evolving was our social behaviour. Most humans were still intimately connected to the rhythms and signals of the natural world and lived and responded instinctively. Life was still a routine of searching for food, getting along with our band members and accepting levels of power to the physically stronger, the more attuned or the group as a whole. Whatever accepted hierarchy, the constant tragedies, challenges, and difficulties of daily life were without reflection. With no ego, there was no jealousy or greed, or temper tantrum because something didn’t go one’s way. But over the next hundreds of millennia, certain individuals began to grow restless with the challenging daily routines of life. When someone died, they began to ask why and then wonder how the death could be avoided in the future. More and more individuals began stepping back from their automatic responses and started examining the full scope of existence and looking at the big picture. Aware that life endured through cycles of the sun, moon, and seasons, lifestyle, food sharing, division of labour, and cooperation became more important to one’s daily life. Where once the tribes were relaxed in their daily lives and everyone knew their place, they began to be afflicted with the concept, which we are still trying to figure out today, of simply how to get along with our neighbours. It was the birth of self awareness, and lead humans to understand the important need, not only of physical survival, but of the need for psychological survival as well. To be understood, affirmed, validated and appreciated within social worlds which would became incredible more complex.
As mentioned earlier, the first signs of art appear in fossil records dated 50,000 years ago, in Africa. By 30,000 years ago, when art was becoming more prolific and we began to decorate things more, there was the rather sudden appearance of a symbol set painted on the cave walls throughout Europe. Whether it was developed somewhere else or was a local phenomenon but used materials that did not survive over the millennia, or we simple haven’t found yet, we do not know.
Anthropologist Genevieve von Petzinger has found that, while surviving examples of the earliest art was of animal and human imagery, by 30,000 years ago a core set of 19 symbols, with distinct shapes began to appear in Europe and eventually outnumber any imagery of either animals or humans. These geometric signs would be repeated over the next 20,000 years, with the same symbols moving across the earth with the expansion of humans. The same symbols would also be found in Australia, first inhabited by humans 50,000 years ago. Over the next millennia these original symbols would rise to 26 distinct shapes, the same as the English alphabet.
The numerous evidences of fertility figurines, cave painting and petro-glyphs shows the importance symbolism became in human development, especially with language and writing. Symbolism allows the mind to see intuitively – to see what is not directly visible in the material world. It is what engages the right side of the human brain, while the left side of our brains is bound by rational or linear thought, like language and writing. And this is why the first written languages were developed out of hieroglyphs, which is basically art that is inseparable from the script that goes along with it.
No matter where hieroglyphs have been found, they are all very similar, even the Egyptian and Mayan hieroglyphs in particular, though separated by an ocean. In most of these places the script was used for inscriptions covering tombs, temples, obelisks, and sculpture, then would eventually be written on papyrus, bark, or paper, for ritual and sacred text. The first written language would be developed by the Sumerians, more than 5,000 years ago, to keep track of goods and materials.
These Middle Eastern and Egyptian scripts were eventually replaced with a new form of hieroglyphs, known as “popular script.” The Phoenicians would then spread these first written languages, which included signs for the consonants, all over the Mediterranean, where they would eventually be adopted by the Greeks and Romans. Over the next couple of centuries, the script would evolve with Greek letters to write the Egyptian language, and then during the Roman era, a Greek-based alphabet called “Coptic” appeared, and would become the dominant alphabet of Europe. Though hieroglyphs would remain the most widely used scripts until 392 A.D., at which time the Holy Roman Church would ban all non-Christian worship, and hieroglyphs immediately began to disappear.
The oldest language known is the Khoisan, in Southeast Africa, which is made up of clicking sounds, and is probably more than 50,000 years old. Up to this day the Niger-Congo region has more than fourteen hundred languages, 25% of the languages in the entire world. Cautious estimates suggest that more than 10,000 languages eventually existed globally. While over half of the six thousand languages currently spoken, are unlikely to survive the next 100 years. The Pueblo natives of North America believe different languages were created “so it wouldn’t be easy for humans to quarrel.”
The Upper Palaeolithic period also represents the birth of modern man, and specifically his mind. Physically, a Cro-Magnon standing in a crowd today and dressed, you would be hard pressed to pick them out. Same build, same mind, which is why symbolism was as important then as it still is today. Because, though we hate to admit it, humans are a biological species, being operated by a large brain, which has separate right and left hemispheres in the cerebral cortex, which we call today, right brain and left brain. We have possessed such a brain for over 40,000 years, yet today we apparently use only about 10% of our brains. As to the other 90%, is it that we have forgotten how to access it or is it the parts we haven’t yet reached?
In fact, the biochemical processes of the mind are also closely linked to our health, emotionally and physically. Mentioned in both, Eastern philosophy and the Old Testament, is how important the brain is to our immune system, and that the spleen, thymus, bone marrow, glands, liver, lungs, kidney, and heart are all connected, with much control of the brain resting with the organs. It is why there are intense, emotional and spiritual aspects of serious illnesses, and why if you grow up believing showing emotion is a sign of weakness you are sick a lot and have a shorter lifespan. It shows that besides the importance of being honest with others, we must also be honest with how we feel ourselves.
The right brain is totally in the present, and is voiceless, speaking through symbolism, instinct, and dreams. It deals with spatial and abstract relationships, and the subconscious. It cares about compassion, integrity context, peace, love and being supportive. It focuses on our similarities and the big picture that all humans are connected. While the left brain talks a lot, and which is what we have become.
We mange from the left, because it is logical, thinks linearly and literally, and is where our intelligence lies. It judges, punishes and deceives, living in the past and the present. It focuses on our differences and is critical of those unlike ourselves, thus is the root of bigotry, prejudice, and fear or hate of the unfamiliar. Today it keeps us busy in our day to day lives, yet no matter what awards of our society it achieves, it never makes anyone truly happy or satisfied. It loves routine and running on automatic, dreading having to shift gears. The left brain defines our boundaries of who we are and understands language but has a problem with its limitations, compared to the gut feelings and intuition of the right, which remember has no voice. And this is the trouble we find ourselves in today, because the reality of life is it is not just logical, it is also emotional, with symbols, words, texting and tweeting, too often holding us back in describing what we should instead be sensing and feeling.
The peoples of the Upper Palaeolithic period minds evolved gradually as did all things human, especially their social worlds and day to day living, though it was undoubtedly hardly felt by each generation, for it was a naturally slow process. Unlike today where instead of natural progressions lasting thousands of years, they now speed by seemingly on a weekly basis. It’s no wonder why mental illness has become the number one affliction of our species, with day to day living becoming all about simply being a good consumer and how to afford it, and that we are much more than just a biological species. Far from it we boast, unbelieving.
However, genetics, biochemistry, and molecular biology have taught us that organisms, which we are one, do not and cannot evolve because they need or want to, that natural selection cannot create mutants to serve its purposes, and that inheritable variation is random, with any genetic variation arising or not arising strictly by chance. Before the advent of modern transportation, not so long ago, human populations were scattered all over the planet and had very little contact with each other, thus we rarely exchanged genes. Over the course of human history, through random changes in the genome and natural selection, our species has developed many different traits, such as skin color, eye shape and immune systems. And even though such genetic diversity differentiates each individual from every other person in the world, most of our genes are not segregated among the traditional races of Caucasoid, Mongoloid, and Negroid. Thus our shared genetic heritage unites us all as one species.
Meanwhile, humanity slowly made their way through their ever evolving lives, still believing they were a part of nature, which genetics proves they were, and not above it as we believe we are. While at the same time the earth was also naturally progressing and forever changing, not caring about whom or what lives on its mantel.
After taking tens of thousands of years to cool down, peak glaciations of the last great ice age was reached about 18,000 years ago. Much of Europe, Asia – down to the Himalayans, and North America – down to approximately the mid point of America, was covered in glaciers more than 3 km high, while Antarctica had crept northward and brushed upon South America. The temperatures near the ice sheets had fallen by at least 15.5 degrees C (60 F) and between 21 and 27 C (36 – 48F) in the tropics. The sea levels had dropped to 130 m (425 ft) below modern levels, exposing thousands upon thousands of square miles of the continental shelves of all the continents. In some areas these gently sloping gradients would have had our present shorelines, dozens of miles out to sea, while the edges of these shelves drop off very quickly, in fact the edges of the continental shelves are the highest and most extensive escarpments known on earth, with their average drop being 3657 m (12,000 ft) and in some cases, 9140 m (30,000 ft), straight down. The Bering Sea was a dry land, the Mediterranean’s basin a group of lakes, the English Channel a vast dry valley, and the Indonesian Galapagos united in one vast land of mountains and valleys. Today’s Venice, Italy, was about 200 miles from the nearest shoreline, while the Atlantic shoreline of North America was at least 60 miles to the east of where it presently is today. But then the glaciers began to retreat, the ice began to melt and the temperatures began to climb.
According to the latest research, and the most distinguished geneticist, Luigi Luca Cavalli-Sforza, human gene frequencies; the gradual change of a character or phenotype in a species over a particular geographical area, show that there were three areas of human expansion during the Upper Palaeolithic era. One was centered on the Sea of Japan and its archipelagos and expanded out along the shorelines, and by boat to the western coast of North America, starting from the Solomon Island group, then out over the Pacific Islands. Eventually becoming the ancestors of many west coast North American native peoples, most notably the Haida Gweii. They also migrated back into Southeast Asia.
Another group was centered over Northern Eurasia and Siberia. This group migrated south and to the east over the Bering land bridge into North America. They would be the ancestors of the Clovis and all the other peoples who would eventually inhabit North and South America.
The third expansion came out of Arabia and the Middle East area and moved into Europe, the Mediterranean and northeast Africa. There is debate over whether Cro-Magnon had expanded along the ice age shoreline of Europe, Greenland and then south along the North American east coast.
Many of these migrations would soon cease though as the ice continued to melt, and would have left many groups of peoples isolated. Within 5,000 years after peak glaciations the world’s sea levels rose 20 m (66ft). The great glacial lakes in North America, which were once massive sheets of ice, began to flood off the continent and about 11,500 years ago, according to fossil remains of coral beds, there was an abrupt rise in sea levels of another 24 m (79 ft) and once again the earth’s surface was changed, and all the species upon its surface would have to adapt along with it to survive, with many sites of human habitat flooded over, as the Mediterranean continued to fill and the shorelines of most of the continents were disappearing beneath the water. More and more, groups of people had to move to higher ground, leaving behind what culture they did have, to the rising seas. Though these transitions often times took generations, in the northern regions, changes were more drastic, in that from a glacial environment it was becoming forest, the land being exposed by the retreating glaciers would have been compressed flat by the immense weight of the ice as it slowly crept northward, and had ripped out huge gouges in the earth, which today, are the fjords of northern Europe, Hudsons Bay and North America The ice melting also would have exposed seasonal rivers and lakes, with great forests arising over the now barren lands. By 13,000 years ago the tundra-glacial hunters were being replaced by Mesolithic forest and coastal hunters and gatherers. And with new technologies such as the bow and arrow, they began to devastate any big game still remaining.
In North America much of the north and central regions became grass land. And with a north-south corridor opening up through the melting ice sheets, and the Bering land bridge slowly disappearing, another wave of peoples began to fan out over the continent. They would become known as the Clovis people.
The North American natives, the Northern Paiute, of present day California, Nevada, and Oregon have an interesting legend, about their ancestors who had come from the north, “Ice had formed ahead of them, and it reached all the way to the sky. The people could not cross it . . . A Raven flew up and struck the ice and cracked it. Coyote said, “These small people can’t get across the ice.” Another Raven flew up again and cracked the ice again. Coyote said, “Try again. Try again.” Raven flew up again, broke the ice, and the people ran across.
The first wave of humans had migrated down the western coastline earlier, as far south as Santa Rosa Island, off the Californian coast. The bones and remains of “Arlington Springs Man” were found there, and are dated to 13,000 years ago. At peak glaciations 18,000 years ago, the four Channel Islands, that lay up to 26m (42km) off the state of California was one big island called Santa Rosae, and was only five miles off the coast, not so isolated as they are today, separately. The earliest documented settlement on the Queen Charlotte Islands of Canada’s west coast, has been found to have been used more than 11,000 years ago. Coinciding with sites found on the east coast of North America dated to about the same time.
Though they were not the first, nor the last humans to reach North America, the Clovis people thrived from about 14,000 years ago. North America before this time was much the same as Africa as far as mega-fauna (large mammals) goes, with many species. From herds of mammoths and horses, to lions, cheetahs, camels, and great grand sloths, North American Llamas, musk ox, giant beaver, short-faced bears (bigger than grizzlies), American mastodon, giant bison, and saber-tooth tigers roamed the landscape. But after peak glaciations many of the bigger mammals weighing more than 40kg (88 lbs) began to die out. Though the ice age itself was the cause of thousands of extinctions of creatures, humans entering the scene would have a profound impact on these animals.
Over the last 50,000 years, thirty-three of the largest mammals in North America have become extinct. Many of these species, as well as the Clovis peoples themselves, would soon disappear and become extinct 12,900 years ago. Some scientific evidence has suggested that a swarm of comets roared through the atmosphere at that time and broke up into hundreds of fragments, hitting North America like the pellets out of a sawed-off shotgun. The effect on the climate was sudden, as a huge dust cloud expanded outwards. In less than two years the temperature dropped -7 C (18 F). And within a couple of a hundred years after the devastation from the initial impact, changes in the environment and the hunting capabilities of the Clovis people, fifteen species of the largest mammals could not adapt or survive, and soon went the way of the dinosaur, and were no more.
More recent and perhaps more accurate data suggests that indeed the earth cooled at this time in what has been named the Younger Dryas, though it was not due to a meteorite but actually a cooling period caused by an abrupt change in the complex of the global climate. The same thing was happening in Europe and by 15,000 years ago the woolly mammoth, woolly rhinoceros, European Hippo, Irish elk, cave lion, European Jaguar, cave bear, hyena, steppe bison and the interesting elasmotherium, which were similar to a Rhino but with longer legs, all became extinct. The elasmotherium 2 m (6 ft) high and over 6 m (20ft) long and upwards of five tonnes, had a single two meters long horn, was a fast runner and had teeth similar to a horse. But soon the hunting prowess of humans alone decimated most all these animals and with most of the larger game gone, smaller forest animals, such as deer would replace them.
Meanwhile the Indonesian landmass was becoming a group of separate islands once more, with New Guinea even more isolated, and the Australian continent was turning into a desert, with most all of the big game once there already driven to extinction 20,000 – 30,000 years previously by the first archaic inhabitants. The descendants of these first inhabitants of Australia would find themselves ever more isolated in a barren land, nearly devoid of animal life.
The people of the Japanese archipelago would become perhaps the first sedentary people in the world, with the Jomon period starting at least 16,000 years ago. They seemed to have been very skilled coastal and deep water fishermen. Pottery found in Japanese archaeology sites have been dated to about 15,000 years ago. There are theories that these seafaring people had made their way around and along the edge of the glaciers that protruded down from the Bering land bridge, before it had melted back northwards, and had extensively explored down the west coast of the North American continent.
All this expansion of populations of humans covering the earth’s landmasses would have a profound effect on the future of all living things. Population would become an issue, as well as the un-evolving needs of food and water, and the new primary quandary of our species, how do we get along.
Image – An artist’s conception of an early modern human. Credit: Illustration by Zdenek Burian.
http://www.stoneageinstitute.org/
This entry was posted in Historical Essays, Human Nature and tagged cro-magnon, cro-magnon art, DNA variation, early hiearchy, early hunting technologies, Ego, extinction of large mammals- Europe and North America, first language, genetic diversity, genetics, hieroglyphs, Homo sapiens, human development, human expansion, human history, hunters and gatherers, Last Ice Age, Neanderthal, psychopathic nature, random mutations, right brain - left brain, rising water levels, social behaviour, social evolution, Symbolic behaviour, Upper Palaeolithic period, Younger Dryas period. Bookmark the permalink.
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© Christian Schneider
Symphony Orchestra of the University Mozarteum
Mozarteum University Symphony Orchestra
Rumänische Nationalkammerchor „Madrigal – Marin Constantin“ (Choir )
Ion Marin (Conductor )
Solisten der Universität Mozarteum (Soloists )
Symphony C major KV 425 „Linzer Symphonie“
Missa in C minor KV 139 „Waisenhausmesse“
Stiftung Mozarteum
In 1856, the 100th anniversary of Mozart’s birth, an association was founded with the aim of setting up a music school, with a library, archives and concert hall, devoted to Mozart. Various buildings in the inner city area of Salzburg were considered and eventually it was decided to buy the villa of the former interior minister, Josef von Lasser, in the Schwarzstrasse. Conversion work took place from 1910 to 1914 according to plans drawn up by Richard Berndl. The overriding style is late historicism characteristic of Munich, and elegant details were combined with elements of the local Baroque tradition, art nouveau and patriotic building art. In 1917 the board of governors of the International Mozarteum Foundation elected Bernhard Paumgartner unanimously as director of what was at that time a conservatory. This later became an academy and then the Mozarteum Academy of Music and Dramatic Art, and in the meantime it has achieved university status. During the period when Paumgartner was director, this educational institute experienced a great boom: in particular several music-theatre productions took place in connection with the “Mozarteum Opera Series” and it was thanks to his initiative that these performances took place in the Salzburg City Theatre (now the Landestheater).
Financial problems of the International Mozarteum Foundation were offset by nationalising the teaching part of the foundation’s work in 1922 with the result that nowadays two completely separate corporate bodies exist. The Mozarteum University has in the meantime moved most of its departments into its own building on the Mirabellplatz.
The International Mozarteum Foundation has cooperated closely with the Salzburg Festival ever since 1921: the Great Hall of the Mozarteum is one of the main venues of the concert series especially because it is excellent for the performance of chamber music. The Mozart Matinees, morning concerts given at the weekends during the Salzburg Festival, were introduced by Bernhard Paumgartner and have in the meantime assumed legendary status. In 1930 the first courses for conducting and musical instruments were held and this initiative later became the International Summer Academy of the Mozarteum. Every year renowned lecturers come together with enthusiastic music students from all over the world to enter a lively artistic dialogue.
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Shirt and Suit Corners fly colors again in different Old City spot
Steve Trader
The Suit and Shirt Corner is at a new home on the 600 block of Market Street after a fire in April destroyed the original store at 3rd and Market. (Kimberly Paynter/WHYY)
Less than a month before the iconic red, white and blue Suit Corner in Philadelphia’s Old City burned to the ground in April, Gary Ginsberg’s old Shirt Corner store collapsed, and his mother died.
After the fire, Ginsberg said he felt like a boxer who just got knocked out. He laid in bed, confused, not wanting to get up.
“It was very depressing,” said Ginsberg. “I was sitting there on my front lawn with my dog, I saw the kids go to school, the parents going to work, and I had nowhere to go.”
Now, two months after the fire at 3rd and Market Streets, Ginsberg is set to re-open a combination Suit and Shirt Corner on Friday, just a few blocks away – not quite on the corner of Market and 7th.
Many of Ginsberg’s employees urged him to re-open as soon as possible, and he said all of them are returning to work at the new location.
“I told him you better come on, let’s do this,” said Verrone Romeoletti, who’s worked at Suit Corner for eight years, and Shirt Corner for another 20 before that.
“We have to get up, we’ve done our crying, now we have to get moving,” Romeoletti said. “I’ve been on him every day since we started.”
The 60-year family tradition of the store helped motivate Ginsberg to start looking for a new location close to his established clientele.
Shirt corner was closed to make way for a mixed-use development, including a CVS. There was a partial collapse at the site while under demolition, but no one was seriously injured. That happened in March, then a month later, the Suit Corner store burned.
Before the new store is even open, customers such as Alfred Haywood III are already coming by as the new store gets stocked with its distinctive brightly-colored shirts and suits.
“We’ve got our store back,” said Haywood. “It’s just a wonderful thing to be able to come back here, talk to Gary and some of the other guys, because it’s kind of a friendly store where people know your name. It’s great.”
Ginsberg, for the most part, is trying to stay positive. He said the new location has longer streets, longer traffic lights, so maybe more people will notice the revived store while waiting for the light to run green.
“I’ve never changed before, it was always the same routine every day,” said Ginsberg. “A lot of people tell me things happen for a reason, hopefully this could be a better reason but let’s see what happens.”
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DeepMind’s AlphaZero beats state-of-the-art chess and shogi game engines
Kyle Wiggers@Kyle_L_Wiggers December 6, 2018 10:00 AM
Image Credit: DeepMind
Almost a year ago exactly, DeepMind, the British artificial intelligence (AI) division owned by Google parent company Alphabet, made headlines with preprint research (“Mastering Chess and Shogi by Self-Play with a General Reinforcement Learning Algorithm”) describing a system — AlphaZero — that could teach itself how to master the game of chess, a Japanese variant of chess called shogi, and the Chinese board game Go. In each case, it beat a world champion, demonstrating a state-of-the-art knack for learning two-person games with perfect information — that is to say, games where any decision is informed of all the events that have previously occurred.
DeepMind’s claims were impressive to be sure, but they hadn’t undergone peer review. That’s changed. DeepMind today announced that, after months of back-and-forth revisions, its work on AlphaZero has been accepted in the journal Science, where it’s made the front page.
“A couple of years ago, our program, AlphaGo, defeated the 18-time world champion Go champion, Lee Sedol, by four games to one. But for us, that was actually the beginning of the journey to build a general-purpose learning system that could learn for itself to play many different games to superhuman level,” David Silver, lead researcher on AlphaZero, told reporters assembled in a conference room at NeurIPS 2018 in Montreal. “AphaZero is the next step in that journey. It learned from scratch to defeat world champion programs in Gi, Chess, and Shogi, started from no knowledge except the game rules.”
The games were chosen both for their complexity and the rich history of prior AI research that’s been conducted about them, Silver explained.
“Chess … represents what can be achieved by traditional methods of AI when they’ve been pushed to the absolute limit, and so we wanted to see whether we could overturn the traditional approaches that we use a lot handcrafting using a completely principled self-learning approach,” he said. “The reason we chose Shogi is that, in terms of difficulty, it’s one of the few board games aside from Go [that’s] very, very challenging, for even specialized program and computer programs to play. It was only … in the last year or two that there have been any computer programs that have been able to compete with human world champions.”
Toward that end, the paper published this week describes how DeepMind outperforms chess- and shogi-playing algorithms such as Stockfish, Elmo, and IBM’s Deep Blue by leveraging a deep neural network — layered mathematical functions that mimic the behavior of neurons in the human brain — rather than handcrafted rules. Its dynamic mode of play results in creative and unconventional strategies that inspired a forthcoming book by two-time British chess champion and Grandmaster Matthew Sadler and women’s international master Natasha Regan, who painstakingly reviewed AlphaZero’s nearly 1,000 chess games.
“Traditional engines are exceptionally strong and make few obvious mistakes, but can drift when faced with positions with no concrete and calculable solution … Impressively, [AlphaZero] manages to impose its style of play across a very wide range of positions and openings,” Sadler said. “It’s precisely in such positions where ‘feeling’, ‘insight’ or ‘intuition’ is required that AlphaZero comes into its own. AlphaZero plays like a human on fire. It’s a very beautiful style.”
For instance, in chess, AlphaZero discovered motifs such as openings (the initial moves of a chess game), king safety (ways in which to protect the king piece), and pawn structure (the configuration of pawn pieces on the chessboard). It tends to swarm around the opponent’s king and to maximize the mobility of its pieces while minimizing those of enemy pieces. And not unlike a human, it’s willing to sacrifice pieces in the pursuit of long-term goals.
Teaching AlphaZero how to play each of the three games required simulating millions of matches against itself in a process known as reinforcement learning, in which a system of rewards and punishments drives an AI agent toward specific goals. AlphaZero played randomly at first, but eventually came to avoid losses by adjusting parameters to favor a certain playstyle.
The total amount of time it took to train AlphaZero varied depending on the game. A minimum of 700,000 training steps (each step representing 4,096 board positions) on systems with 5,000 first-generation tensor processing units (TPUs) and 16 second-generation TPUs — Google-designed application-specific integrated circuits (ASIC) optimized for machine learning — took 9 hours to generate and play games of Chess, and about 12 hours and 13 days for shogi and Go, respectively.
The trained AlphaZero uses a Monte-Carlo Tree Search (MCTS) — a heuristic search algorithm for decision processes — to choose each move. It’s able to complete searches remarkably quickly, Demis Hassabis, CEO and cofounder of DeepMind, told reporters — about 60,000 positions per second in chess compared to Stockfish’s roughly 60 million.
“That’s not as efficient as a human Grandmaster, who probably only looks at about 100 positions. decision,” Hassabis said, “but we’re a thousand times more efficient in terms of the amount of brute force calculation than handcrafted engines.”
To test the fully trained AlphaZero, DeepMind researchers pitted it against the aforementioned Stockfish and Elmo game engines, in addition to its predecessor, AlphaGo Zero. Running on a single machine with 44 processor cores and four of Google’s first-generation TPUs — hardware with roughly the same inference power as a workstation with several Nvidia Titan V graphics processing units (GPUs) — AlphaZero handily won a majority of games within the three-hour-per-match constraints imposed on it.
In chess, out of 1,000 matches against Stockfish, AlphaZero won 155 and lost only 6. Additionally, it came out on top in games that started with common human chess-playing strategies; with games that began from a set of positions used in the 2016 Top Chess Engine Championship (TCEC) tournament; and with games using the latest version of Stockfish — Stockfish 9 — and Stockfish variants configured with World Championship configurations, time controls, and openings.
In shogi, meanwhile, AlphaZero defeated the 2017 CSA world champion version of Elmo 91.2 percent of the time. And in Go against AlphaGo Zero, it won 61 percent of games.
Move sequences from several hundred of AlphaZero’s chess and shogi games have been released alongside the paper, Hassabis said, and already, the chess community is harnessing AlphaZero’s insights to fuel debate on the recent World Chess Championship match between Magnus Carlsen and Fabiano Caruana.
“It was fascinating to see how AlphaZero’s analysis differed from that of top chess engines and even top Grandmaster play,” Regan said. “Having spent many months exploring AlphaZero’s chess games, I feel that my conception and understanding of the game had been altered and enriched. AlphaZero has provided us with a check on everything we as humans have taught ourselves about the game of chess, and it could be a powerful teaching tool for the whole community.”
The endgame isn’t merely superhuman chess programs, of course. The goal is to use learnings from the AlphaZero project to develop systems capable of solving society’s toughest challenges, Hassabis said.
DeepMind is currently involved in several health-related AI projects, including an ongoing trial at the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs that seeks to predict when patients’ conditions will deteriorate during a hospital stay. Previously, it partnered with the U.K.’s National Health Service to develop an algorithm that could search for early signs of blindness. And in a paper presented at the Medical Image Computing & Computer Assisted Intervention conference earlier this year, DeepMind researchers said they’d developed an AI system capable of segmenting CT scans with “near-human performance.”
More recently, DeepMind’s AlphaFold — an AI system that can predict complicated protein structures — placed first out of 98 competitors in the CASP13 protein-folding competition.
“Alpha Zero is a stepping stone for us all the way to general AI,” Hassabis said. “The reason we test ourselves and all these games is … that [they’re] a very convenient proving ground for us to develop our algorithms … Ultimately, [we’re developing algorithms that can be] translate[ed] into the real world to work on really challenging problems … and help experts in those areas.”
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Untold Arsenal: Arsenal News; Supporting the club, the players and the manager
The road is long and tricky: reactions to the pre-season games
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Apparently all is over.
On July 16 2011 we have lost all and everything. The U10 brigade is throwing up barricades around the Emirates and are preparing themselves to drive the “money grabbing board”, “the manager that has lost it” (and this is one of the nicest ways of putting it) and all the “useless players” out.
The U10 brigade will replace them with all the world class football players that money can buy. You now the mercenary type of player. Maybe they could bring Adebayor back at some stage? They will contact Mr Usmanov for giving us all the money we can dream of. Neglecting and forgetting the small minor detail that it was Usmanov who a while ago was the only person who has a few shares of Arsenal who suggested that some part of the profits might be paid to the shareholders. (Although he is also a firm supporter of Arsenal Fan Share).
And why is the U10 brigade in such a state? Because we couldn’t win our second pre-season game. Now that is quite shocking. And further more the fact that we conceded a goal means that this team is heading for further failure.
Now if we think back some 12 months ago we won all our pre-season games. The U10 brigade dismissed those results and said they counted for nothing. And for once they were right. It is nice to win in pre-season but it counts for nothing. Of course we like Arsenal to win each game. But I rather have a not that good result in pre-season than in the league.
And if we think of last summer we can remember that even Manchester United and Chelsea even lost a few games in pre-season. But it didn’t stop them from finishing first and second last season. So yes the results in pre-season count for nothing.
Now I’m not going to say that we played a brilliant game against Greentown last Saturday. No far from it. We started way too slow and the opposition was very determined to give us nothing at all. I had the impression they played like it was a league game. Including taking a lot of time before restarting the game when the ball was out of play. It looked as if they came for one point. And as they are in the middle of their league competition it could well be that they focussed on the game as if it was a league game and a good way to get yourself in the picture. I think for Arsenal it was just a game on the road to full fitness.
And are we fully fit for the moment? Well I don’t think so. We only got back training for one week and I don’t think that we did much training sessions on board of the long flights to Asia. A few show trainings in Asia, two games and lots of other obligations for the players.
So at times it looked more like a group holiday to Asia with some training and two games attached to it. One has to do something to raise your revenue but I really wonder if this is what Wenger really wants to prepare the season. I just cant help but feel that Wenger would have liked the more silent environment of the Austrian Alps. But things are what they are and so we went, tried to make more friends, try to raise some money and most of all tried to stay away from injuries. And this mission has succeeded so far.
But for some reason the U10 has changed it point of view on friendly games this season and not winning (just imagine losing one) a pre-season game is now a complete disaster. Okay it wasn’t our best game. In fact we played a very poor first 20 minutes. We came out with no passion and not a lot of fighting spirit. You know the pre-season friendly game atmosphere as you see it from top teams. The “okay, who are we playing today?” attitude which can be costly when playing a team that is ready for it.
And if you look at some players performances one can say they were poor. Van Persie is far away from his last season form. And this is great news. Just imagine he was on fire now. That would be ultimate disaster. No, Robin should be on fire in a month time. Who cares if he loses possession against Greentown or misses a chance? This is why this is PREseason. The time of the season where players get the time to get ready for more important games. The same goes for a lot of players in fact.
Another thing is that the younger players are more willing to show some fight. This is natural as they know they have to impress Wenger more. Let’s face it a Van Persie (like any other top player) will be able to spend some more time to reach his best form. Unlike a player like Vela who has to show from the start that he can be played. So you sometimes get in those games a mixture of half the team trying to impress the manager and the other half just trying to get more fitter and avoid injuries. I think this is one of the reasons why in the second half with more younger players on the pitch we played much better.
If our strikers would have been a bit more in form we would have won the game. Their keeper didn’t do too bad, so at the end of the day it was a disappointing result. But will this result have any influence on the EPL this season? No, the only result is a rise of blood pressure by those who want to feel bad when we don’t beat the opposition with a big score line.
It’s always nicer to win all your games. Even the friendly games in pre-season. But I will not go over board and say the world comes to an end because we couldn’t win a friendly game. I will leave that for the U10 fans.
Now we will be starting with the real work and train in London and really start preparing the season. Next stop will be Cologne. And I will be there as it is not that far away from where I live. Just a 2 hour drive in fact. So looking forward to see us play in the flesh for the first time this season. Against a tough opposition. I will be ready to show my colours. So come on boys just show that we are The Arsenal. Oh, and Basil don’t mention the war.
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Blender (software)
Minor Passions characters
Suzanne may refer to:
Suzanne (given name), a feminine given name (including a list of people with the name)
S. U. Zanne, pen name of August Vandekerkhove (1838–1923), Belgian writer and inventor
Suzanne, Ardennes, France, a commune
Suzanne, Somme, France, a commune
Suzanne (1980 film), a Canadian film
Suzanne (2013 film), a French film
"Suzanne" (Leonard Cohen song), a 1966 poem and 1967 song, covered by numerous artists
"Suzanne" (VOF de Kunst song), 1983
"Suzanne", a song from Raised on Radio by Journey
"Suzanne", a song from 12 Songs by Randy Newman
"Suzanne", a song from Blue Room by Unwritten Law
"Suzanne", a song on the self-titled album Lisa Stansfield
Suzanne (3D model), a primitive of a chimpanzee for the 3D-modeling application "Blender"
Suzanne Award, given annually by the Blender Foundation
USS Suzanne (SP-510), a United States Navy patrol vessel in commission from 1917 to 1918
All pages beginning with "Suzanne"
Susanne (disambiguation)
This page contains text from Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia - https://wn.com/Suzanne
Blender is a professional free and open-source 3D computer graphics software product used for creating animated films, visual effects, art, 3D printed models, interactive 3D applications and video games. Blender's features include 3D modeling, UV unwrapping, texturing, raster graphics editing, rigging and skinning, fluid and smoke simulation, particle simulation, soft body simulation, sculpting, animating, match moving, camera tracking, rendering, video editing and compositing. Alongside the modeling features it also has an integrated game engine.
The Dutch animation studio Neo Geo developed Blender as an in-house application, with the primary author being software developer Ton Roosendaal. The name Blender was inspired by a song by Yello, from the album Baby. When Neo Geo was acquired by another company, Tod Roosendaal and Frank van Beek founded Not a Number Technologies (NaN) in June 1998 to further develop Blender, initially distributing it as shareware until NaN went bankrupt in 2002.
This page contains text from Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia - https://wn.com/Blender_(software)
The following are minor but notable fictional characters on the NBC/DirecTV soap opera Passions whose connections to the four major families are either weak or non-existent.
Norma Bates
For the character from the Psycho franchise, see Norma Bates (Psycho). Marianne Muellerleile (January 22, 2001 - August 5, 2008)
Norma Bates was introduced as the owner of a motel in 2001 that Tabitha Lenox and her companion, Timmy, fled to in order to escape the backlash from the release of Hidden Passions, a collection of Tabitha's memories that Timmy had compiled into a novel. Norma told Tabitha and Timmy that no one ever stopped at their hotel anymore, the reason for which the witch and doll later discovered — Norma was insane. She attempted to kill Tabitha with an axe while she showered, and the two later discovered that her father, with whom she had been conversing earlier, was dead — Norma had left his skeleton, dressed in his clothes, in a rocking chair. Timmy accidentally destroyed the skeleton, with only the skull surviving, and Norma swore to kill Timmy for hurting "Daddy". Tabitha and Timmy fled the motel.
This page contains text from Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia - https://wn.com/Minor_Passions_characters
Fortenbacher, Suzanne Filmography
Play in Full Screen Moths
Play in Full Screen Melon Head
Play in Full Screen The Painter and the Wife
Play in Full Screen Grasp
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Ørsted, Recently Named the Most Sustainable Company in the World, Forms New Research Partnerships to Advance Technology for Protection and Conservation of Right Whales
Boston, MA – Ørsted U.S. Offshore Wind is proud to announce an exciting and innovative partnership with Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, the University of Rhode Island (URI), and Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI) to launch the Ecosystem and Passive Acoustic Monitoring (ECO-PAM) project. Ørsted signed an initial memorandum of understanding with Rutgers University in May 2019 to support academic research activities related to offshore wind. The ECO-PAM project will be in addition to this initial funding agreement.
The company plans to apply the project’s learnings to develop tailored processes and procedures to better protect the North Atlantic right whale during survey, construction and operation phases of their U.S. offshore wind farm portfolio. The ECO-PAM project will ensure the company can act to solve the global climate crisis, while preserving local ecosystems.
The goal of this unique academic partnership is to better understand the habitat as well as the presence, distribution and seasonality of the endangered North Atlantic right whale within Ørsted lease areas. A secondary and added benefit of the partnership will enable coastal communities to utilize the oceanographic data gathered to help with weather forecasting and predicting severe storms.
“This unique project unites business and academia, allowing some of the greatest minds to work together to study and deploy new, advanced technology that will enable us to work toward the goal of helping to protect and conserve the right whale,” said Sophie Hartfield Lewis, Ørsted Head of U.S. Permitting. “It is imperative that Ørsted take a leadership role in this given our offshore presence along the eastern coastline.”
The three-year project will rely on data collected from two, near real-time sound detection buoys deployed by WHOI and one experimental buoy deployed by URI. WHOI and URI will take the lead on advancing localization and detection distance methods for fixed buoy systems.
“The technology exists now to acoustically detect and track marine mammals such as the North Atlantic right whale with fixed and mobile systems and this project will demonstrate this technology,” said James H. Miller, Professor of Ocean Engineering and Oceanography, University of Rhode Island.
The project will also feature the use of an unmanned glider that will be led by Rutgers to telemeter to shore in near real-time oceanographic data and detections of marine mammal vocalizations. The glider, a first for Ørsted, will provide a persistent presence within and surrounding the Ørsted lease areas in New Jersey. The project will share oceanographic data via the regional ocean observing data portals such as Mid-Atlantic Regional Association Coastal Ocean Observing System. The information gathered will not only improve oceanographic models and characterization of the regional habitat, but it will also be leveraged via the participation in the established ocean observing systems to improve weather and storm forecasts of benefit to coastal communities.
“The environmental variables collected on these glider missions will be fed directly into national data systems that provide vital ocean information for improving the prediction of marine-driven weather, such as coastal storms,” said Joseph F. Brodie, Director of Atmospheric Research, Rutgers University Center for Ocean Observing Leadership.
One final element of the project will be the inclusion of acoustic receivers on the glider and buoys. This data will be shared with networks such as the Mid-Atlantic Acoustic Telemetry Observation System, which was established to monitor for fish tagged by multiple researchers in the region. Data collected by the receivers will contribute to furthering the understanding of movement patterns of a range of species included those of importance to the fishing industry.
“Our project will help to minimize the impact of wind farm construction and operation on whales so that both we and the whales can reap the long-term benefits of clean energy,” said Mark Baumgartner, Senior Scientist, Biology Department, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution; Woods Hole, Massachusetts.
About Ørsted U.S. Offshore Wind
Ørsted U.S. Offshore Wind delivers clean, renewable energy along the U.S. Eastern Seaboard. It operates the Block Island Wind Farm, America’s first offshore wind farm, and has been awarded over 2,900 megawatts of capacity through six projects. It is jointly headquartered in Boston, Massachusetts and Providence, Rhode Island and employs more than 150 people.
The Ørsted vision is a world that runs entirely on green energy. Ørsted develops, constructs and operates offshore and onshore wind farms, bioenergy plants and provides energy products to its customers. Headquartered in Denmark, Ørsted employs 6,300 people. Ørsted’s shares are listed on Nasdaq Copenhagen (Ørsted). In 2018, the group’s revenue was DKK 76.9 billion (EUR 10.3 billion). For more information on Ørsted, visit Ørsted.com or follow us on Facebook, LinkedIn, Instagram and Twitter.
Cam Stoker
Ørsted U.S. Offshore
casto@orsted.com
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Jordan Bastien
Vice President - Financial Advisor, Consulting Group
Qualifications/Professional history
Jordan began her career in finance as an investment adviser at Worth Financial Management, an independent financial advisory for women. Jordan passed the Series 7, 63 and 65 exams, and holds life and health insurance licenses.
Educational background/Personal/Community
Jordan graduated from Princeton University with a Bachelor of Arts degree in art history. After college, Jordan moved to New York City, where she worked as a contemporary art dealer for a decade before moving to Philadelphia in 2009. She now lives in Philadelphia’s Chestnut Hill neighborhood with her husband and two children.
Jordan is involved in a number of community activities and serves as a board member of Germantown Friends School. In her free time, Jordan enjoys spending time reading, rowing on the Schuylkill, running in the Wissahickon and spending time with her friends and family.
Wall Street Journal - Leading the Way in ESG Investing
Investors Business Daily: ESG Trends
Jordan Bastien, NMLS # 1932572 through City National Bank, may receive compensation from RBC Wealth Management for referring customers to City National Bank. Banking products and services are offered or issued by City National Bank, an affiliate of RBC Wealth Management, a division of RBC Capital Markets, LLC, Member NYSE/FINRA/SIPC and are subject to City National Banks terms and conditions. Products and services offered through City National Bank are not insured by SIPC. City National Bank Member FDIC.
Vice President - Financial Advisor,
Consulting Group
1 Logan Square
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Tag: Pope
A pie made of coca leaves awaits the Pope when he visits Bolivia
Coca planters will be giving Pope Francis a pie and other goods made out of coca leaves, when he arrives next July for an official visit to Bolivia. The gifts will be delivered during the scheduled meeting of Francis wish social movements’ organization in Santa Cruz, according to the organizers.
Leonardo Loza, vice-president of the Cochabamba Tropic Federations, an organization of coca planters, said that a group of them will be handing the Pope a pie, mate (infusion coca tea), and other ‘products’ which are made out of the coca plant which is so closely ingrained in the country’s culture and natural medicine.
“The initiative is to show the Pope how much has been advanced in the industrialization of the coca plant, which will obviously have a great national and international repercussion” indicated Loza.
The gifts presentation will take place in the framework of the meeting with social movements in the city of Santa Cruz in parallel to the Pope’s visit who will be staying in Bolivia from 8 to 10 July, as part of a tour of Ecuador, Bolivia and Paraguay.
Bolivia together with Colombia and Peru are three of the main world suppliers and producers of coca leaves, which is the main ingredient for elaborating its illegal derivate, cocaine, amply consumed in the Western world.
However coca leaves in Bolivia are closely linked to the country’s indigenous culture and organic medicines, and as such are recognized in Bolivia’s constitution, but a significant part of the leaves production ends up with the drugs industry and cartels.
The Bolivian government has insisted in advancing with the industrialization of the plant with the purpose of exporting derivates, although coca leaves remain in the narcotics list of the UN convention against drugs, which thus bans any kind of exports from coca.
A year ago the coca planters gave UN Secretary General Ban Ki Moon a coca leaves pie during his visit to Bolivia when the G77 plus China summit in Santa Cruz. The top diplomat accepted the pie but was never seen eating it.
Pope Francis is expected in Bolivia on 8 July where he arrives from Ecuador. He will spend a few hours in the capital, La Paz and the neighboring city of El Alto (3.500 meters above sea level) before travelling to Santa Cruz, on the plans, where most of his activities will take place.
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Sharon Osbourne Tests Positive for Coronavirus
Bryan Steffy, Getty Images
Sharon Osbourne, Ozzy Osbourne's wife and manager, has tested positive for coronavirus.
Osbourne, who has served as the co-host of the CBS daytime talk show The Talk since 2010, revealed the news on Instagram. She was quick to point out that her husband, who has endured a variety of health issues in recent years, has so far tested negative for the virus. Sharon also noted that the couple is staying away from each other while she recuperates after a brief hospital stay.
Sharon was instrumental in helping an addiction-addled Ozzy restart his career after the singer was fired from Black Sabbath in 1979. Against most expectations, he became a successful solo star, with his commercial fortunes eclipsing those of his former bandmates. The couple was married in 1982 and have three children.
The family found crossover fame in 2002 with the hit MTV reality show The Osbournes, which led to a prosperous second career filled with TV programs, radio shows and movie appearances for the self-described "Prince of Darkness."
In a recent episode of the SiriusXM show Ozzy's Boneyard (via Brooklyn Vegan), Osbourne implored his fans to take the virus seriously. "Please, don't be dumb school and go to one of them stupid COVID fucking parties," he said. "That's for fucking fools, because it is real, it isn’t a conspiracy and it will kill your ass."
Ozzy Osbourne Year by Year Photos: 1969-2020
Next: Ozzy Osbourne Albums Ranked
Source: Sharon Osbourne Tests Positive for Coronavirus
Filed Under: Coronavirus (COVID-19), Ozzy Osbourne, Sharon Osbourne
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The Queen’s Gambit movie review
Jan 1, 2021 | Movies, Review | 0 comments
“Definitely a must-watch…”
The Queen’s Gambit is a coming-of-age period drama miniseries starring Anya Taylor-Joy, Harry Melling, and Bill Camp. This Walter Tevis adaptation is created by Allan Scott and Scott Frank, and It was released on Netflix in October 2020. It rapidly gained immense viewership and popularity.
The Queen’s Gambit is not merely a rags-to-riches fantasy, but a story of a female prodigy who excels in the game of chess from an early age. The miniseries focuses on the life events of Elizabeth (Beth) Harmon (Anya Taylor-Joy). She loses her mother in a car accident caused by an attempt to end her life. Beth is then transferred to an orphanage. She meets the janitor, Mr. Shaibel (Bill Camp), in the basement and readily develops an interest in chess. Beth is shown to have a relatively unusual childhood, with a fanatic yet extremely adroit mother.
The audience expects Beth to have a terrible life at the orphanage, dealing with bullies and strict administration. Curiously, The Queen’s Gambit focuses on her journey from a young prodigy to an expert at chess. She is not shown to be like other girls who have an interest in movies and ballads. Her unique characteristics distinguish her from other girls of her age.
Beth befriends an African American girl named Jolene (Moses Ingram), who plays a significant role in her life choices, and gradually creates a world of her own where she polishes her chess playing skills with Mr. Shaibel’s help out amongst all. In the brief flashbacks, the audience learns about her relationship with her mother and father’s existence.
Initially, the audience is compelled to believe that Beth Harmon is the Cinderella of this series, just that this Cinderella does not need a prince charming this time. However, as the story moves forward, the audience is introduced to obsession, trauma, addiction, relationships, and most significantly, the human mind’s complexity.
Since Beth is a chess expert, we expect her to win at all stages. Yet, the screenplay and execution of each scene compel the audience to forget about the fast-forward button. It is not merely a success story, but a spotlight on Beth’s particular journey and the price she must pay along the ride. Some moments make you feel sad and agitated at the same time.
Beth’s character is complex, to say the least, which distinguishes her from other notable female characters. From a feminist point of view, Beth is definitely the woman who owns her actions and does not allow herself to settle for less. Despite being surrounded by people who believe girls are only meant for domesticity, Beth breaks norms and makes a name for herself in the male-dominated chess world. From the very beginning, her confidence and attitude charm the audience and makes them root for her in each scene.
The Queen’s Gambit is not a forgettable series; its limited number of episodes makes it possible for the viewers to binge-watch without getting bored. It will be remembered for years, especially by chess lovers.
However, its plot is unrealistic. For example, Beth is shown to have a complex personality. She is knowledgeable and an expert at whatever she does. Such a plotline can annoy a viewer because one can’t be so flawless. The series lays a mindset that to achieve success, you have to be perfect at everything; you are doomed if you do not have any flawless talent. Beth’s flawlessness at chess and academic activities puts you in a dilemma that only such people can excel in life.
Nevertheless, the director and writer have not tried to portray Beth Harmon as a complete individual anyway. She is flawed, and that is possibly the best thing about her. The moments she annoys the audience with her decisions are highlights of the show, making her character slightly close to reality. Thankfully, Beth is not shown as an incredibly friendly and humble person. She is self-centered and does care about her own self.
The most intriguing part about Elizabeth Harmon, which is portrayed beautifully by Anya, is her character’s complexity. One cannot assert what exactly she feels, especially for the people around her. She is friends with Jolene and gets along with her, but we see that she never contacted her after leaving the orphanage. The audience almost settles with the verdict that Beth is not driven by emotions until they experience some incidents in her life that reflect a different side of her. It is not just Beth herself but also her adopted mother, who has an equally complex character. We cannot decide what kind of relationship they share, whether it’s love, mutual admiration, or merely the need to fulfill the void in each other’s life out of necessity.
Despite some written glitches in the screenplay, particularly in characterization that leaves us bemused in multiple scenes, The Queen’s Gambit has some of the finest acting seen in the past few years. Not just Anya herself, but the supporting cast amazes us with their subtle expressions and assertive dialogue delivery. The show is edited finely, given perfect music to soothe oneself. The director and cameramen have given their best to this project and paid great attention to each scene. The way they have captured Beth’s expressions during chess tournaments and paused the camera at her the oblivion in her eyes triggers the viewer to watch more. It is undoubtedly a project made successful with collective effort, from designers to makeup artists. They all seem to have paid attention to minute details and made The Queen’s Gambit a huge success.
It is definitely a must-watch. However, if you have not played chess, it can be slightly confusing, but that does not take away the joy of experiencing Beth’s successful journey. There is a lot to learn from the series, but chess is not one of them because it certainly does not provide chess lessons!
However, it subtly reflects the ordeal of relationships that are not bound by bloodline. There are moments that put the viewers in a trance of contemplation. One might not understand the game of chess, but it engages viewers like any other game. You will think about life, people, and most importantly, what consumes your soul in the process of reaching heights.
I will give this series 4 stars. Maybe if I had known more about chess, it would have been more interesting to understand the depths of a few scenes. Nevertheless, that does not make this series less interesting. It is a thrilling and exciting watch that will push you to praise the entire The Queen’s Gambit team’s efforts.
streaming on Netflix (seven episodes)
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Remembering Maxima Cortina as a Model and an Artist
The former model’s brother said mental health is just as important, if not more important than physical health.
By Rosemary Feitelberg on December 23, 2020
View Gallery — 5 Photos
Two months after Maxima Cortina’s death, her brother Luke discussed her struggles, the outpouring of support and how her life continues to inspire others.
The 25-year-old was a Ford model who worked for Jason Wu, Marni, Calvin Klein and Telfar, among other designer labels. After dropping out of the State University of New York at Purchase, she marched herself into the world of modeling three or four years ago. With no professional experience, she took it upon herself to walk into an agency one day.
Her career started with the New Pandemics, and she later joined the Lions Model Management before settling in at Ford. Born “Max” in Deer Park, N.Y., Cortina, who identified as a transgender woman, changed her name to Maxima a few years ago. In addition to modeling, Cortina was adept at painting, drawing, collage art and photography.
Following her death in late October, an investigation by the New York City Police Department determined there was no criminality, according to an NYPD spokeswoman. New York’s City’s chief medical examiner concluded the cause of death was suicide, an OCME spokeswoman said.
Well aware that many people may be struggling emotionally in their own ways, especially during the holidays, Luke said, “You really need to be around people who will support you exactly for who you are and who accept you fully. People who never judge you, that make you feel comfortable and beautiful, and make you feel wanted. You need people around you that want you to be successful, to grow and to just be happy. You just really need that strong support system — whether that be family, friends, psychologists — to give you that constant reinforcement.”
Knowing that many feel all alone in the world, and even more so during the pandemic, Luke advised, “If you’re physically alone, there is a lot of social media that you could take advantage of. You can try to reach out to people in support groups online. That is really helpful. You have to remind yourself that you are not alone. There are other people who feel exactly the way that you feel. You might believe that or not, but honestly there is a lot of support online.”
He continued, “If you look at the right web sites and forums, you should never feel alone in this pandemic. There is always someone out there that you can speak to. There is more good in people than there is not. You just need to find the right ones.”
The Trevor Project, an organization that provides 24/7 crisis counseling at no cost, was the organization that Cortina’s family selected in lieu of flowers. More than 1.8 million LGBTQ youth consider suicide annually in the U.S.
Acknowledging the huge outpouring of support that followed Cortina’s death, her brother said, “it was just beautiful. We can’t thank everybody enough for their donations. People were so, so genuine and so thoughtful. It really is just a testimonial to Maxima’s life and how many people she impacted. No exaggeration — she impacted hundreds and hundreds of people.”
He added, “She would be so proud of everybody supporting our family and friends in these tough times.”
”Thousands” of dollars were donated to The Trevor Project by “dozens of” Cortina’s relatives, friends and others, Luke said. High school friends of Cortina donated to another New York-based transgender organization. In addition, the high school that both the Cortinas attended donated half of the ticket sales from a musical, in memory of the former model to The Trevor Project.
Maxima Cortina walking in Jason Wu RTW Spring 2021. Masato Onoda/WWD
Cortina’s family knew that she was having trouble emotionally and was seeing a psychiatrist, Luke said. “I don’t know if she was going to a psychologist, [too], but she definitely was seeking help also from her friends, her boyfriend. She had a really strong support group around her at all times,” he said.
While the Cortina family knew about her struggles, Luke said, “But who isn’t? Especially in the transgender community.”
Initially reluctant to discuss Cortina’s suicide, her brother spoke of the importance of talking publicly about the widespread problem of suicide. “It just shows that people are internally suffering on this earth. It is important to discuss, because if you feel that you need to seek help from others — from friends, family, medical professionals — you should. [Having] a support system is very crucial. Mental health is just as important, if not more important than physical health. That is something that needs to be expressed more.” Luke said.
As for what others should carry forward about Cortina, he said, “Don’t care about what other people think about you. Keep your chin up. Be confident. Shoot for the stars. Aim for the moon — that’s exactly what she did. Don’t let anybody tell you that you can’t do something. Let that be a sense of motivation. If you believe in something, you just have to work at it. I think dreams really do come true.”
As a model, Cortina was able to travel to Paris and Milan and do things that others thought she would never be able to do, her brother said. Not about to let others dictate her life, Cortina “walked to the beat of her own drum,” said Luke, adding that he hopes others will be inspired by that kind of drive.
Friends and family plan to hold an art show and tribute in her honor in the spring. “She just wanted people to know her story. It’s really important that we express it publicly — where she started, how she got there. Her story never ends. That’s the best part.”
He continued, “People are always going to do things in memory of her whether it be modeling, photography, art, painting, drawing. People are always going to take some of her skill set, especially in art. People who do art will be motivated by things that she created. They are going to leverage some of her work in the future. Her legacy will always live on because of that. Or maybe people who were too scared to model because they didn’t know if they would be judged or not accepted, may think they have a chance. They see how successful she was in such a short period of time.”
After learning about Cortina, others may want to get help, Luke said. “Life’s too short. You don’t want to cut it shorter than it has to be. If you’re feeling certain ways or if you have certain thoughts in your head, you need to tell people. People will be there for you to support you.”
Although unrelated to Cortina, the need for more support services for the LGBTQ community was reinforced earlier this month. H&M USA and activist and entertainer Billy Porter partnered to donate $250,000 in a match campaign that encourages others to support The Trevor Project. The H&M donation will help the organization strengthen its free crisis services, which are available via text, chat and phone calls.
Maxima Cortina in Marni’s spring 2021 show. Courtesy of Marni
Cortina’s partner Slava Mogutin, a New York-based artist and writer, said he has found more of her art, such as collages and poetry. Internationally known for his work, Mogutin has spent the past 20 years documenting the lives of LGBTQ people in his native Russia and around the world. The artist was the first Russian gay refugee to be granted asylum on the grounds of homophobic persecution.
Mogutin is planning an exhibition of Cortina’s paintings, prints, drawings, collage work and self portraits. That is expected to be held some time next year, due to the pandemic.
In addition, Mogutin is working on a zine that will be dedicated to Cortina. The Belgian fashion magazine Behind the Blinds is planning the special supplement that will highlight her and her work. Separately, the artist is curating a portfolio of Cortina’s work that will be published in an upcoming issue of GayLetter magazine.
The National Suicide Prevention Lifeline is a hotline for individuals in crisis or for those looking to help someone else. To speak with a certified listener, call 800-273-8255.
Calvin Klein Diversity and Inclusion Jason Wu LGBTQ+ model Telfar
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Preparing for Windows end of support
Posted by Jermaine Walker on November 15, 2018 | Featured | No Comments
According to NetMarketShare’s September 2018 data, 40.88% of users are still using Windows 7. The popular operating system (OS) is currently on extended support, but only until January 14, 2020. For Windows 10, the support clock runs out sooner than you might expect. Learn how the end of support for your Windows version can affect you, and why making an upgrade will be an absolutely important task to keep your PC safe.
No more security updates
End of support for Windows means Microsoft stops issuing security updates for that operating system (OS). For example, Windows Vista and Windows XP can no longer receive security updates despite the substantial security holes found in them.
On January 14, 2020, the same will be true for Windows 7. From there, you’ll be on your own. You can still use antivirus tools and other security software for protection, but they won’t be enough to defend against bigger threats. Security software will also gradually drop support for older versions of Windows. Large organizations can sign “custom support” contracts to keep getting security updates while they transition to a new OS. But Microsoft will ratchet up the price going forward to encourage those organizations to move to a new version of Windows.
Software companies will halt support too
When Microsoft ends support for an OS, that’s also the signal for third-party companies to stop supporting that particular version of Windows with their own software and hardware. This doesn’t happen immediately but it does eventually.
For example, Windows XP support ended on April 8, 2014, but Chrome didn’t stop supporting Windows XP until April 2016, two years later. Mozilla Firefox stopped supporting Windows XP in June 2018. Steam will officially drop support for Windows XP and Windows Vista on January 1, 2019. On the other hand, software companies dropped support for Windows Vista more quickly, as it was much less popular than Windows XP.
New hardware may not work
New hardware components and peripherals will stop working on your system too. These need hardware drivers, and manufacturers might not create those hardware drivers for your old, out-of-date OS.
Presently, the latest Intel CPU platforms don’t even support Windows 7 and 8.1. However, the operating systems are technically still in “extended support.” You can keep using your old OS with your current software and hardware, but you have no guarantees of future updates or compatibility.
When will Microsoft end support?
Microsoft has a well-defined support lifecycle for its software products. They come ahead of time so they’re never a surprise. The agreement includes the assurance that Microsoft is committed to providing products with improved security. While they may be unable to provide security updates for older products, they do advise customers to install the latest product releases, security updates, as well as service packs to remain as secure as possible.
Upgrading is better than using unsupported Windows
The support lifecycle is rapidly fading away as Microsoft shifts to its Windows as a service and Office 365 subscription models. If you want to prevent security frustrations, it’s best to upgrade to a newer version of Windows. Should you need help in upgrading, or have further concerns about your current Windows, give us a call.
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You are here: Home > Latin America > The General in his Labyrinth by Gabriel García Márquez
The General in his Labyrinth by Gabriel García Márquez
Simón Bolívar: relentless ambition and flashes of brilliance. Photograph: G Dagli Orti/ De Agostini/ Getty Images
I revisited this novel after reading the new biography of Simon Bolívar by Marie Arana, because after her factual description of what is known about the last weeks of Bolívar’s life, it seemed only appropriate to see them as re-imagined by García Márquez. I would strongly recommend the combination of books for anyone interested in the life of this most fascinating man.
Gabo is obviously captivated by Bolívar’s story for many reasons. He says that in part he wrote it because of his friend, Alvaro Mutis, also wanting to base a novel on the same story. However, there were clearly other motivations. After all, this part of Bolívar’s life is spent in the region in which Gabo grew up and which he knew so well. Furthermore, the journey down the Magdalena river, albeit in the reverse direction, was a totemic element of Gabo’s own life, marking his exit from the world of his parents and his young adulthood on the Caribbean coast. Not only is the journey described in his partial autobiography but it is also a powerful part of the novel Love in the Time of Cholera.
Gabo’s biographers have suggested that he himself identified with the General, giving him the personality of a costeño (someone from the coast), like him, or at least portraying him as having some of those regional characteristics. But surely it is closer to the mark to say that, as an American from what was originally the massive country of Gran Colombia, he couldn’t have been other than fascinated by Bolívar, who liberated that whole vast area from Spain in the course of only twenty years? And that he chose the period of his death partly because of where it occurred, but also because Gabo has always been fascinated by death, especially those ‘foretold’, as in this case?
What does he bring to the story that a biographer like Arana cannot? First it is important to note that, rather uncharacteristically, Gabo did extensive research on Bolívar in the course of writing the novel, and tried to ensure that it corresponds with what is known about real events. This does, I think, work brilliantly in creating a very convincing portrayal, a biographical work into which strong elements of fiction have been woven. This brings the General to life (or to death, as it were) and gives us a wonderful idea of his personality and emotions as he faced not only own death but also the death of his ambitions for a United States of South America.
There is much more to the novel than this, of course. Gabo also weaves in parts of his history, which Bolívar himself must have been reviewing over and over in his mind as he considered both what he’d achieved and what had been lost. He at least partly examines his relationships with women, and especially with the highly emancipated Manuela Saenz, who like him was a person ahead of her time, who might have been equally at home in the 1960s. He enjoys reflecting on other aspects of his modernity, such as his opposition to slavery and racism. He brings out his wonderful foresight about the fate of the newly independent Latin American, which even in his remaining lifetime had started to become mired in the struggles of rival caudillos. And of course he brings in Bolívar’s deep suspicion of the United States of (North) America, which had come into existence in the previous century and which had already started to declare its hegemony over the whole hemisphere.
But above all he creates a fully rounded personality from what is known about the Liberator. For example, he jokes: ‘Don’t call me Excellency; I’m satisfied with being reasonable’. He’s bitter: ‘What a price we’ve had to pay for independence that’s not worth shit’. In conversation with someone pleading for help in declaring their city’s independence from the regional capital, he replies: ‘Every Colombian is an enemy country’. And his almost final words: ‘How will I ever get out of this labyrinth?’
Arana provides no evidence that he said those words, so we must presume they were invented by García Márquez. However, in homage to Gabo’s novel, although without otherwise mentioning it, her last chapter is entitled ‘The General in his Labyrinth’.
Category: Latin America, Book reviews | Tags: Colombia, Venezuela, Bolivar
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8x8 Express UK Service Terms
(Updated on February 1, 2020)
1. AGREEMENT FORMATION AND CONFLICT
These 8x8 Express UK Service Terms (the “Terms”) form part of a legally binding contract made between 8x8 UK Limited, a private company formed under the laws of England and Wales with company number 0508384 (“8x8”), and the individual or legal entity in whose name and to whom 8x8 agrees to provide the Ordered Products (“Customer”), which is created on the first
occasion the Customer: (a) Enters into an Order or other document that incorporates these Terms (i.e. the Effective Date of the first Order) or otherwise agrees to or accepts these Terms, or (b) accesses or uses any SaaS Services (the “Agreement”).
The Agreement consists of these Terms, all Orders and other documents Entered into by or on behalf of Customer and 8x8 or its Affiliates in respect of Customer’s purchase and/or use of Ordered Products, and these Terms apply to all Orders for Ordered Products.
The Data Protection Appendix, which also forms part of this Agreement, and which can be found at www.8x8.com/terms-and-conditions, contains the following information about the Ordered SaaS Services: subject-matter and duration of the processing, the nature and purpose of the processing, the type of Personal Data and the categories of data subjects and the obligations and rights of the controller. The Data Protection Appendix also includes the security measures that 8x8 has in place to protect Customer Personal Data. To the extent that the Customer has purchased a particular Service, the relevant terms for that Service as set out in the Data Protection Appendix shall apply and such terms shall be made a part of these Terms and incorporated herein by reference. 8x8 may update the Data Protection Appendix from time to time at 8x8's discretion to reflect: (i) the addition of new SaaS Services; (ii) the removal of discontinued SaaS Services; and/or (iii) (provided always that such changes do not have a material adverse effect on the use of the Service), changes to the security measures in Part B of the Data Protection Appendix.
In the event of any conflict among the documents that comprise the Agreement, and unless as explicitly agreed in writing, the documents shall apply in the following order: (i) an Order (solely as to type, quantity, promotional and pricing of the Ordered Products); (ii) these Terms; and (iii) Orders (as to all other terms). In the event of any conflict among the components of these Terms, the components shall apply in the following order: (1) the 8x8 UK Regional Terms (that form part of these Terms and are available at www.8x8.com/uk/terms-and-conditions) (the “Regional Terms”), (2) the 8x8 UK Use Policy (that form part of these Terms and are available at www.8x8.com/uk/terms-and-conditions) (the “Use Policy”), and (3) all other components of these Terms.
2. SaaS SERVICES
2.1. Ordering SaaS Services. Customer may order SaaS Services under the Agreement, in each case by Entering into an Order for the same (the “Ordered SaaS Services”). Orders shall be deemed placed and entered into by, and shall therefore become effective and legally binding on, the Parties once Entered into by Customer (the date of execution and completion being the “Effective Date”). Orders shall be coterminous with the Agreement.
2.2. 8x8 Responsibilities - SaaS Services
2.2.1. SaaS Services Activation and Availability. On the Effective Date of an Order, 8x8 shall, itself or through one or more of its vendors, subcontractors, or other service-providers (each an 8x8 “Partner”) or its Affiliates: (a) automatically create a tenant and Customer account for Customer, send Customer's designated administrator e-mail instructions and credentials necessary to access the Ordered SaaS Services, assign lines and/or seats to individual Agents, and otherwise enable Customer to access and use the Ordered SaaS Services; and (b) make the Ordered SaaS Services (which shall substantially conform to the applicable Documentation) available to Customer during the Effective Period as set forth in, and subject to the terms and conditions of, the Agreement;
2.2.2. Changes to Ordered SaaS Services. 8x8 may make changes to the functionality of the Ordered SaaS Services or perform upgrades to Ordered SaaS Services, provided that 8x8 shall provide advance notice to Customer of any such change or upgrade if reasonably practicable, but otherwise promptly thereafter.
2.3.3. Content. Customer shall remain the owner of its Content. The Parties acknowledge and agree that: (a) 8x8’s and its Affiliates’ role with respect to Content, if any, shall be that of a passive conduit, and (b) neither 8x8 nor any of its Affiliates or Partners shall be responsible for or have any involvement in determining or creating such Content or determining the recipients or destinations of any communications through Ordered SaaS Services.
2.3. Customer Responsibilities – SaaS Services
2.3.1. Usage. Customer shall be responsible for any and all applicable usage charges it may incur outside of its purchased usage bundles as set out at www.8x8.com/uk/terms-and-conditions.
2.3.2. Use Policy Compliance. Customer accepts, agrees and shall comply with the requirements of the Use Policy.
2.3.3. Registration Information. Customer shall be responsible for the accuracy and legality of all account, Agent, and registration information (including without limitation Customer’s legal name, registered number and payment information, Customer/Agent contact information, and any Personal Data included within such information) (“Registration Information”), and the means of its acquisition.
2.3.4. Network Requirements. Customer shall be responsible for ensuring that all aspects of its network environment(s) adhere to the applicable standards and requirements specified in the Documentation and are configured appropriately to its proposed use of Ordered SaaS Services.
2.4. SaaS Services Limitations. Customer acknowledges and agrees that: (a) the Ordered SaaS Services will not be uninterrupted, error-free, or available one-hundred percent (100%) of the time (e.g., they may be unavailable during periods of planned or unplanned downtime and communications may not always be delivered to their intended destination or without loss of data), (b) a single log-in is provided for each 8x8 Virtual Office extension; and, except with respect to conference and other extensions specifically designed for conference or multi-party use (“Conference Extensions”), such log-in and extension is provided solely for use by a single Agent, (c) data transmitted or stored through the SaaS Services may be exported in a variety of ways (including without limitation via third-party integrations, other features that interoperate with third-party offerings, or local or external download), (d) the SaaS Services are not intended to and should not be used for back-up or long-term storage of data, and (e) 8x8 shall not be responsible for any such exported data or (subject to Clause 7) any loss of such stored data. Use of 8x8 mobile applications may utilise underlying third-party cellular and/or data services and thus may use such services’ allotted units and/or result in usage or other charges associated with such third-party services.
2.5. Third-Party Offerings and Integrations. Customer’s relationship and dealings (including without limitation any collection or use of data) with providers of non-8x8 offerings that interoperate with the Ordered SaaS Services (e.g., third-party applications for which SaaS Services integrations are available) or that are used in connection with the SaaS Services (e.g., broadband, MPLS, and equipment leasing services) (“Providers”) shall in each case, and where relevant, be governed by Customer’s agreement with the applicable Provider and shall be outside the scope of the Agreement. In no event shall 8x8 be liable or responsible: (a) under any such agreement or for any act or omission of any Provider or any operation of its offering (e.g., any accessing, modification, or deletion of data), regardless of whether 8x8 endorses, refers Customer to, approves of Customer’s use of, or agrees to bill and/or collect behalf of such Provider or designates any such offering as “certified,” “approved,” “recommended,” etc., (b) for supporting any such third-party offering, or (c)for ensuring the continued availability or operation of any such offering or any SaaS Services integrations or other features designed to interoperate with such offering, and such integrations or features may be discontinued at any time.
2.6. Suspension and Restriction. In addition to 8x8’s other rights and remedies under the Agreement, 8x8 may: (a) suspend some or all of the Ordered SaaS Services where 8x8 reasonably determines that such suspension is necessary to avoid actual or likely harm or damages to, or liability for, any Party or where Customer has breached the Agreement, including a payment failure and/or (b) place reasonable limitations or restrictions on the use of any Ordered SaaS Services that are being used in breach of the Use Policy. 8x8 shall notify Customer of any such suspension in advance of any suspension if reasonably practicable, or otherwise promptly thereafter. None of the foregoing actions by 8x8 shall relieve Customer of any of its obligations under the Agreement, except that Customer shall not be liable for any fees for any suspended Ordered SaaS Services for the period of such suspension if it was not due to, or as a result of, Customer’s breach of the Agreement.
3. EQUIPMENT
3.1. Ordering Equipment. Customer may order equipment related to the Ordered SaaS Services, in each case by Entering into an Order for such equipment (the “Ordered Equipment”). The pricing for Ordered Equipment shall be as set out in the applicable Order. Equipment-related pricing, discounts, and promotions (e.g., free shipping) provided in an Order shall apply solely to that Order. 8x8 makes no commitment and shall have no obligation with respect to future pricing for or availability of equipment.
3.2. 8x8 Responsibilities - Equipment. 8x8 shall, itself or through its Affiliates or Partners, provide the Ordered Equipment to Customer and pass through to Customer the manufacturer’s standards twelve- (12) month warranty (or an extended warranty if permitted by the manufacturer). Customer may return any defective Ordered Equipment covered by warranty by obtaining a return authorisation number from 8x8 and returning the Ordered Equipment in its original packaging or equivalent to an address specified by 8x8, in which case 8x8 shall replace the Ordered Equipment at no charge and pay the reasonable associated shipping costs.
3.3. Customer Responsibilities - Equipment. Customer shall, in accordance with Clause 6 (Billing and Payment), pay for all Ordered Equipment and for all shipping and related charges. All shipments of Ordered Equipment shall be F.C.A. (free carrier). Title and risk of loss or damage shall pass to Customer upon delivery to the carrier. For international shipments Customer shall be deemed the importer of Ordered Equipment for all purposes. Customer shall be responsible for all lost, stolen, or broken equipment (except to the extent covered by warranty), and for ensuring that any externally-acquired equipment used with Ordered SaaS Services is in reasonable working condition and configured in accordance with 8x8’s technical requirements.
4. ORDERS AND PARTY AFFILIATES; 8x8 SUBCONTRACTING
8x8 may, in each case in its sole discretion:
4.1. designate an 8x8 Affiliate to Enter into one or more Orders with Customer or a Customer Affiliate, in which case, with respect to such Orders (unless otherwise agreed in writing by the Parties), (a) the Agreement’s references to “8x8” shall include such 8x8 Affiliate (as well as 8x8) (provided that the 8x8 Affiliate shall be deemed to be the service provider under such Orders or SOWs) and (b) 8x8 shall remain fully, including jointly and severally, liable under the Agreement; and
4.2. subcontract the performance of 8x8’s obligations under the Agreement, provided that 8x8 shall remain responsible for performance of such obligations and for such subcontractors’ actions or omissions in performing such obligations.
Customer is responsible for paying all taxes including any sales or value-added tax (“VAT”) (collectively, “Taxes”). Any Taxes set out in a quote or Order shall be non-binding estimates, calculated by 8x8 in good faith based on the service address(es) provided by Customer.
6. BILLING AND PAYMENT
6.1. Billing. Except to the extent an Order expressly provides otherwise:
6.1.1. Service Fees and other monthly-recurring charges shall be billed monthly in advance, usage charges (if any) shall be billed monthly in arrears;
6.1.2. Service Fees, other monthly-recurring charges and call and other usage charges shall start to be incurred: (a) for the initial Order, on the first day following expiry of any initial free or trial period set out in the Order; and (b) for all future Orders: (i) if ordered within an initial Order’s free or trial period, on or around the first day following expiry of the initial free or trial period; or (ii) in all other circumstances on the Effective Date of such Order;
6.1.3. Equipment-related charges shall be incurred from the date of such equipment Order;
6.1.4. an order invoice will be made available to the Customer through the 8x8 support portal and emailed to the Customer’s nominated email address on the first day of the calendar month following the expiry of any initial free or trial period, and such order invoice will include: (a) the Service Fees for Ordered SaaS Services, as well as any other monthly recurring charges and/or usage charges (if any), for such calendar month; plus (if relevant) (b) Service Fees for Ordered SaaS Services, as well as any other monthly recurring charges and/or usage charges (if any) for the period between expiry of the initial free or trial period and the end of the previous calendar month. Thereafter, monthly invoices for Service Fees, other monthly-recurring charges and other usage charges (if any) shall be made available through the portal and emailed to the Customer on a monthly basis on or around the first day of each calendar month; and
6.1.5. Service Fees, other monthly-recurring charges and other usage charges (if any) for all Ordered SaaS Services under the Agreement shall be consolidated into one monthly invoice.
6.2. Payment terms. Except to the extent an Order expressly provides otherwise, all amounts billed to Customer by or on behalf of 8x8 or its Affiliate in respect of Ordered Products (“Billed Amounts”) shall be collected via credit card payment or (if available) via direct debit. Payment shall be taken on or around the first day of the calendar month unless otherwise notified by 8x8 in writing. Payment for any add-on Orders pursuant to Clause 6.1.2(ii) shall be taken on or around the Effective Date for the first month, and then taken on or around the first day of the calendar month thereafter. By providing its credit card details, or (if relevant) a signed direct debit mandate to 8x8, Customer authorises its credit card company or (in the case of direct debit) its bank to pay 8x8 for all Billed Amounts due and payable. Customer agrees to notify 8x8 promptly of any change to such information. Unpaid balances are subject to a late payment charge that accrues from the due date at the rate of 3% per annum above the base rate for the time being of the Bank of England or the maximum amount permitted by law, whichever is less.
6.3 Disputes. Except as provided in this Clause 6.3 and Clause 5 (Taxes), Customer shall pay all Billed Amounts without counter-claim, set-off, withholding, or deduction of any sort. If Customer believes in good faith that a Billed Amount was not actually incurred under the Agreement, Customer may dispute such Billed Amount by providing notice to 8x8 by email to: billingteamUK@8x8.com within thirty (30) days of the date of relevant invoice. Such notice must specify the particular Billed Amount(s) in dispute and the basis of the dispute in reasonable detail. Failure to dispute a Billed Amount within such period shall constitute a complete and irrevocable waiver of Customer’s right to dispute such Billed Amount. The parties shall attempt to resolve the dispute in good faith for a period of 30 days from the notice. If any charges remain in dispute at the end of the 30-day period, Customer shall pay the full amount due within 10 days, otherwise 8x8 may exercise any available remedies for breach (without regard to any further notice requirement or opportunity to remedy under these Terms, which shall be deemed waived).
6.4. Promotions. Promotion, discount, or related codes must be provided to 8x8 prior to Entering the relevant Order(s), may not be used cumulatively or retroactively, and may be changed or discontinued by 8x8 at any time in its sole discretion. In no event shall promotional rates or pricing apply for a period longer than the term or period for which they were provided.
7. DATA PROTECTION AND SECURITY
7.1. Relationship of the Parties:
7.1.1. the Customer is the controller of Customer Personal Data; and
7.1.2. 8x8 acts as a controller of 8x8 Personal Data and a processor of Customer Personal Data under the Agreement.
7.2. 8x8 as a Controller
7.2.1. Where 8x8 acts as a controller, 8x8 will process Personal Data in accordance with Applicable Data Protection Law. Further information about how 8x8 processes Personal Data can be found in 8x8’s Privacy Policy Covering Customers (available at https://www.8x8.com/terms-and-conditions/privacy-policy) (the "Privacy Policy").
7.2.2. 8x8 shall maintain appropriate technical and organisational security measures to protect Personal Data against a Personal Data Breach.
7.2.3. Customer warrants that it has obtained all necessary consents, notifications and permissions required under Applicable Data Protection Law to: (a) permit the Customer to share such Personal Data with 8x8; and (b) allow 8x8 to otherwise collect, use or process such Personal Data in accordance with the Agreement (including but not limited to such Personal Data that 8x8 may collect directly from Agents and any other end users via cookies or other means). As between Customer and 8x8, Customer is solely responsible for disclosing to Customer’s Agents and other end users that 8x8 is processing Personal Data in accordance with the Agreement and for notifying or otherwise directing such Agents and end users to the 8x8 Privacy Policy.
7.2.4. Customer agrees to notify 8x8 of: (a) any limitations in its privacy notice to data subjects; (b) any changes in, or revocation of, consent by a data subject to use or disclose Personal Data; and (iii) any restrictions on the use of Personal Data to which Customer has agreed in accordance with its agreements with data subjects; in each case, to the extent that such limitations, changes or restrictions may affect 8x8’s uses or disclosures of Personal Data.
7.2.5. The parties shall not act as joint controllers for the purposes of Article 26 of the GDPR in relation to any processing of Personal Data under the Agreement.
7.3. 8x8 as a Processor
7.3.1. The Customer (the controller) appoints 8x8 as a processor to process the Customer Personal Data for the purposes described in the Agreement in order to provide the Ordered SaaS Services and as further set out in the Data Protection Appendix (or as otherwise agreed between the parties in writing) (the "Permitted Purpose"). Each party shall comply with the obligations that apply to it under Applicable Data Protection Law.
7.3.2. 8x8 shall process the Customer Personal Data in accordance with the instructions of the Customer, which the Customer acknowledges and agrees are set out in this Agreement.
7.3.3. International transfers:8x8 shall not transfer the Customer Personal Data outside of the European Economic Area ("EEA") unless it has taken such measures as are necessary to ensure the transfer is in compliance with Applicable Data Protection Law. Such measures may include (without limitation) transferring the Customer Personal Data to a recipient in a country that the European Commission has decided provides adequate protection for Personal Data (such as where the recipient has Privacy Shield Certification), to a recipient that has achieved binding corporate rules authorisation in accordance with Applicable Data Protection Law, or to a recipient that has executed standard contractual clauses adopted or approved by the European Commission.
7.3.4. Confidentiality of processing: 8x8 shall ensure that any person it authorises to process the Customer Personal Data (an "Authorised Person") shall protect the Customer Personal Data in accordance with 8x8's confidentiality obligations under this Agreement.
7.3.5. Security: 8x8 shall implement technical and organisational measures as set out in the Data Protection Appendix to protect the Customer Personal Data from: (a) accidental or unlawful destruction, and (b) loss, alteration, unauthorised disclosure of, or access to the Customer Personal Data (a "Security Incident")
7.3.6. Subcontracting: the Customer consents to 8x8 engaging third party subprocessors to process the Customer Personal Data for the Permitted Purpose provided that: (a) 8x8 maintains an up-to-date list of its subprocessors at the 8x8.com website, which it shall update with details of any change in subprocessors at least 10 days' prior to any such change; (b) 8x8 imposes data protection terms on any subprocessor it appoints that require it to protect the Customer Personal Data and which are no less onerous that as set out in this Clause 7.3; and (c) 8x8 remains liable for any breach of this Clause that is caused by an act, error or omission of its subprocessor. The Customer may object to 8x8's appointment or replacement of a subprocessor prior to its appointment or replacement, provided such objection is based on reasonable grounds relating to data protection. In such event, 8x8 will either not appoint or replace the subprocessor or, if this is not possible, the Customer may suspend or terminate the Agreement (without prejudice to any fees incurred by the Customer prior to suspension or termination).
7.3.7. Cooperation and data subjects' rights: 8x8 shall provide reasonable and timely assistance to the Customer (at the Customer's expense) to enable the Customer to respond to: (a) any request from a data subject to exercise any of its rights under Applicable Data Protection Law (including its rights of access, correction, objection, erasure and data portability, as applicable); and (b) any other correspondence, enquiry or complaint received from a data subject, regulator or other third party in connection with the processing of the Customer Personal Data. In the event that any such request, correspondence, enquiry or complaint is made directly to 8x8, (at the Customer's expense) 8x8 shall promptly inform the Customer providing full details of the same.
7.3.8. Data Protection Impact Assessment: If 8x8 believes or becomes aware that its processing of the Customer Personal Data is likely to result in a high risk to the data protection rights and freedoms of data subjects, it shall inform the Customer and provide reasonable cooperation to the Customer (at the Customer's expense) in connection with any data protection impact assessment that may be required under Applicable Data Protection Law.
7.3.9. Security Incidents: If it becomes aware of a confirmed Security Incident, 8x8 shall inform the Customer without undue delay and shall provide reasonable information and cooperation to the Customer so that Customer can fulfil any data breach reporting obligations it may have under (and in accordance with the timescales required by) Applicable Data Protection Law. 8x8 shall further take such any reasonably necessary measures and actions to remedy or mitigate the effects of the Security Incident and shall keep the Customer informed of all material developments in connection with the Security Incident. The Customer acknowledges that such assistance, information provision and mitigatory remedies or other action taken by 8x8 under this Clause 7.3.9 shall be at the Customer's own cost, unless the confirmed Security Incident occurred as a direct result of a breach by 8x8 of its obligations under Clause 7.3.5.
7.3.10. Deletion or return of Data: Upon termination or expiry of the Agreement, and without prejudice to the provisions of the Agreement that contemplates data storage, 8x8 shall (at the Customer's election and at the Customer's own cost) destroy or return to the Customer all Customer Personal Data in its possession or control. This requirement shall not apply to the extent that 8x8 is required by law to retain some or all of the Customer Personal Data, or to retain Customer Personal Data it has archived on back-up systems, which Customer Personal Data 8x8 shall securely isolate and protect from any further processing except to the extent required or permitted by such law.
7.3.11. Audit: Customer acknowledges that 8x8 is regularly audited against ISO 27001, ISO 9001 and Cyber Essentials standards by independent third-party auditors. Upon Customer's reasonable request, 8x8 shall supply a summary copy of its audit report(s) to the Customer. Such reports shall be subject to the confidentiality provisions of the Customer Agreement.
7.4. Processing - third party services. Where the Customer uses or has otherwise requested that third-party services are made available as part of the Ordered SaaS Services, the Customer agrees that any processing of Personal Data that relates to third party services shall be carried out by the third-party directly and that 8x8 shall have no liability or responsibilities in relation to such processing. All terms governing such processing will be as set out in a separate agreement between the Customer and the third-party.
7.5. Internet. Customer acknowledges that its use of the Ordered SaaS Services requires the transmission of electronic data over the Internet and various other networks that are not owned or operated by, or otherwise under the control of, 8x8, and that 8x8 cannot ensure that such transmissions will not be accessed by unauthorised parties. Except as expressly provided in the Agreement, 8x8 shall not be not responsible or liable for any delay, loss, alteration or interception of Customer Data in the course of its transmission through and between networks not owned and/or operated by 8x8.
7.6. Liability. Customer acknowledges that 8x8 relies on Customer for direction as to the extent to which 8x8 is entitled to use and process the Customer Personal Data. Consequently, 8x8 will only be liable for a claim brought by a data subject in relation to Customer Personal Data arising from:
7.6.1. Any failure by 8x8 to comply with its obligations under Clause 7.3.5; or
7.6.2. 8x8 having acted outside or contrary to lawful instructions provided by Customer under this Agreement or the relevant regulator to 8x8.
7.7. Conflict. In the event of any conflict between the data protection terms in any Regional Terms and this Clause 8, unless specified otherwise this Clause 8 will prevail.
8. CHANGE IN TERMS
8x8 may not change these Terms in any manner that would materially reduce Customer’s rights or benefits, or materially increase Customer’s obligations or liability, under the Agreement, except where 8x8 provides Customer with at least thirty (30) days’ notice of such change. 8x8 may make other changes to these Terms (including without limitation adding Regional Terms for a new country or region) by posting the changes to www.8x8.com/terms-and-conditions. The changes shall be effective on posting.
9. GENERAL REPRESENTATIONS AND WARRANTIES; WARRANTY DISCLAIMER
Each Party represents and warrants that it is a bona fide business, has the power and authority to enter into and perform its obligations under the Agreement, and is not relying upon any statements, commitments, representations, or warranties other than those expressly set out in the Agreement. Customer represents and warrants that its orders or purchases are not contingent on the delivery of any future functionality or feature. Except for the warranties expressly provided by 8x8 in the Agreement, to the maximum extent permitted under applicable law, 8x8 makes no warranties and disclaims all warranties in relation to the Ordered SaaS Services, Equipment, and/or the Agreement, whether expressed or implied, including, but not limited to, any implied warranties of merchantability, fitness for a particular purpose and non-infringement.
10. RIGHTS IN AND TO THE SERVICES AND FEEDBACK
To the maximum extent permitted by law, all intellectual property and other rights, title, and interest in or to the Documentation or the Ordered SaaS Services and any other 8x8 services and related software, applications, functionalities, APIs, tools, and interfaces (the “8x8 Platform”) – and all configuration designs, code, deliverables, and other work product produced or developed by 8x8 or its Affiliates or Partners in the course of performing under the Agreement (except to the extent such work product embodies Customer’s pre-existing intellectual property) – shall remain with, and belong exclusively to, 8x8, its Affiliates, and/or their licensors. Customer hereby assigns to 8x8 all intellectual property and other rights, title, and interest in or to any suggestion, improvement, enhancement, recommendation, correction, idea, or other feedback that Customer may provide to 8x8 or its Affiliates relating to their operations or the Services or Equipment, and agrees that 8x8 shall be free to use, license, assign, and exploit any ideas, concepts, know-how, or techniques contained therein for any purpose without restriction or compensation.
11. TERM
The Agreement shall become effective on the date that the Parties enter into the Agreement and shall continue on a month-to-month basis. As such, the Agreement shall continue in full force and effect from the date the Parties enter into the Agreement until the date cancelled or terminated in accordance with Clause 12 (Termination) or 7.3.6 (the “Effective Period”).
12.1. Termination Rights. The Agreement may be terminated:
12.1.1. at any time by: (a) the Customer completing the cancellation process provided within the 8x8 Manager Express Customer portal, whereby the termination shall take effect on the last day of the calendar month in which the cancellation process is completed; or (b) by 8x8 with immediate effect on written notice to the Customer;
12.1.2. by either Party on thirty (30) days’ written notice to the other Party in the event of the other Party’s material breach of the Agreement (which shall include without limitation any Customer payment failure or Customer breach of the Use Policy) and, if such breach is reasonably capable of remedy, failure to remedy such breach within the notice period, provided that such remedy requirement shall not apply with respect to a Customer payment failure;
12.1.3. immediately by either Party upon notice to the other Party where the other Party experiences a Solvency Event;
12.1.4. by 8x8 on thirty (30) days’ notice to Customer in the event that any SaaS Services become subject to an actual or threatened Claim of infringement (an “Infringement Claim”) and avoidance of the alleged infringement via procurement of a license or modification or replacement of the applicable SaaS Services (either or both of which may be exercised by 8x8, at its sole option and expense, in the event of any Infringement Claim) is not commercially feasible; or
12.1.5. by 8x8 on thirty (30) days’ notice to Customer in the event that 8x8 determines in good faith that such termination is necessary to comply with a law, regulation, or court or administrative order or ruling.
12.2. Effect of Termination. On termination of the Agreement, subject to any continuing Customer financial obligations under the Agreement, all Orders shall immediately terminate and all future scheduled monthly recurring pre-payments for Ordered SaaS Services shall be cancelled. In the event that the Agreement is terminated during a calendar month by Customer under and in accordance with Clause 12.1.2 (or Clause 7.3.6) – or by 8x8 under Clauses 12.1.1(b), 12.1.4 or 12.1.5, 8x8 shall refund any amounts un-used and pre-paid for Ordered SaaS Services for the remaining period of such calendar month period. Note: in no other circumstances shall refunds be available. For clarity, in no event shall termination of the Agreement relieve Customer of its obligation to pay any amount incurred thereunder prior to such termination or expiration.
13. INDEMIFICATION
13.1. 8x8 shall: (a) defend Customer, its Affiliates, and their personnel (collectively, the “Customer Parties”) from and against any Indemnified IP Claim threatened or brought against any of them by any third party, and (b) indemnify and hold harmless the Customer Parties against any damages, solicitors’ fees, defence costs, and other losses (collectively, “Losses”) payable by them pursuant to the adjudication or settlement of any Indemnified IP Claim. Customer shall (i) defend 8x8, its Affiliates, and their personnel (collectively, the “8x8 Parties”) from and against any action, claim, demand, suit, investigation, inquiry, or proceeding (each a “Claim”) threatened or brought against any of them by any third party that arises out of or results from Customer’s Content or any actual or alleged breach of the Agreement by Customer and (ii) indemnify and hold harmless the 8x8 Parties against any Losses payable by any of them pursuant to the adjudication or settlement of any such Claim.
13.2. An indemnified Party shall: (a) provide the indemnifying Party prompt notice upon becoming aware of such a Claim, (b) permit the indemnifying Party to have sole and exclusive control over the defence and settlement of any such Claim, if it elects, and (c) provide reasonable assistance to the indemnifying Party in connection therewith; provided, the indemnifying Party shall not enter into any settlement agreement that would result in any payment or other obligation, or restriction on the business of, the indemnified party without its prior written consent.
14. EXCLUSIONS AND LIMITATIONS OF LIABILITY
14.1. Exclusion of Consequential Damages. To the maximum extent such damages can be excluded under applicable law, neither Party nor its Affiliates or Partners shall be liable to the other Party or any other person for any incidental, consequential, special loss, loss of profits, revenues or goodwill, (subject to Clause 7.3.5) loss or corruption of data, business interruption, or delay in performance, whether direct or indirect or whether from breach or repudiation of contract, breach of warranty, negligence, tort, strict liability or otherwise, from or in connection with the Agreement or the Ordered Products provided thereunder, and whether or not the Party has been advised of the possibility of such damages. For the avoidance of doubt, neither the losses against which either Party is expressly obligated to indemnify as contemplated by Clause 13 – or the claims against which either Party is expressly obligated to defend - nor the fees or other amounts that Customer is expressly obligated to pay to 8x8 or its Affiliates under the Agreement (including without limitation any early termination charges) shall be deemed to be damages or losses of the sort excluded in this Clause 14.1. The exclusion of damages set out in this Clause shall not apply to a Party’s liability for incidental or consequential damages arising from that party’s breach of Clause 16 (Confidentiality Obligations) but excluding Personal Data where such exclusion shall apply.
14.2. Liability Cap. To the extent permitted by applicable law, the maximum liability of either Party and/or its Affiliates or Partners under the Agreement, or arising out of the Ordered SaaS Services provided thereunder, whether such liability arises from a claim based on breach or repudiation of contract, breach of warranty, negligence, tort, statutory duty or otherwise, shall in no case exceed the total amount of fees paid or payable by Customer and its Affiliates to 8x8 and its Affiliates for the Services provided under the Agreement (excluding Equipment purchases) during the three (3) months preceding the first incident out of which the liability arose. The foregoing limitation: (a) shall apply (i) on a cumulative basis (rather than per incident) and (ii) regardless of whether such persons were advised of the possibility of such damages; and (b) shall not apply to either party’s liability under Clause 13 (Indemnification); Customer’s liability for fees or other amounts that Customer is expressly obligated to pay to 8x8 or its Affiliates under the Agreement (including without limitation any early termination charges), or Clause 16 (Confidentiality Obligations) but excluding Personal Data where such limitation shall apply).
14.3. No Exclusion. Notwithstanding the foregoing, nothing in these Terms excludes or limits either Party’s liability for personal injury or death caused by negligence or for fraud (including fraudulent misrepresentation), deliberate breach or wilful abandonment.
Each Party shall, before initiating an arbitration, court or other action, suit, or proceeding against the other Party, work diligently and in good faith for a maximum of thirty (30) days to attempt to resolve the dispute. If the Parties fail to resolve the dispute within such thirty (30) day period, either Party may thereafter initiate the Proceeding in accordance with these Terms (and without satisfying any further notice or remedy period under the Agreement).
16.1. Either Party may, directly or through its Affiliate, Partner, or advisor, or any representative of any of the foregoing, disclose or otherwise make available to the other Party or its representatives (collectively, the “Recipient”) trade secrets and/or pricing, product, business, or technical information of or concerning the disclosing Party (the “Discloser”) or its Affiliates or Partners which the Discloser indicates is confidential or proprietary, or which, by its nature, would reasonably be expected to be confidential or proprietary (“Confidential Information”). For avoidance of doubt, the pricing and other terms of the Agreement shall be deemed the Confidential Information of each Party. Notwithstanding the foregoing, Confidential Information shall not include any information that the Recipient can demonstrate: (a) is already or later becomes disclosed to the general public other than through the fault or negligence of Recipient or (b) is lawfully obtained by Recipient from a third party which has the right to transfer or disclose it, (c) is already known to Recipient at the date of receipt of the information pursuant to the Agreement, provided such prior knowledge can be substantiated by appropriate evidence, or (d) is independently developed by Recipient without the use of any Confidential Information, provided such independent development can be substantiated by documentary evidence.
16.2. The Recipient agrees: (a) to keep the Discloser’s Confidential Information confidential and disclose it only (i) to its Representatives, Affiliates, Partners and advisors to whom such disclosure is reasonably necessary to accomplish the purpose for which the Confidential Information was disclosed to the Recipient and who are bound to reasonable confidentiality obligations with respect to such Confidential Information, (ii) in response to a judicial order or other lawful process, as and to the extent required by such order or process or (iii) as approved in writing by the Discloser; (b) not to use Discloser’s Confidential Information except for the purpose(s) for which the Confidential Information was disclosed or as approved in writing by the Discloser; and (c) to protect the confidentiality of the Discloser’s Confidential Information with the same degree of care as Recipient uses to protect its own Confidential Information of like kind, but in no event less than reasonable care. Each party shall use reasonable efforts to ensure that its Representatives observe these obligations as if they were Parties to the Agreement.
16.3. Each party acknowledges that its breach of Clause 16.2 may result in immediate and irreparable harm to Discloser, for which there may be no adequate remedy at law, and Discloser shall be entitled to equitable relief to compel Recipient to cease and desist all unauthorised use and disclosure of Discloser’s Confidential Information in addition to monetary damages and such other relief as the courts may determine is appropriate.
17.1. Notices. Except as expressly provided elsewhere in the Agreement, any notice to be provided pursuant to this Agreement shall be provided as follows: (a) to Customer – via email to the email address specified by Customer in connection with its initial Order of SaaS Services or via personal service, overnight courier, recorded mail or (where relevant) airmail (collectively, “Delivery”) to any postal address provided by Customer in connection with such Order and (b) to 8x8, either to billingteamUK@8x8.com for notice of billing disputes, or to uk-support@8x8.com for notice of breach and notice of Claims, and for all other notices to 8x8 under these Terms via Delivery to the address specified in the Order. Either Party may change any of its designated notice addresses via notice to the other Party. Notices shall be deemed effective and received as follows: (i) via Email – the first business day after the date sent (without any undeliverable notification being returned), (ii) via Personal Service – the date delivered to the noticed Party, (iii) via Overnight Courier – the first business day after the date delivered to the overnight courier, (iv) via registered mail – the second (2nd) business day after the date sent, and (v) via airmail – the seventh (7th) business day after the date sent.
17.2. Governing Law; Jurisdiction. The Agreement shall be governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of England and Wales and the courts of England and Wales shall have exclusive jurisdiction to settle any dispute or claim arising out of or in connection with the Agreement or its subject matter or formation (including non-contractual disputes or claims).
17.3. Force Majeure. Neither Party shall be considered in breach of, or have any liability under, the Agreement as the result of any failure or delay in such Party’s performance thereunder caused by events beyond such Party’s reasonable control, including without limitation act of God; fire, flood, hurricane, earthquake, tsunami, or other natural disaster; riot; war; terrorism; government action or intervention; embargo; strike; destruction of facilities; late or failed delivery by suppliers; unavailability of power or Internet services; or network or carrier issues, provided that the foregoing shall not apply to either Party’s payment obligations under the Agreement.
17.4. Entire Agreement; Amendment. The documents comprising the Agreement constitute the entire agreement between the Parties in respect of the Ordered Products and expressly supersede and replace any prior or contemporaneous agreements, written or oral, relating to thereto. The Agreement may not be amended, except via both Parties’ execution of a written amendment or as otherwise expressly provided in these Terms. In no event shall the terms of any purchase order or similar document delivered by or on behalf of Customer or its Affiliate to 8x8 or its Affiliate in connection with the Agreement (to which 8x8 hereby objects) become part of, apply to, or modify or supersede the Agreement’s terms.
17.5. Severability. If any provision of the Agreement is deemed illegal, invalid, or unenforceable, in whole or in part, under applicable Law, the Agreement shall be deemed amended as and to the extent necessary to render its terms valid, enforceable under applicable law, and, to the greatest extent possible, consistent with the Parties’ original intent.
17.6. Waiver. Except to the extent expressly otherwise provided in the Agreement, (a) either Party’s failure to exercise or enforce any right or remedy under the Agreement shall not constitute a waiver of such right or remedy and (b) no waiver of any right or remedy shall be enforceable against a Party unless in writing and otherwise conforming with these Terms.
17.7. Assignment; Binding Effect. The Agreement shall be binding upon the Parties’ heirs, successors, and permitted assigns. Customer may not assign the Agreement or assign its rights or delegate its obligations thereunder, in whole or in part, except (a) (to the extent in connection with a bona fide sale of Customer or substantially all of its assets to a third party) with ten (10) days’ prior notice to 8x8 or (b) with 8x8’s prior express written consent. In connection with any such proposed or actual assignment or delegation by Customer, Customer shall provide such information and documentation concerning the assignee or delegee as 8x8 might reasonably request, and Customer shall remain jointly liable for the obligations of such assignee or delegee. For the avoidance of doubt, 8x8 may assign its rights and/or delegate its obligations under the Agreement, in part or in full, to one or more of its Affiliates.
17.8. No Third-Party Beneficiaries. Except as expressly stated in the Agreement, the Agreement is intended for the sole benefit of, and shall only be enforceable by, each Party and its permitted assigns. Without limiting the foregoing, 8x8 shall have no obligation or liability hereunder to any Agent or other end user of Ordered SaaS Services.
17.9. Document Execution/Acceptance. Use of DocuSign, or any other widely-used method of verifiable electronic signature and delivery, shall be a valid method of execution and/or delivery of all documents under the Agreement. Any document or other content related to or proposed for addition to the Agreement that is prepared by 8x8 and sent to, and then Entered into by, Customer shall be deemed accepted and Entered into by Customer upon Customer’s completion of such process. 17.10. Interpretation. The headings in the documents comprising the Agreement are solely for the convenience of reference and shall not be given any effect in the construction or interpretation of thereof. References in the Agreement to a web address (URL) shall be deemed to include (a) any subpages that are accessible through one or a series of clearly-labelled hyperlinks and (b) such successor sites as may be designated by the owner or controller of the web site.
17.11. Survival. Clauses 13 (Indemnification), 1
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Aldwych was established in 2004, for the purpose of developing, owning and operating power generation, transmission and distribution projects in emerging economies, primarily Africa.
The Aldwych management has a long history of international power industry experience and has successfully financed or re-financed 20 power projects worldwide totalling over 11,000MW and US $3.75bn, in both the developed and the developing world.
With an early investment by the Shell Foundation and significant funding from the Dutch development bank FMO, Aldwych is able to combine its skills and expertise with access to the significant reservoir of funds dedicated to infrastructure projects in its target countries.
Aldwych is committed to supporting the economic and social development of the countries in which it invests, by delivering the power they need in a sustainable and affordable manner and in a spirit of partnership and cooperation.
Aldwych International Ltd is a limited liability company registered in England and Wales with company number 5265484, having its registered office at Third Floor, 30 King Street. London EC2V 8EH
Aldwych International © 2010
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The business and practice of photojournalism.
See how you can thrive as a photojournalist, learning to take photos worth a thousand words. And get tips from seasoned veterans on how to capture front-page shots.
Photography by Beth Nakamura
How news photographers show us the world.
Photojournalism can be incredibly powerful. Time and again, photojournalists are the ones who define how people understand major events. Whether you know his name or not, when you think of the American Civil War, you think of Matthew Brady’s images of battlefields and Dorothea Lange’s photo Migrant Mother is the iconic image of the Great Depression. War photographers like Robert Capa witnessed some of the worst conflicts of the 20th century and when you imagine the end of World War II, the first image that comes to mind is often Alfred Eisenstaedt’s image V-J Day in Times Square.
Photojournalism is more diverse than that. It’s going to city council meetings week after week, snapping pictures of a community’s new construction project, photographing farmers markets and checking out a protest with a camera in hand. It’s a rewarding and challenging field. Use these tips to survive and thrive in photojournalism, whether you’re a freelancer submitting to Reuters or on staff for the Washington Post.
Thinking and acting like a photojournalist.
Professional photojournalists act differently than other people. When there’s an emergency, they run toward it, camera in hand. When everyone is talking at a public meeting, they’re silent. During a conflict, they’re off to one side documenting. “It helps to be the kind of person who doesn’t feel the need to take up a lot of space,” says photojournalist Beth Nakamura. “I like to observe and not make a fuss about myself.”
“Reporters are supposed to let everybody know that they’re in the room, be verbal and interview people,” says Kathleen Marie, who’s worked as a photojournalist and art director for the Willamette Week and Portland Mercury. “A photojournalist moves in the background. They don’t want people to know they’re in the room.”
Decentering yourself and becoming the quietest voice in the room is key to delivering good work. “Stories are about other people, about amplifying others' voices,” says Nakamura. “That’s a rewarding thing to do. That’s what drives you. Sit back and not be at the centre of it.”
Being silent, being an observer and letting others act while they document is what gives photojournalists their power. “Your introversion, willingness to listen and instinct to make space for subjects are actually key qualities,” says Nakamura. “So much of what I do is listen and witnessing is a form of listening. We love to observe. Use those features of your natural temperament to your advantage.”
Getting into photojournalism.
Photojournalism and documentary photography are ways of making a career out of observation. To do that, aspiring photojournalists need to know what drives and motivates them. “First and foremost, be yourself in the work,” says Nakamura. “Get to know yourself and what your values are, the things that concern you in the world and follow those impulses. Be your own, authentic voice and stay that course.”
The journalism industry is in flux. Publication models and revenue streams for news plug sockets of all sizes are constantly changing and it’s affecting everyone from the New York Times down to local newspapers. “We are at a time when things are happening at hyper speed,” says Nakamura. “So always be open to change.”
New photojournalists need to be aware of new ideas, new business models and new technology. Traditional publications like Harper’s Weekly have moved online and must consider how their content performs on social media on a daily — or even hourly — basis. Digital camera and photo technology is changing all the time. The way publications pay and employ staff changes. Editors and publishers are always figuring out how to stay ahead of the curve and photojournalists need to, as well. “When there’s a new idea or a new app coming at you,” says Nakamura, “figure it out.”
Tips for capturing great photojournalism.
Whether you’re a freelance journalist or a staff photographer, always have a camera on you.
You never know when news will happen, when an editor will send you out or when you’ll have to spring into action. Be ready to cover events and happenings outside your comfort zone. Even if you normally cover community events, don’t let that stop you from covering politics.
For someone with editorial authority over images, any picture is better than none. High-quality photos are ideal, but publications can never know in advance what will resonate. “Just document it so that I know what you got into,” says Marie. “No matter what your tech is, get in there. Get that photo taken. I don’t care if it’s a screenshot from a livestream, we need that documentation.”
Stay organised.
Keep track of when you took your photos and label them accordingly. “Do everything by date,” says Marie. “Do everything by year, by month, by day — everything. Metadata is also super important and make sure your photos aren’t named something like ‘screenshot.’” Adobe Photoshop Lightroom can be a great tool when it comes to organising and sorting through thousands of photos.
Marie, like a lot of editors and directors who work with images, has specific rules for how submissions are formatted and named. Good photojournalists know the conventions that their publications and editors adhere to and follow them.
When that picture does run, it will be in a whole new context.
Your work will appear beside news stories or other content. “When a photographer decides which photos they’re going to share, they’re ultimately giving someone else editorial access to their images,” says Marie. That includes publishing images alongside someone else’s copy.
Even with amazing photos, the real power of an image won’t be apparent until it runs in an article or as a photo essay. “Being a photojournalist isn’t about taking all the right photos,” says Marie, “but being able to look back and find photos that create stories.”
Know your limits and know your rights.
Photojournalists are not spies. Be respectful. “Always ask for permission, not for forgiveness. Access is so important for photojournalists,” says Marie. She has had to deal with photographers who were kicked out of venues or situations they did not have permission to be in. “I think that’s bad for photojournalism as a whole,” she says. “If you can’t have permission, stay at a safe distance and know your legal rights.”
Photojournalism is documentation and that’s something you can do any time, even if it’s your first time. No matter who you are or what type of gear you have, there’s a world out there at the moment for you to observe, whether it’s on a small town’s rural roads or a city’s bustling streets.
Beth Nakamura, Kathleen Marie
Tips for capturing nature photos of all kinds.
Explore the possibilities of nature photography, from animals in motion to sprawling landscapes.
Getting into the sports photography game.
Explore the many ways to make a career shooting sports, from live events to fashion shoots.
Getting a taste of food photography.
Explore the world of culinary photography with advice from industry professionals.
Creating great portrait photography.
Take a step closer to perfect portraits with tips and advice from professional photographers.
7 days free, then US$11,49/mo.
Try Lightroom, free for 7 days then US$11,49/mo.
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AWE Stories
AWE Stories, Features, Inspiration, Main
Young Engineer Transforms Early Struggles into a Love for Problem Solving
by AWE Staff
Early struggles and a passion for engineering inspired Kiarna Broomhead to show other students the possibilities of STEM.
Of the 950 students enrolled in an undergraduate engineering program at Griffith University’s Gold Coast Campus, 115 are female. Of the 115 female students, second year electrical and electronics engineering student Kiarna Broomhead is the only indigenous woman.
When she’s not studying, Broomhead volunteers with the School of Engineering and Built Environment and the STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) Ambassador Program at Griffith. However, most of her time is spent with the Women in Engineering Society, where she helps run outreach activities at schools to teach young girls about engineering.
“The outreach volunteering is what I most enjoy about university and my engineering degree, because I’m able to fulfill my want to show young people about these things they can do with their lives,” she told create. “I find going out into the community and showing what engineering is about is the best way to gain interest in the area. I talk to kids at engineering displays or STEM events to tell them what engineering is and help run outreach programs at schools where we do activities like building a circuit with the students,” she continues. “If you spark interest in just one person to look further into technology or science-related degrees, it could change their life and make the future better.”
A passion for learning
Broomhead’s love of science and technology and her own struggles at school underpin her motivation to share the benefits of education and a career in STEM. The Brinja-Yuin woman grew up on the south coast of New South Wales in small, beachside towns, moving around a lot as a child. The frequent moves were mainly due to her father’s contract work for builders.
Moving often and constantly having to make new friends made schooling hard, and Broomhead was keenly aware that she missed out on the opportunity to form bonds with teachers who could be role models. “Moving around a lot, I struggled with learning at a young age and was often behind in classes. I was always the new kid, always,” she said. Broomhead goes on to say, “Not being able to stick around somewhere and form bonds with teachers, I didn’t have a female role model, especially someone in science. There was no one there for me, so I want to be that for people. In future, I want people to see the work I do and say ‘Wow, that is something I want to do with my life’.”
Bright future
Broomhead, who followed her two older sisters to Griffith University, said she enjoys the connections with teachers and the practical nature of the electrical engineering course, which involves building circuitry and coding. “One of the things I’ve really enjoyed about studying at Griffith is being able to have those connections with lecturers that I didn’t have with teachers when I was a kid,” she said.
“They have a pretty big influence on the work I do. I am in smaller classes and I get to talk to my lecturers a lot more.”
Since starting her degree, Broomhead has received a $5000 scholarship from building group Grocon and completed a four-month internship with rail freight company Aurizon. At Aurizon, she worked with the asset management team focusing on the upkeep, maintenance and retirement of locomotives. She is currently undertaking an internship with Boeing Defence Australia as a systems engineer.
However, Broomhead believes her contribution to the community is her greatest achievement. “The thing I am most proud of is the amount of time I have been able to put into volunteering,” she said.
Broomhead said her work placements have provided valuable opportunities to gain practical experience and learn from industry professionals. As part of her internship with Boeing, she helps support upgrades to the Royal Australian Air Force’s fleet of six E-7A Wedgetails.
The Wedgetail aircraft is an airborne early warning and control platform that can gather information from a wide variety of sources, analyze it, and distribute it to other assets. Under the AIR 5077 Phase 5A contract, Boeing Defence Australia is leading the first major upgrade program for the aircraft to ensure the fleet complies with evolving military and civilian standards.
“The people I am meeting and the stories you hear from them show the value in what you are doing,” Broomhead said. “It gives you drive and really inspires you to work harder.”
This article originally appeared in the May 2019 issue of create magazine. To read the article in its entirety online, click here.
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Union of India through Joint Secretary (COFEPOSA), Ministry of Finance, New Delhi Vs. Ankit Ashok Jalan
[Special Leave Petition (Criminal) No.7013/2019]
[Criminal Appeal No. 1746 of 2019 arising from S.L.P. (Criminal) No.7010/2019]
[Writ Petition (Criminal) No. 204 of 2019]
M.R. SHAH, J.
Leave granted in Special Leave Petition (Criminal) No. 7010 of 2019.
2. Feeling aggrieved and dissatisfied with the impugned judgment and order dated 02.08.2019 passed by the High Court of Delhi at New Delhi in Writ Petition (Criminal) No. 1840 of 2019, by which the High Court has allowed the said writ petition preferred by the respondent herein and has quashed and set aside the detention orders bearing Nos. PD12001/ 34/2019COFEPOSA and PD12001/ 35/2019COFEPOSA dated 1.7.2019, the Union of India through the Detaining Authority has preferred the present appeal. Feeling aggrieved and dissatisfied with the aforesaid impugned judgment and order passed by the High Court, even the detenu has preferred the special leave petition challenging the aforesaid impugned judgment and order, inasmuch as on grounds 'C', 'D', 'E', 'F' and 'G' raised in the main writ petition before the High Court, having not been decided one way or the other, while allowing the writ petition of the original writ petitioner on the first two grounds, i.e., grounds 'A' & 'B'.
2.1 Writ Petition (Criminal) Nos. 204/2019, 206/2019 and 209/2019 have been preferred by the respective writ petitioners under Article 32 of the Constitution of India for an appropriate writ, direction or order declaring that the disjunctive 'or' in Section 13 of the Conservation of Foreign Exchange and Prevention of Smuggling Activities Act, 1974 (hereinafter referred to as 'COFEPOSA Act') shall be read as 'and' so that only those actions which are actually done in good faith would be protected under the said Section, to enable the respective petitioners to take such further action against the Detaining Authority, as may be permissible in law.
2.2 At the outset, it is required to be noted that so far as the respective writ petitioners of writ petitions are concerned, though detention orders qua them have been set aside by the High Court, still the respective petitioners have prayed for the aforesaid reliefs.
[Criminal Appeal @ SLP (Criminal) No.7010/2019 and SLP(Criminal) No. 7013 of 2019]
3. The facts of the case in nutshell are as follows: That in the light of specific intelligence, the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence, Kolkata Zonal Unit (for short 'DRI') intercepted one Anand on 09.06.2019 near Dankuni Toll Plaza, West Bengal, while he was travelling on a bus from Siliguri to Kolkata, carrying 8 Kgs. of gold of foreign origin valued at Rs.2.71 crores approximately. That the said Anand, vide his statements recorded on 09.06.2019 and 10.06.2019 indicated that, he had been engaged by the detenus to receive the 8 bars of smuggled gold from IndoBhutan border at Jaigaon from an unknown person, to be transported and delivered to Kolkata and Delhi.
That as per the detenus, they were apprehended by officers of DRI on 10.06.2019 at about 2:00 p.m. at the Food Court of Quest Mall, 33, Syed Amir Ali Avenue, Park Circus, Beck Bagan Row, Kolkata, West Bengal - 700017 and taken to the latter's office. That the detenus' selfincriminating confessions were purportedly obtained under Section 108 of the Customs Act, 1962 (hereinafter referred to as the 'Act') and they were formally shown as arrested on 11.06.2019 under the provisions of Section 104 of the Act. That thereafter the detenus were produced before the Court of Judicial Magistrate on 12.06.2019.
3.1 That vide order dated 12.06.2019 in Misc. 67/2019, the learned Chief Metropolitan Magistrate, Kolkata rejected the prayer of bail made on behalf of the detenus and remanded them to judicial custody till 18.06.2019.
3.2 That while the detenus were in custody, the detention orders were rendered by the Detaining Authority on 01.07.2019. The detention orders were served on both the detenus on 02.07.2019. The detenus have been served with the relied upon documents with the list of documents on 04.07.2019.
3.3 That the detenus filed their representations dated 07.07.2019, under Article 22(5) of the Constitution of India read with Section 3(3) of the COFEPOSA Act, addressed to the Detaining Authority against the impugned detention orders, through the jail authorities.
3.4 That the respondent Ankit Ashok Jalan filed writ petition before the High Court challenging the aforesaid detention orders against his father - Ashok Kumar Jalan and his brother - Amit Jalan (detenus) dated 01.07.2019. It was mainly contended on behalf of the original writ petitioner that despite the detenus already being in judicial custody, the Detaining Authority rendered the detention orders and there being no imminent possibility of their being released on bail nor any material relied upon therein to raise an apprehension that they may be so released in the near future since no bail application was pending, the same are ex facie illegal and without any basis.
It was further contended that the relied upon documents have not been perused by the Detaining Authority, inasmuch as, the retraction petition of the said Anand, which is a vital document, has neither been placed before the Detaining Authority nor considered by it in accordance with law, the document purported to be a copy of the 'retraction petition' in respect of the said Anand, placed at Sr. No.30 of the list of relied upon documents, is actually the latter's bail application, and thus the subjective satisfaction is sham, erroneous and incomplete, and therefore, violative of the detenus' right to effective representation as mandated and guaranteed by the Constitution, and by law.
4. The writ petition before the High Court was opposed by the Detaining Authority. It was requested not to entertain the writ petition at this stage, since the detenus' representations were pending consideration before the Advisory Board. On merits, it was submitted that there was cogent material before the Detaining Authority to arrive at the subjective satisfaction that the detenus were likely to be released from judicial custody and that there was likelihood of their continuing to indulge in the prejudicial activities. It was also submitted on behalf of the Detaining Authority that all the relevant documents were supplied to the detenus. That by the impugned judgment and order, the High Court has quashed and set aside the detention orders mainly on the ground that there was a clear lapse and failure on the part of the Detaining Authority to examine and consider the germane and relevant question relating to the imminent possibility of the detenus being granted bail, while recording its subjective satisfaction and passing the detention orders.
4.1 Feeling aggrieved and dissatisfied with the impugned judgment and order passed by the High Court quashing and setting aside the detention orders, Union of India through the Detaining Authority has preferred the present appeal. As observed hereinabove, even the original writ petitioner has also approached this Court against the impugned judgment and order passed by the High Court, inasmuch as on grounds 'C', 'D', 'E', 'F' and 'G' raised in the main writ petition before the High Court, having not been decided one way or the other, while allowing the writ petition of the original writ petitioner on the first two grounds, i.e., grounds 'A' & 'B' only.
5. Shri K.M. Nataraj, learned Additional Solicitor General of India has vehemently submitted that the impugned judgment and order passed by the High Court is clearly contrary to the law laid down by this Court in a recent judgment rendered in the case of Union of India and another v. Dimple Happy Dhakad, Criminal Appeal No. 1064/2019 arising out of SLP (Criminal) No. 5459/2019, decided on 18.07.2019, 2019 SCC OnLine SC 875. It is submitted that despite the categorical finding recorded by the Detaining Authority with regard to the "immediate possibility of the release of the detenus from judicial custody", the High Court has observed that the same is not sufficient compliance in law and has quashed the detentions orders on this sole ground.
5.1 Relying upon para 7 of the detention orders, it is submitted that the Detaining Authority was aware with regard to detenus being in custody and their immediate possibility of the release and their propensity to indulge in prejudicial activities after release. It is submitted that the subjective satisfaction of the Detaining Authority has been clearly recorded with regard to the custody the likelihood of the release and the propensity to indulge in prejudicial activities. It is submitted that even the bail application of Anand was also considered by the Detaining Authority.
5.2 It is further submitted by the learned Additional Solicitor General that the aforesaid consideration on the part of the Detaining Authority is sufficient compliance with the constitutional protections. Reliance is placed upon the decision of this Court in the case of Noor Salman Makani v. Union of India (1994) 1 SCC 381 (paras 5 & 6).
5.3 It is further submitted by the learned Additional Solicitor General that even in the case of Kamarunnisa v. Union of India (1991) 1 SCC 128, relied upon by the respondent, this Court lays down a threepointer test in passing of a detention order in case of a person already in judicial custody as under:
"(1) if the authority passing the order is aware of the fact that he is actually in custody;
(2) if he has reason to believe on the basis of reliable material placed before him;
(a) that there is a real possibility of his being released on bail, and
(b) that on being so released he would in all probability indulge in prejudicial activity and
(3) if it is felt essential to detain him to prevent him from so doing."
It is submitted that in the said decision, this Court further observed: "if the authority passes an order after recording his satisfaction in this behalf, such an order cannot be struck down on the ground that the proper course for the authority was to oppose the bail and if bail is granted notwithstanding such opposition, to question it before a higher court."
It is submitted that this Court further clarified as under: "....What this court stated in the case of Ramesh Yadav [(1985) 4 SCC 232] was that ordinarily a detention order should not be passed merely to preempt or circumvent enlargement on bail in cases which are essentially criminal in nature and can be dealt with under the ordinary law. It seems to be well settled that even in a case where a person is in custody, if the facts and circumstances of the case so demand, resort can be had to the law of prevention detention."
5.4 It is submitted that even as per the said decision, the awareness that the detenus are in custody and the categorical recording of the fact that the detenu is likely to be released on bail, is sufficient when a detention order is being passed against a person in custody. Learned ASG has also relied upon the following decisions of this Court, Merugu Satyanarayana v. State of A.P. (1982) 3 SCC 301; State of Gujarat v. Sunil Fulchand Shah (1988) 1 SCC 600; Vijay Kumar v. Union of India (1988) 2 SCC 57; Abdul Sathar Ibrahim Manik v. Union of India (1992) 1 SCC 1; Veeramani v. State of T.N. (1994) 2 SCC 337; and Baby Devassy Chully v. Union of India (2013) 4 SCC 531.
5.5 It is further submitted by the learned ASG that the detenus have been released on bail subsequent to the impugned judgment and order of the High Court and therefore the ground of imminent likelihood of release stood proved. It is submitted that admittedly the detenus have been granted bail by the Court on the very date of the order of detention was quashed by the High Court by the impugned judgment and order dated 2.8.2019. It is submitted therefore the apprehension in the mind of the Detaining Authority that the detenus are likely to be released on bail and regarding the prejudicial activities of the detenus has to be taken as well founded and fortified. It is submitted therefore that the grounds raised by the detenus regarding nonmentioning of imminent likelihood of release does not survive for consideration, as the detenus have been released subsequent to the order of detention as apprehended by the Detaining Authority. It is submitted that as on date if the detention order is quashed, the detenus will be free to indulge in the prejudicial activities as mentioned in the detention order thereby causing serious harm and prejudice to the society in general and the economy of the nation in particular.
5.6 Now so far as the other grounds raised by the detenus with respect to retraction statement of Shri Anand not being with the Detaining Authority on the date of passing of the detention orders and therefore the detention orders have been vitiated is concerned, it is submitted that an affidavit has been furnished along with documentary evidence by the Sponsoring Authority by letter dated 31.8.2019. It is submitted that as per letter dated 31.08.2019 of the jail authority, prisoner's petition dated 22.6.2019 submitted by Shri Anand, was forwarded to the learned court of Chief Metropolitan Magistrate, Calcutta only.
It is submitted that the said petition was not forwarded to any other concerned including the Sponsoring or Detaining Authority except the court of Chief Metropolitan Magistrate, Calcutta. It is submitted that further, as per letter memo dated 30.08.2019 of jail authority, a copy of the prisoner's petition of Shri Anand dated 22.6.2019 was forwarded on 22.6.2019 to learned Chief Metropolitan Magistrate, Calcutta. The same was received by the office of Chief Metropolitan Magistrate on 24.6.2019. It is submitted that Shri Anand, Shri Ashok Kumar Jalan and Shri Amit Jalan were produced before the learned Chief Metropolitan Magistrate, Calcutta from judicial custody on 2.7.2019.
It is submitted that during the course of hearing of the case, it came to the notice of the prosecution that a retraction petition was filed by Shri Anand. Accordingly, a request was made before the learned Chief Metropolitan Magistrate for supply of a copy of the same. Accordingly, learned Chief Metropolitan Magistrate ordered advocate of accused No.1 (Shri Anand) to serve the copy vide order dated 2.7.2019. It is submitted that the office of DRI, Kolkatta received a copy of the prisoner's petition/retraction petition of Shri Anand dated 22.6.2019 on 15.7.2019, which was served by one Shri Sumit Dey, Advocate of Shri Anand as per learned Chief Metropolitan Magistrate's order dated 2.7.2019.
It is submitted that therefore when the Sponsoring Authority was not aware about the retraction application of Shri Anand dated 22.6.2019 when the proposal was forwarded by the Sponsoring Authority to the Detaining Authority and therefore the alleged retraction application dated 22.6.2019 could not be placed by Sponsoring Authority before the Detaining Authority before passing the detention orders on 1.7.2019 against the detenus. It is submitted that therefore and even otherwise nonconsideration of the retraction application dated 22.6.2019 of Shri Anand by the Detaining Authority does not vitiate the orders of detention. In support of his above submission, learned ASG has relied upon a decision of this Court in the case of Raverdy Marc Germain Jules v. State of Maharashtra (1982) 3 SCC 135.
5.7 It is further submitted by the learned ASG that even otherwise the contents of the prisoner's petition/retraction petition of Shri Anand dated 22.6.2019 is a mere afterthought. It is submitted that Shri Anand was caught carrying 8Kgs. of foreign origin gold without any supporting documents whatsoever in the presence of the independent witnesses, as per due process and procedure. It is submitted that whatsapp messages exchanged between him and Shri Ashok Jalan and the whatsapp calls made between them provides unclenching evidence about their acquaintance and complicity in the case. It is submitted that hence the prisoner's petition/retraction petition does not prejudice the decision of the Detaining Authority in passing of the detention orders, which were based on the facts and evidence on record which were duly mentioned in the detention orders and relied upon documents supplied along.
5.8 It is further submitted that even the retraction statement of Shri Anand is not a vital document in case of the present detention orders against the detenus as their retractions have been duly considered by the Detaining Authority.
5.9 It is further submitted by the learned ASG that apart from the above facts, Shri Anand after his release on bail has reiterated his earlier statements dated 9.6.2019, 10.6.2019 and 14.6.2019 on 19.7.2019 wherein he has categorically stated that he filed the retraction petition as per the directions of his advocate which was a mistake on his part. 5.10.It is further submitted by the learned ASG that even otherwise failure to place certain documents may not necessarily be fatal to a detention order. In support of his submission, learned ASG has also relied upon the decisions of this Court in the cases of Prakash Chandra Mehta v. Commissioner and Secretary., Government of Kerala, (1985) Suppl. SCC 144 (paras 69 to 73, 75, 82 & 83) and Madan Lal Anand v. Union of India (1990) 1 SCC 81.
5.11 Making the above submissions and relying upon the above decisions, it is prayed to allow the present appeal and quash and set aside the impugned judgment and order passed by the High Court quashing and setting aside the detention orders.
6. While supporting the impugned judgment and order passed by the High Court quashing and setting aside the orders of detention, learned counsel appearing on behalf of the respondent has vehemently submitted that the High Court has given cogent reasons while quashing and setting aside the orders of detention, and therefore, the same is not required to be interfered with by this Court.
6.1 Shri Vikram Chaudhri, learned Senior Advocate appearing on behalf of the original writ petitioner has taken us to the relevant grounds of detention, more particularly paragraphs (v) and (vii) and has submitted that the statements of Shri Anand are the fulcrum, basis and foundation on which the entire case set up against the detenus rests. Consequently, if the statements are excluded from the zone of consideration, nothing shall survive qua the detenus. It is submitted that there is no incriminating recovery from the detenus as such.
6.2 It is further submitted by the learned Senior Advocate appearing on behalf of the original writ petitioner that though a specific reference has been made by the Detaining Authority regarding the factum of retraction of their statement by the present detenus, however, not a whisper has been made as to the fact of any retraction made by Shri Anand even in his bail application. It is submitted that even if the short denial of statement of bail application of Shri Anand is seen as retraction, the same has never gone into the mind making of the Detaining Authority for arriving at his subjective satisfaction. It is submitted that the Detaining Authority has chosen to make a detailed consideration of the retraction made by the detenus, but it will not show the same consideration to the retraction made by Shri Anand, it was alive and aware regarding the same.
6.3 It is further submitted that as such the retraction statement of Shri Anand has not been supplied by the Detaining Authority to the detenus. It is submitted that as per the relied upon documents, it is stated as "copy of retraction petition in respect of Shri Anand". It is submitted that however the above document is a bail application of Shri Anand and not a retraction statement. It is submitted that therefore nonsupply of the retraction statement of Shri Anand to the detenus has vitiated the orders of detention.
6.4 It is further submitted that in the grounds of detention, there is no reference to the retraction petition on behalf of Shri Anand.
6.5 It is further submitted that as it is evident from the order sheet of the Court, retraction petition filed by Shri Anand has reached the Court on 24.06.2019 and handwritten court proceedings recorded the said fact. It is submitted that therefore retraction petition formed a part of the judicial/court record, much prior to the issuance of the detention orders. It is submitted that therefore the retraction petition of Shri Anand was in complete knowledge of the DRI Officers as well as their Advocates. It is submitted that except the Detaining Authority and the prosecution, none was aware of the proposal for detention and it was their bounden duty to call for all the records. It is submitted that, however, request for supply of the said retraction petition and the entire Court record was not made before passing of the detention orders.
6.6 It is further submitted that the stand that the authorities got knowledge of the retraction only on 2.7.2019 has not been substantiated. It is submitted that the retraction petition dated 22.6.2019 of coaccused Shri Anand had a vital bearing on the complicity or otherwise of the detenus in the alleged prejudicial activities. It is submitted that the Detaining Authority would have been aware of the contents of the retraction and would have considered the same, it may have influenced the mind of the Detaining Authority one way or the other. It is submitted therefore that nonsupply of the retraction petition by Shri Anand and/or nonconsideration of the factual factum of retraction petition by Shri Anand has definitely vitiated the orders of detention and therefore the High Court has rightly set aside the detention orders. In support, learned counsel has heavily relied upon the decisions of this Court in the cases of V.C. Mohan v. Union of India (2002) 3 SCC 451; Deepak Bajaj v. State of Maharashtra (2008) 16 SCC 14; and Rushikesh Tanaji Bhoite v. State of Maharashtra (2012) 2 SCC 72.
6.7 It is further submitted that even otherwise subjective satisfaction was also vitiated for lack of any cogent material to arrive at the satisfaction regarding the imminent possibility of release on bail, more particularly when the bail application filed by both the detenus was already rejected by the Magistrate and no further bail application of the detenus was pending.
6.8 It is further submitted that indisputably bail application of the detenus was rejected on 12.06.2019. No further bail application was filed or pending before any court. It is submitted therefore the subjective satisfaction of the Detaining Authority that the detenus are likely to be released on bail has been vitiated and therefore the High Court has rightly quashed and set aside the orders of detention on this ground alone. In support, learned counsel has heavily relied upon the decisions of this Court in the cases of Rameshwar Shaw v. District Magistrate AIR 1964 SC 334; Kamaarunnissa (supra); T.V. Sravanan v. State (2006) 2 SCC 664; and Rekha v. State of T.N. (2011) 5 SCC 244.
6.9 Relying upon the decision of this Court in the case of Union of India v. Dimple Happy Dhakad (supra), it is vehemently submitted by the learned counsel appearing on behalf of the respondent that, as held by this Court, the satisfaction of the Detaining Authority that the detenus may be released on bail cannot be ipse dixit of the Detaining Authority. It is submitted that as such on facts in the case of Dimple Happy Dhakad (supra), this Court confirmed the orders of detention having been satisfied that the subjective satisfaction of the Detaining Authority that the detenu is likely to be released on bail is based on the materials. It is submitted that even otherwise the decision of this Court in the case of Rekha (supra) has been delivered by three Judges Bench and the decision in the case of Dimple Happy Dhakad (supra) has been delivered by two Judges Bench. It is submitted that in any case, in the present case, as such no bail application of the detenus was pending before any court.
6.10 It is further submitted that even the question of severability under Section 5A of the COFEPOSA was never urged/pleaded by the appellant/Detaining Authority either before the High Court or before this Court in any of their pleadings. It is submitted that even otherwise in view of the decisions of this Court in the cases of A. Sowkath Ali v. Union of India (2000) 7 SCC 148; and P. Saravanan v. State of T.N. (2001) 10 SCC 212, Section 5A of COFEPOSA shall not be applicable.
6.11 It is further submitted that even otherwise there was a delay in deciding the representation and therefore also the orders of detention were liable to be set aside.
6.12 Learned counsel appearing on behalf of the detenus has also requested to consider the observations made by the learned trial Court while granting bail to the detenus, more particularly strictures on the conduct of the DRI officials thereby highlighting illegal incarceration of the detenus by the DRI and extraction of false statements during such illegal custody.
6.13 Making the above submissions and relying upon the aforesaid decisions, it is prayed to dismiss the present appeal/petitions and not to interfere with the impugned judgment and order passed by the High Court quashing and setting aside the orders of detention.
7. We have heard the learned counsel for the respective parties at length.
8. By the impugned judgment and order, the High Court has set aside the respective orders of detention and released the detenus, namely, Ashok Kumar Jalan and Amit Jalan under the provisions of COFEPOSA. The orders of detention are set aside by the High Court mainly, inter alia, on the ground that there was a clear lapse and failure on the part of the Detaining Authority, to examine and consider the germane and relevant question relating to the imminent possibility of the detenus being granted bail, while recording its subjective satisfaction and passing the detention orders and also on the ground that nonplacement of the relevant material in the form of Anand's retraction petition and its nonconsideration by the Detaining Authority, also vitiates the detention orders.
8.1 Now so far as the first ground on which the detention orders have been set aside, namely, there is a clear lapse and failure on the part of the Detaining Authority, to examine and consider the germane and relevant question relating to imminent possibility of detenus being granted bail while recording its subjective satisfaction and passing the detention orders is concerned, at the outset, it is required to be noted that in paragraph 7, the Detaining Authority observed and stated as under:
"7. I am aware that you, i.e., Shri Ashok Kumar Jalan are in judicial custody at present at Presidency Correctional Home, Alipore, Kolkata. However, there is an immediate possibility of your release from judicial custody and if you are released on bail, you are likely to continue to indulge in the prejudicial activities and therefore there is a need to issue a Detention Order against you under the COFEPOSA Act, 1974 with a view to prevent you from smuggling of gold and foreign currency in future." Therefore, it is evident that the Detaining Authority while passing the detention orders was aware of the fact that the detenus are actually in custody; that there is a real possibility of their being released on bail; and that on being so released they would in all probability indulge in prejudicial activities and therefore it is essential to prevent them from smuggling of gold and foreign currency in future. As per catena of decisions of this Court, even if a person is in judicial custody, he can be detained under the relevant provisions of the concerned Act, like COFEPOSA etc.
However, there must be a proper application of mind and the Detaining Authority must have been subjectively satisfied on considering the relevant material that there is a reason to believe that there is a real possibility of detenus being released on bail and that on being so released the detenus will in all probability indulge in prejudicial activities. In the recent decision, this Court in the case of Dimple Happy Dhakad (supra) had an occasion to consider the aforesaid aspect and after considering the decisions of this Court in the cases of Kamarunnisa (supra); Union of India v. Paul Manickam (2003) 8 SCC 342; Huidrom Konungjao Singh v. State of Manipur (2012) 7 SCC 181; Dharmendra Suganchand Chelawat v. Union of India (1990) 1 SCC 746; and Veeramani (supra), this Court observed and held
(i) that the order of detention validly can be passed against a person in custody and for that purpose it is necessary that the grounds of detention must show whether the Detaining Authority was aware of the fact that the detenu was already in custody;
(ii) that the Detaining Authority must be further satisfied that the detenu is likely to be released from custody and the nature of activities of the detenu indicate that if he is released, he is likely to indulge in such prejudicial activities and therefore, it is necessary to detain him in order to prevent him from engaging in such activities; and (iii) the satisfaction of the Detaining Authority that the detenu is already in custody and is likely to be released on bail and on being released, he is likely to indulge in the same prejudicial activities with the subjective satisfaction of the Detaining Authority.
8.2 In the case of Noor Salman Makani (supra), a submission was made regarding nonapplication of mind by the Detaining Authority with regard to the circumstance that the detenu was in jail and a mere bald statement that the possibility that the detenu was likely to be released on bail cannot be ruled out is not enough and it only shows that there was no proper application of mind. This Court did not accept the said submission and has observed that nothing more could have been said by the Detaining Authority in this context.
It is required to be noted that in the said decision the apprehension of the Detaining Authority came to be true as the detenu was released on bail. This Court refused to set aside the detention order on the aforesaid ground. It appears that the detenus were waiting for the setting aside of the detention orders on the ground that they are in custody and that there is no real apprehension that the detenus are likely to be released on bail. As discussed earlier, the detention orders show the application of mind by the Detaining Authority based on the material available on record, facts and circumstances of the case, nature of activities and propensity of the detenus indulging in such activities. Therefore, in the facts and circumstances of the case, the High Court has erred in setting aside the detention orders on the ground stated hereinabove, namely, that there is a clear lapse and failure on the part of the Detaining Authority, to examine and consider the germane and relevant question relating to the imminent possibility of the detenus being granted bail, while recording its subjective satisfaction and passing the detention orders.
8.3 A Constitution Bench of this Court in the case of Rameshwar Shaw (supra) has observed and held that the detention of the said person would be necessary after he is released from jail, and if the authority is bona fide satisfied that such detention is necessary, he can make a valid order of detention a few days before the person is likely to be released. It is further observed that "therefore the question as to whether an order of detention can be passed against a person who is in detention or in jail, will always have to be determined in the circumstances of each case. Following the aforesaid decision of this Court, in the subsequent decision, in the case of N. Meera Rani v. Government of T.N. (1989) 4 SCC 418, in para 22, this Court observed and held as under:
"....Subsisting custody of the detenu by itself does not invalidate an order of his preventive detention and the decision must depend on the facts of the particular case; preventive detention being necessary to prevent the detenu from acting in any manner prejudicial to the security of the State or to the maintenance of public order etc. ordinarily it is not needed when the detenu is already in custody; the detaining authority must show its awareness to the fact of subsisting custody of the detenu and take that factor into account while making the order; but, even so, if the detaining authority is reasonably satisfied on cogent material that there is likelihood of his release and in view of his antecedent activities which are proximate in point of time he must be detained in order to prevent him from indulging in such prejudicial activities, the detention order can be validly made even in anticipation to operate on his release. This appears to us, to be the correct legal position."
8.4 Now so far as the reliance placed upon the decisions of this Court in the cases of Rekha (supra) and T.V. Sravanan (supra) by the learned counsel appearing on behalf of the detenus is concerned, at the outset, it is required to be noted that on the facts and circumstances of the case, narrated hereinabove, the aforesaid decisions shall not be of any assistance to the detenus and/or, as such, the same shall not be applicable to the facts of the case on hand. Even in the case of Rekha (supra), the decision of the Constitution Bench of this Court in the case of Rameshwar Shaw (supra) was not placed before the Court for consideration and therefore this Court had no occasion to consider the said decision.
It is also required to be noted that even after considering the decision of this Court in the case of Rekha (supra), which has been heavily relied upon by the learned counsel appearing on behalf of the detenus, in the case of Dimpy Happy Dhakad (supra), this Court has observed that even if a person is in judicial custody, he can be put on a preventive detention provided there must be an application of mind by the Detaining Authority that
(i) the order of detention validly can be passed against a person in custody and for that purpose it is necessary that the grounds of detention must show whether the Detaining Authority was aware of the fact that the detenu was already in custody;
8.5 In the case of Kamarunnissa (supra), this Court concluded as under:
"(1) A detention order can validly be passed even in the case of a person who is already in custody. In such a case, it must appear from the grounds that the authority was aware that the detenu was already in custody.
(2) When such awareness is there then it should further appear from the grounds that there was enough material necessitating the detention of the person in custody. This aspect depends upon various considerations and facts and circumstances of each case. If there is a possibility of his being released and on being so released he is likely to indulge in prejudicial activity then that would be one such compelling necessity to pass the detention order. The order cannot be quashed on the ground that the proper course for the authority was to oppose the bail and that if bail is granted notwithstanding such opposition the same can be questioned before a higher court.
(3) If the detenu has moved for bail then the application and the order thereon refusing bail even if not placed before the detaining authority it does not amount to suppression of relevant material. The question of nonapplication of mind and satisfaction being impaired does not arise as long as the detaining authority was aware of the fact that the detenu was in actual custody.
(4) Accordingly the nonsupply of the copies of bail application or the order refusing bail to the detenu cannot affect the detenu's right of being afforded a reasonable opportunity guaranteed under Article 22(5) when it is clear that the authority has not relied or referred to the same.
(5) When the detaining authority has merely referred to them in the narration of events and has not relied upon them, failure to supply bail application and order refusing bail will not cause any prejudice to the detenu in making an effective representation. Only when the detaining authority has not only referred to but also relied upon them in arriving at the necessary satisfaction then failure to supply these documents, may, in certain cases depending upon the facts and circumstances amount to violation of Article 22(5) of the Constitution of India. Whether in a given case the detaining authority has casually or passingly referred to these documents or also relied upon them depends upon the facts and the grounds, which aspect can be examined by the Court.
(6) In a case where detenu is released on bail and is at liberty at the time of passing the order of detention, then the detaining authority has to necessarily rely upon them as that would be a vital ground for ordering detention. In such a case the bail application and the order granting bail should necessarily be placed before the authority and the copies should also be supplied to the detenu."
9. Now applying the law laid down by this Court, referred to hereinabove, to the facts of the case on hand and considering the ground (para 7) and the various circumstances noted by the Detaining Authority, we are satisfied that the detention orders cannot be quashed on this ground. It is to be noted that the detenus have been granted bail by the Court on the very date the orders of detention were quashed by the High Court, i.e., on 2.8.2019. Therefore, the apprehension in the mind of the Detaining Authority that the detenus are likely to be released on bail was well founded and fortified. Therefore, the High Court has fallen in error in quashing and setting aside the detention orders on the ground that there is a clear lapse and failure on the part of the Detaining Authority, to examine and consider the germane and relevant question relating to the imminent possibility of the detenus being granted bail, while recording its subjective satisfaction and passing the detention orders.
10. Now so far as the other submissions made by the learned counsel appearing on behalf of the detenus, which according to the learned counsel were not considered by the High Court, namely, nonconsideration of the relevant facts, namely, the retraction statement made by Shri Anand, by the Detaining Authority is concerned, at the outset, it is required to be noted that it appears that Memo No. 9920/ABI dated 31.08.2019 of Jail Authority, prisoner's (Shri Anand) petition dated 22.6.2019 was forwarded to the learned Chief Metropolitan Magistrate, Calcutta only. It appears that the said petition was not forwarded to any other concerned including the Sponsoring Authority or Detaining Authority. It also appears from the material on record that as per letter Memo No. 9899/ABI dated 30.08.2019 of Jail Authority, a copy of the prisoner's petition of Shri Anand dated 22.6.2019 was forwarded on 22.6.2019 itself to the learned Chief Metropolitan Magistrate, Calcutta, The same was received by the office of the learned Chief Metropolitan Magistrate, Calcutta on 24.6.2019.
It appears that Shri Anand and the detenus herein were produced before the learned Chief Metropolitan Magistrate, Calcutta from judicial custody on 2.7.2019 and during the course of hearing, it had come to the notice of prosecution that a retraction petition was filed by Shri Anand. Therefore, and accordingly, a request was made before the learned Chief Metropolitan Magistrate, Calcutta for supply a copy of the same and accordingly the learned Chief Metropolitan Magistrate ordered advocate of Shri Anand to serve a copy of the retraction petition vide order dated 2.7.2019. It appears from the material on record that the office of DRI, Calcutta received a copy of the retraction petition of Shri Anand dated 22.6.2019 on 15.07.2019. Much reliance is placed upon the orders sheet of the learned trial Court dated 22.06.2019 in support of the submission on behalf of the detenus that the Sponsoring Authority was aware of the Anand's retraction statement and therefore the Sponsoring Authority ought to have drawn the attention of the Detaining Authority on the wider aspect of Anand's retraction.
However, it is required to be noted that there are two orders available on the order sheet of the trial Court. First is the handwritten order and other is a typed order. All other orders are typed orders. The handwritten order does not bear the stamp of the court and/or signature of the learned Magistrate. Therefore, the handwritten order does not inspire any confidence and therefore no reliance can be placed upon the handwritten order on the order sheet of the trial Court dated 24.06.2019. Under the circumstances, it appears that when the detention orders were passed by the Detaining Authority, neither the Sponsoring Authority nor even the Detaining Authority was aware of any retraction petition of Shri Anand. Under the circumstances, there was no occasion and/or reason for the Detaining Authority to consider the retraction statement of Shri Anand. Under the circumstances, it cannot be said that on nonconsideration of the Anand's retraction petition, the detention orders have been vitiated.
11. In view of the above and for the reasons stated above, the High Court has committed a grave error in quashing and setting aside the detention orders and interfering with the subjective satisfaction of the Detaining Authority. Consequently, the appeal preferred by the Detaining Authority, i.e., Civil Appeal arising from Special Leave Petition (Criminal) No. 7010 of 2019 is allowed, the impugned judgment and order passed by the High Court quashing and setting aside the detention orders is hereby quashed and set aside and the detention orders of the respective detenus are hereby restored.
The detenus, i.e., Ashok Kumar Jalan and Amit Jalan shall be taken into custody forthwith by the Detaining Authority. Accordingly, the special leave petition preferred by the respondent, i.e., Special Leave Petition (Criminal) No. 7013/2019 stands dismissed.
[Writ Petition (Criminal) Nos. 204, 206 & 209/2019]
As stated above, Writ Petition (Criminal) Nos. 204/2019, 206/2019 and 209/2019 have been preferred by the respective writ petitioners under Article 32 of the Constitution of India for an appropriate writ, direction or order declaring that the disjunctive 'or' in Section 13 of the COFEPOSA Act shall be read as 'and' so that only those actions which are actually done in good faith would be protected under the said Section, to enable the respective petitioners to take such further action against the Detaining Authority, as may be permissible in law. But in support of the prayer(s) made in the writ petitions, during the course of hearing, no such submissions were advanced by the learned counsel for the respective petitioners. Even otherwise, in view of our judgment rendered in Criminal Appeal arising from Special Leave Petition (Criminal) No. 7010/2019, we find no merits in the present writ petitions and they are accordingly dismissed.
...............................J. [UDAY UMESH LALIT]
...............................J. [INDIRA BANERJEE]
...............................J. [M.R. SHAH]
NOVEMBER 22, 2019.
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Shri Satish Kumar & Anr Vs. State of Himachal Pradesh & Anr.
[Criminal Appeal No. 19 of 2017]
[Criminal Appeal No. 1109 of 2016]
Hemant Gupta, J.
1. Criminal Appeal No. 19 of 2017 is preferred by Satish Kumar and Rajeev Kumar whereas Criminal Appeal No 1109 of 2016 is preferred by Lekh Ram, against common judgment of the High Court of Himachal Pradesh dated 20th September, 2016 whereby the appeal filed by the complainant was allowed and the order of acquittal passed by the learned trial court on 30th November, 2012 was set aside.
The appellants were convicted for the offences punishable under Section 302 read with Section 34 of the Indian Penal Code, 18601 as well as under Sections 25 and 27 of the Arms Act, 19592.
2. Brief facts leading rise to the present appeals are that on 22nd December, 2009 at about 07:15 hours, an information (Ex PW 15- A) was received by Ram Singh (PW-15), Inspector, on phone said to be by Satish Kumar son of Kanshi Ram, that Ratti Ram son of late Shri Roshan Lal, had died due to gun shot.
On receiving such information, a Police team led by the Station House Officer of Police Station Ghumarwin proceeded towards the place of occurrence. Subsequently, on the statement of Neelam Sharma (PW-1), daughter of deceased Ratti Ram, FIR No. 218 was registered on 22nd December, 2009 at about 14:05 hours.
3. Neelam Sharma had stated that her father left home at about 8 am on 21st December, 2009 informing her that he would go to the house of Karma at Village Chujala and thereafter he would go to attend his duty at Village Harlog. But when he did not return till 6 pm, she called on his mobile number but mobile was switched off. She called in the morning to the Forest Guard to inquire about her father who told her that her father had not come there to join the duty. Thereafter, she made telephone call to accused Satish Kumar, whose house is in front of her house and sought phone number of Karma, resident of Village Chujala.
The Police came to her house on 22nd December, 2009, when she came to know that her father had died due to gun shot by Satish Kumar and Rajeev Kumar and the body of his father is lying at Balh Churani forest. The motive of murder was said to be land dispute with Satish Kumar pending in Shimla High Court.
4. Ram Singh (PW-15), Inspector, deposed that the disclosure statements of accused Satish Kumar and Rajeev Kumar were recorded on 22nd December, 2009 itself. The statements of both the accused Satish Kumar (Ext. PW2/A) and Rajeev Kumar (Ext. PW15/C) were recorded in the presence of Jaswant Singh (PW-2) and Kuldeep Singh (PW-3). They disclosed that the dead body of deceased Ratti Ram had been concealed in Balh Churani forest and that they could get the same recovered.
Both the accused accompanied the Police team to Balh Churani forest and on their demarcation of the spot, the dead body of deceased Ratti Ram was recovered on 22nd December, 2009 in the presence of witnesses Jaswant Singh and Kuldeep Singh. The memo of taking possession of dead body is Ex.PW15/F. A bag was also recovered lying nearby the dead body which was identified by Neelam Sharma (PW-1) belonging to her father. The dry soil was also taken from the spot by the Police and spot map of the recovery of dead body was also prepared. Two pellet marks were visible on the stems of bushes. The embedded pellets were removed with a stone.
5. Subsequently, on the same day, another statement of accused Rajeev Kumar was recorded in respect of disclosure of single barrel gun concealed in his house. The recovery memo is PW15/G. Accused Rajeev Kumar also stated that he had concealed empty cartridge in his house, which was also taken in possession from his house on 27th December, 2009. Accused Lekh Ram is the father of accused Rajeev Kumar. It is alleged that the gun was licensed in his name and two live cartridges were recovered from his house.
6. The Investigating Officer (IO) had also taken possession of bloodstained soil, leaves and grass particles lifted from the spot; and the clothes worn by the deceased Ratti Ram. All these articles along with the gun, the empty cartridge and the live cartridges were sent for forensic science examinations. The report (Ex.PW14/D) dated 22nd March, 2010 in respect of articles such as clothes and blood on the clothes and the soil was furnished whereas in respect of the gun, the cartridge was found to be fired from the gun recovered on the basis of disclosure statement of Rajeev Kumar. It was also reported that traces of gunshot residue on the holes was present on the clothes worn by the deceased and the range of firing was distant.
7. The postmortem was conducted on 23rd December, 2009 by Dr. N.K. Sankhan (PW-7) who had found multiple injuries on the dead body of deceased Ratti Ram and also found multiple perforated wounds. As per his final opinion, deceased Ratti Ram died due to cardio respiratory failure as a result of injuries to lungs and heart and hypovolemic shock as a result of gunshot injury.
8. On the basis of the evidence produced, the learned trial court acquitted all the accused for the reason that the prosecution has failed to prove the guilt of the accused beyond reasonable doubt. The learned trial court held that the IO was in the knowledge about the dead body, therefore, the question of recording of the disclosure statements of accused persons has got no evidentiary value. The learned trial court found that the confession of guilt of the accused persons is difficult to be drawn, rather exculpatory conclusions are deducible. The circumstances are not of a conclusive nature and do not exclude every possible hypothesis consistent with the innocence of the accused. The learned trial court returned the following finding:
"29. Thus, in view of the evidence as discoursed aforesaid, it is emerging that investigating officer was in the knowledge about the dead body and in view of this, the question of recording of disclosure statements of accused persons gathers no evidentiary value. If the police already had knowledge of the place of recovery then the evidence collected in pursuance to disclosure statements becomes inadmissible and takes the case out of purview of Section 27 of the Indian Evidence Act."
9. The High Court found that the finding of the learned trial court that the dead body was recovered prior to the disclosure statement made by the accused Satish Kumar and Rajeev Kumar is not correct. In fact, the dead body was recovered only on the basis of the disclosure statements. The High Court further found that the recovery of the dead body and the weapon of offence in pursuance of the disclosure statement stands corroborated with the report of the forensic science laboratory. Thus, the chain of the circumstances is complete so as to warrant conviction of all the accused.
10. However, in appeal preferred by the complainant, the judgment of the trial court was set aside. The High Court held that the postmortem report and the report of the Forensic Science Laboratory emphatically lead to the use of gun (Ext.P/27) by the accused. Therefore, there is incriminatory evidence against the accused. The High Court held that the dead body was not known to the prosecution, before the recovery was made in pursuance of disclosure statement, therefore, the finding of the trial court is not correct. The High Court also found that even if it is assumed that the gun shot fired by only one of the accused, it would not exculpate the incriminatory role of other co-accused in the relevant occurrence.
11. The learned counsel for the appellant argued that as the entire case of the prosecution is based on circumstantial evidence, the prosecution has to prove the hypothesis that the accused alone have committed the crime. The prosecution witnesses have given contradictory statements which does not complete the chain of circumstances and in fact, the truthfulness of the case of the prosecution is seriously doubted. This Court inSharad Birdhichand Sarda v. State of Maharashtra3, delineated the conditions, which must be fulfilled before a case against an accused can be said to be established on the basis of circumstances. It was held as under:
"153. A close analysis of this decision would show that the following conditions must be fulfilled before a case against an accused can be said to be fully established:
(1) the circumstances from which the conclusion of guilt is to be drawn should be fully established. It may be noted here that this Court indicated that the circumstances concerned "must or should" and not "may be" established. There is not only a grammatical but a legal distinction between "may be proved" and "must be or should be proved" as was held by this Court in Shivaji Sahabrao Bobade v. State of Maharashtra [(1973) 2 SCC 793 : 1973 SCC (Cri) 1033 : 1973 Crl LJ 1783] where the observations were made: [SCC para 19, p. 807: SCC (Cri) p. 1047] "Certainly, it is a primary principle that the accused must be and not merely may be guilty before a court can convict and the mental distance between 'may be' and 'must be' is long and divides vague conjectures from sure conclusions."
(2) the facts so established should be consistent only with the hypothesis of the guilt of the accused, that is to say, they should not be explainable on any other hypothesis except that the accused is guilty,
(3) the circumstances should be of a conclusive nature and tendency,
(4) they should exclude every possible hypothesis except the one to be proved, and
(5) there must be a chain of evidence so complete as not to leave any reasonable ground for the conclusion consistent with the innocence of the accused and must show that in all human probability the act must have been done by the accused.
154. These five golden principles, if we may say so, constitute the panchsheel of the proof of a case based on circumstantial evidence."
12. In Brajendrasingh v. State of M.P.4, this Court held that the circumstances from which the conclusion of guilt is to be drawn should be fully established and should also be consistent with only one hypothesis i.e. the guilt of the accused. The circumstances should be conclusive and proved by the prosecution. There must be a chain of events so complete so as not to leave any substantial doubt in the mind of the Court. The Court held as under:
"27. There is no doubt that it is not a case of direct evidence but the conviction of the accused is founded on circumstantial evidence. It is a settled principle of law that the prosecution has to satisfy certain conditions before a conviction based on circumstantial evidence can be sustained. The circumstances from which the conclusion of guilt is to be drawn should be fully established and should also be consistent with only one hypothesis i.e. the guilt of the accused. The circumstances should be conclusive and proved by the prosecution.
There must be a chain of events so complete so as not to leave any substantial doubt in the mind of the Court. Irresistibly, the evidence should lead to the conclusion inconsistent with the innocence of the accused and the only possibility that the accused has committed the crime. To put it simply, the circumstances forming the chain of events should be proved and they should cumulatively point towards the guilt of the accused alone. In such circumstances, the inference of guilt can be justified only when all the incriminating facts and circumstances are found to be incompatible with the innocence of the accused or the guilt of any other person."
13. The primary question in the present appeals is as to whether, the prosecution has recovered the dead body prior to recording of confessional statements of the accused vide Ex. PW2/A and Ex. PW15/C of Satish Kumar and Rajeev Kumar.
14. It is contended that the information with respect to death of Ratti Ram was received by Inspector Ram Singh (PW-15) on the phone by one of the appellants Satish Kumar at 07.15 hours. PW-15 proceeded to Balh Churani forest along with other police officials after receipt of such information. Ex. PW1/A is the statement of Neelam Sharma recorded at 12.45 pm by PW-15 at Village Balh Churani. The FIR is registered at 14.05 hours.
15. The first statement of Neelam Sharma (Ex. PW 1/A) is that she came to know from the police, when they arrived at the village, that Satish Kumar and Rajeev Kumar have killed her father. She as PW1 deposed that the statement of the accused was recorded before they proceeded to the forest, and that except ward member (Jaswant Singh) nobody had told her that her father had been murdered by Satish Kumar and Rajeev Kumar.
It is after her statement was recorded that she went to the forest with the police, and the witness Jaswant Singh and Kuldeep Singh, and accused Rajeev Kumar and Satish Kumar. She further deposed that PW-2 Jaswant Singh had informed her before the arrival of the police that the dead body of her father was lying in the forest. Jaswant Singh is ward member from Balh Churani of Gram Panchayat Robin. Some officials proceeded to the spot, whereas some came along with dead body of her father. She denied that Balh Churani forest is a big forest.
16. On the other hand, PW-2-Jaswant Singh was declared hostile when he deposed that no disclosure statement was made by Rajeev Kumar in his presence. He was cross-examined by the public prosecutor. He denied that any disclosure statement was made by the accused Satish Kumar and Rajeev Kumar. He also denied that Rajeev Kumar had signed any statement in his presence. He denied other recovery memos as well. In the cross-examination by the accused, he admitted that Balh Churani forest starts near the house of deceased Ratti Ram and many registered hunters used to come to this forest for hunting prior to the occurrence. Some hunters without permission, would also come to the forest.
The dead body of Ratti Ram was recovered from a distance of approximately 1 KM from his house. The motorable road is at a distance of 1 ½ KM from the dead body. He deposed that the statement of Neelam Sharma and accused Satish Kumar was recorded near the dead body after identification of the dead body. He deposed that Satish Kumar stated to the police that he fired a gunshot by mistake but he had not stated that the gunshot was fired by him and by Rajeev Kumar. He stated that Rajeev Kumar had stated to the police that their gun was not used for firing but was still taken into possession by the police. He admitted that there were criminal cases between Kanshi Ram, father of Satish Kumar and himself, but those cases were compromised.
17. PW-3 Kuldeep Singh turned hostile and denied that any statement was made by accused Satish Kumar and Rajeev Kumar in his presence. In cross-examination he deposed that 15-20 persons of Balh Churani Village had gone to the forest. He admits that the dead body was searched by the police and was not demarcated by anybody else.
18. PW-15 Ram Singh in his cross-examination deposed that the accused Satish Kumar and Rajeev Kumar were arrested on 22nd December, 2009 at 1.30 pm. He categorically deposed that he had not informed Jaswant Singh (PW-2) before proceeding from the police station. He did not enquire with anybody over the telephone from the police station pursuant to Daily Diary Report. He deposed that he came to know that deceased had died due to gunshot injury before recording the statement of Neelam Sharma. The accused Satish Kumar and Rajeev Kumar were questioned in the presence of Jaswant Singh and Kuldeep Singh. He denied that no telephone call was made by Satish Kumar to police station. He admitted that the place where the dead body was lying was about 1 KM from the house of Ratti Ram and both the accused collectively identified the place where the dead body was lying.
19. The phone call was received by police at 7.15 am. The distance of the place of recovery of dead body in forest from the house of the deceased is only about 2 Kilometers approx. In the first statement of Neelam Sharma recorded at 12.45 pm, there is an assertion that her father was killed by gun shot by Satish Kumar and Rajeev Kumar. How could she disclose the names of the assailants, if the police had yet to start investigation? The statement of the accused Satish Kumar was recorded prior to the statement of Rajeev Kumar which was recorded between 1.30 to 2.00 pm as per PW-15. But as per PW-2 Jaswant Singh, the police called him and got the first confirmation about the incident from him, whereas the IO completely denied having made any attempt to contact PW-2 to get any information.
As per the IO, he proceeded to Balh Churani forest after associating Satish Kumar, Jaswant Singh, Kuldeep Singh and Neelam Sharma. The conclusion of the cause of death as due to gunshot by Satish Kumar and Rajeev Kumar could find mention in the FIR, which is the basis of initiating the investigating process, only if the dead body had already been recovered. The IO has given contradictory statement as that of statement of PW-1 Neelam Sharma as well as PW-2 Jaswant Singh. The statements of the witnesses do not appear to be trustworthy so as to maintain conviction of the appellants. The evidence of the prosecution does not inspire confidence.
20. The entire prosecution case is based upon the telephone call made by Satish Kumar but no call details have been produced to verify the correctness of the telephone call. As per the IO, there was no verification made in pursuance of the phone call received. 21. The other incriminating circumstance weighed with the High Court is the recovery of the single barrel gun with the cartridge from the house of Lekh Ram, the licence holder. The report of the forensic science laboratory would only show that such gun was used in the commission of crime, but the prosecution has failed to establish which of the accused has actually used the gun.
The disclosure statement of the accused Satish Kumar is that he fired from the gun. But the recovery of the gun is on the basis of disclosure statement of accused Rajeev Kumar. There is no direct evidence as to the use of licensed gun of Lekh Ram, though the gun along with empty and live cartridges were recovered on the statement of Rajeev Kumar. It is not possible to conclusively hold that it was either Rajeev Kumar or Satish Kumar who fired upon the deceased. In the absence of the evidence as to which of the two accused fired upon the deceased, the accused cannot be convicted only on the basis of recovery of gun used in the commission of crime.
22. The High Court has convicted all the accused additionally for the offences under Sections 25 and 27 of the Act. None of the conditions mentioned in Section 25 of the Act are even broadly extended towards all the accused including Lekh Ram, the licensee. Section 27 of the Act provides for punishment if whoever uses any arms or ammunition in contravention of Section 5 of the said Act. Again, none of the conditions mentioned in Section 5 are attracted towards any of the accused including Lekh Ram. At best, there could be an allegation of violation of conditions of licence but, none of the accused have been charged for violation under Section 30 of the Act. Therefore, none of the accused is liable for conviction for any offence under the Act.
23. In a case based upon circumstantial evidence motive is relevant but the prosecution has failed to prove any motive on the part of the accused. As per the statement of Neelam Sharma (PW-1), the motive was land dispute with Satish Kumar. If such was a motive, then there is no reason for her to contact Satish Kumar, who was said to be staying near her house, to find out whereabouts of her father. The said motive has no foundation to stand.
24. The trial court has recorded an order of acquittal. Such order of acquittal could be interfered with only if there was perversity in the findings recorded by the trial court. Mere fact that the High Court has a different opinion will not be sufficient to enable the High Court to set aside the order of acquittal. The High Court in appeal took a different view than what was taken by the trial court to set aside the judgment and convict the appellants herein.
While exercising the jurisdiction under Section 389 of the Code of Criminal Procedure, 19735, especially when trial court has recorded a finding of not proving the guilt, the Appellate Court should interfere only if the findings are perverse and are not possible by any reasonable person. The High Court in an appeal against acquittal does not interfere only if the Appellate Court has a different view on process of evidence than what was taken by the learned trial court. This Court in Chandrappa and Others v. State of Karnataka6 considered the scope of powers of the appellate court against an order of acquittal passed by the trial court under the Code and held as under:-
"42. From the above decisions, in our considered view, the following general principles regarding powers of appellate Court while dealing with an appeal against an order of acquittal emerge:
(1) An appellate Court has full power to review, reappreciate and reconsider the evidence upon which the order of acquittal is founded;
(2) The Code of Criminal Procedure, 1973 puts no limitation, restriction or condition on exercise of such power and an appellate Court on the evidence before it may reach its own conclusion, both on questions of fact and of law;
(3) Various expressions, such as, "substantial and compelling reasons", "good and sufficient grounds" "very strong circumstances", "distorted conclusions", "glaring mistakes", etc. are not intended to curtail extensive powers of an appellate Court in an appeal against acquittal. Such phraseologies are more in the nature of "flourishes of language" to emphasise the reluctance of an appellate Court to interfere with acquittal than to curtail the power of the Court to review the evidence and to come to its own conclusion.
(4) An appellate Court, however, must bear in mind that in case of acquittal, there is double presumption in favour of the accused. Firstly, the presumption of innocence available to him under the fundamental principle of criminal jurisprudence that every person shall be presumed to be innocent unless he is proved guilty by a competent court of law. Secondly, the accused having secured his acquittal, the presumption of his innocence is further reinforced, reaffirmed and strengthened by the trial court.
(5) If two reasonable conclusions are possible on the basis of the evidence on record, the appellate court should not disturb the finding of acquittal recorded by the trial court."
25. We find that the High Court interfered with the findings of acquittal even though the conclusion drawn by the trial court is a possible conclusion on the basis of evidence on record. We find that the prosecution has failed to prove the role of accused in causing death of the deceased Ratti Ram inasmuch as the recovery of dead body in pursuance of similar disclosure statements made by accused Satish Kumar and Rajeev Kumar is not proved. In the absence of any evidence led by the prosecution as to who fired the fatal shot, the benefit of doubt must go to the accused persons and was rightly granted by the learned trial court.
26. Consequently, we find that the order of the High Court convicting the appellants is wholly illegal, unwarranted and unjust. The conviction of the appellants for the offences punishable under Section 302 read with Section 34 IPC and Sections 25 and 27 of the Act is set aside. Accordingly, both the appeals are allowed. The order of acquittal recorded by the trial court is restored. The bail bonds shall stand discharged. All the accused be set at liberty, if not wanted in any other case.
.............................................J. (Uday Umesh Lalit)
.............................................J. (Indu Malhotra)
.............................................J. (Hemant Gupta)
1. for short, 'IPC'
2. for short, 'Act'
4. 2012 4 SCC 289.
5. for short "the Code"
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By afaqs! news bureau Published: 1 Sep 2020, 5:00 AM IST
Uber tells racists: Delete our app
The ride-hailing company has made it clear that it doesn't want racists to use its app.
"If you tolerate racism, delete Uber."
The cab-hailing app, along with Wieden+Kennedy, is taking racism head-on with its new integrated campaign that was launched on August 28. The date also marks the 57th anniversary of the March on Washington, and Martin Luther King Jr's "I Have a Dream" speech.
As per an Ad Age report, "Uber is delivering that message across social media, in emails, and app notifications. It also features on billboards appearing in 13 major US cities in support of the thousands gathering in the nation’s capital to commemorate the March on Washington, or planning their marches across the country. The outdoor signs also state, Black people have the right to move without fear.”
57 years after the March on Washington, we thank those who marched before usâyet another senseless shooting shows how far we have to go. To those at #MOW2020, we stand with you.
Black people have the right to move without fear. If you tolerate racism, delete Uber.
— Uber (@Uber) August 28, 2020
Uber wrote on a new microsite, "As a company that powers movement, our goal is to ensure that everyone can move freely and safely. To do that, we must fight racism and be a champion for equity—both inside and outside our company... That’s why we’re making several long-term commitments to drive this work forward."
The company unveiled a set of measures committed to ridding its platform of racism. First, Uber is providing its riders and drivers new anti-racism and unconscious bias resources. Second, everyone that signs up for Uber has to agree to follow its community guidelines. Third, customer support agents will be given specialised training on unconscious bias and discrimination.
Uber is also allocating $10 million to Black-owned businesses over two years. It has committed $1 million to the Equal Justice Initiative and Centre for Policing Equity. The brand is extending $0 delivery fee for Black-owned restaurants through 2020.
The United States, in the recent past, has been embroiled in anti-racism protest, and thousands mirrored the march of 1963 as they demanded equal rights.
"This is just the beginning. It won’t be enough until we see true racial justice. But we plan to work day in and day out to improve, learn, and grow as a company. Black lives matter," said Uber.
UberWieden+Kennedy
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Aquiline
StrategyTeamPortfolioNewsLP Login
BNC Bancorp Closes $35 Million Capital Raise Anchored by Aquiline Capital Partners
HIGHPOINT, NC, June 15, 2010 - BNC Bancorp, the parent company of Bank of North Carolina (“BNC”), (NASDAQ: BNCN), today announced that it has closed on a $35 million private placement anchored by Aquiline Capital Partners LLC (“Aquiline”), a New York based private equity firm investing in financial services. Aquiline purchased shares of BNC Bancorp common stock and preferred stock at $10.00 per share. Other investors, including certain members of the Company’s Board of Directors, also purchased the Company’s common stock at $10.00 per share.
The capital raise will support BNC’s expansion in North Carolina and neighboring states. Aquiline’s investment represents approximately 24.9 percent of BNC’s shareholders equity. The total Aquiline investment in BNC is comprised of approximately 9.9 percent of BNC’s common stock and the entirety of a new class of non-voting preferred shares, which are convertible into approximately 15% of the currently outstanding shares of BNC common stock in certain circumstances. The other investors in the private placement purchased common stock representing approximately 7.4 percent of BNC’s outstanding capital stock following the offering.
“We welcome and appreciate Aquiline’s confidence in our management team, our franchise and the significant growth opportunities in the southeastern banking market,” said W. Swope Montgomery, CEO of BNC. “In addition, we are looking forward to welcoming a banking industry veteran, Mark Graf, to our board as Aquiline’s representative.”
The common and preferred stock was offered and sold in private transactions and has not been registered under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended. BNC has agreed to file a registration statement with the Securities and Exchange Commission to cover resale of the securities described above. Such securities may not be offered or sold absent registration or an applicable exemption from registration. This press release does not constitute an offer to sell or a solicitation of an offer to buy any securities, nor shall there be any sale of securities in any state or jurisdiction in which such an offer, solicitation or sale would be unlawful prior to registration or qualification under the securities laws of any such state or jurisdiction.
About BNC Bancorp and Bank of North Carolina
BNC Bancorp is the parent company of Bank of North Carolina, an approximately $2.2 billion-asset commercial bank. Bank of North Carolina provides banking and financial services to individuals and businesses through its full-service banking offices in North and South Carolina. The Bank’s seven South Carolina locations were added through BNC’s recent FDIC-assisted acquisition of Beach First National Bank (“Beach First”). Bank of North Carolina is insured by the FDIC and is an equal housing lender. BNC Bancorp is current on its preferred dividend payments to the United States Treasury and its stock is quoted in the NASDAQ Capital Market under the symbol "BNCN."
About Aquiline Capital Partners LLC
Aquiline, is a private equity firm based in New York investing in financial services enterprises in industries such as property and casualty insurance, banking, securities, asset management, life insurance and financial technology. Aquiline seeks to add value to its portfolio companies through strategic, operational, and financial guidance.
Forward Looking Statement Disclaimer
The press release contains forward-looking statements relating to the financial condition and business of BNC and its subsidiary, Bank of North Carolina. These forward-looking statements involve risks and uncertainties and are based on the beliefs and assumptions of the management of BNC, and the information available to management at the time that this press release was prepared. Factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those contemplated by such forward-looking statements include, among others, the following that may diminish BNC’s growth prospects: (i) general economic or business conditions, either nationally or regionally; (ii) changes in the interest rate environment that reduce net interest margins and/or the volumes and values of loans made or held as well as the value of other financial assets held; (iii) competitive pressures among depository and other financial institutions; (iv) legislative or regulatory changes, including changes in accounting standards; (v) adverse positions by local, state or federal taxing authorities; (vi) adverse changes in the securities markets; (vii) greater than expected costs or difficulties related to the integration of Beach First; (viii) unrealized expected cost savings associated with the acquisition of Beach First; and (ix) unexpected deposit attrition, customer loss or revenue loss following the Beach First acquisition. Additional factors affecting BNC and Bank of North Carolina are discussed in BNC’s filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”), Annual Report on Form 10-K, its Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q and its Current Reports on Form 8-K. You may review BNC’s SEC filings at www.sec.gov. BNC does not undertake a duty to update any forward-looking statements made in this press release.
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Tag Archives: Berezina
30 November 2012 · 5:15 pm
Napoleon’s Crossing of the Berezina
Napoleon fought off the pursuing Russians under Prince Mikhail Kutuzov at Krasny on 17 November 1812. However, he was forced to continue to retreat to the River Berezina, leaving Orsha on 20 November.
Click here for a link to a map of Napoleon’s retreat from Moscow on Wikimedia.
Kutuzov had missed a number of opportunities to cut off and destroy Napoleon’s Grande Armée as it retreated from Moscow. This angered Tsar Alexander, who said that Kutuzov displayed ‘inexplicable inactivity.’[1]
Three Russian armies were converging on Napoleon. As well as Kutuzov, Admiral Pavel Chichagov had captured Minsk, a major French supply base, and was approaching the Berezina from the south with 60,000 men. In the north, Prince Peter Wittgenstein, with 50,000 troops, had defeated Marshal Claude Victor at Smoliani.
Adam Zamoyski argues that Kutuzov realised that Napoleon and his generals and marshals were better commanders than himself and his subordinates. He consequently did not want to engage in a frontal battle with the Emperor, preferring to wait until Napoleon’s line of retreat had been cut by Chichagov and Wittgenstein.[2]
On 22 November Napoleon learnt that Chichagov had taken Borisov and its wooden bridge across the Berezina. The next day Marshal Charles Oudinot defeated Chichagov and retook the town, but the retreating Russians burnt the bridge.
Normally the ice would have been thick enough in late November to allow the Berezina to be crossed without bridges. However, the Grande Armée, having suffered great privations from the cold, now suffered from an unexpected thaw, which caused the ice to break up.
Fortunately for Napoleon, the Russians were not pressing his army vigorously. They were also suffering from the winter, and his reputation continued to intimidate all their commanders, not just Kutuzov. He also thought that a crushing victory was not necessarily in Russia’s interests, as it would benefit Britain more. General Sir Robert Wilson, a British observer, reported that Kutuzov had said that:
I am by no means sure that the total destruction of the Emperor Napoleon and his army would be such a benefit to the world; his succession would not fall to Russia or any other continental power, but to that which already commands the sea whose domination would then be intolerable.[3]
Napoleon considered attacking Wittgenstein, and then taking an alternative route, which would enable him to reach Vilna without crossing the Berezina. He rejected this because of the exhaustion of his troops, the poor roads and the muddy terrain, deciding to construct a pontoon bridge at Borisov.
Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Battle_of_Berezina_map.jpg
Gregory Fremont-Barnes (main editor) – The Encyclopedia of the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars, page 137. Adapted from Chandler 1966, 840.
Napoleon had ordered General Jean Baptiste Eblé, the commander of his bridging train, to destroy his equipment in order to prevent it being captured. However, Eblé had destroyed only the actual pontoon bridge, retaining his tools, smithies and charcoal. Thus, his engineers, who were mostly Dutch, could build a pontoon bridge by tearing down local houses for their wood.The problem was that the river was wide at the site of the burnt bridge, and large blocks of ice, propelled by a strong current, were floating down it. This made construction of a replacement at the same site very difficult.
General Jean Baptiste Corbineau, one of Oudinot’s cavalry brigade commanders, then reported that he had found a ford at Studienka, eight miles north of Borisov. Napoleon initially rejected Oudinot’s suggestion of crossing there, but changed his mind after meeting Corbineau on 25 November.
Eblé was ordered to start building three bridges across the Berezina at Studienka at nightfall on 25 November. Various demonstrations were planned in order to distract Chichagov, whose army was to the west of the Berezina an south of Borisov.
A detailed plan was prepared to move the troops still under discipline across the river, starting as soon as the bridges were complete. However, it depended on the enemy being distracted by the diversionary operations and no specific plans were drawn up to allow stragglers to cross.
The first bridge, intended for infantry, was completed by 1pm on 26 November, and the crossing began immediately. The second one, capable of taking wagons, was ready by 4pm. The plan to build a third was abandoned because there were not enough materials to do so.
Lack of time and materials meant that the bridges were improvised and flimsy, and continual repairs were required. The heavier one had to be closed from 8pm until 11pm on 27 November, from 2am until 4am the next morning and from 4pm to 6pm later that day. The breakages caused hundreds of death.
However, most of the organised and armed troops were across by the end of 27 November, leaving just Victor’s IX Corps as rearguard. The Gendarmes had so far prevented unarmed men and civilians from crossing, but they were now invited to cross. Many, having settled down beside camp fires and, seeing no immediate danger, decided to wait until morning.
The strength of the Grande Armée at this stage is uncertain, but David Chandler estimates that 25,000 men under arms, 110 guns and 40,000 stragglers left Orsha. Joining up with Oudinot and Victor’s corps increased its strength to perhaps 49,000 combatants, 250-300 guns and 40,000 stragglers. About 75,000 Russians were close enough to interfere with the crossing.[4]
Chichagov was slow to realise what was happening, and did not engage Oudinot, who was covering the southern flank on the west bank of the Berezina, until the morning of 27 November. The French had to surrender ground, but maintained their line.
On the east bank of the Berezina, Victor also gave up some ground under pressure from Wittgenstein, but his corps remained intact and Napoleon left able to withdraw one of its brigades, comprised of Germans from Baden, across the river.
The action on both banks began again early on 28 November. Chichagov’s advance guard, commanded by General Eufemiusz Czaplic, a Pole, attacked Oudinot. The position looked so bad for the French that Napoleon prepared to commit the Old Guard, but Oudinot rallied his men. He was wounded, for the 22nd time in his career, and Marshal Michel Ney took command.
Ney was outnumbered by over 30,000 to 12-14,000 men, and his troops were in a worse physical condition. Three quarters of his men, which included Poles, Italians, Wüttermbergers, Dutchmen, Croats, Swiss and Portuguese as well as Frenchmen, fought gallantly.[5]
Ney ordered General Jean-Pierre Doumerc’s cuirassier division to charge the enemy. Czaplic was wounded and 2,000 of his men were captured. This charge, described as ‘brilliant’[6] by Chandler, forced the Russians back. Fighting continued for the rest of the day, but the line had been stabilised.
On the east bank Victor’s force of 8,000 men, mostly from Baden, Hesse, Saxony and Poland, was attacked at 9am by Wittgenstein, who had numerical advantage of four to one. However, the morale of Victor’s men remained, according to Zamoyski, ‘unaccountably high’[7] and they held out.
Victor faced a crisis on his left flank because he was short of troops. One of his divisions, commanded by General Louis Partouneaux, had been ordered to withdraw from Borisov to Studienka in the early hours of 28 November. It took the wrong road and was captured.
Napoleon therefore ordered the Baden brigade that had been withdrawn the day before to cross back over the Berezina. Doing so was very difficult because of the large number of stragglers coming the other way, but the infantry managed to force their way across.
The Russians were able to bring up guns on Victor’s left, which bombarded the bridges, causing panic and great losses amongst the stragglers. Napoleon deployed guns on the west bank, and they inflicted heavy casualties on the Russians who were trying to envelop Victor’s left.
Victor and his men were ordered to retire across the river at 9pm. The bridges had first to be cleared of the dead men and horses and the wreckages of wagons. By 1am, only a small screen was left on the east bank. Victor and Eblé urged the remaining stragglers to cross, but most again decided to wait.
Victor’s last men withdrew at 6am, and the stragglers at last realised the urgency of the situation. Eblé had been ordered by Napoleon to burn the bridges at 7am, but waited until 8:30am because so many were still on the other side of the river. By then the Russians were close to the bridges, leaving him no choice to set them on fire, even though thousands had still to cross.
Chandler argues that ‘Napoleon was undoubtedly in a position to claim a strategic victory’ at the Berezina.’[8] He had extracted the survivors of the Grande Armée, albeit with heavy losses. Chandler attributes this to the inactivity of the Russian commanders and the efforts of Eblé, who he describes as ‘the true hero of the Berezina’[9], Oudinot and Victor.
Chandler also suggests that Kutuzov’s lack of urgency during this phase of the campaign is difficult to interpret as ‘anything else than a deliberate desire to allow Napoleon to escape over the Berezina’[10]
The crossing of the Berezina marked the last major combat of Napoleon’s 1812 Campaign. He had originally intended to fight Chichagov in order to clear the route to Minsk, but the losses incurred in the crossing meant that he had no choice but to retreat to Vilna.
The crossing of the Berezina did not, however, mean the end of the Grande Armée’s ordeal. It continued to suffer casualties in rearguard actions, and to the weather; the temperature was still falling.
[1] Quoted in A. Zamoyski, 1812: Napoleon’s Fatal March on Moscow (London: HarperCollins, 2004), p. 432.
[2] Ibid., pp. 435-7.
[3] Quoted in D. Chandler, The Campaigns of Napoleon (London: Weidenfeld & Nicolson, 1966), p. 834.
[4] Ibid., pp. 841-42.
[5] Zamoyski, 1812, pp. 471-73.
[6] Chandler, Campaigns, p. 842.
[7] Zamoyski, 1812, p. 473.
Tagged as Berezina, bridges, Chichagov, Eble, France, French Army, Kutuzov, Napoleon, Napoleonic War, Ney, Oudinot, Russia, Russian Army, Sir Robert Wilson, Tsar Alexander, Victor, Wittgenstein
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AIPEX reports 286 private investment proposals
Tue, 14 Jul 2020 12:07 - Updated Tue, 14 Jul 2020 12:06
indústria consta das prioridades dos investimentos
Photo: Pedro Parente
Luanda - At least 286 private investment proposals have been registered on August 2018 - June 2020, said the Private Investment and Export Promotion Agency (AIPEX), adding that the initiative allows the creation of 19,190 jobs, amongst nationals and foreigners.
The data are contained in its (AIPEX) report released in June, delivered to ANGOP last Monday.
The source mentions, among the investment projects, the industry sector with 124), trade (71), service provision (55), agriculture (12) and civil construction (8).
Among the sectors, the industry is the area that expects to absorb the highest investment value, with more than USD 1 billion dollars, followed by civil construction (USD 686 million), agriculture (USD 199 million), trade (USD 139 million), health (USD 131 million), provision of services (USD 99 million), fisheries (USD 82 million) and hotel and tourism (USD 30 million).
Fifty-seven, of the total investment proposals, almost designed for all the country's provinces, have already been implemented.
On the other hand, the 221 are being implemented, three still to be implemented and five have abandoned the process.
The implementation of the 57 projects, estimated at USD 909 million, has enabled the creation of 4,890 jobs, according to AIPEX report.
The report said that the projects being implemented (221) are estimated at more than USD 1 billion, with those to be launched (3) worth USD 10 million.
The five projects that dropped out were estimated at USD 33 million.
The provinces that received the most proposals were those of Luanda with 226 investment proposals, Bengo (12), Benguela and Malange (9) each, which attracted the interest of the investors in the said period.
AIPEX is tasked with promoting exports, attract private investment, register investment proposals, institutional support and monitor the execution of investment projects and the expansion of Angolan companies.
Angolano Gelson dá empate ao Rio Ave frente ao Sporting
Huíla terá hospital de campanha este ano
Cofre de Previdência busca financiamento
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Reading: Association Between Breastfeeding and Child Stunting in Mexico
Association Between Breastfeeding and Child Stunting in Mexico
Ana Paola Campos ,
Boston College School of Social Work, Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts, US
About Ana Paola
Mireya Vilar-Compte,
EQUIDE Research Institute, Iberoamericana University, Mexico City, MX
Summer Sherburne Hawkins
Background: Globally, the prevalence of child stunting has been decreasing over the past decades. However, in low- and middle-income countries such as Mexico, stunting is still the most prevalent form of undernutrition affecting a large number of children in the most vulnerable conditions. Breastfeeding has been identified as one of the key affordable and modifiable maternal health behaviors protecting against child stunting.
Objective: To examine the association between breastfeeding (defined as never breastfed, any breastfeeding for <6 months, and any breastfeeding for ≥6 months) and other individual-, household-, and area-level factors with child stunting (defined as length/height-for-age-z-score for sex under –2 standard deviations of the World Health Organization child growth standards’ median) in Mexico.
Methods: Secondary data analysis using the 2012 Mexican Health and Nutrition Survey, which allowed representativeness of rural and urban areas at national level and among 4 regions in Mexico. Our subset included data on 2,089 singleton Mexican children aged 6–35 months with information on previously identified risk and protective factors for stunting. We conducted fixed- and mixed-effects logistic regression models sequentially controlling for each level of factors.
Findings: Overall, 12.3% of children were stunted and 71.1% were breastfed for ≥6 months. Any breastfeeding and being female were consistent protective factors against child stunting across all models. In contrast, child low birthweight, maternal short stature, higher number of children aged <5 years per household, and moderate to severe food insecurity were consistent risk factors for child stunting across all models.
Conclusions: According to our findings, efforts to reduce child stunting in Mexico should include prenatal strategies aiming to prevent low birthweight offspring particularly among short-stature women, moderate to severe food insecure households, families with a higher number of children aged <5 years, and indigenous communities. Postnatal components should include multilevel strategies to support breastfeeding.
How to Cite: Campos, A.P., Vilar-Compte, M. and Hawkins, S.S., 2020. Association Between Breastfeeding and Child Stunting in Mexico. Annals of Global Health, 86(1), p.145. DOI: http://doi.org/10.5334/aogh.2836
Published on 17 Nov 2020
Metabolic, social, and environmental risk factors during the first 1,000 days of life (conception through the first 2 years) and beyond can lead to child undernutrition [1, 2, 3]. The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) and the World Health Organization (WHO) estimate that undernutrition contributes to nearly half of all deaths for children aged <5 years globally [4]. Stunting is the most prevalent form of child undernutrition and is identified by measuring children’s length or height (recumbent length for children aged <2 years and standing height for those aged ≥2 years). Stunting is defined as length/height-for-age, for sex, under –2 standard deviations (SD) of the WHO child growth standards median referred to as LfA-z-score, meaning that children’s length/height is too low for their age and sex [4]. Stunting often begins in the uterus and continues for at least the first 2 years of life [2]. Child stunting remains a challenge especially in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) in which children are at higher risk for undernutrition [4]. In LMICs, which include low-, lower-middle-, and upper-middle-income countries, child stunting has been strongly associated with later-life cognitive and metabolic disorders affecting the economic potential of individuals, households, and societies across the life span [5, 6, 7]. The first 1,000 days of life and beyond are a critical period to intervene and prevent stunting in order to achieve short- and long-term healthy linear growth and body weight trajectories [3]. Therefore, it is relevant to assess stunting during this timeframe and to identify its underlying pathological mechanisms.
Worldwide, the estimated prevalence of stunting in children aged <5 years has been declining over the past few decades (39.3% in 1990 versus 21.9% in 2018) [4]. However, the number of children affected by stunting (around 149 million in 2018) and its long-term consequences are still considerable, especially in LMICs [1, 2, 4, 8]. In Mexico, an upper-middle-income country included within the LMICs category [9], the national prevalence of child stunting in this same age bracket has also decreased over the past few decades (26.9% in 1988 versus 13.6% in 2012) yet remained 2.2 percentage points higher than the aggregate prevalence for Latin American and Caribbean countries in 2012 (11.4%) [10, 11], As previously reported, stunting is most prevalent among indigenous population, in the southern rural region, and in marginalized communities in Mexico [10]. Although the decreasing trend is encouraging, Mexico has yet to increase efforts to reduce health, social, and economic disparities and contribute to reach the 2025 WHO’s target to reduce the prevalence of stunting by 40% globally [12], as well as contribute to the United Nation’s sustainable development goals (SDGs) to end all forms of child malnutrition by 2030 [13].
Stunting has been associated with increased child morbidity and mortality, lower educational performance during childhood, and later-life reduced socioeconomic status (SES) and increased metabolic diseases [5, 7, 14]. While stunted children may catch up in linear growth during the first 2 years of life, cognitive damage seems to persist past this early period [15, 16]. For instance, at age 5, children who experienced early stunting performed significantly worse on cognitive tests when compared with children who did not experience early stunting, which has serious implications for schooling indicators, such as readiness and achievement [5]. Stunting is considered a marker for social and health inequalities and helps identify underserved communities in which short stature is the norm [2]. In the latter, stunting is a pervasive process through which there is an intergenerational effect on linear growth, meaning that short stature women who were stunted during their infancy tend to have stunted offspring carried on from intrauterine growth restriction (IUGR), perpetuating the cycle of socioeconomic and health inequalities [14, 17, 18, 19].
While nutrition plays a key role in preventing child stunting, other risk factors have been identified, such as IUGR and low birthweight, childhood recurrent infections, maternal short stature and underweight, household low SES and food insecurity, higher number of children aged <5 years per household, lack of access to healthcare and education, and contextual factors mostly related to unimproved safe water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) systems [3, 8]. Therefore, stunting emerges from complex multidimensional and multilevel risk factors, which are presented by the WHO model on stunting. This model, developed by an experts’ committee, depicts how distal factors (e.g., community and societal factors) influence proximal factors (e.g., household characteristics and maternal behaviors) and how these factors impact childhood linear growth, ultimately producing stunting and its related comorbidities with short- and long-term consequences affecting individuals across their life span [3].
Nutrition is one of the key factors to achieve adequate child growth and development along with additional individual, household, and contextual factors [2]. In particular, breastfeeding has been associated with multiple maternal and child health benefits [20]. Among breastfeeding’s benefits, studies across LMICs have reported a reduction in the risk of child undernutrition, with evidence for a dose-response relationship between breastfeeding duration and reduced risk [8, 21, 22, 23]. According to a systematic review analyzing risk factors for child stunting in 137 LMICs, when compared to other regions worldwide, the Latin American region, including Mexico, displayed a higher proportion of child stunting that was attributable to discontinued breastfeeding, which was defined as any breastfeeding <6 months among children aged ≥6 months [8]. In Mexico, breastfeeding initiation and median duration of any breastfeeding remained stable from 2006 (90.4%, 10.4 months) to 2012 (93.7%, 10.2 months); however, in 2012 Mexico registered the lowest national prevalence of exclusive breastfeeding in the past years in children aged <6 months (14.4%, 7.9 percentage points lower than in 2006), with the largest gap (18.4 percentage points lower than in 2006) observed in indigenous population in the low SES tertile living in the southern rural region [24]. Breastfeeding is particularly relevant in LMICs where contextual factors such as limited or lack of access to safe WASH systems may leave children exposed to non-innocuous complementary liquids and foods [8, 20]. These exposures may increase the risk for diarrhea or other infectious diseases, which have been previously associated with increased risk for stunting [8]. This is particularly worrisome among indigenous and marginalized communities in the southern rural region of Mexico where WASH systems remain unimproved, exclusive breastfeeding is disproportionately decreasing, and the prevalence of stunting is higher when compared to the national estimates [24].
Theoretically grounded on the WHO model on stunting and from a life course perspective, it was relevant to examine the association between breastfeeding and stunting in Mexican children aged 6–35 months, while sequentially controlling for previously identified individual, household, and area risk factors. We hypothesized that children who were breastfed for ≥6 months would have lower risk for stunting when compared to those who were never breastfed. We also hypothesized that the effect of breastfeeding on stunting would vary by SES given that resources, contextual factors, and public services may vary across different SES settings [3, 6]. This study contributes to advancing the knowledge base by analyzing a nationally and regionally representative sample of Mexican children in rural and urban settings. We used previously identified risk factors for stunting in other LMICs with an emphasis on breastfeeding for ≥6 months, which is considered a modifiable maternal health behavior. To our knowledge, this is the first study to use this approach within a Mexican context, contributing to the growing evidence across LMICs. Findings from this study could provide information that aids policy makers, researchers, and healthcare professionals in Mexico to develop, adapt, or modify social welfare programs, interventions, and policies that help reduce child stunting.
The Boston College Institutional Review Board considered this protocol exempt because it is a secondary analysis of data from the 2012 Mexican National Health and Nutrition Survey (ENSANUT for its acronym in Spanish), which are de-identified and publicly available [24]. ENSANUT 2012 is a nationally representative cross-sectional survey planned and executed by the National Institute of Public Health in Mexico, which collected data on 50,528 households obtained from the Mexican Census using a probabilistic, multistage, stratified random sample [24]. This methodology allowed representativeness of rural and urban areas at national level and among 4 regions of Mexico. While child feeding data were collected from a subset of randomly selected women within these households (N = 6,254), a subsample of women had additional information collected on child birthweight and maternal characteristics, including anthropometry data, tobacco use, parity, delivery mode, and diabetes. As these factors have been associated with child stunting, we focused our analysis on this subsample. We further excluded children from analyses by using subpopulation commands if they were aged <6 months because they did not meet the exposure-of-interest criteria (i.e., any breastfeeding for ≥6 months), if they had missing or biologically implausible anthropometry data, if they were multiples or cared for by caregivers or grandmothers rather than children’s mothers, and if maternal anthropometry data were missing. We excluded multiples because they are less likely to be breastfed than singletons [25]. This criteria led to our final curated subsample, which included individual, household, and area risk factors for child stunting on 2,089 singleton children aged 6–35 months.
We assessed whether our final subsample differed from the larger sample, which included data on breastfeeding and child overweight but were missing relevant data such as child birthweight and maternal anthropometry data, as well as whether sampling weights (as provided for children in the infant feeding dataset) needed to be recalculated. In order to do so, we analyzed data using two strategies. First, we generated an indicator variable and ran a logistic regression model comparing those who would be included and excluded in our subset. Second, and following analytical recommendations from ENSANUT experts, we ran weighted and unweighted percentages and means to compare whether the whole infants sample and the subset were comparable in terms of distribution of the main independent and dependent variables. We found no significant differences, and these two strategies led us to conclude that the exclusions did not lead to significant biases in the final subset and it was unnecessary to recalculate the children’s sampling weights.
During the child feeding interview, women were asked, ‘Did you ever breastfeed your child? If so, do you still breastfeed? If not, for how long did you breastfeed?’ From this information, we generated a 3-category breastfeeding duration variable: never breastfed, any breastfeeding for <6 months, and any breastfeeding for ≥6 months. Any breastfeeding was defined as receiving exclusive, predominant, or partial breastfeeding or breastmilk (i.e., child received at least some breastmilk). We also examined any breastfeeding for ≥1 and ≥3 months as well as exclusive breastfeeding (i.e., child received only breastmilk) for ≥1, ≥3, and 6 months and found no significant associations (results not shown).
Child factors include age in months as continuous, sex, delivery mode (vaginal or Cesarean-section), introduction of liquids different than breastmilk <3 days postpartum, introduction of complementary foods <6 months, and birthweight, which was categorized as normal when 2.5–4 kg, low <2.5 kg, and high >4 kg according to WHO criteria. Maternal factors were age in years as continuous, educational attainment (≤ primary, some or complete secondary, some or complete high school, some college or more), having a partner or not, parity (number of live births as continuous), any type of self-reported diabetes, current tobacco use, and employment status, which was defined as follows: full-time employment was defined as working at least 40 hours per week during the past week, and formality was defined as having a paid job with contributory social protection systems [26]. Both employment status and formality were combined into a 5-category variable (not working, part-time informal, part-time formal, full-time informal, and full-time formal). We estimated maternal body mass index (BMI) from measured weight and height by ENSANUT at the time of the interview and categorized women according to WHO criteria as underweight when <18.5 kg/m2, normal weight 18.5 to 24.9 kg/m2, overweight 25 to 29.9 kg/m2, and obesity ≥30.0 kg/m2. Additionally, we included maternal height as an independent variable because there is evidence for a strong association with stunting across LMICs but particularly in Latin American countries, such as Guatemala, Honduras, El Salvador, Ecuador, Perú, and Bolivia, in which the fraction of child stunting attributable to short maternal stature is higher when compared to other regions [8, 19]. Moreover, short stature in Mexican women has been associated with lower SES, lower educational attainment, and greater marginalization when compared to taller counterparts. We further classified maternal height as short stature if it was ≤148.5 cm, which corresponds to the lowest quartile for adult women in Mexico [6].
Household factors
Number of children aged <5 years per household was included as a continuous variable given that scholars have identified a positive association with stunting [27]. Having a grandparent living in the same household was identified and included as a dichotomous measure in the analysis given the evidence that they may influence children’s health outcomes including weight status [28]. SES was estimated by ENSANUT through principal component analysis, using household conditions, total number of people living in the household, basic household infrastructure, and number of domestic appliances to categorize households in tertiles as low, medium, and high. Measurement of food security was estimated by ENSANUT using an adapted 15-item questionnaire of the Latin American and Caribbean Food Security Scale, which categorized households as secure and insecure mild, moderate and severe [24]. We re-categorized this into 3 groups by collapsing moderate and severe insecurity. Additionally, we included drainage type as a proxy for WASH systems given that these factors have been strongly associated with stunting in LMICs [8, 29]. Drainage system included sewer, septic, and other types of systems that were mostly described as house-made structures draining into close-by land or waterbody sources.
Area factors
These were 4 regions in Mexico (i.e., north, central, metropolitan (Mexico City), and south) and communities’ population size (according to the survey’s design, urban was defined as community population size of ≥2,500 individuals and rural as <2,500) [24]. These two were combined into a 7-category regions variable (north-urban, north-rural, center-urban, center-rural, Mexico City-urban, south-urban, and south-rural).
Child stunting
Trained and standardized interviewers from ENSANUT measured length/height following age-pertinent protocols to reduce systematic errors and registered age at measurement [24]. We analyzed anthropometry from raw data provided by ENSANUT using the STATA macro from the WHO growth standards. Our outcome variable was stunting defined as length/height-for-age, for sex, under –2 SD of the WHO child growth standards median referred to as LfA-z-score, and data flagged as biologically implausible were excluded (LfA-z-score <–6 or >6) [2].
Analytical Approach
We computed a series of analyses to examine the associations between breastfeeding duration, individual, household, and area factors with child stunting. Frequencies, weighted percentages and means, Pearson’s chi-square tests, and unadjusted logistic regression models were used to examine bivariate associations. We then assessed the association between child stunting and breastfeeding duration first in a bivariate model and then controlling for individual, household, and area factors using sequential stepwise logistic regression models (Models 1–4). In the fully-adjusted model 4, we tested an interaction to assess whether the association between stunting and breastfeeding duration differed by SES. The interaction was not significant (p ≥ 0.05) and results are not shown. We estimated the variance inflation factors for each adjusted model to test for high intercorrelations between the independent variables and found no evidence for multicollinearity problems.
While model 4 (fully adjusted) included a fixed effect by area factors allowing to compare the odds ratios for child stunting by areas-regions, it did not account for the multilevel structure in the subset. This means that we have one maternal-child dyad per household (level-1, N = 2,089) nested within areas-regions in Mexico (level-2, N = 7). Multilevel modelling would account for the fact that child-mother dyads from a given area-region share a frame of reference and that there may be differences between areas-regions. Consequently, we computed model 5 using a mixed-effects 2-level logistic regression analysis to account for area factors’ variance and tested the association between breastfeeding duration and child stunting while allowing a random intercept by area factors.
Data were analyzed using the statistical package STATA SE version 15.1 (STATA Corporation, Texas, U.S), and survey commands were used to account for children sampling weights, primary sampling units, and strata following ENSANUT analytic guidelines.
In this subsample, 94.3% of Mexican children initiated breastfeeding, 71.1% received any breastfeeding for ≥6 months, and 12.3% were stunted. These and all other descriptive data are presented in Table 1.
Descriptive statistics (weighted percentages with frequencies and weighted means with standard deviations (SD)) and unadjusted odds ratios (UOR) with 95% confidence intervals (CI) of risk factors for stunting among Mexican children aged 6–35 months (N = 2,089).
Subsample
% (n)/mean (SD)
UOR (95% CI)
Overall 12.3 (238)
Age (months) 21.1 (8.7) 22.0 (8.0) 1.01 (0.99–1.03)
Male 55.2 (1,106) 14.4 (137) 1
Female 44.8 (983) 9.7 (101) 0.63 (0.44–0.91)*
Low 9.6 (172) 28.2 (49) 3.19 (1.79–5.69)***
Normal 84.3 (1,791) 11.0 (180) 1
High 6.1 (126) 5.1 (9) 0.44 (0.18–1.04)
Vaginal 56.5 (1,226) 13.4 (159) 1
Cesarean-section 43.5 (863) 10.9 (79) 0.79 (0.54–1.16)
Breastfeeding duration
Never breastfed 5.7 (125) 20.2 (19) 1
Any breastfeeding <6 months 23.2 (433) 7.7 (28) 0.33 (0.13–0.81)*
Any breastfeeding ≥6 months 71.1 (1,531) 13.1 (191) 0.60 (0.29–1.23)
Liquids ≠ than breastmilk ≤3 days postpartum
No 55.9 (1,128) 13.8 (135) 1
Yes 44.1 (961) 10.3 (103) 0.72 (0.48–1.07)
Complementary foods <6 months
No 36.7 (837) 11.8 (90) 1
Yes 63.3 (1,252) 12.6 (148) 1.49 (1.03–2.13)*
Age (years) 27.9 (6.6) 28.7 (6.1) 1.02 (0.99–1.05)
Not working 67.5 (1,481) 12.8 (177) 1
Part-time informal 6.4 (120) 15.1 (12) 1.21 (0.47–3.15)
Part-time formal 10.2 (195) 10.3 (21) 0.78 (0.39–1.53)
Full-time informal 9.6 (188) 9.5 (19) 0.72 (0.35–1.45)
Full-time formal 6.2 (105) 11.2 (9) 0.85 (0.33–2.19)
≤ Primary 25.3 (596) 16.8 (96) 2.17 (1.16–4.04)*
Some secondary or secondary 41.3 (904) 13.2 (102) 1.62 (0.89–2.95)
Some high school or high school 21.0 (388) 8.5 (32) 1
Some college or > 12.4 (201) 6.5 (8) 0.75 (0.24–2.33)
Partner status
Yes 84.3 (1,777) 12.5 (205) 0.89 (0.51–1.55)
Non-indigenous 76.9 (1,539) 10.5 (136) 1
Indigenous 23.1 (550) 18.2 (102) 1.89 (1.27–2.81)**
Parity (number of live births) 2.4 (1.4) 2.7 (1.5) 1.19 (1.08–1.32)**
Underweight 2.7 (60) 10.8 (8) 0.74 (0.26–2.13)
Normal weight 38.8 (749) 14.0 (98) 1
Overweight 34.9 (770) 11.2 (82) 0.78 (0.48–2.13)
Obesity 23.6 (510) 11.2 (50) 0.77 (0.46–1.29)
(Short stature) ≤ 148.5 19.0 (432) 27.7 (113) 3.57 (2.34–5.45)***
148.6 – 157.8 49.5 (1,047) 9.7 (95) 1
≥ 157.9 31.5 (610) 7.1 (30) 0.71 (0.39–1.27)
Self-reported diabetes (any type)
Yes 3.7 (71) 20.5 (8) 1.89 (0.71–5.06)
Current tobacco use
Yes 12.7 (182) 13.6 (22) 1.14 (0.59–2.22)
Number of children aged <5 years 1.4 (0.6) 1.5 (0.6) 1.43 (1.02–1.99)*
Grandparent(s) cohabiting
Yes 30.8 (605) 8.8 (57) 0.60 (0.38–0.93)*
Low 38.5 (898) 16.9 (135) 1.83 (1.18–2.82)**
Medium 34.1 (730) 10.0 (70) 1
High 27.4 (461) 8.7 (33) 0.86 (0.45–1.64)
Secure 25.7 (491) 8.3 (39) 1
Mild Insecure 42.4 (940) 10.5 (97) 1.30 (0.77–2.21)
Moderate to Severe Insecure 31.9 (658) 17.9 (102) 2.42 (1.41–4.13)**
Sewer 69.7 (1,235) 11.2 (119) 1
Septic 22.3 (640) 13.1 (81) 1.19 (0.80–1.79)
Other 7.9 (214) 19.4 (38) 1.90 (1.09–3.31)*
Region/Area Density
North/Urban 16.1 (321) 8.5 (29) 1
North/Rural 3.2 (125) 6.9 (8) 0.79 (0.29–2.17)
Center/Urban 21.6 (454) 9.3 (39) 1.10 (0.57–2.09)
Center/Rural 11.0 (324) 8.7 (27) 1.02 (0.52–2.03)
Metropolitan/Urban 16.0 (88) 18.5 (15) 2.43 (1.17–5.02)*
South/Urban 18.0 (420) 9.9 (46) 1.18 (0.66–2.10)
South/Rural 14.1 (357) 21.2 (74) 2.89 (1.67–4.98)***
BMI: body mass index. * p < 0.05, ** p < 0.01, *** p < 0.001.
According to bivariate analyses, individual protective factors against child stunting were being female (unadjusted odds ratio (UOR) 0.63, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.44–0.91) and receiving any breastfeeding for <6 months (UOR 0.33, 95% CI 0.13–0.81). In contrast, individual risk factors for child stunting were low birthweight (UOR 3.19, 95% CI 1.79–5.69), introduction of complementary foods <6 months (UOR 1.49, 95% CI 1.03–2.13), low maternal education (≤primary) (UOR 2.17, 95% CI 1.16–4.04), mothers self-identifying as indigenous (UOR 1.89, 95% CI 1.27–2.81), higher parity (UOR 1.19, 95% CI 1.08–1.32), and maternal short stature (UOR 3.57, 95% CI 2.34–5.45). Regarding household factors, grandparents cohabiting were protective against child stunting (UOR 0.60, 95% CI 0.38–0.93). In contrast, household risk factors for child stunting were higher number of children aged <5 years (UOR 1.43, 95% CI 1.02–1.99), low SES (UOR 1.83, 95% CI 1.18–2.82), moderate to severe household food insecurity (UOR 2.42, 95% CI 1.41–4.13), and having other type of drainage systems (UOR 1.90, 95% CI 1.09–3.31). Regarding area factors, when compared to living in the north-urban region, children living in the Metropolitan area (i.e., Mexico City) and in the south-rural region were at higher risk for stunting (UOR 2.43, 95% CI 1.17–5.02; 2.89, 1.67–4.98, accordingly) (Table 1).
We found evidence for consistent risk and protective factors for child stunting across models (Table 2). When compared to never breastfed and holding all other variables constant, a consistent protective factor against child stunting was any breastfeeding for <6 months, with similar direction and effect size across all models; likewise, any breastfeeding for ≥6 months had similar direction but the CI included the null value except in the fully adjusted model 4 (adjusted odds ratio (AOR) 0.45, 95% CI 0.20–0.99). Being female was an additional protective factor against child stunting identified in models 2–4. Compared to their corresponding reference groups and holding all other variables constant, consistent risk factors for stunting across all models were child’s low birthweight, maternal short stature, higher number of children aged <5 years per household, and moderate to severe household food insecurity. Additional risk factors were found in models 4 and 5. Any type of maternal self-reported diabetes was a risk factor for child stunting only in model 4 (AOR 2.50, 95% CI 1.05–5.92); and in model 5, older children (AOR 1.02, 95% CI 1.01–1.04), indigenous mothers (AOR 1.49, 95% CI 1.07–2.06), and mothers with current tobacco use (AOR 1.92, 95% CI 1.13–3.26) were at higher odds for child stunting.
Models (odds ratios and 95% confidence intervals) to assess the association between breastfeeding duration and individual, household, and area factors, with stunting in Mexican children aged 6–35 months (N = 2,089).
Bf duration (Ref. NBF)
Any breastfeeding <6 months 0.33 (0.13–0.81)* 0.36 (0.15–0.90)* 0.32 (0.13–0.81)* 0.32 (0.13–0.78)* 0.47 (0.24–0.94)*
Any breastfeeding ≥6 months 0.60 (0.29–1.23) 0.52 (0.24–1.13) 0.46 (0.20–1.06) 0.45 (0.20–0.99)* 0.68 (0.37–1.24)
Age (months) 1.01 (0.99–1.03) 1.01 (0.99–1.03) 1.01 (0.99–1.03) 1.02 (1.01–1.04)*
Sex (Ref. Male) Female 0.58 (0.38–0.87)* 0.56 (0.37–0.85)** 0.56 (0.37–0.85)** 0.84 (0.63–1.13)
Birthweight (Ref. Normal & High)
Low 3.05 (1.64–5.65)*** 3.14 (1.71–5.78)*** 2.91 (1.60–5.29)*** 3.21 (2.15–4.79)***
Delivery mode (Ref. Vaginal)
Cesarean-section 0.84 (0.55–1.27) 0.83 (0.54–1.28) 0.82 (0.53–1.26) 0.74 (0.53–1.01)
Liquids ≠ than breastmilk ≤3 days postpartum (Ref. No)
Yes 0.80 (0.51–1.23) 0.81 (0.53–1.25) 0.87 (0.58–1.32) 1.00 (0.73–1.37)
Complementary foods <6 months (Ref. No)
Age (years) 1.01 (0.97–1.05) 1.01 (0.97–1.06) 1.01 (0.97–1.06) 1.01 (0.98–1.04)
Employment (Ref. Not working)
Part-time informal 1.60 (0.67–3.80) 1.76 (0.79–3.90) 1.77 (0.84–3.72) 1.19 (0.60–2.34)
Part-time formal 0.79 (0.39–1.58) 0.88 (0.44–1.75) 0.90 (0.45–1.83) 0.90 (0.53–1.51)
Full-time informal 1.29 (0.57–2.94) 1.62 (0.72–3.64) 1.64 (0.72–3.73) 1.43 (0.81–2.51)
Full-time formal 0.99 (0.38–2.56) 1.12 (0.44–2.87) 1.05 (0.42–2.65) 0.93 (0.44–1.98)
Education (Ref. High school)
≤ Primary 1.80 (0.88–3.66) 1.60 (0.78–3.26) 1.62 (0.79–3.35) 1.39 (0.85–2.28)
Some secondary or secondary 1.91 (1.08–3.31)* 1.86 (1.04–3.33)* 1.92 (1.08–3.45) 1.41 (0.90–2.22)
Some college or > 1.02 (0.35–2.95) 1.02 (0.36–2.95) 1.04 (0.37–2.94) 0.61 (0.26–1.44)
Partner status (Ref. Yes) No 0.88 (0.53–1.46) 0.94 (0.57–1.54) 0.95 (0.58–1.56) 0.95 (0.60–1.52)
Ethnicity (Ref. Non-indigenous)
Indigenous 1.30 (0.83–2.04) 1.28 (0.81–2.04) 1.26 (0.78–2.03) 1.49 (1.07–2.06)*
Parity (number of live births) 1.06 (0.90–1.26) 0.95 (0.79–1.15) 0.95 (0.79–1.15) 0.98 (0.86–1.13)
BMI (Ref. Normal weight)
Underweight 0.69 (0.20–2.31) 0.77 (0.21–2.79) 0.76 (0.20–2.84) 0.85 (0.36–2.03)
Overweight 0.61 (0.37–0.99)* 0.64 (0.39–1.03) 0.64 (0.40–1.04) 0.68 (0.48–0.96)*
Obesity 0.62 (0.36–1.06) 0.63 (0.37–1.08) 0.65 (0.38–1.11) 0.64 (0.43–0.96)*
Height (cm) (Ref. 148.6-157.8)
(short stature) ≤ 148.5 3.58 (2.21–5.80)*** 3.59 (2.23–5.77)*** 3.46 (2.14–5.61)*** 3.16 (2.26–4.42)***
≥ 157.9 0.73 (0.42–1.28) 0.70 (0.40–1.22) 0.71 (0.41–1.24) 0.56 (0.36–0.87)*
Diabetes (any type) (Ref. No) Yes 2.31 (0.90–5.95) 2.48 (1.00–6.17) 2.50 (1.05–5.92)* 1.34 (0.61–2.98)
Current tobacco use (Ref. No) Yes 1.97 (0.96–4.04) 2.00 (0.97–4.13) 1.88 (0.94–3.77) 1.92 (1.13–3.26)*
Number of children aged <5 years 1.60 (1.09–2.35)* 1.59 (1.09–2.30)* 1.47 (1.11–1.97)**
Grandparent(s) cohabiting (Ref.No)
Yes 0.65 (0.42–1.01) 0.66 (0.43–1.03) 0.83 (0.57–1.21)
Socioeconomic status (Ref. Medium)
Low 1.08 (0.64–1.79) 1.02 (0.61–1.70) 1.05 (0.73–1.50)
High 1.05 (0.54–2.04) 0.99 (0.52–1.89) 1.03 (0.63–1.67)
Food Security (Ref. Secure)
Mild Insecure 1.39 (0.79–2.45) 1.36 (0.77–2.38) 1.16 (0.76–1.76)
Moderate to Severe Insecure 2.24 (1.23–4.07)** 2.16 (1.20–3.90)* 1.58 (1.02–2.46)*
Drainage system (Ref. Sewer)
Septic 0.94 (0.59–1.52) 0.93 (0.54–1.59) 0.93 (0.65–1.32)
Other 1.14 (0.56–2.34) 1.15 (0.51–2.59) 1.06 (0.66–1.71)
Region/Area Density (Ref. N/U)
North/Rural 0.66 (0.22–2.01)
Center/Urban 0.92 (0.46–1.84) Variance
Center/Rural 0.85 (0.38–1.90) 5.82–33 (SE 1.34–17)
Metropolitan/Urban 1.55 (0.75–3.24) ICC 1.77–33
South/Urban 0.88 (0.43–1.82) (SE 4.06–18)
South/Rural 1.44 (0.70–2.94)
Bf: breastfeeding, Ref: reference group, NBF: never breastfed, BMI: body mass index, N/U: north urban area, SE: standard error, ICC: intraclass correlation coefficient. Model 1 examined the association between breastfeeding and child stunting without adjusting for any of the covariates; models 2 through 4, sequentially, adjusted for individual, household, and area factors. Model 5 examined the association between breastfeeding and child stunting using a 2-level logistic approach. * p < 0.05, ** p < 0.01, *** p < 0.001.
In the model 5 (multilevel mixed-effects model), level-2 variance was 5.82–33 (standard error (SE) 1.34–17) with an intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC) of 1.77–33 (SE 4.06–18).
Among a nationally representative subsample of children in Mexico, we found that in 2012, 12.3% of children aged 6–35 months were stunted. We found evidence for a protective effect of breastfeeding on stunting when compared to those who were never breastfed. There was no differential effect of breastfeeding on stunting by household SES as we had hypothesized. We were able to confirm previously identified risk factors, which have been described in the literature, such as child low birthweight, mother self-identifying as indigenous, maternal short stature, families with higher number of children aged <5 years, and moderate to severe household food insecurity.
Coinciding with previous studies in LMICs, including countries in Latin America, Asia, and Sub-Saharan Africa, our results have shown that children who initiate breastfeeding (any breastfeeding for < or ≥6 months) were at lower risk for stunting [8, 21, 30]. This association has been mainly explained at the individual level by the breastmilk’s immune-protective factors, which help strengthen the child immature immune system, reducing diarrheal episodes and other infectious diseases, which have been identified as leading risk factors for stunting, as well as reduced exposure to non-innocuous complementary liquids or foods, such as unsafe drinking water [8, 20, 31]. Similarly, in agreement with several scholars, we identified a lower risk for females to be stunted [21, 27, 32]. There is no consensus or clear mechanism for this association; however, it may be partially explained through maternal fetal environment and differential growth trajectories by gender. In the uterus, male fetuses invest greater resources in growth being at a higher risk of becoming undernourished and eventually being born with low birthweight and plausible linear growth failure [33].
We identified low birthweight and maternal short stature to be consistent individual-level risk factors for stunting. Low birthweight typically resulting from IUGR has been previously identified as one of the leading risk factors with the highest attributable burden of stunting across LMICs [8, 21, 34]. However, it is worth emphasizing that in our subsample we could not identify whether low birthweight was due to IUGR. Maternal short stature was associated with higher odds for stunted offspring, regardless of SES. This supports the intergenerational effect of early undernutrition, which is intertwined with lower living conditions and the widening of health, social, and economic disparities. Using nationally-representative data, scholars reported that women with short stature in Mexico (i.e., height ≤ 148.5 cm) were identified in the most vulnerable groups: low SES and education and greater marginalization—shared conditions with the indigenous population [6, 35]. We found that mothers self-identifying as indigenous were at higher risk for stunted offspring in the bivariate and multilevel analyses, and this has been previously reported in Mexico [10]. The social, health, and economic gaps that indigenous communities in Mexico face have been consistently reported, and such gaps widen even more for indigenous women [35]. Additionally, in our subsample, the highest proportion of short stature women was found among indigenous women, which may further aggravate child stunting outcomes. Recent genetic analyses have identified idiopathic short stature among the Mexican indigenous population across generations [36]. While this trait may partially explain offspring’s short stature in this population, it does not fully account for the persistence of the intergenerational effect of undernutrition and its negative cognitive and developmental outcomes, which continue to be pervasive in this group in Mexico.
At the household level, consistent risk factors for child stunting were higher number of children aged <5 years and moderate to severe food insecurity. Scholars have previously described that a higher number of children aged <5 years per household may be associated with sub-optimal breastfeeding practices among younger siblings, as well as competition for food and other resources, which may ultimately lead to child undernutrition [21, 27]. Food insecurity has been a strong predictor for child stunting in Mexico and other LMICs where children’s diets face qualitative and quantitative deficiencies resulting in child undernutrition over time [37, 38].
Several efforts have been implemented on a global scale to prevent and end early undernutrition, including child stunting. According to a systematic review, conditional cash transfers (CCT) in Latin America have shown to be effective against child stunting by addressing access to healthcare, maternal and child nutrition, and immunization coverage [39]. Other strategies targeting individual-level factors, such as nutritional interventions, have also been shown to be protective [40]. However, CCT programs or nutritional interventions may not mitigate child stunting if they are isolated from other systems, such as food or WASH systems. In Mexico, for the past decades, the main anti-poverty strategy of the federal government was a CCT program currently referred to as Prospera, which offered cash transfers to the poorest families conditional on regular school attendance and family healthcare visits as well as provision of nutritional supplements for pregnant and lactating women and their children. Overall, this program had helped improve child health and developmental outcomes [41]; however, in 2019, Mexico’s elected federal government, installed in December 2018, cancelled the program and prioritized 30 other social welfare programs and projects [42]. According to the available information, none of these prioritized programs directly support the nutritional status of women with children aged <2 years. However, some of these programs support overall well-being using diverse strategies, and it will be fundamental to monitor and evaluate the impact of these social policies on child undernutrition, including stunting.
From an analytical perspective, accounting for the 2-level structure in our subsample (Model 5 in Table 2), we were able to confirm associations with similar direction and effect size than those in previous models and to identify additional associations that have been previously described by other scholars. However, according to conservative rules, in order to have reliable estimates in 2-level models, the 30–30 or 50–20 criteria should be applied (i.e., ≥30 level-2 groups and ≥20 level-1 observations per group). Other less conservative scholars argue that even when these rules are not met, ignoring the multilevel structure and assuming that the group variance is zero would not be advisable [43]. While our dataset did not support the conservative criteria (i.e., we had 7 level-2 groups and 100 minimum level-1 observations per group, 7–100), we decided to compare a fixed-effects fully-adjusted model (Model 4) with a mixed-effects 2-level model with random intercept at area factors (Model 5). For comparison purposes, we computed some fit statistic tests. The likelihood ratio test versus logistic model yielded a p > 0.05 and the ICC estimate was 5.82–33. The first value indicates that there were no statistical differences in the estimates between models 4 and 5. The ICC value provides the variance in the model, which is explained by differences between areas-regions. While there seems to be no objective cut-off values for ICC, which ranges from 0–1, some scholars have recommended that a value ≤0.10 may indicate that a multilevel model would not be adequate, which is our case; nonetheless, most scholars have argued that this should not justify disregarding multilevel models, particularly when nesting is straightforward such as with our subsample [43].
By using ENSANUT 2012 we were able to examine diverse individual, household, and area risk factors that have been described in the WHO conceptual model for stunting. One of the strengths of this dataset is that anthropometric data for children and their mothers were not self-reported but measured by trained personnel using age-pertinent protocols. This allowed us to estimate children’s z-scores according to the WHO’s multicenter study, which included growth data from breastfed children in HICs and LMICs, as well as estimate reliable measures of maternal short stature and BMI.
The primary limitation of cross-sectional analyses is that we could not rule out reverse causation or assess the temporality of some risk or protective factors preceding child stunting. Another limitation was that breastfeeding data were collected at the time of the interview with children’s age ranging from 0–35 months. We could not use breastfeeding as a continuous variable, and we had to exclude children aged <6 months from analysis because they did not meet the exposure criteria of any breastfeeding for ≥6 months. We relied on maternal recall of child feeding practices with some cases still breastfeeding and others reporting retrospective data from weeks up to 2.5 years. Scholars who have studied respondent’s recall bias on retrospectively collected breastfeeding data suggest that studies exploring breastfeeding practices be conducted either prospectively or within <1 month following weaning [44]. We acknowledge that respondent recall bias on breastfeeding practices is likely present. We could not discern between children who were fed at the breast or those receiving breastmilk in bottles. In the latter case, improved WASH systems would play an important role in order to prevent plausible breastmilk cross-contamination. In our subset, we could not measure access to improved WASH systems, and while we used a proxy (type of drainage), it did not provide finely detailed information to be able to accurately assess WASH factors. Additionally, there were no available data on other relevant variables that have been identified as key risk factors for stunting. These include prenatal tobacco exposure (we used smoking at the time of the survey as a proxy for prenatal or pregnancy exposure), maternal nutritional status preconception and during pregnancy and lactation, IUGR (we used birthweight as a proxy), short birth spacing, prenatal and pregnancy healthcare quality, macro and micronutrient child deficiencies, among other higher-level factors that support healthy lifestyles [8]. Excluding the aforementioned risk factors may have led to underspecified models.
In conclusion, our results suggest that efforts to prevent and reduce child stunting should include pre- and post-natal components. We recommend that prenatal strategies focus on access to qualified and continued healthcare in order to prevent low birthweight, with an emphasis on communities where maternal short stature is the norm and among indigenous communities. Efforts should also focus postnatally by supporting positive maternal health behaviors, including breastfeeding initiation and continuation and innocuous complementary feeding. According to our literature review and pertinent to Mexico, in order to support these behaviors, at community and higher levels, policies and interventions should aim to enforce the International WHO Code of Marketing of Breastmilk Substitutes and local legislation to restrict hospital use of infant formula; extend paid maternity leave up to 6 months with adequate support systems that facilitate breastfeeding continuation to support women employed in the formal sector; implement a maternity cash transfer to support women employed in the informal sector; improve the training of healthcare providers to increase the quality of services provided for mothers and their children; enable food systems to provide healthy and innocuous foods; and improve or provide safe WASH systems where not yet available [10, 12, 20, 29, 31, 40, 45, 46]. Pre- and post-natal efforts should also focus on households with moderate to severe food insecurity and in families with a higher number of children aged <5 years. While these interventions would benefit all families, efforts to end stunting should target environments with evidence of intergenerational effects of undernutrition (i.e., maternal short stature with offspring low birthweight). The multilevel risk factors identified in this paper describe the context from which child stunting emerges in Mexico, which contributes to the growing evidence across LMICs. By focusing on evidence-based data and developing pertinent interventions and policies, the maternal-child dyad may be able to thrive against stunting.
The additional file for this article can be found as follows:
Analytic Subsample
Curated subsample from the ENSANUT 2012. DOI: https://doi.org/10.5334/aogh.2836.s1
We would like to acknowledge the contribution of Dr. David T. Takeuchi, Dr. Sonia Hernández-Cordero, and Dr. Ida Caterina García-Appendini in critically reviewing this paper.
The authors have no competing interests to declare.
Author Contribution
All authors had access to the data and contributed to analyses, data interpretation and critical review of the manuscript. All authors approved the final version of the manuscript.
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Home / Tutors / Page 4
Arvon's residential creative writing courses and online one-to-ones are tutored by some of the leading authors writing today. Here you can explore a selection of writers who tutored at Arvon recently or are leading courses this year.
Amy Shelton
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Andrea Stuart is an award-winning writer whose books include Showgirls, The Rose of Martinique and …
Andrew Cowan
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Andrew Crofts
Guest Andrew Crofts has ghostwritten more than 80 books, a dozen of which were Sunday Times number-one bestsellers. He…
Andrew Forster
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Andrew Greig
Guest Andrew Greig has written 20 books of award-winning fiction, poetry and non-fiction. His most recent novel is Fair Helen…
Andrew McMillan
Andrew McMillan’s new collection is playtime, published in 2018; his previous collection was the multi-award-winning physical…
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Anjali Joseph
Anjali Joseph has published three novels: Saraswati Park, which won the Desmond Elliott Prize, the Betty Trask Prize, and…
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Armed Career Criminal from Albuquerque Sentenced to Fifteen Years for Unlawful Possession of a Firearm
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ALBUQUERQUE – Paul Anthony Turrieta, 36, of Albuquerque, N.M., was sentenced today in federal court to 15 years in federal prison for being a felon in possession of a firearm and ammunition. Turrieta received an enhanced sentence due to his status as an armed career criminal. He will be on supervised release for [three] years after completing his prison sentence.
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The Wings of the Dove, Volume 1
The Wings of the Dove represents a very old–or rather a very young–motive; The idea, reduced to its essence, is that of a young person, conscious of a great capacity for life, but early stricken and doomed, condemned to die under short respite, while also enamoured of the world; aware moreover...
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Reboot! /
An army of disheveled computer programmers has built an operating system called Linux based on a business model that seems to have been written with everything but business in mind. Instead of charging customers as much as the market can bear, Linux is given away for free; instead of hiding information from competitors, Linux programmers share their work with the world; instead of working for money, Linux developers are motivated primarily by adrenaline, altruism, and the respect of their peers.Despite this unusual foundation, Linux is booming and even beginning to challenge Microsoft's control of the operating system industry. Linux may eventually pull the rug out from under the richest company in the world. It may not. But no matter what happens, it has already shown that money doesn't have to make the world, even the business world, go round. In fact, as technology improves and computers connect and create even more of our society, the principles of cooperation and collaboration that drive Linux may well spread to other fields: from computers, to medicine, to the law.The SourceThe Linux movement kick-started in 1991 when Linus Torvalds, a puckish graduate student at the University of Helsinki, got frustrated with his rickety computer. Refusing to buy another one, he wrote a new operating system--the core programs by which applications (like Microsoft Word) talk to hardware (like microprocessors). When finished, instead of running down to the patent office, he posted his code on the Internet and urged other programmers to download it and work with him to improve it. A few emailed back suggestions, some of which Torvalds took. A few more wrote the next day and a couple more the day after that. Torvalds worked constantly with these new colleagues, publicly posting each improvement and delegating responsibility to more and more programmers as the system grew. By 1994, Linux (a combination of "Linus" and "Unix," another operating system) had 100,000 users. Today, it has between 10 and 20 million users and is the fastest growing operating system in the world.But Linux (rhymes with 'cynics') is different from almost every other operating system available. For one thing, it's downloadable for free straight off the Web. It's also open source, meaning that the source code, the program's all-important DNA, is open for anyone to look at, test, and modify. Most software is developed so that only the original authors can examine and change the code; with open-source models, however, anyone can do it if they have a computer and the right intuition.To see the power of this model, consider what happens when you're running Microsoft Windows or Macintosh OS and your computer crashes: You stamp your feet and poke a twisted paper clip into a tiny reset button. You probably don't know what happened and it's probably going to happen again. Since you've never seen the source code, it probably doesn't even occur to you that you could fix the problem at its root. With Linux, everything's transparent and, even if you aren't an expert, you can simply post your question on a Linux-help Web page and other users can usually find solutions within hours, if not minutes. (The amorphous Linux community recently won InfoWorld's Product of the Year award for Best Technical Support.) It's also entirely possible that someone--perhaps you--will write some new code that fixes the problem permanently and that Linux developers, led by Torvalds, will incorporate into the next release. Presto, that problem's fixed and no one will need paper clips to fix it again.To make another analogy, fixing an error caused by a normal software product is like trying to fix a car with the hood welded shut. With Linux, not only can you easily pop the hood open, there is extensive documentation telling you how everything works and how it all was developed; there's also a community of thousands of mechanics who will help you put in a new fuel pump if asked. In fact, the whole car was built by mechanics piecing it together in their spare time while emailing back and forth across the Web.The obvious threat to this type of open development is appropriation. What if someone lifts all the clever code off the Web, copyrights it, and sells it? What if someone takes the code that you wrote to fix your crashed computer (or busted fuel pump), copyrights it, and markets it for $19.95? Well, they can't. When Torvalds created Linux, he protected it under the GNU General Public License, an intriguing form of copyright commonly known as copyleft. Under copyleft, anyone who redistributes the program, with or without changes, must pass along the freedom to further copy, change, and distribute it. Theoretically one can download Linux off the Web, add a string of useful features, and try to sell it for $50. But anyone who buys this new version can just copy it, give it away, or sell it for a dollar, thus destroying the incentive for piracy. An equivalent would be if I were to write the following at the end of this article: "Verbatim copying and redistribution of this entire article is permitted in any medium provided this notice remains at the end."Use the SourceFrom the Oxford English Dictionary to hip-hop music, open-source development has always been with us to some degree. Since the mid-19th century, contributors to the OED have defined words and sent them to a centralized location to be gathered, criticized, sorted, and published. With music, as long as you stay within certain copyright laws, you can take chunks of other people's compositions and work them into your own. Most academic research is also built on open-source cooperation. Even the compact fluorescent light bulb above my head comes from data shared by researchers over centuries about electricity, properties of glass, and centralized power.But still, most business isn't done with open source. Coca-Cola keeps its formula secret, Microsoft won't tell you how it builds its programs, and when a researcher for Ford suddenly stumbles upon the means to a more efficient fuel pump, she doesn't reflexively email her friend at Honda with a precise description of her discovery. A great deal of scientific and medical research is also done through closed source as individual laboratories race each other to determine who'll be the first to find the answer and earn the patent.But two extraordinary changes are making open source substantially more plausible as a development and research model for 2000 than it was for 1990--and they'll make it even more so for 2010. First, the Internet. Today, I can open my Web browser and communicate instantly with Burmese refugees or writers working on projects similar to mine. Secondly, computer power has been increasing exponentially for generations and will probably continue to do so--in large part because every time you build a faster computer it allows you to build a faster one still. It's difficult to overestimate the change. The standard laptop to which I'm now dictating this article (with technology unavailable just two years ago) has more power than almost any computer owned by the government a decade ago. In four years, it could well be obsolete. As author Ray Kurzweil and others have pointed out, if cars had improved as much over the past 50 years as computers, they'd cost less than a nickel and go faster than the speed of light.Intellectual and Physical PropertiesThis rate of progress is critical because the advantages of open-source development depend on the powers of technology and the balance between what can be done through thinking and what has to be done by building. Every product has certain intellectual components and certain physical components built into it. With a car, for example, the intellectual component is the thought about how to build it, how to set up the assembly lines, and how to process data you have on different kinds of tires. The physical components include the actual rubber in the tires, the machines that ran the tests, the operation and maintenance of factories.Faster computers and increased connectivity are drastically changing the relationship between these components in two ways. First, some things that used to require physical components no longer do. You may not have to buy rubber to test the tires if you can just run a simulator online. (The 777 project at Boeing was designed so that nothing physical was produced before the plans hit the factory floor.) Second, connectivity makes the flow of information much faster and smoother and greatly facilitates the sharing of ideas and data. There is a saying known as "Linus' law" that "given enough eyes, all bugs are shallow." In other words, given enough people working on them, all problems are solvable. And the Internet has not only helped coordinate a lot more eyes: in some ways, it's given everyone glasses.Open-source development benefits from this transition because its advantages are almost all in the realm of intellectual property. Open source improves communication and facilitates sharing ideas. But it doesn't mean that you can buy a ton of concrete for free or drive a nail into a wall without a hammer. This is why open source has come first and most prominently to computer programming: a profession where almost all of the development is intellectual, not physical, and where people have been connected over the Internet for more than 20 years. Programming also employs highly specific, common tools--computers--that a fairly large number of people have access to and that some people, such as university students, can even access for free. If a solution or improvement is found, nothing additional needs to be built; code just needs to be entered and then downloaded.But there is still one great problem standing firmly in the way of even the most modern open-source software development project. As a 21-year-old Bill Gates asked in an angry letter to open-source programmers in 1976: "One thing you do is prevent good software from being written. Who can afford to do professional work for nothing?"Microsoft's empire, and a great deal of the rest of our society, is built upon the assumption that there isn't an answer to this rhetorical question. To survive, organizations need to patent their information, protect their secrets, and earn as much money as they can. But the success of Linux shows that there's a way around that model. Something extraordinary has been built with a completely different set of rules. I asked David Soergel, a researcher in the department of genetics at Stanford, whether people could use the open-source model to develop medicines. "My first reaction: they'd rather get paid, and if they were any good at it, then they would be paid by somebody. My second reaction: wait a minute, that argument obviously fails for software."Money for NothingNaive as it may be to think that people aren't motivated by money, it is just as naive to think that people are only motivated by money. People are motivated by a variety of factors: money, recognition, enjoyment, a belief that one is doing something good for the world, and so on. We each weigh these factors and make decisions based on our perceptions of their relative importance. At different points in our lives, we give different factors different weights. When we're poor, we tend to value simply high-paying work more than we do when we're well-off; it usually takes a high-paying job to get someone to do something really boring and it generally takes a very fulfilling job to get someone to work for less than what he should normally be able to earn.Since people working on open-source projects generally earn nothing, or very little, there need to be other incentives. In Linux, there seem to be principally three. First, enjoyment. Computer programming can be addictive, exciting, and extraordinarily intense. Linux can be particularly enjoyable because almost every problem solved is a new one. If your Windows machine crashes, fixing the problem generally entails tediously working through scores of repair procedures which you may have used a thousand times. If A fails, try B. If B fails, try C. If a Linux computer crashes, anyone who repairs it is not only working on that one specific machine, he's finding a solution for the whole Linux community.Eric Roberts, a computer science professor at Stanford, once explained to The New York Times that people in the profession must be "well trained to do work that is mind-numbingly boring." This is particularly true of work on most closed-source systems where programmers must continually reinvent the wheel. But with open-source projects, the things that need to be done haven't been done before. According to one only slightly hyperbolic programmer, Ali Abdin, writing to a Linux news group about how he felt after creating his first open-source project: "The feeling I got inside when I knew that I had some code out there that I can share with people is indescribable... I felt on top of the world, that I can program anything...I felt as mother would feel giving birth to a child, giving it life, for the first time."Secondly, and similarly, Linux programmers are motivated by a feeling that they are changing the world and developing an operating system that really works. Torvalds laid out this philosophy well in a speech this summer: "I don't resent Microsoft for making lots of money. I resent them for making bad software."Thirdly, but most significantly, Linux programmers seem motivated by prestige and, in particular, respect from their peers. Having "hacked the kernel" (contributed to the core of the operating system) gives programmers a certain stature--much as completing a four-minute mile does among runners--and, since the program is open source, everyone knows exactly who contributed what. I was once introduced to a programmer described as "the guy who wrote all the Ethernet device drivers!" as though I was meeting Jonas Salk "who came up with the cure for polio!" And, in fact, Linux programmers often discuss their work as falling in the tradition of eminent scientists. As three well-known programmers put it in the introduction to their book Open Sources: "It would be shortsighted of those in the computer industry to believe that monetary reward is the primary concern of open source's best programmers... These people are involved in a reputation game and history has shown that scientific success outlives financial success... When the history of this time is written a hundred years from now, people will perhaps remember the name of Bill Gates, but few other computer industrialists. They are much more likely to remember names like... Linus Torvalds."Importantly, this philosophy may well be helping Linux develop creatively. There is a great deal of psychological research that shows that people actually do more creative work when they aren't motivated primarily by money. Tell a child that you'll pay her for reading a book and she'll read it with little imagination. Have one group of college poets think about getting rich and famous through their writing, according to research done by Harvard Professor Teresa Amabile, and they tend to turn out less creative work than a second group that's just asked to write poems. Is it possible that Linux programmers created such an extraordinary operating system in part because they were driven by other factors and weren't doing it for the money? I asked Professor Amabile if the implications of her research cross over to open-source programming and whether it could explain some of the remarkable innovations that have come from people working without pay. "Yes," she responded, "this [would be] entirely consistent."Making free software affordableStill, Linux programmers are not completely locking themselves out of the economy and there's a second response to Gates' rhetorical question: If your core open-source project is successful enough, it's possible to eventually make money off of it indirectly. No, it's not possible to make as much money as a proprietary company can--open source and copyleft will ensure this--and there's always going to be an astounding amount of work that has to be done without financial reward. But open-source programmers don't have to starve.The trick to making money off Linux, or any open-source development, is to profit off of derivatives. No one actually makes money off the Linux code, but they can make money by offering technical support or helping customers install the program. Companies that do this follow a well-trodden path: give something away in order to sell something else. This is what cellular phone companies do when they give you the actual telephone handset for free if you agree to pay for using it a certain number of minutes a month. We do the same thing with the Monthly's Web page. We post some articles (giving them to readers for free) in the hope that visitors' interest will be piqued and that they'll subscribe.Red Hat, the best-known Linux company, sells the operating system and other open-source programs in a box for $80, though you can download their product for free from redhat.com. Their revenue comes from the technical support they offer and from consumers' need for trust. It's much less unsettling to buy a program like Linux if you get it shrink-wrapped with a manual than if you have to download both. VA Linux, another well-known company, sells Linux hardware: You choose the memory and the motherboard; it builds you a computer.Has the money these companies brought into the open-source movement corrupted it and made it more like the traditional model that Microsoft uses? Surely, there are a lot of people doing promotional and administrative work at Red Hat for the money and there are probably even some people working on Linux for Red Hat because they get paid a lot to do it (the company hires programmers to write code that anyone, including Red Hat's competitors, can use). But programmers mostly see the money as an added and surprising plus, and Linux is still driven by adrenaline, altruism, and peer recognition.While it is possible that this could change, it hasn't so far. I asked Richard Stallman--the creator of copyleft, as well as many of the programs that run with the Linux through a system called GNU, and the man often considered to be the father of the open-source movement--whether he thought that money would change the attitudes of people who used to work on GNU/Linux without being paid. "In general, I don't think that wealth will make a hacker into a worse person. It would be more likely to enable the hacker to spend more time volunteering for free software instead of on work for pay."This point is particularly germane because most open-source programmers have always had to work other jobs, and many have only been able to contribute to the project during the evenings or when their employers weren't looking. Linus Torvalds, for example, helps design microprocessors for a company called Transmeta in the daytime and does all his Linux coding after work. When I asked John Hall, vice president of VA Linux, what motivates programmers, he responded: "For some, it's altruism. For some, it's fame. For some, it's religion. For a very few, it's money."So what's next?To determine where open source is likely to move next, one has to imagine a scenario where these obstacles can be overcome. A project would need to be fun, or at least rewarding, to get going and it would have to primarily pose intellectual, not physical, challenges. Once it began to move, derivative financial incentives could help push it along. There also has to be a certain amount of luck, particularly with regard to organization. It's hard enough to get six people to agree to a restaurant for dinner; it's much harder to coordinate thousands of people known to each other only by email addresses. Linux has gotten around this latter problem in no small part because of Torvalds himself. He is a benevolent dictator who has earned the trust and respect of virtually everyone on the project. He's a relaxed, friendly, funny guy whose strength of character keeps his distended organization free from the internal battles that sink so many others. He also has learned how to delegate and has developed a core of equally well-respected close associates who coordinate different parts of the project.One intriguing possibility for future open-source development comes from medicine, an area where people can become passionate and where intellectual components can far exceed physical components. Consider a smart doctor who loses a friend to rare disease X and decides to devote her life to finding a cure. Ten years ago, trying to develop anything more than a local network to collaboratively design a drug to cure the disease would have been extremely difficult. Communication would have had to be done over the phone or with photocopies slowly and expensively mailed. It made much more sense to have small groups of developers working together in laboratories, foundations, or universities.Today the possibilities for open collaboration have improved. An ambitious doctor can network online with other researchers interested in disease X and, at the least, can quickly exchange data about the newest research techniques. In fact, there are already medical networks that pass around information about acute medical cases, using email and computers that can automatically send out patient files over a network and put X-rays into the overnight mail.Now think another decade ahead when everyone will have high-speed Internet lines at least 500 times as fast as standard connections today (this will probably happen in three years), where it is fairly likely that we all will be able to simulate the movement of disease X online, and where it will surely be possible for medical students to run tests that approximate the human immune system on high-powered laboratory computers. Now the same doctor can farm out parts of the project to interested collaborators, many of whom have also lost friends to X and are passionate about finding a cure. If the coordinator is a good organizer and can hold people together the way that Torvalds has, the organization could grow, attracting even more people to join the collaborative effort with each success. Every breakthrough or improvement in the model could be posted online so that other participants could begin work on the next challenge. If a sample test is performed, data could be transferred to the Web simultaneously.Eventually a prototype could be developed and adopted by an established drug company (or perhaps even a non-profit company, funded by foundations, that specializes in distributing open-source drugs and selling them at minimal costs) that licenses the product with the FDA, runs it through the necessary tests, and then manufactures, distributes and sells it--keeping prices relatively low both because no company would have exclusive copyrights and because research costs (drug companies' largest expense) would be drastically reduced.LawA real-life example of another possible opportunity for open source comes from Harvard where law Professors Larry Lessig and Charles Nesson have started the Open Law Project, an attempt to try cases using the open-source model. Interested people sign into the Website, read what other contributors have written, and help to develop arguments and briefs. According to the site description, "what we lose in secrecy, we expect to regain in depth of sources and breadth of argument." The program is run under the same sort of benevolent dictatorship model as Linux, with Lessig serving as chief. People brainstorm, debate, and then Lessig synthesizes and writes the briefs. Currently, the group is constructing arguments challenging, appropriately enough, the United States Copyright Extension Act.There are great advantages to this model for law: The problems faced by lawyers are mostly intellectual, not physical; there is an abundance of people (especially law students) who are potentially willing to work on the projects for free; and there is the powerful draw of doing something you believe is a public service. If you don't agree with current copyright laws, join the group and figure out how to change them.Of course, open-law will never be able to handle certain kinds of cases. As Nesson said to me, "open-law is not conducive to ambush." If you need to rely on secret arguments or evidence that the other side doesn't know about, you're not going to post everything on the Net. But if you just need to develop the best argument and rely on increased information flows, the model could work quite well.FutureIt is very difficult to determine exactly where open-source projects will take off next. So much depends on the personalities of the coordinators and the excitement they are able to generate; a great deal also depends on the different ways that technology develops and the way that different markets and research fields change. For some organizations, open-source development will make more sense in a couple of years than it does now. For others, it will make less. But the overall trends of technology are likely to push open source closer and closer to the mainstream.Imagine a scale with all the advantages of a proprietary model on the left and all the advantages of an open-source model on the right. Pretend everybody who wants to solve a problem or build a project has a scale like this. If it tips to the left, the proprietary model is chosen; if it tips to the right, the open model is chosen. Now, as connectivity increases with the Internet, and computer power increases exponentially, more and more weight accumulates on the right. Every time computer power increases, another household gets wired, or a new simulator is built online, a little more weight is added to the right. Having the example of Linux to learn from adds some more weight to the right; the next successful open-source project will add even more.Not enough is added to the right side to tip the scale for everybody and everything, but open source is presently growing and it should only continue that way. Netscape has made its Web browser open source. Sendmail, the program that routes most of our email, is open source. Most Web sites use an open-source program called Apache at their core. Even some microchip developers are starting to use open source.Perhaps the next boom in open source will come from the law; perhaps from drug X; perhaps it will be something entirely different. Although it's difficult to tell, it is quite likely that the scale is going to tip for some projects and that there will be serious efforts at open-source development in the next decade. Moreover, it's quite likely some of these projects will work. Open source has created the fastest growing operating system in the world and it's done so by capitalizing on changes in technology that will almost certainly seem commonplace in a decade or two. Linux will continue to grow; but 10 years from now, it will probably no longer be the largest open-source project in the world.Nicholas Thompson is an editor of The Washington Monthly, where this story first appeared.
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Is Our Republic Ending? 8 Striking Parallels Between the Fall of Rome and U.S. /
Is Our Republic Ending? 8 Striking Parallels Between the Fall of Rome and U.S.
Steven Strauss
Lawrence Lessig's Republic Lost documents the corrosive effect of money on our political process. Lessig persuasively makes the case that we are witnessing the loss of our republican form of government, as politicians increasingly represent those who fund their campaigns, rather than our citizens.
Anthony Everitt's Rise of Rome is fascinating history and a great read. It tells the story of ancient Rome, from its founding (circa 750 BCE) to the fall of the Roman Republic (circa 45 BCE).
When read together, striking parallels emerge -- between our failings and the failings that destroyed the Roman Republic. As with Rome just before the Republic's fall, America has seen:
1 -- Staggering Increase in the Cost of Elections, with Dubious Campaign Funding Sources:Our 2012 election reportedly cost $3 billion. All of it was raised from private sources - often creating the appearance, or the reality, that our leaders are beholden to special interest groups. During the late Roman Republic, elections became staggeringly expensive, with equally deplorable results. Caesar reportedly borrowed so heavily for one political campaign, he feared he would be ruined, if not elected.
2 -- Politics as the Road to Personal Wealth: During the late Roman Republic period, one of the main roads to wealth was holding public office, and exploiting such positions to accumulate personal wealth. As Lessig notes: Congressman, Senators and their staffs leverage their government service to move to private sector positions - that pay three to ten times their government compensation. Given this financial arrangement, "Their focus is therefore not so much on the people who sent them to Washington. Their focus is instead on those who will make them rich." (Republic Lost)
3 -- Continuous War: A national state of security arises, distracting attention from domestic challenges with foreign wars. Similar to the late Roman Republic, the US - for the past 100 years -- has either been fighting a war, recovering from a war, or preparing for a new war: WW I (1917-18), WW II (1941-1945), Cold War (1947-1991), Korean War (1950-1953), Vietnam (1953-1975), Gulf War (1990-1991), Afghanistan (2001-ongoing), and Iraq (2003-2011). And, this list is far from complete.
4 -- Foreign Powers Lavish Money/Attention on the Republic's Leaders: Foreign wars lead to growing influence, by foreign powers and interests, on the Republic's political leaders -- true for Rome and true for us. In the past century, foreign embassies, agents and lobbyists have proliferated in our nation's capital. As one specific example: A foreign businessman donated $100 million to Bill Clinton's various activities. Clinton "opened doors" for him, and sometimes acted in ways contrary to stated American interests and foreign policy.
5 -- Profits Made Overseas Shape the Republic's Internal Policies: As the fortunes of Rome's aristocracy increasingly derived from foreign lands, Roman policy was shaped to facilitate these fortunes. American billionaires and corporations increasingly influence our elections. In many cases, they are only nominally American - with interests not aligned with those of the American public. For example, Fox News is part of international media group News Corp., with over $30 billion in revenues worldwide. Is Fox News' jingoism a product of News Corp.'s non-U.S. interests?
6 -- Collapse of the Middle Class: In the period just before the Roman Republic's fall, the Roman middle class was crushed -- destroyed by cheap overseas slave labor. In our own day, we've witnessed rising income inequality, a stagnating middle class, and the loss of American jobs to overseas workers who are paid less and have fewer rights.
7 -- Gerrymandering: Rome's late Republic used various methods to reduce the power of common citizens. The GOP has so effectively gerrymandered Congressional districts that, even though House Republican candidates received only about 48 percent of the popular vote in the 2012 election -- they ended up with the majority (53 percent) of the seats.
8 -- Loss of the Spirit of Compromise: The Roman Republic, like ours, relied on a system of checks and balances. Compromise is needed for this type of system to function. In the end, the Roman Republic lost that spirit of compromise, with politics increasingly polarized between Optimates (the rich, entrenched elites) and Populares (the common people). Sound familiar? Compromise is in noticeably short supply in our own time also. For example, "There were more filibusters between 2009 and 2010 than there were in the 1950s, 1960s and 1970s combined."
As Benjamin Franklin observed, we have a Republic -- but only if we can keep it.
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Déjà Vu All Over Again? The Disastrous War On Terror Appears to Be On Repeat /
Déjà Vu All Over Again? The Disastrous War On Terror Appears to Be On Repeat
Tom Dispatch
This article originally appeared at TomDispatch.com. To stay on top of important articles like these, sign up to receive the latest updates from TomDispatch.com.
With General John Campbell’s tour of duty in Afghanistan finished, a new commander has taken over. Admittedly, things did not go well during Campbell’s year and a half heading up the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) there, but that’s par for the course. In late 2015, while he was in the saddle, the Taliban took the provincial capital of Kunduz, the first city to be (briefly) theirs since the American invasion of 2001. In response, U.S. forces devastated a Doctors Without Borders hospital. The Taliban is also now in control of more territory than at any time since the invasion and gaining an ever-firmer grip on contested Helmand Province in the heart of the country’s poppy-growing region (and so the staggering drug funds that go with it). In that same province, only about half of the “on duty” Afghan security forces the United States trained, equipped, and largely funded (to the tune of more than $65 billion over the years) were reportedly even present.
On his way into retirement, General Campbell has been vigorously urging the Obama administration to expand its operations in that country. (“I’m not going to leave,” he said, “without making sure my leadership understands that there are things we need to do.”) In this, he’s been in good company. Behind the scenes, “top U.S. military commanders” have reportedly been talking up a renewed, decades-long commitment to Afghanistan and its security forces, what one general has termed a “generational approach” to the war there.
And yes, as Campbell headed off stage, General John Nicholson, Jr., beginning his fourth tour of duty in Afghanistan, has officially taken command of ISAF. Though it wasn’t a major news item, he happens to be its 17th commander in the 14-plus years of Washington’s Afghan War. If this pattern holds, by 2030 that international force, dominated by the U.S., will have had 34 commanders and have fought, by at least a multiple of two, the longest war in our history. Talk about all-American records! (USA! USA!)
If such a scenario isn’t the essence of déjà vu all over again, what is? Imagine, for a minute, each of those 17 ISAF commanders (recently, but not always, Americans, including still resonant names like David Petraeus and Stanley McChrystal as well as those like Dan McNeill and David McKiernan already lost in the fog of time) arriving at yearly intervals, each scrambling to catch-up, get the big picture, and run the show. Imagine that process time after time, and you have the definition of what, in kid culture, might be called a do-over -- a chance to get something right after doing it wrong the first time. Of course, yearly do-overs are a hell of a way to run a war, but they’re a great mechanism for ensuring that no one will need to take responsibility for a disaster of 14 years and counting.
How to Play Do-Over
For journalists, when it comes to twenty-first-century American war, do-overs are a boon. From collapsing U.S.-trained, funded, and equipped local militaries to that revolving door for commanders in Afghanistan to terror groups whose leaderships are eternally beingeviscerated yet are never wiped out, do-overs ensure that your daily copy is essentially pre-written for you. In fact, when it comes to American-style war across the Greater Middle East and increasingly much of Africa, do-over is the name of the game.
In movie terms, you could think of Washington’s war policies in the post-9/11 era as pure “play it again, Sam.” If this weren’t the grimmest “game” around, involving death, destruction, failed states, spreading terror movements, and a region flooded with the uprooted -- refugees, internal exiles, transient terrorists, and god knows who else -- it could instantly be transmuted into a popular parlor game. We could call it “Do-Over.” The rules would be easy to grasp, though -- fair warning -- given the recent record of American war making, it could be a very long game.
Modest preparation would be involved, since you’d be using actual headlines from the previous weeks. Given the nature of the Bush administration’s Global War on Terror (now the Obama administration’s no-name war on terror), however, this shouldn't be a daunting proposition. Any cursory reader of the news, aged 12 to 75, will find it easy to take part. Let me give you just a handful of examples of how Do-Over would work from a plethora of recent news stories:
* Here, for instance, is a typical, can’t-miss, Do-Over headline: “Back to Iraq: U.S. Military Contractors Return In Droves.” For Washington’s third Iraq War, with a military that now heads into any battle zone hand-in-hand with a set of warrior corporations, the private contractors are returning to Iraq in significant numbers. In the good old days, after the invasion of 2003, for every American soldier in Iraq, there was at least one private contractor. As RAND’s Molly Dunnigan wrote back in 2013, “By 2008, the U.S. Department of Defense employed 155,826 private contractors in Iraq -- and 152,275 troops. This degree of privatization is unprecedented in modern warfare.” (Afghan War figures were remarkably similar: in 2010, there were 94,413 contractors and 91,600 American troops in that country.) Now, in the ongoing war against the Islamic State (IS) in Iraq, contractors, 70% American, hired by the Pentagon and other U.S. agencies outnumber the 3,700 U.S. military personnel on the ground by two to one or more and the names of the companies putting them there should ring a distinctly Do-Over bell from the previous round of war:KBR, DynCorp, and Fluor Corporation, among others. Of course, since it’s a Do-Over and we know just what happened the last time around, what could possibly go wrong?
Here’s another kind of headline for the game. Think of it as a “new” Do-Over (a story that looks like a first-timer, but couldn’t be more repetitive): “U.S. Plans to Put Advisers on Front Lines of Nigeria’s War Against Boko Haram.” As theNew York Times reports, a plan developed by Brigadier General Donald Bolduc, U.S. Special Operations commander for Africa, to “send dozens of Special Operations advisers to the front lines of Nigeria’s fight against the West African militant group Boko Haram” is expected to be approved by the Pentagon and the White House. Those special ops forces, “dozens” of them, are slated to advise Nigerian troops for the first time in the embattled northern part of their country. Though theirs will not officially be a combat role, they will be stationed in an area where anything might happen. At first glance, this may seem like something new under the sun in Washington’s expanding “war against the Islamic State” (to which Boko Haram has pledged its fealty), but only until you consider a remarkably similar October 2015 headline about a neighboring country: “The U.S. Is Sending 300 Military Personnel to Cameroon to Help Fight Boko Haram.” Those special ops troops were to conduct “airborne intelligence and reconnaissance operations” against that grim Nigerian terror group. Or to leap back another year, consider this headline from May 2014: “U.S. Deploys 80 Troops to Chad to Help Find Kidnapped Nigerian Schoolgirls.” (They weren’t found.) And of course, similar headlines could be multiplied across the Greater Middle East over the last decade against groups like al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula and the Islamic State from Yemen to, most recently, Iraq and Syria, with similarly dismal results.
For your success in finding such a headline, you get a bonus question: Fourteen-plus years later, after U.S. special ops forces have repeatedly been sent to scads of countries, and the terror situation has only worsened, what exactly do they have to teach Nigerians or anyone else for that matter? What is it that Washington’s guys know about the world of terror and how to fight it that locals don’t? Given the global record over these years, call that a mystery of our moment.
* Now, here’s an even rarer form of Do-Over, a headline that calls up not one, but -- count ‘em! -- two repetitive themes in the American war on terror: “U.S. Captures ISIS Operative, Ushering in Tricky Phase.” The story itself is fairly straightforward. A secretive elite Special Operations team in Iraq has captured “a significant Islamic State operative,” with more such prisoners expected in the near future. The captive is presently being held and questioned “at a temporary detention facility in the city of Erbil in northern Iraq.” What no one in Washington has yet sorted out is: Where are such detainees to be kept in the future? It’s a question that, as you might imagine (and the accompanying New York Times story makes clear), instantly brings to mind Guantanamo and, in Iraq, Abu Ghraib (with itsnightmarish photos), and that’s just to begin a longer list of grim places, including a string of “black sites,” and military and CIA prisons begged, borrowed, or appropriated across the planet in the Bush years. In all of them, American intelligence and military personnel (and private contractors) grossly abused, mistreated, tortured and in some cases actually killedprisoners. So in the conundrum of what to do with that single Islamic State captive lies an almost endless set of Do-Over possibilities. Lurking in that same headline, however, is another kind of Do-Over of these last years reflecting another set of repetitive war on terror practices: “U.S. drone strike kills a senior Islamic State militant in Syria,” “U.S. drone strike kills Yemen al-Qaida leader Nasir al-Wuhayshi,” “U.S. Commandos Raid Terrorist Hideouts in Libya, Somalia, Capture Senior Al-Qaeda Official.” In these and so many other headlines like them lies evidence of a deeply held Washington conviction that terror outfits can be successfully disabled and in the end dismantled, as can repressive states like Saddam Hussein’s Iraq or Muammar Gaddafi’s Libya, by taking out key leadership figures. This heavily militarized top-down approach, labeled “the kingpin strategy,” has been brought to bear time and again in America’s post-9/11 conflicts. That there is no evidence at all of its effectiveness (and significant evidence that it actually succeeds in making such groups more brutal and efficient and such states into failed ones) seems not to matter. So in any headline about a terror leader or lieutenant captured in a U.S. special ops raid, there is automatically a second classic Do-Over theme.
* Now, what about a Do-Over round for events that haven’t even happened and yet are already in reruns? Take this recent headline: “After Gains Against ISIS, Pentagon Focuses on Mosul.” We’re talking about a much-predicted U.S.-backed Iraqi (and Kurdish) offensive against Mosul. Small numbers of Islamic State militants took Iraq's second largest city in June 2014 after the American-trained Iraqi army collapsed and fled, shedding quantities of American-provided equipment and their uniforms. The offensive to retake it was being touted in a somewhat similar manner a year ago by U.S. Central Command. At that time, 20,000 to 25,000 Iraqi troops were supposedly being prepared to recapture the city in a spring 2015 offensive that somehow never came to be (perhaps because those 20,000 or more troops essentially didn’t then exist). That “pivotal battle” to come was at the time being promoted by American military officials. As Reuters wrote, it was “highly unusual for the U.S. military to openly telegraph the timing of an upcoming offensive, especially to a large group of reporters.” As it turned out, they tipped those reporters off to nothing.
At the moment, Pentagon officials are touting such an offensive all over again for spring 2016, or if not quite now, as Chairman of the Joint Chiefs General Joseph Dunford put itrecently, at least not in “the deep, deep future.” (Iraqi military officials, however, alreadybeg to differ, predicting that such an offensive will be at least many months away "or longer." Welcome to the Mosul offensive of 2017!) Of course, we already have a remarkably clear idea of what Mosul will look like in the wake of such an offensive, should it ever happen. After all, we know just how the smaller Iraqi city of Ramadi ended up after a six-month campaign by U.S.-trained and backed Iraqi troops to retake it from Islamic State militants: largely depopulated, 80% destroyed, and a landscape of rubble thanks to hundreds of U.S. air strikes, street-by-street fighting, and IS booby traps (with no rebuilding fundsavailable). In other words, we already have a Do-Over vision of a future Mosul, should 2016 finally be the year when those Iraqi troops (and American advisers and planes) arrive in the IS-occupied city. (Perhaps the only non-Do-Over possibility is the grimmest of all -- that, as the American Embassy in Baghdad has suddenly taken to warning, Mosul’s massive, compromised dam could collapse as the winter snows melt, essentially sweeping the city away and possibly killing hundreds of thousands of downstream Iraqis.)
On the positive side, since the American war on terror shows no sign of abating or succeeding, and as no one in Washington seems ready to consider anything strategically or tactically but more (or slightly less) of the same, Do-Over has a potentially glowing future as a war game. After all, based on almost 15 years of experience from Afghanistan to Nigeria, further destruction, chaos, the growth of failed states, the spread of terror groups, and monumental flows of refugees seem guaranteed, which means that there should never be a dearth of Do-Over-style headlines to draw on.
One warning, though: in the annals of such games, this one is unique. Because of the nature of the American way of war in our time, Do-Over may be the only game ever invented in which there can be no ultimate winner and, unfortunately, the tag line “Everyone's a loser!” doesn’t seem like a selling way to go. Though the game is still in its planning stages, perhaps the ending has to be something realistic and yet thrilling like: “You’ve been Done-In!”
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Academy Award winner Michael Douglas stars as a man who receives an unusual birthday present: he's chosen to participate in a live-action game that penetrates all aspects of his life. But when it begins to go out of control - can he escape? Academy Award winner Sean Penn co-stars in this thrilling film by visionary director David Fincher.
2 hr 9 minRHDSD
75%Rotten Tomatoes
More Trailers and Videos for The Game (1997)
75%Tomatometer
84%Audience Score
DEBORAH KARA UNGERActor
Michael DouglasActor
An actor with over forty years of experience in theatre, film, and television, Michael Douglas branched out into independent feature production in 1975 with the Academy Award-winning One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest (1975). Since then, as a producer and as an actor-producer, he has shown an uncanny knack for choosing projects that reflect changing trends and public concerns. Over the years, he has been involved in such controversial and politically influential motion pictures as One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest (1975), The China Syndrome (1979) and Traffic (2000), and such popular films as Fatal Attraction (1987) and Romancing the Stone (1984). Michael Douglas was born in New Brunswick, New Jersey, to actors Diana Douglas (Diana Love Dill) and Kirk Douglas (born Issur Danielovitch). His paternal grandparents were Belarusian Jewish immigrants, while his mother was born in Bermuda, the daughter of a local Attorney General, Lieutenant Colonel Thomas Melville Dill; Diana's family had long been established in both Bermuda and the United States. Douglas's parents divorced when he was six, and he went to live with his mother and her new husband. Only seeing Kirk on holidays, Michael attended Eaglebrook school in Deerfield, Massachusetts, where he was about a year younger than all of his classmates. Douglas attended the elite preparatory Choate School and spent his summers with his father on movie sets. Although accepted at Yale, Douglas attended the University of California, Santa Barbara. Deciding he wanted to be an actor in his teenage years, Michael often asked his father about getting a "foot in the door". Kirk was strongly opposed to Michael pursuing an acting career, saying that it was an industry with many downs and few ups, and that he wanted all four of his sons to stay out of it. Michael, however, was persistent, and made his film debut in his father's film Cast a Giant Shadow (1966). After receiving his B.A. degree in 1968, Douglas moved to New York City to continue his dramatic training, studying at the American Place Theatre with Wynn Handman, and at the Neighborhood Playhouse, where he appeared in workshop productions of Pirandello's Six Characters in Search of an Author (1976) and Thornton Wilder's Happy Journey (1963). A few months after he arrived in New York, Douglas got his first big break, when he was cast in the pivotal role of the free-spirited scientist who compromises his liberal views to accept a lucrative job with a high-tech chemical corporation in the CBS Playhouse production of Ellen M. Violett's drama, The Experiment, which was televised nationwide on February 25, 1969. Douglas' convincing portrayal won him the leading role in the adaptation of John Weston's controversial novel, Hail, Hero! (1969), which was the initial project of CBS's newly organized theatrical film production company, Cinema Center Films. Douglas starred as a well-meaning, almost saintly young pacifist determined not only to justify his beliefs to his conservative parents but also to test them under fire in the jungles of Indochina. His second feature, Adam at Six A.M. (1970) concerned a young man's search for his roots. Douglas next appeared in the film version of Ron Cowen's play Summertree (1971), produced by 'Kirk Douglas'' Bryna Company, and then Napoleon and Samantha (1972), a sentimental children's melodrama from the Walt Disney studio. In between film assignments, he worked in summer stock and off-Broadway productions, among them "City Scenes", Frank Gagliano's surrealistic vignettes of contemporary life in New York, John Patrick Shanley's short-lived romance "Love is a Time of Day" and George Tabori's "Pinkville", in which he played a young innocent brutalized by his military training. He also appeared in the made-for-television thriller, "When Michael Calls", broadcast by ABC-TV on February 5, 1972 and in episodes of the popular series "Medical Center" and "The FBI". Impressed by Douglas' performance in a segment of The F.B.I. (1965), producer 'Quinn Martin' signed the actor for the part of Karl Malden's sidekick in the police series "The Streets of San Francisco", which premiered September of 1972 and became one of ABC's highest-rated prime-time programs in the mid-1970s. Douglas earned three successive Emmy Award nominations for his performance and he directed two episodes of the series. During the annual breaks in the shooting schedule for The Streets of _San Francisco (1972)_, Douglas devoted most of his time to his film production company, Big Stick Productions, Ltd., which produced several short subjects in the early 1970s. Long interested in producing a film version of Ken Kesey's grimly humorous novel One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest (1975), Douglas purchased the movie rights from his father and began looking for financial backing. After a number of major motion picture studios turned him down, Douglas formed a partnership with Saul Zaentz, a record industry executive, and the two set about recruiting the cast and crew. Douglas still had a year to go on his contract for "The Streets of San Francisco", but the producers agreed to write his character out of the story so that he could concentrate on filming "Cuckoo's Nest". A critical and commercial success, One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest (1975) won five Academy Awards, including Best Picture, Best Director, Best Screenplay, Best Actor and Best Actress, and went on to gross more than $180 million at the box office. Douglas suddenly found himself in demand as an independent producer. One of the many scripts submitted to him for consideration was Mike Gray's chilling account of the attempted cover-up of an accident at a nuclear power plant. Attracted by the combination of social relevance and suspense, Douglas immediately bought the property. Deemed not commercial by most investors, Douglas teamed up with Jane Fonda and her own motion picture production company, IPC Films. A Michael Douglas-IPC Films co-production, The China Syndrome (1979) starred Jack Lemmon, Jane Fonda, and 'Michael Douglas' and received Academy Award nominations for Lemmon and Fonda, as well as for Best Screenplay. The National Board of Review named the film one of the best films of the year. Despite his success as a producer, Douglas resumed his acting career in the late 1970s, starring in Michael Crichton's medical thriller Coma (1978) with Genevieve Bujold, Claudia Weill's feminist comedy It's My Turn (1980) starring Jill Clayburgh, and Peter Hyams' gripping tale of modern-day vigilante justice, "The Star Chamber" (1983). Douglas also starred in Running (1979), as a compulsive quitter who sacrifices everything to take one last shot at the Olympics, and as Zach the dictatorial director/choreographer in Richard Attenborough's screen version of the Broadway's longest running musical A Chorus Line (1985). Douglas' career as an actor/producer came together again in 1984 with the release of the tongue-in-cheek romantic fantasy "Romancing the Stone". Douglas had begun developing the project several years earlier, and with Kathleen Turner as Joan Wilder, the dowdy writer of gothic romances, Danny DeVito as the feisty comic foil Ralphie and Douglas as Jack Colton, the reluctant soldier of fortune, "Romancing" was a resounding hit and grossed more than $100 million at the box office. Douglas was named Producer of the Year in 1984 by the National Association of Theater Owners. Douglas, Turner and DeVito reteamed in 1985 for the successful sequel The Jewel of the Nile (1985). It took Douglas nearly two years to convince Columbia Pictures executives to approve the production of Starman (1984), an unlikely tale of romance between an extraterrestrial, played by 'Jeff Bridges', and a young widow, played by Karen Allen. Starman (1984) was the sleeper hit of the 1984 Christmas season and earned an Oscar nomination for Best Actor for 'Jeff Bridges'. In 1986 Douglas created a television series based on the film for ABC which starred 'Robert Hays'. After a lengthy break from acting, Douglas returned to the screen in 1987 appearing in two of the year's biggest hits. He starred opposite Glenn Close in the phenomenally successful psychological thriller, "Fatal Attraction", which was followed by his performance as ruthless corporate raider Gordon Gekko in 'Oliver Stone''s Wall Street (1987), earning him the Academy Award for Best Actor. Douglas next starred in Ridley Scott's thriller Black Rain (1989) and then teamed up again with 'Kathleen Turner' and Danny DeVito in the black comedy The War of the Roses (1989) which was released in 1989. In 1988 Douglas formed Stonebridge Entertainment, Inc. which produced Flatliners (1990), directed by Joel Schumacher and starred Kiefer Sutherland, 'Julia Roberts', 'Kevin Bacon' and 'William Baldwin' and Radio Flyer (1992) starring Lorraine Bracco and directed by Richard Donner. Douglas followed with David Seltzer's adaptation of Susan Issac's best-selling novel, "Shining Through", opposite Melanie Griffith. In 1992 he starred with Sharon Stone in the erotic thriller from 'Paul Verhoeven' Basic Instinct (1992), one of the year's top grossing films. Douglas gave one of his most powerful performances opposite Robert Duvall in Joel Schumacher's controversial drama Falling Down (1993). That year he also produced the hit comedy "Made in America" starring Whoopi Goldberg, Ted Danson and Will Smith. In 1994/95 he starred with Demi Moore in Barry Levinson's "Disclosure,." based on the best seller by Michael Crichton. In 1995 Douglas portrayed the title role in Rob Reiner's romantic comedy The American President (1995) opposite Annette Bening, and in 1997, starred in The Game (1997) directed by David Fincher and co-starring 'Sean Penn'. Douglas formed Douglas/Reuther Productions with partner Steven Reuther in May 1994. The company, under the banner of Constellation Films, produced, The Ghost and the Darkness (1996), starring Douglas and Val Kilmer, and John Grisham's The Rainmaker (1997), based on John Grisham's best selling novel, directed by Francis Ford Coppola and starring Matt Damon,Claire Danes, Danny DeVito, Jon Voight, Mickey Rourke, Mary Kay Place, Virginia Madsen, Andrew Shue, 'Teresa Wright', Johnny Whitworth and 'Randy Travis'. Michael Douglas and Steve Reuther also produced John Woo's action thriller Face/Off (1997) starring 'John Travolta' and Nicolas Cage, which proved to be one of '97's major hits. In 1998, ' Michael Douglas' starred with Gwyneth Paltrow and Viggo Mortensen in the mystery thriller A Perfect Murder (1998), and formed a new production company, 2000 was a milestone year for Douglas. "Wonder Boys" opened in February 2000 to much critical acclaim. Directed by Curtis Hanson and co-starring Tobey Maguire, Frances McDormand, Robert Downey Jr. and 'Katie Holmes', Douglas starred in the film as troubled college professor Grady Tripp. Michael was nominated for a Golden Globe and a BAFTA Film award for his performance. "Traffic" was released by USA Films on December 22, 2000 in New York and Los Angeles went nationwide in January 2001. Douglas played the role of Robert Wakefield, a newly appointed drug czar confronted by the drug war both at home and abroad. Directed by Steven Soderbergh and co-starring Don Cheadle, Benicio del Toro, Amy Irving, Dennis Quaid and Catherine Zeta-Jones, "Traffic" was named Best Picture by New York Film Critics, won Best Ensemble Cast at the SAG Awards, won four Academy Awards (Best Screenplay, Best Editing, Best Director, and Best Supporting Actor for Benicio del Toro) and has been recognized over on over 175 top ten lists. In 2001, Douglas produced and played a small role in USA Films' outrageous comedy "One Night at McCool's" starring Liv Tyler, Matt Dillon, John Goodman, Paul Reiser, and was directed by Harald Zwart. "McCool's" was the first film by Douglas' company Furthur Films. Also in 2001, Douglas starred in "Don't Say A Word" for 20th Century Fox. The psychological thriller, directed by Gary Fleder, also starred Sean Bean, Famke Janseen and Brittany Murphy. In 2002, Douglas appeared in a guest role on the hit NBC comedy "Will & Grace", and received an Emmy Nomination for his performance. Douglas starred in two films in 2003. MGM/BVI released the family drama "It Runs in the Family", which Douglas produced and starred with his father Kirk Douglas, his mother Diana Douglas and his son Cameron Douglas, Rory Culkin and Bernadette Peters. He also starred in the Warner Bros. comedy "The-In Laws", with Albert Brooks, Candice Bergen Ryan Reynolds. In 2004 Douglas, along with his father Kirk, filmed the intimate HBO documentary "A Father, A Son... Once Upon a Time in Hollywood". Directed by award-winning filmmaker Lee Grant, the documentary examines the professional and personal lives of both men, and the impacts they each made on the motion picture industry. In summer 2005, Douglas produced and starred in "The Sentinel", which was released by 20th Century Fox in spring 2006. Based on the Gerald Petievich novel and directed by Clark Johnson, "The Sentinel" is a political thriller set in the intriguing world of the Secret Service. Douglas stars with Keifer Sutherland, Eva Longoria and Kim Bassinger. Douglas filmed "You, Me & Dupree", starring with Owen Wilson, Kate Hudson and Matt Dillon. The comedy is direct by Anthony and Joe Russo, and was released by Universal Pictures during the summer of 2006. In 2007 he made "King of California", co-starring Evan Rachel Wood and is written and directed by Michael Cahill, and produced by Alexander Payne and Michael London. Michael had two films released in early '09, "Beyond A Reasonable Doubt" directed by Peter Hyams and "Ghosts of Girlfriend's Past" starring Matthew McConaughey and Jennifer Garner directed by Mark Waters. He followed with the drama "Solitary Man" directed by Brian Koppelman and David Levien, co-starring Susan Sarandon, Danny DeVito, Mary Louise-Parker, and Jenna Fischer, produced by Paul Schiff and Steven Soderbergh and in Fall '10 starred in "Wall Street 2 - Money Never Sleeps" reprising his Oscar winning role as Gordon Gekko and once again was nominated for a Golden Globe for his performance. Again directed by Oliver Stone, he co-starred with Shia Labeouf, Cary Mulligan, Josh Brolin, Frank Langella and Susan Sarandon. Douglas had a cameo role in Steven Soderbergh's action thriller "Haywire." "Behind the Candelabra" based on the life of musical '70's/80's icon Liberace and his partner Scott Thorson, directed by Steven Soderbergh costarring Matt Damon, premiered on HBO in May 2013. Douglas won an Emmy, Golden Globe and SAG Award as Best Actor in a television movie or mini series for his performance as the famed entertainer. He followed with the buddy comedy "Last Vegas" directed by John Turtletaub co-starring Robert DeNiro, Morgan Freeman and Kevin Kline and the romantic comedy "And So It Goes" co-starring Diane Keaton directed by Rob Reiner. Douglas recently starred in and producing the thriller "Beyond The Reach" directed by Jean-Baptiste Leonetti costarring Jeremy Irvine and portrays Dr. Hank Pym in Marvel's "Ant Man" opposite Paul Rudd. It will be his first venture into the realm of comic book action adventure. Most recently he completed a spy thriller "Unlocked" co-starring Noomi Rapace, Orlando Bloom, John Malkovich and is directed by Michael Apted. In 1998 Douglas was made a United Nations Messenger of Peace by Kofi Annan. His main concentrations are nuclear non-proliferation and the control of small arms. He is on the Board of Ploughshares Foundation and The Nuclear Threat Initiative. Michael Douglas was recipient of the 2009 AFI Lifetime Achievement as well as the Producers Guild Award that year. In Spring '10 he received the New York Film Society's Charlie Chaplin Award. Douglas has hosted 11 years of "Michael Douglas and Friends" Celebrity Golf Event which has raised over $6 million for the Motion Picture and Television Fund. Douglas is very passionate about the organization, and each year he asks his fellow actors and to come out and show that "we are an industry that takes care of own". Douglas is married to Catherine Zeta-Jones. The couple has one son, Dylan, and one daughter, Carys. Douglas also has one son, Cameron, from a previous marriage.
Sean PennActor
ANNA KATARINAActor
CHARLES MARTINETActor
PETER DONATActor
The Empty Man
Blade Runner (1982)
Phantom (2013)
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AU 2030: Lindsay Grace | American University Washington D.C.
You are here: American University Communications & Marketing News AU 2030: Lindsay Grace
AU 2030: Lindsay Grace
By Gregg Sangillo | February 3, 2016
Lindsay Grace is director of the AU Game Lab and Studio.
Like the Choose Your Own Adventure books he read as a kid, Lindsay Grace’s career could have gone a number of different ways. He’s worked in mutual funds, industrial supply logistics, and he even started a dot.com that sold club paraphernalia. But in working as a professor, game designer, and researcher, he discovered a true calling. And in a roundabout way, his previous experiences contribute to his current work.
“So this is actually my third or fourth career, which informs the way I design, and even manage the game lab. I worked in places I thought would be intellectually engaging,” says Grace, now an associate professor at American University’s School of Communication.
Despite this circuitous career trajectory, games were an integral part of his Massachusetts childhood. Beset by systemic-onset juvenile rheumatoid arthritis (JRA), he found a silver lining in being sick at such a young age. “The hospital had a room of arcade games. That was the first time I ever saw one, and I fell in love. If you got enough blood draws or you had a rough day, they let you go play in there,” he recalls.
In addition, the public school he attended got money from IBM and had a computer lab. He even started designing his own video games. “I was one of those kids who wanted to do. The books I took out of the library,” he says, “were sketching books, how-to-do science books, and books on programming.”
This was a harbinger of things to come: His academic areas of study—digital games and persuasive play—are very much in the realm of “active learning.”
Game(ing) Theory
There’s a science behind why we play, and it’s linked to human development. “It’s an opportunity to practice skills that you need in the real world. And at the same time it’s an opportunity to experiment in a safe space,” Grace explains. “If you think about how kids play with blocks, they’re trying to understand physics. Now, they may not come to you and say, ‘I’m learning physics.’ But that’s essentially what’s happening.”
Grace hopes to create or facilitate change through play experiences. Games do not simply help the individual, but possess a much larger social impact. The game can be a model for how to build and improve society.
“Classrooms have been using Civilization to help students understand the relationship between a new technology and social change,” he says. “So say I create the Gutenberg Press...In order for it to be valuable, I need a literate population, and then after that I actually can pass knowledge much more easily than I could before.”
Grace praises Darfur is Dying for instilling people with empathy towards a human rights crisis in Sudan. And he says that pre-video age games such as Monopoly also had a purpose. Lizzie Magie, who created the precursor to the popular board game, was trying to demonstrate how landlords impoverish the population.
Grace does traditional research—publishing theoretical papers and controlled experiments—and creative research, which includes curating exhibits for independent games.
He designs games that are both experiential and imaginative. In 2013, he took students to San Francisco to create The Tell-Tale Heart, about the famous Edgar Allan Poe short story. A mobile game, they attempted to make the player’s experience emulate the first-person narrator’s. “The first motions are very managed. But then the longer you play, the more erratic they get, just like in the narrative,” he says.
Moving Fast
Before coming to AU in 2013, Grace was a professor at Miami University in Ohio. He is now director of the AU Game Lab and Studio, a multidisciplinary initiative run by SOC and the College of Arts and Sciences. Grace and his SOC and CAS colleagues have made inroads into D.C. research communities, and they’re growing AU’s presence in the gaming world.
They got a grant from the Knight Foundation to study the intersection of games and journalism, and they’ve done work with the Educational Testing Service and the World Bank. As part of an initiative with the National Institute of Mental Health, they’re creating a game to help people deal with anxiety.
Grace is vice president of the Global Game Jam, which held its D.C. event at AU in late January. Teams from all over the world design and create digital and non-digital games, in just one long weekend. Grace marvels at how it all comes together. “To say that you got 30,000 people that you organized to do something on a Friday, and complete it on a Sunday, is huge,” he says.
Grace talks fast and displays a frenetic exuberance. Even in his spare time, he’s an Autocross racer. Yet he’s thought long and hard about his field. He believes that games represent a “liberal education for the 21st century,” since designing them requires everything from computer science to sociology.
“The contemporary games we play, the digital spaces, are largely about us experiencing other sides of ourselves,” he says. “It’s basically experimentation and exploration.”
Learn more about School of Communication
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Home / Newsroom / One Week Left to Help Choose Finalists for America’s Top Dog
One Week Left to Help Choose Finalists for America’s Top Dog
Public Will Decide on Seven Finalists for 2020 American Humane Hero Dog Awards®Airing this Fall on Hallmark Channel
WASHINGTON, DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA, July 9, 2020 — For thousands of years, dogs have given us their protection, companionship and unconditional love. Now we humans have one week to pay back a tiny portion of that considerable debt by helping to choose the finalists for the 2020 American Humane Hero Dog Awards®, a nationwide effort to identify and honor the best of our best friends. The awards will be broadcast nationally on Hallmark Channel as a two-hour special this fall in conjunction with the network’s pet adoption advocacy initiative, Hallmark Channel’s Adoption Ever After, which aims to empty shelters and end this country’s epidemic of pet homelessness.
“The American Humane Hero Dog Awards are our way of honoring the best of our best friends,” said Dr. Robin Ganzert, American Humane president and CEO. “For the 10th year, this unique e celebration calls our attention to the life-changing, life-saving power of the human-animal bond – a bond that is particularly important this year as we all look for bright spots of hope and love to see us through these uncertain times.”
Animal lovers are invited to visit www.HeroDogAwards.org once a day until July 16 at 12 p.m. Pacific Time to vote for their favorite hero dog in each of the seven categories: Therapy Dogs, sponsored by World Pet Association; Service Dogs, sponsored by Lulu’s Fund; Military Dogs; Law Enforcement Dogs; Shelter Dogs; Search and Rescue Dogs; and, Guide/Hearing Dogs. The winning dog in each category will then take part in the nationally televised Hero Dog Awards this fall where this year’s top American Hero Dog will be revealed.
Meet the 21 remarkable Hero Dog Awards semifinalists!
Here are brief descriptions of this year’s semifinalists, written by the hero dogs’ owners/handlers:
Therapy Dogs category (sponsored by World Pet Association)
Bandit (St. Robert, Missouri) – Bandit is a 9-year-old Great Dane who was rescued as a puppy, right before he was scheduled to be euthanized due to medical issues. Ever since that day, he has spent more than eight years giving back to others, showing us all what unconditional love looks like. Through his work with the USO of Missouri Inc., he embraces his deformities and uses them to show others how to overcome obstacles. From helping lift the spirits of our service members in time of need to escorting children to the burial of their loved one to providing support to our military on suicide watch to being an ear for children to read to, Bandit has spent his entire life providing strength and compassion to those in need. Bandit is a hero to so many throughout the country. His soulful eyes have captured the hearts of so many and his mission has inspired others to follow in his footprints. Being named the 2020 American Hero Dog would help show others that if you take a chance on a rescue, no matter what their circumstance, they have the ability to change lives, encourage others and be the hero that we all need at times. Let Bandit steal your heart.
K9 Raider (Corona, California) – K9 Raider is a 4-year-old English Labrador and a highly trained facility dog from Canine Companions for Independence in Oceanside, California. He knows 40 commands and uses those, along with his special skill set, to comfortably and safely interact with all community members. K9 Raider is the Corona Police Department’s first facility dog and his primary focus is to assist those impacted by traumatic events and crime. Raider has worked for the Corona Police Department for two years. During that time, Raider has been involved in more than 350 public events, more than 100 trauma victim assists, and has had direct interactions with approximately 45,000 people. Raider is mostly recognized by becoming the first, and only, dog in Riverside County to assist a victim in court. Since his first court case, he has assisted in seven court cases in four of the five Superior Courtrooms in the county. Raider’s partnership and success with the Riverside County District Attorney’s Office has led to the Victim Advocate’s Office obtaining a grant for two courtroom dogs. Raider gained global recognition with his assistance to the Turpin children in 2018. This highly publicized case involved years of severe physical and mental abuse of 13 children by their parents. Raider worked with the children for almost two years. Raider is also a regional resource as a member of the Riverside County Crisis Response Team. Raider deployed to the Borderline Grill shooting in 2018 and the Saugus High School shooting in 2019.
Olive (Jefferson City, Missouri) – From hopeless and homeless to living her purpose, Olive was rescued from the streets of Los Angeles by Brandon McMillan, host and animal trainer of the Emmy Award-winning CBS show, Lucky Dog. Lisa Groves Bax, a child advocate volunteer for abused/neglected children in the judicial system in Missouri, saw the need for a resource to assist the scores of children facing the daunting task of appearing or testifying in court. After extensive training with Brandon McMillan, Olive was united with her forever family in Missouri, and ready to live her purpose as a certified therapy dog. Olive was tested and evaluated by Therapy Dogs International (TDI). Through no fault of their own, vulnerable children are facing unknown proceedings because an adult failed to care properly for them. Olive’s mission is to make sure that no child walks alone through the courtroom doors, and provides comfort throughout the unknown journey that the child faces against their abuser or neglecting adult, which in most cases is their very own parents. Olive has served more than 300 children since beginning in the court system in 2016, and continues to assist children with extremely difficult criminal trials in order to get a conviction against the abusers. Olive is an American Hero Dog to the children she serves, and deserves to add this title to her endless endeavors advocating for the awareness of child abuse/neglect and serving children in the courtroom.
Service Dog category (sponsored by Lulu’s Fund)
Hero (Lancaster, California) – Hero entered my life when I was 17 years old. I was antisocial, had family issues and didn’t know what I wanted to do with my life. I was not planning on making him my service dog until I realized how much he could help me. Working through ongoing medical issues and pushing me to overcome some hurdles, he gave me a future I was excited about. Together, we have traveled to every state in the USA, performed on the largest stages and most importantly he became the Hero I truly needed. Hero and I placed fifth on America’s Got Talent in 2017 and were able to meet and talk to so many incredible people! We have been using our platforms to help educate and bring awareness to service dogs. I am so thankful that Hero is such a stable dog and has been able to handle other dogs in public. Hopefully, as we continue to educate, we can make a difference. Going into his eighth year with me, he is starting to slow down and I am having to make the hard decision to retire him. I am hoping that our last working year together can be as memorable as the past eight amazing years. Everyone needs a hero and I’m so glad I found mine.
Dolly Pawton (Naples, Maine) – Dolly Pawton is my cardiac alert dog, trained to alert if my blood pressure drops or heart rate rises to an unsafe level. Being confined to a wheelchair due to multiple medical conditions has been difficult, to say the least. At times, my body will physically not allow me to do everyday tasks. I try to remain as active as my body will allow. With Dolly’s help I am able to do that. Before having a service dog, I went out very little but Dolly changed that. She helps me to function without having to depend on others. Dolly helps in every aspect of my life, including reducing my social anxiety. I was a victim of domestic violence which caused PTSD. I struggled to get out of bed not just because of my health but because my self-confidence was horrible. Because of my fears, it was much easier and safer for me to stay home. People have no idea the pain I was in before Dolly. Living with so many medical issues along with PTSD takes a real toll on me both physically and emotionally. I wake up with nightmares, terrified to go back to bed but now I have Dolly right by my side to keep me safe. Dolly gave me the self-confidence and inspiration to write and illustrate a children’s book called Pawsibly the Best Medicine. It is a biography of Dolly told with a bit of humorous fiction. We bring her book to schools to educate children about service dogs. She is truly my most crucial medical equipment with a loving, beating heart. I don’t know what I would do without her in my life and she is my hero.
Sobee (Holt’s Summit, Missouri) – I am nominating my service dog, Sobee. Sobee is a 4-year-old rescue who was in a kill shelter in Georgia. She was two days away from being euthanized when the organization K9s On the Front Line rescued her, and gave her to me. I am A combat veteran who struggles with PTSD and a recovering addict. I began self-medicating after returning home from two deployments. I was living in Missouri and had no place to go except to keep digging my grave. With one last effort to have a good life, I got on a bus and traveled to Maine where I grew up. After returning to Maine, I ran into an old high school friend who had a service dog. I asked him if it helped and he said it saved him. He put me in contact with K9s On the Front Line and this is when my life changed. The founder, Dr. Hagen Blaszyk, took me under his wing and assured me everything was going to be just fine as I had an army of support with me now. When they gave me Sobee, it was an instant bond. I began getting outside, going for walks, and opening my curtains. I was beginning to see the world again because of a dog? Yes, because of a dog. When I’m having a panic attack, Sobee is trained to bring me back to the present moment and back to reality. If we are out in public, Sobee is trained to watch my back. Because of Sobee, I was able to start a chapter of K9s On the Front Line in Missouri, paying it forward for veterans Sobee is a true Hero Dog or I’d be buried!
Military Dogs category
Ali (Kings Bay, Georgia) – Throughout the past year, ME2 Reklis and K9 Ali continued to increase Ports Waterways and Coastal Security (PWCS) mission employment by serving as the lead K9 Deployable Specialized Forces for Super Bowl 54, supporting a military outload, and sweeping high capacity passenger vessel terminals, accumulating a total of 41 deployment days. During Super Bowl 54, ME2 Reklis and K9 Ali worked in concert with more than 100 canines and handlers from federal, state, and local agencies from around the country, demonstrating their ability to seamlessly integrate with partner agencies and adapt to any operating environment. As a result, 600,000 spectators and 7,000 vehicles were screened at Super Bowl 54 during this highly attended event. Additionally, ME2 Reklis and K9 Ali performed 11,130 passenger and 108 vehicle screenings within Port Canaveral, the second-busiest cruise port in the world protecting $13 million dollars’ worth of relative expected losses. Furthering the PWCS mission, ME2 Reklis and K9 Ali provided explosive detection capabilities for a military outload for Defender Europe, which was the third largest North American Treaty Organization exercise, safeguarding more than 2,300 pieces of Department of Defense equipment. To showcase their adaptability within the maritime domain, they were the first Canine Explosive Detection Team to operationally perform vessel-to-vessel hoisting, ultimately resulting in K9 Ali alerting on potential explosive material.
Blue ll P491 (Lawrenceville, Georgia) – Blue served our country valiantly from 2011 to 2018. I served as her first handler on my second deployment to Afghanistan, which was her first deployment as an Improvised Explosive Device Detector Dog. While deployed, Blue and I went on over 300 combat missions. She found many IEDs, saving me, along with many Marines and Sailors during our deployment. Once we parted ways, I vowed to find her and adopt her one day. Six years later, she came up for review on her disposition while she was stationed in Okinawa, Japan where she served as an SSD. After seven years of honorable service, she retired in November 2018 and made her way from Japan to Georgia. She’s been enjoying her retirement with my family and me ever since. Blue is our own personal hero and deserves to be recognized as one in her life.
Rek (Sarasota, Florida) – Rek was born in September 2009. He was trained as an Explosive Detection Dog. Rek was deployed to Iraq and Afghanistan. When I met Rek, he was searching vehicles for explosives at the gates on a NATO base in Afghanistan. Rek conducted searches every day to ensure all military and civilians on base were safe. If his handler went on leave, Rek would be left behind and not worked until they returned. Rek never came back to U.S. soil until 2016. Rek spent five years of his life searching vehicles and being around possible threats every day. He is enjoying retirement in sunny Florida where he patrols for squirrels.
Guide/Hearing Dogs
Aura (Brunswick, Maine) – Aura is a trained hearing service dog. She became my ears after I lost my hearing in a rocket attack in Afghanistan. I was in despair after my injuries. I needed a helper. What I received was a fur guardian angel. She has restored my independence. I went from being a blown-up deaf person to a person who now feels safe and secure in the world. She never has a day off and I rely on her to keep me safe. She provides me with the confidence I need to interact in the world. She has allowed me to pursue my passions and purpose in life. I have no regrets about losing my hearing, I would trade my ears for Aura any day. She is happy to work for me, displaying undying loyalty. She knows I am deaf but loves me anyway. Always by my side, head up and ready for anything. She is my hope. I am forever grateful to her. There is not a medication or a therapy that could do for me what Aura does for me every day. The photograph of Aura was taken on the very first day I received her. I immediately felt her love flow through her leash right into my heart. She looks at me like I am the best person in the world. We hope to continue to be ambassadors for people with hearing loss. She has changed how I see and feel about the world. Aura is the epitome of a hero, putting others before herself, ensuring my safety over hers, and providing her constant service to me, asking nothing in return. We will continue to hike, explore, travel and enjoy all the world has to offer. She is my most sacred companion.
Beethoven (Loveland, Colorado) – “I suffer from Stevens-Johnson Syndrome (SJS). SJS burns you alive from the inside out. At age nine 75 percent of my body was covered in second- and third-degree burns. My parents were told that if I survived I would be blind, deaf, permanently on a feeding tube, and would never be able to breathe on my own. Boy, were they wrong! Not only did I survive, but I also lived. Yes, my eyes, ears, lungs, heart, etc. don’t work great all the time, but it does not keep me from being the best person I can possibly be. Beethoven fills in the gaps so that all my broken parts are whole. Service Dog? Beethoven is the definition of a service dog. Each morning he nudges me a few minutes before my alarm goes off. He waits patiently as I get my painful body moving. He stands in front of the stairs until I find the railing and we begin our day. He guides me to the bus to head to work at the non-profit, No Barriers. In the office he greets everyone making sure their workday starts off with a smile. When we are not working for No Barriers we are volunteering for the Lions. We visit clubs and share our story inspiring them to continue to be Knights of the Blind. Beethoven shakes everyone’s hand who donates. Beethoven is my hero every moment of every day. Beethoven is a Guide Dog because I cannot see, but he is so much more to me and everyone who meets him.
Kissable Katie (Palm Coast, Florida) – Kissable Katie is my seeing eye dog and medical alert dog. She has saved my life on numerous occasions. She acts as my eyes and guides me daily. She safely maneuvers me through life’s obstacles. Kissable Katie alerts me prior to my having an epileptic seizure. She gets me sitting or lying down, out of traffic, and protects me while I have the seizure and can’t protect myself. Kissable Katie can pull my life alert button, call rescue, unlock the door, let rescue in, and bring them to me. She carries my medical information on a flash drive so rescue workers know my conditions. She stays with me until help arrives or goes and gets me help. It is because of Kissable Katie that I am able to leave my home safely and with confidence. I had been housebound for years, unable to leave my home due to my disabilities. Kissable Katie is my trusted companion and best friend. Kissable Katie not only saves my life, but my capacity for living life to the fullest by helping me to go out, live life, and enjoy life independently with her guidance. Kissable Katie was trained by Freedom Guide Dogs. They are an exceptional guide dog school and they paired me with the perfect dog for me. Katie’s training is impeccable. Kissable Katie and I now volunteer with Paws of War Florida to help train shelter dogs as service dogs for veterans and first-responders who need a service dog. Dog and training are provided free to qualified veterans and first-responders, saving both ends of the leash. Kissable Katie is MY HERO. She saved my life.
Law Enforcement category
Axel (Scranton, Pennsylvania) – I adopted Axel at just 9 weeks old as a companion to help me deal with the after-effects of combat from serving in the Marine Corps. We became attached rather quickly. While out in the woods together I continuously noticed his passion to search for items. After numerous weeks I decided to contact a local search and rescue K9 team. They conducted an evaluation and decided Axel had what it takes to be air scent dog. We trained for many months sharpening our skills together. One day while working my police department, I was contacted by a director of a police K9 Academy offering to conduct an evaluation on Axel and me to become a police K9 team. The evaluation was conducted and determined that Axel had the drive/characteristics to be a police K9. We attended a lengthy training schedule and completed our certification in firearms/explosives detection. In Axel’s short period on this Earth, he has been a companion, a saving grace to a military veteran, a search-and-rescue K9, and now a police K9. He continues to impress me daily and is one of the friendliest dogs that the community we serve fell in love with. I nominate Axel for the American Hero dog because not only does he protect a community but saved a veteran from the darkness of war. We all had that “one” dog in our lives and axel will forever be that dog embedded in my heart. Because of him I am here today and for that he deserves this award.
Denny (Lindenhurst, New York) – Denny is part of the Agriculture Specialist K9 division also fondly called the Beagle Brigade. Denny’s job is to detect fruits, vegetables, meats, wildlife, invasive species and other prohibited items that may carry insects and/or disease. Denny and I work at JFK Airport, a high-volume international arrivals airport where having 25 to 30 positive hits a day is not unheard of. In one shift 70 to 80 international flights can arrive with thousands of passengers with tons of luggage. With the increases of dangerous outbreaks of certain animal and plant diseases, this has made Denny’s mission to “Find it!” (the command to start working) even more important as we are the first and last line of defense before the possible infected contraband enters the country through passenger baggage and sometimes international mail. The protection of this country’s agricultural wellbeing is paramount and rests on the small backs of 115 Agriculture teams working at all international arrival airports and land border crossings. In the photo you can see various fruits, vegetables, plants and meats that came from one passenger’s baggage that Denny alerted on. Several pests were found inside the fruit and sent for identification. All items were ground up or incinerated, destroying and stopping any possible spread.
K-9 Cody (Newport News, Virginia) – K-9 Cody started her career in explosives detection in Iraq, working hard to keep U.S. personnel safe at the U.S. Embassy. K-9 Cody was transferred back to the United States, where she continued her explosives detection career working at the Mall of America. She quickly stood out as a phenomenal K-9, and not just because of her ability to detect explosives, but also because of her calm and loving demeanor. K-9 Cody was transferred to her current position in Virginia, helping to safeguard such places as Busch Gardens and events for the LPGA, NBA, and the Fourth of July parade in Bristol, Rhode Island. She also helps the local agencies with bomb threats. In her off-time, she can be found doing demonstrations at local schools, churches, and festivals. She loves people and loves to say hi by walking up and leaning against their legs so she can enjoy a few scratches behind the ear. One story that sticks out about Cody and her gentle spirit was an incident that happened while she was working at an amusement park doing explosives detection. A young girl, around 8 or 9 years old, was in the park enjoying the day with her family. She was in line for a ride when a service dog bit her on the leg. She was traumatized and scared. Knowing how gentle Cody is, they called her to the aid station. When Cody saw the little girl, she immediately walked over, licked the girl’s hand and then laid at her feet. Almost immediately, the little girl stopped crying, and was soon smiling, thanks to Cody.
Shelter Dogs category
MacKenzie (Hilton, New York) – MacKenzie uniquely represents a rescue hero because she went from being a rescue dog to helping hundreds of other rescue dogs. She provides care for baby animals with birth defects and educates people of all ages. On December 31, 2013, an amazing dog named MacKenzie (Kenz for short) was born with a cleft palate. She was tube-fed from day one for almost a year and survived bouts of aspiration pneumonia. I have never seen such a will to live. She was sick, but more concerned with the baby animals at the rescue. At almost one year of age, she had her life-saving cleft palate surgery. She could eat and drink on her own and focus on what she was born to do. Most of the animals that we rescue are babies that can’t stay with their mother due to their medical needs. Kenz takes an interest in each baby from day one, regardless of species or size. She plays nurse and cleans, comforts, and cuddles them. She also acts as their mom and teaches them how to socialize, play, and have good manners. Kenzie’s other important hero role is to interact with children at schools, so they learn to be open-minded toward animals and people with physical differences. They learn kindness, patience, and that you can make a difference in the world no matter how small you are. Kenz also raises awareness about animals with disabilities. She may have lost her ability to bark, but she still makes herself heard and speaks for other animals born with a defect. She’s a shining example of how rescue saves more than just one life.
Mona Pants (Zebulon, North Carolina) – I adopted Mona from the Wake County Animal Shelter nine years ago. Mona was a beam of light…always happy, always loving, always shining. Everyone that met her fell in love and she soon became the subject of all my social media. I made a video with the Talking Pet app one day and shared it with my friends. Mona talked about her feelings and life, and soon, my friends demanded that she have her own Facebook page. I was reluctant, but thought – just for my friends – why not? We had 10 followers the first day…then 30…then 100…then 1000, and soon I realized that Mona resonated with a lot of people. Her happiness is contagious and she inspires people. I was involved in dog rescue for 12 years and was raising money for a paralyzed dog who needed a wheelchair, so, I enlisted Mona on her page to help and we raised all the money and then some. So much, in fact, I registered as a 501c3 charity and we started raising money for other dogs who needed help! Five years later, our Facebook page has over 100,000 followers and we have raised hundreds of thousands of dollars to help dogs all over the country. We have bought wheelchairs, repaired shelters, provided beds for shelters in Puerto Rico, paid for surgeries, and financed countless spays and neuters. We have also purchased 52 K9 protective vests for K9 officers and we now are raising funds to provide fire departments with oxygen kits for pets. Mona inspires people to give what they can…even $1 makes a difference.
Noah (Mineral Point, Wisconsin) – What would you do if you were a pup born without eyes and used a wheelchair due to handicapped back legs? You become the world’s most beloved anti-bullying dog, and an ambassador for blind and handicapped animals! This is Noah, a pup who travels to schools with lessons about acceptance, tolerance, disabilities, and kindness. He is an outstanding visual for kids to see that it’s okay to be different, just like he is! Known as “The Anti-Bullying Pup,” Noah sends a strong message that it’s never okay to pick on people who may have disabilities, look or dress differently, or have different beliefs. Rescued by Saving K9 Lives, given a Muffin’s Halo to protect his head, and a wheelchair donated by Mango on a Mission, Noah has proven to the world that even with handicaps, he can do anything a “normal” pup can do….just a little differently. When he’s not in the classroom, you can find Noah at nursing homes, freely giving his love to seniors. His innate ability to love makes him a favorite guest. He also enjoys skiing on the slopes of Wisconsin with custom skis to fit his wheelchair! Noah has been a semi-finalist in the American Humane Hero Dog Awards in 2016, 2017, and 2018. He has been featured in People Magazine, interviewed by Inside Edition, named a Wisconsin Hero Dog, and chosen as ASPCA Dog of the Year 2018-19 for the work he does in schools. Noah can show you a thousand reasons why he was spared from certain death. He is a champion for the “underdog,” as he, himself, is one. Roll on, little guy!
Search and Rescue Dogs category
Küsse (Sheffield, Alabama) – I would like to nominate K9 Küsse for the courage and work drive she showed following the Cookville, Tennessee tornadoes. She worked for hours on end to help locate survivors and help bring closure to families with missing loved ones. Küsse is a 3-year-old German Shepherd who recently got her AWDA national certification. She has been training for around two years. She is very loyal and enjoys finding children when we train. She is a non-scent-specific area search K9 and is now working on her scent-specific. Her favorite toy is her purple Kong, Wubba. I am very proud of her and the courage she showed looking for recent survivors is the reason why I want to nominate Ms. Küsse for the Hero Dog Awards.
Little Man (Oklahoma City, Oklahoma) – He is also known as “Tornado” and with good reason. Five days after an EF5 tornado blew a path of destruction through Moore, Oklahoma on May 20, 2013, a little pit bull puppy was found in the rubble. It was a miracle he survived. Clearly, Little Man was meant to do big things. He was energetic, driven and oh-so-smart. Molly Gibb, a professional search-and-rescue volunteer, had been working with Animal Control and American Humane Rescue volunteers in the animal response efforts at the time. When he went unclaimed, she adopted him and their journey began. Today, he is a mature area and article search dog. With his athleticism, curiosity, problem-solving capacity and work ethic, he is solid in many types of conditions. His love of people is a strong motivator. On searches in rugged areas out of state, these qualities serve him well. Once, on the way to a search segment, he went off route into an unassigned area with such a change in behavior that Gibb read him to be on scent. Together with the group’s other dog, Poppy, they made a find. He’s great to read in the field…happy, clear. When he works as a helper dog for adjudicated and shelter dogs in need, a demo dog for Oklahoma Animal Control Association. classes on dog evals or participating in youth programs to learn about wilderness safety and disaster preparedness, he’s HAPPY. His mission is to pay it forward with integrity to those in need, be they people or other dogs. It’s about second chances, love and public service.
Remington (Montgomery, Texas) – K9 Remington is more than just a retired search and rescue K9; he is a cancer fighter and survivor, an advocate for retired K9s and for dogs to be in the fire service. Remi was nationally certified in human remains detection and worked many cases across the United States with Special K9s SAR. Remi has spent his entire life fighting for those who could not fight by assisting law enforcement in locating remains or evidence. His deployments range from missing people, cold cases, and Hurricane Harvey. When not on searches, he was at the New Caney Fire Department and later with Navasota Fire Department. He was a constant figure at public relations events, allowing people to learn about search and rescue, as well as fire safety. He brought comfort to firefighters after long shifts and rough calls. On June 19, 2019, Remi was medically retired after unexplained lameness. He was diagnosed with a puerperal nerve sheath tumor. Due to the financial burden, and his low chances of quality of life, euthanasia was advised. That’s when Jason Johnson, of Project K9 Hero, stepped in. He stated, “You let me worry about the money. Your job is to give Remi the fight he deserves.” Doctors with TAMU Veterinary Medical Teaching Hospital were able to save his life. All vet bills were paid by Project K9 Hero Donors. He still has cancer and is now a tripod, but he continues to live his life representing Project K9 Hero at events to raise awareness and funding for other retired K9s. Remi is more than a search dog; he is a HERO!
The Hero Dog Awards is celebrating its 10th anniversary of featuring America’s heroic hounds. Annually, the event garners more than one million votes and draws the support and participation of top celebrity dog lovers from all over the world. Hosts, judges, award presenters and entertainment acts over the years include Jay Leno, Billy Crystal, Betty White, Ariel Winter, Vivica A. Fox, Rebecca Romijn, Alison Sweeney, James Denton, Beth Stern, Bindi Irwin, Derek Hough, Richard Marx, Katharine McPhee, Michelle Beadle, Whoopi Goldberg, Denise Richards, Lisa Vanderpump, Chelsea Handler, Martin Short, Jewel, Wilson Phillips, John Ondrasik, Carson Kressley, Miranda Lambert, Pauley Perrette, Kristin Chenoweth, Naomi Judd, Eric Stonestreet, Danica McKellar, Shannen Doherty, Sarah Michelle Gellar and many, many more.
Key upcoming dates for the 2020 American Humane Hero Dog Awards (all rounds open and close at 12pm Pacific Time):
2nd Round Voting: Ends July 16
3rd Round Voting: July 30 – September 10
Hero Dog Awards Broadcast: Fall 2020, exact date/time to be announced
And because behind every hero pet is a hero vet or veterinary nurse, please be sure to cast a daily vote for your favorites in the 2020 American Humane Hero Veterinarian and Hero Veterinary Nurse Awards®, sponsored by Zoetis Petcare (a U.S. business unit of Zoetis), until August 13 at 12 pm Pacific Time right here: www.HeroVetAwards.org.
For more information about the 2020 American Humane Hero Dog Awards, and to vote daily, please visit www.herodogawards.org. For more information on sponsorship opportunities, please email Jill Nizan at [email protected] or call 1-800-227-4645.
About American Humane
American Humane is the country’s first national humane organization, founded in 1877. For more information, please visit www.americanhumane.org. Please follow us on Facebook and Twitter and to inquire about Hero Dog Awards sponsorship opportunities, please email Jill Nizan at [email protected].
About Hallmark Channel
Hallmark Channel, owned by Hallmark Cards, Inc., is Crown Media Family Networks’ flagship 24-hour cable television network. As the country’s leading destination for quality family entertainment, Hallmark Channel delivers on the 100-year legacy of the Hallmark brand. The network features an ambitious lineup of original content, including movies; scripted primetime series; annual pet specials including, “Kitten Bowl” and “American Rescue Dog Show”; and a daily, two-hour lifestyle show, “Home & Family.” Additionally, Hallmark Channel is the exclusive home to world premiere presentations of the acclaimed Hallmark Hall of Fame franchise. Dedicated to helping viewers celebrate life’s special moments, Hallmark Channel also offers annual holiday programming franchises including “Countdown to Christmas” and many other seasonal offerings. Rounding out the network’s diverse slate are some of television’s most beloved comedies and series, including “The Golden Girls” and “Frasier.”
For more information, please visit www.crownmediapress.com
To visit the network website, please visit www.hallmarkchannel.com
Hallmark Channel on Social Media: Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, YouTube
About World Pet Association
Founded in 1950, World Pet Association (WPA) is the pet industry’s oldest nonprofit organization. Based in Southern California, WPA coordinates industry-defining trade shows—SuperZoo, Atlanta Pet Fair & Conference and America’s Family Pet Expo, a consumer pet and pet product expo. Through WPA’s Good Works program, proceeds from these events are funneled back into key industry organizations and nonprofits with the goal of making it easier for pet industry professionals to do business. WPA’s mission is to support the business needs of pet retailers and to promote responsible growth and development of the pet industry by providing thought leadership on consumer and legislative issues; leading efforts in the public sector to inform consumers and ensure safe, healthy lifestyles for all animals; and provide business resources, education, content and services to ensure pet product retailers have the support they need to be competitive. For more information about WPA and industry events, visit www.worldpetassociation.org.
About Lulu’s Fund
Lulu’s Fund, which is part of the Timothy T. Day Foundation, was founded in 2012. Named after the Day’s beloved pug Lulu, Lulu’s Fund continues the Foundation’s ongoing commitment to supporting organizations in the animal rescue community throughout the United States. Organizations that receive support from Lulu’s Fund are primarily those that rescue abused, neglected and abandoned dogs. Their focus is to treat existing medical issues, provide spay and neuter services, place dogs in safe foster homes, and ultimately find forever homes for the animals. For more information about the Foundation, visit www.tdayfoundation.org.
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Cody here is a special pup because not only is he adorable, but he is currently training to be a lifesaving #servicedog for a #veteran struggling with PTS or TBI. Learn more about our #Pups4Patriots program, saving lives on both ends of the leash: https://bit.ly/2WSQ0fp
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Delicatessen Movie Review
Delicatessen Movie (1991)
‘Delicatessen’ was released in 1991 and was directed by Jean Pierre Jeunet and Marc Caro. Jeunet is probably the more famous of these two francophone directors, having brought us the abysmally awful ‘Alien: Ressurection’ (and the outstanding excellent ‘Amelie’). But in France the pair are collectively renowned for their directorial duties on the excellent ‘The City of Lost Children’ (1995). Having worked together on several projects, this movie marks their debut feature presentation, and incidentally picked up four Cesar awards in 1992. It’s also worth noting that Terry Gilliam helped promote this movie on its release, standing testament to its left field cult status.
Looking at the cast list, it reads as a veritable who’s who of quirky French cinema. In the lead we’ve got Dominique Pinon (‘Amelie’), who has gone from strength to strength since his performance in this movie. The highly experienced Jean Claude Dreyfus (‘Autumn’) takes on the co-lead role and again has fared well since his performance here. We’ve also got Marie-Laure Dougnac (‘Au Petite Marguery’), playing the part of Pinon’s female interest, but unfortunately she has not enjoyed the success of her male counterparts. Karin Viard (‘Paris’), Ticky Holgado (‘French Twist’) and Anne-Marie Pisani also make appearance, playing fairly secondary characters.
The plot is a little wacky to say the least and takes place during an unspecified time period in France (although it has the ambience of the early 30’s, during the onset of cultural revolution). Times are tough in the post apocalyptic setting, where food supplies have reached critical levels. Lentils are the primary source of currency and he who has food to sell, is king. We are introduced to the inhabitants of an apartment block, the ground floor of which comprises a butcher’s shop; abode of Clapet (Jean Claude Dreyfus), resident landlord and supplier of his tenants’ daily intake of fresh meat. But how, I hear you cry, does this man have such a ready supply of juicy red, when there aren’t even any rats to eat!! Well, in case you haven’t guessed, any gullible fool who crosses Clapet’s path could wind up on the menu.
Enter said gullible fool; Louison (Dominique Pinon), a former circus star, answers an ad from Clapet, who is seeking a janitor. After sizing up the unusual looking applicant, Clapet awards him the position. Louison goes about his daily business, making his acquaintances with all the slightly unhinged inhabitants of the apartment block. Although he makes new (faux) friends, he is unwittingly coming ever closer to his ultimate demise, like so many janitors before him. But Clapet’s daughter, the undeniably beautiful, yet completely short sighted, Julie, is not going to stand idly by and watch her father slay yet another hapless handyman; plus she has her heart set on the ex-clown as the man of her dreams. So, unbeknown to Louison, who is still slightly oblivious to the threat on his life to stay the hunger of his housemates, Julie begins to mount a rebellion against her father.
Standing as one of the most famous movies to come out of France before ‘Amelie’, ‘Delicatessen’ has always been a firm favourite of mine. Like many French movies, an alternate and fantastical world is created from scratch, to lay the foundations for the magical story that is about to be told. There’s no risk spent on an environment (real or unreal) that will not work, and this is an attention to detail in French movies that I continuously admire. Here, we are cast head first into one of most dreary and unappealing residencies on the planet; one of the seven levels of hell, where cannibalism is rife and people are willing to sell their own grannies to fill their empty bellies. But, despite the sinister overtones of the plot, the entire piece is presented in an amazingly jovial and entertaining manner, with this reviewer reminded of early silent movies on several occasions (and this is not a complaint). This has the effect of making every character in the movie incredibly likeable; an effect which is enhanced when they partake in a couple of almost musical set-pieces, which are a delight to watch. While the horror aspect is most definitely present, it’s not threatening but rather implies peril in a dramatic and almost panto-ish manner, which is much more tolerable. At base level this movie follows our hero and heroine as they do battle against the dark menace of the butcher and his wicked ways. A very heavy dose of black and physical comedy adds to the entertainment factor.
Caro and Jeunet build an environment where Louison brings his magic to the apartment block, thus brightening the lives of the inhabitants with comedy and routine (such as his Jake the Peg number). Standing as a ray of sunshine in a cloud of gloom, he captures the heart of Julie, the forlorn daughter of the maniacal butcher. But like a true gentleman, he does not make any moves but rather remains at a respectful distance, despite her obvious advances. It’s in this manner that the directors introduce an old fashioned romance to the hectic background created by the apartment block (degenerate) inhabitants. Caro and Jeunet’s amazing imaginations and inventiveness aside, the pair certainly know how to get the very best from their collective cast. In the lead role, the rubber faced Pinon is truly mesmerising and has the enviable gift, when he’s on screen, of attracting your attention and holding it. I could never put my finger on why this is but I think that it’s because not only is Pinon an exceptional physical actor, but he’s also fascinating to look at as well; he reminds me of a gurner and is someone I would definitely stare at if I passed him on the street. The monstrous Dreyfus projects a tyrannical persona and dominates the frame every time he comes into shot, spending his evenings greedily counting his money, as a true villain most certainly would. The demure Dougnac wonderfully conveys a beautiful (yet insecure) young woman, hiding the fact that she wears glasses in case Louison will find her unattractive. Both turn out very strong supporting roles, in perfect complement to Pinon’s star performance. In fact, I have to say that the cast are collectively impeccable, with the now iconic “bed springs” scene providing a chance for the cast to gel harmoniously in a silent (ish) spectacle (a scene that that has been often copied but never bettered). With so much hinging on the ability to create the illusion of a community forced to interact in a desperate situation, the casts’ performance certainly is flawless.
There are many strange movies out there but very few have been as successful as this one. This is largely a factor of the simplistic nature of the plot and characters. Caro and Jeunet have carved a microcosm of existence, where the main players live their lives based solely on survival and desperation; as exemplified by one crazy old man whose entire abode is given over to breed snails and frogs, which he consumes daily to the chagrin of his envious neighbours. While there are dark shades of suicide (compliments of the hilariously ineffective attempts of Aurore), a touch of introspective guilt (as exemplified by Julie’s nightmares) and a classic battle of “The Vegetarians” Vs. “The Meat Eaters”, the movie is at its core a good old fashioned love story, set to the timeless battle of good versus evil. This has been combined with some enchanting and well choreographed set pieces, which are enhanced by the visual flair of the directors. The style of the presentation is also something that you will not normally see, with heavy sepia tones adding to the fairytale aspect of the finished product. Throw in an impeccable cast (aside from the roof scene, which I always found a little silly and rife with ham) and a large measure of humour and you’ve got the perfect recipe. Timeless in every sense of the word, ‘Delicatessen’ is a movie that everyone should see at least once and it comes recommended here, and just scrapes an eight for its ingenuity and engrossing nature.
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by AVForums Dec 1, 2005
Forgive me for using the same text I've written before, but even after watching this movie now 5 times, I still feel the same way about it (although I think I really like Angelina in that basque and fishnets more somehow....). Anyway, here is what I've said before. Again.
Ahhh, married life eh? Now I don't know if you could call this an action movie with a romantic theme, but I have to say it's more like a romantic movie with a lot of action. Meet the Smiths, John (Pitt) and Jane (Jolie), the former works in construction and the latter works in computers. Well, that's what they tell everyone, including each other - when actually both are assassins who are hired by different agencies to undertake the required work. Married life for them however is a drag, as the above quote taken during the opening scene of their therapy illustrates. However, during a particular hit, their paths cross as one basically ruins the others target, although at this juncture they are still oblivious. Of course, after it all goes pear-shaped, they are quite rightly ticked off and have to find out who caused them this error, which of course goes down like a lead balloon. Cue numerous attacks on each other, from dinner time fiasco to elevator death traps, we follow their attempts at eliminating the competition (which they have been tasked to do) throughout the entire movie.
I wish, oh how I wish, I could write more of a synopsis than that, but that's the movie in a nut shell - we're a couple, oh we're assassins really, oh we've found out, oh let's kill each other. OK I'm omitting the ending part, but is it me or does it sound a little like War of the Roses, only with move guns and ammo and less black comedy? Well, it is actually quite funny in its own way, with John taking the brunt of the punch lines, from Jane planting her foot in his lower extremities after he's kicked her repeatedly in the stomach to her revealing she slept with 312 men (some were 2 at a time), the barbs certainly fly as much as the ammo does. While the first half of the movie concentrates on establishing the marriage, their jobs as assassins and how skilled they are in their profession, it still has a few action scenes - John and Jane both performing a hit and then the sequence of the hit gone wrong, but once we get to the scene where they go hell for leather in their home, it switches gear and becomes more action-oriented, but still with some of the one-liners intact, although these one liners have more in common with Barbara Rose than Arnold Schwarzenegger et al.
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Home › News & Blog › Company News & Events ›
Press Release: Research on the Effects of Putin’s Tax Reforms 2000-2012
Posted by Awara
Awara Publishes Research on the Effects of Putin’s Tax Reforms 2000 – 2012 on State Tax Revenue and GDP.
Russian state tax revenue increases 15-times in 12 years skyrocketing from 49 billion USD in 1999 to 743 billion USD in 2012
Introduction of the liberal 13 percent flat tax on personal income resulted in a 15-times increase of income tax revenue from 5 billion usd in 1999 to 76 billion 1999
Russian GDP up tenfold, 1000 percent, since Putin took office in 2000
Russia has achieved Putin’s 1999 goals of catching up in terms of GDP with European countries
Awara’s research shows Russia has the lowest taxes on payroll (labor) of all major economies
Awara’s research shows that the method of expressing GDP as “real GDP in constant prices” is flawed
Related Press Releases:
Awara to publish a book on Taxation in Russia – Awara Russian Tax Guide
Awara Releases Global Tax Survey – Awara Global Survey on Total Payroll Taxes 2014
After Vladimir Putin became president in 2000, Russia embarked on an ambitious reform of the country’s then deplorable tax system. Today, the tax reform stands out as the prime example of Russia’s success during the 12 years of reforms. The tax reform spearheaded by Putin means that Russia enjoys Europe’s most liberal system of taxation. Currently Russia has transparent tax laws and internationally low tax rates, which provide good incentives for hard work. The corporate profit tax rate is 20 percent, and, in taxation of personal income, Russian residents enjoy a record low 13 percent flat tax rate for all income brackets.
In 1999, before Putin first became president and prior to the onset of the tax reform, Russia’s total state revenue equaled 49 billion USD. In 2012, this figure had snowballed into 743 billion, representing an increase of more than 15 times in 13 years.
In 1999, the Russian state collected a mere 9 billion USD incorporate profit tax, but in 2012 the country raked in as much as 76 billion USD, an increase of more than 8 times compared to the year prior to the onset of reforms.
The introduction of the 13 percent flat tax on personal income in 2012 resulted in a 15-times increase of revenue on this tax to 76 billion from the 5 billion of year 1999.
Revenue on various sorts of taxes on natural resources filled state coffers with 79 billion USD in 2012, whereas the corresponding figure for 1999 was a mere 2 billion.
In the same period since Vladimir Putin first took office in year 2000 and largely due to the tax reform, Russian gross domestic product (GDP) in dollar terms has increased tenfold. At end of 1999 Russia’s nominal GDP was in US dollar terms 196 billion. By the end of 2012, the nominal GDP had risen to two trillions and 15 billion (2,015 billion), in other words a growth of more than 1000 percent in 12 years.
Expressing the GDP in PPP, the Russian economy grew from 870 billion USD in 1999 to 3,373 in 2012. By this measure, in 2012 Russia became Europe’s largest economy and the 5th largest economy in the world after the USA, China, India and Japan. In 1999 the GDP PPP per capita for Russia was 6,787 USD, while those in the comparison were: Portugal – 17,393, Spain – 21,009, UK – 23,784, France – 24,731. (Figure 19). By 2012, Russia had reached 23,501 per capita GDP measured in PPP. Thus Putin had realized even the most ambitious goal of catching up with the GDP levels that prevailed in 1999 in the leading Western nations. Russia’s per capita income now stands at less than half the level of the UK, while the gap in 1999 had measured 3.5 times.
Awara’s research exposes the flaws in measuring GDP “constant prices”, also falsely termed “Real GDP”. This is quite a misconceived method because it attempts to remove the effects of price inflation from the nominal GDP with a restatement of GDP expressed in the current year’s market prices by recalculating them with prices from a preceding year – the base year. The idea is that by the use of a so-called GDP deflator, which matches the prices to the base year prices, one would arrive at a measure of real change in economic output free from inflation. By doing so, this recalculation would yield something the economists want to call a “real GDP”, which would reflect only differences in output volume from year to year. But this is quite a remarkable undertaking to start with, because the GDP, gross domestic product, is by definition the market value of all (final) goods and services produced within a country. If you remove market values from the equation, then the result is not GDP any more but something else.
Awara’s global survey on payroll taxes shows that employees receive net in hand salaries that are only a fraction of what the employer must shell out on payroll. On average, taking an income level of 60 thousand euro p.a., the employer must pay 1.8 times the amount that is actually received by the employee. In the countries with the most punitive labor taxes, the employee’s take-home pay is only 40-43 percent of what the employer pays (Belgium, France and Italy). The survey found that of the world’s major economies, labor taxes are the lowest in Russia. You can read more about this in our press release on Awara Global Survey on Total Payroll Taxes here.
This research on the effects of Russia’s tax reforms 2000-2012 on state tax revenue and GDP is carried out in connection with the publication of the Awara Russian Tax Guide. Click here for the press release on the publishing of the Awara Russian Tax Guide.
How to Buy Awara Russian Tax Guide:
For inquiries about buy Awara Russian Tax Guide, please, contact:
publications@awaragroup.com
The book can also be ordered on Ruslania website (that is one of the largest whole sellers and distributors of Russian books and periodicals). Click here to buy the E-book and here to buy a printed version.
In this connection, Awara also publishes its global tax survey: AWARA GLOBAL SURVEY ON TOTAL PAY-ROLL TAXES 2014.The survey shows how Russia has the lowest payroll taxes of all major economies in the world. Click here for the press release on the Awara Global Survey on Total Payroll Taxes.
ABOUT Awara:
Awara is a leading foreign owned business administration services provider on the Russian market, serving international and local organizations and individual entrepreneurs. Our services comprise a wide array of advisory for strategic business development, establishment and investment, and the implementation and execution of our advice; covering all areas of:
Global call center: + 7 (495) 225 30 38
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Press Release: Global Tax Survey on Total Payroll Taxes 2014
Effects of Putin’s Tax Reforms 2000-2012 on State Tax Revenue and GDP
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Flag patch panama
Home/Panama flag patch
Panama flag patch
The flag of Panama is sectioned into four quarters. The top left and bottom right quarters are white. The top right section is red and the bottom left is blue. In the top left white section there is a blue, five-point star and in the bottom right white section there is a red, five-point star.
Meaning: The Panamanian flag's colors represent the two political parties of Panama, the Liberals (red) and the Conservatives (blue). The white symbolizes peace between them and the equal division of the colors states that they both govern the country at different times. The colors of the Panamanian flag also have alternative meanings. The blue represents the Pacific Ocean and Caribbean Sea and red stands for the blood spilt for Panama's independence. The blue star represents the civic virtues of purity and honesty and the red star symbolizes the authority of the law. Together they represent loyalty and resilience.
History: The current Panamanian flag was adopted on December 20, 1903, and provisionally approved in 1904 by the Constituent Assembly. It was not definitely approved until 1925. Panama was a colony of Spain from the 16th century until 1821, when independence was achieved. After independence from Spain, Panama joined Colombia as one of its provinces. Panama gained independence from Colombia on Nov. 3, 1903, with encouragement and military support from the United States. The U.S. then acquired permission to build the Panama Canal and paid $10 million U.S. and an annual fee of $250 000 per year. The Panama Canal, the land it is built on and the area surrounding it is leased to the U.S. and comes under direct United States control.
Interesting Facts: The Panamanian flag was designed by Mr. Manuel Amador Jr. and made by his wife Ms. Maria Ossa de Amador. The Panamanian flag is based on the design of the American flag (source: worldflags101).
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2002 Acura NSX fondly remembered in MotorWeek's retro clip
Chris Bruce
Mar 17th 2016 at 6:15PM
After a long wait, the new Acura NSX is finally here, but so far the latest generation is proving polarizing among enthusiasts. Whether it's complaints about the styling, the nearly $200,000 price, or the switch to hybrid power, nearly everyone seems to have a critique about the new sports coupe. That said, nostalgia for the original NSX remains strong, and the latest MotorWeek Retro Review of the 2002 model reminds us how different the new NSX is from the original.
The 2002 model year marked the NSX's transition from pop-up headlights to fixed units, and it also features less noticeable styling tweaks along the sides and at the rear. Behind the driver, there is a 3.2-liter V6 with 290 horsepower and 224 pound-feet of torque, and it routes through a six-speed manual to get the coupe to 60 miles per hour in five seconds. There was also an available automatic gearbox with a 3.0-liter V6 that made 252 hp and 210 lb-ft.
MotorWeek's review lavishes praise on the way the NSX drives by calling it "almost unflappable" and saying "body roll was almost nonexistent." With traction control off, the coupe changes character by becoming more twitchy and requiring that drivers use a careful balance of throttle and steering. Sounds perfect.
Easily the best part of the review is when MotorWeek claims that a second-generation NSX is on the way. Over a decade later, that vehicle is finally, almost, on sale. Will it live up to the red-hot NSX standard of yore? We're about to find out. If you need any more nostalgia, the show previously remembered the '91 NSX, too.
Acura NSX-T Information
Owner Ratings
More NSX-T Information
News Source: MotorWeek via YouTube
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Jessi Combs officially recognized by Guinness as the fastest woman on earth
Cause determined in Jessi Combs' fatal speed record crash
Jessi Combs' record attempt to be submitted for Guinness World Record
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BeachBoundBooks
Book Review/Author Interview Request Form
Flygirl by R.D. Kardon Cover Reveal
Commercial Fiction/Historical Fiction/Womens Fiction
It’s 1997. Women stand beside men in combat and fly fighter jets. Pilot Tris Miles is not content with her job as a First Officer for tiny Clear Sky Airlines. She wants to be a Captain—the only way she knows to prove her worth as a pilot and atone for a deadly mistake.
To further her career, Tris accepts a prestigious job with Tetrix, Inc. But her dream of becoming pilot-in-command twists into a nightmare.
As the company’s first woman pilot, she encounters resistance, marginalization and harassment on a daily basis. Fortunately Tris has one thing her co-workers can’t deny—skill.
When Tris finds herself in a crippled airplane thousands of miles from home she must prove she can lead. With her career on the line, can Tris earn the respect she’s been craving? And if this is the end, can she find the strength to forgive herself?
Advance Praise
Tris Miles is a heroine for our times. Set in the late 1990s, "Flygirl" by R.D. Kardon examines one tenacious woman's struggle to survive in a vocation dominated by men who want nothing more than to see her fail. Readers will fall in love with Tris who is a force to be reckoned with. Based on Kardon's own experiences as a female pilot, "Flygirl" is written with both authenticity and heart.
-- T. Greenwood, author of "Rust & Stardust," "Where I Lost Her," and "Two Rivers"
In R.D. Kardon's debut novel, she has created an inspirational character in Tris Miles. "Flygirl" is vivid, energetic and fast-paced. It is a story about striving to reach for your goals despite astronomical odds.
-- Jill G. Hall, author of "The Black Velvet Coat" and "The Silver Shoes"
"Flygirl" is an astounding peek behind the scenes of pilot life. You’ll have to fasten your seat belt when you read this riveting story as Tris Miles captivates and lifts you high above ground.
-- E.P. Sery, author of "The Scent of Heat"
Robin “R.D.” Kardon is a native New Yorker, educated in the New York City public school system. She attended New York University where she earned a B.A. in Journalism and Sociology, magna cum laude, and was a member of Phi Beta Kappa.
After college, Robin went to law school at The American University, Washington College of Law in Washington, D.C. There, she was a Moot Court champion and earned her J.D. Thus began her ten-year career as a commercial litigator.
Disillusioned with the law, Robin sought out another career and started training to become a pilot in 1991. She eventually earned her Certified Flight Instructor ratings, quit practicing, and started teaching to build flight time. Eventually, she worked as both a corporate and airline pilot, and has flown all kinds of aircraft from single-engine Cessnas to the Boeing 737 all over the US and the world. Robin has an FAA Airline Transport Pilot certificate with three Captain qualifications (type-ratings) and is also a Commercial/Instrument-rated helicopter pilot.
The tragedy of September 11, 2001 decimated the aviation industry. Unfortunately, Robin was furloughed from the airline job she held on that date, and her career never recovered from the blow. She left aviation voluntarily in 2004, and began a career as an executive search consultant specializing in helping companies hire in-house attorneys.
Flygirl existed for twenty years as 83 pages printed in WordPerfect on blue notepaper until Robin decided to finish the novel in 2015. After so many drafts and revisions she’s lost count, Flygirl enters the world on January 15, 2019 via Acorn Publishing, a hybrid imprint.
Facebook: R. D. Kardon Author
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Book Reviews, Author Interviews, Book Giveways
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Wallace and Gromit star dead at 96
Dr Alex Wodak on drug law reform
Shark attack - Ballina Mayor David Wright
Shark attack - Lifesaver Duty Officer Gary Meredith
Wallace from Wallace and Grommit dies
by The Sun
6th Jun 2017 3:03 PM
ACTOR Peter Sallis has died peacefully at the age of 96 with his family by his side, his agents have announced.
He was best known for his appearances in Last of the Summer Wine and also voicing the character of Wallace in Wallace and Gromit.
He died with his family at his side at Denville Hall - a care home for actors in Northwood, London - on Friday, reports The Sun.
Jonathan Altaras Associates released a statement saying: "It is with sadness that we announce that our client Peter Sallis died peacefully, with his family by his side, at Denville Hall on Friday, June 2."
Sallis became a household name in the UK as mild-mannered Norman Clegg in the comedy Last Of The Summer Wine, Britain's longest-running series.
But his role playing loveable inventor Wallace in Nick Park's animated films made his voice known around the world. Wallace and Gromit scooped two Oscars and Sallis was delighted to have such success late in life.
"It is pleasing knowing millions are going to see your work and enjoy it. To still be involved in a project like this at my age is heartwarming," he said. "To have a legacy like this is very comforting. I am very lucky to have been involved."
He was famous for his role in Last Of The Summer Wine, which started life as a Comedy Playhouse pilot in 1972 and became a series in 1973. Sallis was part of the original cast, playing mild-mannered Norman Clegg.
Other actors came and went but the classic line-up featured Sallis as Cleggy, Bill Owen as Compo and Brian Wilde as Foggy Dewhurst.
Peter Sallis, who voiced the beloved Wallace, the inventor who lived with his dog Gromit, has died at the age of 96. BBC
The Yorkshire-based series turned the trio, and Kathy Staff, who played Nora Batty, into household names.
When the show began, Sallis already had more than 25 years of acting experience under his belt.
Born in Twickenham, southwest London, his father was a bank manager and his mother was a housewife. He showed no interest in acting at school and his only link to the stage was his grandmother, who ran a theatrical boarding house in Northampton.
On leaving school he followed his father into a banking career with Barclays and might have stayed there for life were it not for the Second World War.
Sallis signed up for the RAF but failed his aircrew medical and instead became a radio instructor based at RAF Cranwell in Lincolnshire for the duration of the war.
It was at Cranwell that he was asked to appear in a performance of Hay Fever in 1943.
He caught the acting bug and when he was demobbed in 1946 he won a scholarship to Rada.
His first TV role came in 1947, playing Quince in a production of A Midsummer Night's Dream.
In his early career he concentrated on theatre work and appeared opposite Laurence Olivier, John Gielgud and Orson Welles.
During the 1950s and 1960s he worked steadily in a succession of TV shows, with minor parts in episodes of Z Cars, The Avengers and Doctor Who.
Sallis married an actor, Elaine Usher, in the 1950s and they had a son, Crispian, before divorcing in 1965.
This story originally appeared in The Sun and has been republished here with permission.
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When one door closed, another opened for actor turned pin-up
by Jenny Munro
28th Jun 2013 10:57 AM | Updated: 12:11 PM
IT'S been something of an atypical journey for this poster girl.
When Lulu La Rose (not her real name), a professional actress, returned to Australia after seven years of working with charities and non-government organisations in Africa, she was hit with a rude shock.
Expecting to return to her acting work, she found it hard to break back into the industry, because, she says, her age had reached a certain number.
"When I got back to Australia, I experienced ageism because I was turning 50," the Dundowran resident said.
"With a lot of people (in the acting industry), they see the number 50 and automatically the door shuts - they think you're over it."
So Lulu's career took an interesting twist.
Having always been interested in vintage fashion and retro pin-up posters, she decided to try "the next best thing" - and entered Miss Pinup Australia.
"I'd always followed this pin-up thing," Lulu said.
"This year they decided to have a Miss Prestige category, for people over 40, so I decided to give it a go."
Not only did she give it a go, she came away from the state finals earlier this year as Miss Prestige Pinup and went on to the national finals in May, where she finished runner-up.
As a result, Lulu won a professional photo shoot, among other prizes, and will soon be gracing the pages of various American pin-up magazines.
Lulu said the contest was not necessarily about beauty or looks.
"It's about confidence, styling - it's not a beauty contest, it's about how you present yourself in public," Lulu said.
"It's based on the authentic vintage look - not on who's the skinniest or who's the prettiest. That's why it's a good contest!
"And it's the only one in the world that does it like this."
Lulu said her family and friends were surprised by her new interest - but were supportive.
"Everyone was very surprised - especially my husband," she said.
"But he loves that era - cars, music etc - and comes along to all the events and things.
"He's my number one fan."
Lulu said anyone interested in entering next year's contest could find more information at www.misspinupaustralia.com.au.
Hervey Bay's Lulu La Rose has been making waves as a vintage pin-up girl, winning the Miss Prestige state title earlier this year. Contributed
dundowran
actor dundowran fashion and beauty hervey bay pin-up
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NEW AGE FOR DEMOCRACY: 16 year olds to vote in Welsh Assembly elections
Rhammel Afflick
Wednesday, 27 November 2019 / Published in News, Votes at 16
Assembly Members in Wales have granted 16 and 17 year olds the right to vote in Welsh Assembly elections and Welsh local council elections. The British Youth Council and Votes at 16 Coalition are celebrating the historical moment as a landmark in the campaign for Votes at 16 but call on the political parties in Westminster make this an equal right in all elections in the UK.
Lowering the voting age continues to be a priority for the British Youth Council and after over 23 years of campaigning for a lower voting age in all UK elections and referenda we’ll continue to call on politicians to restore equal parity of franchise for young people in others parts of the country. 1.4 million 16 and 17 year olds are being denied a vote in the upcoming snap election on Thursday 12th December 2019.
Speaking on behalf of the British Youth Council, Becca Moore, said: “Today we can celebrate a huge win for the thousands of 16 and 17 year olds in Wales who will now have a chance to vote in Welsh Assembly elections and Welsh local council elections for the first time in 2021.
“We’ll continue to call on politicians in every other part of the UK to ensure 16 and 17 year olds get a vote in all elections. It’s remarkable that we don’t have parity across the UK on this issue. Young people shouldn’t have unequal access to democracy and its imperative this is changed as soon as possible.”
The British Youth Council, which has been campaigning for the enfranchisement of 16 and 17 year olds since 1992, will call on the House of Commons to re-open the debate and introduce legislation to ensure equal voting rights following the General Election.
Find out more about the votes at 16 campaign.
Tagged under: Votes at 16, Wales, Welsh Assembly
Racism and religious discrimination to be examined by Youth Select Committee
British Youth Council reacts to Brexit “It’s still our future!”
British Youth Council condemns #PostBrexitRacism and hate against immigrants.
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Charles D. Calhoon, DDS, PA
Care and Comfort
Healthy Smiles Start Here.
Charles D. Calhoon, DDS
Meet Dr. Calhoon
Originally from Silver Spring, MD, Dr. Calhoon has lived in the Wilmington, Delaware area since 1993. After graduating from University of Maryland Baltimore College of Dental Surgery in 1989, he joined the United States Navy. He was stationed on the west coast for several years and enjoyed his time on the USS Denver, LPD and the USS John F. Kennedy CV 67. He was honorably discharged from the United States Naval Reserve with the rank of Lieutenant Commander and received the Navy Commendation Medal for his service aboard the USS John F. Kennedy CV 67. He eventually started private practice dentistry in 1995.
He has maintained his memberships in the American Dental Association and the Academy of General Dentistry since 1989. He earned his Fellowship in the Academy of General Dentistry in 1994 and his Mastership in the Academy of General Dentistry in 2013 by completing 1000 hours of continuing education credits. He has participated in the American Dental Association as both Alternate Delegate and Delegate since 2007. Additionally, he has been a member of the Delaware Dental Society since 1995 where he has served on various committees and councils. He was a member of the executive council of the Delaware State Dental Society from 1998-2008 and he served as President of Delaware’s Dental Society in 2006-2007.
During his free time, Dr. Calhoon enjoys fishing, boating, and participating in Driver’s Education Events with the Porsche Club of America. He is an active supporter of Give Kids a Smile and Family Promise of Northern New Castle County. He enjoys traveling and spending time with his wife and three children.
Serving The Following Locations:
Bear DE • Middletown DE • Newark DE • Wilmington DE • Hockessin DE • Landenberg PA • New Castle DE • Elkton MD
4600 New Linden Hill Road, Suite 102
Tel: Wilmington Office Phone Number 302-731-0202 Fax: 302-482-1507
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Master of measurement receives top international award
This article was published on 30 November 2017
New Zealand scientist Dr Chris Sutton has been awarded one of the world’s top honours in the field of metrology, the science of measurement.
Yesterday evening Chris Sutton received this year’s Asia Pacific Metrology Programme (APMP) Award at the APMP’s General Assembly in India for his "significant contribution to the development of metrology in the Asia Pacific region."
Among Chris’s achievements is making the trusty kilogram trustier, by creating a new version of a super-precise weight-measuring instrument, the Kibble balance.
In 1999 Chris was also involved in negotiating and signing one of the world’s key metrology agreements, the International Committee for Weights and Measures’ Mutual Recognition Agreement.
Metrology is critical to New Zealand’s economy and society, as it supports the measurements that are vital to our exports being accepted internationally, among many other things. New Zealand’s national metrology institute is the Measurement Standards Laboratory (MSL), part of Callaghan Innovation. This is where Dr Sutton is developing the new Kibble balance, which is much simpler than current versions of the instrument. The balance will be used to calculate the kilogram when that stops being based on the weight of a piece of metal in Paris and is defined by a fundamental constant of nature. This is expected to happen in 2019.
Dr Sutton says other Kibble balances have problems with magnetic fields, which can create tiny biases.
“A key feature of the MSL Kibble balance design is that there are no interfering magnetic fields. This will help metrologists around the world weigh more accurately.
“Ultimately, that’ll mean you can be more confident that the kilo of cheese you’re buying at the supermarket really does weigh that.”
Dr Sutton’s other scientific achievements include correcting errors in measuring distances with lasers, improving pressure measurements using pressure balances and finding a better way of comparing measurements internationally. He has published about 100 scientific papers.
Dr Fleur Francois, MSL’s director, says the APMP Award is one of the highest honours a metrologist can get.
“It’s a tribute to his work not just as a scientist, in a 45-year career, but also for his contribution to setting up international agreements on metrology. These allow countries to recognise each other’s measurements, which is very important for trade, for example.”
Chris completed his PhD in solid state physics at Victoria University, then looked for a job.
“I wanted to work in the real world. It’s a bit of a cliché, but I wanted to make a difference."
Chris was formerly New Zealand’s Chief Metrologist and Director of MSL. He is currently chair of the international technical group that oversees the mutual recognition of each country’s ability to measure mass.
About the APMP
The Asia Pacific Metrology Programme (APMP) is a grouping of national metrology institutes from the Asia-Pacific region, including MSL. The institutes are responsible for maintaining each country’s measurement standards.
Measurement Standards Laboratory (MSL)
MSL is New Zealand’s national metrology institute responsible for the provision of physical measurement standards in New Zealand.
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Call Mike Winters Today | 717-584-1895
PFA Matters
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You Have A Right To Remain Silent. Before You Decide To Talk, Call Mike Winters.
» PA SUPREME COURT RESTRICTS POLICE AUTHORITY TO SEARCH VEHICLES
PA SUPREME COURT RESTRICTS POLICE AUTHORITY TO SEARCH VEHICLES
by michaelwinters | Dec 22, 2020 | Firm News
Today, the PA Supreme Court held that in order to conduct a warrantless search of an automobile in PA, police need both probable cause and exigent circumstances, expressly overruling the Court’s prior decision in Commonwealth v. Gary, 91 A.3d 102 (Pa. 2014) which permitted a warrantless search of a vehicle based on probable cause alone.
In Commonwealth v. Alexander, No. 30 EAP 2019 (December 22, 2020), Justice Donohue authored the majority opinion, stating that “Article I, Section 8 [of the PA Constitution] must be read in conjunction with more abstract considerations of how far the government may encroach on the rights of citizens.” In doing so, the majority held that the PA Constitution “affords greater protection to our citizens than the Fourth Amendment [of the U.S. Constitution]” and that “warrantless vehicle searches require both probable cause and exigent circumstances; ‘one without the other is insufficient.’” (citation omitted.)
In Alexander’s case, officers smelled marijuana after stopping his vehicle. Alexander informed them that he and his female passenger, who owned the vehicle, had just smoked a blunt. Alexander was arrested and placed in the police car and his passenger was also removed from the car.
The officers searched the interior for more marijuana but found only a metal box behind the driver’s seat. The box opened with a key Alexander had on his keychain and contained bundles of heroin. Alexander was charged with possession with intent to deliver and filed a suppression motion challenging the search, which was denied by the trial court. He was thereafter convicted of possession with intent to deliver after a bench trial.
Alexander appealed his conviction to the Superior Court which upheld the trial court’s decision regarding the legality of the search. He thereafter appealed to the PA Supreme Court, asking that Court to overrule or limit the Gary decision.
In choosing to overrule Gary the PA Supreme Court, though requiring the showing of exigent circumstances in addition to probable cause, did not “offer a definition of exigency that will apply to all scenarios.” It did acknowledge that “the basic formulation of exigencies recognizes that in some circumstances ‘the exigencies of the situation make the needs of law enforcement so compelling that the warrantless search is objectively reasonable under the Fourth Amendment.’”
Although the Alexander Court implicitly recognized that its decision will, most certainly, generate more litigation concerning the “[d]ifficulties in clarifying the scope of the exigency requirement” as well as “what exactly the PA Constitution demands in a given situation,” the Court’s response was a rather direct, “so what?”
In reaffirming the rights of the Commonwealth’s citizens to be free from unreasonable searches and seizures, the Court concluded that “[t]he long history of [the PA Constitution] and its heightened privacy protections” did not permit the Court to “carry forward a bright-line rule that gives short shrift to citizens’ privacy rights.”
http://www.pacourts.us/assets/opinions/Supreme/out/J-51-2020mo%20-%20104639940122582972.pdf?cb=1
PA Drug Delivery Resulting in Death statute requires the drug delivery be made in PA
Establishing self-defense in an assault case
Juvenile crime: why a second-chance approach commonly features
POLICE OFFICER MAY BE A LAY WITNESS and an EXPERT WITNESS IN THE SAME CASE, BUT THEY CANNOT TELL THE JURY WHO OR WHAT TO BELIEVE
Get The Personal Attention You Need For Your Case
Mike Winters is a dedicated attorney that knows the ins and outs of the criminal justice system in Pennsylvania. If you need his assistance, call him at 717-584-1895 or fill out the contact form to send an email.
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© 2021 The Law Office Of Michael T. Winters. All Rights Reserved.
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Ingo Arndt's pumas in Patagonia
The lens behind Ingo Arndt's award-winning puma shots
Fur flies as a female puma called Sarmiento launches her attack on a full-grown male guanaco. Wildlife photographer Ingo Arndt spent months tracking pumas in Chile's Patagonia region before capturing this award-winning shot. Taken on a Canon EOS-1D X Mark II (now succeeded by the Canon EOS-1D X Mark III) with a Canon EF 600mm f/4L IS II USM lens (now succeeded by the Canon EF 600mm f/4L IS III USM) and a Canon Extender EF 1.4x III at 1/3000 sec, f/4 and ISO1000. © Ingo Arndt Photography
When Ingo Arndt looked at the photo of a puma he'd just taken during a dramatic hunt in the mountains of Chile's Patagonia region, he told his trackers he thought it was a prizewinner. A year later he was proved right, when the shot earned him a prestigious Wildlife Photographer of the Year award.
After enduring seven months of extreme cold and biting winds while tracking wild pumas in Torres del Paine National Park, the German wildlife photographer was rewarded with not one, but two prizes in the 2019 competition: joint winner in the Mammals Behaviour category for the hunting shot and highly commended in the Animal Portraits category for a delicate portrayal of puma family life. He also won the People's Choice Award for a third puma shot – and all three images were captured on a Canon EOS-1D X Mark II (now succeeded by the Canon EOS-1D X Mark III) paired with a Canon EF 600mm f/4L IS II USM lens (now succeeded by the Canon EF 600mm f/4L IS III USM).
While the notoriously private animals had been photographed in the wild before, many of the images had been taken with camera traps. "My plan was to photograph the first complete puma story, behind the camera," Ingo says. "Complete means as much behaviour as you can show, so that includes mothers raising their cubs and hunting."
Ingo, who has photographed wildlife across the globe for publications including GEO and National Geographic, had to be careful with his kit choice for the challenge. He needed a lightweight and versatile lens that would be able to deliver in the difficult conditions. Here, he explains why the high-performance but lightweight Canon EF 600mm f/4L IS II USM lens was the perfect choice for photographing these elusive big cats at the end of the earth.
Ingo's photograph of a female puma with her two four-month-old cubs was highly commended in the Animal Portraits category of the 2019 Wildlife Photographer of the Year awards. "You need a good knowledge of the animal that you're going to try and photograph," says Ingo. "You need to have a feeling for it and what it will do next." Taken on a Canon EOS-1D X Mark II with a Canon EF 600mm f/4L IS II USM lens and a Canon Extender EF 1.4x III at 1/1500 sec, f/5.6 and ISO1000. © Ingo Arndt Photography
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Tracking Patagonia's big cats
Photographing the Patagonian predators proved to be both time-consuming and expensive – Ingo took seven trips, ranging from two weeks to three months in duration – with remote accommodation, vehicles, permits and expert trackers to pay for. Initially self-funded, he gained support from sports brand PUMA and was commissioned by National Geographic, which allowed him to dedicate time in the field, working alongside his wife Silke, who shoots video.
"It's hard to find pumas, so you need a lot of experience or very good trackers," says Ingo. "The problem is, you never find pumas in the same place. In this region, there are a lot of caves, rocks and vegetation where they can hide. When you leave at night, they go hunting, so they move, and the next day you have to start from the beginning."
Colmillo, a female puma, with her three-month-old cubs, who are just old enough to walk around with her. "The good thing about spending so much time with the same pumas was that they got used to me, so I could get closer," says Ingo. Taken on a Canon EOS-1D X (now succeeded by the Canon EOS-1D X Mark III) with a Canon EF 600mm f/4L IS II USM lens and a Canon Extender EF 1.4x III at 1/1500 sec, f/5.6 and ISO800. © Ingo Arndt Photography
Ingo photographing sleeping pumas in the rugged terrain of Torres del Paine National Park. The light weight of the Canon EF 600mm f/4L IS II USM lens meant it could be transported easily between locations. "You can't carry two lenses in a backpack and walk for 20km," says Ingo. © Jorge Cardenas
With a minimum home range of 25km², pumas can cover some ground – meaning Ingo had to as well. "It was hard work. On some days, we had to walk 20km up and down the hills without trails," he says. "Then I only carried the Canon EF 600mm f/4L IS II USM lens with a Canon EOS-1D X Mark II – and maybe the Canon EF 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L IS II USM lens. Everything else was left in the car to save weight." While some lenses were simply too heavy to carry all day, the Canon EF 600mm f/4L IS II USM lens' lightweight design and weather-resistant build meant Ingo could carry it for hours across the rugged terrain.
While Ingo primarily used a tripod, he was also able to lean on fences and logs for shake-free shots, due to the Canon EF 600mm f/4L IS II USM lens' 4-stop Image Stabilizer technology. This, coupled with its fast aperture, also gave him particular flexibility covering action in low light. "The Canon EF 600mm f/4L IS II USM lens is very fast for action photography and absolutely sharp," he says. "The quality is stunning even with an open aperture, which was important for shooting the pumas early in the morning or in the evening, when there was little light."
One of Sarmiento's two cubs, aged about 10 months, stares down the lens. "When you photograph lions in Africa or tigers in India, you're in a car. If you're lucky, it works; if not, you're often frustrated. Here you can walk with pumas and get in position for the best shots," says Ingo. "You have to be careful, because these cats are wild and dangerous, but it's an unbeatable experience." Taken on a Canon EOS-1D X Mark II with a Canon EF 600mm f/4L IS II USM lens and Canon Extender EF 1.4x III at 1/750 sec, f/8 and ISO2500. © Ingo Arndt Photography
High-octane hunting sequences
To compile a full profile of the pumas' behaviour in the wild, Ingo needed to photograph them hunting. The big cats' favoured prey is guanaco, a large South American mammal closely related to the llama, but capturing a kill proved to be a challenge. "I spent five months trying to get a photograph of a puma hunting a guanaco," he laughs. "For my story, it was the most important picture. Many times, I was close, but something always went wrong. Sometimes you have waited for hours, and the puma is 20m away from the guanaco, and on the final jump another guanaco sounds a warning call… We had a lot of frustrating days."
Inside the nest: macro shots of wild honeybees
Discover how wildlife photographer Ingo Arndt is using an EOS 5DS R and Canon Speedlites to capture the secret lives of bees – in his garden.
One day, Ingo's trackers spotted a female puma called Sarmiento resting alone on a hillside. They knew if she had left her cubs there was a good chance she was going to hunt. After watching her for about an hour, they saw her stalking a large male guanaco. Ingo's trackers got into position while he moved closer to the guanaco. Unable to see the well-camouflaged puma, he followed her prey and listened to his radio as the trackers observed her getting closer and closer.
"I focused on the guanaco's neck, he says. "Maybe 10 seconds later, I saw the puma jump, and I took as many pictures as I could – the Canon EOS-1D X Mark II shoots 14fps in Burst mode, 16fps in Live View. I was concentrating so hard I didn't really see what was happening. I took about 60 pictures in four and a half seconds.
"I used the AF tracking to follow the action and change the focusing points, which was very helpful. With the Canon EF 600mm f/4L IS II USM lens, I was shooting at f/4 and 1/3000 sec, so you don't have much depth of field. All the pictures I shot during that hunt were sharp – it was amazing."
Ingo immediately knew he'd got the shot. "I said to my trackers, 'This picture will win an award, I'm pretty sure'. I've been doing this for 30 years and sometimes you can see that something has a big chance. It really was a special moment. We celebrated into the night."
Courting pumas often travel the landscape together for several days and Ingo even managed to photograph the animals mating, which meant spending a lot of time in the same location. The 4-stop Image Stabilizer in the Canon EF 600mm f/4L IS II USM lens, combined with its fast aperture, made it ideal for capturing shots in low light. Taken on a Canon EOS-1D X Mark II at 1/5000 sec, f/8 and ISO800. © Ingo Arndt Photography
Sarmiento and her two almost adult cubs, aged about 14 months, relaxing in the sun on a grassy mountainside. The Canon EF 600mm f/4L IS II USM lens and a Canon Extender EF 1.4x III enabled Ingo to maintain his distance and avoid scaring the pumas while photographing their natural behaviour. Taken on a Canon EOS-1D X Mark II at 1/1500 sec, f/8 and ISO800. © Ingo Arndt Photography
Capturing family behaviour through a telephoto lens
Over seven months Ingo photographed 18 different pumas, but he focused on documenting two mothers – Sarmiento and Colmillo – and their cubs. The cats became used to Ingo's presence, allowing him to capture intimate images – although it was always important to shoot from a distance with the telephoto lens.
"Most of the time I used a Canon Extender EF 1.4x III with the Canon EF 600mm f/4L IS II USM lens, because you have to stay back a little to see natural behaviour," says Ingo. "Sometimes it's possible to get closer, but then the mother will not show you the cubs or the animals look nervous. I wanted to show natural-looking pumas – not scared ones. Without the Canon Extender EF 1.4x III, the cubs would never be seen so exposed on a rock. If you go too close, even if they know you, they will hide in the vegetation. To see them in the open is like winning the lottery."
It was these moments, when Ingo felt a connection with the wild pumas and captured never-before-seen behaviour, that made it his favourite story to date. "To me, the puma is the most elegant of all the big cats," he says. "They are so beautiful. I was standing right in front of them, which gives you a little kick. And then I had this dramatic, wild, beautiful landscape in southern Chile – I've never seen a landscape like it before. When you're shooting a beautiful cat like a puma in that landscape, you cannot beat it."
Autor Lucy Fulford
Ingo Arndt's kitbag
The key kit pros use to take their photographs
The successor to the Canon EOS-1D X Mark II that Ingo favours offers the ultimate creative toolkit, with superb low-light performance, deep learning AF and 5.5K RAW video.
Canon EF 600mm f/4L IS III USM
The successor to the Canon EF 600mm f/4L IS II USM lens that Ingo loves is super lightweight and perfect for professional wildlife, sports and news photographers. "All the pictures I shot during that hunt were sharp – it was amazing," says Ingo.
Canon EF 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L IS II USM
A professional L-series sports and wildlife zoom with Image Stabilizer and ASC coating for superb sharpness.
Canon Extender EF 1.4x III
Ideal for press, sports and nature photography, this compact extender increases the focal length of Canon L-series telephoto or telephoto zoom lenses by a factor of 1.4x, with higher AF accuracy and improved communication between camera and lens. "You have to stay back a little to see natural behaviour," says Ingo.
Bird photography with Canon's EF 600mm f/4L IS III USM
Bird photographer Markus Varesvuo shares tips and talks about photographing the white-tailed eagle in action.
7 ways to make money from wildlife photography
Wildlife photographers Marina Cano, Vladimir Medvedev and Radomir Jakubowski share how they earn money photographing nature.
Wild at heart: what to look for in a telephoto lens
Wildlife photographer Marina Cano shares her top five tips for choosing a pro telephoto lens.
Photographing jungle cats with the Canon EOS-1D X Mark III
Wildlife photographer Thorsten Milse captures elusive jaguar, ocelots and giant otters in low light with Canon's new flagship action camera.
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China Bat Signs New Partnership Deal; Shares Soar 40% After-hours
China Bat said the cooperation between the two companies would include business communication, technical support, marketing, and resource sharing.
China Bat Group Inc. (Nasdaq: GLG), which rents luxury cars in China, announced late today that its primary subsidiary signed a two-year agreement with the Liten Group Co. Ltd. to align their automobile operations.
The Beijing-based company said the agreement with Liten would cover automobile sourcing channels, auto finance, and car rental services. Liten is a privately held company that specializes in high-end automobile retail and operates an automobile theme park, Dream Factory.
The news of the agreement was welcomed by investors. Shares in China Bat soared 40 percent after-hours today to $2.85 per share. Earlier, the company had closed up 5 percent to end the trading day at $2.03 per share.
“We are pleased to partner with the Liten Group in a long-term strategic relationship as we leverage our Batcar brand and digital platform to provide a unique experience for luxurious car rentals,” said Jiaxi Gao, chief executive officer and president of China Bat. “The Liten Group has consistently been on the forefront of trends in the automotive industry as an established award-winning industry player and we believe Liten Group’s trust in us is a testament to our capabilities and an exciting privilege for us.”
In its announcement, China Bat said the cooperation between the two companies would include business communication, technical support, marketing, and resource sharing.
With headquarters in Wenzhou, Liten has more than 20 subsidiaries with 1,300 employees.
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Japan’s Air Cargo Volumes Face Contraction
China’s continuing economic downturn will have a negative effect on Japan’s international air cargo volumes, which are expected to contract for the first time in two years, Nittsu Research Institute and Consulting Inc. (NRIC) said in a report.
Japan’s air cargo volumes are dropping - company courtesy
´The Tokyo-based firm which is a subsidiary of Japan’s leading freight forwarder Nippon Express, revised its previous fiscal 2015 forecast of a 3.8% decline to 5.4% as Japan feels the effects of the economic slowdown in China, one of its largest trading partners.
Air cargo exports are projected to decline 6.4% from a year earlier to 1 million tonnes, while air cargo imports are projected to shrink 4.4% to 1.1 million tonnes.
Victim of Chinese economic weakness
NRIC had previously forecast a 4.6% decline in exports and a 3% drop in imports.
In fiscal 2014, Japan’s air cargo trade with foreign countries expanded 4.2% year over year, with exports up a massive 15.4%, which offset an import drop of 4.7%.
China’s economic decline has caused Asia-Pacific air carriers’ traffic year over year to drop 2% in July and 1% in August, the most recent months for which data is available.
Nol van Fenema
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ATCA Sondheim Panel
Five Actors Discuss Their Iconic Roles
By: Charles Giuliano - Nov 07, 2017
Myers, Ralston and Cariou. Giuliano photos,
A nightclub on Sunday morning.
Moderator Rick Pender,
Len Cariou.
Cariou is a character in the TV series Blue Bloods.
He performed in a famous flop.
Pamela Myers earned a Tony niomination for Company.
Kurt Peterson called his friends to join him.
Peterson is a producer as well as performer.
Peterson's CD with the late Victoria Mallory.
Myers and Terri Ralston.
Peterson and Evans.
Sharing memorie.
Sherry Eaker joined the panel for a photo op.
Memories of a Sunday Morning with Stephen.
Last week, the American Theatre Critics met for a three day, mini conference in New York. The event featured meetings, panels, tours, lunch with the stars at Sardi’s, and shows on Broadway. Considering the distance and commitment of travel some delegates came early and stayed late.
The organizers, spearheaded by Sherry Eaker, and the NY committee, hope that the members will return home and file reports. Press agents were generous in providing comps to several hit shows. Some had just opened or were in previews.
As has become a tradition the conference wound down with bagels and coffee at the nightclub/ cabaret “Don’t Tell Mama.” Previously, we had enjoyed sessions with cabaret performers, a specialty of Eaker.
This time, however, she called on actor and producer, Kurt Peterson, coordinating with critic/moderator, Rick Pender, to create a panel focused on Stephen Sondheim.
The final morning session, often a tough sell this time competing with the NY Marathon, resulted in a packed and rapt room full of theatre critics.
Now 87, Stephen Sondheim is the foremost national treasure of American musical theatre. The word ‘genius’ was often heard during the sublime and insightful dialogue.
In a remarkable career he has earned an Academy Award, eight Tony Awards, a special Tony for Lifetime Acheivement, eight Grammy Awards, a Pulitzer Prize, a Laurence Olivier Award, and 2015 Presidential Medal of Freedom.
Working with Leonard Bernsetein, as the protégée of Oscar Hammerstein, he wrote the lyrics of West Side Story (1957). It was followed by lyrics for Gypsy with music by Jule Styne (1959).
Previously he wrote Saturday Night (1954 produced in 1997). His first successful effort as composer and lyricist was A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum (1962).
After three hits he wrote the flop Anyone Can Whistle (1964). It closed after nine performances and 12 previews. It is most notable for introducing Angela Lansbury to Broadway.
That experience was vividly recalled by Harvey Evans. When the show closed Sondheim apologized to the cast for “Not Writing a Better Show.” It led to him originating the role of Young Buddy in Follies (1971) with Peterson as Young Ben.
Evans originated the role of Barnaby in Hello Dolly and had other Broadway shows including Barnum, Sunset Boulevard, The Scarlet Pimpernel and 2002’s revival of Oklahoma. Looking back, however, Evans was emphatic in stating how working with Sondheim on a failed show was the keystone of a career in theatre.
It was a theme that surfaced in the recollections of Peterson, Evans, Pamela Myers, Len Cariou, and Teri Ralston.
In recounting tales of such iconic works and roles it was often astonishing to learn of the near misses and crap shoot of producing for Broadway.
Ralston revealed being young and naïve when, fresh out of college, she was in a production of Jacques Brell is Alive and Well and Living in Paris. She switched coasts and arrived with no work in New York. Auditioning for Company she had never heard of Sondheim. Initially, she was given a short, let's wait and see, contract.
When the show garnered great reviews and was a hit Ralston was offered a one year contract. Amazingly, she recalled not wanting to be tied up for that long. When she balked, insisting to the audience that she wasn’t playing games, more money was offered.
Looking back that show changed not just her life and career but the entire genre of musical theatre. “It opened the door for later experimental shows including Hamilton.” She did a year with Company on Broadway and then another year with the show in London. Later she originated the role of Mrs. Nordstrom in A Little Night Music (1973). She went on to a career as director and teacher including a number of Sondheim productions.
From all of the actors there were anecdotes of the challenges of mastering the difficult music. During rehearsals Sondheim never contradicted the director in the presence of the cast. There was also discussion of the seminal role of producer Hal Prince most notably for his brilliance in casting.
We learned that Sondheim composed a number of songs for specific actors. Myers was unequivocal in expressing that “Another Hundred People” in Company launched her career. The song and role earned her a Tony nomination for a supporting actress. She told us how the song expresses just how much she loves being a New Yorker. In regional theatre she has had roles in Sunday in the Park with George, Rose in Gypsy and Mrs. Lovett in Sweeney Todd as well as the 2002 revival of Into the Woods.
The career of Kurt Peterson began when he played Tony in the 1968 revival of West Side Story at Lincoln Center. During the audition Prince asked his age? “I’ll be 23 in February” he answered. Prince said “I didn’t hear that. You’re 22.” The night before he had been on a bit of a bender and leaving the audition he recalled that his toothbrush fell on the floor.
After what started as a promising career there are gaps in his resume. There was a period of professional doubt before launching a career as a producer as well as performer. That included the legendary concert A Musical Tribute in 1973 which almost didn’t happen. An all star group was assembled including Ethel Merman who dropped out to attend a birthday party in Florida. The original director wanted to create a musical drama. Sondheim said “no way” and the next day flew in a London based director who was familiar with the tribute concert format.
There was an emotional moment when looking around at the other four artists he had brought together Peterson commented on how many of the Sondheim family are no longer with us. Reaching into his pocket he pulled out the CD he made with the late Victoria Mallory, When Everything Was Possible. Early on she had been a girlfriend but they remained friends after they parted. He dedicated the event to her memory.
Today Len Cariou is best known for his role as the grandfather in the hit family cop show Blue Bloods.
As a young actor he was working in regional theatre. He was assistant artistic director of the Guthrie and in a production of Oedipus Rex when told that Sondheim had written a musical for him called Sweeney Todd opposite Angela Lansbury, In 1969 he had debuted on Broadway and won awards for Henry V and Applause for which he earned a Tony nomination. He originated the role of Frererik Egerman in Sondheim’s A Little Night Music (1973).
Six years later there was a conundrum when he got called for Sweeney Todd. Initially, because of the Guthrie conflict, he turned down the offer. Then there were rewrites and delays. By then Oedipus was nearing production. Again there was an offer.
“There was a compromise” Cariou said. “I was committed to four performances a week so I asked if I could do them on the weekend. On Mondays I flew to NY for rehearsals.”
Also there were problems with Lansbury who didn’t want to play Mrs. Lovett so dark. It is after all a gruesome play. She was on the edge of termination when there was a blowup that keyed her performance.
During a visit to London Sondheim had attended a production of the play Sweeney Todd. He inquired about acquiring the rights. In negotiation Prince was told by an agent that a composer had already been approached.
“Perhaps you didn’t hear me” was the next exchange. “Stephen Sondheim wants to turn it into a musical.”
Given its very challenging theme and content Sondheim was elated by the audience and critical reception. “They got it” he exclaimed as Cariou told us.
Asked about his most memorable and career shaping roles, without skipping a beat, Cariou stated “King Lear" and Sweeney Todd.”
There was a knowing sigh from critics in the room who have grow up and old with Sondheim. It has shaped so much of how we think about theatre. By the way, back in the day, Sondheim was an undergraduate at Williams College. That's just a hop skip and a jump down the road from where I am writing this piece.
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"Bravo, Charles! What a well written and informative article. And I was there !"
Posted By: Sandy Katz on 11-07-2017, 08:46 pm
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Border Ramblings
London Calling - Cordwainers, Coachmen & Artists
W J Shayer 1881 - 1892 - The Age of the Brighton Coach
I am really enjoying the Beeb’s latest offering the ‘Victorian House’ which delves into the traditional skills and ethos that formed the basis of the ‘Arts & Crafts Movement’ and puts them into practice in the restoration of traditional Victorian country house. Think of the colours and patterns of William Morris, the art and vision of John Ruskin and iconic stores in London such as Heal’s and Liberty and the picture will start to emerge.
Day Dream Tourist https://daydreamtourist.com/2014/12/09/william-morris/William Morris, “Honeysuckle fabric” (Photo: Victoria & Albert Museum)
It ran in my mind that a branch of my own family had been involved in the artistic movement of the age, but unsure as to the extent set off to investigate. What emerged was a family surrounded by artists and artisans who were enmeshed in the social reforms of the late Victorian period to an extent more far-reaching than I had previously realised. Added to this is an interesting back-story of loss and family that has not only been missed by all other family history researchers to date, but where it appears in online trees their history has also been portrayed inaccurately. It appears to be a typical case of records and dates being made to fit without corroborating the evidence. It is a sad fact that if there are 14 trees with the same information and one that dares to be different, human nature is (often mistakenly) drawn to the consensus of opinion. This blog is intended to illustrate how some fairly basic research techniques can help avoid these pitfalls, fill the gaps in knowledge, and to share the parts of this family’s story that appear to have been missed.
The starting point for this research was my 4th times great aunt Mary Ann Eliza Egerton, the third of 4 children born to 4th great grandfather James Egerton and his wife Alice Spriggins. In Nov 1840 Mary Ann Eliza married artist Henry George Hine at St Marks, Kennington, Surrey. Henry George Hine began his career as an illustrator for Punch magazine but became most well known for his landscape paintings of Sussex and Northumberland. He the son of Hampshire born William Hine who worked his way up from an agricultural labourer to become a Coach Proprietor on the London to Brighton route until his death in 1846.
Henry George Hine, York Minster, 1888
Mary Ann Eliza Egerton and her siblings were all christened in London between 1814 and 1826. Although their parents address, and father’s occupation is different each time, family activity prior to these dates appears to be centred round the ancient church of St Giles, Cripplegate, London.
Of the 14 online public trees that appear on Ancestry – only 1 has spotted the 4th child! This is probably due to the the age that appears in the transcript attached to her marriage record in 1862 to William Henry Huckwell. Checking the original document it reads ‘age 21 and upward’. This along with the phrase ‘of full age’ is fairly typical of marriage records at this time and should not be taken literally. A simple check of the census records following her marriage confirms her date and place of birth and that her age at marriage was actually 39.
The Egerton children’s father James is recorded as a ‘Trimming Maker’ in 1814, a ‘Boot Maker’ in 1815, a ‘Traveller’ in 1817, but by 1823 he was a ‘Coachman’. By the time of his son James John’s marriage in 1840 his father’s occupation had risen to that of ‘Coach Proprietor’. Of the same 14 online trees 8 give no date of death for James and 6 state it to have been in 1829. This date is wrong – although his demise was still before the advent of Civil Registration, a check of the newspapers graphically describes the tragic circumstances in which his untimely death occurred.
Reproduced courtesy of the British Newspaper Archive; The Maidstone Gazette and Kentish Courier, 10th April 1832.
James was buried in Maidstone, Kent on 13 April 1832. The above account indicates that in addition to his 4 children James was survived by a wife, although his will, fortuitously written at Maidstone in 1831, makes neither mention nor provision for her. Instead, James entrusts the administration of his estate ‘whatsoever and wheresoever’ to his elder brother John whom he makes both the ‘sole guardian’ of his children and sole executor of his will. This would suggest that papers may have been mistaken, and lets face it, it wouldn’t be the first time! This theory is corroborated by a notice placed by John in the press on 1st May 1832, where he refers to his brother’s children as orphans.
Reproduced courtesy of the British Newspaper Archive; The Maidstone Gazette and Kentish Courier, 1 May 1832.
No death, burial or alternative marriage has been identified for his wife Alice, nor has she been found in subsequent census records. As such, the outside possibility remains that the couple had become estranged.
James was also survived by his father James Egerton snr, who contrary to popular opinion did not die in 1810 and was not buried at Little Gaddesdon, Hertfordshire! 17 of 18 online trees contain this incorrect information, with the other, also incorrect as it gives the date as 1828. James snr, a Cordwainer (or Shoemaker), described as a Gentleman in his Will also written at Maidstone 14th September 1833, actually died in 1834 and is described of Pollard Row, Bethnal Green! He makes his only surviving son John his sole executor and residual beneficiary after making further bequests of £500 to his daughter Jane Hudson the wife of John Hudson, and £50 to his son in law John Cannee, the husband of his daughter Elizabeth Egerton. In all James Egerton Snr and Lucretia Wood had seven known children all baptised at St Giles, Cripplegate, and possibly an eighth, Susannah baptised at St Giles in May 1776 indicating that Lucretia Wood may have required ‘a big bouquet’ at her marriage the previous September. She is believed to have been named for Lucretia’s mother whose surname was possibly Saunders but this is unverified.
Susannah EGERTON (1776- )
Thomas EGERTON (1777-c. 1779)
Jane EGERTON (1779- )
Elizabeth EGERTON (1781-1865)
Mary EGERTON (1788-1850)
John EGERTON (1791-1881)
James EGERTON (1793-1832)
Lucretia EGERTON (1796-1861)
All the children were baptised at St Giles, Cripplegate, to James Egerton and wife Lucretia. Susannah is the exception in that the father’s name is recorded as John which has subsequently been struck through, but not amended in the original register. Their father's occupation is consistently given as a Cordwainer – or shoemaker. Cordwainers were one of the Livery Guilds of London and produced artisan footwear made from soft kid leather from Cordoba in Spain. The Guild records are housed within the London Metropolitan Archives but have not been consulted as part of this research. Several children including Jane and Elizabeth mentioned above were married at St Lukes, Old Street, as were their parents, which was built to relieve the church of St Giles, Cripplegate, as the population of London expanded in the eighteenth century.
Six of their children are known to have survived into adulthood. Of Susannah there is no further trace and eldest son Thomas died in infancy and was interred in Spa Fields burying ground Clerkenwell in 1779. Spa Fields would later became the subject of a particularly unsavoury and rather gruesome scandal.
Reproduced courtesy of The British Newspaper Archive; The London Illustrated News, March 1845.
The ‘Countess of Huntingdon Connexion’, and record set RG4 referenced in Thomas’ burial record may indicate that the family followed at some point at least, the Calvinistic movement within the Methodist Church. This may in part explain the group baptisms of four of the Egerton children at St Giles in 1798. It should also alert the researcher to possible non parish baptisms and references to non conformism in the parish registers for earlier branches of this particular Egerton family.
James’ older brother John was also a coach proprietor at the time of his brother’s untimely death. By 1827 he had moved from London to Brighton and was running a coach from the Spread Eagle Inn to Hastings.
Reproduced courtesy of The British Newspaper Archive; The Brighton Gazette, 3rd May 1827
Although he was good to his word and took over his brother’s business, the ‘Reliance’ coach had changed hands by May 1838.
Reproduced courtesy of The British Newspaper Archive; Maidstone Journal and Kentish Advertiser, 29th May 1838.
John, then turned his hand to dealing in Corn and keeping Livery Stables from his premises in Waterloo Street, Brighton. He married twice, and passed away at the grand old age of 90 in 1881.
Reproduced courtesy of The British Newspaper Archive; The Brighton Gazette, 7th October 1847.
All the children of his brother James Egerton junior’s children, had married before the 1841 census, except for the youngest Elizabeth Caroline, making it difficult to assess the John’s level of involvement in the upbringing of his nephew and nieces.
However, Elizabeth Caroline can be found in 1841 living with her cousin Elizabeth Amy Egerton, John’s daughter by his first marriage, who in 1839 had married Frederick William Woledge, another artist of the day well known for his depictions of Victorian Brighton. The Woledges would go on to have 11 children, 10 of whom would survive until adulthood. (Caution should be exercised over a possible 12th child Eliza E born 1857, who appears on the 1881 census return. As there is no record of a birth marriage or death for an Eliza E to the correct parentage, and her age is the same as that of Percy, (look at original, not transcript which is wrong), this is believed to be Percy’s twin sister Florence.)
Frederick Egerton WOLEDGE (c. 1841-1883)
William Egerton WOLEDGE (1842-1876)
Emma Egerton WOLEDGE (1844- )
Mary Egerton WOLEDGE (1845- )
John Egerton WOLEDGE (1846- )
Herbert Egerton WOLEDGE (1849- )
Amelia Egerton WOLEDGE (1851- )
Clara Egerton WOLEDGE (1852- )
Earnest Egerton WOLEDGE (1854-1858)
Percival Egerton WOLEDGE (1857-1928)
Florence Egerton WOLEDGE (1857-1929)
Wiki Commons; Frederick William Woledge, Brighton, the front and the chain pier seen in the distance.
Although 11 children may be considered a large family even back in the day, it pales into insignificance to her cousin Mary Ann Eliza Egerton, the starting point for this research, who, together with her artist husband Henry George Hine had an eye watering 15 children, 11 of whom survived into adulthood.
Mary Esther HINE (1842- )
Alice HINE (c. 1844-1925)
Henry William HINE (c. 1845- )
Elizabeth Mary HINE (1846- )
Marian HINE (c. 1848-1937)
Frederick James Egerton HINE (c. 1849- )
William Egerton HINE (1851- )
Alfred HINE (c. 1853-c. 1864)
Mary Gertrude HINE (c. 1855- )
Frances Isabel Egerton HINE (1857-c. 1857)
Frances Katherine Egerton HINE (1858- )
Arthur Roffey Egerton HINE (1860-c. 1861)
Edith Egerton HINE (1861-c. 1864)
Ethel Mary Egerton HINE (1863- )
Maud Egerton HINE (1867- )
Artistic talent was strong in the Hine family to which the 1988 Christie’s Sale Catalogue bears witness, with a total of 81 lots spanning 42 pages, sadly illustrated internally in Black and White.
Cover of the 1988 Christies Catalogue of which I have a second hand copy.
In terms of the ‘Arts and Crafts’ movement it was their two youngest daughters Ethel and Maude who were the most influential. Although the quotation that the sisters came "on the one side from peasant folk and on the other from old aristocracy"[1] which is uncited, leaves me somewhat rubbing my chin as to it’s origin, there can be no doubt that these two women and their husbands were the driving force behind the establishment and running of the ‘Peasant Arts Society’ based in Haslemere, Surrey. By the time of its inception in 1894-97, Ethel had married artist Godfrey Blount in April 1887, and Maude, Jospeh King, later the same year. The couples together with King’s cousin Greville MacDonald, shunned mass production instead believed in ‘practising their radical beliefs of creating art for ‘love not money’ and restoring ‘country life, its faith and its craft’.[2]
A most informative website about the movement, its work and connections to the wider ‘Art & Craft Movement’ can be found at the Peasant Arts Blogspot, together with biographies and obituaries dedicated to members of the Hine family and other prominent persons. Needless to say the women were also passively active in the Suffragette movement of the day, and amongst other matters were the exponents for comfortable dress for women. I am eternally grateful to the role by Ethel Blount, my 1st Cousin 4 x removed for the role she played in the removal of the corset as an item of necessity from the female wardrobe! More can be read on the sisters and indeed the Society’s wider involvement in the Suffragette movement, at Peasant Arts & Suffragettes
'Winter' one of a set of 4 Coaching Prints by W J Shayer.
Being a little more serious, none of the sources that I have used to compile the history of this Egerton family and its story requires specialist knowledge or skills. The records used are readily available online. The difference between my research and that of others, is that time has been taken to cross reference the facts, and read the ORIGINAL documents rather than relying on the transcripts. Incorrect information in family trees does in fact have far reaching implications, particularly since the advent, and exponential growth in DNA testing. This is leading folks to believe that as they DNA match others with the same named ancestors in their trees it proves that connection, when in fact the DNA is sometimes pointing to a relationship which is either further back, or, in a different line entirely. I myself have 2 DNA matches out of 12 with hints which suggest a connection to individuals that simply cannot be. This is a problem that I can only see getting worse as more people test and speedily create trees copied from others without verifying the information they contain.
[1] Arts & Crafts Network https://www.accn.org.uk/Ethel-Blount-Maude-King/
[2] Peasant Arts http://peasant-arts.blogspot.com/p/introduction.html
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Bush Election May Pave Way for Americas Free Trade Talks
U.S. President George W. Bush’s election to a second four-year term paves the way for the resumption of negotiations for a free trade agreement spanning the Americas, Latin American diplomats and executives said.
``The focus will now be the negotiations for the FTAA,’’ the acronym for the U.S.-proposed Free Trade Agreement of the Americas, Rubens Barbosa, a former Brazilian ambassador to the U.S. who runs foreign trade consulting company in Sao Paulo, said in an interview. ``These negotiations will be revived.’’
The run-up to the U.S. election stalled talks for at least six months on easing commercial barriers on trade from Alaska to Patagonia to create a trading area with 800 million people and a combined economy of $13 trillion.
Brazilian exporters such as steel producer Gerdau SA are counting on the free trade agreement to help lower tariffs and increase sales in the U.S. Mexican exports to the U.S. have tripled since the country signed the North American Free Trade Agreement with the U.S. in 1993.
``We have known Bush for his first four years, and Brazil is already looking into how we can have better trade relations,’’ said Frederico Johannpeter, vice-president of Gerdau, Latin America’s largest steelmaker, on a telephone news conference from Porto Alegre, Brazil. The company has acquired companies in the U.S. as a way of getting round barriers to Brazilian exports.
`Open Markets’
``In principle, the Republicans are more open in their economic policy and, they generally want to open markets up to the maximum when it comes to competition,’’ Johannpeter said.
In Mexico, President Vicente Fox said he wants to work with Bush to help establish a better immigration policy that’s ``respectful of rights of Mexican migrants,’’ according to Fox’s press office. Fox said he’s committed to working with Bush also to better cooperation on issues of improving security, fighting organized crime and terrorism and boosting economic growth.
In terms of free trade, the U.S. also signed a bilateral agreement with Chile in 2003 and in January completed talks with five Central American countries. The U.S. is in negotiations for a free trade accord with Andean nations including Colombia and Peru.
U.S. barriers to agricultural imports such as Brazilian sugar will be a stumbling block for progress on a boarder free trade agreement, said Christian Lohbauer, manager of international relations at the Sao Paulo Industrial Federation.
Brazilian Foreign Relations Minister Celso Amorim may find it easier to work with Bush than Democratic Senator John Kerry, who conceded defeat today after yesterday’s election, Lohbauer said.
For countries such as Brazil, it’s important to press ahead on free trade talks as the U.S. signs bilateral agreements, including an accord with Chile in 2003, said Lohbauer. Brazilian companies risk losing out as other countries in the region negotiate with the U.S. to lower trade barriers, he said.
``We’ve seen the benefits of the opening in Mexico over the last five or six years and in Chile, where they have developed a bilateral free-trade agreement with the U.S,’’ said Gerdau . ``All of that shows that it might be a good moment for Brazil to open up more to the U.S. in terms of trade.’’
The U.S. is Brazil’s biggest trade partner, consuming about 22 percent of the country’s exports.
U.S. trade barriers on Brazil include duties on orange juice, subsidies for domestic ethanol and meat producers and quotas for imports of sugar from the country, the world’s biggest producer, according to the development, industry and foreign trade ministry in Brasilia. Since U.S. sugar quotas were introduced in 1982, Brazilian exports have dropped 60 percent, the ministry said.
Brazil needs to show a willingness to reduce barriers on services and manufactured goods talks on a free trade area to progress, Peter Allgeier, deputy U.S. trade representative, said via video-link to business people in Rio de Janeiro last month.
``If the U.S. and the other countries are to make deep cuts in our support and significant openings in our markets it will be necessary for other countries to do the same,’’ he said. ``For Brazil this means significant market access.’’
FTAA US
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Home » U.K. approves Astrazeneca/Oxford vaccine
U.K. approves Astrazeneca/Oxford vaccine
Credit: Astrazeneca plc
By Nuala Moran
LONDON – The COVID-19 vaccine developed by Astrazeneca plc and Oxford University has been approved by the U.K regulator, with the first doses being shipped on Dec. 30 and a mass vaccination program due to begin on Jan. 4.
AZD-1222, now named COVID-19 Vaccine Astrazeneca, is authorized for emergency use and will require two doses for durable effect.
However, the U.K. Medicines and Healthcare products Agency (MHRA) said that rather than four weeks, these can be between four and 12 weeks apart. That is based on data showing there is protection against severe SARS-CoV-2 infection from around 22 days after the first dose.
Because of logistical constraints, the interval between dose one and dose two in the phase III trial on which the approval is based ranged from four to 26 weeks. An analysis carried out by the MHRA and referenced in the label on the vaccine showed increased immunogenicity was associated with a longer dose interval. Overall, MHRA concluded vaccine efficacy at 22 days post dose one was 73%.
The U.K. Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunization (JCVI), which advises on how vaccines administration is prioritized, said the aim now should be to give as many people as possible in at risk groups their first dose, rather than administering two doses in as short a time as possible.
The U.K. has an advanced purchase agreement for 100 million doses of the vaccine, which Astrazeneca has committed to supply at cost – of $4 per dose – for the duration of the pandemic.
The EU has ordered 400 million doses and the U.S. 300 million. Astrazeneca said it is building up manufacturing capacity to deliver 3 billion doses of the vaccine globally in 2021, pending regulatory approvals.
Unlike the approved Pfizer Inc./Biontech and Moderna Inc. mRNA COVID-19 vaccines, which must be kept at ultra-low temperatures, AZD-1222 can be stored, transported and handled at normal refrigerated conditions of between 2 and 8 degrees Celsius for at least six months, meaning it can be administered through existing vaccines cold chains.
To date, more than 600,000 people in the U.K. have been vaccinated with the Pfizer/Biontech vaccine, which MHRA became the first regulator to approve on Dec.2.
The number of doses available and the handling requirements of AZD-1222, coupled with efficacy after two weeks, will change the pace of the immunization program in the U.K.
“The regulator’s assessment that this is a safe and effective vaccine is a landmark moment,” said Andrew Pollard, head of the Oxford Vaccine group and chief clinical investigator. “Though this is just the beginning, we will start to get ahead of the pandemic.”
The approval of AZD-1222 came as the U.K. faces unprecedented levels of SARS-CoV-2 infections, with 53,000 cases diagnosed on Dec. 29 and more patients in hospital than in April, at the height of the first wave of the pandemic.
Pascal Soriot, CEO of Astrazeneca said, “millions of people in the U.K” will get access to the vaccine. “It has been shown to be effective, well-tolerated, simple to administer, and is supplied by Astrazeneca at no profit.”
“At a time when we see the pandemic accelerating beyond our control, a rapid, efficient vaccination program with good population coverage is our only way out,” said Daniel Altmann, professor of immunology at Imperial College London, commenting on the approval. “This vaccine induces good levels of neutralizing antibodies and T cells.”
With two vaccines now being rolled out and very substantially more doses, “it starts to look realistic” that there could be good coverage by the spring or early summer, Altmann said.
It works against new strains
The surging rate of infection in the U.K. is being driven by the recently detected B.1.1.7 variant of SARS-CoV-2, which computer modeling suggests is 70% more transmissible than other variants circulating in the country.
The variant has an array of mutations, including some in the spike protein that the virus uses to enter host cells, and against which many COVID-19 vaccines, including Astrazeneca’s and Pfizer/Biontech’s, are designed to generate an immune response. That has led to concerns efficacy of the vaccines would be compromised.
In a statement, the Oxford Vaccines group said there is no evidence so far that its vaccine will be any less effective against this new strain of the virus. ”Changes in the virus are being monitored closely, and it’s important we continue to remain vigilant for changes in the future,” the statement said.
The JCVI’s recommendation on Dec. 30 that the first dose of AZD-1222 should be administered to as many people as possible, rather than focusing on administering two doses as soon as possible, also applies to the Pfizer/Biontech vaccine.
In the context of the epidemiology of COVID-19 in the U.K. in late 2020, priority should be given to promoting rapid, high levels of vaccine uptake amongst vulnerable persons, JCVI said. “Given data indicating high efficacy from the first dose of both Pfizer/Biontech and Astrazeneca vaccines, the committee advises that delivery of the first dose to as many eligible individuals as possible should be initially prioritized over delivery of a second vaccine dose. This should maximize the short-term impact of the program.”
The JCVI decision to allow both the currently U.K. authorized vaccines to be given with a greater delay between doses, to maximize the numbers getting one dose as rapidly as possible is “a sensible one,” said Stephen Evans, professor of pharmacoepidemiology at the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine. “It cannot have been an easy decision, since the evidence on the efficacy of one dose [of AZD-1222] was more limited, but the crisis in the U.K. requires more than the usual regulatory approach.”
In the face of rising infection rates across Europe, EMA responded to the MHRA approval with an update on its rolling review of AZD-1222. The latest clinical package was received on Dec. 21 and is currently being assessed, but the agency said it has asked for more data.
“Additional scientific information on issues related to quality, safety and efficacy of the vaccine is deemed necessary to support the rigor required for a conditional marketing authorization and this has been requested from the company,” EMA said in a statement on Dec. 30.
More trial data coming in Q1 2021
The agency also noted more information from ongoing clinical trials is expected early next year and interim data from a large the U.S. phase III are expected in Q1 2021, implying EMA might wait for more data to be available.
Oxford University received early backing from the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI), when its vaccine project first got off the ground in January. Welcoming the MHRA approval 11 months later, Richard Hatchett, CEO of CEPI said it should pave the way for similar decisions by other regulators and for World Health Organization prequalification in the days and weeks ahead.
“The Oxford/AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine is extremely attractive in that it is inexpensive, scalable, and can be stored at 2-8 degrees Celsius,” Hatchett said. “These attributes will enable its use worldwide, including in low-income and middle-income countries, and the large supplies that will become available in 2021 mean that this vaccine could be a game changer in terms of our efforts to end the acute phase of the pandemic.”
BioWorld Drugs Regulatory front Coronavirus Vaccine Europe MHRA
KEYWORDS Astrazeneca plc AZD-1222 COVID-19 COVID-19 Vaccine Astrazeneca Oxford University U.K.
Nuala Moran
The EMA’s Shambolic Handling of Glybera
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Freeing the Baltic 1918–1920
Geoffrey Bennett
In 1919, the new governments of the besieged Baltic states appealed desperately to the Allies for assistance. A small British flotilla of light cruisers and destroyers were sent to help, under the command of Rear Admiral Sir Walter Cowan. They were given no clear instructions as to what their objective was to be and so Cowan decided that he had to make his own policy.
Despite facing a much greater force, Cowan improvised one of the most daring raids ever staged by the British Navy. He succeeded with devastating effect; outmaneuvering his enemies, sinking two Russian Battleships and eventually freeing the Baltic states of Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania.
Captain Geoffrey Bennett (1908-1983) was a career naval officer who, while serving, published a number of naval adventure yarns and radio plays under the pen-name 'Sea Lion'. He became familiar with the Baltic events of 1919 while naval attaché in Moscow, shortly after the death of Stalin in 1953. On retirement he published several naval histories, including one on Nelson, and studies of both World Wars under his own name, and was elected Fellow of the Royal Historical Society.Also available: Coronel and the Falklands, The Battle of Jutland, Naval Battles of the First World War, Nelson the Commander, The Battle of the River Plate and The Battle of Trafalgar and Naval Battles of World War Two
Freeing the Baltic 1918 - 1920 Reviews
Jean, Lady Hamilton, 1861–1941
Celia Lee
Hull at War 1939–45
David Bilton, Malcolm K Mann
Simon Jones
Schindler’s Krakow
Andrew Rawson
Bloodline: The Origins and Development of the Regular Formations of the British Army
Iain Gordon Carmichael
Legacy of the Lancasters
Randle Manwaring
Gaiseric
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Home Faith Family & Marriage For bishop, mum’s the word
For bishop, mum’s the word
Catherine Sheehan
Angus and Gemma who are expecting their first child, at the Pregnant Mothers Mass at St Mary’s Cathedral. PHOTO: Giovanni Portelli
The Church has always supported and promoted motherhood, Bishop Richard Umbers told those gathered for the annual Pregnant Mothers Mass at St Mary’s Cathedral on 18 November.
Each year the Church celebrates liturgically the conception and birth of both Our Lady and her son Jesus Christ, Bishop Umbers said, demonstrating the great role of motherhood in the divine plan.
“The Word was made flesh in the womb of Mary,” he said, and motherhood is something “natural” and “wondrous,” that is “wanted by God”.
Many expectant mothers and their families attended the Mass which is organised each year by the Sydney Archdiocese’s Life Marriage and Family Centre.
Bishop Richard Umbers blessings mums-to-be at the annual Pregnant Mothers Mass on 18 November 2018 at St Mary’s Cathedral. PHOTO: Giovanni Portelli
Bishop Umbers gave an individual blessing to all the pregnant mothers at the end of the Mass and they were each presented with a single rose.
In his homily Bishop Umbers said there was a “great spiritual connection” between mothers, the Church, and Mary the mother of Christ.
“In the case of being a mother, it’s a constant “yes”… continually saying yes to that call. The yes has to be renewed.”
He said motherhood was a “great undertaking” as the children entrusted to a mother will be dependent on her for “so many aspects of their lives”.
Bishop Umbers talks to one of the expectant mums, Sasha Beard. PHOTO: Giovanni Portelli
Bishop Umbers encouraged mothers to “continue saying yes to God” despite the many trials of life that even Our Lady had to endure.
“My own mother used to say life must have been so easy for Mary – she only had one child and it was God… But Mary had many trials.”
Mothers also play an enormous role in promoting vocations to the priesthood and religious life, he said, similar to the way Mary kept the faith of the Church alive, especially after Christ’s crucifixion, when the apostles had fled in fear.
All mothers are called to play a similar role in the faith lives of their own children, he said.
James and Tai, who is 33-weeks pregnant, at the annual Pregnant Mothers Mass. PHOTO: Giovanni Portelli
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Catherine Sheehan is an award-winning multimedia journalist. Her articles have been published by Catholic News Service, Crux Now, the Catholic Herald and the Herald Sun.
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10 Lessons from a Former Fat Girl: Living with Less of You and More of Life
Author, 10 Lessons from a Former Fat Girl: Living with Less of You and More of Life
Contestant, Season 6 of NBC's The Biggest Loser
BA, Journalism, Rhema Bible College
Married 23 years; 3 children: Austin, Pearson, and Rhett
www.philandamyfitness.com
Amy Parham: From Fat to Fit
By The 700 Club
PILING ON THE POUNDS
Amy always had trouble with her weight. “I was literally raised in the back of a Dairy Queen,” says Amy, whose mom owned a franchise while she was growing up. “So I ate ice cream every night.”
As she got older, food became an emotional crutch. “I had always turned to food in times of stress, sadness, happiness, anger, or just about any emotion. It became instinctual,” she writes in her latest book, 10 Lessons from a Former Fat Girl.
For example, when her husband Phil’s business began to fail, and her youngest son, Rhett, was diagnosed with autism in 2004, Amy turned to food to fight off depression.
But with her husband Phil, who was also overweight, by her side, Amy turned her situation over to God and slowly their lives turned around. They found new careers and therapy for Rhett. Though they were inspired, Amy and Phil were still too busy to give much thought to their health. At her heaviest, Amy was 229 pounds.
Then one day, Amy, who was a fan of NBC’s The Biggest Loser, was on the sofa, eating ice cream and crying. She decided to go online to the show’s Web site. She filled out an application for herself and her husband to be contestants on the show.
Several months later, after auditioning, Phil and Amy were off to Los Angeles as finalists, though they weren’t promised a slot on the show. The next week, Bob Harper, one of the show’s fitness trainers, surprised them at home to announce that they were accepted out of 300,000 contestants. They didn't realize how much their lives were about to change.
They endured hard training for the show, eight hours a day for seven months. Together they lost 256 pounds, setting a couples’ weight-loss record on the program. Though they didn’t win, Amy was a top three finalist; Phil was eliminated earlier. Amy weighed 124 pounds by the final episode.
KEEPING IT OFF
Both Amy and her husband maintain the healthy weight because they incorporated permanent lifestyle changes that they learned on The Biggest Loser. Phil weighs 180 pounds and Amy weighs about 140 pounds (she says the 124 lbs. was after losing several pounds in the sauna the night before the finale, and it wasn’t a realistic size for her.) After they got home from the “ranch,” Phil and Amy got a lot of questions about how they lost their weight. So they came up with the “90-Day Fitness Challenge” based on how they did it themselves.
But still, there was more about her journey that Amy wanted to share. She says she felt like so many people knew the basics about nutrition and exercise, but didn’t have the will-power to overcome. The more she talked to people about their struggles with weight, the more she realized it was a heart issue. That was something she could relate to.
“After I lost the weight, and I was home and the cameras were off, I realized the food was like my parachute, and so what am I going to do now?” she says. “It was like I had to realize the hole inside me came from somewhere. Where did it come from?”
For her entire life, she’d seen herself as the “fat girl,” and Amy knew she would have to transform not only her body, but her way of thinking, before the “fit girl” could make her debut. “The weight-loss process revealed deeper issues that had caused us to put on the weight in the first place. Dealing with these issues would become the real challenge and the thing that solidified the transformation from the fat girl to the fit girl.”
She shares insights from that journey in her new book, 10 Lessons from a Former Fat Girl. “This is not a diet book or a manual to make you a skinny supermodel in 45 days,” Amy says. “This book will help those who might be addicted to food, and addresses the mental, physical and emotional issues that are tied to being overweight.” She says, “It’s about learning how to transform the fat girl (a woman who has poor eating and exercise habits, a food addiction, a lack of self-esteem, and a distorted image of herself, God, and others) into a fit girl (a woman who practices healthy eating and exercise habits, takes care of herself emotionally, physically, and mentally, and believes in herself and God).
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Bad Girls Good Deeds
BGGD FOR "JOC"
July 12, 2013 - A special benefit dinner was held for the family of an Oakland mother with an aggressive form of breast cancer that has spread to her brain.
Jocelyn Nissenbaum, a speech pathologist with the Elmwood Park public school district, has helped young children with disabilities and has a 4-year-old son of her own. The disease has left her unable to work.
The group BAD GIRLS GOOD DEEDS held the benefit in New Milford at Lieto Italia Ristorante to help Nissenbaum and her family.
Prizes included New York Yankees tickets, a $250 Visa card, a $25 Visa card, a customized Nintendo, two gift certificates — one for $150 and the other $75 — to Pigtails & Pals Entertainment LLC for a children’s birthday party, a year’s membership to regus.com ($350 value), four $25 gift certificates to Glen Rock’s Shades of Soho, a wine basket, coffee gift cards, and more. Also: Aral Design, a Colorado company, has donated a social media package valued at $300.
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Article Media Additional Info
Introduction & Quick Facts
Early life and influences
Early writing
Period of distraction
Major period
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Olsen’s importance to American letters rests on the beauty and insight of Tell Me a Riddle and the catalytic effect of Silences. In her lectures she displayed wit, warmth, and literary knowledge that attracted devotees wherever she went. Her fame, however, carried drawbacks. Fearing that she had lost her creativity, she blamed circumstances while at the same time altering the facts of those circumstances. She said she was kept out of school until she was nine because she was thought developmentally disabled—a complete fabrication, as kindergarten records prove. She liked to say that her father worked in Omaha’s meat-processing plants—another fabrication. She diligently tried to deny the existence of her first husband. She continued even in old age to claim she was writing books that probably did not exist. She might have written more if an adoring public had treated her claims of never-ending hardships with more objectivity and less protectiveness. America, however, wanted a feminist hero who had surmounted adversities to achieve greatness. Her devotees colluded to make her that heroic icon, and she readily played the part. She made a tremendous impact upon 20th-century literature, elevating the domestic to the profound. In the 21st century the better representation of women and minorities in publishing, academia, and the marketplace is at least in part due to the influence of Tillie Olsen.
Panthea Reid
Learn More in these related Britannica articles:
American literature: Critics of society
…was rediscovered later; they included Tillie Olsen, Meridel Le Sueur, and Josephine Herbst.…
Bund, Jewish Socialist political movement founded in Vilnius in 1897 by a small group of workers and intellectuals from the Jewish Pale of tsarist Russia.…
Russian Revolution of 1905
Russian Revolution of 1905, uprising that was instrumental in convincing Tsar Nicholas II to attempt the transformation of the Russian government from an autocracy into a constitutional monarchy. For several years before 1905 and especially after the humiliating Russo-Japanese War (1904–05), diverse social groups demonstrated their discontent with the Russian…
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Cork to Roscoff ferries
Rosslare to Cherbourg ferries
Rosslare to Bilbao
2021 sailings to France available now
Holidays & breaks
Travel extras & advice
Driving in France
Driving in Spain
Pets travel scheme
Huelgoat travel guide
About Huelgoat
Huelgoat in Brittany is a secluded village, nestled in the Monts d'Arrée, that is home to the magical Forêt d'Huelgoat where unusual rock formations and fascinating myths and legends abound.
Meaning 'high wood' in Breton, Huelgoat was once the home of a Celtic Iron Age settlement and archaeologists have uncovered the ancient Celts' defences in the woods. Part of the Armorique Natural Regional Park, the Forêt d'Huelgoat is looked after by the french National Forest Authority. A remarkable area of amazing geology and rich in discoveries of prehistory, the forest is a mystical place associated with Arthurian and Christian myths and legends as well as some magical creatures. The village lies on an artificial lake which was built to provide water for the silver and lead mining industries that took place nearby. Today, it is a great place to go fishing with carp, pike, tench and perch among the species to be found here. On its bank sits an 18th century watermill that leads into the forest.
The Forêt d'Huelgoat is an enchanting forest where the River Argent splits into rushing streams and pretty pools with stepping stones, and waterfalls. At the mare au fées, the fairy pool, it is said that fairies comb their hair with golden combs beside the pool to see their reflections, whilst the boars' pool is so-named as the wild boars of the forest used to come here to drink. The forest is strewn with moss-covered boulders, said to have been hurled by the giant Gargantua who did not appreciate the boiled buckwheat broth the villagers gave him to stave off his hunger. Several striking rock formations have earned intriguing names such as the devil's grotto, Arthur's cave, where it is said he left some of his treasure, and a cave where a little imagination will open your eyes to the home of the Virgin Mary with a cauldron, ladle, bed and butter churn amonst other objects said to have been created from the rocks. The Celtic defences are also known as the Camp d'Artus, Arthur's camp.
Ever wanted to move a 100 tonne rock? The roche tremblante, or trembling rock is a huge megalith that pivots when weight is applied in a certain place - even a small child can move it! Little ones will also love Le Champignon, two boulders resembling a giant mushroom. If you look closely, perhaps you'll see fairies or korrigans, Breton spirits, moving about the beeches, oaks, and chestnuts or hiding amongst the ferns. Silver firs and Scots pines can also be found here. There is a circular signposted path from the watermill on the lake to explore the forest, or you can also take ad tour to learn about the myths and legends of the forest. Writers and artists alike have been inspired by this bewitching place and there are many craftsmen and artisans in the town including ceramicists, leather makers, jewellers and enamellers. The Atelier Bozoc in one of the village's oldest buildings, is the workshop of Sylvie Bozoc, a painter and sculptor who opens her workshop to the public. The 15th century Chapel of Our Lady of Heaven was restored in 2006 and is made from local granite. The chapel's sacred fountain was built in the 17th century and can be found near the Arboretum de Poërop. The arboretum contains 1000s of trees and shrubs from around the world, including eucalyptus from Australia and medicinal plants from the Himalayas, and has beautiful views of the traditional Finistère countryside.
The village has lots of quaint shops, cafés, and crêperies - including one in a clearing in the woods! Try some locally made jams and marmalades, mushrooms such as chanterelles and padfoots, and local honey. Crêpes and their savoury buckwheat versions, called galettes, are extremely popular here. The traditional Breton dish of kig ha farz, meaning meat and stuffing, is also well worth a try. Made from a stuffing mixture, the farz, that is simmered in a broth whilst inside a cloth bag, the dish is served with a variety of meats and vegetables. Like many traditional recipes, the exact ingredients vary from cook to cook depending on how their families cooked it! Along with restaurants across Brittany, fish and seafood from the coast also feature on the menus in Huelgoat. Enjoy your meal with some Breton cidre, the local cider, or a glass of locally produced mead.
Top attractions in Huelgoat
Forêt de Huelgoat
Lac de Huelgoat
Why visit Huelgoat?
The enchanting Forêt d'Huelgoat
Enchanting myths and legends
Stunning geological formations
Craftsmen and artisans in the village
Region: Brittany
Department: Finistère
Coordinates: 48.360897,-3.746548
Coordinates shown are based on the WGS84 system, please check driving directions before departing.
Huelgoat location
Latitude: 48.360897, Longitude: -3.746548
Places to visit nearby
Morlaix travel guide
Morlaix in Brittany is a medieval town famous for its 19th century viaduct, charming 16th century half-timber houses and the beautiful Bay of Morlaix.
St Pol de Léon travel guide
St Pol de Léon in Brittany is an historic town known for its religious heritage and the vegetable farming around the town, which made it one of the largest market-garden regions in Europe.
Roscoff travel guide
Roscoff is a picturesque fishing village on the North coast of Brittany and is an idyllic introduction to Brittany's rustic charms.
For bookings & help call: 021 427 7801
Ferry to France from UK
Ferry to Spain from UK
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Alex Adelman - CEO of Lolli
In this episode, Alex Adelman joins me as a guest to discuss how Lolli is driving Bitcoin adoption. He is the Co-founder and CEO.
Alex Adelman
--- Twitter: https://twitter.com/alexadelman
--- Lolli Website: https://www.lolli.com/
Brandon Zemp 0:00
What's up guys? It is Wednesday, August 7, I have an awesome guest on the podcast today Alex Edelman, CEO of Lawley joins me to discuss how lobbyists driving consumer adoption. And we also talk about the future of Bitcoin.
This is a really great episode where we go into a ton of detail. So definitely stick around until the end. As always, don't forget to subscribe if you haven't already and share your favorite episode with a friend, family member or colleague, someone that you think needs to learn more about crypto. Enjoy.
This is the block hash podcast.
Alex Adelman 0:40
Yeah, I can hear you fine.
Okay, perfect. Well, how's your week going?
Really good. Yeah, we've, we've been on a tear, we have a lot of really exciting partnerships coming up. And we just brought in a new head of communications. lot, a lot of good things happening.
But yeah, that's good to hear. So why don't you tell me a little bit about your your background and how you got into the whole crypto space?
Yeah, so I guess I really got started in the Bitcoin space about five years ago, when I was building my last company cosmic. And what cosmic did is we created this e commerce gateway that let merchants sell their products and different channels.
And I was we had this very similar mission, which was how do we democratize commerce, how do we give everyone in the world the ability to buy and sell anywhere, and about two years in I remember learning about Bitcoin,
and just being absolutely fascinated with the technology, the principles of it, and just really started started to like, pay attention to all the cool things going on in the space. So as we continue to build cosmic we were this like e commerce gateway, we would we went really,
really deep into the payment space, the security space, we would we would hook into the back end of everyone from Target all the way down to like shop apart five merchants and got to really see, I think, I think like what margins were merchants were optimizing for and what they were looking for, and
ended up like getting acquired by one of our biggest customers, which was
pop sugar to come in and power shop style with 1.2 billion in retail revenue. And then about a year in after about 10 x growth, we ended up getting acquired again, by an even bigger company called eBay. So taking sort of this idea around cash back at eBay,
it's and seeing how US consumers, international consumers wanted rewards, they want cashback and also, you know, being really fascinated with Bitcoin and Bitcoin adoption more. So I got really interested in this idea of merging those two ideas and and providing people with an easier way to get into bitcoin.
Aside from investing, we're mining, which most people I don't think ever would do, or will do. So yeah, we we parted ways with the Bates after about being there for about a year. And then we ended up starting a new company called lolly.
They gave people a really, really easy way to earn Bitcoin when they shop online. We launched about 10 months ago, and we have over 900 merchants on the platform, things have gone really well. So here we are today.
Wow. 900 merchants. That's pretty crazy. Yeah, I use lolly quite a bit. Actually. last few weeks, I've been using it quite a bit because I didn't hear about it until about a month ago.
And then when I started using it, I thought that you guys are gonna be similar to projects like moon or whatever, or that you guys didn't have like a lot of merchants or people that you're working with quite yet. Because I thought you guys were pretty early.
But I mean, when I jumped into it, and I saw the merchants was like, geez, I can I can buy wine. I can buy shoes, which should just did last night, I can buy shaving supplies, like almost all the essentials, like it's pretty comprehensive. Thank you.
Yeah, we've gotten to know a lot of these merchants over the last eight years. So I think one of the nice things is we're not starting from scratch.
And we have a lot of these direct partnerships that that help us get higher rates than I think a lot of like entry level relationships or early relationships. Yeah, could generate. So yeah, I'm glad. I'm glad you checked it out.
And yeah, we're onboarding new merchants every day. And it's getting, it's getting really exciting over here. Now, I think there's a lot of merchants that we're holding out are starting to see that their competitors have joined and their competitors have done really well to engage the Bitcoin community.
And they also see that there's a real opportunity for them to attract a new customer and compete with Amazon by offering Bitcoin back as an incentive mechanism. Absolutely. Do you guys have any target merchants that you're still trying to onboard? Amazon?
Is that the most them Home Depot's really high in demand. wayfarer, and Airbnb. So travel has been our one of our biggest categories. And they right now we have booking.com, which is the number one travel site in the world.
And then hotels.com, which is the number three travel site in the world. And Airbnb right now is number two, according to similar similar web. So we've been working really hard to get Airbnb on board. And verb OVRBO is a is Airbnb is like biggest competitor, they were sort of the original Airbnb.
And they joined the platform pretty early on and have done, done really, really well people like renting homes. So I think eventually, hopefully all those partners that I mentioned will join us for you know, they'll see that their competitors are doing really well. And hopefully they'll they'll have to join us.
Yeah, Airbnb would be a huge one. I could see people using that all the time with lolly, because you pretty much use it by through online anyway. So but do you guys have any like airlines or anything? So I know that you guys are trying to hit travel pretty hard.
Yeah, we have a few airline providers. So Priceline and cheapo are probably our two best. And they give flat fees for each airline each each flight. So the the the margins and airlines are actually pretty low.
So it's nothing. It's not I mean, every every time people stack it's a good thing. And every time people you know are earning earning Bitcoin it's it's a good thing. But airline, airlines don't have that high margins to play with. But hotels and car rentals for travel. And then and then home rentals are a really big category for us and do really well.
Yeah, it's awesome. And it seems like you guys put in a lot of work to get those merchants were there any obstacles, growing lolly or launching it to get to where it is now?
Yeah, there's, I mean, any company I think like our team, we already we built a company together, seven out of nine of us, you know, work work together previous some of that tentative, us know, work together previously.
So the core team, we we've gone through like a lot together. And it's been a really fun journey. And we're I think we're used to it at this point. But yeah, I think to get the initial merchants on board, it took some convincing because a lot of them were not familiar with Bitcoin.
And they've they've now they're like the I think one of the cool parts that I don't think a lot of people talk about is the merchant adoption has been very real. And we, I would love to actually put this to the test.
But I think we've actually have probably more merchant adoption then just about any other Bitcoin company. So especially like fortune, you know, 5000, fortune 1000 merchants that are on our platform that are actually like engaged and using it.
So I think the initially getting a lot of these bigger merchants on board, they had a lot of questions about Bitcoin, and the price volatility. And also, you know, some of the nefarious characters, and events they probably heard about over the years.
But I think a very it was it was, I've been selling enterprise software for lighting last seven years, and a lot of it is you just have to find out what they're optimizing for. And really, we just positioned it around point systems.
So giving them the the ability to go to like their bosses and say, Look, it's just a point system. But instead of some sort of arbitrary point that a company decides on it's Bitcoin.
And Bitcoin is, is, you know, no one controls, and it's decided by everybody, you know, how much it's worth and and it's, you know, completely decentralized.
And so they, I actually think that they've learned a lot over the last 10 months, because they see all of these new customers, they see the sales, and they're really excited by that opportunity to reach this new customer that wants to shop at their site, instead of you know, Amazon and and others.
Yeah, it's a fantastic like, in the middle, intermediate intermediary for a company that might, you know, be unsure about Bitcoin or whatever, but that would still like to target those customers and for the customers that would like to acquire Bitcoin,
but like you said earlier, aren't keen on mining or don't necessarily know how to go on to Coinbase and buy bitcoin or whatever it does present, like, a very different and interesting way to kind of get in between the two and to kind of merge both the customer that's in the Bitcoin and the company. So yeah, it's very awesome what you guys are doing? Yeah, you brought
up a good point, it's a lot about, like, I this, you know, I've this thesis that a lot of people are, clearly a lot of people are never going to mind.
It's just expensive, it's it's difficult to understand, and that's okay, like, you know, mining can operate all over the world by, you know, people that are, you know, very, I guess, technically savvy that can that can do that.
And I'm sure the people are going to mind from their their home. And I encourage that, and we want you to support that. And then the next wave of Bitcoin adopters came from investors, and they rely on exchanges, either centralized or decentralized exchanges in order to, to buy bitcoin.
The fact is, is that most of the world, I would say, way more than actually even more than 99% of the world is never going to be a day trader or an active investor. And they need other ways, if we, if we are going to, you know, ever reach hyper Bitcoin ization, if we're ever going to adopt new digital currencies, we need to usher in this this next wave of consumers. And one thing that people that all people do is shop online.
And so it's a very easy way for people to dip their toes in the space and learn about it. And I think that if you give everybody you know, 1520 3045 $50 in Bitcoin over the course of a few months, just from them buying groceries, and they can start to pay attention that the space and understand the principles, part of it will be about the price and they'll be either attracted to it or turned off by it, the volatility but as any investor would, but a lot of people will start to pay attention to the principles of Bitcoin, because they now own it.
And they can tell their friends I own Bitcoin, every time it comes back up in the news, they can they can sort of identify with Bitcoin were before. I don't think too many people could identify with it, because they feel like they got left out, because it's been around for 10 years at this point.
So I'm really excited for for one, I mean, I love introducing Bitcoin to people that already have it, because everyone wants to stack more sets. And I think that's exciting.
But I'm even more excited about the people who have never had Bitcoin, that are just getting it for the first time with lolly and are, you know, converting to this new way of thinking about about currency and store value?
Brandon Zemp 11:55
Absolutely. You know, I tell people all the time, the best way to learn about Bitcoin is to actually like own some buy.
Yeah, like, not like go out and buy like 10 grand in Bitcoin, but by like 10 bucks in Bitcoin, if you can buy really small amount.
So I tell people all the time, just go buy something like play around with it, lose it, send it to somebody receive it, understand how the technology works, there's like, there's no excuse not to and if you have trouble, like going out and setting up like Coinbase or something, then lolly is a great alternative, because you don't really have to do a whole lot, it kind of just facilitates it for you.
Alex Adelman 12:33
So how does I obviously know how long he works, but for the people that will be listening, how how does lolly work,
it says so the way that we we develop these partnerships is we we actually go to these merchants and these merchants will pay us when our users shop their site, it's an incentive mechanism. It's a loyalty program.
And and so they they pay us every time a user shops the site, instead of us keeping it for ourselves, we actually share that with our consumers, our users sending Bitcoin to their lolly wallet, for $15 you can move that Bitcoin anywhere you want any address, you can actually exchange it to feed it with US dollars, we just keep it really easy to actually to to own it.
And and we you know, we take care of all the partnerships, and and then the user just has to store it in their custodial wallet through lolly, or they can transfer it to their own address. For the consumer, it's it's takes 15 to 30 seconds to download the extension. It goes in your Chrome goes in your Chrome browser, Safari, Firefox, whatever browser you use most.
And then anytime that a you go to let's just say Walmart or Priceline, it'll pop up and it'll say activate lolly. If you want to unlock even more deals, you go to lolly.com. And you just search all the stores and our on our site, you can sort them by category, you can rank them buy bitcoin back.
And that's how a lot of like our power users are actually making a lot of earning a lot of Bitcoin by actually actively going to our site and searching the stores and in really changing their purchasing.
If they would have gotten it at Amazon, there's no reason why they can't go to overstock or Walmart to go make those same purchases. And we have just about every category at this point. So there's really like, I really put it to the challenge.
On one podcast, we did this thing where they, the guys like went through their last like 10 purchases on Amazon and just to see if we could stop if they could stacks outs on them through lolly and they were able to so we like to keep it really easy for people and give people as many opportunities to earn Bitcoin as possible.
Yeah, it seems really easy to use to at least from my experience, because it just sits in your will in my Chrome tab as it as an extension and just kind of like pops up when I'm on the or I can like search for stuff which actually do more often I will go into the app to see where I can buy stuff.
So if I'm buying wine or if I'm buying shaving stuff or mine shoes, I kind of just go through Lawley to see if the options there is it's kind of nice, how big of a cashback you get in Bitcoin like some of them are like eight 9% and then some of the subscription or one of the subscriptions i think is for like Harry's or whatever is like 20 something percent just ridiculous. Yeah. There's like no reason not to use it.
That's that's kind of how we feel. It's like it's free money. You're just it's super easy to get involved in it's there's no risk. I think it's just a really easy way for people to get involved in Bitcoin without having to actually invest in
it. So regarding the lolly wallet, I haven't played around with it too much yet, but what's the security behind it? Is it something that has that there's a backup see that the customer should be aware of is it handled all through Bali? Or what's the thought behind
know it so it's, it's completely custodial at this point, and, and people can transfer it off to other wallets if they if they want to, you know, manage their their own see their own private keys.
We we take the utmost security protocols to protect people's Bitcoins. And we've diversified those protocols into in order to ensure we're not like relying on any one party for our custody solutions.
And yeah, it's you know, it's our it's our team's background is security and privacy our last company was like PCI level one compliant, we were dealing with fortune 100 merchants payment data, we were doing you know,
pretty significant credit card tokenization so we're really applying a lot of the same payment protocols and principles that we have worked worked in over the last eight years with our last company and now this company and then our engineering team decades of experience in like security and and payment space.
That's good. I mean, it's makes people a lot of iffy in the crypto space when they don't have the ability to like take their like seed for their wallet like off exchange or like have like a second way of like securing their their Bitcoin or their crypto.
But I don't imagine people having that much in a wallet wallet new ways. Like unless you were like a mega purchaser nearby, like all kinds of stuff and getting massive Bitcoin rewards. I don't see that necessarily being an issue anyways.
Yeah, if you can't, if you can't trust
us with like, you know, $50 in Bitcoin, it's like, Come on, guys. Like we got you. And it's, you know, we want everyone to learn about private keys eventually.
But also, it's like you should, you should be able to trust us with like a little bit of Bitcoin. Now, we do have some, like power users that have stacked a lot of sides. And those it's like, you know, we need to encourage them to move that Bitcoin to their own wallets.
And and like a lot of them already have. So yeah, we, it's, I think I think like the state of where our users are at and how they're using it right now. Like, we feel very confident that, you know, we're the best customer solution to be able to handle a lot of different wallets carrying, like, small amounts. But yeah, I think that over time, like a lot of our users have started to earn quite a bit.
And it's up to us to educate them on the importance of key management, and hardware, wallets and all that good stuff. Do you guys have any competition or is lolly kind of a one man show at this point? I think we were first to market and definitely best. I haven't seen any real competition that has really made us feel like we need to be doing something different or anything.
Clearly, there's like been a few copycats that came out of the gate that thought they could like capitalize on the market. But I think the biggest thing is that there's so few people that saw what we saw at eBay, it's and has been in the space for as long as we have.
So I think we've been able to execute really well, we have really, um, we have like tier one investors all across the board that like, you know, a lot of defense abilities there on the consumer side and the crypto side. So I don't know, like I, I don't want to be like, you know, sure, like there's people that are copying what we're doing, because I think they see that we're we've been successful.
And, you know, I mean, they're welcome to copy us doesn't make sense for us to like enforce our provisional patent on Bitcoin rewards or anything like that at this point, but yeah, I wouldn't compete against us. But anyone that does I create sort of like a competitive product. We I think it's not good for Bitcoin, if it if it brings more Bitcoin adopters, I think that's like a good thing.
So I think as long as people are in it for the right reasons, and they're not doing it as just sort of a marketing tactic. I think they'll be okay.
We, you know, we're in it to distribute Bitcoin to as many people as possible, and to to introduce this next wave of crypto currencies and digital caches, and new a new store of value.
And I think a few of the competitors have come out, just kind of use Bitcoin as like a marketing hook. So you can kind of see like, who's in it? And who's in it for the right reasons.
Yeah, that makes a lot of sense. One question I've actually gotten a lot of remarks on as well, regarding lolly is, is lolly thinking about targeting any of the or onboarding any of the companies that are app based, like Postmates, for example, or Uber Eats? Or, or doordash? Since people are usually on their mobile device?
Yeah, so we just started work on on a mobile application.
And we're really excited to launch it at some point in the next few months. So yeah, we actually have a partnership with caviar, we're about to announce a few other on demand delivery applications that we just partnered with.
So I think like, you know, our whole thing, what you can expect from us over the next few months, is really just giving people more ways to earn. I don't think like there could ever be like enough ways for people to like be incentivized to earn, we want people to stacks out and in just about everything that they do.
So giving people more ways to earn is really important. And yeah, I think you can expect us to like onboard a lot of those food delivery partners, we want to get into coffee, you know, getting your coffee every morning,
going and getting gas, taking an Uber ride a Lyft ride, all of these different ways that people can stock SAS and earn Bitcoin, I think is a going to be a good thing for our users, just to have more ways to earn.
Yeah, it's fantastic for the network. And it's fantastic for Bitcoin and all the users in general, if you have Starbucks and Postmates on there, I'll be using it every single day like you kind of eliminate the excuses not to not to use Lawley or not to accumulate Bitcoin or kind of be involved with it.
Like, it's a very simple concept that, at least for me, it works really well. And for people that I know that use it, it works really well. So definitely excited to see where you guys take that.
Yeah, thank you so much. I appreciate you using it and spreading it with more people.
Yeah, absolutely. So are you guys, I know that you guys are primarily focused on Bitcoin right now. But in the future, do you guys have potential plans or thoughts, allowing people to get rewards in a different alt coin other than Bitcoin?
Right now, I think Bitcoins are the, you know, the has proven its value to society. And the biggest way, and I think a lot of all coins still have a lot to prove. So I I am not opposed to adding new currencies. And I read white papers all the time about new and exciting projects,
I have no incentive to offer anything that has like a chance of, you know, failure, or has not launched yet. I just don't want to get into the game of like, distrust with our users.
I think that our users right now trust us we are Bitcoin only. There's extreme value, long term value in in Bitcoin and Bitcoin has already proven its value to society. There's just so many other projects out there that have tried to mimic the principles, and it keeps coming back to Bitcoin being able to execute on what it set out to do. So I think like, I'm really long one, like second layer solutions, like lightning and liquid are two really exciting projects.
And I just think there's going to be more and more applications that come out. And secondly, are solutions that come out that make Bitcoin even better, and live up to the promise that it always had. But right now, bitcoins, like an incredible store of value.
And it's been you know, it's it's, it's like, it is the only I think true decentralized currency that has reached a certain scale that I wouldn't say it's like completely unbreakable yet, but it is like, pretty close, and nobody controls and there's something really powerful about that. I haven't I haven't seen that with too many other things in this world, I think I'm most excited about the fact that like, every single person in the world can hypothetically own trade and use Bitcoin.
And and I don't know, if there's too many other currencies that I would like, put my faith in to do that, at this point. I'm told, I'm very open, I'm not dogmatic at all just as a my personality is not dogmatic. But I do care about the trust of lolly and the trust of the of our product.
And it, you can't like while I do believe in a free market, and and everybody can use lolly to earn Bitcoin and buy whatever they want with a Bitcoin. And I know that there are some users that have used Bitcoin to go buy a theorem. And that's great. Like, we don't stop anyone from using lolly at all, in any way that they want to. But right now, we're very focused on Bitcoin.
And then the second point is, it's already it's also a marketing tactic to a certain degree, in the fact that like Bitcoin is, is the simplest thing to understand if you if you introduce 30 different currencies, and someone has to then decide and you give them decision fatigue, about how to, like what to earn, and make them choose between all these currencies.
It, it's tough on the onboarding side, to get them into this new financial future that we want to this world that we want to live in. If you make it really difficult, if you just introduce them to Bitcoin. It's a similar concept to understand and see the value of very quickly.
Absolutely, I like the simplicity of what you guys are doing with lolly because it helps me come back to it almost on a daily basis to want to use it, because there's not too many knobs and gears that I got to be turning and I share your sentiment and excitement on Bitcoin definitely, because it's by far the most established crypto and blockchain that's out there right now.
And I felt I was in your position, I wouldn't want to necessarily jumped anything else too soon anyways, for all the same reasons. And you brought up the lightning network to, which is, something's really exciting.
I'm very excited to see where that ends up going. And I've used it and a number of little projects built on lightning quite a few times, I bought pizza with lightning.
It's pretty exciting what you can do with it and how it scales Bitcoin. Do you see Lawley doing any partnerships with Litecoin network or integrating lightning network? In future?
Absolutely, I really liked the lightning team. And we really haven't had a ton of demand for it, a lot of people have have really been just using the lolly custodial solution.
But in some cases, when the network is spiking, and we do, they do request transfers, we don't charge any transaction fees on our end, but some people have like, I think it's been like one or two people have been hit with high transaction fees on the Bitcoin network. And and those people, you know, have been like a, it would be great if we could use lightning.
In those cases, it's it's such an edge case at this point, that it hasn't been a big enough issue to, to really, you know, go through the implementation of of adding lightning. But I loved the lightning team, I think it's really exciting for what they're doing on top of Bitcoin.
And I think it's almost at a point now where it would make sense to to add it at some point in the near future. So we're keeping a close eye on it. And I think when we when we get to be, you know, bigger and we have more resources and and and more people are, are moving money off of the Lawley network, then that it makes more sense to actually integrate lightning.
And then when we get into the payment side in the future, I think it also gets really exciting to to implement lightning as a mechanism for people to accept Bitcoin, if you're a merchant, and you want to decrease your your chargeback fees and you want an immutable currency,
if you want to decrease your credit card fees that you have to that you just have as a cost of doing business, then then it gets really exciting to actually look at Bitcoin as a solution that will lower the cost of transactions that will give people the ability to pay and maybe be even incentivize to pay Bitcoin, if they're using a second layer solution.
That gets really exciting, I think to you know, when we start to go to all of our merchants, and and say, Hey, Walmart, you know, we've generated you 10s of millions of dollars in sales at this point. And would you be interested in implementing lightning network through lolly and having a pay with lolly button that lets people pay very easily with with Bitcoin on lightning? Absolutely.
I really like how lightning uses payment channels, it seems like it's a lot easier to encourage a business to want to use it because it's very direct, obviously very fast to it's very scalable for Bitcoin.
And I can picture pretty clearly in my mind being able to shop online with lolly and save and all these places and then have a payment option through the lightning network to use that 25 $30 that maybe I save up and Bitcoin, cashback and buy a pizza with that, or buy some like everyday essentials at the store physically.
I bring my my phone with me or like there's a lot of interesting angles that you guys can definitely take. So yeah, excited to see any potential partnerships with that in the future. And obviously love what lightning networks doing too.
Yeah, it's really cool as I love I love solutions that are like looking at Bitcoin that are I think you can always like, look at it short term.
And sure, I mean, there's a lot of exciting projects that just got started and I'm not gonna like, you know, shit on anybody that I you know, I don't I don't know enough about I just personally think like bitcoins, the most developed network, and has proven the most solutions,
I think that are like not necessarily looking for like short term gains and are more looking for like long term impact to Bitcoin, I think will be very successful.
Lightning is is one of one of those solutions, I think, has done a great job in building on top of Bitcoin and hopefully will be very successful because of that.
Oh, yeah, definitely I can see being very successful and focusing on Bitcoin, my opinion is definitely the right move just because it's so established right now and everything, it's everything else, all the other blockchains.
I mean, a lot of them are fantastic. And I'm on them all the time, especially a theorem and all the other platforms.
But Bitcoin for this kind of stuff is definitely the most established. And I think most your customer base we want to focus on anyways.
So I'm glad you guys are. And I know we've kind of talked about future of Lawley quite a bit already. But how does Ali plan on growing from here? And what is lollies roadmap look like.
So the biggest thing that we just started working on is the mobile application. And that's going to give people more ways to stack SATs more ways to earn Bitcoin, coffee, gas ride sharing, like all these different ways that that you can earn on a daily basis as opposed to on a weekly monthly basis.
With the current system where you know, same protocols are going to apply to that we're still you know, still building a bitcoin wallet that lets people transact or transact and earn anywhere. So that's going to be really exciting, you know, on the on the horizon. And then just like I mean, we, we have so many partnerships in the pipeline that that we're about to announce.
So I think following us on Twitter is the best way to follow along. We do have a blog, we post a lot of blog posts on Twitter, but it's trial Ali is the the handle and then download it. It's it takes literally like less than 30 seconds. So you know, put it in your browser, we make it really easy.
We protect your privacy. It's a secure way to earn Bitcoin. And yeah, and then we're all like the entire team is on Twitter. We're super open.
Always looking for feedback. So yeah, just just let us know how we can be most helpful and and always looking to get feedback on where we can take the product. You know what direction we can take the product, what features you will want.
But yeah, it's a our community is amazing. And just very, very lucky, very thankful for everything that they've helped us do.
Yeah, I'll post some of those links in the description as well to the blog and Twitter and whatnot. So they can check it out. And then the website, obviously, so they can go download Chrome, the extension for Chrome and whatnot.
Yeah, I'm very excited about where you guys are going with lolly. And thank you for coming on and talking about it and kind of sharing your experience and everything that lolly is working on. And obviously thank you for building Wally to it's it's fantastic.
And as a user, I enjoy using it every day. And I'm sure a lot of people also enjoy using it and they'll take a lot of value out of this podcast. So yeah, thank you for coming on.
Yeah, thank you for having me. Great questions.
Yeah, again, thanks for coming on. And we'll see you next time.
All right, take care man. Bye
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Cidadis has a network of professionals to help develop our cities, counting on some of the leading experts in their fields. We always call on the specialists who are best suited to our customers’ needs, valuing them more for their past achievements than just for their technical know-how or academic qualifications.
Our collaborators have an outstanding commitment and capacity to deliver, whether in the design or the implementation of strategic projects. They all share our values and give us an edge in our capacity to work out solutions that really meet the challenges of our cities today.
Antonio Carlos Ramos
With a degree in civil engineering from the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro and an MBA in finance from IBMEC-RJ, Antonio Carlos Ramos has over 15 years’ experience in the financial services industry, occupying the position of senior executive with Accenture. In 2002 he took over the public sector vertical in Brazil. In 2011 he started working directly in the public sector, where he coordinated the strategic planning process and consultative board for Rio de Janeiro city. As Undersecretary for Processes and Technology of the Chief of Staff, he coordinated the development of key strategic projects, including new management models, new communication channels with citizens, strategic procurement models, technology solutions, and methods for reducing the bureaucracy of public services.
Jean Caris
Jean Caris has a degree in economics from the State University of Rio de Janeiro, an MBA from COPPEAD, Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, and a master’s in city governance from École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne. He began his career in the private sector, holding executive positions in a startup and in the planning, management, and budgeting area of Vale. Between 2009 and 2016 he was employed as Undersecretary to the Chief of Staff of the Rio de Janeiro City Hall. He was responsible for introducing a new management model based on strategic planning, meritocracy, and management routines. He also coordinated a number of one-off projects, including the city’s public service hotline (1746), a public-private partnership for sanitation in the west zone, and the design of the public-private partnership for the Transolímpico express bus service.
Roberta O. Guimarães
Roberta Guimarães has a doctorate in economics from the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, and has worked for the last ten years in the public sector, including as Undersecretary to the Chief of Staff of the Rio de Janeiro City Hall (2009 - 2016). In this post, she ran a number of top-management programs for the city, such as the service delivery agreement, the 2012 - 2016 strategic plan, and the Visão Rio 500 long-term city planning project. She also coordinated the Cartão Família Carioca children’s allowance scheme and Rio Mais Fácil business legalization service, the latter of which won a Sebrae award in 2016. She worked for two years (2007 - 2009) in the Rio de Janeiro State Treasury. She has worked as a professor of economics at the Federal Fluminense University and was involved in founding the NGO Rio Como Vamos.
Daniel Soranz has a degree in public health medicine, a graduate diploma in family and community medicine from AMB, and master’s and doctoral degrees in public health from Fundação Oswaldo Cruz, where he is also a lecturer and researcher. He served as the Municipal Secretary for Health in Rio de Janeiro, when he increased family health coverage from 3.3% to 70%, having 115 family clinics built and deploying 1,280 family health teams throughout the city. He was also responsible for organizing the city’s healthcare system during the 2016 Olympic Games.
http://buscatextual.cnpq.br/buscatextual/visualizacv.do?id=K4702727U2
Washington Fajardo
With a degree in architecture and urban planning from the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, Washington Fajardo served as President of the Rio de Janeiro world heritage protection agency, IRPH, and as Special Advisor on Urban Affairs to Mayor Eduardo Paes between 2009 and 2016. As a public policymaker, he created: (i) the legal mechanism responsible for funding the renovation of historic buildings during the redevelopment of the dock area of Rio; (ii) the restoration of private historical properties through conservation grants provided by Pro-APAC, an unprecedented public policy that won the national cultural heritage award in 2014; (iii) the Carioca Design Center; (iv) the Historical and Archaeological Circuit for the Celebration of African Heritage in the Rio dock area; and (v) the Urban Archaeology Laboratory. He writes about cities and architecture for O Globo and El País Brasil.
Joaquim Monteiro
Large-scale events and logistics
Joaquim Monteiro was president of the Municipal Olympic Committee, the entity responsible for coordinating the municipal projects and activities for Rio 2016. During the preparation for the Olympics, he served as Undersecretary for Transport and Undersecretary for Conservation and Public Services. With a degree in business administration from PUC-Rio and a graduate diploma in sports marketing from New York University, he worked in the logistics and operations area during the 2012 Olympics in London. He has previously worked with private communications and marketing companies, like the ABC Group, one of the largest communication corporations in Brazil.
Sergio Besserman
An environmentalist and member of the WWF Brasil board, Sergio Besserman has been active in the climate change arena since 1992, serving on the Brazilian diplomatic mission to a United Nations Conference of the Parties on two occasions. He was previously the President of Instituto Pereira Passos, the Rio de Janeiro urban planning entity, and is currently chairman of the Technical Chamber for Sustainable Development and Metropolitan Governance for the city. He lectures in Brazilian economics at PUC-Rio and is a commentator on sustainability for Globonews television channel and on city affairs on CBN radio station. He has been an employee of BNDES since 1988 and was president of the national statistics agency, IBGE, from 1999 to 2003, where he was in charge of running the 2000 Census.
Eduarda La Rocque
Specialized in risk management, Eduarda La Rocque has a doctorate in economics from PUC-RJ and 12 years’ success working in the financial markets. She served as Treasury Secretary of the Municipality of Rio de Janeiro from 2009 to 2012, obtaining three upgrades from international credit-rating agencies thanks to measures such as the introduction of an electronic invoicing and tax payment system and a US$ 1 billion loan from the World Bank, which effectively reduced the municipal debt by 25%. She was President of Instituto Pereira Passos, the Rio de Janeiro urban planning entity, from 2012 to 2015, focusing particularly on information management and public and private policy integration to foster urban transformation and social inclusion. Today, she is one of the owners of Usina Pensamento, a company that produces and spreads social innovation, technology, and content.
Pablo Cerdeira
Pablo Cerdeira has a degree in law from the University of São Paulo. He has coordinated Justiça Sem Papel (a project promoting accessibility to the legal system) and the Innovare award; he was Chief Officer of the National Council of Justice; he created the Supremo em Números (Supreme Court in Numbers) project; and he served as Undersecretary for Consumer Protection and Chief Data Officer of Rio de Janeiro. He is currently also Vice-President for Technology and Innovation at the Brazilian Center of Mediation and Arbitration.
Heloisa Aguiar
Heloisa Aguiar has a graduate diploma in social responsibility from the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro. Between 1995 and 2008 she worked at Estácio de Sá University as the coordinator of the law degree program and of the Legal Practice Unit. In the last three years she has worked in the public sector as Fundraising Manager with the Duque de Caxias City Hall and as advisor to the Government Secretariat of Rio de Janeiro City Hall. From 2009 to 2014 she was Superintendent of Social Works for the city of Rio de Janeiro. Since 2017 she has been the managing partner of MH Movimento Humano.
Pedro Succar
Pedro Succar has a degree in engineering from the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro (2007) and an MBA in real estate business management from Fundação Getúlio Vargas (2010). He began his career in the real estate market in 2007, focusing on business development and incorporation, which granted him considerable experience in project management. From 2013 to 2015 he was manager of the Glória Marina in Rio de Janeiro, where he was actively involved in renewing the infrastructure and adapting it to meet the needs of the 2016 Olympics. In 2016 he worked with the Municipal Olympic Committee, where he was in charge of the Deodoro sports venues.
Camila Lisboa
Lawyer graduated from Mackenzie University; specialized by the Brazilian Academy of Technical Standards - ABNT in Method of Analysis and Problem Solving - MASP;
For many years she has held the position of Lead Internal Audit in Quality Management (ISO Certification) in several pharmaceutical industries - focusing on risk management - compliance.
As Public Manager in the Strategic Management Office of the municipality of Paty do Alferes (Rio de Janeiro) she has held strategic leadership and project management.
Currently serves as a Consultant in Strategic Planning and Project Management.
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Commission Held First of Four Special Hearings to Address Backlog
Landmarks Preservation Commission • Designation Hearings • Citywide
Landmarks Preservation Commission. Credit: LPC.
Wide support voiced for designation of Coney Island pumping Station; potential extension to Douglaston Historic District and individual designation of Queens Apartment complex and religious structures proved contentious. On October 8, 2015, the Landmarks Preservation Commission held the first of four hearings meant to address the backlog of items on the Commission’s calendar added prior to 2010. Twenty-nine items were considered, in three groupings of multiple items clustered by borough. Each speaker had three minutes to testify for each batch, rather than on individual items. At the meeting, Landmark heard testimony on one batch of items in the Bronx, one in Brooklyn, and one in Queens.
The special hearings are intended to remedy a situation that had brought attention to Landmarks processes. The City Council is now considering legislation that would impose timelines on the designation process, making it similar to the ULURP procedures governing zoning and other land use in the City. The Society for the Architecture of the City’s Christabel Gough testified that research files for the items made available on Landmarks’ web site demonstrated that the undisposed-of items were not due to “any kind of procrastination or failure of efficiency at the agency,” but due to the political blocking of designations at the Board of Estimate or City Council, or to avoid litigation.
Joseph Rosenberg, of the Catholic Community Relations Council spoke in opposition to the four items on the calendar owned by New York dioceses: the Immaculate Conception Church of the Blessed Virgin Mary in the Bronx’s Melrose neighborhood, the Brooklyn Spanish-Mission-Revival St. Barbara’s Roman Catholic Church, St. Augustine’s Roman Catholic Church and Rectory in Park Slope, and the Old Calvary Cemetery Gatehouse in Queens. Rosenberg testified that designation of the properties would add “truly burdensome” costs to the Church, straining “meagre resources.”
The Reverend Francis Skelly, of the Immaculate Conception, said the parish did not have the resources to maintain the church as a landmark, and the money would be better spent on other needs in the South Bronx community. A Historic Districts Council representative noted that the church was built to service the Bronx’s large German immigrant population, and “astonishing remain intact,” “through decades and waves of immigration.” Council Member Rafael Espinal opposed the designation of Saint Barbara’s.
The New York Landmarks Conservancy called the Old Calvary Gatehouse “architecturally significant, highly intact, and worthy of designation,” while the Historic Districts Council found St. Augustine’s “one of the most elaborate and architecturally significant Roman Catholic churches in Brooklyn.”
State Senator Tony Avella decried the process that allowed only three minutes to address multiple items under consideration for designation, as they were all too important to be given such short shrift. Avella spoke in strong support of all the Queens items, saying the First Reformed Church was the property most deserving of Landmarks recognition in the entire borough, and the Lydia Ann Bell and J. William Ahles House’s designation had the full support of the community. Avella stated that the majority of property owners in the proposed extension to the Douglaston Historic District supported designation, that the extension was the “entrance to the historic district,” and he exhorted Landmarks to “do the right thing by the borough of Queens.”
A representative of Council Member Paul Vallone, however, read a statement in opposition to the extension’s designation, and said it was opposed by the local community board as well, but expressed a willingness to support the designation of the individual items within the area. A property owner in the district said he did not wish to relinquish his property rights for the cause of historic preservation, and said he had faced harassment from designation proponents. Property owner Roger White said designation was opposed by the “overwhelming majority” of property owners in the district, and said zoning was better mechanism to prevent inappropriate development. The extension was supported by members of the Douglaston Little Neck Historical Society, who said the majority of residents endorsed designation, and preservationist organizations.
Representatives of the Bowne Street Community in Flushing Queens said the congregation supported designation, but requested help in acquiring resources to maintain the building to Landmarks’ standards. A representative of Council Member Peter Koo also spoke in support of the church’s landmarking.
The Pepsi Cola Sign overlooking the East River from Long Island City Queens, received support of the Queens Preservation Council, whose representative called it “an icon to many generations in New York.” PepsiCo’s Peter Wilcox testified to the company’s maintenance of the sign and its importance to the corporate identity of the company, but opposed landmarking of the display sign, which he called “unnecessary.”
Representatives of Brooklyn’s 478-acre Greenwood Cemetery, originally considered for landmarking in 1981, testified to the impracticalities of designating an active cemetery with thousands of plots with different owners. Cozen O’Connor attorney Ken Fisher noted that cemetery grounds and monuments were already regulated by State law. The New York Landmarks Conservancy’s Andrea Goldwyn agreed that designation of the entire site was impracticable, but suggested that the cemetery’s chapel, as well as the Fort Hamilton Parkway Gatehouse, be considered for designation.
The pastor of the Ukrainian Church in Exile Holy Trinity Cathedral, formerly the Williamsburg Trust Company Building, opposed designation of the building. He said the 1905 building would have been demolished if the church had not occupied it in the 1960s, and that the congregation had no plans to alter the structures exterior. He said the church was supported solely by donations, and that designation would have a “negative psychological impact” on parishioners. A representative of Council Member Antonio Reynoso read a statement in support of designation, for the former bank’s historical and architectural significance.
Controversy surrounded the Fairway Apartments, a1930s Moderne complex in Jackson Heights, Queens. Ken Fisher, representing the owners, stated that the apartments did not rise to the level of quality necessary for an individual landmark, and called its style “derivative.” Fisher noted that the complex could have easily been included in the Jackson Heights Historic District, but was omitted from the 1993 designation. Former State Senator and Council Member John Sabini testified that the building did not possess any significance within the community. One of the owners testified that designation would increase costs for tenants, and that the majority of residents opposed landmarking. Tenants at the hearing alleged that the apartments’ owners had tricked residents into signing petitions opposing designation under false pretenses.
The previous owner of the Lady Moody-Van Sicklen House, the only remaining 18th century stone farmhouse in Brooklyn, said she had opposed designation because when first approached she was dealing with significant personal issues and had not understood the process and what designation signified. She said she had now come to understand that the building should have been landmarked “a long time ago.” Eric Lerardi, of the Gravesend historical society, said the building would already be protected by Landmarks if it were in Manhattan.
Wide support was voiced for the designation of the 1937 Art Deco Coney Island Pumping Station. Council Member Mark Treyger said the station deserved recognition both for it “invaluable utilitarian service” in fighting fires in the neighborhood, as well as for its architecture. Treyger wished to see the building’s interior renovated for a public “recreational or artistic” use. Merryl Kafka of the New York State Marine Education Association noted that the building had endured “40 years of City abandonment” and urged Landmarks to make the station the first individual landmark in Coney Island outside of the amusement area. Sean Khorsandi testified that that the station was architect Irwin Chanin’s only public work, though he was prominent for his hotel and theater buildings, and an interesting outlier in a “substantial portfolio.”
Landmarks will accept written testimony on the items until October 22, 2015.
LPC: Special Public Hearing for the Backlog Initiative (Oct. 8, 2015).
By: Jesse Denno (Jesse is a full-time staff writer at the Center for NYC Law)
Tags : Christabel Gough, Council Member Mark Treygar, Council Member Rafael Espinal, Councilmember Peter Koo, Historic Districts Council, Ken Fisher, New York Landmark Conservancy, Paul Vallone, Society for the Architecture of the City, State Senator Tony Avella
Category : Landmarks Preservation Commission
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Published: April 2, 2020, 11:06 am Updated: April 2, 2020, 5:11 pm
Tags: Vladimir Putin, Business, Donald Trump, politics, Government
Trump says he expects Russia, Saudis to cut oil production
FILE - In this Dec. 11, 2019, file photo, Saudi Arabia's state-owned oil company Armco and stock market officials celebrate during the official ceremony marking the debut of Aramco's initial public offering (IPO) on the Riyadh's stock market, in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Saudi Arabia's oil company Aramco said Wednesday, march 11, 2020, it will increase production capacity to 13 million barrels per day, up from 12 million per day, part of a strategy to dominate market share amid a slowdown in demand due to the outbreak of a new virus. (AP Photo/Amr Nabil, File)
WASHINGTON – President Donald Trump said Thursday that he expects Saudi Arabia and Russia will dramatically cut production and end an oil war that sent energy prices to record lows.
But the Kremlin disputed part of his tweet, leading to skepticism that a deal was imminent.
A global glut in production, coupled with an economy reeling from the coronavirus pandemic, has sent energy prices to lows not seen since 2002. Trump tweeted Thursday that he had spoken with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammad Bin Salman, just days after talking to Russian President Vladimir Putin about the matter.
Trump tweeted; “I expect & hope that they will be cutting back approximately 10 Million Barrels, and maybe substantially more which, if it happens, will be GREAT for the oil & gas industry!” He also tweeted that Prince Mohammed bin Salman had spoken with Putin, and later tweeted the presumed production cut could be as high as 15 million barrels.
But Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Putin and the prince have not spoken recently. "No, there wasn't such a conversation," he said, according to Russian state news agency Tass.
Nevertheless, U.S. benchmark crude climbed more than 20% Thursday after Trump's tweet. Even with those gains, prices are down 60% from the start of the year.
Saudi Arabia called for an urgent meeting of OPEC and non-OPEC producers Thursday, just weeks after triggering the price war with Russia that sent oil prices plummeting.
Russia’s refusal last month to extend and deepen production cuts with OPEC and its de facto leader Saudi Arabia sparked immediate backlash from Riyadh, where oil policy is largely dictated by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. The kingdom slashed oil prices last month and vowed to ramp up production to more than 12 million barrels a day.
The clash is taking place during a period of vastly reduced energy demand. The pandemic arrived with the global economy entering a cycle of slower growth. The confluence has pushed Brent crude oil prices to below $30 a barrel, far below what Saudi Arabia or Russia need to balance their budgets. The price of U.S. crude fell harder than at any point in history, plunging more than 65%, to around $20 per barrel, lower than what many U.S. shale companies can withstand.
In a statement carried on the state-run Saudi Press Agency Thursday, the kingdom said its call for a meeting of major oil producers indicates the country’s support for the global economy at this time, and is “in appreciation of” Trump and the request made by the United States. It said the purpose of calling a meeting is aimed at reaching a fair agreement to restore balance to the oil market.
The state-run news agency in Saudi Arabia noted that a call took place between Trump and the crown prince, but made no mention of Trump’s specific call on Saudi Arabia to cut production.
Trump also has said he will meet with U.S. oil and gas company executives Friday.
There is skepticism over an international deal, however.
“There’s going to be resistance from all parties to making a cutback that’s really going to make a difference,” said Michael Lynch, president of Strategic Energy & Economic Research.
Trump's engagement could persuade Saudi Arabia, if not the Kremlin, to relent, said Kevin Book, managing director at Clearview Energy Partners. But an agreement to reduce output by 10 million or 15 million barrels per day would likely require U.S. cuts, too, he said.
One oil industry regulator in Texas, Ryan Sitton, has been discussing the possibility of pro-rating production in his state, although a formal proposal hasn't been made.
“I need to be at least talking about what that might look like,” Sitton said in an interview. "If the president were to step into a deal or step into negotiations and help get a deal done, if I can give him a tool to bring to the table then I’d like to explore it.”
Low crude prices make many drilling operations in the U.S. unsustainable, and in response companies have announced thousands of layoffs and furloughs. At the same time, for most consumers, falling oil prices can be a blessing. Some stations are selling gasoline for less than $1 a gallon, though the national average is closer to $2, and many Americans staying home won't see a benefit from low gas prices.
Batrawy reported from Dubai and Bussewitz reported from New York. James Heintz in Moscow and Kevin Freking in Washington contributed to this report.
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FCC to fight 'mystery fees' on phone bills
The addition of unauthorized fees to consumers' bills--a practice known as "cramming"--affects 15 million to 20 million U.S. households a year, according to a survey cited by the FCC.
Steven Musil
June 20, 2011 8:16 p.m. PT
The chairman of the Federal Communications Commission announced plans today to battle the appearance of "mystery fees" on consumers' phone bills, a practice known as "cramming."
FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski said in a statement he would soon send his fellow commissioners proposed rules that are "focused on harnessing technology and transparency to empower consumers with the information they need to make smart decisions and to make the market work."
The addition of unauthorized fees--typically $1.99 to $19.99 a month--to consumers' bills affects 15 million to 20 million U.S. households a year, according to a survey cited by the FCC. The same survey found that only 5 percent of those consumers were aware of the monthly charges.
Last week, the commission issued fines totaling $11.7 million against four companies for allegedly charging thousands of consumers for long distance service that they had not ordered.
Genachowski said cramming erodes consumer trust in communications services.
"The FCC will not tolerate cramming, and we are turning up the heat on companies that rip off consumers with unauthorized fees," Genachowski said in a statement. "We want to send a clear message: if you charge consumers unauthorized fees, you will be discovered and you will be punished."
The FCC also posted a tip sheet to its Web site that encourages consumers to carefully review their monthly bills to prevent being overcharged.
Discuss: FCC to fight 'mystery fees' on phone bills
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Louis Stewart, City of Sacramento’s chief innovation officer, serves on an 11-member working group for Aggie Square, a project that will transform 25 acres near UC Davis Medical Center into a hub of state-of-the-art research facilities, incubator space, academic programs, housing and retail.
The City Is the Lab
Urban Technology Lab is trying to put Sacramento on the innovation map
Back Longreads Dec 23, 2019 By Graham Womack
This story is part of our annual Innovation issue. To see more featured Comstock's stories, click or tap here.
In September 2018, visitors from Austin, Texas, came to Sacramento for a tourism promotion between the two cities. During their visit, they wanted to tour the then one-year-old Sacramento Urban Technology Lab, recalls Louis Stewart, City of Sacramento’s chief innovation officer.
Only one problem: The lab is not a real place. Stewart says he explained to the visitors that the SUTL is “the whole city and it’s made of the actors that make up the lab.” Those actors include representatives from local government, higher education and private industry, committed to achieving economic development through collaboration and innovation by making Sacramento a “living laboratory,” where ideas, products and services can be tested, developed and scaled.
While it’s still a relatively new undertaking, in time, SUTL’s efforts could yield major results, say its proponents. These include bringing new technology to the city, such as autonomous vehicles and 3-D mapping, while expanding the local high-tech industry and making it more accessible to historically underrepresented groups.
Meet the Innovation Team
When Stewart arrived at City Hall in May 2017 following seven years with the California Governor’s Office of Business and Economic Development, his new office held scarcely more than dreams.
While former Sacramento Mayor Kevin Johnson created the Mayor’s Office for Innovation and Entrepreneurship, he didn’t find anyone to head it. Mayor Darrell Steinberg, Johnson’s successor, hired Stewart. “He’s well-connected, and he has a vision, and he works it,” Steinberg says. “He wants Sacramento to be one of the leading technology hubs in the country.”
“I will tell you what I’m focused on, more than anything around these issues, it is ensuring that as we develop these major innovation and technology projects, like Aggie Square, like the mobility center, that we are equally focused on their connection to our neighborhoods and to workforce development.” Darrell Steinberg, Mayor, City of Sacramento
A 1989 John F. Kennedy High School graduate, Stewart attended Santa Clara University on a basketball scholarship but struggled to adjust to the college game and ultimately lost his scholarship. Though he later played professionally in Peru and Belgium, his younger brother, Michael “Yogi” Stewart, did play for the Sacramento Kings during the 1997-98 season and four other NBA teams during eight seasons.
Stewart, an art major at Santa Clara, got into his current line of work when he landed a job as statewide IT director for Arnold Schwarzenegger’s gubernatorial reelection campaign. Stints with the state Department of Motor Vehicles and U.S. Census Bureau followed.
Today, Stewart is the public face for the City’s innovation team and SUTL, with two other economic development department staffers, Ash Roughani and Aubree Taylor, working behind the scenes. Stewart, who also is on Comstock’s Editorial Advisory Board of Directors, keeps a busy schedule, leading the Mayor’s Technology Council and fielding calls from companies interested in demonstrating products locally. The calls are getting more frequent. “Literally, we’re being found all over the nation to come try stuff out here,” Stewart says. One of SUTL’s key efforts is to establish Sacramento as a demonstration site for new technology, primarily in the areas of food systems, cybersecurity, health and life sciences, workforce development, mobility, sustainability, and government.
Mobility has been a major focus for Stewart’s team, with $44 million in funding available from Volkswagen’s $2 billion Electrify America settlement for cheating emissions standards. SUTL’s two high-profile demonstrations so far have been for Olli, an autonomous shuttle, and Phantom Auto, which could deploy self-driving cars around the city. Stewart and other local leaders have also been working to create the California Mobility Center, which could provide $15 million for transportation innovation. In addition, there have been talks with Deepen AI, a Silicon Valley firm, for advanced 3-D mapping of city streets, necessary for autonomous vehicles to navigate.
Another focus has been the Aggie Square project that will transform 25 acres near UC Davis Medical Center into a hub of state-of-the-art research facilities, incubator space, academic programs, housing and retail at an estimated price tag “in the hundreds of millions as far as construction cost,” UC Davis Chancellor Gary May says. Stewart serves on an 11-member working group for Aggie Square.
May says he envisioned Aggie Square while dean of engineering at the Georgia Institute of Technology. A couple of months before he became UC Davis chancellor on Aug. 1, 2017, May invited Steinberg, Stewart and other guests to visit Technology Square in Atlanta. SUTL aims to mimic Technology Square’s “Triple Helix model of economic innovation where government, industry and academia collaborate to transform Sacramento into a living laboratory as a way to grow the existing base of high-wage jobs,” according to an April 2018 report by the working group.
“Sacramento’s primarily a government town and maybe some health care as well,” May says. “But there’s not much of a high-tech industry and other industries. So we’re hoping to bring that.”
‘Easier, Cheaper and Better Here’
At the same time SUTL places its focus on these big-ticket projects, the team is also working to build connections with smaller startups and innovators in the region. Eric Knopf, cofounder of Old Sacramento-based Webconnex, which does online registration, ticketing and donation software, recently hosted Stewart, other City employees and Downtown Sacramento Partnership members for a catered lunch and a Q&A to educate them about the company.
Knopf says although it took his team months to get on the City’s radar, he said this might never happen for small companies in the Bay Area. “If you’re a startup in San Francisco, get in line,” Knopf says. “Whatever you want from the city, you’re going to get the lobbyists of Twitter, Square, Stripe. There’s an army of people before you.”
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That’s definitely not Stewart’s style. “He’s just really nice,” Knopf says. “You enjoy talking to him. He generally is interested. He likes the city. And I think someone who their heart and mind is in the game was really refreshing. It’s not like, ‘My job requires me to sit in front of you.’”
There are other perks for startups based in a midsized city like Sacramento too, and that’s something SUTL wants to make sure potential entrepreneurs know. For example, HealthSherpa, a member of the Mayor’s Technology Council that Stewart leads, has turned the upstairs of an old firehouse in Midtown Sacramento into a call center bustling with staff helping consumers sign up for health insurance under the Affordable Care Act. Cofounder George Kalogeropoulos, a 34-year-old Yale University graduate, had three startups fail in other cities before he launched HealthSherpa.
“Everything is easier, cheaper and better here except for certain specialized technical roles,” Kalogeropoulos says, noting that it can be hard “to find programmatic search engine optimization specialists in Sacramento,” though the company plugs holes with remote staff.
Buck Avey, another Mayor’s Technology Council member, describes Sacramento as “a bit of a hidden gem” since relocating two years ago from Austin. Avey is vice president for SkySlope, which does cloud-based work to help real-
estate transactions from its K Street offices. “Sacramento reminds me of Austin maybe 10, 15 years ago, where it’s a capital town, there’s not a lot of major companies, per se, at that point, but there’s a burgeoning tech scene,” Avey says.
The region still struggles to foster new startups, though. Kalogeropoulos, who went through the Mountain View-based Y Combinator accelerator that helped launch Dropbox, DoorDash and Airbnb, says there is “a whole ecosystem of starting companies in the Bay that is hard to replicate.” Angel investing is also hard to come by.
That said, the City has provided modest encouragement, such as a Startup in Residence program last year, where two companies developed technology at no cost to the City, according to Roughani. Following the residency, one of the companies, Unleash Live, earned a contract with the City to take traffic camera data and provide automated pedestrian, bicycle and vehicle counts.
Setting the Stage for the Future
Creating a better technology scene in Sacramento isn’t just about attracting business — it’s about equity too, says Steinberg. “I will tell you what I’m focused on, more than anything around these issues, it is ensuring that as we develop these major innovation and technology projects, like Aggie Square, like the Mobility Center, that we are equally focused on their connection to our neighborhoods and to workforce development,” he says.
Steinberg has been leading a weekly meeting of workforce and business leaders he dubs the Mayor’s Commission to Make Sure We Get it Right. While it’s a tongue-in-cheek name, the funding for this and other technology-related efforts locally is no joke: $40 million a year over five years from Measure U.
“(Louis Stewart, Sacramento’s chief innovation officer, is) well-connected, and he has a vision, and he works it. He wants Sacramento to be one of the leading technology hubs in the country.” Darrell Steinberg, Mayor, City of Sacramento
Part of Stewart’s work has included overseeing a $1 million annual grants program, formerly known as Rapid Acceleration, Innovation, and Leadership in Sacramento — often called RAILS — and recently rebranded to SUTL. Two of the grants, for $50,000 and $150,000, have gone to Square Root Academy in Sacramento, which teaches science, technology, engineering and mathematics curriculum to fifth to 12th grade students.
The first grant helped Square Root Academy expand in one year from 50 students to a few hundred, and has served thousands to date, says founder and executive director Nicholas Haystings. The second grant helped Haystings open Lab 7 Coworking near Broadway in Sacramento, which serves youth and adults who need to build technology skills.
The growth, fueled in part by the RAILS grants, is paying dividends for local students, with it recently becoming possible for high schoolers to earn college credit through Square Root Academy, Haystings says. “We go exclusively to Title I schools, which are the underserved and under-resourced schools within certain school districts,” Haystings says. “To have these kids going from zero computer classes and not quite reaching math readiness for college to now being able to amass college credit while in high school is a pretty huge deal.”
It speaks to broader goals with SUTL. “The mindset that we’ve been trying to push through SUTL is really not tech for tech’s sake,” Stewart says. “Really, it’s tech for citizens’ sake.”
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Recycling: Turning Trash Into Energy
FastOx gasification could be the solution to our recycling crisis
Every year, the United States generates around 260 million tons of trash. And no one knows what to do with it. No one, that is, except serial entrepreneur Mike Hart, the CEO of Davis-based Sierra Energy.
Part of this month’s Innovation issue
Dec 4, 2019 Jeff Wilser
The Transportation Revolution
How we get around is rapidly evolving, and more change is coming
Several public and private sector partnerships are helping to position the Capital Region as a leader in the new mobility revolution.
Dec 11, 2019 Eric Johnson
Shouldering the Burden
Progressive-minded farmers in the Capital Region undertake steps to battle and adapt to climate change
A growing movement of farmers is focused on agricultural practices that can mitigate or adapt to an uncertain future brought by climate change.
Dec 17, 2019 Sena Christian
Graham Womack
Fred Greaves
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Behind the Hedges
Treasure of Captain’s Row
By Laura Euler Posted on December 1, 2018
For nearly 200 years the house on Captain’s Row in Sag Harbor has stood quietly aloof from the rest of the town. In a village of white clapboard, the dignified L’Hommedieu House is a red brick townhouse.
It was built in 1840, in the then-still fashionable Greek Revival style by Samuel L’Hommedieu (1785-1862), scion of a prominent local family. Every feature of the three-bay house is quiet, simple and restrained, with perfect proportions. The entrance features a wooden door surround with a pair of fluted Doric columns screening the sidelights, and the roof is almost flat–or as flat as they could make it in 1840.
But why brick? Why build a house that looks like it was scooped out of New York City and put down in Sag Harbor? A local story has it that L’Hommedieu built a Greenwich Village-style townhouse to entice his wife to live in Sag Harbor. More prosaically (and probably the truth) is that L’Hommedieu expected Sag Harbor, then a busy, wealthy port town, to become a city as important as New York. He himself invested in the whaling trade–he’s listed as the owner of the whaleship Henry in 1845, and the family business was a ropewalk on Glover Street. L’Hommedieu wasn’t to know that the whaling industry was going to decline rapidly in just 10 years.
L’Hommedieu was the grandson of a Huguenot fugitive named Benjamin L’Hommedieu, born in 1657 in La Rochelle, France. Benjamin landed in America at Newport, Rhode Island, in 1686 and then proceeded to dwell in a spot about 20 miles from New York City, which they called New Rochelle. Then they decided to go to Long Island, arriving in Southold around 1690. In 1694, Benjamin married Patience, daughter of Nathaniel Sylvester of Shelter Island. The L’Hommedieu family intermarried with many of the regions prominent families, including the Gardiners, the Nicolls and Mulfords.
The L’Hommedieu family particularly distinguished itself during the American Revolution, with numerous men serving in regiments and fighting in the Battle of Long Island. Captain Ephraim L’Hommedieu, for example, served as a Long Island Regiment Minute Man; he’s buried in the Old Burying Ground above the Old Whalers’ Church.
The most well known member of the family was Ezra L’Hommedieu. Ezra, the uncle of Samuel, was a lawyer who was born in Southold. He went to Yale, but, as a fervent patriot, moved back to Long Island when Connecticut fell under British control.
He was appointed by the New York Assembly as the state representative to the Continental Congress, serving from 1779-1783 and in 1788. He became active in provincial and state politics, serving in the State Assembly and in the state senate. He also was clerk of Suffolk County from 1784 to 1811, and a candidate to be one of New York’s first two United States senators in 1789, but lost by several votes.
Ezra, as a member of the New York City Chamber of Commerce, pushed to have a lighthouse built on Montauk Point. After all, he told President Washington, New York was the busiest trading port in the United States, and winds in winter meant that the city needed a lighthouse to aid ships sailing for the harbor. Ezra chose the site for the lighthouse and designed it. Constructed in 1796, Montauk Lighthouse was the first built in New York State and the first public works project of the new United States.
Apparently tireless, Ezra also worked on methods of improving farming, including using seashells as fertilizer, and corresponded with Thomas Jefferson about scientific farming.
Ezra’s first wife, with whom he did not have children, was Charity Floyd, sister of Declaration signer William Floyd. Ezra remarried after Charity’s death and had children with his second wife. He is buried in Southold with Charity.
Samuel’s father, known around Sag Harbor as “Old Squire L’Hommedieu,” was a justice of the peace. When “some roguish person or persons” threw the town stocks into a swamp on Gull Island, Esq. L’Hommedieu, “to vindicate the outraged majesty of the Law, offered a reward for evidence to convict the offenders. But who they were remains to this day a secret undivulged.” That is from Early Sag-Harbor: An Address Delivered Before the Sag-Harbor Historical Society by Henry Hedges, 1896.
Squire L’Hommedieu operated a ropewalk on Peter’s Green, just off Glover Street. A ropewalk is a long narrow building (1000 feet long) where workers walk back and forth twisting hemp into rope for use in ship’s riggings, line and cables. A busy port like Sag Harbor had an insatiable need for rope: a three-masted whaleship could involve six miles of rigging alone.
The old squire’s son, Samuel Junior, who built the brick house, was a member of the New York State Assembly for a time. Samuel married twice, and he and wives Mary and Maria are all buried next to one another in Oakland Cemetery, Sag Harbor.
Just a year or two after his death, the brick house became notorious among the community. The Civil War was raging, and by 1863 it was becoming difficult to recruit soldiers to the Army, even though many towns paid premiums to enlistees. East Hampton offered $400 to each man who volunteered, plus $3 per month to his wife and $1 for each child. But it wasn’t enough and the government began a draft. People in Sag Harbor heard of the famous draft riots of New York City and began to worry. Brothers Oliver and Jared Wade, who now lived in L’Hommedieu House, became aware of threats made to African-American residents of Eastville. Oliver distributed rifles among the residents and then was himself threatened. A mob formed outside the brick house. In return, Oliver armed himself with harpoon guns fitted with iron slugs: four guns pointed in each direction from the house. Fortunately, after a week or so, the furor died down and no fighting happened.
The old brick house continued for many years as a well-loved village landmark. In 2016 plans were drawn up to modify and renovate the house, including digging the cellar floor lower to create new bedrooms with ensuite bathrooms below ground, and, most controversially, altering the flat roof to create taller ceilings in the attic. These plans created outrage among Sag Harbor residents. After all, as it is, L’Hommedieu House is 5,000 square feet, with five bedrooms and three and a half baths. Why did anyone need more space, residents demanded.
But all is well. The house, with a fresh new beautiful interior but without the structural changes, was put on the market, and is at press time in contract to be sold. L’Hommedieu House should be greeting visitors to Captain’s Row for another 200 years, just as Samuel left it.
Shinnecock Hills House Under $1 Million Could Be Your Southampton Haven
2 More Wind Farms Coming Off Long Island Coast, Cuomo Says
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Nonprofit Newsletter Spring 2015
Why Navigate the Legal System All By Yourself?
The D.C. Bar Pro Bono Center is here to help. Our mission is to help your organization locate pro bono legal counsel. Since 1998, we have matched hundreds of nonprofit organizations with law firms in the District of Columbia.
Among the projects we have undertaken, we have:
Matched a nonprofit with legal counsel to help it negotiate a new commercial lease.
Secured legal counsel for a nonprofit that wanted to conduct a legal audit of its governance documents.
Found pro bono counsel to assist a nonprofit that was being audited by the federal government with respect to a government grant.
Matched a nonprofit with legal counsel to help it with a trademark dispute regarding its right to use its corporate name. Secured legal counsel for a firm that was having performance issues with one of its employees.
If you need help with a real estate matter, corporate governance, contract issues or employment matters, please feel free to contact us, and we will help match you with pro bono legal counsel.
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Treasury Wine Estates Ltd Company Snapshot
Treasury Wine Estates Ltd operates in the Wines, brandy, and brandy spirits sector. In addition to historical fundamental analyses, the complete report available to purchase compares Treasury Wine Estates Ltd with three other wine and liquor producers in Australasia: Foley Wines Ltd of NEW ZEALAND (2020 sales of 55.86 million New Zealand Dollars [US$40.10 million] ), Australian Vintage Limited (267.23 million Australian Dollars [US$206.68 million] of which 48% was UK/Europe), and Delegat Group Ltd which is based in NEW ZEALAND (304.18 million New Zealand Dollars [US$218.37 million] of which 111% was Delegat Limited).
Sales Analysis. Treasury Wine Estates Ltd reported sales of A$2.68 billion (US$2.07 billion) for the fiscal year ending June of 2020. This represents a decrease of 7.1% versus 2019, when the company's sales were A$2.88 billion. Contributing to the drop in overall sales was the 17.6% decline in Operating-Asia, from A$748.90 million to A$617.10 million. There were also decreases in sales in Operating-Americas (down 5.7% to A$1.07 billion) and Operating-Anz (down 1.6% to A$592.40 million) . However, these declines were partially offset by the increase in sales of Operating-Europe (up 7.1% to A$370.60 million) .
Treasury Wine Estates Ltd
Current Price (1/8/2021): 9.38
1 Week -0.2% 13 Weeks -0.4%
Treasury Wine Estates Ltd Key Data:
Ticker: TWE Country: Australia
Exchanges: ASX Major Industry: Food, Beverage & Tobacco
Sub Industry: Wines, Brandy, & Brandy Spirits
2020 Sales 2,678,200,000
(Year Ending Jan 2021). Employees: 3,000
Currency: Australian Dollars Market Cap: 6,761,107,292
Share Type: Ordinary Closely Held Shares: 4,027,103
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Doha in December
In a column appearing in Farm Press publications, NCC Chairman Larry McClendon says if a December meeting of the WTO Doha Round is held, and the Lamy text used as a starting point, the haste to conclude the negotiations would work against a balanced agreement and the result would be a text that cannot pass Congress.
During my tenure as chairman of the National Cotton Council, I have represented the industry in several important meetings across the United States and around the world. I have participated in numerous discussions concerning international trade with many of those focused on the Doha Round trade negotiations. U.S. agriculture is being asked to voluntarily forgo a large portion of the commodity programs that operate as a safety net for U.S. farmers. In October 2005, the United States offered a reduction of $26 billion in overall trade distorting support to agriculture. In return, we were promised increased market access for U.S. agricultural exports.
I spent five intense days in Geneva this past July monitoring the ministerial-level discussions that occurred there. On the first day of those talks, the United States offered an even larger cut of $33 billion in U.S. agricultural support. Two or three days later, WTO Director General Pascal Lamy tabled his proposed agreement, which included a $34 billion cut in U.S. support. We were there with the entire U.S. negotiating team, including U.S. Trade Representative Susan Schwab, Chief Agricultural negotiator Joe Glauber and Under Secretary of Agriculture Mark Keenum, along with many other USDA and USTR professionals. When I reviewed the Lamy proposal, I was amazed it would even be considered. It contains significant loopholes on market access, would have allowed countries to use safeguard remedies to increase tariffs beyond current levels, and would have created a further imbalance in market access between developed countries and developing countries. The Lamy text offered no tangible benefits to U.S. agriculture in terms of developing country market access. If that proposal had been adopted, the United States would have had to give up $36 billion in U.S. agricultural spending for virtually no payback at all. I know for sure that the Lamy text would not help increase cotton exports to China one bit -- the largest single producer and user of cotton in the world. But the whole of U.S. agriculture would not fare much better. The exemptions for developing countries ensure that U.S. agriculture will not have additional access to the fastest growing agricultural markets in the world. While the Lamy text was a serious problem as far as I was concerned, India and a few other developing countries insisted on significantly less access to their markets and even larger reductions in U.S. agricultural support. Our trade negotiators did the right thing when they refused.
Now, weeks after we have elected a new President and many senior Administration officials have begun to move into the private sector, there is serious discussion about convening another meeting of Ministers so that a Doha agreement can be reached before the end of the year -- before the new President can have anything to say about it. It seems certain that should such a meeting occur, the negotiation would start with the flawed Lamy text and, once again, the Unites States will be asked to make more cuts while receiving even less in market access gains.
There was a concerted, long, and thoughtful effort in July of this year to craft an agreement. I watched the intense pressure build for an agreement. I watched the U.S. negotiators bend far more than I would have; and then I watched them refuse to be pushed further. None of the major trade negotiating countries has changed their positions since July. If a December meeting is held, and the Lamy text used as a starting point, the haste to conclude the negotiations would work against a balanced agreement and the new President will be saddled with a text that cannot pass Congress. I don't think that is a good Christmas present for President-elect Obama, U.S. agriculture, or world trade.
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After playing Memorial three of the past four years in the championship game, the Bulldogs (13-10) will play the Tigers (7-14) in the first round of the Class 3A Boonville Sectional at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday. Gibson Southern (13-11) will meet Heritage Hills (8-15) at 6 in the opener.
'It's unfortunate that we will see each other in the first round,' Burkhart said. 'We know Memorial is extremely tough and will play very hard for coach (Rick) Wilgus. They always play hard and are always competitive.'
Bosse beat the Tigers 72-66 on Dec. 15, but Memorial defeated the Bulldogs in the sectional title game the past two seasons. The Bulldogs took the championship in 2013.
'They have gotten what we wanted two years running,' Burkhart said. 'They have what we want. You can't worry about the records. They have got something and we want it.'
Memorial is the tallest team in the Southern Indiana Athletic Conference, but 6-foot-6 senior Alex Eberhard and 6-8 freshman Sam DeVault spend a lot of their time on the perimeter.
'I don't think length will be too much of an issue,' Burkhart said. 'Eberhard likes to play on the perimeter and that's good for us.'
n HARRISON is probably without senior guard Trey Schafer for the remainder of the season. Except for playing a few minutes, Schafer has basically been out since the Warriors' 90-66 loss to Reitz on Feb. 11 with mononucleosis.
'Trey is more experienced than anyone we have,' said Harrison coach Bryan Speer. 'He is a three-year varsity player. He started some as a sophomore.'
Schafer is the Warriors' second-leading scorer, averaging 10.1 points, second only to C.J. Hedgepeth (13.9).
Harrison (16-5) will face No. 7 Reitz (19-4) at 6 p.m. Friday in the semifinals. North (11-10) will meet the winner of Tuesday's 7 p.m. game between Castle (17-5) and Central (12-10) at 7:30 in Friday's second semifinal.
n MATER DEI (11-11) will battle North Posey (6-18) at 5:30 p.m. Tuesday in the Class 2A Jasper Sectional. The Wildcats beat North Posey 57-48 on Dec. 18. After starting off 0-13, the Vikings have vastly improved, said Mater Dei coach Kurt Wildeman.
'They came (to Mater Dei) and played us tough,' Wildeman said. 'Austin Graves is as good a shooter as anybody around.'
Graves, who is North Posey's all-time 3-point leader, is 67-for-201 behind the arc, a 33.3 percentage. He is averaging 11.5 points.
Forest Park (17-5) has the best record in the field, but Mater Dei beat the Rangers 69-57 on Feb. 4. Ben Wendholt (13.8) and Sam Englert (13.6) give Forest Park a solid one-two scoring punch.
n WASHINGTON (18-4), which finished in a three-way tie for first in the Big Eight Conference with Jasper (15-6) and Vincennes Lincoln (17-6) at 5-1, will play the Wildcats in the first round of the 3A Southridge Sectional at 7 p.m. Tuesday CST. The Hatchets beat host Jasper 66-64 on Jan. 15.
Pike Central (17-5) will meet Princeton (2-22) at 5:30 p.m. Tuesday in the sectional opener.
n TECUMSEH (9-13) will face Cannelton (4-18) at 5:30 p.m. Tuesday in the opener of the Class A Tecumseh Sectional. The Braves routed Cannelton 75-23 on Jan. 9.
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de Verbo vitae
concerning the Word of life
Matters of the Faith
Churches of the New Testament
A Discussion with Robert Waters Regarding Jesus, the Law, and Marriage, Divorce, and Remarriage
Part I: MDR: Jesus’ Teachings
Part II: MDR: Jesus and the Law
Part III: MDR: Jesus, the Law, and Divorce
My Response to Robert Waters Regarding “Understanding Deuteronomy 24:1-4, Part 2: Moses’ Situational Law and MDR”
The Purpose of Baptism
A Treatise on 1 Corinthians 14:34-35
Can I Trust the Bible?
Is the KJV the Only True Bible Version?
The Septuagint
Introducing New Testament Christianity
What is the church of Christ?
What If All Churches are Not the Same?
God’s Plan For Salvation
The Bible’s Big Story
The Role and Work of the Holy Spirit, I: The Gift of the Holy Spirit
The Role and Work of the Holy Spirit, II: The Spirit and His Revelation
The Role and Work of the Holy Spirit, III: Functions of the Spirit
My Story of Faith
What Preaching Means to Me
Salvation, Law, Obedience, and Faith
Why Are We Here?
The Paranormal and Sorcery
The Christian and Violence, I: Christians, the Government, and Military Participation
The Christian and Violence, II: Violence for Protection?
Whosoever Will May Come
The Final Inquiry: A Review
The Passion of the Christ: A Review
The Silencing of God: The Dismantling of America’s Christian Heritage, I: Evangelism
The Silencing of God: The Dismantling of America’s Christian Heritage, II: Christian Americanism
The Silencing of God: The Dismantling of America’s Christian Heritage, III: A “Christian Nation”?
The Silencing of God: The Dismantling of America’s Christian Heritage, IV: The Apocalyptic Scenario
Who are the Gnostics? An Examination into The Da Vinci Code
A Response to a Seventh-Day Adventist
A Response to a Seventh-Day Adventist (2)
A Response to “The Bread in the Lord’s Supper”
A Response to “Common Sense Questions A ‘Church of Christ’ Preacher Cannot Clearly Answer”
A Response to “101 Questions For Campbellites”
A Response to “Peace to Apostasy– Liberty to Bondage”
Textual Commentary
Arguments Over-Extending Romans 14
Arguments Undervaluing Romans 14, 1: General Arguments
Arguments Undervaluing Romans 14, 2: Romans 14 and Other Texts
Arguments Undervaluing Romans 14, 3: Categorical Arguments
Arguments Undervaluing Romans 14, 4: Application Issues
What Is Not in Romans 14
White Supremacy and the People of God
My Complicity in the Legacy of White Supremacy
White Supremacy Versus the Scriptures
“Negro Meetings for White People”
“The Messiah and Racial Problems” – Franklin T. Puckett
Racism Discussions in the Gospel Guardian
“The Racial Problem in America”
Ordered by Topic
Funeral, Invitation, Singing, and Wedding Outlines
Comprehensive Article Index: Alphabetical Order
Renewed in Spirit
Spiritual Manna: Alphabetical Order
Spiritual Manna: Scripture Reference
The Voice Archive: Alphabetical Order
The Voice Archive: Topic
The Christian Examiner: Alphabetical Order
The Christian Examiner: by Topic
Biblical Studies/Personal Websites/Weblogs
Northeast and Upper Midwest
Various Christian Directories
Various Christian Publications
Other Websites of Value
Christian E-Mail Lists and Discussion Forums
Fruit of the Spirit: Peace
Justice Executed
The Kingdoms of the World to Become the Kingdom of Christ
Fruit of the Spirit: Joy
Eager to Remember the Poor
Are the Biblical Accounts of Israelite History Myths?
Since the “Enlightenment” and the beginning of the “Age of Reason” (ca. 1650-1750), many have sought to consider all aspects of religion to be matters of myth and superstition. Many such people have denied the existence of God and all things supernatural. It is not surprising, therefore, that they have also attempted to cast aspersions on the record of history preserved in the Old Testament.
At one time these beliefs were restricted to the élites in the universities and seminaries, first in Europe, and then in America. Now their views are represented among a good number of “secular” people, especially those influenced by higher education. These views are also strenuously promoted through Internet articles and sensationalized television shows and find a far broader audience than before.
While different schools of thought grant different levels of legitimacy to different amounts of Israelite history as reflected in the Old Testament, all three which we will consider agree that at least part of that history did not actually happen. In their estimation, some part of Israelite history are myths, that is, stories invented to explain a group’s existence, identity, location, customs, or other similar matters. Some would suggest that whole stories are complete fabrications; others would allow that certain individuals did exist in history but some or most of the stories told about them did not really happen. All would attempt to divorce the miraculous or supernatural from the narratives.
The most extreme school of thought is the minimalists, also known as the “Copenhagen School,” prominent in parts of northern Europe. In their eyes, the entire Old Testament is suspect, written entirely during the Persian (ca. 530-332 BCE) or Hellenistic (ca. 332-167 BCE) periods. They would not deny the possibility of the Old Testament preserving actual historical records, but believe that it is not possible to sort out fact from fiction. In their view, the Old Testament is useful only in understanding how Jews in the Persian and/or Hellenistic period understood themselves and their nationality, and any attempt to understand Israel as a historical nation before the exile is historically dubious.
Most scholars repudiate the minimalist school as extreme, but dispute among themselves as to the extent of the legitimacy of the Old Testament historical narratives. In general, the older the narratives in the Old Testament, the more likely scholars are to believe it to represent mythology and not true historical events. To that end, most accept the history of the divided kingdom from 1 Kings 12 through 2 Kings 25 and the post-exilic events of Ezra and Nehemiah as generally valid. Many accept the history of the United Kingdom from 1 Samuel 8 through 1 Kings 11 as valid, but the advocates of the “low chronology” suggest that if those kings ever existed, they would be more like tribal chieftains, and place the archaeological evidence previously associated with the time of David and Solomon to the days of Omri and Ahab. Some believe the period of the Judges to broadly represent historical fact. The conquest of the land in the days of Joshua is heavily disputed: some scholars deny that the conquest ever happened, instead believing either that the Israelites more peaceably entered the land and ultimately overran much of its territory or that the Israelites were really a collection of Canaanites who banded together to become one nation. Other scholars believe the Israelites did conquer parts of Canaan. Most scholars believe the Exodus account to be largely mythological: some scholars will accept the idea that a band of people left Egypt and eventually settled in Canaan, either all at once or in stages, but precious few accept the Exodus account as stated. Most have also relegated all of the stories in Genesis into the category of myth. In the academic world, most of those who continue to accept the entire Old Testament history of Israel as historical fact are many scholars and theologians associated with “conservative” Evangelical Christianity, and some among Orthodox Judaism as well.
It is important to note that nothing has ever been discovered which refutes or casts serious doubt upon any of the narratives of Israelite history in the Old Testament: none of the stories has been “disproven.” As we will see, some pieces of evidence lend credence to the narratives of the Old Testament. Nevertheless, most of the claims against the legitimacy of the historical records of the Old Testament rest on the absence of evidence: a lack of evidence of the Exodus or the Wilderness wanderings; a lack of evidence of the conquest under Joshua; a lack of evidence for the building campaigns of David and Solomon; and so on and so forth.
Archaeological discoveries are the main reason why most people have rejected the beliefs of the minimalist school. Texts and other objects found both in the land of Israel and in the greater Egyptian and Mesopotamian area broadly agree with the historical narratives found regarding the periods of the divided kingdom, the exile, and after the exile. The “Cyrus Cylinder,” discovered in Babylon, extols Cyrus as a king who allowed people to return to their homelands and who restored temples and service to the gods, consistent with the decree of Cyrus for the Jews as preserved in Ezra 1:1-4. The “Nebo-Sarsekim Tablet” was also found in Babylon, naming the same official as found in Jeremiah 39:3. King Hezekiah of Judah is attested in Sennacherib’s Prism, describing the devastation of Judah and the siege of Jerusalem according to the perspective of the Assyrians, the Siloam inscription discovered in the Siloam Tunnel in Jerusalem, and by many seals (called bullae), particularly around Jerusalem. The Mesha Stele tells the Moabite version of the narrative found in 2 Kings 3:4-8, and explicitly names Omri as king of Israel, the men of Gad, and speaks of YHWH. An Aramean inscription found in Tel Dan and dated around 850-800 BCE speaks of victory over the king of Israel and the “house of David.” Stories of Canaanite religion found among texts from Ugarit in northern Phoenicia are consistent with the portrayal of Canaanite religion (and the basis of much of Israel’s idolatry) in the Old Testament. These and many other discoveries directly and indirectly demonstrate that the historical narratives of the Old Testament fit within their time and place.
The recent discovery of a well-established fortress at Khirbet Qeiyafa dated to the period of the United Monarchy suggests that David and Solomon were more than mere tribal chieftains. The earliest evidence for Israel outside of the Bible comes from the Merneptah Stele, ca. 1213-1203, in which Pharaoh Merneptah of Egypt boasts that he laid waste to Israel, an event unattested in the Old Testament. Even though we have not discovered any direct evidence for earlier events, many of the features of the narratives in Genesis are consistent with their time period toward the end of the third millennium BCE in ways inconsistent with later times (e.g. Sarai giving Hagar to Abraham to bear children, Genesis 16:1-4).
We cannot expect archaeological and historical evidence to “prove” that the historical narratives of the Old Testament are factual: the best that can be expected is for archaeological and historical evidence to show that these historical narratives fit into their time period and are consistent with all available evidence. The historical narratives of the Old Testament meet this criterion: the events described make sense in the time frame in which they are alleged to have taken place. All claims against their legitimacy depend on absence of evidence, but absence of evidence is not evidence: a lack of corroborating evidence does not automatically mean that a given narrative is a myth. Archaeological and historical evidence is comparatively scant, especially in Israel, and a product of happenstance: there is much we do not know, and much we will never know.
Archaeology and history do not disprove the narratives of the Old Testament; in fact, they show how those narratives are consistent with their times and places. If it were not for the existence of Judaism and Christianity, and modern desires to reject and repudiate religion, much of this doubt would not exist. We have no good basis upon which to doubt the legitimacy of the historical narratives of the Old Testament; we therefore do well to accept them as true as we serve Jesus, the fulfillment of Israelite history, as Lord!
Ethan R. Longhenry
The Christian and Social Media
The Seven Trumpets
Search de Verbo vitae
Recent Bible Studies
de Verbo vitae – Twitter
Ethan Longhenry @deverbovitae
This is not a healthy, let alone Christian, response. This is the root of bitterness and the gall of arrogance.
This season has assuredly exposed Ramsey for who he is. Highly lamentable. https://t.co/MMobPjnCVy
Tracks with what I have seen from some African brethren. Sadly, our American issues yet again have terrible effects in the global South.
https://t.co/H5rZNpDA8p
As newborn babes, long for the spiritual milk which is without guile, that ye may grow thereby unto salvation (1 Peter 2:2).
For when by reason of the time ye ought to be teachers, ye have need again that some one teach you the rudiments of the first principles of the oracles of God; and are become such as have need of milk, and not of solid food.
In which we try to make sense of what the Hebrews author is seeing in Moses' story. https://t.co/g6ZAkCV7VD
Very much on point from @jake_meador .
I would also add the Evangelical Industrial Marriage and Family Complex.
https://t.co/sdQSRwKD7t
Follow @deverbovitae
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BOX EXPERIENCE
Match day mascot
Squadbuilder
The Amber Ribbon
By dewsburyrams / 11th June 2020
Team training bases for RLWC2021 announced
Rugby League World Cup 2021 (RLWC2021) has revealed the locations of the team bases for all competing nations across the men’s, women’s, and wheelchair tournaments.
The squads from the 21 unique nations and 32 teams will be based in different locations across the country. The hosts, England will be based in three locations, with the men’s team in Manchester, the women’s team in Leeds and the wheelchair team in the country’s capital, London. The men’s holders Australia will join England in Manchester, while the women’s champions, also Australia, will be based in York. France, the wheelchair RLWC holders, will be based in Sheffield.
The full list of host towns and cities, and the corresponding nations is as follows:
Bolton – France (Men’s)
Doncaster – Samoa (Men’s)
Hull – Fiji (Men’s)
Leeds – Jamaica, Ireland (Men’s) | England, Papua New Guinea, Brazil, Canada (Women’s)
Liverpool and St Helens – Tonga, Italy (Men’s teams)
London – England, Australia, Norway, Spain (Wheelchair)
Manchester and Trafford – England, Australia (Men’s)
Newcastle – Scotland (Men’s)
Preston – Wales (Men’s)
Sheffield – Greece (Men’s) | France, Wales, Scotland, USA (Wheelchair)
Tees Valley – Cook Islands (Men’s)
Warrington – Papua New Guinea (Men’s)
Wigan/Leigh – Lebanon (Men’s)
York – New Zealand (Men’s) | Australia, New Zealand, France, Cook Islands (Women’s)
All the host cities and towns, including those who won’t be a dedicated team base (Coventry and Kirklees), will form a huge part of making the tournament a success, welcoming players from around the world and adopting them as their own, as they get behind them and cheer them on in 500 days’ time. Following this announcement, the fixtures for all three tournaments will be announced on 21 July 2020.
RLWC2021 has today also revealed new branding for the tournament, celebrating the Power of Together, focusing on human interest stories and emotional connections, with the goal of connecting with a universal audience.
The new branding will also include bespoke elements from each host, drawing on recognisable icons and displaying the sense of civic pride each host has for its town or city. RLWC2021 will be asking people from each host to vote on the icons that make up their custom patterns in the coming months and will be doing something similar for the nations towards the end of the year.
Jon Dutton, RLWC2021 Chief Executive, said: “Today marks another hugely exciting milestone on the road to Rugby League World Cup 2021 as we celebrate 500 days until the opening fixture at St James’ Park, Newcastle in October next year.
“It’s great to finally be able to reveal the team bases to the nations and their supporters along with our host towns and cities. We know that all our hosts are immensely proud of their community, so there is no doubting that all the nations are guaranteed an extremely warm welcome when they arrive. We’re calling on hosts to adopt their incoming nations and treat them as one of their own, cheering them on and showing them the very best of what their people and place has to offer.”
“Our refreshed tournament identity which has togetherness at its core serves as a signpost to hope, optimism and excitement for what’s to come in 2021 as we continue to build momentum towards what promises to be the biggest and best ever Rugby League World Cup.”
Main club sponsor
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Avraham Eshed named 2019 Israel Diamond Industry Dignitary
After more than 50 years of uninterrupted work in diamonds and colored gemstones, Eshed is recognized for his achievements and his contribution to Israel's diamond industry and trade
Jul 29 2019 11:10AM
Avraham Eshed, a veteran Israeli diamond manufacturer, will be named an Israel Diamond Industry Dignitary for the year 2019. The biennial Israel Diamond Industry Dignitary Awards aim to recognize and honor those men and women who have advanced and promoted Israel’s diamond industry, at home and abroad.
Eshed, who is both a manufacturer of large diamonds and high-value colored gemstones, follows in the footsteps of his late father Eliyahu Eshed, who was named an Israel Diamond Industry Dignitary in 2006. Avraham Eshed will be honored together with several other distinguished colleagues, during a ceremony on July 28, 15:30 P.M., at the Diamond Theater, in the Israel Diamond Exchange complex.
Eshed is unique in the Israeli diamond and gemstone landscape, as he developed his equally successful diamond and colored gemstone businesses in parallel. More than 30 years ago, he stood at the cradle of Sarine Technologies and was instrumental in the transition and implementation of its manufacturing and decision-making technologies in the diamond industry.
As a second-generation diamond manufacturer, Eshed pays tribute to those who, against all odds, established a diamond industry during the 1930, before the establishment of the State of Israel. “Al most 90 years later, we stand on the shoulders of giants, those pioneers who literally built the Israel diamond industry with their own hands. My father Eliyahu was among those early pioneers who set up a polishing plant in Netanya,” he recalls.
From the early 1970s, Eshed began traveling to Brazil and Africa to buy diamond and colored gemstone rough. He worked with a variety of Israeli and foreign business and production partners, gaining valuable experience and unique insights in both industries in the process.
By the time Avraham and his wife Nitza Eshed decided to establish the Eshed Diam and Gemstar companies, it was clear that they would remain firmly planted in both the diamond and colored gemstone world.
“I think that at that time, we realized that we needed to create what we today call ‘niche’ businesses,” Eshed recalls. “Few diamond companies would aim high, at larger sizes, i.e. three to 30 carats, which at that time – 35 years ago - still were the premise of New York and Antwerp. And the colored gemstone industry was tiny, with a handful of companies that turned over less than a $100 million!”
But that handful of gemstone firms held the key to Israel’s current hegemony in diamond decision-making and manufacturing technology. “In the late 1980s, we hired engineers who developed a cad-cam operated machine that would automatically cut the girdle of a colored gemstone, with the purpose to manufacture standard-sized emeralds and at the same time guarantee a good yield from the rough,’ Eshed recalls. “I quickly understood that the application of this technology would be very valuable to the diamonds industry. In 1988, we established Sarine Technologies, which is now a household name worldwide in the diamond, gem and jewelry industry and trade.”
Today, Eshed Diam continues to focus on large diamonds and throughout the years has produced top quality stones in sizes ranging between 20 and 150 carats. The firm is among Israel’s leading diamond exporters. In parallel, Gemstar is Israel’s leading emerald manufacturer, in value.
Throughout the past decades both Eshed Diam and Gemstar have been repeatedly recognized by national and international bodies, both governmental and private, as an outstanding exporter.
Avraham is a member of Israel Diamond Exchange (IDE) and the Israel Precious Stones and Diamond Exchange (IPSDE) and a past chairman of the Israel Gemstone Cutters Association (IGCA). He is a member and past director of Israel Diamond Manufacturers Association (IsDMA) and is among the founding members of the International Colored Gemstone Association (ICA).
Avraham, 73, is married to Nitza Eshed. They have two sons, Lior and Liran, and one daughter, Tal. Both sons are trained lawyers, with additional degrees in business and accountancy. Lior and Liran both hold managerial positions in Eshed Diam and Gemstar. Tal holds a degree from the prestigious Bezalel Academy and manages special projects at the firm.
The Esheds are enthusiastic members of the Art Acquisition Committee of the Tel Aviv Museum of Arts. Nitza and Avraham are long-time supporters of social programs for underprivileged youth in Israel.
avraham eshed
israel diamond industry
diamond industry news
israel diamond dignitary
Tiffany & Co. brings its legacy to Shanghai with new exhibition
De Beers curbs diamond supply as earnings drop
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Wolf: Cowboys team to beat in NFC East
Jason Wolf
The taunts and the barbs came from the New York Giants all week, beginning with Antrel Rolle dismissing the Eagles' 2013 division title, attributing it to "weak" competition, and saying Philadelphia wasn't the team to beat in the NFC East.
It continued with Prince Amukamara and Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie posing for a photo making fun of the Eagles for never winning a Super Bowl, and math-challenged Jason Pierre-Paul saying "Yeah, they're 4-1, but they could have easily been 0-4," and the Giants stomping on the Eagles logo at midfield shortly before kickoff Sunday night at Lincoln Financial Field.
The Eagles responded by thrashing the Giants 27-0 and racking up eight sacks while Eli Manning ran for his life. It was their first shutout victory since 1996, and they enter the bye week with a 5-1 record.
"We got it done the way we wanted to get it done – dominated in every aspect of the game," Jeremy Maclin said, answering a question about the Giants' trash talk with a smile and simple "27-nothin'."
But here's the thing about Rolle's statement from earlier in the week: He was right.
And Sunday proved it.
The Eagles are not the team to beat in the NFC East.
That would be the Dallas Cowboys.
Dallas went into Seattle and shocked the reigning Super Bowl champion Seahawks 30-23, as DeMarco Murray became the first NFL player to rush for six consecutive 100-yard games to begin a season since Jim Brown in 1958. He ran for 115 yards on 29 carries, and punched in the go-ahead touchdown with about three minutes remaining. The Seahawks entered the game with the league's top-ranked run defense.
The Cowboys rolled up more than 400 yards of offense and limited Seattle to just 206 yards.
Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson entered the day with a 19-1 record in home games.
And if not for Seattle scoring on a blocked punt early in the game, Dallas' victory would have been even more decisive.
The Cowboys have won five consecutive games and sit atop the division with a 5-1 record. They're the hottest team in the conference.
They feature a veteran quarterback in Tony Romo, a Hall of Fame-caliber tight end in Jason Witten, a beastly wide receiver in Dez Bryant and perhaps the best offensive line play in football, not to mention a defense that has done just enough.
The Eagles feature a young quarterback in Nick Foles who has struggled this season, serving up a 11 turnovers in six games, including two horrendous interceptions against New York; a couple of solid-if-unspectacular tight ends; have recently kicked their best wide receiver to the curb; and are saddled with an injury-ravaged offensive line and league-worst passing defense.
"They're playing at a high level right now, and we are too," LeSean McCoy said. "We'll keep an eye out for Dallas and we'll have our time to play them. So if they keep winning and we keep winning, eventually we'll get to square off and see what happens."
Philadelphia's victory against the Giants allowed the Eagles to keep pace with Dallas, tying the Cowboys for first place in the division.
It's a credit to the Eagles that they've compiled such an excellent record, despite numerous injuries along the offensive line and long stretches of uninspired play.
The Eagles pulled out their first three victories this season by overcoming double-digit deficits – including a surprising win at Indianapolis – but fell on their faces at San Francisco, where they lost by five despite getting 21 points from their defense and special teams. The offense failed to score a single point. The Eagles also nearly gave away a massive lead last week against St. Louis before hanging on for the victory.
They're talented. But they've been lucky.
"We don't care about being a 'team to beat,'" Cary Williams said. "We just want to win games."
It's one thing to embarrass the loudmouthed Giants, who just suffered their third double-digit loss of the season.
But the Cowboys' stunning victory Sunday served notice to the entire league that if there's truly a team to beat in the NFC East, look to the South.
Contact Jason Wolf at jwolf@delawareonline.com. Follow him on Twitter at @JasonChadWolf.
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Back To Neurosciences
Scott Blumenthal, DO
Medical Director of Neurosciences
Dr. Scott Blumenthal has been affiliated with South Florida Neurology Associates since 2004. He earned a Bachelor of Science in Biopsychology from the University of Michigan in 1993. He received his medical degree from Des Moines University in 1999. Dr. Blumenthal went on to complete an internship at Thomas Jefferson University, Frankford Hospital. He completed his Neurology residency and was chief resident at Montefiore Medical Center, Albert Einstein College of Medicine. He completed a fellowship in Clinical Neurophysiology with emphasis in EMG and neuromuscular diseases also at Montefiore Medical Center.
Dr. Blumenthal is Board Certified by both the American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology and the American Board of Electrodiagnostic Medicine (EMG). He is affiliated with the American Academy of Neurology, the American Association of Neuromuscular & Electrodiagnostic Medicine and the American Heart Association. He has served on both the Medical Executive Committee and currently the Peer Review Committee at Delray Medical Center.
Dr. Blumenthal treats the entire spectrum of neurological disorders but special interests include Acute Stroke therapies, EMG/neuromuscular disorders, Parkinson's Disease and Dementia. He has extensive experience with the use of Botox for neurological disorders and with deep brain stimulation evaluation and programming for Parkinson's disease and essential tremor.
Lloyd Zucker, MD
Medical Director of Neurosurgery
Dr. Zucker also serves as Chair of the Department of Surgery at Delray, Chief of Neuro-Trauma, a member of the Surgical Peer Review Committee and a member of the Trauma Quality Improvement Committee. He has been a member of the medical staff since 1994.
As a board-certified neurosurgeon, Dr. Zucker diagnoses and treats all aspects of neurologic illness of the brain and spine. Throughout his career he has championed bringing the newest state-of-the-art technologies to Delray Medical Center. Utilizing technology from Synaptive Medical and NICO Neuro’s Brainpath he performs minimally-invasive craniotomies, accessing deep lesions within the brain previously thought to be inoperable.
Dr. Zucker sub-specializes in a variety of neurological areas including radiosurgery, neuro-oncology and stereotactic procedures. He leads clinical trials in the treatment of brain tumors including fluorescent-guided surgery for gliomas and trials involving traumatic injury to the brain and spinal cord.
He is co-director of the movement disorder program at Delray Medical Center, performing Deep Brain Stimulation surgery for the treatment of Parkinson’s Disease and Essential Tremor. As part of the program he is a regional leader in the use of focused ultrasound and continues to expand the field into other novel applications.
With a fellowship in complex spinal surgery and spinal instrumentation he cares for diseases of all areas of the spine - cervical, thoracic and lumbar.
Dr. Zucker is a Diplomate of the American Board of Neurological Surgery. He is an active member of the American Association of Neurological Surgeons, the Congress of Neurological Surgeons, the North American Spine Society and is a member of the Subcortical Surgery Group.
He has contributed to research in the fields of neuro-trauma and neuro-oncology. As an assistant affiliate professor at the Charles E Schmidt School of Medicine at Florida Atlantic University, he contributes to the teaching of medical students, interns and surgical residents. Dr. Zucker has presented extensively to other physicians on minimally-invasive spine surgery, treatment of brain tumors and many other topics. In addition, Dr. Zucker regularly attends national meetings and symposiums focused on the latest techniques for treating complex disorders of the brain and spine.
A graduate with honors of the prestigious Johns Hopkins University, he was invited as an undergraduate to do research at the National Institute of Health. His medical training at Rutgers University/ University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey was followed by a neurosurgical residency at the University of Connecticut/ Hartford Hospital. His extended training was completed by a fellowship in complex spinal surgery at the University of South Florida/ Tampa General Hospital.
Nils Mueller-Kronast, MD
Neurointerventional Director
Dr. Nils Mueller-Kronast earned his Doctor of Medicine at Stadt Krankenhaus Harlaching, Ludwig-Maximilians-University in Munich, Germany. He then completed his Residency, Internship and Vascular/Interventional Neurology Fellowship at Jackson Memorial Hospital, University of Miami in Miami, Florida. Dr. Mueller-Kronast completed an additional Fellowship at Stadt Krankenhaus Harlaching, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universitat, Munich, Germany in Stroke and Neurocritical Care. His areas of special interests include Intra-artierial stroke treatment and management of traumatic injury to the cervical and cerebral vessels. He is a Diplomat of the American Board of Neurology and the American Board of Vascular Neurology.
Advanced Care With a Holistic Approach
Delray Medical Center has the advanced technology and services to help with any of your neurological issues. As a member of the Advanced Neuroscience Network, an integrated delivery system of medical professionals and hospitals focused on offering a full continuum of neurological care throughout South Florida, we focus on everything from prevention and diagnosis to treatment and rehabilitation.
Our award-winning neurosciences department offers:
A comprehensive stroke center
Minimally invasive 6 Pillar Approach for treating brain tumors and hemorrhages
Dedicated, patient-centered rehabilitation hospital
An Award-Winning Program
We’ve worked hard to build our comprehensive stroke center, and strive to provide the best possible stroke care to our community. We’ve been recognized for the service we provide, and the speed with which we provide it. While these awards are given based on different criteria, they all mean the same thing for you: when you come to Delray with a stroke, you know you’re in good hands.
Neuroscience / Stroke Accreditations
Joint Commission Thrombectomy-Capable Stroke Center Certification
One of Healthgrades® America’s 100 Best Hospitals for Stroke Care™ for 7 years in a row (2012-2018)
Named Among the Top 5% in the Nation for Treatment of Stroke by Healthgrades® for 8 years in a row (2012-2019)
Named Among the Top 10% in the Nation for Neurosciences by Healthgrades® for 8 years in a row (2012-2019)
American Heart Association Get With The Guidelines® – Stroke Gold Plus Award
Recipient of the Healthgrades® Neurosciences Excellence Award™ for 10 years in a row (2012-2021)
Recipient of the Healthgrades® Stroke Care Excellence Award™ for 12 years in a row (2010-2021)
Recipient of the Healthgrades® Cranial Neurosurgery Excellence Award™ for 3 years in a row (2016-2018, 2020)
Named Among the Top 5% in the Nation for Cranial Neurosurgery by Healthgrades® for 3 years in a row (2016-2018)
Healthgrades® Five-Star Recipient for Cranial Surgery for 3 years in a row (2016-2018, 2020)
Healthgrades® Five-Star Recipient for Treatment of Stroke for 13 years in a row (2008-2020)
DNV GL Healthcare Certified Comprehensive Stroke Center
Neuro Oncology
Endovascular Neurosurgery
Brain Path Technology
Neurology Services
Neurology Patient Navigator
Read our Neurology Testimonials
Munro's Stroke Story
Carole's Stroke Story
Pat Zaugg's Stroke Story
Speak to a Neurosciences Patient Navigator
Fill out a contact form and we’ll connect you to our Patient Navigator
Contact a Neurosciences Patient Navigator
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News Sports Life Business Flavors Nation / World Obituaries E-Edition Legals
Is John Grant the best athlete to ever play for a Rochester team?
Sal Maiorana
Democrat and Chronicle
John Grant is the second all-time leading scorer in National Lacrosse League history.
Grant played 11 years for the Rochester Knighthawks and keyed the 2007 NLL championship team.
Never mind that on the national scale, the National Lacrosse League is the sheer definition of a niche sport in the United States and will never rise to the level of popularity enjoyed by any of the big four professional leagues – Major League Baseball, the National Football League, the National Hockey League and the National Basketball Association.
Still, for the sport of lacrosse, it’s the majors, because like the big four, the players who compete in the indoor league that dates to the late 1980s in its previous iteration as the Major Indoor Lacrosse League are the very best in the world.
And Saturday night at Blue Cross Arena at the Rochester Community War Memorial, one of the greatest in the history of the sport, John Grant Jr., will not only be inducted into the Rochester Knighthawks Hall of Fame, he will also have his number 24 retired. Game time against the Georgia Swarm is 7:30 p.m.
The Knighthawks are in their 25th year of operation, but Grant’s number will be the first to be retired, an honor befitting a player who, in my opinion, is the greatest professional athlete to ever play for a Rochester team.
This is a town with a rich sporting history, one that has produced numerous athletes who reached the very top of their pursuits. We can debate this for hours, but my top two natives are pro golfer Walter Hagen and soccer player Abby Wambach.
Hagen won 11 major championships which — more than 90 years after his last victory — still ranks third-most behind only Jack Nicklaus (18) and Tiger Woods (14). He also captained the first six United States Ryder Cup teams, participating as a player in five.
Wambach is the all-time international leader for goals scored in soccer (men or women), was a two-time Olympic champion as well as a member of the 2015 United States women’s World Cup championship team.
From there, the list of native stars is still pretty impressive considering I can’t possibly list them all here. But some of the marquee names are:
►Jeff Sluman won six PGA tournaments including the 1988 PGA Championship and has won six times on the Champions Tour;
►Brian and Stephen Gionta, Ryan Callahan, Rory Fitzpatrick, Jason Bonsignore, Shane Prince and Marty Reasoner all reached the NHL, with Brian Gionta winning a Stanley Cup with the New Jersey Devils;
►Johnny Antonelli won a World Series with the New York Giants;
And there have been numerous Olympians including gold medal winners Ryan Lochte (three in swimming), Cathy Turner (two in short track speedskating), and Meghan Musnicki (two in rowing) plus other competitors such as Trent Jackson, Kim Batten, Diann Roffe, Wendy Wyland, AJ Kitt and Iris and Felicia Zimmermann.
The list of athletes not from here who came to our town to play for Rochester teams such as the Royals, Amerks, Red Wings, Rhinos, and the others includes several highly-accomplished stars. But none played to the level of accomplishment, nor as long, as Grant did for his 11 years with the Knighthawks.
Only the Royals (NBA) and Knighthawks (NLL) played in their sport's top league as all the others are minor-league teams. And though their stint in Rochester was short, there were four future Basketball Hall of Fame inductees on Les Harrison’s 1951 NBA championship squad — Al Cervi, Bobby Davies, Bobby Wanzer and Arnie Risen.
The Red Wings Hall of Fame includes the likes of Cal Ripken, Mike Mussina, Bobby Grich, Don Baylor, Johnny Mize, Red Schoendienst, and George Sisler. The Amerks Hall of Fame includes Dick Gamble, Bronco Horvath, Gerry Cheevers, Jody Gage, and Don Cherry.
None came close to excelling in Rochester the way Grant did for the Knighthawks at the top of his sport. His talent was sublime, otherworldly, worth the price of admission alone, and that’s saying something when a pair of twins named Gary and Paul Gait also played for the Knighthawks, albeit for much shorter terms.
Grant and his rival down the Thruway in Buffalo, John Tavares, were to indoor lacrosse what Michael Jordan was to the NBA, Wayne Gretzky was to the NHL, Tom Brady is to the NFL and Babe Ruth was to Major League Baseball. There was nobody better.
Tavares is the NLL’s all-time leader in goals (815), assists (934) and points (1,749), but it took him a record 306 games to achieve his remarkable statistics. Counting his 11 years with Rochester and seven more with Colorado, Grant ranks second to Tavares in goals (668) and points (1,446), yet he did so playing in 238 games, 68 fewer than Tavares, meaning his points per game average was 6.08 compared to 5.72 for Tavares.
“He was a generational player,” Knighthawks Hall of Famer Regy Thorpe said in a story posted on the team’s website. “Players like that don’t come around that often, and he had that reputation (as a goal scorer) from the first practice. His hands, size, and power made him so tough to defend. He certainly made everyone on the team better, especially our defense because we had to play against him every week in practice. He also made our goalies better because he was such a sniper. I am humbled and honored to have played with him for so many years.”
Grant left Rochester following the 2010 season and he remains the all-time franchise leader in goals (433) and points (894) and is second with 461 assists. He led the Knighthawks to the 2007 NLL championship, the year he was named league MVP.
He also led the team to the Champions Cup finals in 2002 and 2003, he holds the team record for postseason goals with 47 and is second in playoff points with 82. Grant was also a five-time first-team All-Pro, a two-time second-teamer, and he was chosen the Knighthawks’ MVP four times, a number which should have been higher.
“He was a magician with that stick. He did things that I don’t think anybody will ever be able to do,” another former teammate, Mike Accursi, told the team website. “He was a naturally talented guy and a fierce competitor. There were games where he put us on his back, and we would come along for the ride. He was just one of those guys who hated to lose and constantly worked to improve himself. That’s why he is who he is.”
And to me, who Grant is is the greatest to ever wear the uniform of a Rochester team.
MAIORANA@Gannett.com
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UPDATED: December 2017
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Asian Shares Lower Wednesday
SINGAPORE (AP) -- Asian markets fell on Wednesday after a trade dispute between the U.S. and China stalled a weekend meeting, dimming hopes that it could be resolved once their leaders meet.
KEEPING SCORE: Japan's benchmark Nikkei 225 dropped 0.4 percent to 21,507.54 and the Kospi in South Korea was down 0.3 percent at 2,075.43. Hong Kong's Hang Seng index slipped 0.3 percent to 25,764.33. The Shanghai Composite lost 0.1 percent to 2,643.84. Australia's S&P/ASX 200 fell 0.5 percent to 5,642.80. Shares fell in Taiwan, Indonesia and the Philippines but rose in Singapore.
WALL STREET: Broad losses by the world's largest technology companies pulled U.S. indexes lower on Tuesday and into the red for the year. They were reacting to new national security regulations proposed by the Trump administration, which could limit exports of high-tech products in fields like quantum computing, machine learning and artificial intelligence. Apple plunged 4.8 percent, Microsoft lost 2.8 percent and IBM gave up 2.6 percent. The S&P 500 index fell 1.8 percent to 2,641.89 and the Dow Jones Industrial Average tumbled 2.2 percent to 24,465.64. The tech-heavy Nasdaq composite shed 1.7 percent to 6,908.82. The Russell 2000 index of smaller-company stocks dropped 1.8 percent to 1,469.01.
US-CHINA TENSIONS: Over the weekend, a meeting of 21 nations at the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit in Papua New Guinea ended without a final communique. That put the spotlight on a trade dispute between China and the U.S. that shows no signs of abating. Draft versions of the communique showed that the U.S. wanted strong language against what it says are unfair Chinese trade practices, while China wanted clear opposition to protectionism and unilateralism. U.S. President Donald Trump and his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping are scheduled to meet at Group of 20 summit later this month, but it is unclear if the talks will spur a reduction in tensions.
ANALYST'S TAKE: Attempts by the U.S. to condemn certain trade practices were a "surprise" as many expected that "the heat may have come out of the issue" after the midterm elections, Michael McCarthy, chief market strategist at CMC Markets in Sydney, said in an interview. "The simultaneous pressure on industrial commodities and shares points to an escalation of global growth concerns," he added.
ENERGY: Oil prices rebounded Wednesday after plunging on worries of rising supplies and softening global growth. Benchmark U.S. crude added 69 cents to $54.12. The contract dropped $3.77 to close at $53.43 in New York, its lowest price in more than a year. Brent crude, the international standard, rose 66 cents to $63.19. It fell $4.26 to $62.53 in London.
CURRENCIES: The dollar rose to 112.82 yen from 112.76 yen late Tuesday. The euro strengthened to $1.1386 from $1.1367.
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JAR Systems Marks a Decade Charging Devices in Schools: Ten Years after the NetEducation Center’s release, many of the first carts are still in use
Written by bradwaid
JAR Systems Marks a Decade Charging Devices in Schools
Ten Years after the NetEducation Center’s release, many of the first carts are still in use
TALLEVAST, FL. — Aug. 22, 2014—A decade ago, when teachers used laptops to help students learn, they used furniture called computers on wheels to move the devices around and sometimes to charge them. The founders of JAR Systems felt it was an underdeveloped market with room for improvement, and that’s where the company started—with product and industry research that led to the first JAR Cart.
JAR Systems began with the mission to seamlessly integrate information technology hardware and software for an enjoyable and truly unique teaching and learning experience. They wanted to improve upon existing storage equipment, and sought out a variety of professionals in the education and information technology industries. Consultation with educators and IT professionals allowed them to identify common issues with existing charging carts and they used that information to design an innovative product. Also known as the first JAR Cart, the NetEducation Center hit the US market in 2004.
That first cart had many features that make JAR Carts popular today, including pull-out trays, and sliding doors. The cart also offered a stark contrast to other carts available on the market—literally. It wore the company’s signature bright blue color. Built for quality, longevity, and versatility many of the first JAR Carts sold to the public are still being used in schools around the United States.
They also developed The Intelligent Charging System, which is now one of their most popular features. Unique to JAR Carts, the Intelligent Charging System is able to automatically monitor devices and distribute power where and when it is needed. This ensures that devices charge as quickly and efficiently as possible, and that customers don’t have to do a thing. With the intelligent charging feature in JAR Carts, customers find that their devices charge up to 60 percent faster than when stored in other carts. The intelligent charging system can also improve battery life as it measures demand for power, turning off when charging is complete.
“From consulting with educators and IT professionals, we saw a need for charge and store carts to evolve beyond the requirement of how many devices can it hold,” said Axel Zimmermann, one of the company’s founders. “Now, after ten years of working directly with schools to manage and overcome challenges we’ve been able to help many add value to their mobile device deployments and to see their choice of carts as a critical component of a complete mobile classroom solution.”
After a decade of work and experimentation, the company has expanded their product line from that single cart to a line of more than 10 models that can accommodate nearly any need. Whether educators are looking for carts with remote management capability, or a cart designed for storage and charging of electronic devices without taking up much room, JAR Systems can help solve any IT problem. The company even offers a wall-mounted cabinet.
About JAR Systems, LLC: JAR Systems LLC specializes in charging solutions for mobile technology. Founded in 2004, the company has spent the last decade focused on providing smarter, more versatile ways to charge and secure ever-evolving technologies. During this time JAR Systems has consulted educators of all kind to develop products that support and streamline how mobile technology is used for learning. The company’s goal is to deliver products that will work efficiently and dependably for many years down the road. For more information, visit www.jar-systems.com.
Google Classroom enhances teacher-student communication
Written by Ronald Bethke
Google for Education has made their Classroom service available to all users. What are the benefits?
With yet another year of school getting set to begin, this is a great time to take stock of the many ed-tech services that have the potential to transform the learning experience in the coming year and beyond.
One such service that is now available for all users is Google Classroom from Google Apps for Education. As the name suggests, the service is designed to act as a virtual classroom, making communication between students and teachers easier and helping to keep all parties more organized.
Though the service does not necessarily boast a multitude of new features, it is designed as a platform that combines the most useful aspects of Google services such as Gmail, Google Drive, and Google Docs all into one complete package that simplifies any and all digital matters between students and teachers.
Any service that clarifies expectations and communication between students and teachers could prove useful, but why should colleges and universities consider adopting Google Classroom if they already have assignment management systems in place?
What’s so special about Google Classroom?
(Next Page: Learn about what exactly Google Classroom brings to the table)
States get funding to better align degrees with economy, K-12
State governors fund grants to help postsecondary collaboration, best practice creation, and alignment with public school curricula
To further governors’ efforts to align education and training systems to the needs of state economies, the National Governors Association (NGA) this week announced support for 14 states: Colorado, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Louisiana, Minnesota, Montana, New Jersey, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Virginia, Washington, and West Virginia.
By increasing the number of citizens with a postsecondary degree or relevant workforce certificate, the NGA hopes more people will have access to the middle class and beyond, companies will have a better prepared workforce and states will benefit from a stronger economy.
“A postsecondary degree or relevant workforce certificate is the ‘new minimum’ for the future workforce to achieve to meet the demands of the emerging job market and access a middle-class life or beyond,” the NGA said in a statement. “Fifty years ago, nearly 80 percent of jobs required only a high school diploma or less, and most paid a good wage. Today that number has dropped to 35 percent for jobs available to high school graduates and dropouts, and more than two-thirds of those jobs pay less than $25,000 a year. The emerging economy will provide few high-paying jobs for workers with a high school education or less.”
(Next page: What the funds will target)
Top universities’ new platform helps with retention, post-grad careers
Written by Meris Stansbury
New tech builds relationships, ePortfolios, and could help boost campus performance
It’s called an LRM (Learning Relationship Management) platform, and as its founder told me, does for learning what CRM did for sales: It boosts collaborative relationships, yields return-on-investment, and ultimately bolsters performance for all involved.
The LRM, called Fidelis, is the brainchild of Gunnar Counselman, a Harvard Business School student of Clay Christensen’s and original collaborator on his book, “Disrupting Class.” He’s also a frequent speaker on the topic of transforming training and education and a TEDx presenter. After spending years developing the LRM, reputable and innovative universities are eager to sample what the platform can really do.
After working with Christensen on the book, and during consulting for Bain as well as independently, “I evolved my thinking that the absence of appropriate learning relationships is the root of most educational problems. I saw first-hand how important the coaching relationship was while a VP at Inside Track, but through that students need more than just one coach to succeed,” explained Counselman. “I then developed the first version of the LRM in 2012 for our own use to build a scalable solution to the military to civilian career transition.”
And for Counselman, building a resource platform to help those interested in not just education, but career; not just in attending a postsecondary institution, but knowing why you were there, was the main idea behind the platform.
Now, colleges and universities are saying one of the most helpful, and innovative, aspects of the LRM is the ability for admin to track student progress of goals throughout their education and receive actionable data on student interactions with communities, businesses, and micro-credentialing opportunities…an incredible tool not just for all institutions, but especially for liberal arts.
“Fewer than 50 percent of students who start college graduate; fewer than one-third of those who graduate have jobs within 6 months of graduation,” said Counselman. “It turns out that all students need personal learning plans, mentors, advising, community, and industry connection, not just military students.”
(Next page: How it works)
Video Mount Products (VMP) Partners with Center Point Reps
STEVENSVILLE, Md., Aug. 28, 2014 — Video Mount Products (videomount.com), a leading provider of mounting solutions for the education, security, A/V, and communications markets and celebrating its 20th anniversary, is proud to announce that it has named Memphis, Tenn.-based Center Point Reps to cover the Tennessee, Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Alabama territories, effective immediately.
“As we look to further strengthen our standing in the security and AV accessories markets in the growing Tennessee, Georgia, Alabama, and North and South Carolina territories, it was vital that VMP find a partner that knows our products and our customers,” said Keith Fulmer, president of Video Mount Products. “We also needed a partner that could help us continue to grow by looking for and finding new customers through their experience and connections, and Center Point Reps met all of our needs. We are looking forward to working with the Center Point Rep team.”
Center Point Reps’ goal is to connect dealer, distributors, and manufacturers together using a combined 60+ years of experience. They deliver something different to the market by providing a very concentrated effort in smaller markets with select product lines and delivering a hands-on approach.
“We are excited to represent such a great line of products as VMP and feel that it is a privilege to do so,” said Center Point Reps owner Alan Whitby, who has 38 years in wholesale distribution experience and has three “Sales Manager of the Year” awards to his credit. “VMP is a very well-known name in the security and AV industries and we feel that we can boost even more sales through the very motto that we founded our company under: ‘Connecting Dealers, Distributors, and Manufacturers’.”
For more information, please visit www.videomount.com or call toll free 877-281-2169. If you need help choosing the right mount for your application, try the VideoMount™-Finder at www.chooseamount.com.
About Video Mount Products
Video Mount Products (VMP) is a leading provider of mounting solutions for the A/V, communication and security industries since 1994. VMP’s products consistently offer the latest designs in safety and flexibility, all at an outstanding value. VMP’s product offering continues to grow by adding mounting systems to address growing segments across many markets.
VMP has become the mounting systems company of choice for professionals and their customers everywhere. All products have been engineered for and installed with confidence in thousands of residences, businesses, hotels, restaurants, schools, hospitals, houses of worship and security applications throughout the world. VMP prides itself on providing the best products in the industry and by supporting those products with knowledgeable professionals who understand that “support” is the core of our business.
University of Dubai Selects Three Rivers Systems’ CAMS Enterprise as Its Higher Education ERP System
Written by jclayman
Cites Ease of Use and Completeness of Integrated Offering as Key Decision Criteria
St. Louis, MO: The University of Dubai, a leading university in the United Arab Emirates that offers internationally accredited degree programs, has selected Three Rivers Systems’ CAMS Enterprise as its new enterprise resource planning (ERP) software. Located in the center of Dubai, the University of Dubai has achieved international distinction for its Business Administration and Computing and Information Systems programs, and draws talented students and faculty from around the world.
According to Dr. Eesa M. Bastaki, the President of the University, “Our institution is in the midst of a strategic plan that includes building a state-of-the-art campus and aligning with leading companies to become a training center for technology innovation. We realized that the limitations of our current ERP system were not able to support our broader vision, so we started looking at alternative solutions. We ultimately chose CAMS Enterprise because it provided end-to-end functionality, was the easiest to use, and could be managed with fewer IT resources. It was an integrated solution that fully supports our long-term mission for growth and efficiency.”
Amir Tajkarimi, Founder and President of Three Rivers Systems, welcomed the University of Dubai to the CAMS Community. “The University of Dubai offers an extraordinary variety of business and IT programs and is unique among leading institutions of learning in the region. The university has matched the growth of the United Arab Emirates and has formed a close bond with the region’s business community. With a strong vision and experienced leadership, the future holds even greater promise for the institution. We’re honored that the University of Dubai has selected Three Rivers Systems to be its higher education software partner.”
About Three Rivers Systems, Inc.
Three Rivers Systems, Inc. is the only privately-held, independent provider of ERP software focused solely on higher education. Its ERP solution, CAMS Enterprise, liberates colleges and universities from the administrative labyrinth of complicated software systems. It is an easy-to-use, totally integrated academic management system with everything in one place to manage the entire student lifecycle – admissions, registration, billing, financial aid, student services, fundraising, and fiscal management with HR and payroll. The company has focused on innovation and service to its worldwide customers for more than 25 years from its St. Louis headquarters.
Contact: Jim Clayman, Three Rivers Systems, Inc., Director of Marketing & Communications, 636-386-8616 x1501 (office), 636-395-9619 (mobile), jimc@ThreeRiversSystems.com
Products or service names mentioned herein are the trademarks of their respective owners.
PEPPERDINE GRAZIADIO SCHOOL OF BUSINESS AND MANAGEMENT GOES LIVE WITH NEW ONLINE CATALOG SOLUTION DESIGNED TO STREAMLINE PROCESSES AND ENHANCE STUDENT SUCCESS
Los Angeles, CALIFORNIA. August 26, 2014- The Graziadio School of Business and Management, a top MBA program, recently launched a new e-catalog designed to make it easier for students and faculty to search, save, and share critical course, program, and policy information. The new academic catalog management system from Digital Architecture, Acalog ™, provides content-specific search, personalization features, social media links and mobile connectivity.
“After our 14-week implementation and training period, Acalog enabled our team to migrate from our antiquated print and PDF catalog delivery models and publish our new 2014-2015 e-catalog. Acalog empowered us to update and publish our catalog in half the time. Additionally, we are tremendously excited to see how Acalog will enhance the catalog experience for students,” said James Berneking, Academic Affairs Project Manager – Accreditation.
The Graziadio School, regularly ranked as one of the best MBA programs in California, joins more than 345 other higher education institutions that have adopted the Acalog e-catalog system. Ken Blais, president of Digital Architecture, explained that Acalog is designed specifically for academic catalog management and presentation, and will help the school “streamline catalog production, reduce reliance on printing, enhance student engagement, and help improve both the timeliness and accuracy of catalog information.”
About Pepperdine University Graziadio School of Business and Management
Founded on the core values of integrity, stewardship, courage, and compassion, Pepperdine University’s Graziadio (GRAT-ZEE-ah-DEE-oh) School of Business and Management has been developing values-centered leaders and advancing responsible business practice since 1969. Student-focused, experience-driven, and globally-oriented, the Graziadio School offers fully accredited MBA, Masters of Science, and bachelor’s completion business programs. More information found at http://bschool.pepperdine.edu/newsroom/.
About Digital Architecture
Digital Architecture is the leading provider of catalog management and curriculum solutions, serving more than 345 institutions of higher learning. The Acalog publishing system delivers thousands of e-catalogs at hundreds of colleges and universities. Acalog’s unique e-catalog Gateway enhances student engagement with powerful search, personalization, Web services, and a mobile interface. Curriculog™ is Digital Architecture’s curriculum management system offering institutions groundbreaking workflow, collaboration, and an approval-tracking platform with the flexibility to respond to evolving institutional and accreditation requirements. For more information, visit on the web at www.digarc.com.
The terms “Acalog”, “Acalog ACMS” and “Academic Catalog Management System” are trademarks of Digital Architecture, Inc.
Cynthia Chilton
Director of Enrollment Marketing
cynthia.chilton@pepperdine.edu
http://bschool.pepperdine.edu
Christy Wessel
cwessel@digarc.com
www.digarc.com
College presidents predict 4 new institutional models for higher-ed
Presidents say these new models could be the future of all colleges and universities in the next decade
A new think-tank-esque collection of leading college and university presidents last year came together to discuss the trends and disruptions shaping higher education thanks to new technologies and the evolving global economy. Outside of just naming trends, they also predicted four new models of higher-ed that may exist in the next 10 years.
The brainstorming made formal can be found in a new series of papers called the Presidential Innovation Lab (PIL) White Paper Series, funded as part of a grant from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and hosted by the American Council on Education (ACE).
14 chief executive officers from a diverse group of institutions participated in two separate sessions last year (2013)—institutions such as Northeastern University, MIT, Western Governors University, etc.—with the goal of engaging in a “robust and wide-ranging conversation about the various drivers of change and potential reactions to those drivers.”
“These are neither [absolutes] nor recommendations,” explains Cathy A. Sandeen, vice president for education attainment and Innovation at ACE, and editor of the last series of papers, “Signals and Shifts in Postsecondary Landscape,” “they are offered as food for thought—the context for potential future thinking and future planning.”
According to the paper, new technologies are challenging established models of knowledge delivery and pathways to degrees, as well as current assessment and certification systems.
“This ecosystem holds the promise of providing previously unimaginable access to learning resources to a wider-than-ever global population,” noted Sandeen, “[but] at the same time, it is challenging some of the business and pedagogical models of existing institutions. In this environment, few existing institutions have the luxury of remaining completely unchanged. All of today’s colleges and universities are engaged, to one degree or another, in rethinking the assumptions, structures, and principles that have guided them so far.”
(Next page: 4 new institutional models)
Are MOOCs really dead?
Written by Jake New
Why this type of university ranking may be more appealing
Written by Michael Sharnoff
Unlike other university rankings, Washington Monthly magazine emphasizes socioeconimcs, favors public over private schools
What is the most important factor when selecting a university?
In this depressed economic climate, tuition cost is a natural concern. Other issues ranging from degree completion rates to university reputation holds great weight.
It should be emphasized, however, that university rankings are arbitraily decided by individuals. There is no universally accepted metrics for evaluating academic excellence.
For instance, TIME has a controversial ranking system for those more interested in where alumni end up rather than university prestige.
Using an algorithm of all living people that list at least one alma mater in the United States, TIME’s ranking calculates alumni prominence based on the frequency of words they’ll have on Wikipedia pages and the more relationships they’ll have with other people and subject areas.
U.S. News & World Report ranks schools based on their mission and scholarly achievement. It should come as no surprise, therefore, that four out of the top 10 national university ranking are Ivy League Schools (Princeton, Harvard, Yale, and Columbia).
(Next page: Washington Monthly’s unique university rankings)
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On shareholders, narcotics, Australia, schools, California, data, pop, police, Latin
LettersFeb 11th 2017 edition
Investing in social goods
Schumpeter perpetuated the myth that there is an inherent conflict for investors between doing well and doing good (January 21st). Asking whether it is shareholders or “the people” who matter most is a false dichotomy. Another view sees financial returns to shareholders deriving from broader contributions to society. In Canada consumers trust and support brands that are consistent with their broader values around society’s well-being, environmental responsibility and community contribution. Such behaviour encourages greater loyalty and lowers price sensitivity, both factors that affect the bottom line. There are also tangible benefits to a firm from engaging with employees and from lower staff turnover. We need investment models where the interests of society add to shareholder returns, not ones that consider them a cost.
SAUL KLEIN
Gustavson School of Business
Not all investors demand high and fast returns. Pension funds benefit from longer-term strategies and investment in R&D, which will pay out in the decades to come. There is widespread evidence that a balance between profit, people and planet is the pragmatic plan for companies that wish to be successful now, and in 30 years’ time.
PAIGE MORROW
Head of Brussels operations at Frank Bold
“The contest between shareholders and the people” is a phrase best saved for a populist rally. Shareholder value does not come in “shades of grey”, it comes in numbers, such as return on equity or on invested capital. And as long as the use of creative accounting is limited, it is very unlike The Economist to propose that such a hard-data approach should be disdained.
NINA WIERETILO
Asian narcotics
* You state that “in Singapore, capital punishment is mandatory for people caught with as little as 15 grams of pure heroin” (“Still just saying no”, January 14th). That is no longer entirely true. The 2012 amendments to the Misuse of Drugs Act give the courts sentencing discretion if the accused was acting as a courier. Also the claim that “Asia is just saying no to drugs” is also misleading.
Vietnam has expanded harm reduction services, including access to methadone, to around 80,000 thousand people over the last five years. Laos has decriminalised the use and possession of small amounts of drugs, and most recently, Thailand’s minister of justice ignited a debate when he proposed taking methamphetamine off the schedule of narcotic drugs. One of the minister’s stated objectives is to ensure that “people who use drugs…do not end up in prison…”
While it is true that drug laws remain relatively harsh, it should be acknowledged that there is a debate around drug policy in many Asian countries and that important reform measures have been adopted. You are probably correct to observe that ‘drug wars are good politics’ in the sense that one of the biggest conundrums faced by policy makers in many Asian countries is how to persuade the public that abandoning the deterrent approach might be necessary. But please do not mistake uneven progress for no progress.
MARCUS BALTZER
Co-Director, Governance & Justice Group
Monchique, Portugal
Evaluating aboriginal policy
“Ministering to his own” (January 28th) looked at attempts to evaluate the more than 1,000 policy programmes in Australia that are geared towards aboriginals. But the statement by the Centre for Independent Studies that only 88, or less than 10%, have been evaluated is outlandish. In 2012 I helped to analyse 98 government-funded evaluations in relation to the “national emergency” in the Northern Territory alone.
The real issue is not the number of evaluations, but the willingness of government to react to their findings. Nowhere is this clearer than with the welfare-income management measure. One comprehensive evaluation demonstrated no discernible benefit. The government’s response was first to demean and then ignore the evaluation’s findings. The Productivity Commission, the Australian government’s key policy-advisory body, recently called for a fundamental change in approach: knowing more about what works and why and using such evidence to design policies that achieve positive outcomes, with positive being defined by the aboriginal and Torres Strait islander peoples, not just by government.
PROFESSOR JON ALTMAN
Your article on the challenges that Bridge International Academies face in Uganda and Kenya gave the sense that the governments there were not prepared to work constructively with private firms (“Assembly line”, January 28th). My experience running a network of 30 low-cost secondary schools in Uganda and Zambia has been different. Through close collaboration with government, PEAS now educates 1% of Ugandan secondary-school pupils under a public-private partnership.
Productive partnerships between governments and non-state organisations can help get every child a high-quality education. But for those partnerships to work, both sides need to build a lot of trust. Whatever the rights and wrongs of the recent headwinds facing Bridge, it is only one part of a complex and rapidly developing story.
JOHN RENDEL
How left is California?
I disagree with your description of California as the “most progressive state” in America (“California steaming”, January 21st). In 2008 we voted against gay marriage. We have only just legalised marijuana, four years after Colorado and Washington state. Hillary Clinton won the Democratic primary here, not the progressive Bernie Sanders. Instead of considering free college tuition, as New York has recently proposed, California’s public colleges are increasing their fees. If anything, California is one of the most institutionalised states, favouring Democratic policies and politicians over progressive ones. It is a different shade of blue.
KYLE UKES
Modern data
While you are considering the advice of Geoffrey Pullum to allow split infinitives (Letters, January 21st), may I suggest you also have another look at your dogged insistence on treating “data” as a plural? It hasn’t been a proper plural for at least the past two decades. Throughout the English-speaking world it has become a mass noun, like “water” or “sand”. The singular “datum” has clearly followed “agendum” into complete disuse, a single piece of data now being a “bit”.
DAVID CHAPLIN
Charting Congolese pop
You did not do justice to the roots of Congolese pop music (“The sound of politics”, January 14th). The first Congolese music hit was “Marie-Louise” by Wendo Kolosoy in 1948. Before “Independence Cha Cha” in 1960, there was a decade of hit songs, including “On entre OK, on sort KO”.
STEVEN SHARP
Crime doesn’t pay
The timing of the campaign by West Yorkshire’s police commissioner calling for the police to be able to sell assets seized from criminals was particularly unfortunate (“Scrounging for coppers”, January 21st). His call coincided with the trial of a senior West Yorkshire officer for allegedly selling industrial quantities of seized class-A drugs. The residents of West Yorkshire would rather the police waited until the law was changed by Parliament before availing themselves of such profitable fundraising activities. It would be better if the force concentrated on its day job, namely catching a few more criminals on the loose.
PETER BRYSON
Addingham, West Yorkshire
A world of deception
I enjoyed Lexington’s observation that “populist insurgencies are rarely defeated with slogans in Latin” (January 28th). In recent days, however, I’m reminded that they sometimes can be explained by slogans in Latin: mundus vult decipi.
DONALD JACKSON
* Letters appear online only
This article appeared in the Letters section of the print edition under the headline "Letters to the editor"
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Tina Knowles on Who Beyoncé's 'Lemonade' Is Really About
About those cheating rumors...
By Kristina Rodulfo
Since Beyoncé dropped Lemonade, one of the biggest speculations about the visual album has been whether or not there's truth to the song's claims about infidelity in her relationship with Jay Z. Now, the singer's mom Tina Knowles has given some insight.
"It could be about anyone's marriage," she tells ABC13, "I think that everybody at one time or another has been betrayed and lied to and it's about the pain–and it's about the healing process–and it's about how do you get past that and move on."
Tina emphasizes it's not about pointing fingers at who did what, "People make it all about the cheating and betrayal and, yes that's a part of it because that is something you have to heal from," she says, "If you really listen to the poetry it is one of hope and redemption and hopefully that can be healing for people."
It's an inconclusive answer, but a reminder to focus on the greater impact of Lemonade–and perhaps Tina's subtle call to stop talking about "Becky," already.
Kristina Rodulfo Beauty Director Kristina Rodulfo is the Beauty Director of Women's Health—she oversees beauty coverage across print and digital and is an expert in product testing, identifying trends, and exploring the intersections of beauty, wellness, and culture.
Tina Knowles, Mom, Introduces Beyonce
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Tina Knowles-Lawson Shares Her Instagram Secrets
Tina Knowles-Lawson's Sweet Pic of Bey and Blue
Rachel Roy Responds to Rumors That She's "Becky" in Beyoncé's 'Lemonade'
Michelle Obama and Tina Lawson at Bey's Concert
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Getting down to business in cuba
US companies are more eager than ever to set up shop.
In case you missed it, the United States and Cuba now have diplomatic relations for the first time in 54 years. Unfortunately, the outdated economic embargo is smothering the tremendous potential this opening offers.
First, some background.
The embargo, put in place in the early 1960s to punish the revolutionary government, has held back the Cuban economy and poisoned U.S.-Cuban relations for decades.
When Washington spurned Cuba, the Soviet Union became the island’s top trading partner, taking some of the sting off the embargo. But after the USSR collapsed in 1991, Cuba plunged into a deep economic crisis.
Venezuela mostly replaced Russia as a reliable supplier of cheap oil years ago. Now Cubans fear that turmoil in the South American nation will knock out this lifeline too.
Long-term economic distress has frayed Cuba’s impressive education and health care systems. Its heavily subsidized food rations no longer meet basic needs. And the high prices unregulated markets charge are beyond the reach of the many Cubans who earn about $30 a month working for state-run enterprises and agencies.
A recent survey showed that nearly 80 percent of Cubans were dissatisfied with the country’s economic system, and 70 percent were eager to start their own businesses. This was especially true among young people, who are highly educated and fed-up with the state-run economy.
Since his older brother Fidel handed him the reins in 2008, President Raúl Castro has tried to transform the island’s lumbering, top-down system.
He’s pushed through Cuba’s biggest economic reforms in half a century. State companies have shed jobs, and national labor laws now accommodate more private enterprise. Today some 500,000 Cubans — almost one in ten workers — are officially self-employed.
Cuba’s government wants to open up the economy while preserving social gains and guarding against growing inequalities. It’s concerned about an increasingly two-tier economy where people with access to tourist dollars or remittances from relatives abroad live in luxury, compared to those struggling on government salaries.
Racial inequalities are growing as well, partly because of the Cuban government’s tolerance of paladares — privately operated bistros. As these restaurants are located in people’s own homes, the arrangement favors the wealthier white Cubans who are more likely to have larger homes and relatives abroad who can provide start-up cash.
So Cuba sees a big need to expand its economy through foreign trade. And U.S. companies are raring to do business there, with American officials flocking to the island to plead their case.
New York Governor Andrew Cuomo traveled to Havana recently with the heads of MasterCard, JetBlue, Pfizer, and Chobani. U.S. Chamber of Commerce President Tom Donahue took a delegation that included the CFO of Cargill and the chairman of Amway.
Senator Debbie Stabenow, a Michigan Democrat, traveled to Cuba this year to tout her state’s agricultural and lumber products. Atlanta Mayor Kasim Reed trekked there to push Coca-Cola and Delta airlines.
And the list goes on, even though U.S. businesses can’t offer Cuba credit or do business with government entities on this island nation just 90 miles away from Key West. They’re mostly relegated to the sidelines, watching rivals from Spain to Russia to Mexico swoop in.
Ending the embargo would be a win-win for Cubans and Americans. It would allow all of us to travel freely to the island, and it would let U.S. companies trade freely with one of our closest neighbors, creating more jobs in both nations.
Now that the Cuban flag waves at the re-opened Cuban embassy in Washington, Congress should lift the antiquated legislation that stands in the way of true normalized relations.
http://aimmedianetwork.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/50/2015/07/web1_MedeaBenjaminNEW.jpg
Medea Benjamin is cofounder of CodePink and GlobalExchange. Her latest book is Drone Warfare: Killing by Remote Control. Distributed by www.OtherWords.org.
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American Evangelicals See Widespread Acceptance of ‘Prosperity Gospel’
Photo credit: Tetra Images/Getty Images
For a pretty sizable chunk of evangelical Christians in the U.S., hearing the so-called “prosperity gospel” preached from the pulpit is just part and parcel of the church-going experience.
According to new data from the Nashville-based LifeWay Research, roughly one-third of Protestant churchgoers claim their pastoral leaders teach that God’s blessings are contingent upon their financial donations.
Benny Hinn’s Nephew Rips Prosperity Gospel and Explains Why He Left Lavish Lifestyle Behind
Almost 70 percent of the survey’s 1,010 respondents agreed with the statement that God “wants me to prosper financially” and one in four — or 26 percent — said they have to do something for God in order to receive any material blessings in return. Seventy percent disagreed with the latter statement, while 5 percent were unsure.
Image credit: LifeWay Research
The respondents were made up of Americans who attend Protestant or nondenominational churches at least once per month. And according to Scott McConnell, executive director of LifeWay Research, the data showed that a “significant group of churches seem to teach that donations trigger a financial response from God.”
Overall, the study determined 38 percent of Protestant believers agree with the statement, “My church teaches that if I give more money to my church and charities, God will bless me in return.”
Prosperity Gospel Preacher: God Wants Me to Have This $54m Private Jet — and He Wants You to Buy It
It should be noted, though, 57 percent of respondents disagreed with that sentence and 40 percent of those who dissented did so strongly. Five percent were uncertain.
Earlier this year, evangelical author and preacher Beth Moore boldly condemned “prosperity gospel” teaching, and furthermore called out fellow believers for resting in what she dubbed the “pampering gospel,” where Christians remain in their own safe spaces and echo chambers, failing to take a space in the complex conversations dominating culture.
But while many prominent evangelical Christian leaders have rebuked the “prosperity gospel,” McConnell said the research shows believers in the pews haven’t so readily rejected the perverted message.
“A number of high-profile evangelical leaders have condemned the prosperity gospel,” he said. “But more than a few people in the pews have embraced it.”
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George Orwell’s ‘1984’ Tops Amazon’s Best-Seller List
Photo by Markus Spiske/Unsplash
We’re living through an era in which novelist George Orwell’s book “1984” seems less like fiction and more like a blueprint of what’s to come.
In fact, right now, the classic novel, written in 1949, is the No. 2 best-selling book on Amazon, a platform that, earlier this week, essentially removed the conservative social media site Parler from the internet because the company disagrees with the way the Twitter alternative polices its content.
The setting of Orwell’s dystopian story is “Airstrip One,” formerly known as Great Britain, a province of the bloated and powerful superstate “Oceania.” Those who live there, according to the Audible summary of the book, are victims of perpetual war, unending and inescapable government surveillance, as well as the impenetrable manipulation of information.
Oceania’s political ideology, euphemistically named “English Socialism” (shortened to “Ingsoc” in “Newspeak,” the government’s invented language that will replace English or “Oldspeak”), is enforced by the privileged, elite “Inner Party.”
Via the “Thought Police,” the “Inner Party” persecutes individualism and independent thinking, which are regarded as “thoughtcrimes.” The tyranny is ostensibly overseen by a mysterious leader known as “Big Brother,” who enjoys an intense cult of personality. The Party “seeks power entirely for its own sake. It is not interested in the good of others; it is interested solely in power.”
The book’s protagonist, Winston Smith, a member of the “Outer Party” and an official with the ironically named “Ministry of Truth,” which wields control over the flow of information, is tasked with rewriting newspaper stories so the narrative always matches up with the leading Party’s agenda. Workers are led to believe they’re correcting misquotes. In reality, however, they are replacing fact with fiction presented as valid information.
There’s also the “Ministry of Peace,” which keeps Oceania in a constant state of war, as well as the “Ministry of Plenty,” which rations food to all citizens. In addition, the government uses its pre-approved language, “Newspeak,” to limit the vocabulary used by the people.
It’s no wonder “1984” is flying off the shelves. I have a copy of my own sitting on the bookshelf behind me.
In less than a week of time, Twitter has permanently banned President Donald Trump from its platform, Facebook has “indefinitely” suspended the Republican leader’s ability to post to his account, Amazon’s web hosting service has virtually removed Parler from the internet by suspending its account with the app, and Democratic lawmakers, led by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.), are calling for new congressional rules that would ban “gender specific” language on the House floor. All of this has happened following a violent riot inside the U.S. Capitol that led to the deaths of six people, including two police officers, and as Democrats move forward with legislation to impeach Trump just days before he leaves the White House, arguing his rhetoric incited the violence that erupted in Washington, D.C., last week.
All of these events come as Democrats — many of whom remained silent last summer as far-left rioters ransacked businesses and set city streets on fire — are just days away from taking over control of every level of the federal government: the presidency, the Senate and the House of Representatives.
The irony of the book’s success on the Amazon charts hasn’t been lost on those purchasing and reviewing the famed novel.
One commenter, Andrew, wrote: “I can’t believe that his book predicted the events of today so accurately to the point that I am writing this review on a website that actively violates the First Amendment via censorship of freedom of speech on sites such as Parler.”
“Orwell has always given us thought provoking literature, and this is no exception,” added another unnamed reviewer. “It seems very appropriate in today’s ever-encroaching government power.”
Lars Porsena commented: “[This] used to be a dystopian novel. Now a user’s manual. It will probably soon be banned.”
There’s no doubt the parallels between the world Orwell conjured up in his mind’s eye and the one in which we find ourselves today are fascinating. The book is probably worth reading or rereading in today’s context.
But let me leave you with this thought: As Christians, are allegiance isn’t to this world, no matter its blessings and benefits or trials and temptations. We are to be tethered to an eternal hope, one that fills us not with optimism for this temporal land but with confidence in the Kingdom of God that lasts into eternity.
As those who trust in Jesus, we shouldn’t be bogged down by cynicism and despair, because we are anchored in a greater, superseding truth and that is that God is sovereign over all things and, as the apostle Paul wrote in Romans 8:28, promises to work together all things for the good of those who love Him.
Then, in 1 John 2:15-17, the apostle John encourages Christians not to love this world with all its momentary trappings, no matter how alluring they might be, because, as he wrote, “This world is fading away, along with everything that people crave.” He went on to write that anyone “who does what pleases God will live forever.”
So by all means, pick up a copy of Orwell’s “1984,” because we are — without a doubt — living through some bizarre and concerning times. But as those who hope in Christ, we can rest assured in the truth of the Gospel, trusting He is making us “more and more like Him as we are changed into His glorious image” (2 Corinthians 3:18).
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Kim Burrell's Radio Show Canceled After Singer's Anti-Gay Sermon
By Antoinette Bueno 9:15 AM PST, January 6, 2017
The fallout continues for gospel singer Kim Burrell.
After Ellen DeGeneres canceled Burrell's appearance on her show earlier this week following a video emerging showing the singer giving a homophobic sermon, Burrell's radio show has now been canceled.
Burrell's show, "Bridging the Gap," was broadcast on Texas Southern University's KTSU-FM. "The Kim Burrell show is no longer airing as part of KTSU Radio programming," KTSU-FM said in a statement to Deadline on Thursday.
WATCH: Ellen DeGeneres Cancels Kim Burrell's Appearance on Her Show After Singer's Anti-Gay Sermon
Burrell was set to appear on The Ellen DeGeneres Show that aired on Thursday to sing "I See Victory" With Pharrell Williams, a song from the film Hidden Figures. But DeGeneres canceled Burrell's appearance after she said the singer said some "not so nice things about homosexuals." In her now viral sermon, 44-year-old Burrell suggested gay people will die in 2017 because of their "sins," and talked about the "perverted homosexual spirit."
"She made a statement, she was doing a Facebook Live, and she said some very not nice things about homosexuals, so I didn't feel that was good of me to have her on the show to give her a platform after she was saying things about me," DeGeneres explained.
Pharrell also denounced Burrell's comments.
WATCH: Ellen DeGeneres and Pharrell Williams Discuss Kim Burrell's Canceled 'Ellen' Apperance
"There's no space, there's no room for any kind of prejudice in 2017 and moving on. There's no room," Pharrell said. "She's a fantastic singer, I love her, just like I love everybody else and we all got to get used to that. We all have to get used to everyone's differences and understand that this is a big, gigantic, beautiful, colorful world and it only works with inclusion and empathy. It only works that way."
"Live and let live. Love and let love," he added.
Ellen DeGeneres Confirms Kim Burrell Will Not Be Performing on Her Show After Homophobic Rant
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Norwich Evening News > News > Local Council
Mousehold Heath scoops coveted Green Flag status for first time
Dan Grimmer
Published: 6:09 AM October 14, 2020 Updated: 7:17 PM November 21, 2020
Mousehold Heath has been awarded its first Green Flag. Picture: DENISE BRADLEY - Credit: Copyright: Archant 2018
In a year when people have, perhaps, appreciated Norwich’s parks more than ever before - two of the city’s green spaces have been recognised with national awards.
Eaton Park. Pic: Sonya Duncan - Credit: Sonya Duncan
The 184-acre heaths and woods of Mousehold Heath have been awarded Green Flag status by environmental charity Keep Britain Tidy for the first time, while Eaton Park has scooped the coveted status for the fifth year in a row.
The Green Flag scheme recognises and rewards well-managed parks and green spaces, setting the benchmark standard for their management across the United Kingdom and around the world.
Eaton Park and Mousehold Heath join more than 2,000 sites across the country to collect the award for 2020.
Matthew Packer, cabinet member for health and wellbeing at Norwich City Council, said: “The people of Norwich have always had a great love and pride for their parks and open spaces and perhaps, this year, that appreciation has been felt even more strongly.
Norwich city councillor Matthew Packer. Pic: Labour Party. - Credit: Labour Party
“This is why it was a top priority for us in the city council to not only keep them open – out of recognition for the invaluable role they play in people’s physical, emotional and mental wellbeing – but also maintain their already excellent standard.
“Norwich City Council will continue to support and invest in its parks and open spaces across the city.
“The work volunteers, friends groups and individuals do alongside us to keep, not just Eaton and Mousehold, but all our parks and open spaces, vibrant, and make them the very best they can be for all to enjoy, is absolutely remarkable and it’s important we show our thanks and support – we’re very grateful to you all.
“The Friends of Waterloo Park are worthy of an extra special mention for their dedication and I feel confident their efforts will be rewarded with a Green Flag next year.”
Keep Britain Tidy chief executive Allison Ogden-Newton OBE said: “This year, more than ever, our parks and green spaces have been a lifeline and we know that millions of people have used them to relax, meet friends, exercise or simply escape for a short time.
“It is testament to the incredible dedication and hard work of parks staff and volunteers that, despite the challenges that went along with record numbers of visitors, Norwich City Council has achieved the highest international standards for Eaton Park and Mousehold Heath demanded by the Green Flag Award.”
City Hall will join buildings and landmarks across the country, including the White Cliffs of Dover, the London Stadium in Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park and Salford’s Media City, in being illuminated green tonight in recognition of the awards.
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“We’ve made a massive step since last year,” says Peroni
ALEX PERONI
CAMPOS RACING
Caldwell completes PREMA’s 2021 roster
Hitech snap up Red Bull junior duo Crawford and Iwasa
Carlin sign Red Bull junior Edgar for 2021
Alex Peroni and Campos struggled to consistently score points in 2019, but have improved considerably this season, and the Australian now believes they have the pace to regularly fight for top five finishes, and podiums, when they get it right.
The only problem so far has been getting it right on a regular basis. The combination between car and driver is clearly working out, but in a field as competitive as F3, the slightest of margins can make a huge difference.
Peroni has already had twice as many points’ finishes as he did in the entirety of 2019, as well as his first two podiums in the Championship.
“It is hard,” he explained. “It is so hard to be consistent and to always get it in the window and I think we’ve struggled to understand that on a couple of occasions. When the car is good, and when I’m feeling good, I am top five, and we are always in the hunt for a podium, but obviously, with this championship being so competitive, when you are a bit off, it is hard to still get some points.
“That’s just how this championship is, but we are starting to understand it a little bit more, for sure. Hopefully, we can be more consistent throughout the year.
“We’ve made a massive step since last year. We weren’t horrendous last year, but we were definitely struggling. Whereas this year, when we get to the track, we are always quick. We have just got to get things perfect and minimise our mistakes.”
The other challenge that Peroni has been posed with, and it’s a challenge that the entire grid are contending with this season, is the element of tiredness. With the entire season taking place over the course of 11 weeks, encompassing of three triples headers and just two weekends off, there is precious little time to take a breather.
And, any break that the teams do take, robs them of time that could be spent developing the car, or the driver for that matter. Peroni says this has been harder on the staff, than on the drivers.
“It is crazy,” he explains. “We are already more than halfway through the season, but it feels like yesterday that we were in the Red Bull Ring. You don’t really have any downtime to properly think about things. You can still analyse and improve, but it’s not like you have weeks to do that - momentum is important.
“It is hard on the team, a lot harder than on the drivers. The mechanics, and engineers are working so hard. And, now that all of the races are in the summer, it is so hot, so it is tough for the team.”
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Derek DelGaudio’s Trailer for Hulu Special Questions Nature of Identity
Watch the famed illusionist turn the tables on his audience as he brings them to tears.
Hulu has released the first trailer for a unique special called Derek DelGaudio’s In & Of Itself, which looks like a very interesting experience.
A new kind of lyric poem, according to Hulu, this documentary tells the story of a man fighting to see through the illusion of his own identity, only to discover that identity itself is an illusion. As DelGaudio attempts to answer one deceptively simple question — “Who am I?” — his personal journey expands to a collective experience that forces us to confront the boundaries of our own identities. Essentially, the documentary offers an intimate exploration of what it means to be, and what it means to be seen.
Frank Oz (The Dark Crystal) directed the show, which boasts Stephen Colbert as an executive producer along with Evelyn Colbert, Daryl Roth and Tom Werner. The film was produced by Glenn Kaino, Vanessa Lauren and Jake Friedman.
Image via Hulu
I love specials like In & Of Itself, which looks like a one-man show crossed with a penetrating magic act that draws upon the vulnerabilities of its audience. DelGaudio seems like an engaging personality who knows how to command an audience, and the folks in the crowd seem eager to investigate their own identities along with the host.
We could all use a touch of whimsy and wonder right now as well as some personal reflection, so check out the trailer below, and be sure and tune in Jan. 22 when DelGaudio’s movie debuts exclusively on Hulu. You can also peruse our list of the best movies currently available on that streaming service.
‘Moon Knight’ Disney+ Series Adds ‘Synchronic’ Duo Benson and Moorhead as Directors
Yes, very good, please proceed.
Jeff Sneider
(1401 Articles Published)
Jeff Sneider is the Senior Film Reporter at Collider, where he breaks film and television news and curates the Up-and-Comer of the Month column in addition to hosting The Sneider Cut podcast and the awards-themed series For Your Consideration with Scott Mantz and Perri Nemiroff. A graduate of NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts, Jeff started his career at Ain’t It Cool News before moving to Los Angeles to write for Variety and later, TheWrap and Mashable. Jeff also served as Editor in Chief of The Tracking Board and has contributed to MTV Movies Blog, Hollywood Life magazine, Washington Square News and the Colorado Springs Independent. His Oscar picks have appeared on the LA Times’ Envelope site, and he agrees with screenwriter William Goldman who famously said of Hollywood, “nobody knows anything.” Jeff hails from Needham, Massachusetts and has never eaten a salad. He can be found on Twitter, Instagram, Cameo and Blogspot by searching his nom de plume @TheInSneider.
From Jeff Sneider
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The Best HBO Shows You Should Watch Right Now
It’s not TV. It’s HBO.
That’s the moniker that graced pay cable screens throughout the 1990s, as the “Home Box Office” network began experimenting with original programming for the first time. Most of those early shows were comedies, and some were even groundbreaking (lookin’ at you The Larry Sanders Show), but it wasn’t until the late 90s and early 2000s that HBO became responsible for inventing what is now known as “prestige TV.”
The Wire and The Sopranos were unlike anything else on television, not only at the time, but in history. HBO’s subscription model allowed the content to be darker, sure, but also more creative. Writers weren’t working towards ad breaks, and bottle episodes of The Sopranos began to feel more like short feature films than television.
For decades now, HBO has solidified itself as a place for quality original TV shows. When a new HBO show is premiering on a Sunday night, you know it’s at least worth checking out to see if it’s for you. But the breadth of material may seem overwhelming. There’s a lot to choose from whether you’re watching HBO on demand or online—or even for free.
So we’ve put together a list of the best HBO shows ever made, which should hopefully serve as a viewing guide for the recently launched HBO Max. A starting point to help guide you to the absolute best that HBO has to offer. These shows range from historical dramas to sci-fi thrillers to unique comedies. There’s something for everyone here, and again, most of it is unlike anything else you can find on TV. But of course HBO isn’t just “TV” is it?
Image via HBO
Created by: Alan Ball
Cast: Peter Krause, Michael C. Hall, Frances Conroy, Lauren Ambrose, Freddy Rodriguez, Matew St. Patrick, Jeremy Sisto, Rachel Griffiths, and James Cromwell
Proof positive that HBO was doing “prestige TV” extremely well before “prestige TV” was even a thing, Six Feet Under is an absolute gem of a drama series. The show debuted in 2001 and ran for five seasons, telling the story of a family who runs a funeral home in Los Angeles. As the title suggests, this is a show about death, and indeed each episode begins by depicting the death of the person coming to the funeral home that week. Creator Alan Ball would later go on to create the soapy vampire series True Blood, but Six Feet Under shows a softer, more mature side from the writer. The show also happens to have one of the best series finales ever made, if not the best. And it’s well worth taking the journey to get there. – Adam Chitwood
Created by: Armando Iannucci
Cast: Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Tony Hale, Anna Chlumsky, Reid Scott, Timothy Simons, Matt Walsh, Kevin Dunn, Gary Cole, Sarah Sutherland, Sam Richardson and Clea Duvall
One of the best TV comedies of the 21st century, Veep is an absolute riot. Julia Louis-Dreyfus plays the Vice President of the United States, Selina Meyer, who struggles to find anything meaningful to do in her largely ceremonial role. But what began as satire soon became reality, as the very actions that seemed outlandish and hilarious on Veep started happening in real U.S. politics. The show does a swell job of keeping the story fresh by switching up Meyer’s role over the seven seasons, and also has one of the most seamless TV showrunner transitions in history as Armanda Iannucci leaves the series and is replaced by Seinfeld alum David Mandel. Veep can be prickly, and it’s not for those easily offended, but Louis-Dreyfus does all-timer level work here. – Adam Chitwood
Created by: Bill Hader and Alec Berg
Cast: Bill Hader, Henry Winkler, Stephen Root, Sarah Goldberg, and Anthony Carrigan
It’s hard to describe exactly what Barry is, other than to say it’s just great storytelling. It’s kind of a dark comedy, but also kind of a drama. The stakes feel real and this show will make you cry, but it’s also hilarious. Bill Hader co-created, writes, directs, and stars in the series as the titular Barry, a hitman who’s had enough with this profession and decides he wants to pursue a career in acting. He begins taking acting classes from a charismatic teacher (Henry Winkler), but quickly discovers leaving the past behind is easier said than done. Everything about Barry is next-level. The comedy and writing, yes, but also the filmmaking and execution. Again, it’s a show that defies easy categorization, but just trust me. Watch Barry and you won’t be disappointed. – Adam Chitwood
Created by: David Simon
Cast: Dominic West, Wendell Pierce, Wood Harris, Deirdre Lovejoy, Larry Gillard, Jr., Idris Elba, Lance Reddick, Chris Bauer, Sonja Sohn, Aidan Gillen, Amy Ryan, and Michael K. Williams
David Simon’s signature crime opus is arguably five of the best seasons of television ever made. The Wire tackles drug crime and corrupt institutions in Baltimore by examining the problem at every conceivable level, with the specific area of focus changing every season. Season 1 centers on a block of tenements in the slums where most of kingpin Avon Barksdale’s operation is conducted. Season 2 moves to the docks, a predominantly white working-class community similarly mired in drugs and two-bit crooks. We eventually see the bureaucratic side, as a bold police captain attempts to quietly legalize the drug trade in one neighborhood in a desperate attempt to reduce violent crime. And we also see how crime in Baltimore bleeds into the schools, when a former detective begins working as a teacher. In addition to just being a gritty, gripping story, The Wire is absolutely loaded with charismatic actors, turning every player in the game into a rich, compelling character. The clinically cold mastermind Stringer Bell (Idris Elba), the devil-may-care stickup man Omar Little (Michael K. Williams), and the quietly brilliant detective Lester Freamon (Clarke Peters) are particular standouts, centered around professional disaster Detective Jimmy McNulty (Dominic West), who more or less serves as the lead character in all five seasons. I really can’t say anything more about The Wire without potentially spoiling the story, but if you’ve never seen it, there has never been a better time to post up on the couch and absolutely blaze your way through all 60 hours. – Tom Reimann
Created by: Damon Lindelof
Cast: Regina King, Don Johnson, Yahya Abdul-Mateen II, Jean Smart, Jeremy Irons, Tim Blake Nelson
Straight up, Damon Lindelof pulled off a thermodynamic miracle with Watchmen. It’s audacious enough to try and adapt the landmark comic book by writer Alan Moore and artist Dave Gibbons, but to create a sequel set 30 years later that fundamentally changes aspects of the original work? That’s the closest you can come to blasphemy in the comic book world. But Watchmen just works, and on a few different levels at that. Led by a powerhouse performance by Regina King as vigilante Sister Night, the show manages to dissect the superhumanly unfair racial divide across all of American history while still unraveling a twisty puzzle-box mystery all dressed up in spandex. (All set to a thumping banger of a score by Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross.) Jeremy Irons is trapped in a castle with an army of clones, chewing scenery to pieces. There’s a rogue Lube Man on the loose. Watchmen is a lot, but the wild ride is worth it every step of the way. – Vinnie Mancuso
Cast: Jonathan Groff, Frankie J. Alvarez, Murray Bartlett, Lauren Weedman, Russell Tovey, Raúl Castillo
A slice-of-life odyssey brimming with personality, authenticity, soulful performances, and some of the most handsome dramedy cinematography you’ll ever see, Looking is a severely underseen jewel in the HBO crown. Jonathan Groff leads a warm and witty ensemble cast of gay men trying to get by in San Francisco. Only running two seasons and a finale movie, the show feels like it has always existed and continues to exist forever, a testament to how effortless, how pure, and how simple-yet-complex the show’s preview and aesthetics are. During its original air date (2014-2016), it was oft unfairly compared to more showy HBO programs like Girls or Sex and the City. But where those shows wear “slice of life relationship drama” like a showy fur coat, Looking presents material in a similar vein with less affect, less “look at what we’re doing!” This is not to say you won’t notice the filmmaking of Looking — indie auteur Andrew Haigh is an executive producer and directs many of the episodes, and his sumptuous handheld vibes crossed with, truly, the best television color correction I’ve ever seen yields an inviting and wholly unique visual language. For an absolute gem of quietly beautiful LGBTQ+ storytelling, look no further than Looking. – Greg Smith
Created by: James Bobin, Jemaine Clement, Bret McKenzie
Cast: Jemaine Clement, Bret McKenzie, Rhys Darby, Kristen Schaal, Arj Barker
New Zealand duo Jemaine Clement and Bret McKenzie took their musical comedy act to HBO in 2007 with Flight of the Conchords, and managed to mint for themselves a very fun and successful crossover. Clement. and McKenzie play Jemaine and Bret, fictionalized versions of themselves, in a show which follows the pair’s pursuit of fame and fortune in the music world as the folk-rock duo Flight of the Conchords. Managed by a bumbling, adorably inept manager (Rhys Darby) and hounded by their sole fan (Kristen Schaal), Jemaine and Bret have to navigate trying to stay afloat living in New York City while somehow trying to pull off a successful music career. Flight of the Conchords is a delight for fans of deadpan comedy, with Clement and McKenzie’s chemistry firing on all cylinders as the throw out one-liners or witty banter. The mid-00s HBO comedy also features Clement and McKenzie performing songs like “The Most Beautiful Girl (In the Room)”. Flight of the Conchords may have been short-lived, but the show continues to age well and remains a glorious slice of comedy. – Allie Gemmill
Created by: David Benioff and D.B. Weiss
Cast: Emilia Clarke, Kit Harington, Peter Dinklage, Lena Headey, Sophie Turner, Maisie Williams, Michelle Fairley, Richard Madden, Gwendoline Christie, Nikolaj Coster-Waldau, Sean Bean, and many more
Game of Thrones is one of those things that only happens once in a lifetime, like celebrating your 21st birthday, or hang gliding into an active volcano. Everyone in the world was into this goddamn show, and the final season finally completed the epic story and wrapped up the many mysteries and loose ends. Kind of. Mostly. Ok, it maybe only wrapped up a few of them, but at least it ended, right? That was something!
Look, however you feel about the extremely divisive final season, Game of Thrones managed to grab us all by the throat and refused to let go for nearly an entire decade. The experience of sitting down to watch the next chapter of a story virtually every single person I know was deeply invested in was unique, and honestly even a little profound. Dissecting every episode, trading theories, and making predictions was just something you did whenever you got together with friends and coworkers. We all super gave a shit about Westeros, and Jon Snow’s parents, and Dany’s dragons. And while the finale may have felt a bit like getting tackled out a 400 story window into a city-wide garbage fire by a drunk giant, Game of Thrones was one of the most epic fantasy stories ever told in any medium. The feeling of community around the series was on the level of Harry Potter, Star Wars, and the Marvel Cinematic Universe, and those are absolutely crazy heights for a cable TV show to reach. Game of Thrones may have banished Jon Snow to the North Pole and left the kingdom in the hands of King Boringturd the Dull, but something like 44 million of us watched that shit go down around the world. You don’t get storytelling that epic on television, it just doesn’t happen. I’m not likely to sit down for a full series rewatch any time soon, but it’s even less likely that I’ll ever again experience anything like watching Game of Thrones unfold over the past 8 years with a mind-boggling chunk of my fellow humans. – Tom Reimann
Creator: David Chase
Cast: James Gandolfini, Edie Falco, Lorraine Bracco, Michael Imperioli, Tony Sirico, Steven Van Zandt, Dominic Chianese
Simply put, there is nothing else in entertainment history quite like The Sopranos, the godfather of our modern TV boom. David Chase brought a gangster epic down to an intensely personal level, turning criminals into suburban folk figures that you want to watch navigate a BBQ as much as a mob hit. Leading the charge is James Gandolfini as Tony Soprano, one of the most powerful performances in any medium. Gandolfini could scare the crap out of you with a change in how aggressively he’s breathing through his nose, so it’s a miracle that you also can’t help but love Tony even as he grows nastier with each season. Gandolfini’s mob boss is achingly vulnerable, and his sessions across from therapist Jennifer Melfi (Lorraine Bracco) are still a marvel to watch. Add in some of the sharpest writing of all time alongside a rotating cast of instantly iconic supporting characters and The Sopranos remains the timeless backbone of HBO’s original slate. – Vinnie Mancuso
Created by: Ben Best, Jody Hill, Danny McBride
Cast: Danny McBride, Steve Little, John Hawkes, Katy Mixon, Jennifer Irwin, Elizabeth De Razzo
There has never been a redemption story quite like Kenny Powers’ (Danny McBride) in Eastbound and Down. A former baseball star clinging to his past and dealing with delightfully cringe delusions of grandeur, Kenny’s path back to achieving the level of notoriety he once enjoyed is bumpier than most, with lots of obstacles — like taking a job as a middle school P.E. teacher to pay the bills until the MLB comes a-knockin’ — preventing him from achieving his goals. McBride’s successful creative partnership is well documented, beginning with The Foot Fist Way, moving in Eastbound & Down, and culminating with follow-up TV show Vice Principals. Eastbound might just be the best of the efforts as McBride comfortably takes center stage as the lovingly delusional Kenny while Hill writes and directs every absurd, wild, and wonderful twist and turn. Eastbound‘s commitment to heightening the absurdity of this aforementioned quest while grounding the series in the real world makes it a bingeable watch. Additional performances turned in by Katy Mixon as Kenny’s high school sweetheart-turned-work colleague he’s trying to win back, John Hawkes as Kenny’s beleaguered but loving brother, and Steve Little as Kenny’s devoted ally and pseudo-henchman add some rich emotional depth to one fading star’s pursuit of a second chance at fame. – Allie Gemmill
Created by: Pete Holmes
Cast: Pete Holmes, Lauren Lapkus, George Basil, Jamie Lee, and Artie Lange
If you’re a stand-up comedy fan, Crashing is a must-see. Produced by Judd Apatow, the show is loosely based on the life of its star and creator, Pete Holmes, who was inspired by his divorce to finally give a career as a stand-up comedian a serious try. Each episode finds Pete crashing on a different comedian’s couch, which opens the series up to guest stars galore ranging from Jim Norton to Bill Burr to Sarah Silverman. And while the series was cut short after three seasons, it’s a really funny and surprisingly emotional journey to watch Pete’s career finally take off. – Adam Chitwood
Created by: Tom Hanks and Steven Spielberg
Cast: Damian Lewis, Ron Livingston, Scott Grimes, Donnie Wahlberg, Kirk Acevedo, Eion Bailey, and Michael Cudlitz
A who’s who of acting talent, Band of Brothers, far from a miniseries version of Saving Private Ryan (despite the attachment of Tom Hanks and Steven Spielberg), takes the long view on the arc of World War II. The series starts all the way back at jump training for “Easy” Company, 2nd Battalion, 506th Parachute Infantry Regiment, of the 101st Airborne Division. Watching how these men are slowly chipped away at by what most would agree was a “necessary” war is a stirring and profound experience. Men who are teased as heroes come down with shell shock. It’s all about the trauma these men experienced and the cost of literally saving the world from tyranny. Band of Brothers serves as a powerful reminder that there’s no such thing as a “good” war. – Matt Goldberg
Created by: Lisa Kudrow and Michael Patrick King
Cast: Lisa Kudrow, Malin Akerman, Robert Bagnell, Lance Barber, and Robert Michael Morris
Quite possibly the best HBO show you never saw, The Comeback is a gem. The mockumentary series premiered in 2005 and lasted only one season before being cancelled, but was revived in 2014 for a second season due to its cult favorite status. It aired the wake of Friends’ conclusion and found Lisa Kudrow playing a formerly famous TV star attempting a comeback with a supporting role on a new sitcom. Kudrow turns in a truly iconic comedic performance here that’s layered with vulnerability, especially in the somewhat darker second season. If you’ve never seen The Comeback, now’s a great time to catch up. – Adam Chitwood
Created by: Jesse Armstrong
Cast: Brian Cox, Jeremy Strong, Sarah Snook, Kieran Culkin, Alan Ruck, Matthew Macfadyen, Nicholas Braun, J. Smith-Cameron, Hiam Abbass
The trials and tribulations of the callous, ambitious, and occasionally hilarious Roy clan, as seen over the course of two seasons of Succession (so far), are some of the most eminently watchable I’ve come across in my time. It’s not hard to loathe the privilege of the Roys, an uber-wealthy family anchored by chill Roy patriarch and media mogul Logan Roy (Brian Cox), but it’s also not hard to love them, either.
Succession plays like a modern King Lear, with Logan attempting to crown one of his four children — Kendall (Jeremy Strong), Shiv (Sarah Snook), Roman (Kieran Culkin), and Connor (Alan Ruck) — as his worthy successor. The battle scars of growing up in wealthy, sheltered, cold, and power-hungry household have barely healed over for the adult Roy children as they covertly compete for the company throne. Watching them try to remain allies while they undermine one another’s efforts makes for devilishly good television that will immediately suck you in from the first episode onward. Every performance is damn near perfect, with the writing, direction, and music from composer Nicholas Brittell catapulting this show into the top tier of HBO shows. – Allie Gemmill
Created by: Jonathan Nolan and Lisa Joy
Cast: Evan Rachel Wood, Anthony Hopkins, Jeffrey Wright, Thandie Newton, James Marsden, Tessa Thompson, Jimmi Simpson, Ben Barnes, Luke Hemsworth, Simon Quarterman, Sidse Babett Knudsen, Rodrigo Santoro, and Ed Harris
It’s no secret that HBO planned Westworld as its “next big thing” after Game of Thrones, and while the show is certainly a success, it’s not exactly an easy watch for some. This is a sci-fi series full of great ideas that are sometimes executed well, but even if you find yourself frustrated or confounded by the storytelling, it’s hard to resist the urge to find out what happens next. Based on the film of the same name, Westworld takes place in a future in which a theme park has been built where humans can interact with robot “hosts” that look just like them, and have been programmed to be friends, villains, and yes romantic companions. The thematic thrust of Westworld is “does free will exist?” not just for humans but for the hosts, who are beginning to grow into a consciousness all their own. It’s a show that’s unafraid of tackling big ideas that also boasts some incredible production value and more twists than you can count. If you find yourself even semi-engaged with the pilot, stick with it. You’re probably gonna enjoy the rest of the ride. – Adam Chitwood
Created by: Larry David
Cast: Larry David, Cheryl Hines, Jeff Garlin, Susie Essman, J.B. Smoove, Richard Lewis, Ted Danson, Wanda Sykes, Vivica A. Fox, Bob Einstein
Simply put, Curb (as it is affectionately known) is one of the greatest comedy TV series of all time, just below Seinfeld on my list. And what do you know, they share a creator in common — the incomparable Larry David, who may very well be the funniest man on the planet. Think about how well we know Larry, with all his weird quirks and peccadilloes. The show may boast a ton of improvisation, but whether on the page or off the cuff, this version of Larry David (who doesn’t seem too far from the real deal) is a brilliant creation, especially on a cable network where anything goes. Of course, every hero (in his own mind) needs a villain, and Susie Greene, as played by Susie Essman, is Larry’s greatest foil. I can’t imagine anyone playing Susie with the same attitude that Essman brings to the character, who is one of HBO’s greatest swearers — right up there with James Gandolfini‘s Tony Soprano and Wendell Pierce‘s Bunk from The Wire. Jeff Garlin is the best friend every guy would love to have, Bob Einstein‘s Marty Funkhauser was always a delightful scene-stealer, and Richard Lewis is an always-welcome addition to their clique. Cheryl Hines is wonderful and endlessly forgiving as Larry’s wife, and the show got a real shot in the arm with the arrival of J.B. Smoove‘s Leon Black and the rest of his displaced family — people who weren’t afraid to hold Larry accountable for his often questionable behavior.
The list of guest stars this show has enjoyed over the years is truly amazing, from the cast of Seinfeld to standouts like Ben Stiller, David Schwimmer, Gina Gershon, Martin Scorsese, Michael J. Fox and Bill Buckner. Sure, some episodes are better than others, but the sheer act of watching Curb for 30 minutes on a Sunday night is sometimes the one thing I look forward to most in a given week. Maybe that says more about me and where I’m at in my life, but maybe it’s one of the only shows on TV that is actually worth the hype. There are episodes of Curb that have me laughing from start to finish, and not only is the show extremely rewatchable, but it’s also endlessly quotable. How many things started on Curb? Respect for wood. The stop-and-chat. The long stare into someone’s eyes to see if they’re lying. Curb Your Enthusiasm is pretty, pretty, pretty good if you ask me! – Jeff Sneider
Cast: Anna Paquin, Stephen Moyer, Alexander Skarsgard, Sam Trammell, Ryan Kwanten, Rutina Wesley, Deborah Ann Woll, Joe Manganiello, Chris Bauer, Nelsan Ellis, Jim Parrack, and Carrie Preston
Addictive. Ridiculous. Over-the-top. Sappy. Insane. These are just a few of the adjectives one could use to describe True Blood, one of the most successful shows in HBO history. Over the course of seven seasons, the supernatural soap followed the exploits of a 173-year-old vampire named Bill who fell in love with a human named Sookie, and the menagerie of colorful characters who inhabited the show’s Deep South setting. The series touches upon a number of thematic ideas, using the ostracizing of vampires as a metaphor for homophobia and the fight for gay rights to varying degrees of success. While the series goes off the rails a number of times, like an addictive Ryan Murphy show you’ll find it’s hard to quit outright. True Blood is a stew of great, good, bad, and terrible, but there’s something about it that’s just appealing on a base level. And no, it’s not the gratuitous sex. – Adam Chitwood
Created by: Dennis Klein, Gary Shandling
Cast: Gary Shandling, Rip Torn, Jeffrey Tambor, Wallace Langham, Janeane Garafolo, Penny Johnson Jerald, Jeremy Piven, Bob Odenkirk
Running for six seasons and providing plenty of room for iconic comedian Gary Shandling to do his thing, The Larry Sanders Show is, to this day, just an incredible HBO offering. Taking a somewhat satirical aim at the frequently weird inner workings of the late-night world and the entertainment industry at large, The Larry Sanders show is perfect for those in need of some sardonic, Curb Your Enthusiasm-esque wit in your daily TV diet. Shandling is the human embodiment of a chef’s kiss as he plays late-night TV host Larry Sanders. The show is a bit of a rollercoaster, delivering scenes filled with uncomfortable moments (for better or worse) with truly great, heartfelt scenes. The Larry Sanders Show also boasts one incredible supporting cast of comedic talent, including Jeffrey Tambor, Rip Torn, Janeane Garofolo, Wallace Langham, Jeremy Piven, and Bob Odenkirk.
Created by: Damon Lindelof and Tom Perotta
Cast: Justin Theroux, Carrie Coon, Amy Brenneman, Christopher Eccleston, Liv Tyler, Margaret Qualley, Chris Zylka, Regina King, Kevin Carroll, Jovan Adepo, Ann Dowd, and Scott Glenn
Damon Lindelof’s first new TV series after Lost, and after writing a series of feature films wrapped in mystery boxes (Star Trek, Prometheus, Tomorrowland), makes clear from the opening credits that if you’re here for answers, you’ve come to the wrong place. The Leftovers takes place three years after a global event called the “Sudden Departure” resulted in 2% of the world’s population disappearing into thin air. The show never explains why or how, but instead focuses on those left behind, and how a sudden inexplicable loss results in changes both large and small in their lives. After an admittedly deadly serious first season, the show livens up in Season 2, which also shifts the setting from upstate New York to Texas. It’s in Seasons 2 and 3 that The Leftovers really found its groove, and solidified itself as one of the best shows of the 21st century with ambitiously wild storytelling leaps, complex characters, and a willingness to “let the mystery be.” Deeply profound and moving but also hilarious and human, you’ve never seen anything quite like The Leftovers before. – Adam Chitwood
Created by: David E. Kelly
Cast: Reese Witherspoon, Nicole Kidman, Zoe Kravitz, Shailene Woodley, Laura Dern, Adam Scott, and Alexander Skarsgard
Big Little Lies is a whodunnit unfolding in one Monterery, one of the wealthiest areas of California. The series begins by letting us know that a murder has been committed at a school event, but we’re not told who was involved. Then the story unfolds in flashback, and we’re introduced to the main players – Madeline (Reese Witherspoon), Celeste (Nicole Kidman), and Jane (Shailene Woodley), three mothers raising young children in the uber rich community. The show delivers two things that are indelibly watchable – an engaging murder mystery, and a front row seat to the petty cattiness of the extremely wealthy. But one of the things that Big Little Lies does so well is gradually humanize the characters – Madeline and Celeste begin the series as intolerable monoliths of white privilege, but as we spend more time with them we learn that Madeline is actually a genuine person and Celeste is essentially a prisoner of her violent, sociopathic husband Perry (Alexander Skarsgård). Jane is the odd duck, a middle class single parent who just moved to Monterery and is suffering from some secret trauma. Madeline and Celeste decide to take Jane under their wing, and crazy shit begins to unfold thereafter. The acting is terrific, especially the performances given by Kidman, Skarsgård, and Laura Dern, who plays a particularly hateable community shot-caller named Renata Klein (and even Renata becomes more humanized as the show progresses). Originally conceived as a miniseries the show got a surprise second season that further ups the stakes of the mystery. Few things are more satisfying to me than a well-told mystery, and Big Little Lies absolutely delivers. – Tom Reimann
‘The Exorcist’ Sequel in the Works at Blumhouse from ‘Halloween’ Director David Gordon Green
Green is in talks to direct the horror movie, but don’t be surprised if he tackles a smaller, more personal project first.
Collider Staff
More From Collider Staff
Previous His Dark Materials Renewed for a Third Season at HBO & BBC One
Next David Cronenberg Is Working on Two Films, a Series, and Coming Back for More STAR TREK: DISCOVERY — GeekTyrant
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Actor | Director | Producer | Writer
Directing (9)
Born and raised in Minnesota, Stephen Sommers went on to attend St. John’s University before transferring to the University of Seville in Spain. After graduating, he spent the next several years managing rock bands throughout Europe. Relocating to Los Angeles, Sommers enrolled in the University of Southern California’s School of Cinematic Arts and spent the next three years earning a Masters Degree in Film Production. Upon writing and directing an award-winning student film, Perfect Alibi, he was granted the opportunity to write and direct his first feature-length motion picture – a story set in the world of high school drag racing entitled Catch Me If You Can. From there, Sommers went on to create such well-known and beloved adaptations as The Adventures of Huck Finn and Rudyard Kipling’s The Jungle Book, both for Walt Disney Pictures. He also wrote and executive produced Disney’s adventure film Tom and Huck before returning to the director’s chair for the ... Show more...
Born and raised in Minnesota, Stephen Sommers went on to attend St. John’s University before transferring to the University of Seville in Spain. After graduating, he spent the next several years managing rock bands throughout Europe. Relocating to Los Angeles, Sommers enrolled in the University of Southern California’s School of Cinematic Arts and spent the next three years earning a Masters Degree in Film Production. Upon writing and directing an award-winning student film, Perfect Alibi, he was granted the opportunity to write and direct his first feature-length motion picture – a story set in the world of high school drag racing entitled Catch Me If You Can. From there, Sommers went on to create such well-known and beloved adaptations as The Adventures of Huck Finn and Rudyard Kipling’s The Jungle Book, both for Walt Disney Pictures. He also wrote and executive produced Disney’s adventure film Tom and Huck before returning to the director’s chair for the suspense-thriller Deep Rising. The next year, Sommers wrote, directed and produced the first installment of The Mummy franchise for Universal Studios. That film and its sequel, The Mummy Returns, have grossed over eight-hundred and forty million dollars worldwide. His next monster blockbuster was the action-adventure epic Van Helsing, released in 2004, which did over three-hundred million dollars at the box office. Following his producing duties on The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor – which made the trilogy a billion dollar franchise - Sommers wrote, directed and produced G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra for Paramount Studios. Stephen currently resides in Los Angeles with his wife and their two daughters. Bio from official homepage. Show less...
Bloodsucking Cinema (2007)
The Sci-Fi Boys (2006)
The sound of flapping bat wings, an empty coffin, glistening fangs, tiny punctures on the neck, the sensual taste of blood, a blank reflection, fear of the cross, and death from daylight. These are the creatures of the night, and as legendary (but fictional) vampire hunter Abraham Van Helsing exclaimed: "Gentlemen, we are dealing with the undead!" Perhaps the most enduring film genre of all time, vampire ...
Stars: Stuart Townsend | Joel Schumacher | Stan Winston | Stephen Sommers | Gregory Nicotero
As: Himself
Legendary all-stars of cinema bring to life the evolution of science-fiction and special effects films from the wild and funny days of B-movies to blockbusters that have captured the world's imagination. This is the story of the Sci-Fi Boys, who started out as kids making amateur movies inspired by Forrest J Ackerman's FAMOUS MONSTERS magazine and grew up to take Hollywood by storm, inventing the art and ...
Directed by: Paul Davids
Stars: Peter Jackson | Forrest J. Ackerman | John Landis | Ray Harryhausen | Leonard Maltin
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Nationalism is not Xenophobia
by R. R. Reno 9 . 9 . 16
Immigration has emerged as a crucial political issue throughout the West. On Sunday, Angela Merkel’s Christian Democrat party was bested by Alternative for Germany in an election in Merkel’s own district. It was the first German election in which the upstart nationalist party had won more votes than Merkel’s venerable center-right party. There’s no doubt that Merkel’s decision to open Germany to more than one million Muslim refugees affected the outcome in a decisive way.
This outcome follows a pattern. Many factors contributed to the Brexit vote in the United Kingdom, but concerns about increased immigration were prominent among them. In Austria, the Freedom Party, which is also opposed to immigration, is poised to win control of the presidential palace. Hungary’s Fidesz, still another party opposed to immigration, is in firm control of the government there. Parties with similar profiles are gaining popularity in Switzerland, the Netherlands, Denmark, and elsewhere.
Immigration has played a key role in Donald Trump’s rise. His promise to build “a very beautiful wall” along our border with Mexico catapulted him into the public eye at the outset of the primary season.
The fact that voters are agitated by significant influxes of newcomers ought not to surprise us. What’s striking, on the contrary, is the inability or refusal of so many politicians to address the growing concern.
Trump insists that anyone residing in the United States illegally is subject to deportation. Many commentators regard such comments as inflammatory. I am baffled by their outrage. What, exactly, is meant by “illegal” if the lawbreaker is immune from consequences? And I have another point of confusion: Why doesn’t the Clinton campaign coopt this issue by offering a clear, but less drastic, plan for enforcing existing immigration laws?
The very notion of limiting immigration—building a wall—gets Trump described as “anti-immigrant.” But isn’t job number one for our political leaders to protect the interests of Americans, which surely entails restricting the number of people who can immigrate? Again, why doesn’t Clinton box out Trump by juxtaposing his extremist rhetoric with her own proposal for immigration reform? Clinton’s proposal can be more generous, but nevertheless keyed to the interests of native-born Americans.
Something strange is going on here, something I don’t fully understand.
One factor, no doubt, involves the putative benefits of immigration. Over the last two decades, many have argued that only increased immigration will save Europe from demographic decline and economic stagnation. This way of thinking, combined with idealism about an inclusive, compassionate Germany, can convince the political leadership there that admitting hundreds of thousands of refugees is in the best interest of all Germans. Similar arguments about the contribution immigration makes to economic growth in the United States comport nicely with the mythology of our immigrant nation.
But I think the reasons go deeper. A recent essay in Foreign Affairs by Kishore Mahbubani and Lawrence Summers, “The Fusion of Civilizations: The Case for Global Optimism,” outlines a vision for a more globalized, peaceful, and prosperous future—in which nations become less significant. Today’s emphasis on multiculturalism and “diversity” participates in this vision of the future, one in which differences are overcome and borders are irrelevant. It’s species of utopianism, to be sure, but it has a powerful grip on the moral imagination of the West.
In this view, national interest is an impediment to progress. Concerns about identity are, by definition, forms of ethnocentrism bordering on xenophobia. This is why the upsurge of populist concern about immigration—which I take to be a synecdoche for wide-ranging anxieties about the long-term significance of many social changes—are so vigorously denounced by mainstream politicians, journalists, and political commentators. It’s also why Hillary Clinton doesn’t isolate Trump by employing a more moderate and sensible nationalist rhetoric. The same goes from Angela Merkel. She is almost certain to persevere, in order to remain true to what she believes will best serve the common good, not just of Germany, but of the whole world.
Globalization has a unifying dimension, which we rightly applaud. At the same time, though, globalization is associated with economic and cultural changes that are dissolving inherited forms of solidarity—the nation foremost, but local communities, as well, and even the family. This dissolution encourages an atomistic individualism, which in turn makes all of us more vulnerable to domination and control.
By my reading of the signs of the times, the dangers of dissolved solidarity in the West are far more dire than our present upsurges of ethnocentrism and nationalism. It is atomized societies that are susceptible to demagogues—not societies that enjoy strong social bonds and organic communal solidarity. Islamic extremism thrives where traditional Muslim societies are disintegrated by the pressures of globalization.
We need to renew solidarity, rather than encourage the dissolving trends of globalization. This means taking populist, anti-immigrant trends seriously, not denouncing them. It also means thinking hard about how to strengthen what Abraham Lincoln called our “mystic chords of memory.” We need a Christian nationalism, one that encourages the unity of mankind while recognizing that human beings thrive best as members of a particular people and as proud recipients of a distinctive cultural inheritance.
R. R. Reno is editor of First Things.
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City Services > City Clerk > FOIA
FOIA Response Procedure in light of Executive Order 2020-38
As a result of the Governor’s April 6, 2020 Executive Order (Order) No. 2020-38, the City of Farmington (“City”) will continue to fulfill Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests to the extent possible due to the circumstances arising out of the COVID-19 pandemic and subject to the procedures set forth in this notice, which are based on that Order.
Pursuant to the Governor’s Order, “strict compliance” with some FOIA response requirements has been temporarily suspended. The City now has ten (10) business days to respond to a FOIA request or appeal received via mail, hand-delivery, or fax. That time period begins when a City employee physically opens the envelope containing the request or appeal, or takes a faxed request or appeal from the fax machine, not the dates when requests are considered to be received under the FOIA. The City will provide written notice to the requestor should compliance with any of the current COVID-19 emergency orders preclude the City from providing a response within the new timeline.
Additionally, if the FOIA request requires “in-person efforts” to prepare the response, e.g. search, examination and copying of documents, then the City may defer responding to that portion of the request until the expiration and/or any extension of the Order and will provide written notification to the requestor explaining the reasons for the deferral. If a requestor informs the City in writing they want to revise their FOIA request to exclude the portions requiring “in-person efforts”, then the City will respond to the request for records that would not require such efforts within the time frames set forth in MCL 15.235. Finally, the City will continue to respond to all public records request submitted and seeking records via email or website submission, that do not require “in-person” efforts within the statute’s current guidelines set forth in MCL 15.235
The City will follow the above procedures and adhere to the Governor’s Order through its effective date of June 4, 2020 and/or any extension of the Order’s duration.
Public Summary of FOIA Procedures and Guidelines
Complete FOIA Packet with Fee Itemization Form
City of Farmington FOIA Application
Freedom of Information Procedures and Guidelines
Section 1: General Policies
The City Council, acting pursuant to the authority at MCL 15.236, designates the Clerk as the FOIA Coordinator. He or she is authorized to designate other City staff to act on his or her behalf to accept and process written requests for the City’s public records and approve denials.
If a request for a public record is received by fax or email, the request is deemed to have been received on the following business day. If a request is sent by email and delivered to a City spam or junk-mail folder, the request is not deemed received until one day after the FOIA Coordinator first becomes aware of the request. The FOIA Coordinator shall note both the date the request was delivered to the spam or junk-mail folder and the date the FOIA Coordinator became aware of the request.
The FOIA Coordinator shall review City spam and junk-mail folders on a regular basis, which shall be no less than once a month. The FOIA Coordinator shall work with City Information Technology staff to develop administrative rules for handling spam and junk-mail so as to protect City systems from computer attacks which may be imbedded in an electronic FOIA request.
The FOIA Coordinator may, in his or her discretion, implement administrative rules, consistent with State law and these Procedures and Guidelines to administer the acceptance and processing of FOIA requests.
The City is not obligated to create a new public record or make a compilation or summary of information which does not already exist. Neither the FOIA Coordinator, nor other City staff, is obligated to provide answers to questions contained in requests for public records or regarding the content of the records themselves.
The FOIA Coordinator shall keep a copy of all written requests for public records received by the City on file for a period of at least one year.
The City will make these Procedures and Guidelines document and the Written Public Summary publicly available without charge.
This Procedures and Guidelines document and the City’s Written Public Summary will be maintained on the City’s website at: www.farmgov.com, so a link to those documents will be provided in lieu of providing paper copies of those documents.
Section 2: Requesting a Public Record
No specific form to submit a request for a public record is required.
Requests to inspect or obtain copies of public records prepared, owned, used, possessed or retained by the City may be submitted in writing (letter, fax, email, etc.). A request must sufficiently describe a public record so as to enable City personnel to identify and find the requested public record. Verbal requests for records may be processed, but will be documented by the City. The FOIA Coordinator may insist on a written request.
Unless you qualify as indigent in accordance with this policy, the request must include the requesting person’s complete name, address, and contact information. if the request is made by a person other than an individual, the request must include the complete name, address, and contact information of the person’s agent who is an individual. The address provided must comply with US Postal Service addressing standards. You must include a valid telephone number or email address.
If a person makes a verbal, non-written request for information believed to be available on the City’s website, where practicable and to the best ability of the employee receiving the request, shall be informed of the pertinent website address.
Written requests for public records may be submitted in person or by mail to the City Hall. Requests may also be submitted electronically by fax and email. Upon their receipt, requests for public records shall be promptly forwarded to the FOIA Coordinator for processing.
A person may request that public records be provided on non-paper physical media, emailed or other otherwise provided to him or her in digital form in lieu of paper copies. The City will comply with the request only if it possesses the necessary technological capability to provide records in the requested non-paper physical media format.
A person may subscribe to future issues of public records that are created, issued or disseminated by the City of Farmington on a regular basis. A subscription is valid for up to 6 months and may be renewed by the subscriber.
A person serving a sentence of imprisonment in a local, state or federal correctional facility is not entitled to submit a request for a public record. The FOIA Coordinator will deny all such requests.
Section 3: Processing a Request
Unless otherwise agreed to in writing by the person making the request, the City will issue a response within 5 business days of receipt of a FOIA request. If a request is received by fax, email or other electronic transmission, the request is deemed to have been received on the following business day.
The City will respond to a request in one of the following ways:
Grant the request.
Issue a written notice denying the request.
Grant the request in part and issue a written notice denying in part the request.
Issue a written notice indicating that the public record requested is available at no charge on the City’s website.
Issue a notice indicating that due to the nature of the request the City needs an additional 10 business days to respond for a total of no more than 15 business days. Only one such extension is permitted.
If the request is granted, or granted in part, the FOIA Coordinator will require that payment be made in full for the allowable fees associated with responding to the request before the public record is made available. The FOIA Coordinator shall provide a detailed itemization of the allowable costs incurred to process the request to the person making the request. The FOIA Coordinator will use the City's Cost Itemization Form.
A copy of these Procedures and Guidelines and the Written Public Summary will be provided to the requestor free of charge with the response to a written request for public records, provided however, that because these Procedures and Guidelines, and the Written Public Summary are maintained on the City’s website at: www.farmgov.com, a link to the Procedures and Guidelines and the Written Public Summary will be provided in lieu of providing paper copies of those documents.
If the cost of processing a FOIA request is $50 or less, the requester will be notified of the amount due and where the documents can be obtained.
If the cost of processing a FOIA request is expected to exceed $50 based on a good-faith calculation, or if the requestor has not paid in full for a previously granted request, the City will require a good-faith deposit pursuant to Section 4 of this policy before processing the request.
In making the request for a good-faith deposit the FOIA Coordinator shall provide the requestor with a detailed itemization of the allowable costs estimated to be incurred by the City to process the request and also provide a best efforts estimate of a time frame it will take the City to provide the records to the requestor. The best efforts estimate shall be nonbinding on the City, but will be made in good faith and will strive to be reasonably accurate, given the nature of the request in the particular instance, so as to provide the requested records in a manner based on the public policy expressed by Section 1 of the FOIA.
If a deposit is required, it must be paid within 45 days from the notice that a deposit is required, unless you appeal the deposit amount. If the deposit is not paid within 48 days of when the City sends the notice that a deposit is required, the request will be considered abandoned. Notice of a deposit is considered received 3 days after it is sent, regardless of the means of transmission.
If the request is denied or denied in part, the FOIA Coordinator will issue a written Denial which shall provide in the applicable circumstance:
An explanation as to why a requested public record is exempt from disclosure; or
A certificate that the requested record does not exist under the name or description provided by the requestor, or another name reasonably known by the City; or
An explanation or description of the public record or information within a public record that is separated or deleted from the public record; and
An explanation of the person’s right to submit an appeal of the denial to either the City Manager or seek judicial review in the Oakland County Circuit Court; and
An explanation of the right to receive attorneys’ fees, costs, and disbursements as well actual or compensatory damages, and punitive damages of $1,000, should they prevail in Circuit Court.
The Notice of Denial shall be signed by the FOIA Coordinator or the Coordinator's designee.
If a request does not sufficiently describe a public record, the FOIA Coordinator may, in lieu of issuing a Notice of Denial indicating that the request is deficient, seek clarification or amendment of the request by the person making the request. Any clarification or amendment will be considered a new request subject to the timelines described in this Section.
If there is a request to inspect public records, the City shall provide reasonable facilities and opportunities for persons to examine and inspect public records during normal business hours. The FOIA Coordinator is authorized to promulgate rules regulating the manner in which records may be viewed so as to protect City records from loss, alteration, mutilation or destruction and to prevent excessive interference with normal City operations.
If there is a request for certified copies, the FOIA Coordinator shall, upon written request, furnish a certified copy of a public record at no additional cost to the person requesting the public record.
Section 4: Fee Deposits
If the fee estimate is expected to exceed $50.00 based on a good-faith calculation, the requestor will be asked to provide a deposit not exceeding one-half of the total estimated fees.
If a request for public records is from a person who has not paid the City in full for copies of public records made in fulfillment of a previously granted written request, the FOIA Coordinator will require a deposit of 100% of the estimated processing fee before beginning to search for a public record for any subsequent written request by that person when all of the following conditions exist:
The final fee for the prior written request is not more than 105% of the estimated fee;
The public records made available contained the information sought in the prior written request and remain in the City's possession;
The public records were made available to the individual, subject to payment, within the time frame estimated by the City to provide the records;
Ninety (90) days or more have passed since the FOIA Coordinator notified the individual in writing that the public records were available for pickup or mailing;
The individual is unable to show proof of prior payment to the City; and
The FOIA Coordinator has calculated a detailed itemization that is the basis for the current written request’s increased estimated fee deposit.
The FOIA Coordinator will not require an increased estimated fee deposit if any of the following apply:
The person making the request is able to show proof of prior payment in full to the City;
The City is subsequently paid in full for the applicable prior written request; or
Three hundred sixty five (365) days have passed since the person made the request for which full payment was not remitted to the City.
Section 5: Calculation of Fees
A fee may be charged for the labor cost of copying/duplication.
A fee will not be charged for the labor cost of search, examination, review and the deletion and separation of exempt from nonexempt information unless failure to charge a fee would result in unreasonably high costs to the City because of the nature of the request in the particular instance, and the City specifically identifies the nature of the unreasonably high costs.
Costs for the search, examination review, and deletion and separation of exempt from non-exempt information are “unreasonably high” when they are excessive and beyond the normal or usual amount for those services (Attorney General Opinion 7083 of 2001) compared to the costs of the city’s usual FOIA requests, not compared to the city’s operating budget. (Bloch v. Davison Community Schools, Michigan Court of Appeals, Unpublished, April 26, 2011)
The following factors shall be used to determine an unreasonably high cost to the City:
Volume of the public record requested
Amount of time spent to search for, examine, review and separate exempt from non-exempt information in the record requested.
Whether the public records are from more than one City department or whether various City offices are necessary to respond to the request.
The available staffing to respond to the request.
Any other similar factors identified by the FOIA Coordinator in responding to the particular request.
The City may charge for the following costs associated with processing a request:
Labor costs associated with searching for, locating and examining a requested public record, when failure to charge a fee will result in unreasonably high costs to the City. These labor costs will be estimated and charged in 15-minute increments, with all partial time increments rounded down. If the time involved is less than 15 minutes, there will be no charge.
Labor costs associated with a review of a record to separate and delete information exempt from disclosure, when failure to charge a fee will result in unreasonably high costs to the City. These labor costs will be estimated and charged in 15-minute increments, with all partial time increments rounded down. If the time involved is less than 15 minutes, there will be no charge.
The cost of computer discs, computer tapes or other digital or similar media when the requester asks for records in non-paper physical media. This may include the cost for copies of records already on the City’s website if you ask for the City to make copies.
The cost of copying or duplication, not including labor, of paper copies of public records. This may include the cost for copies of records already on the City’s website if you ask for the City to make copies.
Labor costs associated with copying or duplication, which includes making paper copies, making digital copies, or transferring digital public records to non-paper physical media or through the Internet. The cost to mail or send a public record to a requestor. These labor costs will be estimated and charged in one minute increments, with all partial time rounded down.
The cost to mail or send a public record to a requestor.
Labor costs will be calculated based on the following requirements:
Labor costs will be charged at the hourly wage of the lowest-paid City employee capable of doing the work in the specific fee category, regardless of who actually performs work.
Labor costs will also include a charge to cover or partially cover the cost of fringe benefits.
The City may add a multiplier up to 50% to the applicable labor charge amount to cover or partially cover the cost of fringe benefits, but in no case may it exceed the actual cost of fringe benefits.
Overtime wages will not be included in labor costs unless agreed to by the requestor; overtime costs will not be used to calculate the fringe benefit cost.
Contracted labor costs will be charged at the hourly rate of $48.90 (6 times the state minimum hourly wage).
The cost to provide records on non-paper physical media when so requested will be based on the following requirements:
Computer disks, computer tapes or other digital or similar media will be at the actual and most reasonably economical cost for the non-paper media.
This cost will only be assessed if the City has the technological capability necessary to provide the public record in the requested non-paper physical media format.
The City will procure any non-paper media and will not accept media from the requestor in order to ensure integrity of the City’s technology infrastructure.
The cost to provide paper copies of records will be based on the following requirements:
Paper copies of public records made on standard letter (8 ½ x 11) or legal (8 ½ x 14) sized paper will be at the actual cost to the City but will not exceed $.10 per sheet of paper. Copies for non-standard sized sheets of paper will reflect the actual cost of reproduction.
The City will provide records using double-sided printing, if there are cost-saving and available.
The cost to mail records to a requestor will be based on the following requirements:
The actual cost to mail public records using a reasonably economical and justified means.
The City may charge for the least expensive form of postal delivery confirmation.
No cost will be made for expedited shipping or insurance unless specified by the requestor.
If the FOIA Coordinator does not respond to a written request in a timely manner, the City will:
Reduce the labor costs by 5% for each day the City exceeds the time permitted under FOIA up to a 50% maximum reduction, if any of the following applies:
The City’s late response was willful and intentional,
The written request conveyed a request for information within the first 250 words of the body of a letter facsimile, email or email attachment, or
The written request included the words, characters, or abbreviations for “freedom of information,” “information,” “FOIA,” “copy” or a recognizable misspelling of such, or legal code reference to MCL 15. 231, et seq. or 1976 Public Act 442 on the front of an envelope or in the subject line of an email, letter or facsimile cover page.
Fully note the charge reduction in the Detailed Itemization of Costs Form.
Section 6: Waiver of Fees
The cost of the search for and copying of a public record may be waived or reduced if in the sole judgment of the FOIA Coordinator a waiver or reduced fee is in the public interest because it can be considered as primarily benefitting the general public. The City Council may identify specific records or types of records it deems should be made available for no charge or at a reduced cost.
Section 7: Discounted Fees
Indigence:
The FOIA Coordinator will discount the first $20.00 of the processing fee for a request if the person requesting a public record submits an affidavit stating that they are:
Indigent and receiving specific public assistance, or
If not receiving public assistance, stating facts demonstrating an inability to pay because of indigence.
An individual is not eligible to receive the waiver if:
The requestor has previously received discounted copies of public records from the City twice during the calendar year; or
The requestor requests information in connection with other persons who are offering or providing payment to make the request.
An affidavit is sworn statement.
Nonprofit organization advocating for developmentally disabled or mentally ill individuals:
The FOIA Coordinator will discount the first $20.00 of the processing fee for a request from a non-profit organization formally designated by the state to carry out activities under subtitle C of the federal developmental disabilities assistance and bill of rights act of 2000, Public Law 106-402, and the protection and advocacy for individuals with mental illness act, Public Law 99-319, or their successors, if the request meets all of the following requirements:
Is made directly on behalf of the organization or its clients.
Is made for a reason wholly consistent with the mission and provisions of those laws under section 931 of the mental health code, 1974 PA 258, MCL 330.1931.
Is accompanied by documentation of its designation by the state, if requested by the City.
Section 8: Appeal of a Denial of a Public Record
When a requestor believes that all or a portion of a public record has not been disclosed or has been improperly exempted from disclosure, he or she may appeal to the City Manager by filing an appeal of the denial with the office of the City Manager.
The appeal must be in writing, specifically state the word "appeal" and identify the reason or reasons the requestor is seeking a reversal of the denial.
Within 10 business days of receiving the appeal the City Manager will respond in writing by:
Reversing the disclosure denial;
Upholding the disclosure denial; or
Reverse the disclosure denial in part and uphold the disclosure denial in part; or
Under unusual circumstances, issue a notice extending for not more than 10 business days the period during which the City Manager shall respond to the written appeal. The City Manager shall not issue more than 1 notice of extension for a particular written appeal.
If the City Manager fails to respond to a written appeal, or if the City Manager upholds all or a portion of the disclosure denial that is the subject of the written appeal, the requesting person may seek judicial review of the nondisclosure by commencing a civil action in the Oakland County Circuit Court.
Whether or not a requestor submitted an appeal of a denial to the City Manager, he or she may file a civil action in Oakland County Circuit Court within 180 days after the City's final determination to deny the request.
Section 9: Appeal of an Excessive FOIA Processing Fee
“Fee” means the total fee or any component of the total fee calculated under section 4 of the FOIA, including any deposit. If a requestor believes that the fee charged by the City to process a FOIA request exceeds the amount permitted by state law or under this policy, he or she must first appeal to the City Manager by submitting a written appeal for a fee reduction to the office of the City Manager. The appeal must be in writing, specifically state the word "appeal" and identify how the required fee exceeds the amount permitted.
Within 10 business days after receiving the appeal, the City Manager will respond in writing by:
Waiving the fee;
Reducing the fee and issuing a written determination indicating the specific basis that supports the remaining fee;
Upholding the fee and issuing a written determination indicating the specific basis that supports the required fee; or
Issuing a notice detailing the reason or reasons for extending for not more than 10 business days the period during which the City Manager will respond to the written appeal. The City Manager shall not issue more than 1 notice of extension for a particular written appeal.
Where the City Manager reduces or upholds the fee, the determination must include a certification from the City Manager that the statements in the determination are accurate and that the reduced fee amount complies with the City's publicly available procedures and guidelines and Section 4 of the FOIA.
Within 45 days after receiving notice of the City Manager’s determination of an appeal, the requesting person may commence a civil action in the Oakland County Circuit Court for a fee reduction.
If a civil action is commenced against the City for an excess fee, the City is not obligated to complete the processing of the written request for the public record at issue until the court resolves the fee dispute.
An action shall not be filed in circuit court unless one of the following applies:
The City does not provide for appeals of fees,
The City Manager failed to respond to a written appeal as required, or
The City Manager issued a determination to a written appeal.
Section 10: Conflict with Prior FOIA Policies and Procedures; Effective Date
To the extent that these Procedures and Guidelines conflict with previous FOIA policies promulgated by City Council or the City Administration these Procedures and Guidelines are controlling. To the extent that any administrative rule promulgated by the FOIA Coordinator subsequent to the adoption of this resolution is found to be in conflict with any previous policy promulgated by the City Commission or the City Administration, the administrative rule promulgated by the FOIA Coordinator is controlling.
To the extent that any provision of these Procedures and Guidelines or any administrative rule promulgated by the FOIA Coordinator pertaining to the release of public records is found to be in conflict with any State statute, the applicable statute shall control. The FOIA Coordinator is authorized to modify this policy and all previous policies adopted by the City Commission or the City Administration, and to adopt such administrative rules as he or she may deem necessary, to facilitate the legal review and processing of requests for public records made pursuant to Michigan's FOIA statute, provided that such modifications and rules are consistent with State law. The FOIA Coordinator shall inform the City Commission of any change these Policies and Guidelines.
These FOIA Policies and Guidelines were updated April 9, 2019.
It is the public policy of this state that all persons are entitled to full and complete information regarding the affairs of government and the official acts of those who represent them as public officials and public employees. The people shall be informed so that they may fully participate in the democratic process.
Consistent with the Michigan Freedom of Information Act (FOIA), Public Act 442 of 1976, the following is the Written Public Summary of The City of Farmington’s FOIA Procedures and Guidelines relevant to the general public.
This is only a summary of the City’s FOIA Procedures and Guidelines. For more details and information, copies of the City’s FOIA Procedures and Guidelines are available at no charge at City Hall and on the City’s website.
How do I submit a FOIA request to the City?
A request must sufficiently describe a public record so as to enable the City to find it.
Please include the words “FOIA” or “FOIA Request” in the request to assist the City in providing a prompt response.
Requests to inspect or obtain copies of public records prepared, owned, used, possessed or retained by the City may be submitted in writing (letter, fax, email, etc.).
Written requests may be delivered to the City Hall in person or by mail to City Hall at 23600 Liberty Street, Farmington, MI, 48335.
Requests may be faxed to: 248-473-7278. To ensure a prompt response, faxed requests should contain the term “FOIA” or “FOIA Request” on the first/cover page.
Requests may be emailed to: mmullison@farmgov.com. To ensure a prompt response, email requests should contain the term “FOIA” or “FOIA Request” in the subject line.
What kind of response can I expect to my request?
Within 5 business days after receiving a FOIA request the City will issue a response. If a request is received by fax or email, the request is deemed to have been received on the following business day. The City will respond to your request in one of the following ways:
Grant the request,
Issue a written notice denying the request,
Grant the request in part and issue a written notice denying in part the request,
Issue a notice indicating that due to the nature of the request the City needs an additional 10 business days to respond, or
Issue a written notice indicating that the public record requested is available at no charge on the City’s website
If the request is granted, or granted in part, the City will ask that payment be made for the allowable fees associated with responding to the request before the public record is made available.
IIf the cost of processing the request is expected to exceed $50, or if you have not paid for a previously granted request, the City will require a deposit before processing the request.
What are the City’s deposit requirements?
If the City has made a good faith calculation that the total fee for processing the request will exceed $50.00, the City will require that you provide a deposit in the amount of 50% of the total estimated fee. When the City requests the deposit, it will provide you a non-binding best efforts estimate of how long it will take to process the request after you have paid your deposit./li>
If the City receives a request from a person who has not paid the City for copies of public records made in fulfillment of a previously granted written request, the City will require a deposit of 100% of the estimated processing fee before it begins to search for the public record for any subsequent written request when all of the following conditions exist:
The public records were made available to the individual, subject to payment, within the best effort time frame estimated by the City to provide the records;
Ninety (90) days have passed since the City notified the individual in writing that the public records were available for pickup or mailing;
The City has calculated an estimated detailed itemization that is the basis for the current written request’s increased fee deposit.
The City will not require the 100% estimated fee deposit if any of the following apply:
The City is subsequently paid in full for all applicable prior written requests; or
If a deposit is required, it must be paid within 45 days from the notice that a deposit is required, unless you appeal the deposit amount.If the deposit is not paid within 48 days of when the City sends the notice that a deposit is required, the request will be considered abandoned. Notice of a deposit is considered received 3 days after it is sent, regardless of the means of transmission.
How does the City calculate FOIA processing fees?
FOIA permits the City to charge for the following costs associated with processing a request:
Labor costs associated with searching for, locating and examining a requested public record, when failure to charge a fee will result in unreasonably high costs to the City.
Labor costs associated with a review of a record to separate and delete information exempt from disclosure, when failure to charge a fee will result in unreasonably high costs to the City.
Labor costs associated with copying or duplication, which includes making paper copies, making digital copies, or transferring digital public records to non-paper physical media or through the Internet.
All labor costs will be estimated and charged as allowed in FOIA and the City's FOIA Procedures and Guidelines.
Labor costs may also include a charge to cover or partially cover the cost of fringe benefits. The City may add a multiplier of up to 50% to the applicable labor charge amount to cover or partially cover the cost of fringe benefits, but in no case may it exceed the actual cost of fringe benefits.
Contracted labor costs will be charged at the hourly rate of $ 56.70 (6 times the state minimum hourly wage).
A labor cost will not be charged for the search, examination, review and the deletion and separation of exempt from nonexempt information unless failure to charge a fee would result in unreasonably high costs to the City. Costs are unreasonably high when they are excessive and beyond the normal or usual amount for those services compared to the City’s usual FOIA requests, because of the nature of the request in the particular instance. The City must specifically identify the nature of the unreasonably high costs in writing.
Copying and Duplication
The City will use the most economical method for making copies of public records, including using double-sided printing, if there will be cost-saving and is available.
Non-paper Copies on Physical Media
The cost for records provided on non-paper physical media, such as computer discs, computer tapes or other digital or similar media will be at the actual and most reasonably economical cost for the non-paper media.
This cost will be charged only if the City has the technological capability necessary to provide the public record in the requested non-paper physical media format.
Paper copies of public records made on standard letter (8 ½ x 11) or legal (8 ½ x 14) sized paper will charged at actual cost, not exceed $.10 per sheet of paper.
Copies for non-standard sized sheets will paper will reflect the actual cost of reproduction.
Mailing Costs
The cost to mail public records will use a reasonably economical and justified means.
No cost will be made for expedited shipping or insurance unless you request it.
Waiver of Fees
How do I qualify for an indigence discount on the fee?
The City will discount the first $20.00 of fees for a request if you submit an affidavit stating that you are:
Indigent and receiving specific public assistance; or
You are not eligible to receive the $20.00 discount if you:
Have previously received discounted copies of public records from the City twice during the calendar year; or
Are requesting information on behalf of other persons who are offering or providing payment to you to make the request.
May a nonprofit organization receive a discount on the fee?
A nonprofit organization advocating for developmentally disabled or mentally ill individuals that is formally designated by the state to carry out activities under subtitle C of the federal developmental disabilities assistance and bill of rights act of 2000, Public Law 106-402, and the protection and advocacy for individuals with mental illness act, Public Law 99-319, may receive a $20.00 discount if the request meets all of the following requirements in the Act:
How may I challenge the denial of a public record or an excessive fee? How can I appeal the denial of a public record?
If you believe that all or a portion of a public record has not been disclosed or has been improperly exempted from disclosure, you may appeal to the City Manager by filing a written appeal of the denial with the office of the City Manager.
The appeal must be in writing, specifically state the word “appeal,” and identify the reason or reasons you are seeking a reversal of the denial.
Reverse the disclosure denial in part and uphold the disclosure denial in part.
Whether or not you submitted an appeal of a denial to the City Manager, you may file a civil action in the Oakland County Circuit Court within 180 days after the City's final determination to deny your request. If you prevail in the civil action the court will award you reasonable attorneys’ fees, costs and disbursements. If the court determines that the City acted arbitrarily and capriciously in refusing to disclose or provide a public record, the court shall award you damages in the amount of $1,000.
Appeal of an Excessive FOIA Processing Fee
If you believe that the fee charged by the City to process your FOIA request exceeds the amount permitted by state law, you must first appeal to the City Manager by filing a written appeal for a fee reduction to the office of the City Manager.
The appeal must specifically state the word “appeal” and identify how the required fee exceeds the amount permitted.
Reducing the fee and issue a written determination indicating the specific basis that supports the remaining fee;
Upholding the fee and issue a written determination indicating the specific basis that supports the required fee; or
Issuing a notice detailing the reason or reasons for extending for not more than 10 business days the period during which the City Manager will respond to the written appeal.
Within 45 days after receiving notice of the City Manager’s determination of the processing fee appeal, you may file a civil action in the Oakland County Circuit Court for a fee reduction. If you prevail in the civil action by receiving a reduction of 50% or more of the total fee, the court may award all or appropriate amount of reasonable attorneys’ fees, costs and disbursements. If the court determines that the City acted arbitrarily and capriciously by charging an excessive fee, court may also award you punitive damages in the amount of $500.
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Comic books I bought the week of 19 September 2007.
Aquaman: Sword of Atlantis #56, by Tad Williams & Shawn McManus (DC)
Countdown #32 of 52 (backwards), by Paul Dini, Tony Bedard, Keith Giffen, Al Barrionuevo & Art Thibert (DC)
Countdown to Adventure #1 of 8, by Adam Beechen, Eddy Barrows & Julio Ferreira, and Justin Gray & Fabrizio Fiorentino (DC)
Countdown to Mystery #1 of 8, by Steve Gerber, Justiniano & Walden Wong, and Matthew Sturges & Stephen Jorge Segovia (DC)
Ex Machina #30, by Brian K. Vaughan, Tony Harris & Jim Clark (DC/Wildstorm)
Armageddon Conquest: Quasar #3 of 4, by Christos N. Gage, Mike Lilly, Bob Almond & Scott Hanna (Marvel)
World War Hulk #4 of 5, by Greg Pak, John Romita Jr. & Klaus Janson (Marvel)
The Umbrella Academy: Apocalypse Suite #1 #1 of 6, by Gerard Way & Gabriel Bá (Dark Horse)
Gee, it’s a new artist on Countdown! Too bad he got stuck illustrating this piece of cow flop, which largely involves a bachelorette party for Black Canary, who’s getting married to Green Arrow soon, in what is surely one of the most pointless company-wide events in recent memory. Countdown has been pretty widely panned in the blogosphere, and for good reason: There’s really no coherent story in it, and random events from the DC universe – like the GA/BC wedding – intrude on it for no good reason and to no good effect. It’s everything that 52 wasn’t, and that’s not a good thing.
Meanwhile, I broke down and decided to try both Countdown to Adventure and Countdown to Mystery, which are both sorta-kinda tie-ins to Countdown, each with two stories.
Countdown to Adventure focuses on the “space heroes” from 52: Adam Strange, Starfire, and Animal Man. Adam Strange gets some competition in his role as protector of Rann, while Animal Man’s wife isn’t too wild about the buxom Starfire crashing in their house since she lost her powers. The art is very pretty and the story has promise, although honestly I get tired of writers dumping on Adam Strange all the time. Can’t the guy ever catch a break? I think the best Adam Strange story in the last 15 years was the JLA story in which he manipulated the Justice League to save Rann, showing that, yes, he really is just really clever and he can think rings around other heroes (and villains).
The back-up story is about Forerunner, a supporting character in Countdown, and it’s basically a good tale about a completely uninteresting character.
Countdown to Mystery was originally going to be Steve Gerber’s relaunch of Doctor Fate, but I guess DC decided it might sell better if tied in to the current ongoing event of Countdown. Who knows if it does, but the story here has absolutely nothing to do with Countdown. In it the helmet of Nabu lands on the head of Dr. Kent Nelson, failed psychiatrist. Does he have any relationship at all to the Kent Nelson who was the original Doctor Fate? Who knows? Gerber’s trippy, stream-of-consciousness narrative doesn’t really work at all – the thing feels entirely by-the-numbers, like one of the glummer moments of a Doctor Strange run over at Marvel. Justiniano and Wong’s artwork sometimes feels like Tom Mandrake, and sometimes like Kevin O’Neill, which is a bizarre mixture. It’s not bad, although the tweaks to Fate’s costume look kind of silly.
The back-up here is about the current incarnation of Eclipso, a silly DC villain from the 60s who’s now in the body of the ex-wife of The Atom, for reasons which emerged in DC’s event of a couple of years ago, Identity Crisis, which was a series which had very pretty artwork and a completely nonsensical story. All of which means that this series probably would have been better if it had been left as just a new Doctor Fate series.
I think I see how World War Hulk is going to end: The Sentry is going to finally join the fray, try to talk the Hulk down from his rampage, they’ll get into a fight, and then the Sentry’s evil opposite number, the Void, will get released. In the ensuing chaos, the other heroes get free and try to contain the void, the the Hulk slips away somehow – possibly injured and taken by his allies out of reach of Earth’s heroes. And the Hulk’s story diverges from that of Earth again. Which would leave the question of: What happens next?
But first there’s the even bigger question: Can Greg Pak surprise me and pull off a different ending from this?
Fans of Hellboy must check out The Umbrella Academy. Gerard Way is the frontman of the band My Chemical Romance, one of those rare alt-rock bands that I’ve actually heard of. Irrespective of that, the comic is actually quite good. The book has a strong Victorian-era feel, although details of the story suggest that it takes place in sometimes between 1920 and 1960 (after the death of Gustav Eiffel, for one thing). In it, a number of infants are mysteriously born to women across the globe, and a prominent man named The Monocle goes out to collect them, but finds only 7, whom he raises himself in The Umbrella Academy. The seven each have one or more unusual powers, but their father dotes on Number One, who is a Superman-like figure, and denegrates the others. The first half of the issue takes place when the group is 10, and the second half focuses on Number One, now called Spaceboy, 20 years later, when an accident has left him with the body of a giant gorilla.
The book has heroes in domino masks, a talking ape, a boxer beating up an alien, and one of the kids reappearing after a long absence. Ba’s art is reminiscent of Mike Mignola’s work on Hellboy, and the whole thing is creepy and eerie and provocative. A very neat start, I’m very much looking forward to the next issue!
(You can read some previously-published solo adventures of adult members of the Umbrella Academy on the comic’s MySpace page.)
On a completely different note, if you’re interested in any incarnation of the Justice Society of America of the last 35 years, you might be interested in the extended debate Kalinara and I are having about them on her blog. We have completely different points of view on the subject, which is amusing even if I do find her point of view rather incomprehensible! 🙂
Author Michael RawdonPosted on 20 September 2007 1 December 2009 Categories Comic BooksTags Countdown to Final Crisis, Doctor Fate, Hulk, The Umbrella Academy
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9242 4222 |1 800 497 101 admin@fcawa.com.au
What is Foster Care?
Becoming a Foster Family
Why are Children in Care?
The Foster Care Team
Types of Foster Care
The Foster Care Association was formed on June 14, 1979 by Mr. Jack Dalton to give a voice to and represent foster families to the then Department of Community Welfare.
Instrumental in obtaining recognition from the Department was the support Mr. Dalton received from Marian Maughan, who worked in the Child Placement Service and who helped in the establishment of the Association. A steering board was formed, and a Constitution developed.
The Association has grown to now represent metropolitan and country foster families and services are designed to address their needs. The day to day services and activities of the Foster Care Association are carried out in the interests of all children in foster care throughout Western Australia.
A Board of members is elected to oversee the functions of the Foster Care Association. An annual general meeting is held annually, and the members of the association can nominate to be elected to the Board.
The Foster Care Association is a non-government, not for profit agency funded by the Department of Communities, Child Protection and Family Support.
The Foster Care Association delivers services to Foster Families, and aims to enhance their ability to respond to the challenges of fostering.
A voice for all foster families.
FCA strives to provide a voice for foster families both as individual’s and as a collective.
Support for all foster families.
FCA seeks to support all foster families through their journey.
Respectful relationships.
FCA promotes honest, professional and culturally appropriate relationships with all parties in the foster care system.
Unite and grow.
FCA works to unite and provide networking, support and learning opportunities for all foster families.
Enhance and inform.
FCA strives to enhance and inform the fostering system and ultimately the care outcomes for all children in care.
To provide ongoing professional support and advocacy to foster families throughout Western Australia.
To provide networking and learning opportunities for all foster families.
To provide relevant, culturally responsive support to all foster families.
To grow, strengthen and maintain relationships with all foster families and key stakeholders.
To provide a collective voice on behalf of foster families.
To promote public awareness of fostering in Western Australia.
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