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How to improve government openness and accountability? What kind of public administration reform should Serbia implement to ensure high quality services to its citizens and become a successful EU member state? And how should the public and civil society be engaged in these and other policies? This programme deals with issues which are the foundation and precondition for the success of all sectoral reforms in the transition and the EU integration process.
Internal Market and
This programme researches conditions crucial for complying with the economic criteria for Serbia’s EU membership. What are the possibilities for Serbia to strengthen the market economy and competition policy? Do the legal and institutional frameworks encourage economic activity and ensure the quality and product safety, as well as a high degree of consumer protection? These and other relevant questions are addressed through this programme.
Regional Policy, Energy and
How to ensure balanced and sustainable development of Serbia in accordance with European standards? This programme emphasises topics of social development, regional competitiveness, environmental protection, energy, and transportation. In these areas we especially address stakeholder participation in planning and implementing development activities, with the goal of ensuring an informed and transparent decision-making process.
This programme follows the EU accession process and already views Serbia as a member state. How do current events in the EU reflect on Serbia? How should the Serbian decision-makers react to issues such as Brexit, the migrant crisis, and the future of the EU? How to best organise representation and advocacy for Serbia’s EU membership? These are some of the questions we research within this programme.
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We approach public policy research in a manner which takes into account relevant cross-cutting issues, such as efficiency and effectiveness, equal opportunity - gender equality, social inclusion, anti-discrimination, etc. Gradually, we’re striving to include these areas into all research activities we conduct.
CEP's programme structure is comprised of four programmes and cross-cutting areas that we strive to incorporate into the activities of each of the programmes. A detailed description of programmes can be found in the submenu of this section.
WeBER: Monitoring of public administration reform in Western Balkans
Since december 2015, European policy centre implemets three-year project "Western Balkans Enabling Project for Civil Society Monitoring of Public Administration…
Competition Policy in Serbia – What is the Problem?
CEP's research project within the Think and Link Regional Policy Programme aimed to analyze issues in the implementation of competition…
Think-Act-Impact: Ensuring Improved Implementation of EU Directives on Environmental Impact Assessment in Serbia
Legal acts on environmental protection in the Republic of Serbia are to large extent aligned with the European acquis, whereas…
Serbia’s pursuit of interest in the EU - Administrative, Financial and Lobbying Capacities
This research project addresses an under-researched topic of Serbian administrative, diplomatic, political and lobbying capacities towards the main EU institutions.
TRAIN program 2016: Fundamental Rights in the EU Accession Context
A special focus of 2016 TRAIN programme was on fundamental rights in the context of EU accession of the Western…
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CEP Blog is a platform for our staff, associates and Council members to contribute concise and informative opinion pieces on topics relevant to Serbia’s EU integration process, regional or domestic developments. These posts might also be published in newspapers, magazines, or other media outlets we collaborate with, and they represent opinions of individual authors. Are you interested in what’s happening in Serbia, in the Western Balkan region, or the EU? Check out our latest blog posts!
Publications focus on key public policy issues that are in the centre of CEP’s programmes and mission. With our publications, we raise awareness of targeted audience, we intend to place these issues and their potential solutions on the agenda of decision makers and to start dialogue, but also to provide expert opinion and advice. Our publications address not only decision makers, but civil society, academia, media and wider public as well.
The Senior Civil Service System in Serbia
The country has wrestled with this issue since the early days of its democratic transition, which started in 2000. This…
Competition Policy in Serbia
The recommendations are primarily intended for decision makers in competition policy and legislation, as well as for those who are…
Local Finances and the Environment
Serbia is facing serious challenges in the field of environmental protection and harmonizing its standards with those of the European…
Serbia’s progress and preparation for EU membership
In this infographics, find out how the European Commission assessed Serbia in the latest report, which you can find here.…
Gender Issues in the Western Balkans
The importance of gender equality in the enlargement process has been emphasised in various EU documents, while the European Commission’s…
Von der Leyen – From Berlin to Brussels?
On July 16th Ursula von der Leyen could be confirmed…
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How successful is the EU conditionality policy?
3 June 2019 - The EU’s policy of conditionality towards…
From Romania to Finland
The Romanian Presidency of the EU Council was a period…
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Constituencies for Judicial Reform in Serbia
From January 7th 2019 until January 6 2022, European Policy…
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CEP team is consisted of highly qualified and renowned experts in the fields of European Law, Public Administration, Political Science, International Relations, and other areas of social sciences and humanities. Robust social capital in the form of seasoned management and expert associates, along with promising junior team members, all contribute to CEP evolving as an organisation capable not just of conducting research, but also achieving a tangible impact in the decision-making sphere.
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European Policy Centre is a non-governmental, non-profit, independent think-tank, founded in 2011 by a group of professionals in the area of EU law, EU affairs, economics and public administration reform, with a shared vision of changing the policy making environment in Serbia for the better – by rendering it more evidence based, more open and inclusive and more substantially EU accession driven.
Srđan Majstorović President of CEP Governing Board
European Policy Centre (CEP) is proud to announce that Srđan Majstorović was elected as the Chairman of the Governing Board
CEP Infographics represent a product of our wish to present relevant data and findings in a concise, simple, informative and visually attractive way. Our goal is to reach a broad spectrum of public and provide them a way to quickly and easily find the information they are looking for.
What does the performance of tasks characteristic for civil service outside of the civil service merit-based regime look like? How open, transparent and fair is the recruitment into the civil service? How effective is the protection of senior civil servants’ position from unwanted political interference?
Authors: CEP
To see the infographic in full size, click here. Find out more about WeBER Project here.
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News & events > Chinese Whispers exhibition in Bern and Vienna
from - to
Chinese Whispers exhibition in Bern and Vienna
The Chinese Whispers exhibition of contemporary Chinese art runs at Kunstmuseum Bern and Zentrum Paul Klee in Bern, Switzerland till 19 June 2016 and a reduced version of the exhibition is open at MAK - Austrian Museum of Applied Arts in Vienna, Austria. Significant portions of Uli Sigg's collection will be on display in a joint exhibition by Kunstmuseum Bern and Zentrum Paul Klee in Bern, Switzerland and afterwards will travel in a reduced version to MAK – Austrian Museum of Applied Arts / Contemporary Art in Vienna, Austria, before substantial parts of the Swiss collector’s holdings move to Hong Kong as a donation. Some 150 recent works from the Sigg and M+ Sigg Collections will be presented in Bern from 19 February until 19 June 2016 and thus reflect today’s China.
“Chinese Whispers” provides a deeper insight into China’s art scene of the past fifteen years. The exhibition provides an opportunity to explore the vast country through the eyes of Chinese artists, from Ai Weiwei to Zhuang Hui. It follows on to ”Mahjong“, the internationally acclaimed show held at Kunstmuseum Bern in 2005. Curated by Bernhard Fibicher and Ai Weiwei, it was the hitherto most extensive exhibition of Chinese contemporary art in the west. The title of the forthcoming show, ”Chinese Whispers” refers to the popular party game in which an orally transmitted message changes as it is passed from one person to the next. Notions of tradition and transmission, distortion and miscommunication are part of the exhibition concept. On one hand it will be reflected through the influence of western contemporary art on Chinese, on the other hand through their renewed interest in their own traditions, but also their reflection of life in present-day China. Moreover, the exhibition will question western perceptions of China and the vast cultural, historical and political differences that remain despite our greater familiarity with the world's largest cultural area and one of the biggest economic powers. The exhibitions will document the ways in which Chinese artists have carved out their positions between east and west, between tradition and progress. It will also reflect their confident attempts to bridge the gaps, and to define their own identities in a global art system. The works on display express the impact of recent sweeping changes on China's urbanism, use of resources, criticism of the political system, and the documentation of its most recent history as well as personal introspection. Contemporary Chinese art constitutes a unique phenomenon. Unlike current western art, which has evolved across a succession of artistic movements, there was a significant rise in Chinese art when greater freedoms were introduced in the 1980s. The country's artists swiftly embraced many modern and contemporary western art movements that had ”passed them by“, creating authentically Chinese art in terms of content as many works responded to the political and social challenges of the day. Since the turn of the millennium, a younger generation of artists has emerged that is both active at the very forefront of the global art scene and deeply committed to China's own rich artistic heritage. In the late 1970s, Uli Sigg – Swiss business journalist, entrepreneur, a former Swiss ambassador to China (1995-1998) and art collector – became interested in contemporary Chinese art, and was its first systematic collector. Rather than following his own personal taste, he deliberately built his collection in the representative manner of a national gallery of art. Boasting over 2,200 works by some 350 artists, and representing various genres across forty years of Chinese art history, Sigg's is considered to be the world's largest collection of contemporary Chinese art to date. Sigg has always wanted to return his unique collection to its country of origin. In 2012, having found the ideal venue in the new M+ museum for visual culture, West Kowloon Cultural District, Hong Kong, he donated a large part of his collection to what will be one of the world's largest museums. Designed by the Swiss architecture office, Herzog & de Meuron, it is due to open in 2019. The M+ Sigg Collection will constitute the foundation of the M+ museum collection. Alongside a selection of works from Uli Sigg's donation to M+, “Chinese Whispers“ also presents many pieces from his still increasing private Sigg Collection. “Chinese Whispers“ is the most ambitious joint project to date by Kunstmuseum Bern and Zentrum Paul Klee, which since mid-2015 operate under one umbrella foundation. Two of Bern's major cultural institutions will provide over 4,000sqm/44,000sqft of gallery space for the public display of 150 exciting works of contemporary Chinese art, including several spectacular installations. In spring 2017, ”Chinese Whispers“ will be shown in a reduced version at MAK – Austrian Museum of Applied Arts / Contemporary Art in Vienna, Austria. From 2019 onwards, the M+ Sigg Collection will be on permanent display in Hong Kong. The artists Ai Weiwei, Cao Fei, Cao Kai, Charwei Tsai, Chen Ke, Chen Chieh-jen, Chen Wei, Chi Lei, Chow Chun Fai, Chu Yun, Cong Lingqi, Ding Xinhua, Duan Jianyu, Fang Lijun, Feng Mengbo, He Xiangyu, Hu Xiangqian, Jiang Zhi, Jing Kewen, Jin Jiangbo, Jun Yang, Kan Xuan, Li Dafang, Li Shan, Li Songhua, Li Songsong, Li Tianbing, Li Xi, Liang Yuanwei, Liu Ding, Liu Wei, Lu Yang, MadeIn Company / Xu Zhen, Ma Ke, Mao Tongqiang, Ming Wong, Ni Youyu, O Zhang, Pei Li, Peng Wei, Qiu Qijing, Qu Yan, Shao Fan, Shao Wenhuan, Shen Shaomin, Shen Xuezhe, Shi Guorui, Shi Jinsong, Song Dong, Song Ta, Sun Yuan / Peng Yu, Tian Wei, Tsang Kin-Wah, Wang Qingsong, Wang Wei, Wang Xingwei, Adrian Wong, Xiao Yu, Xie Qi, Xin Yunpeng, Xu Di, Xue Feng, Yan Lei, Yang Meiyan, Ye Xianyan, Zeng Han, Zhang Jianjun, Zhang Xiaodong, Zhao Bandi, Zheng Guogu, Zhuang Hui.
Right is Wrong | contemporary art from China in Umeå, Sweden
MOOC Chinese Contemporary Art Award
Art Wuzhen | Utopias / Heterotopias
Australia | Conversations through the Asian Collections
Chinese cinema looks for tts next generation
8th Shanghai Biennale
http://www.zpk.org/
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“Ghost Objects of the Cosmos” –Burst Into Existence Then Disappear a Decades-Long Afterglow
Posted on Oct 5, 2018 in Astronomy, Physics, Science, Space
“We thought, ‘That was weird,'” said Casey Law, assistant research astronomer in the Department of Astronomy at the University of California, Berkeley. “Its peak brightness in the ’90s was quite high, so it was a big, big change: about a factor of 50 decrease in brightness. We basically went through every radio survey, every radio dataset we could find, every archive in the world to piece together the story of what happened to this thing.”
Astronomers typically study objects that are visible night after night or explode suddenly, like supernovas, but Casey Law is scouring vast amounts of data in search of bright objects that disappear, never to be seen again. That search turned up the first of what may be many “ghost” objects in the sky: in this case, an extremely bright source of radio emissions that blazed into existence in the 1990s and then faded out over next 25 years.
Based on the extreme brightness of the radio source and the type of galaxy in which the flare-up occurred, Law argues that it was the afterglow of the explosion of a massive star, which would have emitted an undetected long-duration gamma-ray burst. Gamma-ray bursts, whose origins are still contentious, are among the most intense flashes in the universe because much of their explosive energy is collimated into a tight beam, like that from a lighthouse.
“We believe we are the first to find evidence for gamma-ray bursts that could not be detected with a gamma-ray telescope,” said Law. “These are known as ‘orphan’ gamma-ray bursts, and many more such orphan GRBs are expected in new radio surveys that are now underway.”
Gamma-ray bursts, such as that detected last year accompanying gravitational waves from the merger of two neutron stars, are rarely seen because the source of the gamma rays – a relativistic jet of material emerging from the explosive merger – must be pointing directly at Earth. Perhaps only one in 100 explosions can be seen from Earth by NASA’s Fermi Gamma-ray Space Telescope, for example.
The fact that these explosions are followed by a decades-long radio afterglow provides a way for astronomers to find the rest of these explosive events, not just those heralded by a gamma-ray burst.
Finding many more gamma-ray bursts will help resolve a major question in astronomy today: What are these massive stellar explosions that generate gamma-ray bursts, and what’s left behind afterward?
Law favors the theory that the explosion – whether preceded by the merger of two very large stars or neutron stars, or marking the death of a single, massive star – produces a rapidly spinning and highly magnetized neutron star, known as a magnetar. The surrounding matter emits intense radio waves that slowly fade away, during which time the magnetar spins down and occasionally emits fast radio bursts, another mysterious “transient” event in the universe.
The radio source (FIRST J141918.9+394036), now too faint to show up in sky surveys but still detectable by large radio telescopes, was a bright spot in a radio survey of the sky conducted in the early 1990s by the Very Large Array in New Mexico. It was on a par with the brightest radio sources in the universe: quasars and active galactic nuclei fueled by stars and gas falling into the massive black holes in the cores of galaxies.
Law and his colleagues discovered 10 other sets of radio observations of that area of the sky, in the constellation Boötes, that allowed them to document the object’s appearance and disappearance.
They concluded that the radio emissions first reached Earth in 1992 or 1993, though their first detection was around the source’s peak brightness in 1994. It then faded away over a period of 23 years. It was fainter in a 2010 survey and barely visible in 2015. It was invisible in a 2017 Very Large Array Sky Survey.
The mystery object is located inside a dwarf galaxy 284 million light years from Earth that is still forming stars: a special environment that has previously been associated with fast radio bursts and, independently, gamma-ray bursts and the formation of magnetars. This led Law to conclude that the radio emissions from the dwarf galaxy were the 25-year-long afterglow from the explosion of a massive star, perhaps more than 40 times the mass of the sun, which would have produced a long gamma-ray burst that went undetected. Most GRBs last less than a minute.
One theory is that the resulting magnetar, because of its high rotation rate and huge magnetic fields, emits periodic fast radio bursts – each just a millisecond long – as it winds down to a run-of-the-mill pulsar.
While Law is enthused by the possibility of uncovering many more orphan gamma-ray bursts, he emphasizes the value of mining archived observational data in search of astronomical events that pop up and fade out over years to decades — what his team jokingly refers to as “anti-transients.”
“Part of the story is about how much of the sky is changing, even on this long time scale, and how hard it is to test that,” he said. “It is also partly about the value of new data science techniques. Pulling out information from these rich and diverse data sets is helping us do good science.”
The Daily Galaxy via University of California, Berkeley
Top 10 Most-Viewed Headlines of 2018
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“Point of No Return” –MIT Scientist Predicts the Event Horizon for Earth’s 6th Mass Extinction
Artificial Intelligence Is Already Out There, and It’s Billions of Years Old” (WATCH Video)
‘Ghost Signals’ of Extraterrestrial Civilizations Haunt the Milky Way –Suggests the New Drake Equation (WATCH Video)
“Odds That There has Never Been Another Civilization in the Universe One in Ten Billion Trillion” –A Joe Rogan Interview
“The Mystery of Where Extraterrestrial Life is Hiding Deepens”
“We’re Entering Uncharted Territory” –The Exoplanet Revolution May Reveal that Rise of Civilizations May Not be Unusual
“The Big Rip” –When Matter and Spacetime are Gradually Torn Apart Through Expansion of the Universe
“Humans are the First to Arrive at the Interstellar Stage” –Physicist Answers the Fermi Paradox
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Racer Sean Wrona (arenasnow2)
Date Tue, 10 Apr 2018 22:56:25 +0000
Accuracy 98.9%
Opponents alpha_panda (2nd place)
Whenever life gets you down, Mrs. Brown, and things seem hard or tough, and people are stupid, obnoxious, or daft, and you feel that you've had quite enough, just remember that you're standing on a planet that's evolving, and revolving at 900 miles an hour. That's orbiting at 90 miles a second, so it's reckoned, a sun that is the source of all our power. The sun and you and me and all the stars that we can see are moving a million miles a day in an outer spiral arm at 40,000 miles an hour in a galaxy we call the Milky Way.
— Galaxy song (song) by Monty Python (see stats)
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History: Don Massey
History - Massey
Don Massey, Commodore #8
Reprinted from February, 1991 Hailer
Having been a member of DCYC for 26 years, my recollections and remembrances may be of interest to the membership.
In 1962, I had a ski boat on Lake Grapevine. My "Kiwi" wife said she didn't like the motor boat and would I get a sailboat. With everyone in New Zealand living within 60 miles of the coast, at 16 kids get a boat, not a car as in the United States. Although personally not interested in sailing, I liked to build things. I found the plans for a wooden Sunfish and talked my brother-in-law and two pilot friends into building four boats.
Since the others didn't know much about building, it was decided to build the boats in my garage. It wasn't until they took shape that I got much help. I didn't know any thing about sailing, but became the dealer for Sailfish, Sunfish, Aqua Cat, Victory and Omega in partnership with Ed Reynolds. I. learned fast!
At that time, the members of DCYC were racing Lightnings, Snipes and Tiger Cats. They wanted to upgrade to a larger one-design boat .in the 19' to 22' size. Commodore Balfour Patterson asked me to compete in a Victory against an Ensign and a Rhodes 19 in a match race. Without much sailing experience and a lot of boat sales riding on the out- come, I asked the builder, Frank Butler, to send one of his hot shot sailors from California to skipper the Victory. We won, nevertheless, most of the members bought Ensigns because it was a bit larger and had a head.
By now I was hooked on sailing, and without much sailing activity on lake Grapevine, decided to buy the A-Frame cabin across from Cedar Pine lane. l was selling a lot of Victories and Sunfish to DCYC members and joined DCYC in 1965. The next year, the Oklahoma City Yacht Club, which had a large fleet of Victory 21's, invited DCYC to send a team to compete for the Seven State Regional Trophy. Al and Marion Backstrom, Bob Gilchrist, Bob Ramsey and I towed four Victories to Oklahoma. We placed 1-2-3, and would have had 4th if Ramsey hadn't collided with the finish mark. Gloria heard a OCYC member remark after the races, "I knew those Texans were out for blood when I saw that little Valiant pulling a Victory" (Al Backstom's car). Needless to say, we were never invited back again.
A few recollections of Arthur "the Old Man of the Sea" Nazro. P. My first regatta, Arthur P. was giving the race instructions. "ANY boat on the starting line or the extension of the starting line before its five minute gun will be disqualified." I, not being sure what "extension" meant, asked, "How far does the starting line extend?" Arthur P. looked down his nose at me and said, "MASSEY! If I can read your sail number, you will be disqualified. I knew nothing of his background, that he was a successful stock broker, scion of a wealthy New England shipping family, a Harvard graduate and captain of the Harvard sailing team. The name of his Ensign was Paper Boy. When I asked him the meaning of it, he told me that he had been a poor urchin in New York and sold papers off the streets and worked his way through college, I thought that to be the greatest Horatio Alger tale I had ever heard, the epitome of lifting ones self up by the bootstraps, until I learned otherwise. The real reason for. Paper Boy was that since there was no paper route around the yacht club, Arthur P. would go buy Sunday papers for the permanent residents. I knew I was accepted when I got mine.
One last Arthur P. story. He was sailing with Bob Stanford on Bob's boat and they went aground. Bob said, "My God, we are aground. I wonder how deep it is here?" Arthur P. replied, "How much do you draw, Bob?"
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BILL GATES CALLS STEVE JOBS A ‘WIZARD’ WHO SAVED APPLE
Home » Classic Blog » BILL GATES CALLS STEVE JOBS A ‘WIZARD’ WHO SAVED APPLE
By investor
In Investor News
BILL GATES CALLS STEVE JOBS A ‘WIZARD’ WHO SAVED APPLE2019-07-102019-07-10https://courtevillegroup.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/09/logonew.gifCourteville Business Solutions Plchttps://courtevillegroup.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/bill-gate-and-steve-jobs.jpg200px200px
Steve Jobs was a wizard who “cast spells on people” to help keep Apple afloat during the company’s darkest days, according to longtime rival Bill Gates. The Microsoft (MSFT) founder discussed his and Jobs’ leadership styles with CNN’s Fareed Zakaria “Sunday” the 7th of July, 2019. Both men are known for being tough leaders who foster an intense workplace culture.
Gates said people often emulate the negative elements of the Apple (AAPL) founder’s personality, but Jobs was also a unique leader who took Apple from near-death to its pedestal as the most valuable company in the world (before Microsoft usurped that crown this year). Apple was on the verge of bankruptcy when Jobs rejoined the company in the late 1990s; it is now worth just shy of $1 trillion.
Jobs was “a good example of ‘don’t do this at home,'” Gates said. But nonetheless, he added, “I have yet to meet any person who in terms of picking talent, hyper-motivating that talent and having a sense of design, of ‘this is good, this is not good.’ So he brought some incredibly positive things along with that toughness.”
Gates said Jobs had a way of turning around failures by “casting spells” both on his own staff and outside observers. Gates dropped a Harry Potter reference when he called himself a “minor wizard” for being able to see through Jobs’ “spells.”
One prominent example: After Jobs’ co-founded Apple, he built a company called NeXT that made an expensive flop of a computer. Still, he managed to bring widespread attention to NeXT and sold the company to Apple in 1996.
“It was complete nonsense and yet he mesmerized those people,” Gates said. “Steve is really a singular case where the company was on a path to die and it goes and becomes the most valuable company in the world with some products that are really quite amazing. There aren’t going to be many stories like that.”
Jobs died in 2011, months after he resigned from Apple because of complications from pancreatic cancer. Jony Ive, the legendary designer who worked alongside Jobs to develop many of the company’s flagship products, announced last month he plans to leave the company. As for the culture within Microsoft, Gates acknowledged that the intensity did occasionally go “too far,” especially in the company’s early years.
“We had, to some degree, a self-selected set of people who were mostly males, I’ll admit, and yes, we were pretty tough on each other,” Gates said. “We counted on each other to work very long hours and I always wanted to set the best example of that. I think that intensity, even though a little bit it went too far, was great for my 20s, 30s, 40s.”
Now running the Gates Foundation, Gates said he’s “not pushing quite as insanely,” but that focus has continued to serve him. “I’m still clear about, ‘Hey that toilet design is too expensive, it’s a dead end, we’re not going to put more money into that.’ That works for being the co-head of the foundation,” he said.
https://edition.cnn.com/2019/07/08/tech/bill-gates-on-steve-jobs/index.html
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Books – Classic theory
All prices include postage and handling within Australia.
For international deliveries contact shop@cpa.org.au.
Capital – unabridged
A Critical Analysis of Capital Production
by Karl Marx
Edited by Frederick Engels
International Publishers, New York, 1867 (2009)
Paperback – 767 pages
This is possibly the most important book in working-class history. This seminal work was written in 1867, the first of three volumes, and its analysis is just as valid today as when it was written. Marx, applying scientific method to political economy, dispels the arguments of those who look upon the capitalist regime as the absolutely final form of social production, instead of as a passing historical phase of its evolution. Volume 1 covers The Process of Production of Capital. It includes commodity production, money and the transformation of money into capital, the theory of surplus value, wages, division of labour, working day, rate of profit, the accumulation of capital and much more.
Critique of the Gotha Programme
Progress Publishers, Moscow, 1937
Paperback – 49 pages
In this work Marx formulated many ideas on the major issue of scientific communism, such as the socialist revolution, the dictatorship of the proletariat, a period of transition from capitalism to communism, the two phases of the communist society, the production and distribution of the social product under socialism and the principal features of communism, proletarian internationalism and the party of the working class.
The Class Struggles in France 1848 to 1850
This body of work appeared first as a series of articles in the Neue Rheinische Zeitung between December 1849 and November 1850. Engels "repackaged" them into a more complete book in 1895, a dozen years after Marx's passing.
In highlighting the importance of this work in the development of Marx's thought, Engels wrote: "The work here republished was Marx's first attempt to explain a section of contemporary history by means of his materialist conception, on the basis of the given economic situation. In the Communist Manifesto, the theory was applied in broad outline to the whole of modern history ... Here, on the other hand, the question was to demonstrate the inner causal connection in the course of a development which extended over some years ... to trace political events back to effects of what were, in the final analysis, economic causes."
Wages-Labour and Capital:
Value, Price and Profit
One of the most popular capitalist myths is: “wage increases only cause prices to rise”. How do you counter this claim and the many other myths about the relationship between wages, prices and profit and the value of labour. Wage-Labour and Capital: Value, Price and Profit are very easy to read introductions to some of the most burning issues for workers to the study of political economy.
Germany: Revolution & Counter-Revolution
by Frederick Engels
with the collaboration of Karl Marx
Edited by Eleanor Marx
International Publishers, New York, 1851-1852 (1969)
Originally apearing as a series of articles in the New York Tribune, these writings were later collected and edited by Marx's daughter Eleanor. The book has since become a classic on the German Revolution of 1848, and remains a model of the Marxist interpretation of history. It was written with the active collaboration of Marx, under whose name the articles first appeared. The present edition includes Eleanor Marx's introduction to the original English edition.
On Marx’s Capital
The works collected here are but a small part of what Engels wrote in connection with Marx’s Capital.
The origin of the family, private property and the state
International Publishers, New York, 1942
Edited with an introduction by Eleanor Leacock in which she pays partcular attention to Engels’ interpretation of the role of family in primitive society, barbarisim and civilization, and the subjugation of women in relation to the rise of class and state. Added as an appendix is Angels’ unfinished essay, “The Part Played by Labor in the Transition from Ape to Man”.
Frederick Engels & Karl Marx
Birth of The Communist Manifesto
by Karl Marx & Frederick Engels
Edited with an introduction by Dirk J Struik
International Publishers, USA, 1971 (1993)
This original work is sure to find a prominent place in the study of Marxism. In his introduction Professor Struik gives the social and interlectual milieu in which the historical document was conceived and written. With the aid of material only recently discovered, he unravels the relations among the various sects and the history of the Communist League, for which the Manifesto was written.
Against Dogmatism and Sectarianism in the Working-Class Movement
by Vladimir Lenin
Hardcover – 215 pages
A collection of articles by Lenin taken from his Collected Works (Corrections in accordance with Fifth Russian edition).
Articles include:
In What Sense We Can Speak of the International Significance of the Russian Revolution
An Essential Condition of the Bolshevik's Success
Guerrilla Warfare (extract)
Marxism and Revisionism (extract)
Childishness and the Petty-Bourgeois Mentality
Against Imperialist War
In this collection of articles and speeches, Lenin examines the nature, causes and consequences of imperialist wars. He shows how wars were not “in defence of the fatherland”, as the imperialist rulers told their people, but between preditors redividing their spoils.
Articles and Speeches on Anniversaries of the October Revolution
Papercover – 98 pages
A collection of speeches given by Lenin between 1918 to 1922, taken from his Collected Works (Corrections in accordance with Fifth Russian edition).
Speeches include:
The Chief Task of Our Day
What is Soviet Power?
Soviet Power and the Status of Women
Fourth Anniversary of the October Revolution
Imperialism –
The Highest Stage of Capitalism
A Popular Outline
Papercover – 128 pages
Almost 100 years after it was written, Lenin’s classic Marxist theory of imperialism, principally articulated in his book Imperialism: The Highest Stage of Capitalism, remains the best framework to understand capitalism’s international political economy. Subsequent capitalist development shows the key aspects of Lenin’s thesis to be correct. Just as the basic ideas of Marx’s Capital have been proven correct by developments in contemporary capitalism, so too, have all the fundamentals of Lenin’s theory of imperialism. It remains an essential starting point for understanding the principal international developments today. (Sam King)
Karl Marx – Frederick Engels
Progress Publishers, Moscow
Papercover– 56 pages
In the two articles comprising this booklet Lenin takes us through the main stages in the development of the theoretial views of Marx and Engels and dwells on their joint revolutionary activities. The articles contain a concise and at the same time profound study of Marxism and all its component parts. Lenin emphasises the creative nature of Marxism as a guide to action and its incompatibility with revisionism and dogmatism.
“Left-wing” Communism, an Infantile Disorder
Takes up important questions such as whether revolutionaries should work in reactionary trade unions, participate in bourgeois parliaments, use legal or illegal methods of struggle and other important aspects of putting Marxism into practice. “Our theory is not a dogma, but a guide to action said Marx and Engels.”
Lenin: Selected Works
The vast leterary legacy left by Vladimir Lenin is of inestimable value to the world communist movement and the whole of progressive mankind. During the thirty years from 1893 to 1923 he wrote hundreds of books and pamphlets, and thousands of articles and letters, and delivered reports and speeches at numerous Party congresses and conferences, congresses of Soviets, and meetings of working people. His works constitute the new, Leninist stage of the development of revolutionary Marxist theory. This volume consists of selected works in which Lenin develops the key propisitions of Marxist theory and shows how important this theory is to the liberation struggle of the proletariat and qall other working people.
Letters of Tactics
Quote: “As long as we are unable to disband the bourgeois parliament, we must work against it both from without and within. As long as a more or less appreciable number of working people (not only proletarians, but also semi-proletarians and small peasants) still have confidence in the bourgeois-democratic instruments employed by the bourgeoisie for duping the workers, we must expose that deception from the very platform which the backward sections of the workers, particularly of the non-proletarian working people, consider most important, and authoritative.” (page 41)
Marxism and Revisionism
Written in 1908 for the collection Karl Mark (1818-1883) dedicated to the 25th anniversary of Marx’s death. The article deals with the problems of the struggle against revisionism, which he thought most important at the period of reactionary outburst in Russia after the defeat of the 1905-7 revolution.
Materialism and Empirio-criticism
In this book Lenin examines those who are hostile towards dialectical materialism: “All these people could not have been ignorant of the fact that Marx and Engels scores of times termed their philosphical views dialectic materialism. Yet all these people, who, despite the sharp divergence of their political views, are united in their hostility towards dialectical materialism, at the same time claim to be Marxist in philosophy!”
“ ... the task I have set myself in these comments is to find out what was the stumbling-block to these people who under the guise of Marxism are offering something incredibly muddled, confused and reactionary.”
Another classic in which Lenin studies the speeches of delegates and the political divisions at the Second Party Congress, drawing comparisons between the Bolsheviks and Mensheviks (opportunists). There are many lessons to be learnt from the ideological struggle which are relevant today.
The concept of the state is fundamental to understanding capitalist society and the revolutionary process. “The state is a product and a manifestation of the irreconcilability of class antagonisms. The state arises where, when and insofar as class antagonism objectively cannot be reconciled. And, conversely, the existence of the state proves that the class antagonisms are irreconcilable, Lenin writes in State and Revolution.
This important booklet clarifies what Engels and Marx said about the conditions in which the state exists and its role in class society. Lenin counters the distortions that are propagated by bourgeois writers and explains the well-known term “withering away of the state”.
The April Theses
The April Theses formed a programme developed by Lenin during the 1917 Russian Revolution. In these Lenin called for Soviet control of the state. When published the theses contributed to the July Days rising and to the subsequent coup d’etat of October 1917, bringing the Bolsheviks to power.
The Emancipation of Women
From the writings of Vladimir Lenin
These selections cover a wide variety of topics related to the problems of women in society. The origins and persistence of discriminatory and oppressive practices and modes of thought, the family, the important role of women in social movements and the need to combat predjuical hangovers from the past are discussed. Significant for today is the thought Lenin gave to the need for women to have special demands and organizations of their own, within the movement of socialism and the true emancipation of women by way of victorious struggle. (Back cover)
The Proletarian Revolution and the Renegade Kautsky
Progress Publishers, Mosow, 1934
How Kautsky Turned Marx into a Common Liberal
Bourgeois and Proletarian Democracy
Can There Be Equality Between the Exploited and the Exploiter?
Papercover– 18 pages (CPA reprint)
“The state is a machine for maintaining the rule of one class over another.” Lenin.
Progress Publishers, 1961 - 2014
Essential reading for any revolutionary in which Lenin analyses the organisational principles of and the tasks facing a revolutionary party and the differences between it and a party of social reform, and struggles based on economism.
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Imperial Bush
A closer look at the Bush record -- from the war in Iraq to the war on the environment
Will Americans take the exit ramp off the Bush presidency in November?
Behind Colin Powell's Legend
Colin Powell's sterling reputation in Washington hides his life-long role as water-carrier for conservative ideologues.
The 2000 Campaign
Recounting the controversial presidential campaign
Media Crisis
Is the national media a danger to democracy?
The Clinton Scandals
The story behind President Clinton's impeachment
Nazi Echo
Pinochet & Other Characters
The Dark Side of Rev. Moon
Rev. Sun Myung Moon and American politics
Contra Crack
Contra drug stories uncovered
How the American historical record has been tainted by lies and cover-ups
The October Surprise "X-Files"
The 1980 October Surprise scandal exposed
From free trade to the Kosovo crisis
Other Investigative Stories
Election 2006 & World War III
By Robert Parry
As Americans go to the polls in two months, they should have one thought fixed in their minds: they will be voting on whether to commit the nation to fighting World War III against large segments of the world’s one billion Muslims. Beyond the cost in blood and treasure, this war will mean the end of the United States as a democratic Republic.
Those are the stakes that were made clear by George W. Bush in an alarmist speech to an association of U.S. military officers on Sept. 5. He declared that the United States must battle not only likely or even possible threats from terrorists, but the most fantastical dreams of Osama bin Laden and al-Qaeda about a mystical global “caliphate.”
Adopting some of the most extreme rhetoric favored by his neoconservative advisers, Bush also broadened the “war on terror” beyond al-Qaeda-inspired terrorists and the Sunni-dominated Iraqi insurgency to include the Shiite-run Hezbollah movement in Lebanon and the Shiite government of Iran.
“As we continue to fight al-Qaeda and these Sunni extremists inspired by their radical ideology, we also face the threat posed by Shia extremists, who are learning from al-Qaeda, increasing their assertiveness and stepping up their threats,” Bush said.
“This Shia strain of Islamic radicalism is just as dangerous, and just as hostile to America, and just as determined to establish its brand of hegemony across the broader Middle East,” Bush continued. “And the Shia extremists have achieved something that al-Qaeda has so far failed to do: In 1979, they took control of a major power, the nation of Iran, subjugating its proud people to a regime of tyranny, and using that nation’s resources to fund the spread of terror and pursue their radical agenda.”
Bush also cited his determination to defeat Hezbollah, a Shiite movement in Lebanon that is now a prominent part of the elected Lebanese government and broadly popular because its militia battled the Israeli army when it invaded Lebanon in July.
Bush referred to Hezbollah’s leader as “the terrorist Nasrallah,” suggesting the United States has joined Israel in its determination to kill Sheikh Sayyad Hassan Nasrallah who was rated the most respected leader in the Middle East by an August 2006 poll in Egypt, which is considered one of Washington’s staunchest regional allies.
Ranked second in that Egyptian poll was Iran’s president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, another target of the Bush administration. By contrast, Egypt’s pro-American president Hosni Mubarak wasn’t even in the top 10, coming in 11th. Polls across the Middle East also have shown almost universal disapproval of the Bush administration and its policies.
So, Bush has set the United States on course to battle not only the stateless terrorists of al-Qaeda and the stubborn insurgents in Iraq but Islamic political leaders who have widespread support among the Muslim masses. How the United States would win such a war or even assemble the vast numbers of soldiers needed is hard to comprehend.
'World War III'
Bush’s virtual declaration of war on the Islamic world ranks as possibly the most ambitious military plan in American history – and without doubt the most reckless. This so-called “long war,” which Bush’s followers hail as “World War III,” would mean fighting large portions of a religious movement that has the allegiance of about one-sixth of the planet’s population.
Muslims are concentrated in nations from northern Africa to East Asia, but also include large numbers in Europe and North America.
Nevertheless, in his address to the military officers, Bush talked bravely about how confident he is that the United States will win this war. “America will not bow down to tyrants,” he declared to applause.
Bush’s experience over the past five years, however, suggests that his strategy would require a full-scale transformation of the United States into a warrior nation, committed to a virtual endless struggle against any and all Islamic extremists who harbor thoughts of power, no matter how fanciful those imaginings might be.
A key point in Bush’s argument is that al-Qaeda has expressed a dream of creating a “caliphate” reaching from Spain to Indonesia. Bush described the steps to this empire as starting with “numerous, decentralized operating bases across the world, from which they can plan new attacks, and advance their vision of a unified, totalitarian Islamic state that can confront and eventually destroy the free world.”
But the reality is that prior to Bush’s presidency, al-Qaeda was a marginal movement in the Islamic world, driven out of countries across northern Africa, hounded by secular governments in the Middle East, and expelled even from the Sudan.
In summer 2001, as Bush brushed aside CIA warnings about bin Laden’s plans to strike inside the United States, al-Qaeda leaders were holed up in caves in Afghanistan, literally chased to the ends of the earth.
Then, after the 9/11 attacks on New York and Washington – and the U.S. counterattack in Afghanistan – bin Laden fled to the mountains of Tora Bora where he apologized to his followers for leading them to what looked like defeat both militarily and politically, since the vast majority of Muslims had joined the rest of the world in condemning the 9/11 attacks.
At that crucial moment, the Saudi terrorist leader set off on horseback along with a small band of supporters and was surprised to find that Bush hadn’t ordered in U.S. troops to cut off al-Qaeda’s escape routes. Bush already was shifting his focus to Iraq, which was governed by a secular dictator who had persecuted Islamic extremists like bin Laden. [See, for instance, Ron Suskind’s account in The One Percent Doctrine.]
Military Blunder
The failure to trap or kill bin Laden at Tora Bora might rank as one of modern history’s worst military blunders. But in his Sept. 5 speech, Bush instead cited other historical failures – what he called missed opportunities to eliminate Lenin and Hitler when they were living in obscurity and writing about their improbable dreams of power.
“In the early 1900s, an exiled lawyer in Europe published a pamphlet called ‘What Is To Be Done?’ – in which he laid out his plans to launch a communist revolution in Russia,” Bush said. “The world did not heed Lenin’s words, and paid a terrible price. …
“In the 1920s, a failed Austrian painter published a book in which he explained his intention to build an Aryan super-state in Germany and take revenge on Europe and eradicate the Jews. The world ignored Hitler’s words, and paid a terrible price.”
But the problem with Bush’s history lesson is that wiping out some future Lenin or Hitler would require killing or imprisoning anyone who wrote about political change in a way that rulers considered objectionable or threatening at that time. While “predictive assassination” might eliminate a Lenin or a Hitler, it also might kill a Mandela or a Jefferson.
What Bush appears to be advocating is the end of free speech and free thought, or at least the regulation and punishment of speech and thought that he disdains. Bush is extending his concept of “preemptive war” – launching attacks against countries that might present a future threat to the United States – to “preemptive thought control,” eliminating political opponents who might pose some future threat.
The First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution prohibits the U.S. government from criminalizing speech. But Bush is indicating that he and his political followers believe that, amid the “war on terror,” it is justifiable to do just that.
Al-Qaeda Plot
In another chilling passage in his speech, Bush laid out a scenario for labeling criticism of him in the U.S. news media as part of al-Qaeda’s terrorist strategy. Bush claimed that bin Laden wrote to Taliban leader Mullah Omar about launching “a media campaign … to create a wedge between the American people and their government.”
Bush said this media campaign would send the American people messages, including “that their government [will] bring them more losses, in finances and casualties.” Bush continued that bin Laden’s media plan “aims at creating pressure from the American people on the American government to stop their campaign against Afghanistan.”
Bush cited this supposed al-Qaeda manipulation of the U.S. media as one of the reasons that “bin Laden and his allies are absolutely convinced they can succeed in forcing America to retreat and causing our economic collapse. They believe our nation is weak and decadent, and lacking in patience and resolve. And they’re wrong.”
As Bush defines domestic criticism of his war’s costs “in finances and casualties” as part of a terrorist scheme, it’s not hard to imagine how Bush’s devoted followers will react. Any expression of concern that Bush is charting a course toward mad destruction will be attacked as somehow acting in concert with terrorists.
Though Bush has said that his goal in waging his vague and seemingly endless “war on terror” is to defend freedom, the reality behind Bush’s grim vision is the emergence of an American totalitarianism where objectionable thought will be repressed and dissent will be equated with treason.
The President has now made clear that he wants the Nov. 7 congressional elections to be a referendum on whether Americans will follow him into this dark future.
Robert Parry broke many of the Iran-Contra stories in the 1980s for the Associated Press and Newsweek. His latest book, Secrecy & Privilege: Rise of the Bush Dynasty from Watergate to Iraq, can be ordered at secrecyandprivilege.com. It's also available at Amazon.com, as is his 1999 book, Lost History: Contras, Cocaine, the Press & 'Project Truth.'
Consortiumnews.com is a product of The Consortium for Independent Journalism, Inc., a non-profit organization that relies on donations from its readers to produce these stories and keep alive this Web publication. To contribute, click here. To contact CIJ, click here
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Home > Learn > Educational Resources > Historical Documents > Perspectives on the Constitution: A Republic, If You Can Keep It
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Perspectives on the Constitution: A Republic, If You Can Keep It
By Richard R. Beeman, Ph.D.
While today we marvel at the extraordinary accomplishment of our Founding Fathers, their own reaction to the US Constitution when it was presented to them for their signatures was considerably less enthusiastic. Benjamin Franklin, ever the optimist even at the age of 81, gave what was for him a remarkably restrained assessment in his final speech before the Constitutional Convention: "…when you assemble a number of men to have the advantage of their joint wisdom, you inevitably assemble with those men, all their prejudices, their passions, their errors of opinion, their local interests, and their selfish views." He thought it impossible to expect a "perfect production" from such a gathering, but he believed that the Constitution they had just drafted, "with all its faults," was better than any alternative that was likely to emerge.
Nearly all of the delegates harbored objections, but persuaded by Franklin's logic, they put aside their misgivings and affixed their signatures to it. Their over-riding concern was the tendency in nearly all parts of the young country toward disorder and disintegration. Americans had used the doctrine of popular sovereignty--"democracy"--as the rationale for their successful rebellion against English authority in 1776. But they had not yet worked out fully the question that has plagued all nations aspiring to democratic government ever since: how to implement principles of popular majority rule while at the same time preserving stable governments that protect the rights and liberties of all citizens.
Few believed that a new federal constitution alone would be sufficient to create a unified nation out of a collection of independent republics spread out over a vast physical space, extraordinarily diverse in their economic interests, regional loyalties, and ethnic and religious attachments. And there would be new signs of disorder after 1787 that would remind Americans what an incomplete and unstable national structure they had created: settlers in western Pennsylvania rebelled in 1794 because of taxes on their locally distilled whiskey; in western North Carolina there were abortive attempts to create an independent republic of "Franklin" which would ally itself with Spain to insure its independence from the United States; there was continued conflict with Indians across the whole western frontier and increased fear of slave unrest, particularly when news of the slave-led revolution in Haiti reached American shores.
But as fragile as America's federal edifice was at the time of the founding, there was much in the culture and environment that contributed to a national consensus and cohesion: a common language; a solid belief in the principles of English common law and constitutionalism; a widespread commitment (albeit in diverse forms) to the Protestant religion; a shared revolutionary experience; and, perhaps most important, an economic environment which promised most free, white Americans if not great wealth, at least an independent sufficiency.
The American statesmen who succeeded those of the founding generation served their country with a self-conscious sense that the challenges of maintaining a democratic union were every bit as great after 1787 as they were before. Some aspects of their nation-building program--their continuing toleration of slavery and genocidal policies toward American Indians--are fit objects of national shame, not honor. But statesmen of succeeding generations--Lincoln foremost among them--would continue the quest for a "more perfect union."
Such has been our success in building a powerful and cohesive democratic nation-state in post-Civil War America that most Americans today assume that principles of democracy and national harmony somehow naturally go hand-in-hand. But as we look around the rest of the world in the post-Soviet era, we find ample evidence that democratic revolutions do not inevitably lead to national harmony or universal justice. We see that the expression of the "popular will" can create a cacophony of discordant voices, leaving many baffled about the true meaning of majority rule. In far too many places around the world today, the expression of the "popular will" is nothing more than the unleashing of primordial forces of tribal and religious identity which further confound the goal of building stable and consensual governments.
As we look at the state of our federal union 211 years after the Founders completed their work, there is cause for satisfaction that we have avoided many of the plagues afflicting so many other societies, but this is hardly cause for complacency. To be sure, the US Constitution itself has not only survived the crises confronting it in the past, but in so doing, it has in itself become our nation's most powerful symbol of unity--a far preferable alternative to a monarch or a national religion, the institutions on which most nations around the world have relied. Moreover, our Constitution is a stronger, better document than it was when it initially emerged from the Philadelphia Convention. Through the amendment process (in particular, through the 13th, 14th, 15th and 19th Amendments), it has become the protector of the rights of all the people, not just some of the people.
On the other hand, the challenges to national unity under our Constitution are, if anything, far greater than those confronting the infant nation in 1787. Although the new nation was a pluralistic one by the standards of the 18th century, the face of America in 1998 looks very different from the original: we are no longer a people united by a common language, religion or culture; and while our overall level of material prosperity is staggering by the standards of any age, the widening gulf between rich and poor is perhaps the most serious threat to a common definition of the "pursuit of happiness."
The conditions that threaten to undermine our sense of nationhood, bound up in the debate over slavery and manifested in intense sectional conflict during the pre-Civil War era, are today both more complex and diffuse. Some of today's conditions are part of the tragic legacy of slavery--a racial climate marked too often by mutual mistrust and misunderstanding and a condition of desperate poverty within our inner cities that has left many young people so alienated that any standard definition of citizenship becomes meaningless. More commonly, but in the long run perhaps just as alarming, tens of millions of Americans have been turned-off by the corrupting effects of money on the political system. Bombarded with negative advertising about their candidates, they express their feelings of alienation by staying home on election day.
If there is a lesson in all of this it is that our Constitution is neither a self-actuating nor a self-correcting document. It requires the constant attention and devotion of all citizens. There is a story, often told, that upon exiting the Constitutional Convention Benjamin Franklin was approached by a group of citizens asking what sort of government the delegates had created. His answer was: "A republic, if you can keep it." The brevity of that response should not cause us to under-value its essential meaning: democratic republics are not merely founded upon the consent of the people, they are also absolutely dependent upon the active and informed involvement of the people for their continued good health.
Dr. Richard Beeman is professor of history and dean of the College of Arts and Sciences at the University of Pennsylvania. The University is NCC's academic partner, and for the year 1997 – 98. Dr. Beeman serves as vice chair of our Distinguished Scholars Advisory Panel.
Grade: 12, 11, 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1, K
Standards: 2 - Time, Continuity, and Change, 5 - Individuals, Groups, and Institutions, 9 - Global Connections, 10 - Civic Ideals and Practices
For: Educators, Students
Tags: History
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Cohabitation No Longer Predicts Divorce – And Possibly Never Did: New Research by Senior CCF Scholar Arielle Kuperberg
Posted on March 10, 2014 in Online Symposia, Press Releases
Experts:
Arielle Kuperberg
Associate Professor of Sociology, The University of North Carolina at Greensboro
atkuperb@uncg.edu;
Virginia Rutter
Professor of Sociology, Framingham State University
Contact: Virginia Rutter
Framingham State University Sociology
vrutter@gmail.com; 206-375-4139
Want to know what predicts divorce? Let’s start with what does not.
For more than 20 years, researchers have reported that premarital cohabitation is associated with an elevated risk of divorce. Yet these findings have failed to deter young people from “shacking up.” According to a briefing report presented today to the Council on Contemporary Families, cohabitation has increased by more than 900 percent in the past 50 years. Author Arielle Kuperberg, a sociologist at UNC-Greensboro, notes that “Today 70 percent of women aged 30 to 34 have cohabited with a male partner, and two-thirds of new marriages take place between couples who have already lived together for an average of 31 months.”
In “Does Premarital Cohabitation Increase Your Risk for Divorce?” Kuperberg sees no need for panic. Her new research finds that previous studies have over-stated the divorce risk from premarital cohabitation by ignoring how old the individuals are when they move in together. It turns out that the age when people move in together is a much more important factor than whether or not they have taken out a marriage license.
On average, she reports, cohabitors begin living together at an earlier age than couples who marry directly. But “when couples are compared by the age at which they move in together and start taking on the roles associated with marriage, there is no difference in divorce rates between couples that lived together before marriage and those that didn’t.”
Kuperberg states that premarital cohabitation has very little, if any, impact on a couple’s chance of divorce. Rather, “early entry into marriage or cohabitation, especially prior to age 23, is the critical risk factor.” The full text of Kuperberg’s briefing report is available here and commentaries on the report are available here.
CCF Commentators: delay, protect, and look for more change in the future
Cornell University sociologist Sharon Sassler agrees that it is wrong to claim that premarital cohabitation causes divorce, but she suggests that “Perhaps more important is how long one is involved with a romantic partner before moving in together.” Sassler’s forthcoming research demonstrates that individuals without a college degree tend to move in together in less than half the time that college-educated couples take to make such a decision, probably because of their greater financial need to split living expenses. But this gives them less time to get to know their partner, making it more possible that they will end up in a bad match that will not stand the test of time.
Sociologist Kristi Williams (The Ohio State University) notes that an unintended pregnancy may lead a couple to move in together or to marry. Either way, such relationships are much more likely to dissolve than relationships that are not formed under the pressure of an unplanned pregnancy. For that reason, she suggests that the best way to lay the groundwork for healthy marriages is to make sure that couples do not end up dealing with an unintended pregnancy.
“Given that premarital sex has been nearly universal in the U.S. for more than 40 years and that early marriage poses divorce risks, it is vital to provide teens and young adults with access to effective contraceptives and family planning services.” Yet nine states currently restrict abortion providers or affiliated organizations like Planned Parenthood from receiving public funds, Williams finds, while “thirteen states restrict access to emergency contraception. Challenges to the contraceptive mandate in the Affordable Care Act are currently pending in 80 cases.” Williams’ research suggests that such restrictions may promote more divorce in the long run.
Economist Evelyn Lehrer (University of Illinois-Chicago) argues that when it comes to marriage, there are benefits to waiting quite a while past age 23, the age at which Kuperberg suggests moving in or marrying may become less risky. Lehrer’s analysis of longitudinal data shows that every year a woman delays marriage, right up until her early 30s, decreases her chance of divorce. And contrary to earlier research, she finds that even delaying marriage well past the average age does not raise the risk of divorce. People who marry later than average are more likely to enter “unconventional” matches, which have long been known to pose challenges to partners, but these challenges are outweighed by the couple’s greater maturity.
Historian Stephanie Coontz (The Evergreen State College) notes that all the studies mentioned in the report and the commentaries reveal how rapidly the dynamics of relationships are changing. She points out that what Sassler found to be a dangerously “short” transition between when less-educated couples meet and when they move in together was once the norm for all couples: In the 1950s, the average length of time a couple dated before marrying was just six months.
Coontz suggests that as cohabitation becomes more common and marriage is less bound by predetermined gender roles, “the United States may well follow the same pattern that researchers found in Australia. In that country, in the 1940s and 1950s, premarital cohabitation significantly increased the risk of divorce. But the added divorce risk declined each year for marriages contracted up to 1988 and then it reversed, so that since then premarital cohabitation has reduced the risk of separation.” One rule that has already been reversed in the past 40 years, Coontz notes, is the relationship between a woman’s educational level and her chance of being married. “Who knows what other old rules may be shattered in the next few years?”
Arielle Kuperberg, 2014. Does Premarital Cohabitation Raise Your Risk of Divorce? A briefing paper prepared for the Council on Contemporary Families. March 10.
Sharon Sassler, Evelyn Lehrer, Stephanie Coontz, and Kristi Williams, 2014. Council on Contemporary Families Expert Commentaries on Kuperberg’s “Does Premarital Cohabitation Raise Your Risk for Divorce?” March 10.
Arielle Kuperberg, Assistant Professor of Sociology, The University of North Carolina at Greensboro, atkuperb@uncg.edu.
Sharon Sassler, Professor, Department of Policy Analysis & Management, Cornell University; Sharon.Sassler@Cornell.Edu.
Kristi Williams, Associate Professor of Sociology, The Ohio State University, williams.2339@osu.edu
Evelyn Lehrer, Professor, Department of Economics, University of Illinois at Chicago; evelyn.lehrer@gmail.com; 646-226-8062.
Stephanie Coontz, Faculty Member, The Evergreen State College. coontzs@msn.com. 360 352-8117; cell 360 556-9223
The Council on Contemporary Families, based at the School of Education and Human Development at the University of Miami, is a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization of family researchers and practitioners that seeks to further a national understanding of how America’s families are changing and what is known about the strengths and weaknesses of different family forms and various family interventions.
The Council helps keep journalists informed of notable work on family-related issues via the CCF Network. To join the CCF Network, or for further media assistance, please contact Stephanie Coontz, Co-Chair and Director of Research and Public Education, at coontzs@msn.com, cell 360-556-9223.
CCF Annual Conference April 25-26, 2014: CCF’s 17th anniversary conference will take place on April 25-26, 2014, at the School of Education and Human Development at the University of Miami, Coral Gables, Florida: Families as They Really Are: How Digital Technologies Are Changing the Ways Families Live and Love. Complimentary press registrations are available; please contact Stephanie Coontz for more information at coontzs@msn.com, cell 360-556-9223.
Twitter: @CCF_Families. Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/contemporaryfamilies.
Topics: Cohabitation, Committed Relationships & Marriage
Cohabitation No Longer Predicts Divorce
Brief Report: Does Premarital Cohabitation Increase Your Risk for Divorce?
But how do the relationships get started?
What can reduce unintended pregnancies and increase stable relationships?
What are the benefits of delay? Women’s delayed entry into first marriage and marital stability
Who knows what other old rules may be shattered in the next few years?
Tampa Bay Times
Miami Newsday
TODAY Health
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IF YOU WANT TO READ MORE BOOKS, START WITH THESE
February 2, 2019 ThorBooks
If you’d like to be jerked around less, provoked less, and more productive and inwardly focused, where should you start in 2019?
To me, the answer is obvious: by turning to wisdom. That means turning away from the news, turning away from whatever trend or controversy is boiling nearby, and looking instead to books—really great books that have stood, or will stand, the test of time.
Books are medicine for the soul, and investments in yourself: novels, nonfiction, how-to, poetry, classics, biographies. Below is a list of 15 books that will help lead you to a better, stronger, happier 2019.
Digital Minimalism by Cal Newport
The unassuming Georgetown computer science professor has become one of this generation’s leading voices on how we can all work more wisely and more deeply. With media consumption continuing to go way up (which, for most of us, means happiness and productivity continue to go way down) and the world becoming noisier every day, this book is an urgent call to action for anyone serious about being in command of their own life. The minimalism movement successfully led millions to opt out of the many possessions we’re told we’re supposed to crave and focus instead on the small number of things that bring the most meaning and value to our lives. The same ideology applies to our online lives. Digital clutter is stressful. We don’t need the constant connectivity, the pages and pages of apps, the incessant scrolling and clicking. New technologies can improve our lives if we know how to best leverage them. This book already helped me break my Facebook addiction—and the first month of the year has been a big improvement for me because of that.
Montaigne by Stefan Zweig and How to Live by Sarah Bakewell
If you’ve been struggling with the onslaught of negative news and political turmoil, start with Montaigne. It’s the biography of a man who retreated from the chaos of 16th century France to study himself, written by a man fleeing the chaos of 20th century Europe. It’s hard to be a thinking person and not see alarming warning signs about today’s world while reading this book. Yet it also gives us a solution: Turn inward. Master yourself. Montaigne is one of humanity’s greatest treasures—a wise and insightful thinker who never takes himself too seriously. If you’ve not read any of his essays, start with Sarah Bakewell’s magnificent book, How To Live. It’s a readable introduction to all things Montaigne.
The Moviegoer by Walker Percy
The Moviegoer is almost truer now for the millennial (or generational) experience than it was in the 1960s when it was published. Any reader will relate to the rather ageless angst of the next generation trying to find its meaning and purpose in the world. It is exactly the novel that every young kid stuck in their own head needs to read. The main character, on what he calls “the search,” is so in love with the artificiality of movies that he has trouble living his actual life in the real world.
The Laws of Human Nature by Robert Greene
For decades, Robert Greene has been observing, studying, and writing about people and power. He has produced a canon of bestselling books that explain why people do what they do, how these patterns affect and shape the world, and of course, how we can develop strategies to protect ourselves and thrive in this often irrational world. All of that work has culminated in The Laws of Human Nature, the masterwork from the master of human behavior. “If I had to say what the primary law of human nature is,” Greene has said, “the primary law of human nature is to deny that we have human nature, to deny that we are subject to these forces.” The reality is, humans do have aggressive, violent, contradictory, emotional, irrational impulses. And we have to understand them if we want to rise above them. Greene’s recent pieces on internet trolls, on passive aggressive arguers, and on identity politics are good previews of lessons that we’d all be better for understanding this year.
Leisure: The Basis of Culture by Josef Pieper
Pieper wrote this book in Germany right after WWII—arguably the most important and deadly event of the 20th century, if not all of history—and it is even more crucial today than when it first appeared more than 70 years ago. In our purpose-oriented, productivity-obsessed culture full of noise and distraction, we’ve become terrified of leisure: emptiness, stillness, nothing. We constantly feel like we are supposed to be doing and doing and doing, but sometimes, you’re supposed to just be. We think that action is the end-all be-all, so we often end up doing action just for the sake of doing action. But leisure and stillness is where great insights come from. This is where happiness comes from. It’s hard to be happy and appreciative and feel gratitude when you’re moving all the time. Pieper shows that “Leisure has been, and always will be, the first foundation of any culture.” Try to be instead of do. Try doing nothing at all. See what happens. You might be surprised.
So You’ve Been Publicly Shamed by Jon Ronson
This book has only become more important and more true in the few years since it came out. Ronson’s interviews with and focus on people who have screwed up and found themselves in the midst of massive online controversies—“shame storms,” a recent article calls them—are equally provocative and insightful. He writes with such sensitivity, empathy, humor, and insight about all that’s wrong with the rage and glee of tearing down other people—often people who were never public figures to begin with. It reveals what human nature and digital tools can do to a crowd. It creates a mob. And it makes a select handful of media and technology entrepreneurs wealthy while their goons feel important and at liberty to pretend they don’t have their own flaws. This is not how we solve things. It’s not how the world is improved. The world requires more forgiveness and empathy from all of us—and this book is a good place to start.
The Greatest Empire: A Life of Senecaby Emily Wilson
Perhaps there is no historical figure more appropriate for today’s times than Seneca. In the ancient world, as is true today, navigating political chaos was a pressing dilemma. Philosophers were forced to decide whether to participate in, resist, or simply endure the political rulers of their time. Seneca’s political life mirrors much of the chaos of the Trump administration. He was a philosopher drawn into politics; he wanted to make a difference in the real world and then found himself in the court of Nero, trying to contain a wildly insecure, inexperienced leader who some thought was deranged and others thought was brilliant (sound familiar?). Seneca loved nothing more than quiet, reflective time alone… yet he also needed and wanted fame, fortune, and impact. And it was these competing desires—the wrenching conflict between power and principle—that created an incredible life and an incredible set of lessons captured in Emily Wilson’s biography. Her translations of Seneca are excellent and her insights are provocative. It’s a must-read for any student of history or philosophy.
Lincoln’s Virtues by William Lee Miller
Our generation needs to remember that over 100 years before us, people stood right where we were and felt similar things, struggling with the same issues. Abraham Lincoln’s life was defined by enduring and transcending great difficulty. This book is a heart-wrenching and amazing story of Lincoln’s uniquely moral rise to power. We bend over backward to deny or pretend that Lincoln wasn’t a politician (as though that profession somehow corrupts him), which is really counterproductive. Lincoln was a career politician—and when he wasn’t a politician, he was a lawyer. Those were his jobs. He just also happened to be an ethical human being who believed in what he believed in. If you want some reassurance amid today’s tumultuous political climate, this book is it. Politics doesn’t have to be dirty and disgusting and awful. In fact, pragmatism and purpose can coalesce with each other and it’s exceptions like Lincoln that should urge all of us to a higher standard.
Tyrant: Shakespeare on Politics by Stephen Greenblatt
It’s hard to do much better than John Lithgow’s blurb from this book’s back cover: “Tyrant is a striking literary feat. At the outset, the book notes how Shakespeare craftily commented on his own times by telling tales of tyrants from centuries before. In an act of scholarly daring, Greenblatt then proceeds to do exactly the same thing.” Tyrant, like all of Greenblatt’s books, is an excellent introduction to the classics and indisputable proof that the best way to understand what’s happening in the world is not reading or watching the news, but studying great writing from the past. (You might also enjoy this interview I did with Greenblatt, which dives into how he works and what inspires him).
Tiger Woods by Jeff Benedict and Armen Keteyian
According to this book, Tiger Woods’ parents trained him to be an assassin. To feel nothing. To regret nothing. To stop at nothing. That winning was all that mattered. Combine that upbringing with his personal habits and you have one of the most complicated, misunderstood figures, certainly of our time, maybe even in all of sports. This is not to excuse the cheating (on his wife or allegedly in the game of golf), but it does explain it and humanize it. It explains what happens to people who are skilled but are or become spiritually and ethically bankrupt. Lot of good cautionary lessons here.
Clementine: The Life of Mrs. Winston Churchill by Sonia Purnell
For all the productivity and success advice out there, I’ve never really seen someone come out and say: “Find yourself a spouse who complements and supports you and makes you better.” The myth today is of the lone creative entrepreneur battling the world without an ally in sight. A defiant combination of Atlas and Sisyphus and David, wrestling a Goliath-sized mass of doubters and demons. Churchill is often portrayed in that way. But Churchill said the best decision he ever made in his life was marrying Clementine, and Sonia Purnell’s examination of Winston’s better half was truly revelatory of just how many times she saved his ass.
Blue Ocean Strategy and Blue Ocean Shift by W. Chan Kim and Renée Mauborgne
Too many people gravitate toward competition, pointlessly entering contests where the outcome is dependent on forces beyond their control. They want to be better than other people, richer than somebody else, sell more copies than some record-breaking predecessor. Even if they are incredibly talented or brilliant, this is a loseable contest. The question we must ask ourselves when we are setting out on some new endeavor—building a business, producing a creative project—is whether we’re pursuing something that delivers value in a way no one else can. Instead of battling numerous competitors in a contested “red ocean,” it’s far better to to seek fresh, uncontested “blue” water. If Blue Ocean Strategy is the what behind the theory of creating new markets rather than competing in crowded ones, then Blue Ocean Shift is the how and the mindset required to do so. Lots of good examples in this book, including a bunch that are not from business (“blue ocean” thinking also applies to government, NGOs, leadership, etc.).
Anne Frank: The Diary of a Young Girlby Anne Frank and Anne Frank: The Biography by Melissa Müller
In Anne Frank’s diary, we hear of the timeless plight of the refugee, we are reminded of the humanity of every individual (and how societies lose sight of this), and we are inspired—even shamed—to see the cheerful perseverance of a child amidst circumstances far worse than any of us could ever know. Paired with Melissa Müller’s biography and our chaotic international world, the wisdom, the tragedy, and the profound inspiration of Anne Frank will penetrate fully and deeply. The concluding note from Miep Gies in Müller’s biography reminds us that Anne Frank is not the representative of the millions of people who died in the Holocaust; she is one of the millions of people—all of whom had their own hopes, dreams, and lives snuffed out by the cruelty of man, surviving to us only on paper, and in some cases, not even there. “Paper is more patient than people,” Anne Frank wrote. It is also far less cruel than our world, which unlike the diary, snuffed out the life of this young prodigy. (You might also like this short essay about Anne Frank and the obligation we have to stand up to evil.)
Memoirs of Hadrian by Marguerite Yourcenar
There’s the great line from Bismarck: “Any fool can learn from experience. It’s better to learn from the experience of others.” This book may be the closest thing to a literal representation of that. Written from the (fictional) perspective of Hadrian—one of the great rulers of the ancient world—the book takes the form of a long letter of advice to a young Marcus Aurelius, who would eventually succeed him as emperor. It’s somber, but practical, filled with beautiful and moving passages from a man nearing death and looking back to share everything he’s learned to prepare someone for one of the most difficult jobs in the world.
How to Be Free by Epictetus
Epictetus was born a slave. Quite literally, his name means, in Greek, “acquired.” Ultimately, he came to be the property of a man named Epaphroditus, who kept Epictetus chained up long enough that he became disabled from it and walked with a limp for the rest of his life. But Epictetus retained freedom in one important sense: People could do whatever they wanted to his body, but his mind always remained his to control. It was this, A.A. Long writes in his short new edition of How to Be Free, that is really the core of what Epictetus’s teachings would later revolve around: “You can be externally free and internally a slave… conversely you could be externally obstructed or even in literal bondage but internally free from frustration and disharmony.” It’s really a remarkable insight and one we must think of always. Yes, every person is entitled to physical freedom. And yet plenty of us are not truly free, not nearly as free as Epictetus was when he was still in chains.
Essentialism by Greg McKeown
To me, practical philosophy has always been about knowing what to—and what not to—expend your time and energy on. Happiness and success come from cultivating indifference to things that don’t matter. Be careful, as Marcus Aurelius warned, not to give the little things more time and thought than they deserve. This book focuses you and makes you question many of the projects and commitments and assumptions you’ve said yes to over the years, to finally cut out the crap, focus on the truly important thing (or couple things). Though the book is about applying design-style thinking to your life, it is really just a solid book of philosophy, stories, and anecdotes that make you reconsider your priorities. If looking back reveals how much effort you’ve frittered away worrying about the trivial, let yourself begin to only devote energy to things that truly matter—get the important things right by ignoring the insignificant.
Up From Slavery by Booker T. Washington
Not every conversation about race has to be terrible. Booker T. Washington, like all great people, sought common ground, solutions, and love over distrust and anger. “Great men cultivate love,” he wrote, “only little men cherish a spirit of hatred.” And this from a man who had been born in the final days of slavery, who faced incredible racism and adversity. A man who walked nearly 500 miles to apply for college, and when he wasn’t accepted, quietly cleaned the waiting room of the admissions office until they let him in. A man who instead of talking about the needs for better schools and opportunities went out and created the Tuskegee Institute, helping change the lives of generations of African Americans (and, by extension, millions of others). In other words, a man who proved two principles: character is fate and deeds not words. He also happens to be a font of wisdom — on personal responsibility, on hard work, on race, on fairness, on advancing an agenda, on building an institution, and on working with other people.
Them: Why We Hate Each Other—and How to Heal by Ben Sasse
It wouldn’t surprise Robert Greene that tribalism still tempts us. In Them, Sen. Ben Sasse talks about how the massive technological and sociological changes we are going through on this planet encourage toxic impulses. We feel threatened, we feel insecure, so we retreat into (or descend into) tribalism. We want to blame other people for our problems, we want to create enemies, we want to focus on what they are doing wrong and not the urgent (and resolvable) issues in our own lives. And, of course, what this blame-shifting tribalism keeps us ignorant of is how much we all have in common, how 99% of us are just doing the best we can, and how, in the end, most people want the same things. To the Stoics, the idea of “sympatheia” was a bulwark against this temptation to make someone an other. Forget tribes, Marcus Aurelius said, “We are citizens of the world. We were made for each other and to serve a common good.” The idea of “they” or “them” is driven by fear. Not reason. It’s not rational. It’s emotional, and it’s destructive. Each of us needs to work on rising above it. For the sake of ourselves, our countries, and our world.
All these books will serve you well. But if I had one final recommendation for reading this year, it would be this: Pick three or four books you’ve already read, that had a big impact on you, and read them again. We all spend too much time chasing what’s new and not enough time really digesting those heady, important, mind-blowing books we’ve already read. Reread To Kill A Mockingbird. Give The Odyssey another chance. Sit with a few chapters from Good to Great. See how these books have stood the test of time and see how you’ve changed since you’ve read them last.
[“source=qz”]
books, IF, more, READ, START, THESE, to, WANT, WITH, you
Best books of 2019 so far
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7 books to make your February commute a bit more enjoyable
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Railway Recruitment Notification 2019: RRBs likely to release 1.3 lakh NTPC job notice next week, check detail
https://copticboard.com/if-you-want-to-read-more-books-start-with-these">
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Welcome - Doing Business
Marshall Space Flight Center
America is poised for the next wave of human exploration into our solar system, and Marshall Space Flight Center’s capabilities and experience are essential to nearly every facet of NASA’s mission of exploration and discovery. Marshall has been solving complex technical problems for almost six decades, advancing technologies and developing science instruments and complex space systems.
Founded July 1, 1960, Marshall is one of NASA’s largest field centers with a total workforce of nearly 6,000 employees and an annual budget of approximately $2.8 billion. Through leadership in complex engineering, technology development and scientific research, Marshall makes human space exploration possible.
David Brock
Small Business Specialist
Mr. Brock provides strategic guidance and direction in the planning, coordination, and implementation of the NASA Small Business Programs at MSFC and to industry.
Mr. Brock entered the Federal sector in December 1984 when he joined the NASA family as a Procurement Analyst assigned to the Office of Procurement. He has been actively involved in the NASA Small Business programs for over 30 years.
Contact the MSFC Small Business Office (SBO) today to learn more about the MSFC marketplace.
SBO staff can be reached at 256-544-0267, or via email at msfc-smallbusiness@mail.nasa.gov
The International Space Station is a unique, Earth-orbiting platform that enables researchers from all over the world to put their talents to work on innovative science experiments paving the way for future deep space exploration missions.
The Payload Operations Integration Center at Marshall coordinates and integrates all scientific and commercial experiments on the station, as well as Earth-to-station science communications, 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.
NASA’s Space Launch System is an advanced launch vehicle that will provide the foundation for human exploration beyond Earth’s orbit. With unprecedented power and capabilities, SLS is the only rocket that can send the Orion spacecraft, astronauts and supplies to the Moon in a single launch.
Marshall manages NASA’s Michoud Assembly Facility in New Orleans. The space agency’s premiere site for the manufacture and assembly of large-scale space structures and systems, Michoud is one of the largest such facilities in the world, with 43 acres of manufacturing space under one roof.
Solar System and Beyond
Marshall scientists conduct a wide spectrum of space science research seeking to better understand the universe and to unlock scientific mysteries that will improve and protect life on Earth.
Marshall designed, developed, constructed and continues to support NASA’s Chandra X-ray Observatory — the world’s most powerful X-ray telescope
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The curious case of the reversed pronoun
First published in Cracking the Enigma, August 2011
“You made a circle”, exclaimed Ethan, looking up from his drawing.
“You did make a circle”, his mum acknowledged, ignoring the fact that, not for the first time, Ethan had reversed the pronoun, saying “you” when he should have said “I”.
Ethan was one of six children from Providence, Rhode Island taking part in a study of child language development. Every couple of weeks, a researcher from Brown University would visit him and his mum at home, record, and then transcribe their conversations in painstaking detail. The transcriptions would show that Ethan was a prolific reverser of pronouns; frequently saying “you” when he meant “I” and “your” instead of “my” or “mine”. This curious habit began as soon as pronouns entered his vocabulary and he was still reversing pronouns when, just before his third birthday, the study came to an end.
Ethan’s language skills were otherwise exceptionally good. When assessed at 18 months, his scores put him in the top 1% for children his age. However, some years after the study finished, it transpired that Ethan had Asperger syndrome. Pronoun reversal is common amongst children on the autism spectrum. Leo Kanner noted as much in the first systematic description of autism and, to this day, it is considered an important marker when conferring an autism diagnosis. But the underlying cause of this highly specific problem remains something of a mystery. Ethan’s diagnosis made sense of his pronoun reversal, but it didn’t exactly explain it.
While pronoun reversal is relatively common in autism, it certainly isn’t unique to the disorder. Deaf children in particular are prone to reversal, despite the fact that in many sign languages, pronouns simply involve pointing to the person in question. And while most typically developing children appear to have little difficulty with pronouns, there have also been several case reports of children who go through a prolonged phase of pronoun reversal. By coincidence, Naima, one of the five other children in the Providence study, was one such child.
Aware of the serendipitous nature of their data, two of the researchers, Karen Evans and Katherine Demuth, returned to their transcriptions. Forensically re-examining the evidence, they tried to work out why the two children had encountered such difficulties with pronouns. The results of their enquiries provide some intriguing insights into the multiple challenges facing both typically and atypically developing linguists.
Personal pronouns represent an unusual problem for the young language learner. Most words they encounter will have a constant reference, at least within the context of the ongoing conversation. “Mummy” will refer to their own mother. “Dog” will refer to the animal that is sat on the carpet right in front of them. But the meanings of “I” and “you” change, depending on who it is that is speaking. My “you” is your “me”.
In Naima’s case, it seems that she simply failed to grasp this concept, thinking that “you” was really just another name for herself. It wasn’t that she sometimes got it right and sometimes got it wrong. Between the ages of 19 and 28 months, virtually every time she used “you” or “your”, she was actually referring to herself, sometimes with amusing results:
Naima: “I think you peed in your diaper.”
Mother: “Just now?”
Naima: “I think you did.”
Then, all of a sudden, something clicked. In Naima’s final two sessions at 29 and 30 months, every single pronoun was used correctly. But why did she make this mistake in the first place? And what happened for the penny to drop?
Yuriko Oshima-Takane, a psychologist at McGill University in Montreal, has argued that children can only deduce the principles of pronoun use by listening in on other people’s conversations. Pronoun reversers, she suggests, are children who, for one reason or another, have missed out on this vital linguistic experience.
Naima appears to be a perfect illustration of this theory. She was an only child at the time of the study and spent most of her time alone with either her mother or her father. As a result, most of the speech she heard was directed at her. This in turn meant that almost every time she heard the word “you” it referred to her. It would be perfectly understandable if she thought of “you” as simply another name for herself.
Evans and Demuth note that the abrupt end of Naima’s pronoun reversal coincided with a family holiday. They speculate that the time spent with both mum and dad is what gave her the learning experience necessary to finally grasp the concept of “you”.
Oshima-Takane suggests a similar explanation for the high rates of pronoun reversal in deaf and autistic children. For deaf kids, having to rely on visual communication or poor quality auditory input makes it much more difficult to follow other people’s conversations. For autistic kids, the argument goes, the problem is more that they are disinterested in other people and so fail to pay attention to their conversations. Like Naima, both groups of children will only learn from speech that directly engages them and will mistakenly jump to the conclusion that “you” only ever refers to themselves.
So could this explain Ethan’s difficulties? Evans and Demuth suggest not, pointing out that, although he often used “you” to refer to himself, he used it appropriately on enough occasions to demonstrate that he’d grasped the concept.
Kanner’s explanation for pronoun reversal in autism came from another observation – that children with autism often repeat entire phrases verbatim, inappropriately and out of context. This so-called ‘echolalia’ would lead to reversals as the pronouns are repeated exactly as heard. British child psychiatrist, Michael Rutter gave the example of a hungry child requesting a biscuit by echoing the phrase “Do you want a biscuit?” The pronoun was reversed but the biscuit was obtained.
Consistent with this explanation, Evans and Demuth noted that Ethan was indeed most likely to reverse pronouns when imitating an utterance that somebody else had previously made. “Dad gave me that ring”, for example, was clearly a reversal but was almost certainly something his mum had said previously.
However, even using the most generous criteria, imitations accounted for less than half of Ethan’s recorded reversals. What’s more, in contrast to the child in Rutter’s example, he actually made relatively few reversals during requests. For example, when asking for his bottle, he said “I want bottle”, using “I” correctly (even though the sentence wasn’t fully formed).
Further analyses revealed two final clues. First, as well as using “you” to refer to himself, Ethan occasionally used “I” to refer to other people (something Naima very rarely did). Second, reversed pronouns were more likely to occur in sentences that contained multiple pronouns. For example, at aged 22 months, Ethan was recorded saying “I got you out” when he should have said “You got me out”.
These observations suggest that his problem lay, not in understanding the principles of which pronoun to use, but in applying those principles during a conversation. His problems were pragmatic rather than conceptual. More precisely, Evans and Demuth propose that Ethan’s pronoun reversal reflected difficulty in referential perspective taking – in choosing the right word given who was being referred to at any given moment in the conversation.
This account of Ethan’s pronoun reversal fits nicely with research suggesting that autistic children have difficulty with other linguistic terms that depend on the speaker’s perspective (Bartolucci & Albers, 1974).
In an intriguing study published last year, Peter Hobson and colleagues at University College London (Hobson et al. 2010) found that children with autism were competent at using “here” and “there” to refer to locations near or far from themselves. However, the same children struggled to follow similar instructions given by two other people – a task that required them to consider the speaker’s perspective to work out which locations “here” and “there” referred to.
Whether or not Evans and Demuth have solved the mystery of why these two particular children reversed their pronouns, their investigations demonstrate that, if you scratch beneath the surface, even a phenomenon as striking and specific as reversal of first- and second-person pronouns can have quite different underlying causes. In Naima’s case, it seems she misunderstood the meaning of “you”. In Ethan’s case, he appears to have grasped the concept but lacked the wherewithal to consistently choose the correct pronoun during a conversation.
Ethan’s case is particularly intriguing in the light of his Asperger syndrome diagnosis. However, it would be unwise to assume that he is representative of all individuals on the autism spectrum. His difficulties do not seem to be explicable in terms of either a lack of relevant linguistic experience or a tendency to echo phrases verbatim, but these may still be contributory factors, and could well explain pronoun reversal in other autistic individuals. Indeed, as noted earlier, Ethan’s error patterns are quite different to some other examples in the autism literature.
Perhaps the reason pronoun reversal is so common in autism is that there are several factors associated with autism that each contribute to the difficulties. Working out why a particular child reverses pronouns may require investigation on a case-by-case basis.
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Abstracts: Effects of inclusive education on pupils and students without Special Educational Needs: A Systematic Review
Effects of inclusive education on pupils and students without Special Educational Needs: A Systematic Review
Silvia Dell'Anna(presenting / submitting)Dario Ianes(presenting)Marta Pellegrini
ECER 2018
04. Inclusive Education
04 SES 09 E, Is Inclusive Education Making a Difference? Evidences from Research
Paper Session
Roselyn Dixon
Inclusive Education has been part of the international political agenda since the beginning of the ‘90s (UNESCO, 1994). The project of an inclusive school, or a school for all, expects policymakers and practitioners to strive for the common aim of creating educational institutions where all pupils and students learn alongside, independently from their individual functioning, their socio-cultural, linguistic, ethnical or economic background (UNESCO, 2000).
Inclusion and exclusion(s) are considered as two sides of the same coin, none of them can be successful when the other one is not taken into account.
Actions towards inclusion are part of a long and never ending process, regarding all pupils and students in favor of their presence, participation and learning. Likewise, inclusive processes should identify and remove barriers, reduce or eliminate any form of oppression or discrimination that could slow down or hinder the process, producing marginalization, exclusion and underachievement (IBE-UNESCO, 2016). For this reason, an emphasis on cultural, social and institutional change, as well as one on at risk groups are required.
In 2006 the UN Convention for the Rights of People with Disabilities reaffirms the need to take into account the rights of all pupils and students with disabilities, guaranteeing their access to and participation in inclusive school systems. Suitable contextual adaptations and reasonable accomodations are, thus, required to respond to the needs deriving from disabilities (UN, 2006).
Although almost three decades engaged most countries in implementing the ideal of inclusion in the practice, research in the field seems to be still insufficient and does not adequately support the project in terms of positive outcomes. As a consequence, the debate between full inclusionists and opponents is still heated (e.g. Farrell, 2012; Gordon, 2013; Imray & Colley, 2017).
In particular, researches should provide supportive results in terms of positive effects of inclusion, both on pupils with and without Special Educational Needs. Even if Special Educational Needs is a controversial macro-category (Vehmas, 2010), as it associates all pupils considered “at risks”, such as pupils with disability, difficulties and disadvantages (OECD, 2004), we considered it a useful category to refer to in order to analyse and discuss the effects of school inclusion on pupils and students.
The effects of inclusion on individuals should constitute a pivotal issue when considering implementing inclusion, in terms of academic achievement, participation and socialization but also regarding psychological aspects such as self-concept. Researches about effects of inclusion can use standardized tests, questionnaires, observations or interviews and, consequently, collect data about measured or perceived effects.
Most researches regarding this topic focus on the effects on students with disabilities, often considering specific categories of disability, such as for example Autistic Spectrum Disorders (e.g. Amber, Eidels, & Gregory, 2015; Ashburner, Ziviani, & Roger, 2010).
Few studies focus, instead, on pupils without Special Educational Needs (Kalambouka, et al. 2007) or consider both categories, with and without SEN in parallel (Ruijs & Peetsma, 2009).
Moreover, the lack of systematic reviews available in the field create a debate which is mostly dominated by different ideological positions and individual or group’s perceptions and much less based on empirical data.
Therefore, there is a need to understand if the debate regarding inclusion can be clarified by empirical studies and whether different positionings are supported by the results available.
The review here presented is part of a larger systematic review on measured and perceived effects of school inclusion on all pupils, both with and without SEN, in terms of achievement, participation, social skills and psychological aspects (i.e. attitudes and self-concept).
This abstract is focused on one part of this research synthesis, the systematic review of the literature regarding the effects of inclusion on pupils without SEN.
A systematic review is a literature review whose main aim is to synthesize the research findings in the literature available on a specific topic. This method is useful to inform policymakers and professional about data and evidence available (Cooper, Hedges, & Valentine, 2009). Two main research questions guided the review process: - Does inclusion have effects on the academic achievement of pupils and students without SEN in all school grades and university? - Does inclusion change classmates' effects regarding perceived social skills, self-concept, and attitudes? First of all, a definition of inclusion was chosen as a reference concept for this study. We did not want to apply too specific criteria regarding school and class organization, as we know that the concept is implemented in many different ways across different countries. We chose to consider a broad definition of inclusion, that is of a school for all where the political and institutional attempt is to make all students learn together, under similar circumstances. Some criteria of inclusion and exclusion were initially defined: - General context: Studies conducted in a context of inclusion in any countries from pre-school to University. - Time window: Articles published on international journals, in English, from 2008. The divide is the UN Convention for the Rights of People with Disabilities, in particular considering the last 10 years. - Type of sources: Peer reviewed international journals published in English. - Type of researches selected: Qualitative, Quantitative or Mixed Methods, with clear research procedure and structure. To answer the first question on the effects on academic achievement the studies need to use experimental or correlational designs. To answer the second question on perceived effects, the studies need to use quantitative, qualitative, or mixed-methods designs controlling for methodological qualities and potential bias. The authors are conducting a comprehensive search to locate relevant research. Different electronic databases are consulted (JSTOR, ERIC, PsychINFO, EBSCO) using different combinations of keywords (e.g. "inclusion" "inclusion of pupils with disability / SEN / emotional problems / behavior problems" "peers/classmates" "typically developing peers/classmates" "pupils/students without disabilities / SEN / label / statement" "achievement/performance" "perceived effects" "social skills" "attitudes" "acceptance/rejection" "socio-emotional effects"). References from previous reviews on inclusion and studies found were also investigated.
Expected Outcomes
The results of this systematic review could provide information, on one side, about the influence that inclusive processes have on the academic learning, social skills and attitudes of pupils without SEN and, on the other, regarding the way they experience school inclusion. Three categories of results should emerge: positive effects, negative effects and irrelevant/not significant effects. Quantitative studies will be classified on the basis of the effect size (positive or negative) or the statistical significance of this values. For qualitative research, instead, a set of criteria must be defined to evaluate the division within the three categories. Due to the large amount of the literature available in the field, delimiting criteria of inclusion and exclusion was necessary to make the study feasible. This could of course constitute a limitation of the study and could lead to selection and publication bias, as it excludes from the analysis information deriving from unpublished works, publications in other languages, publications on books and not peer reviewed journals. Similarly, the time limitation leaves out interesting studies published in the previous year. Considering a broad concept of inclusion as a reference, the effects on classmates could be the results of multiple and differentiated causes, related to the quality of the inclusive system itself. Given the complexity of school systems, we must select those recurring elements emerging from the analysis to understand whether some areas of individual functioning are more affected, both positively or negatively, by school inclusion. These outcomes could help identify the shortages of knowledge regarding the effects of inclusion and, moreover, underline those aspects that need to be further or better investigated in relation to their causes.
Ambler, P.G., Eidels, A. & Gregory, C. (2015). Anxiety and aggression in adolescents with autism spectrum disorders attending mainstream schools. Research in Autism Spectrum Disorders, 18, 97-109. DOI: 10.1016/j.rasd.2015.07.005 Ashburner, J., Ziviani, J., & Rodger, S. (2010). Surviving in the mainstream: Capacity of children with autism spectrum disorders to perform academically and regulate their emotions and behavior at school. Research in Autism Spectrum Disorders, 4 (1), 18-27. DOI: 10.1016/j.rasd.2009.07.002 Cooper, H., Hedges, L. V., & Valentine, J. C. (Eds.). (2009). The handbook of research synthesis and meta-analysis. New York: Russell Sage Foundation. Farrell, M. (2012). New perspectives in Special Education. Contemporary philosophical debates. London: Routledge. Gordon J.-S. (2013). Is Inclusive Education a Human Right? The Journal of Law, Medicine & Ethics, 41(4), 754-767. Imray, P., & Colley, A. (2017). Inclusion is dead. Long live inclusion. London: Routledge. International Bureau of Education-UNESCO (IBE-UNESCO) (2016). Training Tools for Curriculum Development - Reaching Out to All Learners: a Resource Pack for Supporting Inclusive Education. Geneva, Switzerland: International Bureau of Education-UNESCO. Kalambouka, A., Farrell, P., Dyson, A., & Kaplan, I. (2007). The impact of placing pupils with special educational needs in mainstream schools on the achievement of their peers. Educational Research, 29(4), 365-382. DOI: 10.1080/00131880701717222 OECD (2004), Equity in Education: Students with Disabilities, Learning Difficulties and Disadvantages. Paris: OECD Publishing. http://dx.doi.org/10.1787/9789264103702-en. Ruijs, N.M., Peetsma, T.T.D. (2009). Effects of inclusion on students with and without special education needs reviewed. Educational Research Review, 4, 67-79. UN (2006). Convention on the rights of persons with disabilities and Optional Protocol. Last access 11/01/2018, retrieved from http://www.un.org/disabilities/documents/convention/convoptprot-e.pdf UNESCO (1994). Salamanca Statement on principles, policy and practice in Special Needs Education and Framework for Action on Special Needs Education. Salamanca, Spain: UNESCO. Last access 20/01/2018, retrieved from http://www.unesco.org/education/pdf/SALAMA_E.PDF UNESCO (2000). The Dakar Framework for Action, Education for All: Meeting our Collective Commitments. Dakar, Senegal: UNESCO. Last access 20/01/2018, retrieved from http://unesdoc.unesco.org/images/0012/001211/121147e.pdf Vehmas, S. (2010). Special needs: a philosophical analysis. International Journal of Inclusive Education, 14(1), 87-96. DOI: 10.1080/13603110802504143
Silvia Dell'Anna (presenting / submitting)
Dario Ianes (presenting)
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Anne Workman (c1761- after 1860), Centenarian, 52 Ancestors #57
Posted on January 31, 2015 by Roberta Estes
Anne Workman was born sometime after her parents, Joseph Workman and Phoebe McMahen were married in 1761 in York County, PA.
Based on her marriage in 1788 to Samuel Muncy, she would likely have been born before 1768. Later census records put the date between 1761 and 1769, although the census can be notoriously incorrect. So, it would be safe to say she was born sometime between 1761 and 1769.
We know little about her early life, except by virtue of what was happening in the world around Anne when she was growing up.
Anne spent at least part of her youth in York County, one of the most “interesting” places to have been during the Revolutionary War. “Interesting” of course is a matter of perspective.
Anne would have been a teenager when Yorktown, in York County, became a focal point of the War, but her family had probably moved on by then.
It’s not known exactly when the family moved from York County, at the eastern end of PA, to Washington County, near Pittsburgh, on the far western end of the state. Washington County, PA was formed in 1781, in honor of George Washington. It is bordered on the south by present day West. Virginia, which was at that time the state of Virginia.
Anne’s father, Joseph Workman is listed in the Pennsylvania Revolutionary War Battalions and Militia Index, 1775-1783 for Washington County, PA at the Pennsylvania State Digital archives.
Anne was one of ten children born to Joseph Workman and Phoebe McMahon. Joseph and Phoebe started their married life in York County, PA and moved to Washington County, PA about the time of the Revolutionary War. They did not move to Montgomery County, VA until sometime in the 1780s, probably between 1781 and 1783. The Workman men served in the Montgomery County militia after their arrival and were on the compiled rolls that included men from 1777-1790.
These were not trivial moves.
Anne’s parents were probably in Montgomery County, VA by September 1785 when Abraham Workman, probably Anne’s brother, married Hannah Lirner, according to “Some VA Marriages: 1700-1799” compiled by Cecil D. McDonald, Jr.
We know that Anne Workman married Samuel Muncy in Montgomery County three years later, the marriage bond shown below.
Anne’s father, Joseph wrote a letter authorizing the marriage on June 16, 1788.
Based on early land grants and deeds, the Muncy family lived on Walker’s Creek in Montgomery County. They seemed settled there, at least until the later 1790s, but the Workman family is found moving increasingly north and west. Anne’s father, Joseph, was found by 1793 in Wythe County, after it was formed.
In 1799, Samuel Muncy and Agnes Craven, the parents of the Samuel Muncy that Anne Workman married, moved to Lee County, Virginia. From the information we have, Samuel Muncy and Anne Workman went along with the family. Several of Samuel’s siblings went as well, and the family lived on the Powell River in Lee County, very near the border with Claiborne County, Tennessee for the next dozen years. The area of Walker’s Creek in Montgomery County and the Powell River area, shown below, in Lee County are very similar.
We don’t find Samuel and Anne in the records. It appears that the children of Samuel Muncy and Agnes Craven were fairly transparent. Some appeared on the personal tax lists, which is how we know the names of the group that left in 1811 when Samuel Muncy and Agnes Craven sold their land.
At least some of their children remained behind.
Hannah Muncey, born in 1771 to Samuel Muncy and Agnes Craven married a Bayley and remained in Lee County.
Reuben Muncy, went to Kentucky but had returned to Lee County by 1820 and had moved south in to Claiborne Co., TN by 1840.
It’s uncertain whether Francis Muncy and James were sons of Samuel Muncy and Agnes Craven or sons of their son, Samuel Muncy and Anne Workman – but regardless, it is certain that they stayed in Lee County, Virginia.
Samuel Muncy and Anne Workman remained behind in Lee County as well.
For Samuel, it must have been difficult to see his siblings and possibly his parents climb into a wagon and leave, knowing full well that he would probably never see them again.
If Samuel’s parents left for Kentucky in 1811 as well, they would have been around age 70. It’s surmised that the sale of Samuel and Agnes’s land in 1811, the disappearance of Samuel and his sons from the Lee County tax list, and the appearance of some of these individuals in Knox (now Harlan) County, KY are connected events.
Anne Workman Muncy, however, had already said all of her good byes to her family in 1799. She had been married for eleven years and probably had several children by that time. To load everything you have in a wagon, including your children, and leave your entire blood family behind must have been very difficult. She was probably about 31 or 32 years of age. I wonder if she looked back with tears or ahead with resolve, or maybe a bit of both.
Today, that trip is 180 miles and about three and a half hours. Then, it would have taken at least a couple of weeks, enduring whatever weather Mother Nature had to offer.
Francis Muncy and James Muncy may have been children of Samuel Muncy and Anne Workman. They were born in 1788 and about 1790, respectively. We don’t know of any more children until Agnes is born on January 19, 1803. Sarah Muncy who married Jeremiah Owens was born sometime between 1801 and 1807, according to later census records. Samuel who married Louisa Fitts was born probably between 1800 and 1805.
Anne Workman Muncy would have been able to bear children until she was about 45 years of age, so until about 1813 or so. Surely they had more children.
In 1809, Francis Muncy married Lovey Randolph. James married Nancy Owens about 1815 and by 1820, both Agnes and Sarah had married as well to Fairwick Claxton and Jeremiah Muncy, respectively. In 1825, Samuel Muncy married Louisa Fitts.
We know that Sarah who married Jeremiah Owens was a Muncy, because the death certificate of James B. Owens, the youngest son of Sarah Muncy Owens gives his parents as Jerry Owens and Sallie Muncy. This is the only firm documentation we have of the maiden name of Sarah.
We also know that Sarah Muncy Owens and Agnes Clarkson/Claxton were sisters based upon testimony given in the chancery suit filed after Fairwick Clarkson/Claxton’s death. In that suit, William and James Owens testify and William states that he is the nephew of Fairwick Claxton. Agnes Clarkson/Claxton is the wife of Fairwick. Fairwick’s sisters did not marry Owens men and we find both William and James Owens in the 1850 census with Jeremiah and Sarah Muncy Owens as their parents.
The 1800 and 1810 census don’t exist for either Lee County, VA or Claiborne County, TN.
Anne Workman Muncy bore witness to a second war as well, the War of 1812. While none of the actual fighting took place in Lee or Claiborne County, the men from those locations enlisted, or were drafted, and served in other locations, often walking hundreds of miles to Alabama where the Tennessee forces clashed with the Creek Indians.
Francis Muncy, of course, was a common name within the Muncy family, being the name of the American progenitor for which someone in each generation was named. There is a War of 1812 service record for a Francis Muncy in Virginia in Bradley’s Regiment, from in Wythe County. This is not likely our Francis.
A Samuel Muncy served in Evan’s Virginia Militia, but I was unable to determine where that militia unit was formed.
The National Archives is in the process of digitizing the War of 1812 records, so we will hopefully, soon, be able to determine if the Samuel who served was Anne’s husband or son.
The 1820 Lee County census documents Francis, Reubin, James, Jeremiah, John, Joshua and one Nancy, over the age of 45 living alone. Of course, this causes an entire raft of questions and provides absolutely no answers. Nancy, of course, is a common nickname for Anne. Nancy (Anne) Workman Muncy would have been about age 52, but we know that son Samuel was not married until 1825, so he would likely have been living with his family. Also, if this is our Nancy, where was her husband, Samuel? Unfortunately, the census is in semi-alpha order, so we can’t tell who is living near whom. We really don’t know who this Nancy Muncy was and the only thing we know about her age is that she was over 45. She could have been quite elderly. Nancy is not found in 1830.
The 1830 census shows us several Muncy men in Lee County.
Francis age 30-40 (born 1790-1800)
James age 30-40 (born 1790-1800)
Samuel age 20-30 (born 1800-1810)
John age 20-30 (born 1800-1810) plus a male age 60-70 and a female age 60-70
John age 30-40 (born 1790-1800)
Jeremiah age 40-50 (born 1780-1790)
Samuel Muncy and Anne Workman would have been about 62 years of age and could well have been the couple with John, age 20-30. John could have been their son.
We catch what is probably a glimpse of Anne Workman Muncy, by the name of Nancy, in the Thompson Settlement Church notes in 1833 when a Nancy Muncy joins the church by experience. That means she would have been baptized and not joined from another church. She would have been about 65 years old. In Montgomery County, Virginia, the family would have been Anglican, based on early records that indicate two churches were formed; one Presbyterian church for the Scotch-Irish and the Anglican church for the balance of the population.
An entire group of Muncy and related folks joined the church within a few months, and many on the same days. On the first Saturday of September and the first Saturday of October in 1833, a Nancy Muncy joined the church.
1st Sept Sat 1833
1833 Frances Muncy received by experience (son of either Samuel and Anne Workman Muncy or Samuel Munch and Agnes Craven)
1833 Nancy Muncy by experience (probably Anne Workman Muncy)
1st Sat Oct 1833
1833 Anny Muncy by exp (probably daughter of James Muncy)
1833 James Muncy by exp (possible son of Samuel and Anne Workman)
1833 Nancy Muncy by exp (probably Nancy Owens, wife of James)
1st Sat November 1833
1833 Samuel Muncy (probably Samuel (the fourth), son of Samuel and Anne Workman Muncy)
1st Sat Jan 1834
Louisa Muncy (probably Lousia Fitts, wife of Samuel (the fourth))
The 1840 Lee County, census shows several Muncy families, many younger.
However, we find Samuel Muncy, age 30-40 beside Jeremiah Owens, age 30-40, 2 doors from Willoughby Muncy (son of Francis), 2 doors from Cornelius Fitts.
This is the group of people, known relatives, who signed as executor and bond for Samuel Muncy who died in 1839, probably the husband of Anne Workman Muncy.
We also find a Francis, age 50-60 and then a John age 30-40 with a male and female, ages 70-79. We also find James, age 40-50.
In 1840, in Claiborne County, TN, across the county/state border, Fairwick Claxton has a female living in his household, age 70-80 (born 1760-1770), likely Anne Workman Muncy.
The last two pieces of information we have about Anne are pretty amazing, actually, when you think about it
In both the 1850 and the 1860 census, Nancy Munsy was living with Agnes and Fairwick Claxton in Claiborne County, TN. They lived just a couple doors away from Sarah and Jeremiah Owens, Agnes’s sister, and James Muncy had moved close by as well.
In the 1850 census, Nancy is shown to be age 81 (born 1769) and in 1860, she is shown to be age 99 (born 1761).
Nancy was born in a time before modern medicine. There were no antibiotics. There were no childhood inoculations, and there was no clean, treated water supply. Childbirth was risky for mother and child both, and many didn’t survive. Roughly half the children died before reaching adulthood from illnesses today that we don’t even consider particularly dangerous.
Yet, Anne survived. She survived at least three major moves by wagon, from one side of Pennsylvania to the other, likely during the Revolutionary War. Then, just a few years later, from Pennsylvania to the Shenandoah Valley of Virginia where the family settled and she married.
“Shenandoah River, aerial” by La Citta Vita
In another decade, she would be loading into the wagon again, moving from Montgomery County to Lee County, VA.
Anne would have said a tearful goodbye to her parents, then in their 60s, but she would not be at their gravesides in another few years when they died. That news, she would have received by letter or by “family grapevine,” if at all.
Anne probably lost siblings and children and she did lose her husband, yet survived another 20+ years.
In all of Hancock County, in 1860, there was only one other woman even near Anne (Nancy) Workman Muncy’s age, also named Nancy, ironically. There were a couple within a few years in Hawkins, Scott and Lee Counties, but very few.
Anne, known as Nancy Workman Muncy beat the odds.
We don’t know how much longer she lived, only that she was not in the 1870 census. I really hope she made it to 100 and all of her extended family visited and gathered around, and that she enjoyed her very special day with lots of visits. After all, what else does a centenarian want? She would have had a slew of great and great-great-grandchildren by then – more than 55 that I know of, and I’ve lost track of several lines – plus the children she assuredly had that we don’t know about today.
Anne is assuredly buried in the Clarkson/Claxton cemetery. That cemetery figured in the land that her son-in-law Fairwick left his heirs and was described as being in the center of the land, right near the main house, where Anne would have lived for the last 20+ years of her life.
I hope Anne got to sit outside on a beautiful spring day and just soak up the warm mountain sunshine, maybe watching her great-grandchildren play on the rocks and near the barn.
I sure wish I could sit and talk with her about the century of life she saw, what changed in her lifetime and how. She was born before the Revolutionary War. Her father served. I wonder what she thought – should we as a country secede and try to make it on our own, or should we remain a colony of England? She would have been a teen when that was being decided. And, her family was moving – two long moves within just a few years. Why did they decide to head west at that time – to the edge of the frontier? What she excited or frightened? How did that affect her life?
Another 15 years later, in 1799, she herself pushed the frontier further west, homesteading in a land just surveyed and with few settlers on Wallin’s Ridge in Lee County. She left family behind in Virginia and then, in turn, was left behind when her in-laws and Samuel Muncy’s siblings packed up for Kentucky a dozen years after settling on Wallin’s Ridge.
She saw men leave and fight, some of them not returning from the War of 1812. Her own neighbor, James Claxton, the man who would have been her daughter, Agnes’s father-in-law, was one of those who died. It was his land that Anne Workman Muncy lived out her life and died upon.
If the Samuel Muncy who married Louisa Fitts was her son, she stood by his grave as they buried him in 1843. If James Muncy was her son, she buried him in 1854 and depending on when she died, she may have buried Francis Muncy in 1864. She would have stood in the cemetery, near where her own grave would be when they buried her grandson, James Claxton, and his wife sometime between 1845 and 1850. She probably helped raise those great-grandchildren, as they lived with Agnes and Fairwix Claxton, as did she. They would have known their great-grandmother well.
She may have stood inside the cemetery, over and over again, as her grandsons and great-grandsons were buried as a result of the Civil War. She would have grieved with her daughter, Agnes Muncy Claxton/Clarkson, as word came again and again of their capture and deaths.
Anne Workman Muncy was still alive as the country trembled on the brink of yet a third war in her lifetime, one that would horribly divide and not unite the country. She could have seen the Civil War which terribly devastated Hancock County and divided the families irreparably between allegiances to the Union and the Confederacy. Let’s hope she didn’t suffer through that catastrophe. Let’s hope by then, Anne “Nancy” Workman Muncy was resting in peace in the Clarkson cemetery, outside the back door, with the rest of her family.
Only the two known daughters of Anne Workman Muncy would have passed her mitochondrial DNA on to future generations. Women give their mitochondrial DNA to both genders of children, but only females pass it on. Since it is not mixed with the DNA of the father, it gives us a periscope to peer into the past and see where her matrilineal lines originated in the world.
Sarah Muncy Owens had several daughters, according to the census, but I have had a difficult time finding them as adults.
Nancy born in 1820
Agness born in 1826
Louisa born in 1828, married a David Rice in Hancock County and had two children, Sarah and Mary Ann, before dying in 1860 in childbirth, according to the census mortality schedule. Daughter Sarah married Daniel Owens.
Mary Ann born in 1829
Martha born in 1837
Mildred born in 1842, married Clinton Clouse and had daughters Lorinda who married George Cole, Sarah, Coraline and Elnora. Lived in Harlan County, KY in 1900.
Agnes Muncy Claxton had only two daughters who married and had children:
Sally Claxton born 1829, died 1900, married Robert Shiflet and had daughters Elizabeth who married William Lundy, Catherine who married Pleasant Powell, Rhoda who married John Burchfield and Agnes who married Tom Smith.
Rebecca Claxton born in 1834, died in 1923, married Calvin Wolfe, had daughters Nancy who married a Marcum, Elizabeth who married Francis Marion Herd, Agnes, June, Sasha (Sarah) who married Charles Hobbs and Easter who married Charles Cole.
I have a DNA scholarship for anyone who descends from these daughters through all females to the current generation. Males are fine in the current generation, because woman pass their mitochondrial DNA to both genders of children.
This entry was posted in Mitochondrial DNA and tagged 52 Weeks of Ancestors, Examples by Roberta Estes. Bookmark the permalink.
14 thoughts on “Anne Workman (c1761- after 1860), Centenarian, 52 Ancestors #57”
Nora on January 31, 2015 at 6:28 pm said:
Know that the Workman surname could have come from the Dutch Woertman surname. There were Woertmans in NJ of which I descend from one of them.
robertajestes on January 31, 2015 at 6:57 pm said:
It’s the same family Nora!!!!!
I would be very interested to see who you tie back to, and how far you have been able to go back.
Georgeann Johnson on January 31, 2015 at 7:05 pm said:
I love your Ancestral Tales! Anne Workman Muncy sure lived a genuine slice of American history! I just read somewhere(I don’t think it was your blog) that there have been 262 Americans,documented, that have lived to be over 112 years old. There was a special name for that category, but I don’t recall it. Anyway, knowing that women live longer than men, I counted the males in the Roll. 14 out of 262! That XX is good for “staying power”!
dogofthevikings@yahoo.com on January 31, 2015 at 7:12 pm said:
Really appreciate your efforts with DNAeXplained but, I must correct the statement about Yorktown. The surrender of Cornwallis was at Yorktown VA. Jamestown, Williamsburg and Yorktown are considered the historic triangle in VA.
Respectively yours Roger Brooks
Love DNA eXplained
Rachel on February 1, 2015 at 3:57 am said:
Yes! I second that. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yorktown_order_of_battle
Mari Nielsen on January 31, 2015 at 7:59 pm said:
Once again you’ve written an interesting story about your ancestors, weaving in historical events that took place during their lifetime. I always enjoy these and look forward to new installations! I have one comment about Nancy Munsy in the 1850 census – her age looks to me to be 81 rather than 91 . . . maybe it’s my old eyes!
Or maybe it’s my typing. Thank you – I’ll recheck that:)
Brenda Wattenbarger on February 1, 2015 at 5:09 pm said:
Info I have on Abraham Workman states on his application for pension that he was born Jan. 25, 1761 in Washington Co, PA – his mother and father didn’t marry til August 1761 (parents Joseph Workman and Phoebe McMahon (McMahen). I also have Workman’s in my line. My grandmother Bertha Alma Crotty Meadows was the daughter of Elizabeth Ann Workman (1850 Peterstown, Monroe, VA/WV and Jonas Edward Crotty (1843); I have as the parents of Elizabeth – John M. Workman b. April 10, 1814 Monroe Co, VA and wife Permelia Rice b. 1819 Boone Co, VA (I have a hard copy of their marriage certificate). I have as John’s parents – Joseph Workman Jr. born 1773 Washington Twp, York Co, VA and wife Hannah Reed ab. 1782 Monroe, Amherst, VA; I have as Joseph Jr.s father Joseph Workman Sr. b. 1732 Raritan, Somerset Co, NJ and wife Phoebe McCray McMahon b. 1745 Church, York Co, PA.
robertajestes on February 2, 2015 at 12:05 am said:
Washington County wasn’t formed until 1781, so I wonder about the location. Where do you show the marriage? I show it in York Co, PA, all the way at the other end of the state, on August 4th. Let’s exchange info further.
Pingback: Phoebe McMahon (c1741-after 1815), Frontier Wife, 52 Ancestors #58 | DNAeXplained – Genetic Genealogy
Rhonda Wheeler on May 4, 2015 at 7:12 am said:
Amazing to find this ! I just had my DNA done a few months ago and DNA show Anne Workman I carry her DNA !! Anne Workman is my 4th great grandmother … that make me a grand daughter ….my grandmother is Nancy Muncy her dad is Thomas Muncy and his mother is Anne Workman and his father is Samuel Muncy! Amazing story about her..she seem like a strong will person !!
robertajestes on May 7, 2015 at 12:11 am said:
Wonderful. Another Muncy cousin!!!!
Barbara Bauer on January 11, 2016 at 9:46 pm said:
I’m also just realizing Muncy and Workman connections, thanks to some triangulated segments and your blog (thank you so much!) and am writing a long note to you – could you email me? But just want to add here that I ran across a Montgomery County, VA minister’s return in Mary Kegley’s “Early Adventurers on the Western Waters,” Vol. II. On page 145 is a 1788 list of marriages by Edward Morgan, including June 16, Samuel Muncy and Anne Workman. Edward Morgan was a Methodist preacher at the first Methodist church in western Virginia – Samuel and Anne may have been Methodists rather than Anglicans before their move to Lee County. My GGGG Grandfather James Addair was bondsman on Edward Morgan’s marriage bond, and his third wife was the widow of the man who donated the land for the Methodist chapel, Alexander Page. The Addairs appear to have a Muncy/Workman connection which I’d dearly love to figure out.
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New Student Group, Certificate Program Both Tackle Issue of Human Trafficking
By Matt Erickson
Office of University Communications
In Guatemala the summer after her freshman year at Drexel, Kaelee Shepherd sat in the passenger seat of a car as it stopped at a red light. A young girl, maybe 7 or 8, walked up to her window.
“She’s dressed in a clown costume,” Shepherd remembered. “Her face is just completely blank. She looked worn out.”
Wordlessly, the girl started juggling for a few seconds. Then she stopped and stretched out her hand, palm turned up.
Shepherd looked around and saw other children at car windows, doing the same thing. Something was wrong, she knew, but she felt helpless. Then the light turned green. But somehow, she thought, she needed to do something.
“From that day on, I always think about that little girl,” said Shepherd, who’s now finishing her fourth year as an international area studies major at Drexel. Three years after that trip to Guatemala, she is indeed doing something. She’s working alongside Donna Sabella, a faculty member in the College of Nursing and Health Professions, to help educate more people about the global scourge of human trafficking and encourage them to take action to fight it.
Shepherd this year founded a student group devoted to the issue of human trafficking, Students Advocating Against Slavery, with Sabella as its faculty adviser. And Sabella, an assistant clinical professor and director of global studies for CNHP, will begin overseeing a new Human Trafficking Certificate program in the fall. Sabella is also a founder and associate editor of Journal for Human Trafficking, which is scheduled to publish its first edition in January 2015.
“There’s a lot of interest across the board in human trafficking,” Sabella said. “It’s an area of social justice, and it’s an area that people in the helping professions are often interested in.”
Shepherd became interested in the issue after she watched a video about child sex trafficking produced by the organization Love146 during her freshman year at Drexel.
“I was just taken aback,” Shepherd said. “I had no idea that something like that existed.”
After she saw that little girl in Guatemala, she was further convinced that she needed to take action. After a chance encounter with Sabella, a longtime mental health nurse who took interest in the issue after working with Philadelphia-area victims of trafficking, she asked for help starting an organization.
Now the group has officers and members in place, and this spring it co-sponsored its first major event: a talk by author E. Benjamin Skinner. Shepherd and her fellow members aim to educate the Drexel community about human trafficking and slavery, while also partnering with local and international organizations to offer help.
“We want to see a world without slavery,” said Shepherd, who's serving as the group's president. Other officers are Selah Stivers, vice president; Alexis Pozonsky, treasurer; and Anna Clapham, secretary.
Students interested in joining the group can indicate their interest in an email to saas.drexelu@gmail.com.
Sabella will aid in the trafficking education effort in her own way with her certificate program, which has been in the works for a while. The three-course sequence, intended for individuals who already have bachelor’s degrees, will teach students about the people involved in trafficking, as well as the economics and policies related to the multibillion-dollar, international shadow industry. She plans to invite both former victims of trafficking as well as former traffickers.
The subject matter could appeal to people working in the fields of health care, public health, law enforcement, social work and more, she said. And it’s a subject in which people from all walks of life can be interested.
“It just robs people of their humanity and their dignity,” Sabella said. “It’s illegal. It’s immoral on so many levels. People get worked up about puppy farms and dog mills, and we’re talking about human beings.”
Read more from DrexelNow »
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Have you ever wondered what successful people know that you don't? For over twenty years, I have worked with people to help clarify what keeps them stuck or struggling and move them forward in ways they never thought possible. Challenge Your Thinking Podcast is a natural outgrowth of my practice which is about helping you to find ways to overcome obstacles or challenges that stand in your way. If you are interested in making major shifts in your life, business or relationships let's talk.
Tara Mohr, author of Playing Big: Practical Wisdom for Women Who Want to Speak Up, Create, and Lead– is here to help us identify the ways that sabotage us in making our own unique and positive difference in the world. Tara is here to remind us that if we want to live a life with no regrets, we have to step into the light. She dispels the myth that success will diminish self-doubt, as our fear is the hitchhiker that will be right there with us along for the ride. So instead of waiting for the exact right conditions before you start testing the waters, the best time to keep moving forward is here and now. Bestselling authors such as Elizabeth Gilbert have praised Tara’s work, and for good reason. As you’ll discover throughout this interview, Tara has translated her passion for empowering women into practical advice and tools that are timely especially today as we are witnessing an overdue shift in our culture towards women.as we are witnessing a shift in our culture. I’m excited to share Tara’s valuable insight on how to stop playing it safe and start playing it big with our one and only life.
Bob Proctor is widely regarded as one of the living masters and teachers of The Law of Attraction and has worked in the area of mind potential for close to 50 years. He is the best-selling author of “You Were Born Rich,” and has transformed the lives of millions through his books, seminars, courses and personal coaching. He is known as a direct link to the modern science of success, stretching back to Andrew Carnegie, the great financier and philanthropist. Carnegies’s secrets inspired and enthused Napoleon Hill, whose book “Think and Grow Rich,” in turn inspired a whole genre of success philosophy books. Napoleon Hill, in turn, passed the baton on to Early Nightingale who has since placed it in Bob Proctor’s capable hands.” Bob also appeared as one of the lead interviews in the blockbuster hit, “The Secret” and he is here to share his wisdom with us and help us celebrate our 100th interview.
Sudeep Balain happens to be last year’s most listened to guest and the first time I have brought someone back twice. This time we spoke while he was traveling and if you have yet to meet Sudeep he is hard to forget. When I first had the opportunity to talk with him last fall he had published a book called You are Love, and our conversation was so rich and his journey so interesting that I decided to check in on him again because knowing Sudeep, he would have more insights to share with us. So if you haven’t listened to our first interview please consider doubling back and listening to it for greater context and if not I’m still convinced there may be something for you. In Sudeep’s book he takes us on his journey from a successful, monied career and sixteen year marriage until his world came crumbling down with the news his wife and children were leaving him. The news left him reeling and sent him searching around the world to sit at the feet of spiritual gurus he hoped could help him to find the answers he craved. Instead, Sudeep has become a master of learning the value of sitting with his feelings and the ambiguity that life often has to offer us. Whether or not you have the desire to travel to an ashram in an attempt to uncover life’s meaning, I think we all can relate to Sudeep’s desire to understand his place in the world and to cut through the noise of our lives with our most honest questions.
Lindsey Jacobellis went to the 2006 Winter Olympics in Torino, Italy as the American snowboarding favorite. After a split second decision on her last jump she walked away as one of the “Unluckiest Olympian’s” ever watched. At the age of 19 she became the target of too many naysayers and critics to count. It didn’t seem to matter that she walked away having won the Silver Medal. Her critics wanted blood and there were more of them than most of us will ever have to face. At last count there were almost 30K articles written about her. It’s been a long road for Lindsey since that day in 2006 and she has learned much about herself and her sport. Along the way she has become the current record holder for the most Gold medals won by any female at the Winter X Games and is once again heading towards the possibility of Olympic Gold. In our interview, Lindsey opens up about how she is facing those literal and figurative mountains again with a newfound mindset: that winning or losing she will not let either define her identity. She is here to remind us that when we learn to live through a loss, we often come out stronger and more prepared to handle a win. Set to compete in the 2018 Pyongyang Winter Olympics as “one of the athletes to watch” all eyes will once again be on Lindsey Jacobellis, however, this time she will be back with a secret weapon—a rooted self-assurance that no medal will ever be able to take away again.
Kate T. Parker has taken her skill and creativity and blended it to help reshape and expand our culture’s concept of female beauty by empowering girls to believe that real beauty and strength lies in being 100% genuine. Kate’s book, “Strong is the New Pretty,” is a collection of 175 photographs that explore and celebrate beauty based on authenticity. As a mother of daughters herself, this topic is deeply personal for Kate, and as you’ll soon discover, her passion for supporting and empowering girls is an important message… one that all too many brush aside. Alongside the launch of her book, Kate has extended her philanthropic efforts to partner with organizations like Girls on the Run and The Bully Project, investing in girls’ health and education and has also collaborated with brands like Athleta, Kellogg’s and Oxygen. Whether you are a parent of girls or know one this episode is for you. If we want to live in a world where our girls get to play an active role in shaping the future, then we’ve got to begin the work of empowering them now. And Kate’s here to tell us what we can do to join that team.
Dr. Barry Schwartz, is here to explain why more choices are making us miserable. Contrary to conventional thinking that we can make better choices when we have endless options his 2004 book “The Paradox of Choice,” explains that instead of succumbing to the pressure of needing to make the best decision in every situation he is here to discuss the power of “good enough.” Barry offers us both practical advice on how to navigate a world of endless choice, as well as gives us a fresh take on wisdom for the modern age. If you struggle with making decisions listening to Barry discuss his research and perspective may possibly have you walking away transformed because if “good enough” really does promise less anxiety and a more satisfied existence, then it is an option at least worth considering.
Bill Hayes will be the first to tell you that when you lose someone dear to you, you learn what it’s like to live with a void. You become familiar with the emptiness of your bed, and you will likely find yourself aching to tell the one you lost something, anything about your day, about your life. No matter how long they’ve been gone, their memory is most often pervasive—their life is still an intimate part of yours. You will probably even find yourself hoping for a sign, even look for some sign that they’re still with you. So how do you go on living when someone you love is no longer physically there to share it with and make life more meaningful? My guest, Bill Hayes, knows the sting of loss very personally. He has lost two partners throughout his life, and as a writer and photographer, he prolifically shares his experience in a way that will likely help others feel less alone in the world. He’s written four books, and is a frequent contributor to the New York Times. He also happens to struggle with insomnia, which he has described in his recent memoir, Insomniac City. Bestselling author Anne Lamott praised Bill’s work as “A beautifully written once-in-a-lifetime book, about love, about life, soul, and the wonderful loving genius Oliver Sacks, and New York, and laughter and all of creation.” As you’ll soon come to discover in our conversation, Bill has a gift for preserving and magnifying the tender details of life in a way that will hopefully make you want to live your own to the fullest, and he possesses a wisdom I’m convinced can only be found in someone who has had to grapple with moving forward in the face of devastating loss.
Dr. Judson Brewer is someone who has dedicated his career to uncovering the benefits of paying attention, or what is typically known as mindfulness. He is the Director of Research at the Center for Mindfulness and an Associate Professor of Psychiatry and Medicine at the University of Massachusetts School of Medicine. In his new book, “The Craving Mind: From Cigarettes to Smartphones to Love – Why We Get Hooked and How We Can Break Bad Habits,” he unpacks the science behind the many different kinds of addiction and how we can conquer them. He is an important voice in the relatively young field of mindfulness research because he makes it accessible to all of us, not just those who “meditate.” Mindfulness isn’t one more thing we have to mindful of; rather, If we can stay curious, we can stay mindful. And when we are mindful, we can then remain more present to our one and only precious life.
Rebekah Gregory has endured a hell many might not recover from. She and her son were standing three feet away from the explosion that rocked the Boston Marathon in 2013. In a moment of sheer terror her life and her sons was changed forever. Many survivors were left to piece together their shattered and disrupted lives that day. As hard to believe as it sounds, Rebekah is one of the survivors who will remind us that the broken pieces we are sometimes dealt can be used to build something even stronger than before. In her new book, “Taking My Life Back,” she describes how she has found a way to be gentle towards herself in her recovery while also pushing forward to offer others hope in the midst of their pain. She shows us that while we might all have difficult chapters in our lives, the story can move forward. And while we might not see or understand how the broken pieces in our lives could possibly fit together again when the pain is overwhelming, she reminds us that there is still hope to be found on the other side of tragedy.
Lainey Morse knows more than most that finding those peaceful moments where we can heal can be hard to come by. So if you’re someone who looks for ways of finding solace, then chances are our next guest is someone you will want to listen to. Lainey had an idea that went viral. She bought the farm so to speak but in a good decision kind of way. And, the name of her farm “No Regrets” says it all. Lainey’s Farm and idea has gotten lots of attention lately from NPR to the NY Times and word is getting around because she found a creative way to create a uniques place for others to disconnect from their stressful schedules and immerse themselves in nature. Lainey’s idea is yoga with a twist or a hoof–yoga with goats that is–And you’ll soon hear for yourself just how unique that twist actually is. Lainey’s understands firsthand what it feels like to have your world crumble beneath you, and how to dig deep for the tenacity to keep going and she is here to share her back to nature discovery with us. I hope you enjoy this story and country air as much as I did.
Alyssa Monks has been able to channel her pain and grieving into creating powerful visual art. Her paintings are a unique blend of abstraction and realism, showcasing her gift for conveying the vulnerability of the human experience. She has quickly become one of my favorite artists. Alyssa’s work has been featured in galleries from Manhattan to Germany, and, I think in part because she has found a profoundly personal way to convey the universal experience of loss. While it’s often our knee-jerk reaction to run away from our grieving, imperfection, and pain, Alyssa reminds us that we’re robbing ourselves of some profound inner growth when we do. What she ultimately discovered and now transfers to her work is this astonishing realization that loss is a passageway to an even deeper connection with ourselves and others. Every one of us will experience loss at some point in our lives and we have choices when we do—We can steel ourselves away from those feelings, or we can stay vulnerable and open to what those moments have to teach us. Alyssa and her astonishing body of work are living proof that choosing the latter will take us further faster.
Adam Grant is a New York Times bestselling author, top TedTalk presenter and organizational psychologist who explores the value and need for thinkers who color outside the lines in his new book, Originals: How Non-Conformists Move the World. As you will come to understand throughout this interview, Adam has a way of turning how we typically think on its head; inspiring us to re-imagine what might actually be possible when we champion new ideas rather than squash them. Whether you are a creative thinker who may feel like a misfit or a leader who could use some fresh ideas for empowering your team, you won’t want to miss this opportunity to learn from Adam—who is in my opinion, one of the most important minds in our culture today.
Celeste Headlee is an award-winning journalist, author, public speaker, and vocalist spreading the timely message of how to have better conversations. She has appeared on NPR, PBS, CNN, and BBC, and if her viral TED Talk, which has been viewed over 6.5 million times, is any indication–we’re all seeking solutions for how to cross the divide to one another. Celeste reminds us that before we can take any first step, we must choose to believe that listening has something to offer us. While it may be easier to surround ourselves only with people who think the way we do, we are actually robbing ourselves of a much deeper understanding and openness when we insulate ourselves. The simple and for some more difficult truth is that if we want to keep growing, we have to keep expanding.If any of this appeals to you you’ve landed on the right episode for you. We hope you will join us to listen in to the wisdom of Celeste Headlee.
Chalene Johnson is a New York Times bestselling author as well as a well known fitness celebrity. Her notable successes also include a Guinness Book of World Records title for selling the most fitness videos ever–a record 10 million plus DVDs. Beyond the stage lights and upbeat cardio sequences is the compelling story of a woman who loved the idea of helping others feel better about themselves through exercise and along the way became wealthy and successful. You may think that’s the end of the story, however, for Chalene her challenges were just beginning. Tune in to hear how hard work and an emotional openness was a part of what it took to achieve her sweet spot. Chalene believes that if you can achieve your physical goals through emotional willpower imagine what might be possible in other aspects of our lives.
Adam Galinsky is a Professor and bestselling author at the Columbia Business School, Management Division, and specializes in leadership, negotiation, decision-making, and ethics. He’s also co-author of “Friend and Foe,” which has been praised by the New York Times, The Atlantic, and The Economist. Let’s face it, speaking up can feel risky and we can each find a myriad of reasons not to. In today’s episode Adam presents us with what to think about before we put that proverbial foot in our mouth. He understands from personal experience that hard conversations often take a bit more than blind courage alone. If you have ever hesitated to speak up Adam’s words just might be the assist you’ve been looking for.
Erin Loechner knows firsthand how the hunger for more can stalk us. She’s familiar with the demands of what is akin to the hustle. How do we unplug when our balance is off? What will an unexamined life of ours be worth or feel like if we just get on the conveyor belt of life and don’t bother to question what we’re doing or where we’re going? If we pay attention, our bodies and our minds will speak to us. We’ll feel something is off and we will get hints we may want to pay attention to. But, how do we listen to the messages we’re being given when we have all of these responsibilities and tasks to accomplish? Erin began listening as many of us do when things begin to fall apart. In her new and aesthetically beautiful book Chasing Slow Erin Loechner describes her journey towards what I call her inner ahhhh…the kind you can sometimes find on a massage table…or even a really good cup of espresso…where she learns to choose to savor the life she’s been given rather than hanging on by a thread. So, let me give you a heads up…before you checkout and think there’s no way you’ll ever be able to leave it all behind for a life on the homestead– let alone create space in your life to pause and reflect, I urge you to reconsider. Erin is here to remind us that chasing slow has nothing to do with learning to cook organic food or living off the grid. Instead, it’s more about pursuing balance first and foremost, and making sure that we have room in our schedules for what’s most important to us.
Jen Bricker is an author, aerialist, speaker, and State Champion in power tumbling who happened to be born without legs. She was left at a hospital at three months old and adopted into a loving family who believed in “never saying can’t.” While she has had many opportunities to give into what some see as her limitations, she simply didn’t settle for anything less than the potential she knew lived inside of her. Jen knows there is no magic formula for success–you simply have to dig deep inside yourself and do the work. Her story has been featured on 20/20, HBO’s Real Sports, and Good Morning America, and you won’t want to miss hearing about the twists and turns in her life, especially how she discovered that her childhood hero turned out to be her biological sister.
Beth French is one of the UK’s Top 100 Most Inspirational Women. She is a sage and a swimmer. To say that she is courageous would be an understatement. She has had to overcome numerous challenges throughout her life and continues to push herself to discover the depths of her potential. Imagine the leap from overcoming an illness that left her wheelchair bound to ultimately swimming through freezing and shark-infested waters, Beth French is no stranger to challenges. She understands more than most that we often don’t realize what we are capable of because we don’t believe enough in ourselves. Beth has built a life around pushing the uttermost limits of what is possible for her, and her most recent endeavor has her about to accomplish what has never been done before…swimming what’s called The Ocean’s Seven within the span of a year. Beth also happens to be humble, down to earth and insightful to boot.
Simon Sinek has the #3 most popular Ted Talk of all time and four bestselling books with deliverables to spare. He is here to share his wisdom, his “why” and how he found his way through his own struggle to the other side. If you have ever felt worried about finding your “why,” or your way through your own challenges I’m confident you will find Simon’s insights right on the money.
Karan Bajaj is a bestselling author and yogi who travelled half way around the world to find more meaning in his life. He left it all behind after his mother died. The twist in this episode is that he grew up in India and people from his village used to make fun of the kind of people he was becoming. Did he find that meaning he was hoping for? He did, but not in the ways he thought he would. I spoke with him from NYC a few months ago, while he was getting ready to leave everything behind for a second time…only this time he wasn’t headed for an ashram or spiritual journey the likes of which he will talk with us about in this episode. However, I warn you… he may tug at our wanderlust in an effort to find more meaning.
Pamela Meyer has become the national expert on “Liespotting.” Whether in business, life, or in any of our relationships, a lie can destroy our foundation of trust and leave us skeptical and wary. Our current political climate is a prime example. While most of us are very aware of the importance of telling the truth, we might not always be able to recognize even a big fat lie when we hear one or see one because as much as we want to believe the best about others, the cold hard truth is that we all have the ability to lie in small and large ways. So if the truth is as important to you as it is to me…our next guest is here to share her findings and some tips for us. Bestselling author, Harvard MBA, CEO, entrepreneur, top twenty Ted Talk presenter and speaker Pamela Meyer brings us behind the scenes today on what to look for before we’re left feeling had. Her curiosity about the psychology behind lying eventually led her to write what became the NYT’s bestselling book, “Liespotting,” and she’s here to share not only her story, but also some helpful tips about liespotting and life as we navigate our world and our relationships. Pamela’s story reminds us that even when we feel stuck in life, there are a myriad of practical steps we can take. And, if we’re only open to it… curiosity can be our greatest teacher when we’re willing to pay attention.
John Chester is an Emmy Award Winning and favorite Oprah Winfrey Filmmaker who left Hollywood to pursue a dream. He and his wife Molly have found that growing food, caring for animals and tending the soil can teach us much about life and what it takes to move forward. If we are willing to put in the work, the hard work in…the fruits of our labor will eventually produce results. John initially stepped out from behind the lens in 2011 when he and his family left the glitz and glamour of Hollywood to risk starting an organic and biodynamic farm north of LA. They call their land Apricot Lane Farms, and if you recognize the name, it’s because John never did completely drop that camera of his…he is one of Oprah’s Super Soul Sunday’s chosen filmmakers and you will see why. John has found and lives the lessons that abound at Apricot Lane and he is here to share some of them with us today…because farmers or not, we’re all growing something in our lives and hopefully all of our crops will come in.
Joan Barnes–bestselling author, speaker, advisory entrepreneur, and founder of Gymboree, is well-acquainted with the difference between aiming for perfection or choosing to be real–not any California kind of fruits, nuts and flakes kind of real but the cut close to the bone, hard work kind of real. Amidst running what became a billion dollar company, Joan experienced the widening gap between losing touch with herself and her own needs and the demands of a burgeoning business. She learned what it takes to seek out the kind of help she needed…and as a result has become the mentors mentor. In her new book, “Play It Forward,” Joan shows us how to align our inner life with outer success. Learning to step away when you need to and having the courage to disappoint others for the sake of your own personal and mental health are lessons that Joan is now able to pay forward. Gymboree and Joan’s message is timeless—that we aren’t meant to go it alone. Figuring out how to balance both family and a successful career is no easy task; and Joan Barnes is here to tell us how it’s done.
Susan Bennett is someone that everyone of us knows but we may not know why. She answers our questions, helps us with directions, and when we can’t figure out that song on the radio, she’s there to solve the mystery. While we’re all familiar with Siri, most of us have never met the Oz behind the curtain, so to speak. In this episode, we have the honor of hearing from Susan Bennett–arguably, the world’s most well-recognized voice-over artist. And while her voice is heard all over the world, she opens up to us today about how she’s learned to navigate her career in the entertainment industry as an introvert, and why she decided to go public with the voice we all know. Susan reminds us that we all have our own path to walk, and no one can live our lives for us. The best we can do is be generous with one other and give back in some way because we all have some something in our lives that challenges us.
Caroline Paul walks the walk in being courageous in her life and in her new bestselling book, “Gutsy Girl.” She “focuses on important life lessons of courage and empowerment, while eschewing talk of fear, caution and failure while deftly combining practical advice with unerring encouragement.” Caroline is here to reclaim bravery as a trait available for both sexes, and not reserved for males alone– while sharing some amazing personal stories of her own that will leave you on the edge of your seat. From climbing the Golden Gate bridge to being one of the first female firefighters to thermal flying through a thundercloud… Caroline lives the message she teaches. Whether you’re a parent of girls, or curious about living a more adventurous story for yourself, you will not want to miss this interview. We can all use a bit more courage because lets face it…fear will always be a part of our lives whether we’re female or male. And as Caroline reminds us, the hopeful truth is that it’s ours for the taking.
Sudeep Balain ended up learning the lessons he needed to learn about love through divorce. As counterintuitive as it sounds, we often learn our most profound lessons through our failures, even extreme failures and disappointments. At some point each one of us will come to a crossroads in our lives. It’s rare that a single one of us is immune from disappointment, tragedy, failure or even perceived failure. However, we are all given a choice…do we retreat in fear and despair, or slowly start to rebuild and move forward? Sudeep Balain had it all: the secure job, great house in Marin County, CA, and a growing family. But, it all came crumbling down when his wife of sixteen years wanted a divorce. Although life as Sudeep knew it was falling apart he decided on a journey that he ultimately realized he sorely needed. If you wonder about the title or worry that this is some California fruit, nuts and flakes kind of interview you will miss something important. In his book, You Are Love, Sudeep recounts his travels around the world and his process of beginning to know himself, and how he discovered that at the core of who he is…is simply love. Sudeep reminds us that we can only come face to face with our internal motivations and fears when we take time to pause and recharge away from the noise. And while some might consider self-care or self-discovery a selfish act, it’s actually the most loving thing we can do–because we can only extend generosity and love to others when have taken the time to really know and accept ourselves first.
Kata Hay understands that if at first we don’t succeed it’s worth trying again. It takes a good kind of inner strength and determination to pick yourself three, four, and even five times. This is where belief comes in…do you believe in what you’re doing? Kata Hay caught the attention of three of the four judges on NBC’s 10th Season of The Voice, after giving an unforgettable performance. And, this was Kata’s fifth attempt at auditioning for the show, and this time she managed to prove that she had become a force to be reckoned with. Kata has been singing for most of her life, and now at twenty-nine, let’s just say that Kata won’t be backing down from her fear anytime soon. She is here to remind us that it’s often the hardest and the darkest right before the dawn of our dreams. And often, what we fear the most is exactly the direction we should be moving towards. I’m confident you will soon understand why Christina Aguillara, Adam Levine, Pharrell Williams and millions more fell in love with her endearing personality and remarkable ability to not back down or change herself for anyone.
Dr. Andrew Newberg is a prominent neuroscientist, author and researcher who has studied what our brains do with our beliefs, enlightenment and even with God. He will show us that the first step towards true understanding is being willing to acknowledge our biases and predisposed ways of thinking. In other words, there is always another side to hear but we often fail to truly listen because we are afraid that the opposing side might threaten our own viewpoint. Dr. Newberg knows what it looks like to hold ones convictions because he does so with a sense of openness and compassionate curiosity. He is a pioneer who has taken on neuroscience and theology–two fields that at first glance, seem more opposed than interconnected– and helps us to make sense of exactly what our brains experience in the process.
Dr. Glen Gabbard is a renowned psychiatrist and psychiatric educator whose research has been invaluable in the mental health field and elsewhere. An abuse of power can happen at work, in the church or any institute or organization that runs hierarchically. His message is for all of us, because the moment anyone believes they are infallible they are bound to make mistakes. At its best, the relationship between a patient and psychotherapist should be a safe place where learning, personal growth and healing can happen. In some ways we could say something similar about working for a company where we have a manager who supervises our successes and/or our failures. That is why Dr. Glen Gabbard’s research, counsel and writing about blurred boundaries is so important in our every day lives.
Dr. Amy Cuddy is a Harvard Professor, Researcher, Author and Social Scientist. In 2012, she graced the Ted Talk stage and became one of their top two all time favorite presenters by discussing how nonverbal behavior and snap judgments can affect us from the classroom to the boardroom. Millions of us–nearly 34 million to be exact– sat up and listened. She has expounded upon that Ted talk and turned it into her new bestselling book called “Presence.” Amy Cuddy is doing meaningful work by showing us what authentic presence really means and she is touching a nerve around the world with her research and her new book. Rather than trying to protect how we are perceived, Amy advocates that we tap into our vulnerability by letting our true selves be seen. While it might seem easier in the moment to shrink back and avoid the risk of being seen, we will ultimately miss out on the deep sense of connection and satisfaction that comes from being authentic.
Angie Keilhauer is going places and she wants you to come along. As you will hear if you listen to this episode Angie has both grit and talent, and is well on her way to making her mark in the music industry. Long before appearing on the most recent season of NBC’s wildly popular show “The Voice,” Angie was playing in local bars, cruise ships, and pretty much anywhere that she could perfect her craft. She was also rejected from “The Voice” three times before having this final opportunity. Many of us would have already given up by then. What allows one person to continue to take risks? As you will hear, Angie Keilhauer possesses wisdom far beyond her years. You will probably hear it in her singing voice as well: there is a maturity and soul that has kept her persevering and continuing to say yes to the opportunities that have come and will continue to come her way. Angie’s story reminds us that in order to fulfill our dreams, we must be committed even when no one is watching, and when we love what we do in life it not only shows…people will often want to be around us.
Shannon Huffman Polson not only knows what grit is, she has lived it. Shannon is now highlighting stories of bravery and resilience in the lives of other women in her Grit Project. As a native Alaskan, Shannon has always been drawn to adventure and the road less traveled. Whether it was venturing far from home to attend Duke University, or joining the army and being one of the first women to fly a military helicopter, she has dared greatly throughout her life. Shannon understands first-hand that just as there are moments of thrill and anticipation, there will also be loss and sorrow. Grappling with the tragic death of her father and step mother, Shannon embarked on a personal pilgrimage to make peace with her loss that she documented in her book “North of Hope.” As you will soon hear for yourself, Shannon is someone who is shows up for life with a full heart–even during the difficult times. She has come to intuitively understand that hardship is often the birthplace for grit.
Karen Thompson Walker believes that fear is here to teach us. We often think of fear as something to avoid, but what if we could learn to view fear as a kind of harbinger to creativity and risk? Meaning, fear will almost always be partnered with the two. I’m not talking about things we should be afraid of such as putting ourselves in harm’s way like walking down a dark and dangerous street late at night. I’m talking about something else: the kind of necessary fear we encounter when we try something new or challenge ourselves to be more, better, and even the best version of who we are. My guest today is the bestselling author Karen Thompson Walker, who is here to show us how fear can actually propel our imagination, as it forces us to imagine a different, possible future and how to cope with the fear that instills in us. In her own creative life, Karen has not only embraced her fear, but she’s even allowed it to inspire her recent New York Times bestseller, “The Age of Miracles.” And in her popular TED Talk “What Fear Can Teach Us,” she explores the wisdom to be gained from fear. I’m not talking about the irrational kind, but the kind that acts as guardrails or warning signals as we find our way through the world. Whether or not you consider yourself a creative person, we have all experienced a resistance to fear in our lives in one way or another. And as the old saying goes, if we can’t go around it, we must go through it. Maybe creativity and fear are “conjoined twins”–like Elizabeth Gilbert suggests–so you can’t have one without the other. Maybe the point is…if we spend all of our energy trying to become fearless, we will miss the lesson of what our fear has to teach us. Anyone of us who is willing to move beyond their comfort zone will certainly feel it. Karen is doing meaningful work in revealing fear’s surprising wisdom, and we now have the opportunity to hear more about her unique perspective.
Tom Corley believes that our daily habits play a much larger role in success than we might have previously understood. Tom grew up in a household that became familiar with the struggles of poverty. After dedicating three very focused years to researching the differences between the rich and the poor, Tom Corley has collected a series of habits that he believes can help shape our future into a more successful one. In his book “Change Your Habits, Change Your Life” he delves into the subconscious realm of how habits work, and offers practical ways that we can implement rich habits into our daily routines. Tom reminds us that good habits put us on the path of opportunity, and that when you find something you truly love, you will be surprised by your own persistence in making it happen. And, as Tom believes…if you change your habits, you will ultimately change your life.
Adam Steltzner went from being described (by New Yorker Magazine) “as a dropout and small town playboy with few skills and fewer prospects” to someone who made history. This episode is about how Adam took that kind of history and made history. And, not only history, but history that each and every one of us followed in the news. If you ever wondered how the NASA Jet Propulsion Lab successfully landed a 2,000 pound, 2 and a half billion dollar Curiosity Rover on the surface of Mars a very special historian is here to enlighten us and teach us that we can be called many names in life, and we always have the ability to prove others wrong. Adam Steltzner is the lead NASA Engineer and manager for entry, descent and landing on Mars. He has also written a book about this experience and his own entitled, The Right Kind of Crazy,” and we are lucky enough to have him tell us all about what it takes to make our passion(s) a reality.
Trina Laughlin has been a clinical social worker for twenty plus years specializing in trauma therapy. She specializes in helping others find their way from the darkness of loss to what can feel like rays of hope. And, here’s the thing about Trina…trauma isn’t something she studies from afar–she’s lived it, too. Back in 2007, two days before Christmas, her twenty two year-old son died unexpectedly. In order to process and cope with her loss, she began writing about the many layers of her grief, the unspeakable emotion of it all–and her writing eventually became a book that she calls, “Season of the Fallen Sun.” Trina reminds us that there is hope beyond even the most excruciating emotional pain, and that we need other people to help put us back together when our lives feel shattered. Trina is a powerful reminder that when we try to shut off or shut down our pain, we end up closing off our capacity to experience joy as well.
Dr.Ron Friedman is considered an expert in human motivation, and his research lends us some helpful answers to what motivates us and what keeps us engaged. In his book, The Best Place to Work, he offers insightful suggestions about how to improve our workplaces by appealing to our psychological needs of competence, relatedness, and autonomy. And you may be surprised to know that most of the changes Ron suggests have little to do with money. Ron believes that our workplaces could change for the better if only we learned how to better value human connection and accountability, as well as allow for the integration of work and our outside of work life rather than trying so hard to keep them separate. Ron offers practical tips you might end up using yourself… such as holding walking meetings, putting a window in your office, making time for exercise, and introducing your co-workers by describing who they are outside of work rather than just reciting their job description. If you feel like you are just barely getting by and are struggling to find motivation in the mundane, I’m confident that Ron’s findings will inspire you and spark some ideas about how to keep work and ultimately your life more interesting.
Coach Reed believes that “progress hinges on the gap between who will talk in private and who will act in public.” Of all the quotes that runs through his head, that is the one that really resonates. It has become his morning mantra, because “until we act, every thing we do in private makes no change in the world.” Coach Reed is a Sports Coach with a message for all of us…and, if you think this is a message for athletes alone you will be missing out. He has a unique perspective that is not only refreshing, but in my opinion… needed. As a coach for 20 plus years, he is passionate about many things and one in particular…and this is one I can get behind…Coach Reed is all about developing confidence in his players, rather than controlling them with fear. As the Executive Director of STAR Soccer Club- a 500 player club in Cincinnati, Ohio, and a Ted Talk alumni Coach Reed isn’t “just” about coaching kids. He also trains parents, coaches, and sports leaders alike on cultivating healthy communication in competitive environments. I think you hopefully agree that we need more kindness in our lives and in our world…perhaps of late especially in the political arena especially. As we’ll learn in this interview… kindness is not weak; instead, it requires the strongest kind of discipline we have to give. And really listening to another human being is a skill that takes time and commitment to develop. Like the saying goes: “be kind, everyone you meet is fighting a battle you know nothing about.”
Barbara Jenkins is a bestselling co-author and traveler who received the attention of National Geographic Magazine with a cross country trek she took with her ex husband back in the 70’s. Don’t be fooled. This woman is a vibrant today as she was back then. Barbara is a natural born storyteller who is all about the power of saying “yes” and she joins us today with wisdom to spare. When adventure came knocking, Barbara Jenkins answered. And it wasn’t just any adventure–but one that would take her on a walk across America and change the trajectory of her life forever. Some of you may be familiar with the New York Times best-sellers Walk Across America and The Walk West, written by Barbara and her then-husband, Peter Jenkins. In today’s interview, we get a glimpse behind the curtain into the story behind the stories, and the wisdom that Barbara has gathered along the way. Barbara has faced numerous challenges throughout her life: being hit by a car, walking pregnant across a mountain range in a blizzard, and then eventually raising three children as a single parent while simultaneously navigating a writing career on her own. Barbara’s story of resilience, extraordinary adventure, empowerment, and perseverance is a reminder that struggle is essential to growth. That even after one door closes, another door will open in due time if you’re willing to keep your head up and keep doing the work.
Richard McCann is living proof that our stories aren’t over even after the darkest of tragedies. He was only five years old when his mother was murdered by a serial killer. While it’s hard to comprehend this type of devastating loss, Richard has somehow managed to keep his heart so open that he has become an inspiration to others and a well sought after motivational speaker. His journey has been a profound one taking him down roads that we might never have taken but we can certainly learn from his choices and lessons learned. His most profound lesson to date has been to choose forgiveness. Richard understands that when we share even our most painful stories, we have the opportunity to learn what it means to live with an open heart.
Jim Riviello is a business growth expert who reminds us that focusing on the next three steps in front of us will slow us down long enough so we won’t feel overwhelmed. If we are successful in business but our children, spouses or employees want little to do with us then we have not achieved true success. If we don’t take the time to find out who we are it’s unlikely that anyone else will ever really know us either. Jim emphasizes that while planning for our future is important and necessary for achieving our goals it is also important to slow ourselves down and liv in the present. Nothing meaningful ever comes easy, and that includes personal growth. Honoring our journey, or what I call the process, is just as important as getting there. One can often preclude the other so it’s especially important to accomplish both.
Brigadier General, Dr. Rhonda Cornum is tough and gentle. I find the two are often a package deal. In today’s interview with Brigadier General and Physician Rhonda Cornum, we will learn that resilience can be taught, learned and even mastered. However, here is the best part…whether you are a civilian or in the military or even feel like the walking wounded today’s episode is for you. After surviving a helicopter crash while on a rescue mission during the first Iraq war General Cornum was then taken prisoner. if that isn’t a petri dish to test one’s resilience, I don’t know what is. Gen. Cornum is well acquainted with the double-edged sword of hardship, but as you will soon learn, she is also adamant about not being defined by those experiences… except in terms of lessons learned. When Dr. Cornum returned back to the States after being rescued, people were often confused when she would explain that instead of experiencing PTSD, she felt stronger because of her experience. As Dr. Michaela Haas notes in her book Bouncing Forward, in the early 1990s, the term “post traumatic growth” had not yet been discovered. Instead of blindly accepting what some consider constricting labels that trauma survivors are given, Dr. Cornum focused on re-claiming the agency over what she could control. Before she retired from the military, Dr. Cornum developed the Comprehensive Soldier Fitness Program, which not only helps boost resilience in troops, but can help all of us in everyday life. Rhonda’s story is a reminder that the human spirit is capable of surmounting unimaginable challenges, and that if anything, living through a near-death situation can make life that much more precious and cherished.
Travis Meadows is known by “Rolling Stone” magazine as “Nashville’s most badass songwriter.” Whether or not you’re familiar with or even like country music, it is often about love, loss and and human resilience. “Riser,” a song co-written by Travis Meadows and performed by Dierks Bentley, is one of those songs that stays with you long after you listen to it, and you can’t help but wonder about the life behind those words. If you listen closely, you get the sense that Travis’s depth of insight has been forged because of struggle, and that taking the long way has given him something rare and irreplaceable. Dealing with cancer at fourteen, growing up with an absent father, and wrestling with addiction are only a few of the mile-markers on his life’s journey. Today you will hear how Travis discovered how to make peace with his past and how he learned that you can’t truly appreciate light without the darkness. Travis teaches us to aim for authenticity rather than accolades, and to accept what we cannot control. He has written songs for country artists such as Eric Church, Jake Owen, Leann Womack, and Wynonna Judd to name a few, making his unique artistry unmistakable. As Travis agrees and I believe…nothing meaningful ever comes easy. Travis has had to fight for his voice, and in the process of doing so, discovered the “Riser” inside of him.
Mark Schulman is here to teach us that we can all overcome stage fright if we follow what he calls the Three C’s. He has played drums with some of the most famed musicians of our time. From Tina Turner to Cher, to Stevie Nicks, Billy Idol to Beyonce, and three world tours with Pink you might get the sense that he’s just warming up. Before he was voted one of the “Top 3 Pop-Rock Drummers” in the 2014 Modern Drummer Reader’s Poll, he learned what it would take to get there…putting in the long hours practicing his craft so he would be ready for opportunity when it came knocking; and, knocking it did. Mark has performed for an estimated one billion people over the course of his 27 year long career, so it might surprise you that he’s had his share of stage fright to overcome and understand from the inside-out. He has learned to harness his fear to be helpful rather than debilitating, and has written about his experience in his new book, Conquering Life’s Stage Fright. Mark’s story shows us how failure can be disguised as a pivotal moment for growth, if we’re willing to be open to the lesson.
Aaron Walker was 27 years old when he reached a level of success people dream about. What he wasn’t prepared for was the hollow feeling that came with it. His message today is get your priorities straight…and, by all means pay it forward. While he could have settled into an early retirement and what some people consider the “comfortable life he didn’t. Intuitively, he knew there was more out there for him. When you fear missing an opportunity more than failure, success is only a matter of time. Aaron began seeking out others who wanted similar things in life: growth, opportunity, and to “give back” in some way. He also found what he hadn’t had before…mentors who would help him develop his potential. Today, Aaron helps others discover how to build significance into their lives by investing in relationships, not just retirement plans. If you’ve ever doubted whether a successful life can also be a meaningful one, then you’ll want to keep listening; because moving forward in your career and building lasting relationships don’t need to be mutually exclusive. Aaron has a powerful message for anyone spending more energy holding onto regret rather than focusing on what you can control—your future.
Kaitlin Roig-DeBellis is the first-grade teacher from Sandy Hook who saved her entire first grade class in December 2012. She will carry the memory of that traumatic day forever, but she has found a way to move forward with hope that we can all learn from. Her inspiring outlook reminds us that there will always be tragedy in the world; but she questions and teaches us that is not reason enough to keep the blinds shut forever. This is not to say that for a period of time that is exactly what she did. As the inherent teacher that Kaitlin is…she instructs us that we, too, have the ability to choose to let the light in. Kaitlin saved her class that day in 2012 with her quick thinking and level headedness and is here today to teach us what it means to choose hope from her new book, “Choosing Hope.”
Gillian Zoe Segal forged a path where there was no trail and wrote “Getting There,” a book of compiled career advice from some of the most successful voices in business, music, and fashion today. “Getting There” is a book of mentors that unveils the path towards success, and includes interviews with Anderson Cooper, Warren Buffett, Jillian Michaels, and Kathy Ireland just to name a few. Facing closed doors in your life? Gillian faced countless as she was collecting the interviews she needed for her book, but she bravely moved forward with polite persistence. Her example teaches us that when courage fails us, we can gain strength from those who inspire us by remembering that every success story involves struggle. Instead of letting the absence of mentors in her life give her an excuse for self-pity, Gillian focused her creative energy into providing a meaningful resource for countless readers trying to find their own way in pursuit of their dreams.
Kimberley Chambers, is here to teach us that when we are willing to face our fear, we have the opportunity to discover just how capable we really are. She is a stellar example of how building a reservoir of strength can prepare us for the greatest of life’s challenges and how facing our true edge of fear has the capacity to bring us closer to accomplishing more than we ever dreamed possible. When the odds are stacked against us, it rarely feels like an opportunity and yet research has proven that it’s in life’s biggest challenges that we have the opportunity to develop adaptability and resilience.
Dr. Michaela Haas has written an important book, “Bouncing Forward.” Most of us are familiar with PTSD, but post traumatic growth may be a new concept altogether. The idea of post traumatic growth suggests that we’ll grow after a trauma…all you have to do is experience one for that to be questionable at least while it’s occurring. The fact is that research is proving that there is growth especially and even after trauma. And, trauma comes in many iterations. We have probably all experienced trauma in one form or another: from losing a loved one to being in a car crash. Dr. Michaela Haas has not only researched post-traumatic growth…she has also experienced it first hand. She has consolidated twelve stories of resilience, growth and wisdom in her recently released book, Bouncing Forward and she is here during this episode to share much of what she has learned. Dr. Haas proposes a different way to look at crisis; that while there is undoubtedly immense pain, there is also potential breakthrough and a silver lining.
John Bradshaw is a best-selling author and esteemed therapist who tackles the complicated emotion of shame in his extensive work. He has written numerous NY Times best sellers and recently wrote a book called Post Romantic Stress Disorder. He has an impressive list of roles that include counselor, management consultant, theologian, philosopher, public speaker, and Senior Fellow with the Meadows Treatment Group. I believe that one of the reasons why John’s voice is so influential is because he practices what he preaches. He is vulnerable with his own struggles in life, and is generous with sharing his experiences and the valuable wisdom he’s gained over the many years he has been practicing and writing. I hope you will join us for this episode. He is a very special guest.
Geni Whitehouse has gumption. She was honest enough with herself to realize that she just was not passionate enough about a career she had spent many years working at and becoming successful at. If you have ever wondered what it takes to have the courage to leave a career that just “does not do it for you” then this is the episode for you. Tune in to find out how Geni discovered a part of herself while honoring her late father’s life and grieving his death. Our losses, illnesses and most often our challenges can be great teachers if we are willing to listen.
Dr. Joseph Bobrow is an Author, Psychoanalyst, Zen Master and founder of the Coming Home Project. He falls into the category of people that I am most interested in: the people who never give up and the amazing things they accomplish because of it. We all have choices in life. We can choose to complain, remain steeped in frustration about one thing or another or we can choose to do something about it. Joe Bobrow is one of those people who fall into the latter category. He was frustrated about the lack of services for returning Vets in the Iraq and Afghanistan war when he decided to “do something.” He knows all too well how war touches all of our lives but more particularly what happens when we are complacent. No matter what issue you might be facing…Joe is one of the guys to emulate.
Dr. Gay Hendricks has written several best selling books, and been interviewed by many well known names. We can spend a great deal of energy trying to outrun our fear(s), no matter what they are. But what if there’s a different remedy for diminishing the power of fear in our lives? Dr. Gay Hendricks, is a strong proponent for speaking openly and honestly about the fear we wrestle with because acknowledging our fear is often half the battle. Not only is he a former professor of Counseling Psychology, but he and his wife Katie have been dubbed “Masters in the Art of Intimacy”. From an appearance on Oprah to hosting seminars around the world, he is a prominent voice in the realm of relationships, fear and finding our “zone of genius,” and he is here with us today to share some of his wisdom.
Bradley Charbonneau began writing again after ten years with a thirty day challenge. A thousand days later and two published books he feels like he’s just getting warmed up. I believe that we can all be adept at ignoring our inner voice…which generally speaking will point us in the direction of what we feel passionate about. We listen while we’re younger…it’s harder when responsibilities begin to weigh us down. While we all can’t quit our day jobs to chase our creative muses, what we can do is set aside even just a few moments from our day to honor what we feel passionate about. That is exactly what my guest today, Bradley Charbonneau, did. After receiving John Muldoon’s “Monthly Experiments” Challenge, Bradley revisited his love for writing and faced his fear square in the eye and with his pen. Bradley had been published before, but ten years and two children later made it seem like a very far-off place to find his way back to. When demands of family had set in, he gave himself the ultimatum to find a “real job” to pay the bills. But the whisper of passion is relentless, and I can’t wait for you to hear how Bradley found his way back to writing, and how a simple 30-day challenge truly took on a life of its own.
John Muldoon is a catalyst for change. He founded “The Monthly Experiments Project” in hopes to not only challenge himself but to help motivate others. John believes that “when you treat life as an experiment change becomes fun instead of hard.” We hope you will join us and take part in the experiment. P.S. Jaime Tardy from the Eventual Millionaire thinks John is awesome and we just think you might, too.
Bryan Kramer is a social strategist, CEO of PureMatter, Ted Talk speaker, and best-selling author. He has valuable insight on how to interact in the realm of technology and communication while also calling upon the tools of basic human interpersonal values for a compass. He reminds us that our digital identities don’t have to be cut off from our true selves. So please put down your phone for just a little while to listen, and then pick it up again afterwards– hopefully, with new intention.
Admiral Michelle Howard exhibits grace, strength, and clear-mindedness under extreme pressure. In order to become that kind of unwavering force amidst the unpredictable winds and waters of life, we must begin to practice those “deep breaths” that she has perfected. Admiral Michelle Howard, the current Vice Chief of Naval Operations, is highly esteemed and decorated in a field that involves an exceptional amount of risk and pressure. In addition to being the first African-American woman to command a ship in the U.S. Navy, Admiral Howard is well known for her role in leading the international task force responsible for rescuing Captain Phillips from Somali pirates. She is a true trailblazer who exhibits courage, steadfastness, and a clear mind. Admiral Howard is also the first female ever promoted to the rank of four-star admiral in the Navy’s 236-year history. My hope is that as we listen to her, we too will feel emboldened to face unique pressures in our own lives, dare to dream beyond the limits of the status quo, and see that her grace under pressure can serve as a beacon to all of us.
Jennifer Haselberger is one of the few female Canon lawyers and one of the first to practice in the USA. As a female, and the Chancellor of Canonical Affairs working in the Catholic Church had it’s challenges. As such, she became an unlikely advocate for survivors of sexual abuse within the Catholic church. Up until 2013, she served as Chancellor for Canonical Affairs to the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis, where she refused to turn a blind eye about sex abuse or any other vulnerable people who were not being ministered to. Jennifer’s devotion to justice inspires us as she has been willing to speak up and pursue justice when no one else would. I hope you will join us for an important story.
Margaret Smith was voted the best Female Comic by the American Comedy Awards and won six Emmy’s for her writing on the Ellen DeGeneres show. She has navigated the ever-changing and unpredictable world of entertainment and Hollywood with a hard-earned groundedness. She also happens to be a dear friend whose wisdom is only paralleled by her humor–as you will note with the multiple fits of laughter throughout our interview. I hope you will find the wisdom she has to offer along with some really good humor.
Professor Sophie Scott is a Cognitive Neuroscientist who became one of the first researchers to study the science of laughter. On her way to understanding laughter she actually did a stint as a stand up comic and discovered even more. What is it like to create a science or anything of value where there was nothing before? If you have ever wanted to do anything and worried what people might think this is the episode for you.
Elena Dunkle dealt with a serious eating disorder in the years after she was raped at Age 13. She recounts her process of coming to terms with the pain she was left to deal with in her memoir Elena Vanishing and here with us in this episode. If you or anyone you know is dealing with an eating disorder we hope you will tune in today. Elena is transparent about her long road towards healing and health; and is an important voice and hopefully a beacon for those dealing with the an eating disorder, as well as for families and friends who don’t quite know what to do. Whether or not you have experienced an eating disorder yourself, or someone close to you has–I know you will be inspired by not only Elena’s resilience, but also the resilience of her family, who rallied around her during some very dark years. The numbers in this epidemic are staggering and it is more than likely you already know or love someone who may be suffering. Elena’s words will likely help.
Candace Lightner is the Founder of Mother’s Against Drunk Driving (MADD) and We Save Lives. She became an unintended advocate when her 13 year old daughter was killed by a drunk driver. She later founded We Save Lives to further educate and influence the public about (the 3D’s) Drunk, Drugged, and Distracted driving. If you want to understand what it takes to overcome obstacles then Candace Lightner is the episode for you.
Julian Treasure created one of the most popular Ted Talks entitled, “How To Speak So That People Will Listen.” Today, we have a conversation about Julian’s idea of consciousness, awareness, mindfulness, and the idea of being present. Our communication with one another can often be like ships passing in the night–we come and go without taking the time to truly understand what is really going on beneath the surface of the words we exchange, or the way we receive them. Julian has built a career around how words and sounds affect us. He has managed to “see” our words and sounds, and talks about them in a way that helps us to better hear one another…say what we actually mean… and mean what we say. In Julian Treasure’s 5 viral TED Talks and his book “Sound Business”, he encourages us to be “conscious listeners”: infusing deeper intention into the words we speak. I hope you will “listen in” today.
Jessamyn Lovell had her identity stolen in a matter of minutes. What is unique about her is that she managed to turn her experiences into a creative art project that not only brought her acclaim and publicity, but also lessons that have turned into wisdom that she is now sharing with others. In 2010 Jessamyn turned her back on her wallet for a matter of moments. Her life would ultimately change in ways she could not have foreseen or wanted to imagine. What she would later come to realize and appreciate is that her life was also about to change in positive ways she could not have imagined. We hope you will join us for the lessons learned and ultimately the creativity and wisdom gained for this life experience of hers. Jessamyn’s experiences show us how to find the silver lining in our own lives or at least consider the possibilities.
Michael Stallard’s journey and wisdom comes from realizing how important human connection is and how that translates not only to our intimate relationships but with our business ones, too. Good and respectful collegial relationships make for happy employees and relationships in general. Mike has become a leading authority on leadership, employee engagement, and organizational culture. He is the cofounder, president, and CEO of E Pluribus Partners, a consulting firm that specializes in helping leaders create connection cultures to form strong bonds within organizations. He is the author of Connection Culture: The Competitive Advantage of Shared Identity, Empathy, and Understanding at Work and a book called Fired Up or Burned Out. He has also been a contributor to several other books and been featured in many publications worldwide, including the Wall Street Journal, the New York Times, and Fortune magazine to name a few and now he is here with us.
Lee Milteer believes that at some point in our lives we have to get clear of what our purpose is and why we are here. Even if you have figured that much out you still might not feel you have found your sweet spot. She is here to help do just that. Her most recent book, “Reclaim the Magic” is a part of those answers. If you want to “manifest” what you want in life then this is the episode for you. She tells us about what may have held her back in life and how she refused to allow anyone or anything to do just that. If you want to figure out a way to do the same or hear a really good talk I hope you will tune in. Lee has plenty of helpful hints not only from this book but from some of her others that are sure to inspire you.
Ash Beckham is a speaker whose “speeches are dynamic, intrepid, highly relatable and intrinsically comical.” “She didn’t set out to become a viral sensation with her Tedx talk Coming Out of Your Closet or her Boulder Ignite speech, I am SO GAY.” “She was just a person with a lot on her mind and a story to share.” Nonetheless, “her willingness to strike a conversation about tough topics has inspired more than 8 million viewers.” Her message is simple: “we aren’t that different,” and her goal is humble, “help others recognize the power of empathy, respect and conversation.” Ash is someone who will earn your respect. She has mine.
Peter Larson is a commercial paleontologist who uncovered the most complete specimen of Tyrannosaurus Rex to date. He affectionately named this massive fossil “Sue” after the woman who initially found her. He was eventually charged and taken to court by the US Government for illegally removing fossils off of Federal Land even though he had paid the landowner before he removed anything. It would take him a long time to resolve this and more, and he ultimately served several years in prison as a result. Peter is a man who believes that giving up is not an option for him. He believes that fighting for what you believe, and keep on keeping on is the right path in life. If you are facing any life circumstance where you are considering giving up or giving in we hope you will listen to this episode first. Peter is currently hoping for a pardon from President Obama before he leaves office. We wish him that and more and believe that you will too once you listen to his story.
Jamie Cohan is the entrepreneur behind phenomenal Internet successes like Andromedia and Round1 who discusses not only how he got there but how you, too can a build career you can be proud of while keeping perspective amidst the twists and turns they often take. The overnight successes of entrepreneurs are often fifteen years in the making and Jamie will be the first person to tell you that you need to keep going.
Marilyn Tam, PhD believes that happiness is something we choose. She is the author of “The Happiness Choice” that features experts who discuss how to live a happy, healthy, successful and dynamically balanced life. She is a speaker; author; consultant; board- certified executive, corporate, and leadership coach; and the founder and executive director of the Us Foundation. She is the former CEO of Aveda Corporation, president of Reebok Apparel and Retail Group, and vice president of Nike Inc., and a very successful entrepreneur, who has developed and successfully run four companies of her own.
John Lee Dumas is the founder and host of Entrepreneur On Fire, a top ranked iTunes business Podcast. After chasing fame and fortune and coming up short each time he finally figured out that providing value is the key to success. He is here to share his ah ha moments, thinking, and keys to success that have enabled him to amass a small fortune. I hope you will join us.
Dorie Clark is an author (Stand Out, and Reinventing You), speaker, professor, award-winning journalist, and one of twenty-five professional networking experts chosen by Forbes Magazine to watch in 2015. She discovered that “Standing Out” requires a three step process that she shares with us in this interview. For instance, the first step is to build your network. Next, build your audience, and third, build your community, and I’ll tell you what I mean by those things.
Judy Robinett is an author, speaker, consultant, CEO, and pundit who is focused on strategic planning, financial and product development, marketing, and distribution for startups and established enterprises. She has taken some of these experiences and turned them into a five-star book entitled How to Be a Power Connector: The 5+50+100 Rule. Robinett is a business thought leader who is known as the woman with the titanium digital Rolodex. She has been profiled in Forbes, Inc., the Wall Street Journal, Fast Company, the Washington Post, the Huffington Post, and Bloomberg Businessweek as a sterling example of the new breed of super connectors who use their experience and networks to accelerate growth and enhance profitability.
Alicia Watkins is a retired Air Force staff sergeant and survivor of the 9/11 terrorist attacks at the Pentagon who deployed to both the Iraq and Afghanistan wars and now battles traumatic brain injury, spinal cord injury, and post traumatic stress. Alicia was the principal guest on the twenty-fifth final season of The Oprah Winfrey Show in the episode “American War Heroes: Why Are These Women Homeless?” She now proudly serves as an ambassador for veterans, traveling the world to speak on behalf of the needs of wounded warriors, female veterans, and homeless veterans.
Bonnie Bruckheimer began her cinematic career at Columbia Pictures and became known as one of Hollywood’s most successful producers. In 1985 she formed All Girl Productions, with partner Bette Midler, and made her debut as a film producer on Beaches. She is known for her work on Big Business, Hocus Pocus, Beaches, and Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood, to name a few. She has worked with some of the best in Hollywood and has been nominated for two Emmys.
Peter S. Cohan is a millionaire with poet’s heart. He has very insightful ideas and is the kind of person who continues to question things. For instance, he questions how money and the pursuit of money can be a futile kind of activity and that success may just be controlling how we spend our time.
Dr. Jill Suttie is a writer, researcher, and book review editor for the Greater Good Science Center. She writes about research on psychological and social wellbeing–in particular, research on altruism, compassion, resilience, happiness, awe and empathy. In this episode we discuss her articles about the latest findings by neuroscientists and researchers that are “discovering how music affects the brain, helping us to make sense of it’s real emotional and social power.”
William D. Cohan does not take anything at face value. If you have ever wondered what happens behind the scenes on Wall Street or in major Universities then you will want to listen to his interview. Heis a business writer with a solid pedigree, and a former high-level investment banker on Wall Street who has written four New York Times best-selling nonfiction narratives about Wall Street.
Vanessa Van Edwards believes that the primary purpose of her business is to help people. She runs an organization called the Science of People. Their organization takes all of the latest research that has come out of academic institutions and peer-reviewed journals and turns it into applicable tips. She calls it “science-based self-help.”
Jordan Harbinger is a lawyer-turned-social-dynamics expert who is the owner and cofounder of the Art of Charm, which is a dating and relationships coaching company. He is also the co-host of the lifestyle and entrepreneur podcast called The Art of Charm and the co-host of Game On, a Sirius XM Satellite Radio talk show devoted to the art of meeting and attracting women. Jordan is one of the most sought-after relationship coaches and social-dynamics experts and we have him here for you today for a lively and fun discussion that is filled with information you can use.
Have you ever seen someone dance like a warrior and you could not take your eyes off of them? Dr. Ananda Shankar Jayant is such a woman. This woman is also someone you may not be able to “take your ears” off of. She is poignant and noted as one of the five Greatest Ted Talks by Indians “You Need to See” according to the Huffington Post, and, may I add, she is listed as number one.
Monty Roberts is known as the man who listens to horses. He has led an extraordinary life as an internationally recognized, award-winning trainer and rider of championship horses. In 1948 at the age of thirteen he discovered a way that horses communicate to one another. He became convinced that what he saw that day would change how people treated, trained and communicated with horses.
Monty Roberts was not only curious about horses. When he studied at Cal Poly (almost sixty years ago) he was not only interested in animal behavior, he was interested in understanding the brain and why we do the things we do. An advisor of his set him on a course he would ultimately return to and receive countless awards for. Monty began working as a first responder with Veterans who had returned from war but eventually left that job because he could not stand what “these kids were going through.” However, before he left he had already taken some of the “chosen” ones down to his farm because he believed even back then that animals could teach human beings something. Please join us to hear what Monty was taught and what he has to teach us as a result. Please do not be fooled by thinking Monty is a one trick pony. What he has to offer benefits everyone.
Kare Anderson believes that in a world that is increasingly more connected and complex both good and bad can hit faster from more people and more places because of tech. She thinks that our most noble mission is to stay sought after and have a life of meaning. Please come along with me and meet a truly remarkable woman who believes in mutuality and finding the best way of living life.
Margaret Heffernan is an entrepreneur, the CEO’s CEO, prolific author, and TED talk alumnus. She and I discuss what it takes to stand up, speak up and wake up and two of her noteworthy books, Willful Blindness and A Bigger Prize. She has rightfully been named one of the internet’s top 100 by Silicon Valley Reporter, one of the top 25 by Streaming Media Magazine and one of the top 100 media executives by the Hollywood Reporter. I guarantee that Margaret Heffernan will Challenge Your Thinking.
John Corcoran has worked in Hollywood, the Clinton White House, and as a speechwriter for the Governor of California. What he’s really good at is making and keeping relationships that produce dividends. He believes that giving to others brings him and anyone who is willing to follow his lead more than they ever dreamed possible. Tune in to hear how John practices what he teaches. You can also find him at the Smart Business Revolution website and podcast.
Reverend Debra Jarvis uses humor to heal. She had me laughing out loud, and I’m pretty sure you will, too. Hopefully, she will have you thinking as well. Fired from her job, diagnosed with breast cancer, she still knew that she did not want to be introduced to other cancer survivors as just that. She believes that cancer is something you survive, not become identified with.
Dr. Sue Johnson is the best selling author, relationship icon, and researcher who is the creator of Emotionally Focused Therapy. She has basically changed the face of couples therapy and has the research to prove it. This two part series will take you behind the scenes to get a real sense of who she is and where she comes from. She is down to earth, interesting, self revealing, funny and smart as a whip. Part 1 features her life story and how she came to “become” the Dr. Sue Johnson so many love and revere. Part 2 is about what couples can learn and hope to take away from her books and couples workshops.
Cliff Ravenscraft believes that if you pursue your passion the money will follow. He experienced a lot of personal pressure to take over the family business and pursue the ministry as his calling. The problem was that did not turn out to be his true calling. If you were to look at the Top 100 Business Podcasts on iTunes chances are more than half of them have consulted with or been trained by Cliff. Tune in and find out how he managed to find and pursue his passion and how he might help you to do the same.
Unstoppable people are driven by a purpose. They are energized by passion. They are empowered by a belief system. They are equipped by preparation. They are strengthened by a team. They are renewed through creativity and creatively solving problems and they are rewarded by perseverance. This interview with Cynthia Kersey will show you how following her seven steps of getting a purpose and finding a way to express that in the world even when you have never done it before is still possible. Believe…
Gabriel Angelo MasterBlaster G is a fifteen year old San Francisco Street Artist and Icon. If you think a 15 year old has nothing of value to say or teach you then you are disagreeing with Ellen Degeneres . At the age of six Gabriel fell in love with a shiny brass trumpet that he has never stopped practicing or performing with. This is a young man who has been and is going places.
In 2001 Kim Krompass became an overnight multi millionaire. By 2008 she was losing it all and everyone else’s, too. What is life like having that kind of wealth and what becomes of a money manager/financial trader who loses it all and then some?
Dr. John McDougall is a thought leader. He has been challenging people’s thinking since 1970. He discovered something amazing about people’s health while he was a Hawaiian plantation doctor that long ago. He has been putting it to use in his practice and has the research to prove it.
Jim Palmer is an entrepreneur with a message. His latest book entitled, “Stop Waiting For It To Get Easier” is a good summary for what he has come to believe.
Maysoon Zayid repeated it twice in our interview, “Just try it,” Just try it,” and try it she has. If Maysoon finds a door in her life she metaphorically kicks out a window and knows how to get herself through it. While she doesn’t want to be anyone’s inspiration she feels happy for anyone who is able to accomplish anything because of something she may have said.
When you think of bikers you might think of gangs, thugs, and tattoos. John Paul Lilly has changed all of that. He is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker who is also known as the Chief. In 1995 he founded an organization known as Bikers Against Child Abuse (BACA). They put that reputation for toughness to work but only in the service of the greater good.
Our Recent Podcasts
Playing Big: Tara Mohr June 12, 2018
Paradigm Shift: Bob Proctor August 14, 2017
Love Take Two: Sudeep Balain July 31, 2017
Golden Lessons: Lindsey Jacobellis July 6, 2017
“Strong is the New Pretty”: Kate T. Parker June 19, 2017
About Our Podcast Series
Challenge Your Thinking is a Podcast dedicated to helping others move forward in ways they never thought possible. It is a series of inspirational interviews with people who have challenged themselves, faced their own fears and accomplished great things. There are many things that can hold people back in life, but fear is what generally paralyzes them.
It is my hope, and my guests hope that our listeners will feel inspired enough to challenge their own thinking about moving forward with less fear.
Copyright Dr. Linda Tucker
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Home Durham News Durham Historians Trace WWI Tunnel Graffiti Soldiers
Durham Historians Trace WWI Tunnel Graffiti Soldiers
Graffiti by a WWI DLI soldier
Graffiti discovered in a maze of First World War tunnels has led to a quest by a team of archivists, archaeologists and historians to find out more about the Durham soldiers who scrawled it. Written by members of the Durham Light Infantry (DLI), the graffiti gives the names, service numbers and regiments of three men who fought in the little known chapter of the First World War that was waged underground.
Members of the Teesdale and Weardale Search and Mountain Rescue Team (TWSMRT) had been helping to explore long forgotten passageways dug during the Battle of Loos (France, September-October 1915). And in waterlogged tunnels filled with rusty explosives, digging equipment and various remnants of trench life, they were surprised to stumble upon the simple pen-and-pencil inscriptions that bore a strange connection to their home region.
TWSMRT member Paul Alison said, “The sector of the line called Copse – which is part of a 12-kilometre-long front near Lens – has a multi-level network of tunnels, including listening and fighting galleries, a brigade battle headquarters, and several internal and external shafts.”
“The tunnels are difficult to explore as there can be poor quality air, deep water, unstable collapses and unexploded ordinance.”
Paul Alison in a Battle of Loos Tunnel
“I seem to have an aptitude for digging through collapsed and filled sections of tunnel. With bomb disposal experts, I create safe access so historians and archaeologists can enter a world not seen since 1918.”
“The DLI probably weren’t involved in the tunnelling, but may have been living and working down there.”
“We often find graffiti, but it is rare to find any that is identifiable to an individual and, because it was the DLI, I took an interest and approached the Durham Record Office for help to find out more.”
Gabriel Damaszk, an archivist at Durham County Record Office – and also a TWSMRT member – was given the names and service numbers of the three men. Along with volunteers from the Durham at War project, Mr Damaszk carried out research to find out more.
He said, “We were given three images of graffiti on tunnel walls and as the Record Office holds the archives for the DLI collection, we set out to discover what we could about these men and their families, which would possibly lead to finding living relatives.”
“Using census and parish records, we were able to find out more about who the soldiers were before they enlisted. And our volunteers were able to find out some interesting facts about their military service.”
“All three were discharged due to being medically unfit for further service and that alone tells us something of the appalling conditions the soldiers had to serve in.”
“Making sure we were following the right people was very tricky and the fact the soldiers’ names were very common made our task even harder.”
“By sharing the results of our research, we hope that there are members of the public who know more and will come forward to help us complete these soldiers’ stories.
The Three Durham Light Infantry Soldiers
Robert Richard Slater (20/857) was born in Ryhope, now Gateshead, in 1892, son of Robert and Dorothy. His father was a miner, but later became a bootmaker in Thornley Colliery, near Kelloe. Richard helped with his father’s business before he enlisted in 20 DLI. He later transferred to 14 DLI.
Both these battalions were mainly engaged in digging and maintaining trenches. Discharged in April 1919, Robert was awarded the British Medal and the Victory Medal. Robert married Hilda Ruddock in 1918, and they probably had a son, also called Robert Richard.
Richard Robert Slater
Reginald George Walker (27955) enlisted in Consett on 10th November 1915, aged 19. He joined 18 DLI, but soon transferred to 2 DLI. He was sent on a signalling course, but did not serve long as he suffered from acute appendicitis and spent time in hospitals in France and England. He was discharged in April 1919 and awarded the Silver Badge.
Reginald later married and had a daughter before emigrating to Australia. He appears to have travelled alone and it is unclear whether his family joined him there later.
J. Brown(e) (9533) served in 2 DLI. He enlisted in September 1914 and was discharged in March 1919. Little is known about this soldier except for the fact he was awarded the Silver War Badge, the Victory Medal, the British War Medal and the 1914 Star.
More details can be found at http://www.durham.gov.uk/article/10652/Appeal-for-help-to-find-First-World-War-graffiti-soldiers. Members of the public who have any more information about these soldiers are urged to contact Durham County Record Office by calling 03000 267 619 or emailing record.office@durham.gov.uk.
Battle of Loos
Durham County Record Office
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Kommersant: It was the pilots’ fault that caused the Superjet accident in Moscow
The flaws of the pilots caused the Aeroflot airline’s Suuhoy Superjet 100 passenger passenger accident on May 5 at Moscow’s Seremetyev airport – quoted by Kommersant, the Russian economic newspaper, on Wednesday.
The expert investigation of the flight of the SU 1492 flight, according to the sheet, found that it struck a lightning bolt about 15 minutes after the take-off. The lightning protection of the SSJ-100, which turned on the emergency power supply, was then activated. The Direct Mode manual control mode is turned on when the automation no longer provides pilots and does not correct their faults.
Kommersant has been informed that the technical fault in the machine was not fatal, in this case the pilots do not have to land immediately in accordance with the instructions in the Operations Manual, and are only included in the suggestions to hurry to let the machine run smoothly. In such an extraordinary situation it is not mandatory to send an alarm, this is only Mayday! it is mandatory to ask for help, which was not done by the crew, so they did not wait for the passenger car with fire engines at the landing ground.
The two pilots of SSJ-100, Gyenyis Jevdokimov and Makszim Kuznyecov, only managed to turn to the runway for the second time in accordance with all the requirements of the regulation, but the machine, which was driven by the autopilot and thrusters, was overcrowded at the ideal leveling point. For this reason, according to the experts, the pilots tried to “push” the machine to the track, which led to a catastrophe, by suddenly spinning the engines and lowering the nose.
According to the informants of the paper, when the passenger was hit by a second track, the machine and passengers were overloaded with about 5 G, although the maximum overload of the SSJ-100 could be up to 3.75 G. As a result, the rear photo brackets crashed the fuel tanks, causing the passenger to flame. The pilots would have had to start an emergency on the first blow.
Kommersant has learned that the process of disaster development has already been reconstructed by the investigation, and only the determination of personal responsibility remains.
Aeroflot’s flight from Moscow to Murmansk returned to the airport in the evening on May 5, due to a lightning strike and lighted up during landing. Of the 78 passengers and staff, 41 were killed.
Tags: baleset, hibája, Kommerszant, moszkva, pilóták, Superjet
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The Eagle Way No 9
The New Testament Prophet
“And in these days prophets came from Jerusalem to Antioch. Then one of them, named Agabus, stood up and showed by the Spirit that there was going to be a great famine throughout all the world, which also happened in the days of Claudius Caesar. Then the disciples, each according to his ability, determined to send relief to the brethren dwelling in Judea. This they also did, and sent it to the elders by the hands of Barnabas and Saul” (Acts 11:27-30).
Agabus is an example of the “office” or “ascension gift” in the New Testament. (Ephesians 4:11, 12) “And He Himself [Christ] gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers. V12, for the perfecting [equipping, making fit, making fully qualified for service] of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying [building up] of the body of Christ.”
A prophet is a spokesman for God, one who speaks forth by divine inspiration, moved by the Spirit of God and hence a spokesman, solemnly declares to men what he has received by inspiration, especially concerning future events, and in particular such as relate to the cause and kingdom of God and to human salvation.
This role differs from the manifestations “phanerōsis” [an expression of] the gift of prophecy in the life of the believer (1Cor 12:7). A prophet [pro, “forth” and phemi, “to speak”] therefore, entails a Christ – appointed ministry of a person rather than the Holy Spirit – distributed gift through a person.
In the New Testament, this office was not sensationalized as it tends to be today.
Such an attitude is unworthy, both in the prophet and in those to whom he miniseries, and is certain to result in an unfruitful end. Paul the apostle was addressing such assumption of the prophetic office when he issued the challenge in “If anyone thinks himself to be a prophet or spiritual, let him acknowledge that the things which I write to you are the commandments of the Lord. But if anyone is ignorant, let him be ignorant” (1 Corinthians 14:37, 38).
The spiritually minded will receive Paul’s instructions with apostolic authority. Those who reject them are responsible for the consequences of their ignorance. There is a calling for submission to spiritual authority rather than self-serving independence.
The office of the prophet cannot be taken lightly. There is nothing in the New Testament that reduces the stringent requirement for serving this role and ought to be regarded seriously, as written in (Deuteronomy 18:20-22) “But the prophet who presumes to speak a word in My name, which I have not commanded him to speak, or who speaks in the name of other gods, that prophet shall die.’ “And if you say in your heart, ‘How shall we know the word which the LORD has not spoken?’— “when a prophet speaks in the name of the LORD, if the thing does not happen or come to pass, that is the thing which the LORD has not spoken; the prophet has spoken it presumptuously; you shall not be afraid of him.”
Prophecy is nothing to be “experimented” with, for souls are in the balance in the exercise of every ministry.
Further wisdom may be gained by noting that on biblical terms there is more than one type of ministry by a prophet. The measure for us is the remarkable predictive gifts of prophets like Daniel, Isaiah, Zechariah, and John. The other traits of the prophetic office are seen:
1) Preaching– especially at a national or international level (John the Baptist)
2) Teaching– especially when unusual insight is present and broad impact is made in serving God’s people (Ezra).
3) Miracles – as remarkable signs to accompany a prophet’s preaching (Elijah).
4) Renewal – as with Samuel (1 Samuel 3:21; 4:1) or that called for by the psalmist and by Amos (Psalm 74:9 and Amos 8:11, 12).
This incident of Agabus resulted in effective action by the church rising to meet a challenging situation. This is a valid test of the prophetic office and calling. It is for edification and not for self promotion, but to build, enlarge, forth-tell and foretell into the body of Christ whether locally or globally.
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Vicki Goldberg
This biography of a living person needs additional citations for verification. Please help by adding reliable sources. Contentious material about living persons that is unsourced or poorly sourced must be removed immediately, especially if potentially libelous or harmful.
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Vicki Goldberg is an American photography critic, author, and photo historian. She has authored several books and written articles on the subjects of photography and its social history.
Goldberg is a photography critic and author based in New Hampshire, United States. She was born in St. Louis, Missouri and earned a master's degree in art history from New York University Institute of Fine Arts.
Goldberg's books include The Power of Photography: How Photographs Changed Our Lives; Light Matters (a selection of her essays); and The White House: The President's Home in Photographs and History; as well as editing the anthology Photography in Print: Writings from 1816 to the Present. Her first biography, Margaret Bourke-White, took an in-depth look at the life and techniques of Margaret Bourke-White, a photographer active in the early to mid-20th Century.
Goldberg co-wrote A Nation of Strangers: Essays with Arthur Ollman, and American Photography: A Century of Images with art historian Robert Silberman. She has also written introductions to a number of photographic monographs.
Margaret Bourke-White and The Power of Photography were included in the American Library Association's lists of best books of their respective years. Photography in Print was named by The Wall Street Journal as one of the five best of all books on photography in 2006.
Goldberg has written for The New York Times and Vanity Fair. She has lectured in Belgium, England, France, China, Korea, Norway and Portugal as well as America. She currently works as a freelance writer and lecturer.
Vicki Goldberg Biography at the Biography Resource Center
Articles about Vicki Goldberg at the New York Times
Vicki Goldberg on IMDb
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Breakthrough brands: WeSwap, a new frontier to simplify currency exchange
At Fabrik, we have a very special love affair with branding.
We believe that the right brand, in the right circumstances, can change the world. Whether it’s with a truly unique brand identity that changes the perceptions of a generation, or a powerful personality that helps you to capture the hearts and minds of a devoted audience, great branding can transform your company from yet another struggling start-up, into an unforgettable household name.
For this week’s “Breakthrough brands” celebration, we’ll be exploring the innovation and inspiration behind “WeSwap”, a peer-to-peer currency exchange platform that allows people across the world to swap travel money with people from different countries.
Here, we hope to show you how the WeSwap brand has pushed ahead of their competitors in the currency market, not just by embracing a strong unique selling point, but also by using exceptional marketing, customer-focused branding, and social expertise to excel in their marketplace.
Let’s start the adventure.
WeSwap history: The birth of a peer-to-peer pioneer
For those who aren’t familiar with “WeSwap” yet, it’s the first official currency company that allows its members to safely and securely swap travel money with people from across the world. In other words, it cuts the middleman out of the currency exchange experience.
Like many of our other breakthrough brands, WeSwap is still incredibly new, and still in the “beta” stage of finding its feet in the marketing world. Though the company originally began in 2011, it wasn’t fully launched until 2015. However, already, the WeSwap brand has members in more than 10 countries across the globe and supports peer-to-peer swapping in 18 different currencies.
One of the elements that makes WeSwap so special, is the fact that it gives its customers the “real” interbank mid-rate exchange rate, and charges only 1% on top. That means that you get a much cheaper deal for converting cash than you would get from any bank or travel agent.
When you sign up to the WeSwap app or website, the company matches inbound travellers with outbound travellers throughout the digital network, making exchanges quick, and simple. You also receive your very own MasterCard, where you can load up money in six different currencies to take with you wherever you go.
Unlike many currency companies in the world today, where the WeSwap brand really stands out, is in its focus on experience and social connectivity. It makes sense that a business built entirely on peer-to-peer exchanges would place people at the heart of its brand, but WeSwap has done this with such incredible focus and finesse, that’s it’s worth celebrating.
Not only does the brand consistently remind you of the fun that lurks behind currency exchange with its bright colours, and images, but it has also begun to create a uniquely connected social community too, with its playful, laidback blog, social media adventures, and distinct tone of voice.
The WeSwap brand: A business built on people
If you dive into the history of the WeSwap brand, you’ll learn that the company began when Jared Jesner, the founder, and CEO, spotted a distinct gap in the market. He believed that the foreign exchange industry was inefficient, stressful, and “lacking transparency.”
As you can see from the crowdfunding campaign video the company made when it was developing the WeSwap marketing strategy, the business experienced a “Eureka” moment, where they decided it was time to make exchanging money simpler, and more efficient for everyone.
By choosing a brand purpose that aligns with basically anyone who’s ever taken a vacation, WeSwap immediately put themselves in a great position to start establishing strong relationships with their customers and followers. That could be part of the reason why the customer base for the WeSwap brand is so varied, with people downloading the app from all walks of life.
However, like any good company, WeSwap dove down into the details of their user personas and found that they most needed to appeal to digital natives, who were looking for ways to explore the world in a more convenient way. In other words, they were the perfect company to respond to the experience-focused needs of the millennial generation.
Because they knew exactly which people they were marketing towards, WeSwap could start building their brand voice to appeal to the needs of millennial customers. Not only did they adapt their visual identity accordingly with bright colours and photos of younger consumers, but they also learned how to communicate with an audience who loves emojis, appreciates simplicity, and craves recognition.
That’s why WeSwap refers to their customers in everything they do. For example, they say “we” in their branded blog posts, when they’re talking about their community, and thank their audience for their input.
The result? A growth of about 204% in the last year alone, with 200,000 new users joining the network. Numbers like those speak for themselves.
WeSwap branding: An adventure in social media
Since the WeSwap branding strategy is focused so strongly on building affinity and loyalty among its customers, it makes sense that the company would devote a lot of its time and energy to social media marketing.
From the very beginning, the business realised that they needed to create a tone of voice and personality that was trustworthy and authentic enough to grab the attention of their target audience. According to an interview with the UK Marketing Manager for the WeSwap brand, Stephanie Meyer-Scott, finding the right personality was a complicated process, but it began with asking two simple questions:
1. Who are we as a company?
2. Who is our audience?
Once the organisation established that they wanted to be seen as young, innovative, and smart, and appeal to a millennial audience, crafting the right social media strategy became much easier. In June 2015, the WeSwap marketing team saw three times as many new likes on their Facebook compared to the month before, as well as five times more Twitter followers.
WeSwap achieved great results by using a range of proven techniques for success, such as:
In recent years, influencer marketing has emerged as a useful solution for expanding brand awareness and recognition for start-up companies who have yet to establish authority within their industry. By connecting with other popular companies in their space, and sharing the content that was created as a result, WeSwap started to tap into the followers of pre-existing businesses:
No matter which industry you’re in, it’s safe to say that all customers like to be appreciated by their favourite brands. Sharing user-generated content is one of the easiest ways to tell your customers that you value their opinions while leveraging the benefits of social proof and word of mouth marketing at the same time. All you need to do is ask people to share related blogs and photos on your social media page, and you’re already on track to building a powerful community.
Visuals and videos
By far, one of the easiest ways to engage a millennial audience on social media today is with visual content. Whether you’re sharing ideas and emotions through emojis, or you’re capturing attention and educating your audience through videos and graphics, there are dozens of ways to get your audience involved.
The WeSwap brand has taken full advantage of that fact. On Facebook, Twitter, and even their website, the WeSwap marketing team are using images to improve engagement, encourage shares, and enhance customer experience.
The WeSwap visual brand identity
Visual marketing isn’t the only thing that the WeSwap branding department have learned to do well. The visual brand identity of the company is also a great point of differentiation for the organisation. It works well because it’s built on an understanding of the underlying values and visions that propel the company forward.
According to the CMO for the WeSwap brand, Rob Stross, the start-up was designed to bring customers a more “twenty-first-century” experience when it comes to exchanging travel currency. In other words, WeSwap is all about giving their audience a modern, simple, and efficient experience. At the same time, they’re focused on “doing things differently”.
It’s easy to see how WeSwap have already attempted to stand out as something unique in the marketplace when you consider the fact that they’re the first peer-to-peer currency exchange to exist in the UK. With such a powerful USP, it makes sense that the brand would want to build on that idea of “being different” in their brand identity too.
Here’s how the WeSwap brand identity shines through in each of their visual investments:
1. The MasterCard
It’s hard to ignore the bright colours and unique appeal of the WeSwap bank card. For a company involved with finance, the card design can be just as important as creating any other visual element, from a logo to a website. Here, the blend of colours, gold, blue, and green speak volumes about what the business is trying to portray. While its unique shade of blue indicates trust and professionalism, yellow inspires creativity and joy. In other words, the tones say: WeSwap are experts in their field, but they know how to have fun too.
The use of intersecting lines on the card seems to showcase a blend of different ideas, while the single line of text “The people’s currency exchange”, draws attention to the key point of differentiation in the WeSwap branding initiative.
2. The website/app
The WeSwap brand website and app provide the same consistent experience that customers might come to expect from the moment they receive their bank card. The website is covered in the bright colours showcased on the card above, and brimming with useful information designed to put the minds of customers at ease. In fact, WeSwap even shows off their Trustpilot ratings on the landing page.
The use of bright colours, human imagery, and lots of reviews, further demonstrates WeSwap’s devotion to a millennial market who prefer to use the opinions of everyday people when making decisions about how to spend, invest or use their money. In fact, 88% of customers trust online reviews just as much as recommendations from their friends or family.
3. The WeSwap logo
Finally, the WeSwap brand logo continues the creative, social, and innovative themes that the company has carried through the rest of its visual identity. The bright colours make the business seem fun and light-hearted, while the two different shades coming together to create a diamond at the intersection of the “W” seems to demonstrate the value at the heart of peer-to-peer sharing.
The “W” Itself could also be perceived as a crude bird or butterfly shape, which helps to draw focus back to the idea of flight and travel, which sits at the heart of the brand.
WeSwap marketing strategy: Adding fun to finance
The WeSwap brand doesn’t just stand out in the world of currency exchange because it knows how to communicate with its audience, but also because it understands that audience wants to build “friendships” with their brands. Though financial companies need to establish trust to gain the loyalty of customers, which WeSwap has done with the use of reviews and testimonials, they also need to show off their human side if they want to connect with millennials.
In June 2015, the WeSwap marketing campaigns began with a series of humorous, colourful, and eye-catching visuals designed to start conversations among younger audiences.
The campaign ran for 10 weeks, and while it wasn’t appreciated by all customers, it certainly achieved its goals of “grabbing public attention”. According to the brand founder, they knew the somewhat controversial banners would spark debate, but they were willing to take the risk if it meant “cutting through the noise” of summer marketing.
While some people considered the campaign to be “grossly sexist”, others could see the humour behind the images. Either way, WeSwap demonstrated their adaptable nature by apologising to the customers they had offended, rebranding their current look, and making changes to their ads in for the future.
The 2017 visuals represent the fun and laid-back nature of the company in a much more effective way. By showing real, authentic people in their advertisements, and replacing controversial comments with useful statistics, WeSwap learned how to showcase the “transparency” that they claimed was essential to their brand values.
Breakthrough brands: Learning from WeSwap
Ultimately, the best thing companies can learn from the WeSwap brand, is that if they want to get the most out of their start-up, they need to begin by learning how to communicate with their audience. Sometimes, that will mean experimenting with controversial campaigns, changing your ideas, and exploring social media for a chance to find out what your customers are talking about.
Other times, it simply means diving into the data that you already have on your user personas and figuring out how you can communicate what makes you unique to a specific demographic.
By focusing WeSwap marketing campaigns on a specific audience, from a specific background, they’ve managed to grow their company significantly over the years, earning millions of pounds worth of crowd-funding finance.
If WeSwap has taught us anything, it’s that becoming a successful brand is an incredible journey, and each business needs to learn how to understand the people they’re going on that adventure with.
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Quintessentially British brands: It’s not just branding, it’s Marks & Spencer branding
Which brands are fundamental to your British experience?
At Fabrik, when we ask people to name their own “quintessentially British brands”, we often find that a few classic names come to mind. Our customers reel off companies like Doc Martens, Vivienne Westwood, John Lewis, and of course, Marks and Spencer.
Marks & Spencer has been around since 1884, and over more than a century, the group has changed the way we think and feel about the retail world in the UK. Though M&S has faced a few hurdles in its time, it’s also shown us the power of a brand that stays true to its values, and consistent with its corporate image, while still continuously evolving.
As one of the UK’s first premium brands, M&S has survived recessions, PR nightmares, dry periods, and they still retain a formidable presence on the UK high street, trading in over 300 stores throughout Britain alone.
In today’s article, we’re going to explore the details behind the Marks & Spencer brand, and attempt to unveil how this incredible organisation has managed to maintain its success, in the face of an ever-evolving consumer base with a permanent focus on quality, value, and trust.
This isn’t just any branding guide. This is a Marks & Spencer branding guide.
The history of the Marks & Spencer brand
The Marks & Spencer brand began in 1884, when a Russian refugee called “Michael Marks” came to Britain, and opened a penny stall in Leeds, selling goods to passers-by. By 1894, Marks met up with a man called Thomas Spencer, a former cashier from a wholesale company called Dewhirst. The two men quickly established their first store in 1904, where they sold a range of general goods.
Over more than 100 years, the Marks & Spencer name has grown and evolved, becoming a public company in 1936, and emerging as the first British retailer to pioneer a research lab for new clothing fabrics in 1934.
Interestingly, Marks & Spencer were actually one of the first stores to experiment with the concept of “self-service” shopping, in the 1940s, long before anyone had heard that annoying voice in Tesco telling you that something “unexpected” was in your bagging area. What’s more, the M&S brand was also an innovator in own-label fashion, designing the St Michael brand back in the 1950s.
In the 1970s and 80s, the Marks & Spencer branding adventure began to move out of town, with new stores opening in the Metro Centre in Gateshead. Eventually, the company even began to introduce stores across France, Belgium, and Continental Europe, and in 1999, online shopping was introduced for the first time through the business website.
In the year 2000, M&S entered a new era in their exploration of fashion brands, replacing their St Michael brand with a growing collection of modern sub-brands, including Per Una, Autograph, and Blue Harbor. The store formats and logos changed with the times too, rolling out concepts like the “Simply Food” campaign, and a home products brand called “Marks & Spencer Lifestore”.
Although M&S has certainly shown other companies across the world how important it is to adapt to the needs of the customer in an ever-changing industry, with the introduction of their new products and labels, the focus of the brand has remained consistent across the decades.
Above all else, Marks & Spencer’s have maintained their focus on selling high-value, premium products to customers across the UK. It’s this devotion to their brand purpose, that has helped the company to hold onto its position in the marketplace, despite a difficult trading environment.
The M&S brand, and the focus on luxury
Over the years, M&S has emerged as one of the UK’s leading retailers, selling homeware, food, and clothing to the masses. Interestingly, one of the elements that make this company so unique as a quintessentially British brand, is the fact that it’s remained almost stubbornly true to its brand position.
Throughout troubled times for the UK high-street, the Marks & Spencer brand has been determined to maintain its price premium, even when other competitors slashed their costs to the bone. From the very beginning when Marks & Spencer began working together, they created a vision for their brand, that concentrated on bringing quality to British consumers. M&S are devoted to convincing their customers that they’re a company that’s worth paying more for.
Price has always been an important part of the marketing mix, however, Marks & Spencer seems to have beaten all the odds, by choosing a higher cost, as a way of convincing its customers that it’s worth their money. Often, brands will attempt to compete with competitors in their space by choosing a lower price point. However, M&S took the opposite route, believing that its customers would hand over their loyalty more readily to a brand that put quality over price.
Even in the years before the recession, when the Marks & Spencer brand was faced with a potential takeover, they focused on building their marketing campaigns and investing in advertising that helped them to share their values of quality, trust, and luxury with the world. Perhaps it’s this unshakeable focus that allowed the company to achieve the rank of the UK’s most authentic brand in 2014.
When other retailers stuttered and failed, and credit crunches cut down Marks & Spencer’s profits, the business continued to earn the respect of their customers, by convincing them that the quality they had on sale was worth paying more for.
The evolution of the Marks & Spencer branding strategy
Of course, just because the Marks & Spencer brand is committed to its mission of “making every moment special”, doesn’t mean that the company hasn’t opened itself up to change over the years. Like any brand in the world today, the M&S brand has evolved with the needs and expectations of its customers. In fact, the business logo is a great example of how the brand has recognised the need to change according to the diverse preferences of its audiences, without losing sight of its heritage:
Although the company experimented with touches of green in the past, when it first began to think about things like environmental initiatives, and social consciousness as a way of expanding brand values, the focus on simple, effective, black-and-white branding has remained prominent for Marks & Spencer across the years. The new logo is simple and effective, showing M&S’s focus on their customer needs, while the “Est. 1884” represents heritage.
The latest logo highlights the idea at the heart of the Marks & Spencer brand evolution that has taken place over the years. While the core idea of “value first” remains essential to the personality of the company, that perception of value has had to evolve as customers re-assess what’s “special” and important to them.
The latest “Spend it Well” campaign for instance, recently emerged as a replacement for the “Only M&S” slogan, to show off the fact that the company is now placing greater focus on the needs of its customers, and the planet in general.
The first campaign is an emotive piece designed to demonstrate how this traditional, “old-fashioned” brand, is now moving towards a much more “switched-on” cultural state. When asked about the “Spend it Well” message, the Marks & Spencer brand suggested that the statement comes from an acknowledgement of the fact that life is short, and that people need to spend the time they get on “great experiences”.
In other words, over the years, Marks & Spencer has evolved from a company with a focus on simple values to one that recognises the value modern customers place on experience. Not only is this a more powerful way for the Marks & Spencer branding team to highlight its focus on quality experiences, but it’s also a far more motivational, and actionable slogan than the original “Only M&S” option.
The Marks & Spencer brand and the changing nature of “value”
In its effort to launch a new and upgraded brand identity, focused around promoting a “shared attitude” which connects customers regardless of demographic or age, the Marks & Spencer brand has invested heavily in visual content over the years. With their recent “Spend it Well” campaign, the company is following in the footsteps of other brands across the country, who have attempted to deliver more emotive experiences to their audiences.
Although the Marks & Spencer underlying focus on quality and value hasn’t changed over the years, the customer idea of what “value” truly means has evolved. In the past, a quintessentially British brand like M&S could be valuable simply by offering great food and clothing to customers at great prices. Now, if you want to show your audience that you’re worth something, then you need to give them a stronger brand promise.
The new “Spend it Well” campaign might be a radical departure from previous marketing strategies that M&S have adopted in the past for some, but the truth is that it’s just a new approach to the same concept of “quality above all else”. The only difference is that instead of looking at value in the form of luxurious desserts and sumptuous clothing, Marks & Spencer are now selling the idea that they can give their customers a better quality of life.
According to the executive director for the company, the new “Spend it Well” concept is based on a huge amount of listening, and research, where the brand has begun to try and understand what their audience wants from them.
Today, it’s no longer enough for traditional quintessentially British brands to rest upon the existing fame and recognition they’ve built for their companies. Instead, they need to show their customers that they’re capable of evolving, and that’s why the Marks & Spencer brand has placed so much effort into connecting with their customers on a deeper level through their new campaign.
The good news is that their attempts seem to be working – at least among women. According to a Yougov.co.uk analysis, Marks & Spencer is the brand that British women connect with best, above competitors like John Lewis, Heinz, Boots, and BBC One.
One of the most effective ways that the Marks & Spencer brand has evolved to adopt new ideas of “value” in the modern world, is with their “Plan A” strategy. Today, the company works with suppliers across 70 countries, and two million workers over 20,000 farms, and 2,000 factories. With such a huge community in place, M&S have upgraded their brand values once again, to highlight that they want to go beyond the expectations of their customers, and employees by creating a fair, sustainable workplace.
The Plan A program has been overwhelmingly positive for the M&S brand, helping them to improve energy efficiency by 25%, reduce waste by 34%, and build a stronger relationship with their customers. In a world where communities are packed full of millennials, and individuals who put social and economic performance first, it makes sense to develop a marketing plan that allows M&S to demonstrate value as a brand that truly stands for something.
As the world began to focus more on the value of experience, and meaningful change over physical possessions, the Marks & Spencer brand was forced to adapt, and re-centre its focus around ideas its customers could get behind.
Marks and Spencer marketing: Expanding to a wider consumer base
For an inherently traditional brand like Marks & Spencer, that’s currently more than 130 years old, it’s taken a relatively long time to transition completely into the digital world. In fact, the business still refuses to team up with companies like Google and YouTube, because they believe that the organisations need to do more to protect companies.
In 2013, the Marks & Spencer brand finally updated a new website, freeing itself of the Amazon-based eCommerce platform it had operated within beforehand, allowing itself to move into a new period of digital growth and innovation.
Since then, this quintessentially British brand has explored a range of promotional opportunities, to target a broader consumer base. According to the people behind the company, the development of successful campaigns has balanced entirely upon their ability to listen to the needs and preferences of their customers, which now include a much younger, millennial market.
Marks and Spencer content marketing
Over the years, the M&S brand has also had significant success with its content marketing efforts. Following up on their values of quality, transparency and being “in touch” with their audience, Marks & Spencer launched a company blog where they not only share information designed to boost their sales but also emotional stories about the communities and causes that they’re getting involved with.
Perhaps one of the key elements that make the Marks & Spencer content marketing strategy so unique, is the fact that they’re not only providing information on their latest conferences and company updates, but also delivering behind-the-scenes views from M&S experts and partners. That means that you get a more personalised experience from this quintessentially British brand.
At the same time, Marks & Spencer seem to be a brand that knows how to do visual content well. Their mouth-watering displays of food on adverts around the festive season were enough to send plenty of people flocking to their nearest store. However, as companies began to recognise the value of marketing based on emotion, the M&S brand also began to experiment with new ways of connecting with their audience.
For instance, the chances are you still remember the fairy-tale inspired Christmas campaign in 2013, featuring an adorable Scottish Terrier.
The M&S brand demonstrated their understanding of their audience that year, by following up on the powerful emotional video, with a social media campaign that allowed customers to vote and decide what the dog from the video would be named. According to the Guardian, 130,000 people cast their vote on Twitter and Facebook, building exposure for the company, and cementing its place within the digital world.
To survive in this saturated business space, M&S have learned that they need more than a great focus on quality. They also need to be able to connect with their user personas in a more significant way. From their focus on cultural initiatives and sustainability to their emotional content, M&S have showcased their ability to adapt to a new, more emotionally connected audience.
The M&S brand on social media: Putting the community first
For a premium brand like Marks & Spencer to thrive in the current marketplace, it needs to not only show its audience that it understands their ideas of value in the modern space, but that it’s willing to reach out and communicate with them too. Any company can easily enhance their user personas, and strengthen their online presence, by collaborating with their audience through new and improved social media strategies.
In 2013, M&S were already experimenting with social media as a way of engaging with their customers and gathering the research they needed to build a more culturally focused brand. According to one interview, by gathering feedback from their social media followers, the M&S brand could find forty key customer issues and improve their online experience by 14%.
Today, Marks & Spencer know how to make the most out of their social media presence. The company’s Twitter account has more than 547,000 followers, and it’s frequently updated with new messages, videos, gifs, and visual insights.
The Marks & Spencer brand even has its own Instagram page, where it shares photos and ideas that blend perfectly with the brand image, that seems to be constantly surrounded in a dreamy filter, perfect for that luxury appeal.
In fact, the company built even further on their community-first strategy in recent years, by introducing influencer marketing into the mix. If you head to the Marks & Spencer brand website, for instance, you’ll find that it’s brimming with authentic, friendly, and insightful images. On the “Spend it Well” Marks and Spencer campaign page, you’ll find dozens of photos and messages from influencers in the Instagram space, who came together to share what the new slogan means to them.
By connecting with customers in a more emotional, conversational way through social media visuals, messages, and even influencer campaigns, Marks & Spencer have shown their customers just how adaptable they can be.
While the company remains true to their focus on value and experience, they’ve also been able to adjust the way that they market themselves to suit the changing needs of their customers, and that’s what being an incredible British brand is all about.
M&S: A quintessentially British brand
Today, the Marks & Spencer brand is just as powerful as it’s ever been within the UK. By mixing traditional concepts, and underlying brand values, with new missions and ideas, the company has been able to make the most out of its heritage as a classic British company, without losing sight of the modern needs and expectations of its audience.
The M&S identity has come a long way since the penny stalls where it began over one hundred years ago, but it’s easy to see that the fundamental elements that made the company special have remained the same throughout the decades. Just like many similar quintessential brands, M&S realised that if they wanted to stay ahead of their competitors, they needed to walk a fine line, between staying true to their past, and embracing the future.
Often, it can be hard for a “classic” company to find a place for themselves in a modern world. This is particularly true for premium companies like Marks & Spencer, who rely on customers agreeing with the concept that they should spend more for a premium experience. Yet, in contrast to many of its rivals, M&S has continued to maintain its luxury image, justify its value through exceptional marketing, and adjust to the needs of a new audience, without faltering.
It’s the M&S adaptable nature, its long-standing devotion to quality, and its willingness to listen to its audience, that has allowed it to maintain its position as a quintessential British brand.
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— Everything you need to know about brand purpose
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Tobacco Payment Program
Marion County, West Virginia
Pick a county West Virginia State Total Barbour County, West Virginia Berkeley County, West Virginia Boone County, West Virginia Braxton County, West Virginia Brooke County, West Virginia Cabell County, West Virginia Calhoun County, West Virginia Clay County, West Virginia Doddridge County, West Virginia Fayette County, West Virginia Gilmer County, West Virginia Grant County, West Virginia Greenbrier County, West Virginia Hampshire County, West Virginia Hancock County, West Virginia Hardy County, West Virginia Harrison County, West Virginia Jackson County, West Virginia Jefferson County, West Virginia Kanawha County, West Virginia Lewis County, West Virginia Lincoln County, West Virginia Logan County, West Virginia McDowell County, West Virginia Marion County, West Virginia Marshall County, West Virginia Mason County, West Virginia Mercer County, West Virginia Mineral County, West Virginia Mingo County, West Virginia Monongalia County, West Virginia Monroe County, West Virginia Morgan County, West Virginia Nicholas County, West Virginia Ohio County, West Virginia Pendleton County, West Virginia Pleasants County, West Virginia Pocahontas County, West Virginia Preston County, West Virginia Putnam County, West Virginia Raleigh County, West Virginia Randolph County, West Virginia Ritchie County, West Virginia Roane County, West Virginia Summers County, West Virginia Taylor County, West Virginia Tucker County, West Virginia Tyler County, West Virginia Upshur County, West Virginia Wayne County, West Virginia Webster County, West Virginia Wetzel County, West Virginia Wirt County, West Virginia Wood County, West Virginia Wyoming County, West Virginia West Virginia NRCS
Pick a district 1st District of West Virginia (Rep. David McKinley) 2nd District of West Virginia (Rep. Alex Mooney) 3rd District of West Virginia (Rep. Evan Jenkins)
Tobacco Payment Program payments in Marion County, West Virginia totaled $0 from 1995-2017.
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1st GHI World Congress on Food Safety and Security
The Global Harmonization Initiative (GHI) will host its 1st GHI World Congress on Food Safety and Security in Leiden, The Netherlands on 24 - 28 March 2019.
GHI aims to bring together leading scientists, researchers and research scholars from academia and industry, decision makers from international organisations, and the public from across the globe to advance the conversation about the vital role of modern science in food legislation and regulation.
One of the major problems in food safety and security regulation is that many existing laws, rules and guidelines are originated from decades-old data and methods, several of which are not even relevant to human exposure. More than five decades of research has shown convincingly that food safety and security regulations should be changed and revised on the basis of updated and validated assays. Our rationale for organising the 1st GHI World Congress is to generate a platform to present and implement the most suitable assays for food safety and security assessment within different fields — from chemistry and microbiology, to genetic toxicology and genomics — throughout entire processes, from farm to fork.
The outcomes of the Congress can pave the way toward more accurate detection of human risk to dietary components and thus, improve human health status. GHI intends to produce a declaration that is agreed by all participants which calls for and establishes a target to change regulations within a specified time based on available.
Global Harmonization Initiative (GHI)
ghi2019@congressbydesign.com
https://ghiworldcongress.org/
Innovation / Social Entrepreneurship
Agricultural Producer
Interested Consumer
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Analysis and Policy, Middle East
Understanding The Significance of Turkey’s Forthcoming Anti-Terror Operation East of The Euphrates
Erdogan announces forthcoming military operations in north-eastern Syria
Turkey has conducted three major military operations in Syria since the beginning of the long running conflict in the Arab Republic. The first took place in 2016 during which time Turkey’s Operation Euphrates Sheild established a Turkish zone of influence in north western Syria that remains part of the de-escalation area in parts of both Idlib and Aleppo Governorates. The second major Turkish operation began early in 2018 when Operation Olive Branch liberated the northern Syrian city of Afrin from occupation by the YPG/PKK terror group. Since the liberation of Afrin, Turkey and the United States have made a commitment to jointly patrol the north-central Syrian city of Manbij while working to neutralise the YPG/PKK occupation through joint efforts.
Yet with the US openly dragging its feet in Manbij, Turkey has made the decision to prepare for a wider anti-terror operation in Syrian territory east of the Euphrates. Turkey’s President Erdogan announced the forthcoming operation in the following way:
“We are ready to smash the terrorist structure east of the Euphrates. We have completed preparations for this issue. In the near future, we will drive the terrorist organization into a corner through a large-scale and efficient operation. One night we will suddenly come”.
Turkish President Erdogan sends a strong signal for a possible military operation east of the Euphrates, saying "in the middle of the night when you least expect it we may come". This is the same line he used to signal the Euphrates Shield, Olive Branch and Idlib operations.
— Yusuf Erim (@YusufErim79) October 30, 2018
A US green light or a a breakdown in the Manbij agreement
Turkey has always sought to cooperate with the United States in neutralising terrorism in north-eastern Syria. Yet one of the grave issues that has been a major sticking point in the recent tensions between Turkey and its NATO partner America has been the latter’s continued battle field alliance in north-eastern Syria with the so-called SDF, a militant organisation comprised primarily of YPG/PKK terrorists. While the US continues to list the PKK as a terror group, its YPG branch in Syria is an explicit ally of the United States. As the YPG/PKK have launched attacks on Turkey from Syrian soil, the issue is clearly a matter of grave concern for Ankara.
The lethargy of US activity in Manbij in spite of prior commitments made along with Turkey in May of this year could well have been a motivating factor behind Erdogan’s assessment of the present situation east of the River Euphrates. Alternatively, as communications between top US officials and the Turkish government have increased in the aftermath of the shocking Saudi orchestrated murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi, it could well be that Turkish and US officials discussed the matter of an Operation Olive Branch 2.0 east of the Euphrates. Within this context, the US may well have privately green-lighted the operation in one way or another.
The truth of the matter is likely in-between. As the so-called SDF proves ever more ineffective at containing what remains of Daesh in eastern Syria, US military officials will be well aware that the US gamble in allying with the YPG/PKK has largely been a losing one from a short term tactical perspective. As such, the US may well have had little choice but to effectively concede that Turkey’s security concerns are legitimate and that because the so-called SDF can barely do what the US intended it to do, a Turkish presence east of the Euphrates is strategically a safer option from the US perspective than a resurgent Daesh, a crumbling SDF or the presence of pro-Assad troops.
Russia and Iran’s perspective
During the most recent meeting of the Astana trio of Russia, Turkey and Iran in Tehran, it was agreed that all nations shall adopt a mutual definition of terrorism as well as a supportive position of a mutual fight against these manifold forms of terrorism. This along with other statements from Russia in particular has been interpreted as a Russo-Iranian endorsement of Turkey’s actions against YPG/PKK terrorists in Syria.
Therefore, while Russian and Iranian troops will certainly not be present in the forthcoming anti-terror operation led by Turkey, in terms of intelligence and logistical support Russia and Iran appear to be happy to cooperate with their Turkish partner in this new theatre of operations.
Perspective from Damascus
While Damascus disapproves of all Turkish operations on Syrian soil, as the YPG/PKK is a clear threat to the territorial unity and safety of both Turkey and Syria while Damascus’s partners Russia and Iran are working ever more closely with Ankara over regional security matters, it would behove Damascus to speak with Turkey through a Russian or Iranian intermediary regarding Turkey’s operations east of the Euphrates.
As Damascus has already signed up to a constitutional dialogue process which will pave the way for internationally monitored elections in-line with the letter of UN Security Council Resolution 2254, a Turkish-Syrian reconciliation process would help to smooth out such a transition, not least because groups deemed by Russia, Turkey and Iran to be moderate opposition forces tend to have long standing healthy relations with Ankara.
While Damascus and Ankara still have little in common regarding the conflict, a privately united front against the YPG/PKK terror group could potentially go a long way in easing tensions that will naturally arise during forthcoming dialogue processes aimed at redrafting the Syrian constitution. While such discussions between Damascus and Ankara via a surrogate are still unlikely, the longer such dialogue is delayed the more incomplete the peace process will remain.
While the US continues to view north-eastern Syria as its exclusive zone of influence, by allying with an anti-Turkish terror group, Washington could have easily foreseen that Turkey would not stand idly by while such a group becomes a major occupying power in a neighbouring state. Therefore, anyone opposed to Turkey’s forthcoming anti-terror operation can point the finger at the United States as it was US policy makers who felt that it was a prudent decision to openly ally with a dangerous terror group whose Turkish branched remains proscribed by the US.
East of Euphrates
YPG/PKK
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Kalabsha Temple Tour
The largest free-standing temple of Lower Nubia, the structure was built in the reign of the last Ptolemies and Augustus (though a temple may have stood on its site as early as New kingdom times) and dedicated to the Nubian god Horus-Mandulis and to Isis and Osiris.
On the banks of Lake Nasser lies Kalabsha Temple, an often overlooked jewel of Aswan. Your Egyptologist guide is waiting to take you on a private tour to the temple to help you unlock its secrets.
For two years from 1961, Kalabsha Temple was dismantled into 15,000 pieces and moved block by block to its current location on the banks of Lake Nasser. It was just one of 18 temples and monuments moved in order to preserve them from the rising Nile waters created by the construction of Aswan's High Dam. The temple which is dedicated to the Egyptian god Horus and the Nubian god Mandulis, was originally built just after the Ptolemy period, the era after Alexander the Great's death (323BC).
The facade of the temple is undecorated suggesting it was never finish by its original builder, the Roman emperor Octavius Augustus. Despite being unfinished, Kalabsha Temple is considered the most complete, and largest free-standing temple in Nubia. The inner walls feature Egyptian artwork including a carving of St George slaying a dragon and Coptic crosses, showing the influence of Christians who used the temple as a church during the Roman persecution. Another piece of artwork which is a feature of the temple is a carving declaring the prohibition of eating pork which is carved in Meroitic.
Entrance fees; Qualified Egyptologist guide available in English, Spanish, French, German, or Portuguese; Transport by air-conditioned minivan; Hotel/port pickup and drop off.
Gratuities (optional), Food and drinks, unless specified.
3 hours (approx.).
Tour is available Daily and Departs 9:00am.
(later departures are available until 1:00pm if required, please advise at time of booking).
Hotel pickups commence prior to this time, exact pickup time will be advised on reconfirmation.
Aswan hotels or Port area.
Returns to original departure point.
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Swan Lake featuring the National Ballet Theatre of Odessa
FMU Celebrates 50 Years with Florence Symphony Orchestra
Jimmy Webb: The Glen Campbell Years
Songwriter Jimmy Webb has had chart-topping hits in a unique range of genres over the last 50 years, from country to pop to disco, with songs including “Worst That Could Happen,” “The Highway Man,” “Up, Up and Away” and “MacArthur Park.” But perhaps the most enduring partnership out of all those memorable songs is his musical brotherhood with Glen Campbell.
Jimmy Webb: The Glen Campbell Years highlights some of the 100+ recordings from the Webb/Campbell songbook, pulling the audience in with various accounts each night of the personal side of generational touchstones like “Honey Come Back,” “By the Time I Get to Phoenix,” “Wichita Lineman,” “Galveston” and more from decades of shared musical memories.
Webb is an American songwriter, composer and singer known worldwide as a master of his trade. His timeless hits continue to be performed and recorded by the industry’s biggest names, and his new compositions span the musical spectrum from classical to pop. This past year saw his “Wichita Lineman” on the set list in three major artist tours – Guns N’ Roses, Little Big Town, and Toby Keith – and used prominently in an episode of the Netflix series Ozark.
Webb is the only artist ever to have received Grammy Awards for music, lyrics and orchestration. His numerous accolades include the prestigious Ivor Novella International Award (2012) and the Academy of Country Music’s Poet Award (2016). In 2016 Rolling Stone magazine listed Webb as one of the top 50 songwriters of all time.
Since his first platinum record “The Worst That Could Happen,” Webb has had numerous hits including “Up, Up and Away,” “By the Time I Get to Phoenix,” “Wichita Lineman, “Galveston,” “Highwayman,” “All I Know” and “MacArthur Park,” and has also become a leader and mentor in the industry as a champion for songwriters.
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Slavoj Zizek: The Monstrosity of Christ
MON, APR 20, 2009 (1:22:23)
Philosopher and sociologist Slavoj Zizek discusses his new book, The Monstrosity of Christ: Paradox or Dialectic?, and explains how the Christian concept of the “toxic neighbor” impacts political, economic, sexual, and cultural thought. This event is presented by the Harvard Book Store, in cooperation with the Brattle Theatre and the MIT Press.
+ BIO: Slavoj Zizek
Slavoj Zizek is a senior researcher at the Institute for Sociology and Philosophy at the University of Ljubljana, Global Distinguished Professor of German at New York University, and international director of the Birkbeck Institute for the Humanities of the University of London. He is the author of more than 30 books and is the subject of the documentary, _Zizek!_. His own critically acclaimed documentary, The Pervert’s Guide to Cinema, was the subject of a film retrospective in 2007 at the Museum of Modern Art.
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King Sombra is Still Alive (Fan Theory)
LunaxSombra4Ever posted a topic in Friendship is Magic
Yup, we're doing this again. https://www.deviantart.com/cloudmistdragon/art/King-Sombra-is-Still-Alive-Fan-Theory-799825347 PreludeIn December of 2016, I made a theory regarding King Sombra not being dead like many fans of the show were speculating and returning to the series. Most of what I said in my original theory two and a half years ago has been confirmed to be true, and I feel the theory holds up for the most part, even if there are some cringey moments from my younger and dumber self that detract from it, especially the loser shipping trash. Even with rumors of the show staff being Rarijack shippers surfacing, I have come to harbor some doubt about Luna and Sombra being a former couple, but I won’t discount the possibility of another implication about them having been in a relationship in the same vein as an implication of Celestia and Discord having been in a relationship (put briefly, a very subtle implication). That being said, what gave me the compulsion to type up this follow-up theory was not to make another addendum or jokingly rub in the fact that I was right again, for this theory focuses on an entirely different subject. This new theory is meant to offer a possible explanation for Sombra’s apparent immortality, fill the discrepancy of his return that directly followed his first defeat in the Season 9 premiere, and elaborate on why I believe that he will not only return...again, but also play a vital role in the show’s overall plot and overarching message. Sombra’s Immortality We all saw what happened in the Season 9 premiere, The Beginning of the End, I am well aware. Sombra’s ‘death scene’ towards the end has proven to be a much more memorable moment than his original ‘death scene’ in the Season 3 premiere, The Crystal Empire. We seem to be having deja vu in more ways than one, not only did Sombra get “killed” again, but fans are arguing that he’s gone for good again. This time though, we have no ‘confirmation’ from the staff that he’s dead for good, so what is there to the argument that he will never come back? For starters, the one who resurrected him in the first place, Grogar, seems to have no intent on bringing him back at the moment. If you’ve seen the episode Frenemies, you will know that the remaining three villains Grogar has enlisted to be part of his “Legion of Doom” are plotting to betray him. With speculation about Grogar knowing this as the reason why he did not revive Sombra, the only villain who openly opposed his plans, and give him another chance along with speculation about Grogar using him the entire time only as a way to keep the other villains in line, it is rational to presume that Sombra wouldn’t return based on that alone...but as we saw with our presumption that Sombra wouldn’t return based on him being blown to bits alone, it is not rational to dismiss any possibility of him returning again. More speculation used to argue that Sombra won’t return is that he was not destroyed by the first blast from the Elements of Harmony that the Mane 6 used on him, but that he merely evaded it. However, nothing in the show confirms this visually or through dialogue. The scene of King Sombra’s first defeat in the premiere clearly showed him being blown away by the magic blast and steam arising from a burn spot on the floor, implying that he was disintegrated. Upon his return after destroying the Tree of Harmony, he does not make any boasts about dodging the blast, he just says that they “thought they beat him but instead led them to the source of their power”. Very odd of him not to delve into specifics despite the extreme narcissism he was shown to have in the premiere...and had he been tracking them the entire time since his defeat, that would give Grogar no window of opportunity to revive him either. So what’s going on here? Look back at the scene of King Sombra’s first defeat in the show again...when the elements blast him, they clearly destroy him...but not the dark crystals still lingering behind him. An editor’s oversight? Possible...but oddly enough, unlike the last time where the Crystal Heart was used to banish Sombra, all of his dark crystals were clearly destroyed. This time...they simply faded. Later on in the premiere, when he is defeated for the second time, Sombra’s shadow self is completely eradicated, yet reminiscent of his very first defeat in The Crystal Empire, he is still able to manage to scream until his dark crystals are destroyed. Ergo, I do not believe that the reason Sombra was able to survive the blast from the Elements is because he dodged it, but because his crystals were not destroyed. This is also what leads me to believe that the source of Sombra’s apparent immortality is that his “shadow body” is actually a manifestation of his spirit and that his true physical form is his dark crystals. Dialogue and visuals in the show do support this hypothesis. Rarity describes Sombra’s first banishment as him being “dispelled into the ether”, acting as if he is a spirit. Also, when Grogar resurrects Sombra in the underground cave below Tartarus at the beginning, the very first thing that comes out of the ground is not Sombra’s shadow, but a dark crystal...However, in spite of all this, there are those who will still argue that Sombra won’t come back because he “served his purpose” to the show...but what purpose is that? Sombra’s PurposeNo one can deny at this point that “Big” Jim Miller, the show’s supervising director, has sentiment for the character of Sombra. Voluntarily, he did not reprise his role as King Sombra for the Season 9 premiere, getting Alvin Sanders, whom he described as a ‘real voice actor’, to replace him. Why go through the effort of finding ‘real voice talent’ for a returning throwaway villain just to give him the chance to “prove he was capable”? It seems more likely that the trouble would at least amount to Sombra doing something to impact the show in the long run, and at first, this seemed to be the case with Sombra’s destruction of the Tree of Harmony. But now, as we’ve seen with the revival of the Tree of Harmony as a haven for the Student 6, as well as taking into account the fact that the Mane 6 can still harness the power of the Elements without their physical presence, it seems that Sombra really didn’t have much of a purpose for returning after all...or did he? In The Brony Notion’s excellent theory on how The Tree of Harmony really died, he also attempts to fill in the discrepancy of Sombra surviving his first defeat. Not by asserting that Sombra’s true physical form is his crystals, but that The Spirit of Harmony actually led Sombra to the Tree, allowing him to destroy its physical body knowing what it would do for the greater good. The notion may seem laughable initially, but realize that as he brings up, there is no other time in the show where a villain has “evaded” a blast from the Elements. It also answers the question of “Who benefits?”. Certainly the Spirit of Harmony, as now, it is in a better state of being as both the bonds of the Mane 6 and Student 6 have become stronger than ever before. And none of it would have been possible if not for both King Sombra and the Tree... Interestingly, despite there being no other time in the show where a villain has “dodged” a blast from the Elements, there is one time in particular where a character who needed to fulfill their destiny was “disintegrated” just as Sombra was...Twilight Sparkle. If you look closely at the scene where the elements “disintegrate” her but actually teleport her to an ethereal plane, you can see a symbol on the floor that clearly resembles a star, her cutie mark. You would think that King Sombra couldn’t possibly have this replicated in his case, since he has no visible cutie mark. However, surprise of surprises, there is a distinguishable pattern on the floor that is unlike the rest of the scorch mark...recognizable points on both sides that look like the jagged edges of Sombra’s crystals. One side ends with what looks like the tip of King Sombra’s curved horn, the other, a regular unicorn horn... Could it be that like Twilight, King Sombra was only teleported to a place where he could fulfill his destiny? However, that could only mean...This is where we start to tie the knot, for this is what everything appears to all come back to...King Sombra’s ultimate purpose is intertwined with The Spirit of Harmony’s.Sombra’s SecretThis is what I believe that King Sombra has been hiding the entire time. The fact that he’s not a pony at all and never was to begin with. It would make sense considering the fact that we have never seen his cutie mark, the fact that the Crystal Heart caused him to shatter despite only making all the other residents of the Crystal Empire glow, and his bizarre obsession with crystals...because he is crystal. What is the Tree of Harmony, along with everything it creates, made out of? Crystal. Not just that, but frequently seen throughout What Lies Beneath, when the Student 6 are being tested by the Tree, is dark crystal. What color is the inside of the crystal cage Sombra uses to trap the Mane 6 in The Beginning of the End? Bright and dark blue. The same color as the Tree of Harmony and all of its crystal creations. Also take note of the way Discord describes King Sombra...a would-be king. Does he mean would-be king of Equestria? Or would-be king of the Crystal Empire back when he was in power? This is a possible hint to a twist that there is no Crystal king called Sombra...the true form of Sombra...is the Spirit of Harmony’s dark counterpart. Remember back in the Season 9 premiere how King Sombra was able to enter the Crystal Empire without being banished by the Crystal Heart, unlike in the Season 3 premiere. This further bolsters the notion that his shadow form is actually a spirit this time and that his form in the Season 3 premiere was his spirit inside of his shadow body of crystal. All of his forms were intertwined together. So what does this add up to? Ask yourself, who is the only other entity in the show who appears as a spirit separate from its physical body? The Tree of Harmony. A spirit that is also translucent, sparkles with glitter, and bears a striking resemblance to the Crystal ponies after they glow...Think about what else the Tree of Harmony and King Sombra share in common, besides sadistic tendencies. They both have an odd fascination with crystals, illusions and tricks of the mind, and showing others their worst fears. Coincidental? Think back to when Sombra was resurrected by Grogar again. A dark crystal of his sprouted up from the ground like a plant. In a cave no less, the same kind of place the Tree of Harmony was grown in. If you look closely at the ground before Grogar draws the magic symbol, you can clearly see that something has been planted in the middle. Now going back to what I said earlier about Sombra still being able to be ‘alive’ so long as his crystals are present, this opens up the possibility that the reason Grogar didn’t resurrect Sombra is actually because there was no need to, for his crystals could still be growing in that cave…Now, keep this in mind as we go back to the Season 3 premiere again. Sombra was clearly shown to have the ability to create dark crystals before he was ‘turned to shadow’, as seen by the tower surrounded by them before he got banished. Remember how Sombra was sealed in ice? And how he hid the heart to protect the empire from the storms? This goes back to what I talked about in my original theory in regards to the weather. What can plant life not survive in? Cold. This would explain why Sombra could only manifest himself as shadow mist before he reached the empire. When his horn broke off, it cemented itself into hospitable soil. That was how his dark crystals were able to grow. This would also explain why Sombra “died” and had to be “brought back” in the Season 3 premiere, but not in the Season 9 premiere after his first defeat. Unlike in the case of the latter, he didn’t have any place to grow the crystals in the ice, thus, he had no physical form. This goes along with Jim Miller’s explanation of why Sombra was so different back then compared to now, saying that back then, King Sombra was returning to the empire as a ghost. Another thing this would explain is how he would’ve been able to come back for the cameo he was originally slated for in Slice of Life. It’s not that he’s ever been truly killed, only that he’s been trying to find a way to truly return to life. Also think about how this would explain his uncanny obsession with crystals even further, how he was blasting Celestia and Luna’s throne room like a madman trying to create as many as possible...he wants to branch out and grow as much as possible, just like a tree…Ultimately, this is what I believe Sombra’s true nature is...the Yang to the Yin that is the Spirit of Harmony. Think back now to how Celestia first described the Crystal Empire to Twilight, a place that would either be filled with love and hope or hatred and fear. There was no middle ground. Either pure light or pure darkness would rule...and this is what I believe is the secret to King Sombra’s immortality. Just as the philosophy of Yin-Yang speaks of how there is no good without evil, Sombra will always exist so long as the Spirit of Harmony does too. Conclusion Just like last time, I will reiterate that this is only a fan theory subject to correction, you are your own best judge. I may have been right once, but that does not mean I’ll be right again. I encourage you to form your own opinions from your own observations, this is only my personal perspective that I wanted to offer. Not everything in your personal theories has to be accurate to a T, every little part of my original theory certainly wasn’t. This is all a product of deductive reasoning, observation, and trial and error. None of us know what goes on in the heads of the show makers, this is all for fun and we may as well make the most of that fun with the show coming to an end soon. Whatever happens in the second half of the show and in the finale, I will accept. The nature of the character of Sombra and his ultimate fate are the decision of the show staff that I will respect. To me, however, Sombra will always still be alive. To me, he is an immortal shadow. Sombra’s Impending Return…? (EDIT: 6/22/2019) Recently, with the conclusion of the first half of Season 9, a screencap (link is in the description) taken of the scene where Princess Celestia is roaming a forest alone in the midseason finale revealed the strongest piece of evidence to support this theory so far. A shadow passing by at lightning speed was revealed to bear an uncanny likeness to the image of King Sombra. I acknowledge this to not be irrevocable confirmation of his return. However, considering the hints that the show creators have dropped in the past regarding character returns with cryptic background visuals, such as in the case of Starlight Glimmer and the Changelings, to simply write off or ignore evidence like this is unimaginable. I strongly suspect more than ever now that our king will be returning once again soon...
King Sombra is Not Dead (Fan Theory)
http://cloudmistdragon.deviantart.com/art/King-Sombra-is-Not-Dead-MLP-FiM-Fan-Theory-652475278 Faintly...I’ll go...to take this head on... The Debate of King Sombra Every fan of King Sombra has seen The Crystal Empire, the two-parter premiere episode of the third season of My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic, in which he made his debut. Although both the portrayal of King Sombra in this episode and the episode as a whole have always sparked a wide mix of different opinions amongst fans of the show, one generally accepted opinion on the episode is that the scene of King Sombra’s defeat is one of the show’s most memorable scenes. What has always made it stand out from the show’s other instances of a villain suffering their untimely defeat, often caused by multi-colored lights (TASTE THE RAINBOW MOTHERF'ER), is that it apparently depicts the first, and still to this day, only time where a villain has been killed. ...Notice how the word, “apparently”, is italicized for emphasis. There is debate on the matter of whether King Sombra was truly killed or not in The Crystal Empire. Those who side with the former and believe that the case is open-and-shut most often bring up the response of Meghan McCarthy, the aforementioned episode’s writer, who when asked about whether Sombra was dead or not, replied by saying that he was. The most common counterargument to this is that what Meghan McCarthy says is subject to change, as demonstrated in the case of her reply to a question on the issue of whether Flash Sentry, a character from the show’s spin-off film series, Equestria Girls, would ever make an appearance in the show. Though she replied by saying that he would not, Flash Sentry still in fact appeared in two episodes she wrote for. When Meghan was asked about this, she replied by saying that it was not her decision to include said character in the episode. It was later announced by “Big” Jim Miller, the show’s supervising director (and Sombra’s voice actor :3), that the reason for his inclusion was that he was “added by request”. Incidentally, Jim Miller, the same person who defended Meghan on this matter, also implied that the show’s team was undecided on whether to use King Sombra again or not when he was asked about whether he thought the character was capable of being redeemed or not. It has been proven that what a member of the show’s creative team says in regards to the show’s future is not absolute confirmation, as what they say is interchangeable depending on the future of what the entirety of the show’s creative team ultimately agrees upon. In fact, the episode in question, The Crystal Empire, turned out very different from how it was originally planned to be. Many of the changes made to the original script, such as King Sombra originally being the leader of an army of the undead, were discussed in an interview with Meghan McCarthy. Hasbro, the parent company of Studio B, the studio that produces the show, also had influence in the changes made to the original script as well, but that is a matter to be discussed much later. Essentially, the only thing we know for certain at the moment regarding the debate on whether King Sombra is dead or not is that there is no concrete, conclusive answer yet. Even what I am about to discuss is only a theory for my own personal headcanon that King Sombra is very much alive. However, I have many facts to bolster my argument, including many examples from the show that I do believe need to be given more attention. Be warned that this theory will be very long and detailed. In an effort to simplify it as much as possible, however, I will divide it into five parts and start from the basic facts we all know. The Defeat of King Sombra In The Crystal Empire, King Sombra is defeated when the Crystal Heart is put back in its rightful place, causing intense light to erupt all across the empire, causing his pony body to explode. What follows this is even more light bursting from the empire, causing the shadows that have surrounded the empire to blow away and disappear. Needless to say, naturally, in the real world, your body exploding would most certainly kill you. What is also needless to say, however, is that King Sombra is most certainly not a natural creature living in the real world. Though an explosion of the body would still guarantee the death of a pony, even in a fantasy world like My Little Pony’s where death is acknowledged, a nagging question still lingers in regards to Sombra… ...What exactly is he? He is first shown to be a unicorn before Princess Celestia explains to Twilight Sparkle that he was “turned to shadow”. After that, the only part of the episode that shows him as a unicorn again is soon before his defeat. Somehow, exposure to light emanating from the Crystal Heart causes him to “transform back into a unicorn”. There is no stated explanation given for why this happens in the episode, but there is an implied one that can be assumed upon observation of evidence... If you watch the scene where Sombra “becomes a pony again” closely, you can see the shadow being “pulled off of him” by the light from the Crystal Heart. In real life, when a shadow is exposed to light, the shadow extends and grows darker, which explains the shadow being pulled away. I know that it is possible that the only reason Sombra is forced into a solid form by the light of the Crystal Heart is because shadows simply are not allowed to be in the presence of the Crystal Heart’s light. But notice how said light does nothing to the dark crystal Sombra is riding, even though the crystal was formed from Sombra’s shadow form when he came out of the ground. Knowing this, we can assume the possibility that there was no transformation involved in Sombra’s “pony reverting”. However, it doesn’t end there. A popular belief surrounding Sombra’s form is that he is a “shadow pony”, a hybrid between a creature of pure shadow and a pony. What I just talked about may seem to support that. It is even possible that what Celestia meant by “turned to shadow” is that she and Princess Luna actually put Sombra inside a body of shadow. Therefore, he still, technically, is a pony. But wait a minute, let’s go over some more details before we jump to conclusions. The flashback that portrays Celestia and Luna defeating Sombra for the first time does seem more likely to be depicting a transformation rather than Sombra being “put inside of a shadow”. In that scene, an intense flood of light washes over him, causing his cape, armor, and circlet to fall off. It is not until a similar thing happens to him with the Crystal Heart that he regains all these items, even though they were blown off of him a thousand years ago. After that, he is thrown in a fissure between two colossal layers of ice that come together. Now, think about it. If he was just a pony inside a shadow, no, if even any part of him is still flesh and blood, wouldn’t he die by having two walls of ice crush him? That isn’t even counting that he managed to live for a millennium inside of such an inhospitable area as inside of an icy crevice. How is this possible? Is he immortal? Then why does he assume the form of a seemingly mortal pony right before his defeat? Because of a magic light? Wasn’t it magic light that turned him to indestructible shadow? It seems rather complicated at first, but I believe the answer is actually very simple... King Sombra’s body has been entirely transformed into shadow. The pony form he takes on when he’s exposed to the Crystal Heart’s light isn’t real. The first piece of evidence I will bring up to back up this answer is the way Sombra behaves in his shadow form. Magic simply passes right through him, he can expand his body to surround the entire area of the empire with shadow, he can regenerate broken parts of his body, can pass through solid ground, and can transform parts of his body, or even his entire body, into dark crystal, as shown in the scene where his horn sinks into the ground and in the scene where he goes after Spike. The second piece of evidence I have to bring up are the aforementioned cape, armor, and circlet reappearing, even after they were lost a thousand years ago. An easy answer to how they magically came back (besides MAGIC! *snort* *snort*) is that they didn’t magically come back at all. Parts of Sombra’s body of shadow simply adopted their form. Think it through. If Sombra can physically manifest himself as crystal, what would be so difficult about manifesting parts of himself as simple accessories? But more importantly, doesn’t this make it entirely possible for him to create a body for himself that resembles that of a pony’s, but is actually made entirely of crystal? Imagine the scene where Sombra appears to become a pony again like this. When the light shines on him, his shadow body is naturally forced to assume a physical form of dark crystal. The light then causes the rest of the shadow surrounding him to extend in the direction opposite of where he’s headed. Some of it fades while some of it becomes part of the dark crystal he’s on. Going back to the scene where the broken piece of Sombra’s horn sinks into the ground and transforms into dark crystal, notice how in the following scene, he is still able to use magic even with part of his horn gone. But in the case of Shining Armor, an ordinary pony, he could not use magic after Sombra did something to his horn that caused dark crystals to appear on part of it. Now let’s go back to the scene where Sombra’s body explodes. Why does this happen if he is just a normal pony of flesh and blood at this time? The light from the Crystal Heart fills all the other ponies’ bodies with light that glows all throughout them. But in Sombra’s case, it causes his body to crack and shatter like glass or rock...or crystal. If you watch closely, you’ll see that his explosion is not so much an explosion, it is moreso a wave of light pushing the crumbled pieces of his body away. You can even still hear Sombra screaming as parts of his body fly away. This could be intended to be an echo, I know, but I only mean to state what happened. This is merely extra food for thought as well. The real kicker comes with the final piece of evidence I have for my theory on why King Sombra is one-hundred percent shadow… When King Sombra supposedly dies, his shadows, which are shown to be part of him, do not die with him. They linger around the empire until another burst of light blows them away and causes them to vanish. Why is that? Again, think. If Sombra was just an ordinary pony, the light from the Crystal Heart would not kill him. If Sombra was just a pony-shadow hybrid, losing his pony self would destroy his entire being. That is, if you consider that he is mortal… Upon exploring the details of Sombra’s defeat, I have arrived at the conclusion that even if my answer is incorrect, much evidence is still left behind that supports that King Sombra is always in the form of an immortal shadow. And this is only one part of what I want to discuss… Backstory of King Sombra Many agree that the backstory Sombra is given in the show is vague and leaves much to be desired. For one, just the way Princess Celestia explains it is shaky. She doesn’t even mention that it was her and Luna who banished King Sombra one thousand years ago even as said fact is made obvious in the flashback. Not only that, but there is an inconsistency in her story. How was King Sombra able to take over the Crystal Empire if the Crystal Heart was there to protect the empire from evil? How did Sombra get in? Was the heart knocked out of place and rendered temporarily unusable? Did it break and have to be fixed? Or… It is possible that there’s something Princess Celestia and Luna know about Sombra that they don’t want Twilight Sparkle to know. Just watch the way Luna behaves the entire time. What reason does she have to be unhappy that Twilight is being given a chance to protect the empire and make a large step towards the next chapter of her life? Is she just jealous? When at any other time in the series has Luna been shown to be jealous of Twilight? She seemed to be very happy for her when she became a princess in Magical Mystery Cure, so what reason would she have to be upset? If it has nothing to do with Twilight, then maybe it has something to do with Sombra… I’m sure some of you reading this already know that Luna’s behavior in this episode has led to speculation amongst some fans that Luna and Sombra were once in a relationship back when Sombra ruled over the empire with kindness. I’m also sure about what some of you are thinking… “What the hell? I thought this was some loser’s crazy conspiracy theory about King Sombra being alive, not some loser’s shipping trash!” ...and don’t worry, I have no intention of abruptly shifting the focus of this theory to LunaXSombra4ever. I bring this up because I do believe it is vital to understanding why Sombra’s backstory as we know it does not match up with his rise and fall as we know it. Here is where I’m trying to explain why Sombra’s backstory does not fit with an ending of him abruptly being killed. It is possible that Luna and Sombra were merely close friends, and that no romance was involved between them. It seems ridiculous imagining them together in an intimate relationship…until you read the comics and take a look at the arc where Princess Celestia has a romantic relationship with an alternate version of King Sombra. Now I am well-aware that it has been said that the canon of the comics and the canon of the show are separate, not just by word of the show’s staff, but also by word of the comics’ staff. This matters not though, as what I mean to show here is that MLP is not against the idea of its characters having romantic relationships. There have even been hints in the show, such as with Big McIntosh and Marble Pie. I’d even say that there’s another hint in the episode besides Luna’s odd, unexplained behavior. Watch what happens after the Crystal Empire banishes King Sombra. We get a scene where Celestia puts her horn against Luna’s and smiles after seeing light from the empire pass by the window. Luna hesitates at first, but soon slides her horn against her sister’s as well and smiles. What is the purpose of this scene? Most likely, it’s to show that Celestia and Luna are relieved that Twilight has passed the test and that the Crystal Empire is safe. However, that does not mean this is the scene’s only purpose… It’s entirely possible that the scene has a secondary purpose, that being to confirm that it was indeed Celestia and Luna who banished Sombra a thousand years ago. Though they’re covered by a veil of shadow in the flashback, you can see them putting their horns together to shine their light on Sombra, just as they do in this scene. Keep in mind that Celestia and Luna “should not have known” that Sombra had returned. All Celestia had asked of Twilight was to protect the empire from danger, she never told her that the threat was Sombra... Whatever the case may be, it doesn’t make sense from a writing perspective to imply that something more happened between Celestia, Luna, and Sombra, only to permanently kill Sombra off with no intention of taking that implied plot point anywhere. Speaking of comics and permanently killing off characters… The Other Story of King Sombra I do read the IDW MLP:FiM comic series, and I have read the issues of the Siege of the Crystal Empire arc. Unlike the aforementioned arc, Reflections, this arc tells us for the first time in the main series (that’s discounting FIENDship is Magic) what King Sombra’s backstory is. This displays that Hasbro does have some interest in him even with him being “dead” in the show. Without spoiling too much, this arc tells us that King Sombra is actually an umbrum, a creature who comes from a race of shadow ponies...as far as comic canon is concerned, but you catch my drift. And yes, this arc proves without a shadow of a doubt (no pun intended) that show canon and comic canon do not intermingle, as they have two different “Changeling Invasion of the Crystal Empire” stories. The one in the show does not acknowledge or leave any window of opportunity for the one in the comic to take place. I mention this because many do view the comics as canon with the show, which is true to some level. The comics do try to stay faithful to the canon of the show, but in the end, are intended to be their own stories. They don’t mean to follow the show exactly and, therefore, should not be used to back up arguments for what went on and what didn’t go on in the show. Hey, I’m just being honest here. If I don’t give it to you straight that my entire theory falls apart if the comics are canon, I’m fu- Moving on, there is another interesting fact about Sombra’s arc in the comics that does cast doubts on him being killed off in the show. Again, trying to only spoil what’s necessary, there is a character who apparently gets killed off in the story and is only said to actually be alive at the very ending of the comic through an abrupt exchange of dialogue (NO NOT KILLED SHATTERED). When the writer of said arc, Jeremy Whitley, was asked about this bizarre moment, he replied by saying that it was a last-minute inclusion made because of Hasbro’s policy of “not killing off characters”. Remember what I said much earlier on about Hasbro having influence in the changes made to the original script of The Crystal Empire? It is apparent now that their influence does not merely impact how the episodes of the show are written, but also how the stories in the comics are written. Because My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic is a show intended to promote toys, this has always been something to be expected. I mean not to imply that it’s surprising in the case of the comics, but it is indeed interesting. If you explore Hasbro’s past, history shows you that killing off characters has not gone well for them. The poor box office performance of The Transformers: The Movie was widely blamed on Hasbro’s controversial decision to use it as a way to advertise their upcoming line of toys by killing off much of the current character cast and replacing them with new characters. Not only that, but allowing for the return of a beloved villain character such as King Sombra would be basic business strategy. Though I humbly acknowledge that everything I have said thus far has been subject to correction, I will do the unthinkable for a moment...and be realistic. Disregarding my input, just imagine it for yourselves. Do you honestly think that during production of Season 3, that Meghan McCarthy was ever called into Stephen Davis’ office and told that she had to completely kill off a new character, whom money could potentially be going into, and leave no door open whatsoever for the character to ever return? No, that I can guarantee never happened. There would be a better chance that one day, Meghan was called into his office and asked to write My Little Pony: High School Musical. Speaking of My Little Pony: High School Musical… ... ...I’m just kidding. At least as far as I know, there’s no evidence of King Sombra being alive in Equestria Girls. Still, I feel I’ve made my point that there are even clues outside of the cartoon that nudge at the possibility of Sombra being alive. Not just that, I also feel like I’ve said enough about Sombra just being alive...so how about I end this by talking about him being alive...and returning? Return of King Sombra Soon I’ll come around...lost and never found... What’s that? King Sombra might still be alive because his horn survived the explosion? Come on, that’s crazy talk! So yeah, speaking seriously, why did it take me so long to bring up what is easily the most popular speculation for how Sombra was able to survive being blown to bits in The Crystal Empire? Easy. Because I wanted to be original! To set myself apart from those zombie writers who just go on and on about trivial stuff that everyone already knows, I went on and on about trivial stuff that no one cares about, like a worm tunneling its way through a zombie’s corroding brain! I’m just joking, as always. I don’t really think I’m “more original” than theorists who use Sombra’s horn and his ability to regenerate his body parts as the focal point of their argument for him being alive. It’s a good piece of supporting evidence to the argument, but I already discussed his regeneration ability earlier, and additionally, it was never what drove me to become a follower of the belief that Sombra is still alive. My inspiration came from SkyBolt, co-creator of the popular Sombra-related music composition, Fall of an Empire, after he discussed his inspirations in an afterthoughts video concerning the project, so special thanks to him. In this video, SkyBolt talks about his personal headcanon on what happened to King Sombra in the Season 3 premiere at a few points. Believe it or not, granted you’re unfamiliar with the video, his theory on the matter is very different from mine. Still, I took everything he said into consideration. He too brought up Luna’s unusual behavior in the episode, but what particularly caught my attention is when he began talking about believing that Sombra actually returned to the Crystal Empire after all had transpired. After hearing that...I got curious. And so, I began to think. Were there any other potential clues to Sombra’s return other than his horn? Looking now, I believe there are… First, I’ll bring up the bright orange sky at the end of the special. Remember that in The Crystal Empire, when Sombra surrounded the empire, the sky above the area was orange, the color of the sky during sunset. In the final verses of The Failure/Success Song, it is sunset and the sky is orange, even though at every other time in that series of scenes, it is day and the sky is blue. Seeing as how it was nighttime when Twilight and her friends were at the Crystal Empire, confirmed by Shining Armor’s line of dialogue about “not wanting to run into things after dark”, and the night sky outside Celestia and Luna’s palace after Sombra is defeated, it would make sense for it be daytime when Twilight and her friends returned home. After all, they left in the afternoon and arrived at the empire at night, where the sky above is always blue. Please don’t get the wrong idea. I’m not trying to be overanalytical and I know such a small thing is explainable by an oversight. Do keep in mind though that in The Crystalling, the show’s Season 6 premiere, a similar thing happened towards the end where a small black creature that appeared to be a Changeling could be seen flying towards the Crystal Empire in the final scene. While this was explainable by an oversight, as it could’ve just been a random pegasus veiled by shadow that was added to the scene by mistake or for effect, it still turned out to be foreshadowing for the plot of Queen Chrysalis’ return that season. On the subject of The Crystalling, anyone who has watched the special has noticed its bizarre lack of an antagonist, the same way Princess Twilight Sparkle, the show's Season 4 premiere, lacked an antagonist. But in the case of the latter, the conflict was set in motion by a former villain, long ago while he was still evil. In the case of the former, the conflict is caused...by an innocent infant and the forces of nature. Needless to say, something about this feels off. Could it be the nagging feeling that the storms that threaten the Crystal Empire are actually being caused by an evil force? It has been proven in the show that evil forces do create storms that bring harm to the land of Equestria, as seen in the case of the Windigoes. So is it possible...that the real cause of the storms in The Crystalling...is King Sombra? The dark clouds enshrouding the empire do give one callbacks to the shadows Sombra surrounded the area with back in The Crystal Empire, just as the final scene where the dark clouds are banished away by the Crystal Heart give one callbacks to the shadows being blown away by the Crystal Heart after Sombra’s defeat. But these scenes have more in common than you may know… If you looked closely in The Crystal Empire, you would’ve noticed that after the Crystal Heart is put in place, for the first time, Sombra’s shadows...can be seen casting shadows in the same way the dark clouds in The Crystalling do. It’s odd how they mirror each other this way. How does a magic shadow...cast a shadow? Could this have been done intentionally? Or is it also coincidence that the ones who volunteer to stymie these dark clouds are Princesses Celestia and Luna, the same ones who have returned to the empire for the first time in a thousand years...and banished King Sombra the last time they were here? Finally, do not forget that Sombra is all too familiar with weather phenomena, as displayed by his creation of an artificially orange sky, one that is seen in both The Crystal Empire and in the alternate future shown in The Cutie Re-Mark. Not only that, but do you remember what happened the first time King Sombra reappeared outside of the Crystal Empire for the first time in a millennium? The weather was unruly...the winds were howling...like a storm... But I’ll keep coming… In conclusion, I believe that there has been far more evidence pointing to King Sombra’s return than we ever thought. Please look at all this for yourselves and make your own conclusions based on what you believe, however. If you find a mistake within my theory, please call me out on it, preferably in a civil manner. Fandom starts with love, there’s no need to shove. I just found this to be an interesting thing to explore and talk about. All it is is my thoughts on the research I’ve done. Also, keep in mind that this entire thing was written by the same person who drew two pictures of King Sombra’s ghost visiting Princess Luna under the headcanon that he had died in The Crystal Empire. However, that same person also believes now that King Sombra is coming back...and that he’s bringing his toys with him...
Protocol Sombra Percentage Slowly Increasing
Pinkie posted a topic in Gaming General
I've noticed that the percentage on amomentincrime.com is slowly increasing. Very slight increases, but it's increasing. As of this post, we're at 7.4651%
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A Survey of the Environmental Conservation Costs
A sample of 90 local authorities has been used. Both statistical package for social sciences (SPSS) version 17 and Excel have been used to determine the level of environmental conservation costs in the studied local authorities. The results indicated that there was a wide use of environmental conservation costs among the local authorities. The study provides preliminary evidence on environmental conservation costs used by local authorities in Kenya. Further research is suggested to explore the possible motivating factors among different local authorities’ degree of application and level of environmental costs in different activities.
Keywords: Environmental Conservation; Local authorities; Environmental costs © 2013 Published by SSBFNET 1. Introduction This paper investigates the environmental conservat? on costs by local authorities in Kenya. Environmental conservation cost refers to the investment and costs measured in monetary values, allocated for prevention, reduction, and or avoidance of environmental impact, removal of such impact, restoration following the occurrences of a disaster and other activities.
These are costs borne by companies and organizations for environmental conservation i. e. private costs. The costs do not include costs borne for health damage or environmental pollution suffered by third parties or society as a whole resulting from the business activities of companies and other organizations i. e. social costs. It means the burden placed upon society as a result of the environmental impact of a specific company or other organizations, or of an unspecified entity.
Social cost is also referred to as “external cost” or “external discovery” such as damage suffered by a third party or damage caused to forests or agriculture due to environmental impact resulting from the business activities of a company or other organization will not result in a direct economic burden for that company provided that there is no proof of causal relationship but the society as a whole may be considered to have sustained a loss Medley (1997).
Environmental conservation cost can be categorized into one, business area costs which are costs for activities to reduce environmental impact which occur within the business area due to key business operations. The business area is the region where the organization can directly manage environmental impacts. Business area cost is associated with environmental conservation is divided into pollution prevention cost, global environmental cost and resource recycling cost.
Secondly, administration cost which is the cost for management activities conducted by companies and other organizations for environmental conservation activities. The cost includes the cost for efforts that directly contribute to reducing the environmental impact generated through business activities, and the cost for efforts for communication a Corresponding author. Kilika Samuel, Tel. : +020 086 808. 89 Kilika & Mutua /International Journal of Finance & Banking Studies Vol 2, No 3, 2013 ISSN: 2147-4486 ith society by companies and other organizations, like the cost for environmental training for employees, cost for environmental improvement activities such as nature conservation, greening, and beautification. Thirdly, environmental remediation costs. These are costs allocated for recovery of the environmental degradation due to business activities like the cost to restore natural environment back to its original state, provision or insurance fees to cover degradation to the environment. Fourth, ocial activity cost which is a cost related to environmental conservation conducted for the good of the broad range of society Gulch (2000). This is considered a cost for environmental conservation efforts consisting of social activities with no direct relationship to the business activities of the company or other organizations like cost for environmental activities like planting of greenery, beautification and landscape preservation. Fifth is the R&D cost which constitutes spending for research and development activities allocated to environmental conservation.
Lastly are the upstream/ downstream costs. Upstream cost is a cost for efforts to reduce the environmental impact that is created prior to the input of goods and services into business areas, as well as the cost related to such efforts i. e. provision of materials for goods and services. Downstream cost is a cost for efforts to reduce the environmental impact that is created after goods and services have been output from business areas, as well as the cost related to such efforts i. e. se and consumption of goods and services Medley (1997). The study seeks to determine environmental costs by local authorities in Kenya. The study acts as an exploratory on environmental accounting forming a basis for further research and illustrate important findings for the groups including the local authorities in Kenya and the stakeholders of local authorities like consumers of their services, business partners, investors, employees of particular local authorities and the residents.
The local authorities can be able to establish the benefits they get from environment conservation as well as the costs of undertaking environmental activities, tuture researchers, local government of Kenya as well as other scholars. 2. Literature Review The section presents both theoretical (untested) as well as empirical (tested) literature relevant to the subject of study. Accounting for environmental costs and performance can support a company’s / organization’s development and operation of an overall environmental management system.
Understanding the environmental costs and performance of processes and products can promote more accurate costing and pricing of products and can aid organizations in the design of more environmentally preferable processes, products and services for the future. Better management of environmental costs can result in improved environmental performance and significant benefits to human health as well as business success. The disclosure of environmental accounting regarding nvironmental conservation activities of companies and other organizations, including public interest organizations and local public entities, provides a means for stakeholders to understand, evaluate, and give their support to such efforts. Environmental accounting continues to take root as part of the social system. Taking into account, developments in environmental accounting at companies and other organizations, it has the objective of supporting the introduction and implementation of environmental accounting at companies and other organizations.
Environmental accounting is also intended to insure that the information disclosed takes into consideration the needs of the various stakeholders. Another objective is to improve the effectiveness of environmental accounting methodology, so that by employing given guidelines in organizing environmental accounting data, companies and other organizations can monitor their data not only for publication, but also further their objective of internal environmental management (Bailey, 1991). The quantitative management of environmental conservation activities is an effective way of achieving and maintaining sound business management.
In other words, in carrying out environmental conservation activities, a company or other organizations can accurately identify and measure investments and costs related to environmental conservation activities, and can prepare and analyze this data. By having better insight into the potential benefits of these investments and costs, the company can not only improve the efficiency of its activities, but also utilize environmental accounting as a discipline which plays a very important role in supporting rational decision-making.
In addition, companies and other organizations are required to have accountability to stakeholders, such as consumers, business partners, investors, employees, local residents, and administration, when utilizing environmental resources, i. e. public goods, for their business activities. Disclosure of environmental accounting information is a key process in performing accountability. Consequently, environmental accounting helps companies and other organizations boost their public trust and confidence and are associated with receiving a fair assessment (Lehman, 2000).
The functions of environmental accounting are divided into internal and external functions. As one step of an organization’s environmental information system, internal function makes it possible to manage environmental conservation cost and analyze the cost of environmental conservation activities versus the benefit obtained, and promotes effective and 90 Kilika & Mutua /International Journal of Finance & Banking Studies Vol 2, No 3, 2013 ISSN: 2147-4486 fficient environmental conservation activities through suitable decision-making. It is desirable for environmental accounting to function as a business management tool for use by managers and related business units. On the other hand, by disclosing the quantitatively measured results of its environmental conservation activities, external functions allow an organization to influence the decision-making of stakeholders, such as consumers, business partners, investors, local residents, and administration.
It is hoped that the publication of environmental accounting results will function both as a means for organizations to fulfill their responsibility for accountability to stakeholders and, simultaneously, as a means for appropriate evaluation of environmental conservation activities (Lehman, 2000). Local authorities in Kenya are the bodies controlling local governance in Kenya. Local Authorities in Kenya are governed by the local government Act cap 265 laws of Kenya. Kenya has 175 local authorities which are categorized into city councils, town councils, municipal councils and county councils.
The Act spells out wide ranging powers and functions for local authorities, where most of these functions undertaken by the local authorities relate to provision of public services, promotion of good governance and simulation of good economic growth. The functions and responsibilities cover basic services such as markets, garbage collection, street lighting maintenance, development planning, roads, sewerage, community welfare, slaughterhouses and burial of destitute people.
There are also provisions of health to the community through health centers as well as dispensaries. Besides health facilities the council provides housing, schools and recreational facilities and maintenance of parks (Local government Act caps 265 laws of Kenya). Local authorities get their funding from the local authorities transfer fund (LATF) which is a block grant that transfers 5% of the national income to the local authorities. It distribution is ksh 1. 5 million to each of the 175 local authorities in Kenya (per annum).
This is 60% in proportion to the total population of each local authority, 40% in proportion to the urban population of each local authority. The second source of funds is road maintenance levy fund (RMLF) which is collected from fuel levy on petroleum products and transit toll collections. The third source of funds is the contribution in lieu of rates (CILOR) which a local tax levied on property like land by the local authority as authorized by the central government . MLG Circular (2009).
Mazhindu (2009) in his study on local government processes and the environment in Africa stated that by and large, the conventional planning approaches have either ignored or underestimated the growing environmental concerns. The search for planning responses to the devastating environmental concerns has culminated in the assembly of an ‘environmental tool box’ containing an assortment of instruments notably, po llution control and licensing, Environmental Impact Assessments (EIAs), natural resource management plans and environmental auditing.
Most of these instruments are quasi-planning in nature normally deployed to complement the conventional land–use planning tools but largely outside the traditional planning practice. This points out that, in the mainstream planning activities, the emerging environmental management specialisations have increasingly drifted apart – theoretically, legally, administratively and in their specific responses to environmental problems.
The irony of this compartmentalization is that urban planning largely grew out of the pragmatic concerns for the health of citizens and their social well-being in the wake of the industrializing cities of the nineteenth century. The growing magnitude of the negative environmental concerns impacting sustainable urban development must be redressed by ‘operationalising’ the symbiotic relationships between urban development and environmental management through the application of the relevant planning instruments.
In the study by Kapa (2005) on Lesotho’s local government system, he stated that there was need for control of natural resources like sand and stones as well as environmental protection like pollution land/site allocation, water supply and market provision. Indecon (2005) in the review of local government financing in Ireland, stated that environmental protection expenditure was 695. 2 million which was 19. 2% of the total expenditure for 2004 and that water supply and sewerage consumed 450. 6 million which was 12. % of the total expenditure giving evidence that governments are responding to environmental challenges. Local studies on environment accounting have been done. UNDP (2000) on its study on millennium development goals in Kenya stated that the current needs assessment recommended that it would take ksh 97,126,500 to develop and implement a strategy for integrating principles and practices of environmental accounting within and /or alongside the system of national accounting (SNA) – even if on a pilot basis.
Ministry of youth affairs (2010) on environmental and social management framework (ESMF) stated that one of the key environmental and social issues in Kenya is health and environment and further explains that most of the urban areas in Kenya are faced by domestic waste and sewage management problems with only 32 out of the 175 local authorities having any form of sewage collection and disposal infrastructure. Nema (2005) in its strategic plan for 2005-2010 stated that there was lack of sewerage system and facilities for 143 out of 175 local authorities which led to increased cases of environmental health problems due to 1 Kilika & Mutua /International Journal of Finance & Banking Studies Vol 2, No 3, 2013 ISSN: 2147-4486 pollution of the ecosystem by heavy metals and chemicals such as nitrates. Waema and Mitullah (2007) in their study on e-governance in local authorities in Kenya stated that the LAIFOMS is limited to financial management and has only three main components, revenues, budgeting and financial management and expenditure, a study that fails to mention environmental accounting issues.
According to Kibeti (2004), Environmental costs are obscured in conventional accounts and yet they are real costs that should be accommodated by all firms and industries. Management of the environmental costs will result in improved environment, production and generally wealth of the urban population in the study area. This study would also argue for a clearer policy of the management of extractive industries and any other industry that largely tends to exploit natural resources.
This will also contribute to the sustainability of the growth and development of not only the urban regions but also the rural. Being a pioneering study on one of the industries in an urban centre, other studies covering the various industries and regions will be encouraged. It is the ultimate purpose of this study to have other studies expanded to include all firms and sectors in the economy. To arrive at aggregates for the whole economy it is important to begin with the microeconomic production units.
In his studies Hassan (1996) stated that in the coming decades, the continued urban population growth and especially the continued growth of the urban poor was expected to immensely challenge global sustainability. As at 2001, there were 43 cities in Africa with populations of more than one million and it is expected to increase to almost 70 by 2015 (UNPD, 2001). Nakuru would be among these cities. More problems of overcrowding, informal settlements, inadequate housing, poor infrastructure etc. are bound to increase.
Infrastructural development has been slow in keeping pace with burgeoning needs of the urban population. Since most urban environmental problems result from poor management, poor planning and absence of coherent urban policies (Hassan, 1996); it is important that these dimensions be addressed in all sectors of the urban domain. Another study by Hassan (2003) stated that the conventional national accounting systems, excludes: domestic production; products directly extracted from communal resources for household consumption and not traded in the market, and; benefits from ecological services, cultural, aesthetic, etc.
Though GDP included income from extracted resources corresponding value of these assets lost to the economy was omitted. Depletion of natural and human capital was excluded from total national wealth of a nation and hence the measures of economic performance were wrong and misleading. Daly (1996) explained clearly that sustainable development sought to meet the needs of the present without compromising the needs of future generations. In other words, the present generation must leave the air, water and natural resources as pure and unpolluted as when it found it.
Strong sustainability clarifies that in the case of renewable resources annual off-take must be kept equal to the annual growth increment while in the case of nonrenewals depletion should be at a rate equal to the development of renewal substitutes. That meant that stock of natural capital should not be reduced below a level that generated sustained yield unless good substitutes were then available. Hassan (2003) stated that sustainable development therefore, had to be financed in such a manner as to compensate for future depletion of exhaustible resources.
He gave the example where policies had ensured sustainability from mining in South Africa, where the capital component (CC) was fully reinvested in alternative forms of capital Hassan (2002). According to Dasgupta and Maler, the correct index of checking if development is sustainable is wealth. When accounting prices that reflect trade-offs among present and future well-beings and among contemporaries are used to determine well-being, wealth becomes a good index for showing whether development is sustainable or not.
Poverty causes a society to elk out living through adverse exploitation of resources and this is the state of the populations in the Less Developed Countries (LDCs) (Dasgupta & Maler, 1995). Accounting for externalities has been adopted in the microeconomic level within the firm in hydroelectricity (EPA, 1996), health sector (EPA, 2000), chemical and oil companies (EPA, 1997a) and electroplating operations (EPA, 1997b) among others.
The studies sampled, applied various environmental accounting techniques to evaluate environmental costs of economic activities in an industry. The results showed existence of positive environmental costs in all cases with an implication that most economics activities have environmental costs which are yet to be accounted for. Nema (2005), in its report stated that there were challenges that led to unsuitable management practices of ecosystems and their inherent biodiversity.
Increased slum settlement in urban areas due to rapid rural-urban migration resulting in environmental problems of overcrowding, poor garbage disposal and environmental diseases like cholera, dysentery and typhoid. Kisare (1999) in his studies on local government planning and management stated that there were increased environmental pollution and degradations resulting from uncontrolled industrial smoke-emissions, discharge of untreated industrial effluent into rivers, dumping of toxic waste and deforestation of peri-urban woodlands. 2 Kilika & Mutua /International Journal of Finance & Banking Studies Vol 2, No 3, 2013 ISSN: 2147-4486 In the annual report by the ministry of petroleum, the Egyptian general petroleum corporation(2000) stated that natural resource damages is a new category of environmental liability which had been established in the United States according to a number of regulatory such as the clean water Act and the oil pollution Act.
Such resources include flora, fauna, land, air, and water resources. The liability can arise from accidental release as well as lawful release to air, water, and soil. As a result there was a wide range of environmental expenditures such as abatement costs, elimination costs and handling of waste costs just to mention but a few, as well as environmental capital expenditures as a result of buying a new and/ or new cleaner technology.
Goals such as environmental costs optimization, better environmental performance, identifying the true (full) costs and identifying the social costs all require knowing the different current and potential costs. However the study further stated that knowing the environmental costs depended upon the organizational purpose for using such data like cost allocation, capital budgeting, product design and all that managerial decisions . he report ends by stating that the domain and scope of applying the costs if sometimes to be vague whether the costs are environmental or not. SETAC (1993) on its report on a multi-disciplinary approach to solving problems of the impact of chemicals and technology in the environment stated that some companies were paying a significant portion of their total environmental costs to clean up pollution caused decades before like remediation costs related to superfund only being incurred by then but pertained of decades before that time.
Due to the fact that the corporate environmental expenditures being often substantial, including them in the product costs affected the profitability of the products, facilities and divisions. Many companies according to the report include current operating costs pertaining to past environmental liabilities in their current product costs with the justification ,other expenses that created future benefits were charged to product costs or corporate overhead, including product development,reseach and development, and advertising expenses.
Thus, current products benefited from those prior expenditures and the product costs must bear the costs related to prior production, just as it reaps the benefits. Therefore, from the above studies it is apparent that organizations are involved in environmental conservation costs and local authorities in Kenya are such kind of organizations that have both direct and indirect interactions with the immediate environment, thus, local authorities must incur environmental conservation costs.
The studies point out that there is need to find out the various environmental conservation costs local authorities in Kenya go through. 2. 1 Accounting Theory The accounting theory has evolved through a long passage of time during which substantial changes in human behavior and market structures have taken place. The theory outlines how accountants have identified certain broad assumptions on which financial results of a business are prepared . These assumptions are called accounting concepts which define the rules under which financial statements of an entity should be prepared.
The theory brings out boundary rules like entity, periodicity and going concern concepts to determine what should and should not be reported. Once the boundary is set, it should then determine how the accounting data should be recorded i. e. money measurement, historical cost, realization accruals, matching, duality and materiality. The theory limits the room for individual maneuvers, a number of ethical rules like prudence, consistence and objectivity have evolved, which suggest that there is a moral dimension in financial reporting. . 1. 1 Green budgeting theory (in Environmental accounting in local government) It is by initiative of the local Agenda 21 (LA21), after the Rio summit (1992) and the Johannesburg summit (2002) that schemes of environmental accounting at sub-national levels of government started to be developed: a bottom-up approach. , source of a large diversity of initiatives, in contrast to the top-down approach followed by nationals statistics offices coordinated, in addition, by supranational organizations such as the United Nations and Eurostat.
Amidst the consequent fragmentation of local experiences, the only exception is the EcoBudget scheme, promoted by the International Council for Environmental Initiative (ICLEI), which has been implemented in more or less the same form by a few local governments in several countries. Its basic idea is to implement a budgeting system for natural resources that conforms to the community financial budgeting: the current institutions and procedures must provide the model for the budgeting of natural resources. It s based on environmental indicators and as such it does not aim to provide a monetary evaluation of the environment, or to maintain long term, detailed and systematic accounts to be used in policy design and programming. Rather, its purpose is to help monitoring the effectiveness of local governments in achieving the set targets in matter of environmental policy, and communicating objectives, achievements or failures between policy makers and citizens. In principle, the objective could be more ambitious: inserting environmental issues on the political agenda not in an ad hoc manner but rather as systematic reporting to the 3 Kilika & Mutua /International Journal of Finance & Banking Studies Vol 2, No 3, 2013 ISSN: 2147-4486 city/local council. The environmental master budget should confront the highest council decision-making committee with environmental and sustainable development issues. Local authorities should be able to predict, plan, control, monitor and report the consumption of natural resources, as part of their environmental management activities as called by the Aalborg Charter (1994), the Lisbon Action Plan (1996) and the Hanover Conference (2000).
However, for these reasons, the potential of environmental accounting as an aid to economic programming and decision making, in general and at the local level in particular, is still largely underutilized. One of the features of environmental budgeting, as has been implemented, is flexibility in the choice of indicators – a choice that reflects, case by case, the interests and criticalities of specific local jurisdictions. It is in urban and suburban contexts, particularly, that the requirement of flexibility in resorting to the appropriate indicators in stronger . n the one hand, composing the menu of indicators in response to specific geographical and social context may appear sensible and pragmatic choice. On the other hand, it is difficult to set up a real, consistent accounting system over time when local governments’ priorities and programs change, because the indicators will also change as a consequence. 2. 1. 2 Environmental accounting used to estimate optimal extraction levels for quarries: a case of Nakuru municipality. The common aggregate measures of economic performance include Gross Domestic Product (GDP), National Income (NI) and level of employment.
However, these indicators ignore natural resources and environmental factors. Though resources and the environment as a whole is not included in the National accounts, changes in the two items contribute to production and income; and must therefore be accounted for. The welfare of the nation’s population present and more especially in the future will be greatly determined by the stock of natural resources available and the quality of environment. Currently, the production processes generally degrades the environments and depletes natural resources.
This implies that the system of national accounting used, seriously under-estimates changes in the stock of natural resources and the environment of a nation Kibet (2004). 2. 1. 3 The Green Towns Environmental Project The project was carried out with its objective to initiate a process of environmental awareness among local authority managers, decision makers and the public so as to come out with an environmental development plan of a given town. The project also does the planning on community participation basis.
Towns like Malindi and Eldoret are examples of places where the projects have been applied successfully (Kisare 1999). 2. 1. 4 Current environmental issues on air pollution According to JICA (2002) report on Kenya’s profile on the environment, air pollution is not monitored at specific sites, and there are no data on the calculation of annual pollutant emissions. However, from various studies carried out in some parts of the country, air pollution has serious impacts on the environment and health of Kenyan populace.
According to these studies, the main air pollutants in major cities such as Nairobi , Mombasa , Nakuru, Eldoret, Thika and other small ones like Webuye, Kikuyu and Limuru just to mention but a few are the suspended particulate matter (SPM), Lead oxide of sulphur , carbon monoxide, hydrogen and oxides of nitrogen. There are no set standards for most of these pollutants. But studies show that levels of some of these pollutants in some towns far exceed the WHO or other international standards. 2. 1. The Contingency theory This approach advocates that there is no one ‘best’ design for a management accounting information system, but that “it all depends” upon the situational factors (Drury 2004, page 696). Headquarters and business units respond upon the business environment and settle their Management Accounting System. Headquarters delegate responsibilities to the BU-managers. Based upon these responsibilities, and the corporate characteristics, the BU-managers set their demand for information from their BU-controllers, and adjust their demand for information to their own business unit characteristics.
This demand for information is sent to the BU-controller. As the literature on role theory indicates , “role” is a useful tool for examination of the position of the controller as it links three central concepts: role expectations ( what the BU-manager and BU-controller believe he should do); role behavior ( what he actually does ) and how is position is linked to others, thus shaping his “role set” (Gross et al. 1958 ). Shaping his role set, is answering the question: why do BU-controllers behave in a certain way?
Role theorists may say they share expectations for their own behavior and that of others (Biddle 1972 page 115). Thus BU-controllers “expect” that BUmanagers want to have a bonus and they “expect” that the corporate controllers want to receive the proper information of business unit performance. There could be a gap or difference between the demand for information by the BU- 94 Kilika & Mutua /International Journal of Finance & Banking Studies Vol 2, No 3, 2013 ISSN: 2147-4486 manager and the supply of information by the BU-controller.
This gap can be explained by the differences between the sender and the receiver, by role theory, the interpersonal relationships, and the differences between BU-manager’s – and BU-controller’s personality and expectations (Kahn et al. 1964). The contingency factors which influence the demand- side are related to: corporate management, environment, business, corporate controller characteristics, and manager’s expectations and expertise. 2. 1. 6 Institutional theory According to Dillard et al. (2004,p. 08), “an institution is an established order comprising rule-bounded and standardized social practices, and institutionalization is the process whereby the practices expected in various social settings are developed and learned. ” Further, institutional theory is chiefly concerned with an organization’s interaction with the institutional environment, the impacts of external expectations on the organization, and the combination of these expectations as reflected in the organizational practices (Martinez, 1999).
Hence, under this theory, organizations will change their structures or operations to comply with external expectations about what structures are seen as appropriate (Deegan, 2002). In order to achieve legitimacy, organizations do not necessarily consider only what one organization is actually doing, but also the need to accommodate what potentially influential publics are doing. Institutional theory has been widely applied in accounting research to study the practice of accounting in organizations. The institutional framework has provided useful insights into the practice of accounting in organizations.
The institutional theory based accounting research comprehensively represents accounting as the object of institutional practices and attempts to provide a better understanding of institutions, accounting practices and change processes. Institutional theory has wide applicability, which can be used to analyze all types of organizations because all organizations are institutionalized organizations. 2. 1. 7 Stakeholder theory The stakeholder approach to analysis is well established in management accounting literature (Roberts, 1992).
Its essence is the definition of all those groups or parties who are influenced by and /or who influence the organization or accounting entity . From this point on stakeholder theory struggles to maintain anything other than an organizationcentred legitimacy because while the groups may be defined with a fair degree of objectivity, who (other than the organization) is left to define the priorities among the stakeholders and the information that should be disclosed to each one? Stakeholder’s theory, therefore, is concerned typically with how the organization manages its stakeholders.
Thus, information disclosed to the stakeholders may be assumed more properly by the organization to be part of legitimacy. Stakeholder’s theory is relatively silent on how the organization does –if it all –monitor and respond to the needs of the stakeholders. It will do so, generally speaking, when it is in the organization’s traditional interests to do so. 2. 2 Empirical studies In recent years a number of empirical studies have been published which use not only more detailed data about solid waste services but also progressively more sophisticated statistical techniques.
Reeves and Barrow (2000) worked with a sample of 48 municipalities in Ireland and usedinformation covering the years 1993, 1994 and 1995. Taking as their explained variable the total cost of waste services they considered a series of explanatory variables related to output and other service characteristics such as the number of collection units (approximation to output), as well as variables regarding service frequency, the type of collection, the importance of costs derived from selective waste, residential density, and whether or not delivery was public or private.
On the basis of their empirical analysis Reeves and Barrow (2000) argue that private delivery was associated with cost savings in each of the years studied, and also that these savings were very high. Callan and Thomas (2001) considered the possible multi-product nature of solid waste services, distinguishing between their two main components: general waste for disposal and selective waste for recycling. The empirical analysis was based on a sample of 110 municipalities in Massachusetts (USA), using information for the year 1997.
Callan and Thomas estimated a two-equation model in which the explained variable was service cost (of disposal, on the one hand, and recycling on the other), while the explanatory variables were the amount of waste generated, the population density, the frequency of collection, the form of service delivery (public monopoly or contracting out), and the existence of a municipal dump, among others. In the case of waste for disposal the empirical analysis revealed economies of density but no economies of scale, whereas for recyclable waste there were economies of scale but no economies of density.
The authors also found economies of scope for both disposal and recycling services. A greater collection frequency was associated with higher costs in both cases, while the 95 Kilika & Mutua /International Journal of Finance & Banking Studies Vol 2, No 3, 2013 ISSN: 2147-4486 existence of a municipal dump reduced costs. Finally, the form of delivery had no effect on cost (Callan & Thomas, 2001). Dijkgraaf and Gradus (2003) studied solid waste service costs in a sample of 85 municipalities in the Netherlands for the period 1996-97.
Taking total service cost as theirexplained variable the authors assumed coverage of 100% by means of taxes and estimated costs as the product of service taxes and the number of households. The variables used to explain total costs were related to service output, for example, the number of collection points, the density of collection points and the type of collection. They also considered the frequency of service and variables that reflect recycling characteristics such as the percentage of glass, paper and organic matter. Finally, a distinction was made between public and private service delivery.
This study also made use of the Chow test, which measures the structural stability of cost equations. Dijkgraaf and Gradus (2003) compared the structural stability of the cost equation for both the size of municipality and the form of delivery. As regards costs according to the model of delivery the authors found that contracting out was associated with lower costs, although there were no significant differences between public and private delivery in this respect. The studies by Bel (2006) and Bel and Costas (2006) constitute the first econometric Analyses in Spain of the municipal costs of solid waste services.
The research used a sample of 186 municipalities in Catalonia and the information gathered was for the year 2000. In order to explain the total cost of solid waste services, these works consider variables related to the volume of product (amount of waste generated), the price of inputs (wage costs), certain characteristics of the product (frequency of the service, availability of dumping sites, form of production, i. e. public or private), and certain uncontrollable characteristics that affect the service, such as population density and the strength of the tourist factor.
In general, these explanatory factors are in line with those used in the abovementioned studies, although the specification of a tourism variable, based on the degree of such activity, is a novelty in the literature. The empirical analysis found significant economies of scale in the less-populated municipalities. However, the strength of these economies of scale was limited and, indeed, both their intensity and significance disappeared as population increased. In fact, the test of structural change indicated the advisability of studying larger municipalities separately from smaller ones.
As regards the association between form of production and service costs there were no significant differences between public and private delivery. Finally, Dijkgraaf and Gradus (2007) analyzed the factors which determined the total costs of waste services in 453 municipalities in the Netherlands for the year 2002. This study used the same control variables as those employed by Dijkgraaf and Gradus (2003) to explain total costs of service delivery at the municipal level: number of collection points, density of collection points, type of collection, frequency of service, characteristics of recycling, and form of production.
Additionally, they included a series of concentration indicators at the provincial level to analyze the extent to which the strength of competition affects the impact of contracting out on costs, taking into account that in the Netherlands contracting out may involve both public and private companies. The concentration indicators used were the Hirschman-Herfindahl index, the C3-ratio (the market share of the three largest companies) and the presence of competitors (private or public) in municipalities within the same geographical area.
Although the results for the other explanatory variables were very similar to those reported by Dijkgraaf and Gradus (2003) the authors found evidence to suggest that cost savings with contracting out depended on the degree of concentration at the provincial level: the greater the concentration the lower the cost savings associated with contracting out. In addition, they found that the presence of public (but not private) companies as competitors in neighboring municipalities seemed to have a positive effect on the cost savings achieved with contracting out.
An environmental conservation cost is a complex activity that cannot fully be explained by a single theoretical perspective or from a single level resolution. Conceptual theories of environmental conservation costs should therefore, be fully embraced in order to enhance solid understanding of environmental conservation costs by organizations. Organizations have used environmental conservation costs and should continue to positively use it as means to attain their overall environmental management systems. 3. Methodology The section outlines the research design and methodology followed in conducting this study.
It describes the entire process that the researcher followed to obtain the sample from the population as well as the data collection methods, and data analysis. 96 Kilika & Mutua /International Journal of Finance & Banking Studies Vol 2, No 3, 2013 ISSN: 2147-4486 3. 1 Research Design The design was a survey which involved gathering, processing and interpreting data collected from the 90 Local authorities in Kenya. The design was valuable for detailed analysis. Young (1960) and Kothari (1990) concur that the study provides valuable insights to a phenomena that may be vaguely known and less understood.
Kalunda (2007) used the same design in his successful studies on corporate reporting. 3. 2 Population of study The population of study was made up of the 175 local authorities in Kenya. 3. 3 Sample of the study The sample of the study was made up of 90 Local Authorities selected randomly. This was to avoid biasness. 3. 4 Data collection instruments The study used both primary and secondary data. Primary data was collected by way of questionnaires while the secondary data was obtained from the local authority records. 4.
Data analysis and Findings Secondary data was analyzed using the statistical package for social sciences (SPSS) version 17 and Excel. The data compared the costs allocated to various activities using the available funds with the costs allocated to the activities by each LA. Primary data from the questionnaires was analyzed to explain actual costs spent on each activity by individual LAs. The results are through the use of descriptive statistics like frequency distributions, bar graphs and pie charts showing how the LAs spent their revenues on environmental conservations. 4. Expenditure per local authorities studied The bar graph below shows the total expenditure per local authority in terms of environmental conservation cost Local Conservation Costs for all LAS 700000000 Conservation Costs 600000000 500000000 400000000 300000000 200000000 100000000 0 1 4 7 10 13 16 19 22 25 28 31 34 37 40 Local Authorities Fig1: Bar graph of Conservation costs for all LAS. Source: MLG. circular no. 4/2009 From the graph, it can be inferred that: Five local authorities had used environmental conservation costs more effectively than the others as evidenced by both their highest means as well as their standandard deviations.
These local authorities were nairobi city council,kisumu municipal, Narok county council, Eldoret municipal council,and Mombasa in that order respectively. 97 Kilika & Mutua /International Journal of Finance & Banking Studies Vol 2, No 3, 2013 ISSN: 2147-4486 Five other local authorities on ther hand used the least environmental conservation costs in a less effective way as they scored lowest in terms of the mean and the standard deviations. These LAs were Chogoria town council,Port Victoria town council, Oyugis town council, Kwale town council and Ijara county council in the order respectively. . 2 Sources of revenues to the local authorities From the analysis local authorities are allocated each a flat rate figure of sh1. 5 million and the other allocations to the local authorities are given by the ministry depending on individual local authorities’ population. Apart from these allocations other sources of revenue are RMLF and CILOR besides donations from donors that are used to assist the local authorities finance their operations. 4. 3 Rationale for the distribution of the revenues into various activities in all local authorities.
The analysis clearly shows that the administrative activity is carried out by almost all the local authorities that were studied. Other local authorities’ activities like pollution prevention activity, global conservation activity, resource circulation activity, social activity and remediation activity are performed according to individual local authority’ choices and priority depending on local needs 5. Discussions 5. 1 Operations of local authorities in Kenya From the analysis local authorities operate the same way under the same administrative structure which is mainly financed by the same sources of revenue.
All the 175 local authorities are supervised by ministry of local government where they file their annual financial reports with the same ministry. 5. 2 Environmental conservation costs in LAs The analysis clarify that the activities in which LAs carried out in their operations incur costs that are spent to maintain clean and healthy environment within these individual local authorities. The allocation of revenue to the local authorities according to their population size plays a great deal in dictating the amounts received and spent by each LA.
Thus, local authorities with highest population benefiting with the highest allocations and hence are able to have many of their environmental conservation activities carried out in their operations. This is unlike the less populous LAs which receive small allocations and finally do less on their environmental conservation activities. 5. 3 the relationship between the amounts allocated and the number of conservation activities in LAs The analyses indicate that the numbers of environmental conservation activities have costs spent on them per LA are affected by amounts allocated on the basis of population data.
Due to that biasness in allocation, some environmental conservation activities in less populous LAs go unfunded or with little funds. Out of the LAs studied the top five local authorities in terms of averages and standard deviations in the way they financed their environmental conservation activities were Nairobi city council, Kisumu municipal council, Narok county council, Eldoret municipal council and Mombasa municipal council respectively. The bottom five LAs in terms of averages and standard deviations were Chogoria town council, Port Victoria town council, Oyugis town council, Kwale town council and Ijara county council respectively.
The variation in the analysis was brought by the uneven distribution and allocation of revenues by the ministry of local government following population data as the only criteria of financing the 175 LAs. 6. Conclusions All the studied local authorities were found to allocate environmental conservation costs into their activities to prevent, reduce or even to avoid environmental impact and therefore environmental costs are evident. Despite the fact that all LAs use conservation costs, the degree of application of the costs is not uniform in all the local authorities.
Therefore, the allocation of revenue by the ministry of local government to LAs should be even and not necessarily based on population data. Even allocations are likely to lead to each of the LAs spending equal amounts on their various environmental conservation activity costs. Environmental conservation activity costs have been evidently applied by the local authorities. However, the degree and extent of application can be enhanced if the basis of allocation is made equal and the MLG out lines guidelines 8 Kilika & Mutua /International Journal of Finance & Banking Studies Vol 2, No 3, 2013 ISSN: 2147-4486 that emphasis on every conservation activity to be financed with specific amounts and not to leave the decision on the activities’ financing to individual LAs. Out of the sample of 90 LAs only 41 (45. 6%) responded. Most town/ county clerks were involved in seminars outside their local authorities that led to other officers being the respondents in the individual LAs.
Future research may be directed to the relationship between costs in other activities carried out by local authorities in Kenya. In addition, since local authorities may have different financial needs more research can be done on the rationale to base the allocation of revenues on one aspect of population data which has given some LAs advantage over others in the way they have used their environmental conservation activity costs. Environmental conservation activity costs have been evidently applied by the local authorities.
However, the degree and extent of application can be enhanced if the basis of allocation is made equal and the MLG out lines guidelines that emphasis on every conservation activity to be financed with specific amounts and not to leave the decision on the activities’ financing to individual LAs. Further research can be done to find out why there are no uniform guidelines that govern environmental conservation costs in all the 175 LAs in Kenya. Acknowledgements First, a very special and enormous thank to my supervisor, Mr. N. T. T. Simiyu for his guidance, invaluable expertise, friendship and support through out the journey.
I also want to express my gratitude to other members of the department of Finance and Accounting, and other people I have met along the way, for their support and encouragement. Finally, thanks to my families, especially wife, parents and brothers for their endless support and love all the time. References Aalborg Charter (1994) Bailey P. E, (1991). Full cost accounting for life cycle costs. Bel, Gama and Costas A. (2006). “Do public sector reforms get rusty? Local privatization in Spain,” Journal of public reform, 9, pp. 1-24. Bennett, M. , James, P. , (1998).
Environment under the Spotlight—Current Practice and Future Trends in Environment—Related Performance Measurement for Business. Association of Chartered Certified Accountants, London Biddle, B. J. (1972). Role theory: Expectations, Identities, and Behaviors, New York, Academic Press, (ISBN 0-12-095950-X), pp. 416. Callan, Thomas . M. (2001). ” Economics of scale and scope. A cost analysis of municipal solid waste services,” land economics, 77, pp. 548-560. Correspondent, Shell international, at: www. shell. com/financial_ correspondent. Deegan, C and Gordon, B. 1996), “A study of the environmental Disclosure practices of Annual Reports,” Accounting and Business Research, vol. 26, No. 3, pp. 187. Dijkgraaf, Gradus (2003). “Cost savings of contracting out refuse collection,” Empirical, 30, pp. 149-161. Dijkgraaf, Gradus (2007). “Collusion in the Dutch waste collection market,” local government studies, 33, pp. 573588. Daryl D, Ranganathan J, Daryl, (1995). Green Ledgers, case studies in corporate environmental accounting. Dorweiler VP, Yakhou M (2002). Dimensionality of environmental accounting. Journal of accounting and finance research, no. 9 (4), pp 47-64. 99
Kilika & Mutua /International Journal of Finance & Banking Studies Vol 2, No 3, 2013 ISSN: 2147-4486 Drury, C. (2004). Management and Cost Accounting, 6th edition, London, Thomson Learning (ISBN 1-84480-028-8), 1280 pp. Savage . E. “Environmentally Smart Accounting: using Total Cost Assessment to advance pollution prevention,” pollution prevention Review (Summer 1993), pp. 247-259. Economic Accounting. , New York. EPA (1997b). Applying environmental accounting to electro planting operations; An In Depth environmental protection agency (EPA), Washington DC. analysis, US Edvinsson, L. Malone MS. (1997).
Intellectual Capital: Realizing Your Company’s True Value by Finding Its Hidden Brainpower, Harper Business; New York. EPA (1997a). Environmental cost accounting for chemical and oil companies: A bench marking study. US environmental protection Agency (EPA), Washington DC. Farghally, Ahmed, (1997). Future Studies in Environmental Accounting Global Reporting Initiative (2002) Gross, N, Mason, WS & MC Eachern, A. W (1958). Explorations in Role Analysis: studies of the school superintendence role, New York, John Wiley & Sons, Inc; (ISBN 471-32802-2), PP. 379. Gulch. P. (2000). Costs of environmental errors.
Greener management international autumn Pp 23-36. Hannover Conference (2000) Hassan, R. M. (1996). Defining environmental information, its economics and usefulness in decision making. A survey of the economics of environmental information, IS donors and sustainability in Africa, EIS, and news. Hassan R. M. (2003). Accounting for the environment; experiences from Southern Africa. Ecological and environmental economics program (EEEP). Hope, J. Hope T. (1998). Competing in Third Wave: the Ten key management Issues of Information Age . Harvard Business school: Boston, MA. Indecon, (2005).
Indecon Review of Local government Financing. International Institute of Social and Ethical Accountability (ISEA), (1999). Accountability 1000 (AA1000) Framework Johannesburg Summit (2002) JICA (2002). Kenya profile on environment. Kahn, R. L. , Wolfe, D. M. , Quinn, R. P. , Snoek, J. D & Rosenthal, R. A. (1964). Organizational Stress: studies in role conflict and ambiguity, New York, John Wiley & Sons Inc. , (ISBN 0-89874-8-07), pp. 470. Kapa M. A, (2005). Lesotho’s local government system: A critical note on the structure and its implications for popular participation and service delivery. Kibeti K. L (2004).
Use of environmental accounting to estimate optimal extraction levels for quarries: a case of Nakuru municipality. Kisare, S. M (1999). Local government planning and management for Eastern and Southern Africa: planning Experiences in Kenya Local government Act (1963). Local government Act caps 265 laws of Kenya. Leeds ECO, “Leeds Ecological Footprints,” at www. gn. apc. org/eco/evievw/lefbref2 Lehman D. O, (2000). Social and Environmental Accounting, trends and directions for the future. Lisbon Action Plan (1996) Mazhindu, E, (2009). Local government processes and the Environment in Africa: Issues, perspectives and practicalities. Strategic 00 Kilika & Mutua /International Journal of Finance & Banking Studies Vol 2, No 3, 2013 ISSN: 2147-4486 Medley P. (1997). Environmental accounting- what does it mean to professional accountants? Accounting, auditing and accountability pp 594-600. Ministry of youth affairs Kenya (2010). Environmental and Social management policy framework Ministry of local government Kenya (2009). Guidelines for preparing budget estimates and authorities transfer fund monies. Nema (2005) Strategic plan 2005-2010, abridged version. Pateman, C, (1970). Participation and Democratic Theory. Cambridge: Cambridge University press. Pretoria: H&R Academica (pty) Ltd.
Pearce, David, (1994). Measuring Sustainable Development. Earth scan Porter, ME. & Kramer, MR. (2006). “Strategy & Society,” Harvard Business Review, vol. 82, No. 12, pp. 78-92. Reeves, Barrow . M. (2000). “The impact of contracting –out on the costs of refuse collection services. The case of Ireland,” Economics and social review . 31, pp. 129-150. Riode Janeiro summit (1992). Simpson, (1995). Sustainable development issues for Brisbane and South and East Queensland Region. United Nations, (1994). “System of Integrated Environmental and Economic Accounting, New York. UNDP (2000). Millennium development goals in Kenya needs and costs.
UNPD (2001). World urbanization prospects: The 1999 revision – key findings. United Nations population division (UNDP). Waema T. M & Mitullah W. V. (2007). E-governance in local authorities accessing local 101 Kilika & Mutua /International Journal of Finance & Banking Studies Vol 2, No 3, 2013 ISSN: 2147-4486 Appendix Nomenclature BU CC CILOR EIAS EPA ESMF FASB GAAP GDP ICLEI ISEA ISO JICA LA LAIFORMS LATF LCDs MLG NI RMLF SEC SETAC SNA SPM UK UNDP UN Business Unit Capital Component Contribution in lieu of rates Environmental impact assessment Environmental protection agency Environmental and social anagement framework Financial accounting standard Generally accepted accounting principles Gross domestic product International council for environmental intitiative Institute of social and ethical accountability International organization for standardization Japanese International Corporation Local Authority Local authority integrated financial operations management system Local authority trasferfund Less developed countries Ministry of local government National Income Road maintenance levy fund Security exchange commission Socity of environmental toxicology and chemistry System of national accounting Suspended particulate matter United Kingdom United Nations development programme United Nations 102
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William Shakepeare
William Shakespeare was an English poet and playwright, widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world’s pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England’s national poet and the “Bard of Avon”. | | Born: April 23, 1564, Stratford-upon-Avon, United KingdomDied: April 23, 1616, Stratford-upon-Avon, United KingdomEducation: King Edward VI School, Stratford-upon-AvonBooks: First Folio, The Rape of LucreceMovies: Romeo + Juliet, 10 Things I Hate About You, Coriolanus| | Occupation:| Playwright, poet, actor| Nationality:| English| Period:| English Renaissance| Spouse(s):| Anne Hathaway (m. 582–1616)| Children:Susanna Hall * Hamnet Shakespeare * Judith Quiney| Relative(s):John Shakespeare (father) Mary Shakespeare (mother)| William Shakespeare (26 April 1564 (baptized) – 23 April 1616) was an English poet and playwright, widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world’s pre-eminent dramatist. [1] He is often called England’s national poet and the “Bard of Avon”. His extant works, including some collaborations, consist of about 38 plays,154 sonnets, two long narrative poems, and a few other verses, the authorship of some of which is uncertain.
His plays have been translated into every major living language and are performed more often than those of any other playwright. [3] Shakespeare was born and brought up in Stratford-upon-Avon. At the age of 18, he married Anne Hathaway, with whom he had three children: Susanna, and twins Hamnetand Judith. Between 1585 and 1592, he began a successful career in London as an actor, writer, and part-owner of a playing company called the Lord Chamberlain’s Men, later known as the King’s Men. He appears to have retired to Stratford around 1613 at age 49, where he died three years later.
Few records of Shakespeare’s private life survive, and there has been considerable speculation about such matters as appearance, religious, and whether the works attributed to him were written by others. Shakespeare produced most of his known work between 1589 and 1613. His early plays were mainly comedies and histories, genres he raised to the peak of sophistication and artistry by the end of the 16th century. He then wrote mainly tragedies until about 1608, including Hamlet, King Lear, Othello, and Macbeth, considered some of the finest works in the English language.
In his last phase, he wrote tragicomedies, also known as romances, and collaborated with other playwrights. Many of his plays were published in editions of varying quality and accuracy during his lifetime. In 1623, John Heminges and Henry Condell, two friends and fellow actors of Shakespeare, published the First Folio, a collected edition of his dramatic works that included all but two of the plays now recognized as Shakespeare’s. It was prefaced with a poem by Ben Jonson, in which Shakespeare is hailed, presciently, as “not of an age, but for all time”.
Shakespeare was a respected poet and playwright in his own day, but his reputation did not rise to its present heights until the 19th century. The Romantics, in particular, acclaimed Shakespeare’s genius, and the Victorians worshipped Shakespeare with a reverence that George Bernard Shaw called “bardolatry”. In the 20th century, his work was repeatedly adopted and rediscovered by new movements in scholarship and performance. His plays remain highly popular today and are constantly studied, performed, and reinterpreted in diverse cultural and political contexts throughout the world.
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Cinematic Techniques and Othello
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4 year Postdoc – University of Groningen
7 febrero, 2018 kinderwebo
An attractive opportunity for a four-year postdoc position is open at the University of Groningen, in the Netherlands. The position is to join our research team in the Van Swinderen Institute for particle physics and gravity, which includes an experiment using a cold, slow and intense beam of molecules to probe the electron-EDM. An opportunity to teach is included in the contract from the beginning. If you know any candidates that are interested and eligible, I would very much appreciate if you could forward the information below to them.
Postdoctoral Fellowship Position in Particle Physics or Gravity Research
The University of Groningen is a research university with a global outlook, deeply rooted in Groningen, City of Talent. Quality has had top priority for four hundred years, and with success: the University is currently in or around the top 100 on several influential global ranking lists.
The Faculty of Science and Engineering harbours a kaleidoscope of disciplines and research strengths. Our programmes in research and education range from nanomaterials and biomachinery to astronomy, from mathematics to pharmacy, from neurosciences to computer science, and from molecular and evolutionary biology to marine biology.
On top of its track record of research excellence, the Faculty offers a large number of Bachelor’s degree programmes (overseen by our Undergraduate School of Science and Engineering) and Master’s degree programmes (overseen by our Graduate School of Science and Engineering). Nearly all of our Bachelor’s (BSc) and Master’s degree programmes (MSc) are fully English-taught, thus allowing students from all over the world to follow a degree programme with us.
The FSE Fellowship programme
Our unique FSE fellowship programme offers temporary positions for talented junior researchers who want to further develop both their research and teaching skills. You will have an appointment for four years during which you can do challenging research, have various teaching responsibilities (approximately 30% of the time), and be offered opportunities for training and career orientation.
From day one, you will have a personal Work and Development Plan (WDP) that describes the specific research, teaching and training activities that you will undertake. You will receive didactic training in your first year and have the opportunity to obtain a University Teaching Qualification. In addition to the yearly Result and Development Interviews with your supervisors, you will have a yearly meeting with a career counsellor to discuss your career development and plans.
A personal budget of a €1000 per year is dedicated for additional training and career activities.
We currently offer 16 fellow positions in a broad range of scientific fields. The preferred starting date of these fellows is before July 2018.
We offer one fellow position in the field of:
Particle Physics or Gravity Research (Theoretical/Experimental). The fellow will teach in the BSc Physics or BSc Applied Physics and be embedded in the Van Swinderen Institute for Particle Physics and Gravity.
• A PhD, obtained no longer than 3 years ago, preferably from another university than the University of Groningen;
• a promising research record;
• affinity with teaching; individuals with actual teaching experience will be favoured;
• an excellent command of English.
You will have an initial appointment of one year that will be extended by 3 years if you perform satisfactorily. The fellowship will not be extended after the four years period. The University of Groningen offers a salary dependent on qualifications and work experience of € 3.111,- gross per month up to a maximum of € 4.084,- gross per month for a full-time position. The UFO-profile Researcher/Lecturer (scale 10) applies.
In addition to the primary salary the University offers 8% holiday allowance and an end-of-year bonus of 8,3%.
The University of Groningen provides career services for partners of new faculty members moving to Groningen.
The University of Groningen has adopted an active policy to increase the number of female scientists across all disciplines of the university. Therefore, female candidates are especially encouraged to apply.
The preferred starting date is before July, 2018.
Interested candidates are invited to submit a complete application including:
• A letter of motivation.
• A Curriculum Vitae, including a list of publications.
• A short description (max 1A4) of your teaching interests (extra attachment 1).
• A short description (max 1A4) of your scientific field of interest (extra attachment 2).
You may apply to one of the positions until March 8, 2018 via the website of the University of Groningen. https://www.rug.nl/about-us/work-with-us/job-opportunities/overview
Selection interviews will take place in the second half of March 2018.
For information on the research institute please visit:
https://www.rug.nl/research/vsi/
For information on our degree programmes please visit:
https://www.rug.nl/bachelors/faculty-of-science-and-engineering
https://www.rug.nl/masters/faculty-of-science-and-engineering
For any further questions, don’t hesitate to contact the coordinator of the FSE Fellowship Programme Yvonne Folkers via Y.Folkers@rug.nl
To join or leave the molecular-dynamics-news email list, go to:
http://www.jiscmail.ac.uk/lists/molecular-dynamics-news.html
Entrada anteriorREGISTRATION IS NOW OPENED for the 9th International Meeting on Atomic and Molecular Physics and Chemistry (IMAMPC). Berlin, Germany, from the 5th to the 8th of June 2018.
Entrada siguienteInternational Spring School on High Performance Computing. Donostia, Spain, April 23-27, 2018
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Hardboiled Chicken
Originally Published: 4 November 2011
Hardboiled Chicken is a one-man army. Or a one-chicken army, in fact. Entering your living room to the strains of a song by the rock band New World Revolution (who provide the music throughout the game), Hardboiled Chicken is here to overthrow the penguin dictatorship of Albatropolis. Obviously.
Hardboiled Chicken is a side-scrolling, platforming shoot ‘em up with puzzles thrown in for good measure. It’s presented in a very cartoony way, and looks lovely, to be honest, as you explore a wide variety of locations: dingy bunkers, sunny streets, swanky museums. Sometimes it can be a bit tricky to work out where the platforms are, while you’re playing through the levels. Even on the first level I found myself wondering if what I thought was a tunnel was actually a tunnel, and whether the platform I was jumping at was actually a platform or a bit of background art.
The tunnel was a tunnel; the platform, on the other hand, not so much.
The shooting in the game is quite basic. Duck, shoot, move on. Later into the game the enemies wise up a bit to how blindingly simple they’ve been to kill and start using shields, the crafty so-and-sos. But even then you’ll find a touch of duck, roll, turn round and shoot will sort that out. So the combat isn’t great. There’s a variety of guns available and they all dispatch the enemy forces in a puff of feathers, but there’s really not a lot to it.
But the shooting’s not on its own here. There’s puzzles as well. These aren’t mental challenges worthy of the Crystal Maze. They’re usually simple puzzles revolving around your inability to reach a higher ledge, or get through a door. So you’ll find yourself pushing boxes around, or gathering up keycards, to progress. Once you get your hands on the brain bugs, the puzzle element becomes a bit more fun. The brain bugs are tiny bugs that you can throw into passageways much smaller than yourself. They emit a gas which, should an enemy pass by, allow you to control them. It’s a bit like possessing the enemies in any Abe’s Oddworld game. Once you’ve got hold of your enemy, they can open doors or kill their unsuspecting colleagues. It’s a neat little touch that’s a welcome change to building steps out of boxes.
There’s a co-operative mode as well, placing you and a friend in charge of a heavily-armed chick each. The chicks, unlike Hardboiled himself, aren’t able to change weapons during the game, not that that makes too much of a difference, and play through the locales of the single player game, shooting enemies and solving puzzles. This time, however, as well as standing on boxes you can stand on each other’s shoulders to get where you need to be. There’s no brain bug action in the co-op mode, though, so how much you enjoy it depends on how much you enjoy the simplistic shooting and puzzle solving.
I’m a bit disappointed by Hardboiled Chicken, if I’m honest. I wanted it to be better than it is. It’s not terrible, by any means, but it doesn’t grab you as much as you’d hope it would. The combat and puzzles are too simplistic. Even the rare jetpack sections can’t redeem the entire game (though they are the best parts). It’s a shame, because it’s got potential by the bucket-load.
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Ben Purrington scored Charlton’s equaliser as the Addicks beat Sunderland 2-1 in the League One play-off final in May
Championship newcomers Charlton Athletic have re-signed defender Ben Purrington from Rotherham United for an undisclosed fee.
The 23-year-old left-back spent the second half of last season on loan with the Addicks, making 21 appearances as they won promotion from League One.
Purrington featured 22 times for the Millers after joining from Plymouth Argyle in January 2017.
He has agreed a three-year contract with the south-east London club.
Find all the latest football transfers on our dedicated page.
replacement glass putney
July 2, 2019 Glaziers Putney Tags: Ben, Charlton, deal, defender, permanent, Purrington, resign, Rotherham Categories:
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By Harry Hay on November 1, 2012
Editor’s Note: One of this magazine’s stated missions is to preserve our history, especially the early history of the gay and lesbian movement. In this respect, the following piece has a double significance: first, because here Harry Hay is recounting the early years of the “homophile” movement and how the Mattachine Society got started; and second, because Harry Hay is himself a figure of historical importance, and this essay from one of our movement’s founders has, I think, acquired a significance of its own in the annals of GLBT letters.
It is worth noting, by the way, that Hay was already highly critical here of “assimilationists”—a word that may not have been used in the 1950’s—for it appears that already the battle lines were being drawn between those who saw the new movement as a radical break from “straight” society and those who sought tolerance for their “sexual preference” while living otherwise conventional lives. This piece originally appeared in the HGLR’s Winter 1995 issue.
THERE ARE, I imagine, a number of people who wonder, not necessarily what woodwork American 20th-century queers materialized out of, but where did the gay movement come from?
In the 1930’s and 40’s, there were clusters of homosexuals all over the country impassioned to get a group of some sort going. Two or three brothers would meet for supper and spark up a storm of ideas. By the second meeting, word would get out that such doings were a novel way to cruise, and by the third meeting attendance would double. But when the fourth meeting didn’t produce any more new faces, the fifth would get only the by-now burned-out Sparkers of the first. Fini! There wouldn’t be a sixth meeting. And this pattern would repeat itself over and over, year after year.
What was the social climate in which all this would be occurring? In the 1920’s and 30’s, single men didn’t, as a general rule, earn enough to live in apartments. They lived in boarding houses. The word homosexual, a technical adjective in the penal code characterizing illegal aberrations in heterosexual behavior, did not yet appear in any standard dictionary. “Homosexual,” as a technical adjective, designated heterosexual men who occasionally were apprehended for engaging in perverted or degenerate acts. These monstrous practices, denounced by biblical and traditional common laws alike, were considered not only social but also political crimes against community standards, crimes that had to be obliterated whenever detected. People who had fallen so low as to engage in them must either be cured for their own good, forcibly if necessary, or be put away for the protection of society.
This general attitude, maintained by both Church and State, vigorously expounded on the front pages of the press and periodically denounced by the editorial sections, guaranteed that the established limits of decorum were being observed by the community. Nineteenth-century America, however else it might have perceived itself, was socially divided into two groups, those who kept up with the Joneses and considered themselves respectable—and then there were those others! Borrowing from the French author Alexandre Dumas, those others were the demimondaine, the shadowy half-world people who chose not to show themselves by the full light of day but only in the twilight. Players, opera singers, ballet dancers, vaudeville performers, professional card-sharps, riverboat gamblers, acrobats, jugglers, muscle-men, magicians, clairvoyants, soothsayers—the women you would never bring home to meet your mother, the men you would never let your sister marry.
From the point of view of the people of the demimonde, the twilight world made perfect sense. It was their world, and its traditional and particular multicultural morality suited their lifestyle. Touring circuses, theater companies, or vaudeville acts, straggling from town to town, were never welcome except in designated disreputable hotels and boarding houses, and even here they were permitted to enter only by the servants’ entrance. Such was “the gay world” in the 19th century, and this pattern did not change, even in the U.S., until the demise of vaudeville [in the 1930’s]. The gay twilight world was made for those who slept by day and rose in the afternoon, those who took afternoon coffee and a croissant at kiosks along the street, along riverbanks, or in parks. This gathering of shadows in the waning light was for those who took brisk turns along winding paths as afternoons turned to twilight and lamps began to bloom between trees in early evening. This twilit world was for those who met one another along these walks and shared biscuits and wine before repairing to whatever stage or music hall they might be engaged with.
The downside of the twilight world was that because its milieus were necessarily places of shadow and darkness, where thieves and thugs and blackmailers also abounded, it was a world outside of the law. The people who frequented this world did so at their own risk, and when, as happened quite frequently, there was a police roundup of scoundrels and malefactors in such areas—usually not carried out until after the entertainers had gone off to their several billets—and innocent or unsuspecting bystanders were inadvertently caught up in such a sweep, they stood to lose not only their reputations, but—when the story was published, with pictures, on the front page of the newspaper—their lodgings and livelihoods as well. When the police sweeps related to immoral behavior, the additional social and political ostracism was immediate and total. Homosexual behavior was a despised heterosexual perversion according to law, medicine, and religion. If a person was discovered harboring homosexual inclinations, he was adjudged a heterosexual who had gone bad, who had become degenerate—someone not to be tolerated in decent society.
WHEN I was growing up in the 1920’s, and was grown in the 1930’s, this was what we all heard night and day, day in and day out; it was in the air you breathed. There were those who, like me, didn’t believe it, who knew that what we carried was a shining, golden, pulsating dream, a wonderful alternative window to goodness, for which as yet we had no words—and somehow I knew that I was going to find some words for it. There were those who felt they couldn’t help being what they were, and who formed little cliques when they were lucky enough to find others like themselves. But there were those who never found another of these “twilight men.” And there were those who hated being what they were, those who tried to drown their self-loathing in liquor or drugs, and who cruised dangerously.
Our greatest dangers in such outlaw decades were from sneak-raids on public cruising places—always in the three-month stretch just before an election—ABC raids (for Alcoholic Beverage Commission) on those few bars that occasionally would serve you drinks in a dark corner at four times the going price. From 1935 on, blackmailers and the vice squad had nightly quotas of entrapments to carry out. Of all these dangers, the bottom line threatening the twilight world—from the 1830’s through the 1970’s—at all times was public exposure and censure. Arrest in a raid, publication of your name in the paper, automatically guaranteed that you would be seen as guilty even before the trial. The cops would call your boss, so you usually lost your job; they would call your landlord, so you’d lose your lodging. The insurance companies would cancel your policies if you had a car. Entrapment usually guaranteed exposure, unless your lawyer were able to fix it so you could cop to a lesser charge by bribing the arresting detective or softening up the judge. Otherwise, it would be a felony sentence of up to six or ten years in a state prison on a first offense. After you had completed your sentence on a first conviction, you would be required to register with the police every time you moved, for the rest of your life. A second conviction—in any category of a “morals” charge—and you would be sent to Atascadero State Prison to be cured of your depravity. Atascadero gave you a choice of “curing” method: castration or lobotomy. These conditions ruled our lives and loves in the state of California until State Penal Code item #541-C-C was amended by rescinding portions of its subsections in 1975.
It’s an old but still useful cliché among progressives and trade union activists that, socially or politically, the middle class has never produced anything of significance, because middle-class people, regardless of how collectively motivated they may be, always have personal investments to protect—a career they have worked years to develop, a social or political position they have sacrificed so much to attain. Any political movement would have to originate from below. My first Mattachine Society was no exception. It emerged equally from the rough-and-tumble trade-union organizing experiences of one of us, and from the outlaw underground community organizing experiences undertaken in the previous decade by the other three (sometimes four) of us. We all knew how to invoke the U.S. Constitution’s Fifth Amendment to protect membership lists or activities from unwelcome scrutiny, if and when the local police or the Feds got nosey. Like experienced left-wing fellow travelers everywhere, we all automatically assumed we would be infiltrated by the FBI. And, as it turned out, we weren’t wrong.
For us queers, the political climate at the state and local levels had been ominous forever: social behavior and morality had always been matters of states’ and municipalities’ concern. But our federal rights, our labor-union rights to organize and develop social programs, had never been questioned. Now suddenly, in 1948, the political climate had turned ominous. Senator Joseph McCarthy’s scurrilous House Un-American Activities Committee (HUAC) witch hunt, the disgracing of Hollywood actors, writers, and directors who were Marxist-oriented activists or sympathizers, had dragged on for months, terrifying decent people into becoming public snitches. All this demoralized the nation’s entire cultural environment. “Loyalty oaths” became everywhere a prerequisite for public or professional employment. America seemed to be moving rapidly toward the type of police state in which public scapegoating had already proven itself to be a highly effective and inexpensive form of control. With President Truman’s rush to recognize the new state of Israel, with his push to integrate Negroes into the armed forces, with the further integration of blacks into organized labor, it was obvious to me, as I wrote in the original Call-to-Organize in 1948, that the political scapegoat victim this time around would be us, the queers! We had to begin finding out who we were, what we might be able to be for: we had to organize!
Meanwhile, even with copies of my Call-to-Organize and a new book, Alfred Kinsey’s 1948 Sexual Behavior and the Human Male (which I carried to give me credibility), it took me two long, lonely, scary years to find my first recruit [Rudi Gern-reich, who was also Hay’s lover]. Forming a society of two, and determined to get a discussion group going, we went to an unmarked section of Santa Monica Beach that we knew was frequented by gay brothers. Because the media were whipping up support for the Korean War and Red Scare hysteria was going full blast, we figured that asking brothers to sign our Stockholm Peace Petition would be so far-out-scary-radical that they’d be more interested in agreeing to come to a “Kinsey Report” discussion group, right? Wrong! By the end of the summer, we had gotten 500 signatures on our petition, and had found not one person who would dare come to our discussion group, so overpowering was the terror of police reprisal or blackmail.
The next three members [Bob Hull, Dale Jennings, and Chuck Rowland] came out of the 1950 fall historical materialism music classes that I had developed for teaching people’s songs at the Southern California Labor School. We—the first five of the group that we would call the Mattachine Society five months later—all had previously trained in underground struggles for social and political justice. We knew that we brothers were of a different consciousness from the heterosexuals around us. We knew we were not the degraded, degenerate monsters that society’s laws and religious prejudices made us out to be. But we also knew that we didn’t yet have the concepts, let alone the words, to say so.
At our first discussion group, in December 1950, eighteen of us sat for two hours not really knowing what to say to one another but sensing that no one wanted to leave. At the second meeting, to break the ice, the three of us present from the five-member steering committee started the ball rolling by “coming out” to one another. After about two hours of this, it suddenly flashed on us all that just maybe we each had more in common with the others in this room, friends and newcomers alike, than we had ever had with anybody before, in all our lives! For the first time in any of our experience, we were feeling the prickling surge of collective Brotherhood.
The three of us realized that by this process we’d turned a major corner in our perception of gay consciousness. People couldn’t wait for the next meeting to learn more about each other, and so about themselves through the experiences of others, and to bring a friend. The golden dream of Brotherhood was enveloping us all. Twenty years later, in the 1970’s, this process would be known as “consciousness-raising raps.” But in 1951, we had not developed such concepts, let alone the words. We just knew we’d invented the organizing tool we’d been looking for. This contagious fever for brotherhood developed for the First Mattachine a mailing list of about 5,000 people in California alone, in 1952, right in the teeth of Senator McCarthy’s witch hunt!
Of course, our luck didn’t last: our very excitement attracted the first wave of opportunistic, middle-class assimilationists, the negative-imaging homosexuals so unlike the joyous, positive-imaging gay brotherhood of the earlier pioneering wave, opportunists who would insist that we were all exactly the same as heterosexuals except in bed, and that we had nothing in common with one another except our sexual inclinations. My first Mattachine Society set itself the task of functioning by unanimity. Over the next two and half years, 27 Brotherhood Guilds were established. Each guild was responsible for two discussion groups a month. Discussion groups could range from less than fifteen at one meeting to more than 75 at the next. In the course of the first blooming, the Society undertook to publicize and openly defend a vice squad entrapment case against one of its members [Dale Jennings], forcing the city of Los Angeles to withdraw the charges, in the summer of 1952. [The founding of the Mattachine and the Jennings trial are recounted in Jon Maran’s play The Temperamentals, which had a successful Off-Broadway run in 2009.]
This victory brought on that wave of opportunists, expropriating everything in the way of their own assimilationist agenda—thus trampling the bloom of the guild brotherhoods in the process. Still, the sudden burst of marvelous fairy inventiveness involved in publicizing this campaign and raising funds for it was unprecedented. The Lester Horton Dance Theater hosted perhaps the first theater performance benefit for gay concerns in our history, and drew a full house; a weekend dance and beach party at Zuma Beach attracted over 500 paying guests during its sixty hours of revelry; and we papered certain areas of the city, including bus stops, with upwards of 10,000 pieces of literature on three occasions.
Out of the heady swirls of cultural togetherness that these five months of activity engendered, a dozen or so Mattachiners coalesced to start the first ongoing gay magazine in the U.S., One, the Homosexual Viewpoint, which first appeared in January 1953 and continued to appear monthly for nearly twenty years. ONE Inc., which in 1955 had been barred by the U.S. Post Office from distributing sexually-oriented materials through the mails, sued and won a Supreme Court decision in 1958 to the effect that gay-oriented materials may be sent through the mails provided they contained material of artistic and/or educational merit. One, recognizing the clarion call of its masthead, Thomas Carlyle’s lovely phrase, “A mystic bond of brotherhood makes all men one,” launched the first nationwide annual Homophile Cultural Conference in January of 1954.
The second wave of Mattachine Societies—the hetero-imitative “Robert’s Rules of Order” opportunists who had nothing in common with each other but their sexual inclination—were mainly concerned about getting their several states’ laws changed—a quest they soon discovered they had neither the organization nor the experience to accomplish. Business-like, no-nonsense chapters met in L.A. and San Francisco in the fall of 1953 and the spring of 1954. By the fall of 1954, the L.A. chapter had gotten bored and started to decline, but San Francisco had started the Mattachine Review in the summer of 1954, and its success would keep a semblance of a chapter alive for three or four years.
In 1955 two lesbian couples in San Francisco would found the Daughters of Bilitis with its own publication, The Ladder, which would also continue to appear for nearly twenty years. Like the second wave of the Mattachine Society, the DOB would spread several chapters across the country, likewise middle-class, orderly, and respectable, although probably never as hypocritically respectable as was the Denver Mattachine under the leadership, in 1956, of the Rev. Carl Harding, who recommended that all homosexual men marry heterosexually and keep a boy on the side.
In 1957, ’58, and ’59, the Denver, San Francisco, and New York Mattachine chapters mounted a National Mattachine Convention in one of the three cities: it was mostly for show, but the events did develop the outlines of inter-city and inter-state relations. In San Francisco, in 1959, a representative from the mayor’s office was introduced to the Assembly, and his remarks attracted the brief attention of the local press. Fliers were being circulated; word was getting around; homophiles as political entities were beginning to emerge. Homophiles disguised as hetero-imitative assimilationists were noted for being present on occasion, although their opinions were not yet being sought.
But the golden dream of brotherhood, which had bloomed so buoyantly in the first Mattachine Guilds, had been snuffed out, not to appear again until we once more started using a variation of the “coming-out-to-one-another” process at an encounter-type community outreach conference in San Francisco in May 1969. And that had set us back for years! The middle-class assimilationists who inundated us first in the fall of 1952 (the “A” gays, as the [Radical] Faeries call them, who are still with us now in hordes), wasted First Mattachine’s golden dream of brotherhood and totally scotched the notion that we might be a cultural minority. Yet when Stonewall burst onto the scene sixteen years later, the new brothers and sisters assumed everybody had always known we were a cultural minority since Day One!
Harry Hay
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Japanese-Southeastern U.S. business associations meet in Greenville
The joint meeting of the Southeast United States-Japan Association and the Japan-United States Southeast Association in Greenville started Monday
The purpose of the closed conference is to discuss investment, trade and tourism between Japan and the seven member states — Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina and Tennessee — from the region.
“Providing us with a unique opportunity to showcase our great state and all that it has to offer, this conference and our participation in the SEUS-Japan Association allow us to continue strengthening relationships with one of South Carolina's top economic partners,” said S.C. Commerce Secretary Bobby Hitt, in a news release.
Since 2011, Japanese-owned firms have announced more than $3.4 billion in capital investment in South Carolina, bringing 3,200 new jobs to the state. And, on top of that, Japan accounted for more than $1.1 billion of South Carolina's export sales total last year, according to the Commerce Department.
Participating in Monday’s opening ceremony were South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster; Hitt; SEUS-Japan Association Chairwoman Minor Shaw; Japan-United States Southeast Association Chairman Teruo Asada; and, James Zumwalt, Sasakawa USA CEO and former United States Ambassador to the Republic of Senegal and the Republic of Guinea Bissau. The heads of delegation from the six other SEUS-Japan member states also participated.
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Posted in Music, Neo-psychedelia, Psychedelic by guittard on October 2, 2008
by Jim Guittard
Something has been going on for the past eight years. It is the musical revolution that the Brian Jonestown Massacre front man Anton Newcombe is famous for talking about. In 2000, a Neo-Psychedelic scene with half a dozen bands was birthed in Silverlake, California. The Quarter After was one of those pioneer bands that was turned on from the start and continues today to turn on others.
As described by the band itself, the Quarter After is psychedelic music for the 21st century. The group is led by the Campanella brothers: Dominic and Rob. They formed in the summer of 2000 with then bassist Dave Koenig and drummer Nelson Bragg.
They began playing shows at the Silverlake Lounge, 3 of Clubs, and Spaceland. It was here that the hipsters gathered by the thing that was going on. You ask what was going on? Well simply, it was a spiritual awakening or rather a wake up call. It was a real departure from the philosophy underlying the excess mainstream music.
A new social consciousness was formed which was held together by the reverence of the older music acts such as the Kinks, the Beatles, the Byrds, Bob Dylan, the Buffalo Springfield, Love, the Left Banke, the Flying Burrito Brothers, the Zombies, the Searchers, and the Association. There are too many bands to name.
It was not all by chance that this scene formed. Early on, the Campanella brothers made 4-track recordings of psychedelic pop. It was at the time of grunge. They were following the path set by the previous revival of psychedelic pop with bands like the Bangles, the Three O’Clock, and Dream Syndicate. In 1994, at a show at the Foothill Club in Signal Hill, Rob obtained the stamp of approval he needed to make psychedelic music. The show was a Sonic Boom concert where the Brian Jonestown Massacre was opening. It was even before the BJM had released any records. That night Rob listened to the psychedelic sounds of Anton’s band and something clicked. It was the green light and no turning back for Rob and Dom.
For a long time Rob remained behind the recording console as music producer for other psychedelic bands- the Beachwood Sparks, the Tyde, Dead Meadow, the Black Angels, and even the Brian Jonestown Massacre, and Sunstorm. It was only two years after establishing the Quarter After, that the band caught the ears of Arthur Lee of Love. The band was asked to open up for Arthur Lee’s first show after being released from prison. In May 2002, the Quarter After soared high at this Los Angeles Knitting Factory gig. They were well received but shortly thereafter unofficially split.
But Rob was pulled back in 2003. The band reformed with a new bassist (Victor Peсalosa), and drummer and opened for Dead Meadow, a band Anton had found for the Committee to Keep Music Evil label. With renewed interest in the Quarter After, Rob and the band resumed work on their debut album that had already been started. The tracks were mostly recorded live with very little overdubs. Much of the time, Anton Newcombe manned the recording console.
The standout tracks from the debut album were “Too Much To Think About,” “Always Returning,” “One Trip Later,” and “So Far To Fall.” The album on a whole has a hypnotic energy, featuring soaring Rickenbacker 12-String, high harmonies and a hint of raga rock influence. Any serious lover of the Byrds, Gene Clark and the Beatles would be satisfied with the album.
After the record was released in 2005, Newcombe asked them to go out on tour with him as opening band for the Brian Jonestown Massacre. The tour went well and the revolutionary spirit was kept alive. The boys were writing new songs and were preparing to record their second album once back in Los Angeles.
The second album is Changes Near and was released in April 2008. A standout track is “Sanctuary,” which has a spiritual undertone- a beautiful song about faith, where fear and doubt are wiped away. “Follow Your Own Way” and the title track also follow this theme of faith and believe in the self.
This is the part of the revolution that Newcombe has been pushing, where he once said “I’m here to destroy this fucked up system… I’ll use our strength. Let’s fucking burn it to the ground.” He was pointing to the whole music industry. Time has now caught up with him as the record companies and labels are no longer in charge. And the Quarter After is poised to be part of this new world.
Also see The Quarter After’s website
Article is reprinted from the October/November 2008 Edition
Perfect Sound Forever Online Music Magazine
Tagged with: 21st Century, Anton Newcombe, Change, Dominic Campanella, Indie Music, Jangle, Music, Music Industry, Neo-psychedelia, New Thinking, Optimism, Perfect Sound Forever, Psychedelic, Revolution, Rob Campanella, the BJM, the Brian Jonestown Massacre, The Quarter After, Vision
Creative Passionate Types
Posted in Change, Music, Neo-psychedelia, Psychedelic, Society by guittard on May 22, 2008
The creative pursuit is one of the most important things one can do. Sometimes the creative types are a bit fiery and extreme in their thinking. But, isn’t this good though? Creative types bring the passion into society and really are the catalyst to make things happen.
More and more people in America are waking up to what’s going on. Right now, an underground scene is emerging. We are in the midst of the “3rd Wave of Psychedelic” music. The first wave was with the Beatles, the Byrds, the Jefferson Airplane, Love, Strawberry Alarm Clock, the 13th Floor Elevators, Pink Floyd and many others. The second wave had two offshoots: the 1980’s “Paisley Underground” scene in Los Angeles with such bands as the Bangles, the Dream Syndicate, the Three O’clock, Green On Red, the Secret Syde, and Rain Parade. The British offshoot included the post “new wave” bands such as XTC, the Soft Boys, Echo and the Bunnymen, the Shamen, and Doctor and the Medics.1
The “3rd Wave” was born in 2000. The wave is spreading out, now. It consists of the Brian Jonestown Massacre, the Tyde, Beachwood Sparks, the Quarter After, the Warlocks, the Lovetones, the Telescopes, Spindrift, the High Dials, Floorian, the Black Angels, Silver Apples. (My music fits in this wave. I co-write a song with Dominic Campanella from the Quarter After back in 2001.)
Beach by Jim Guittard
http://www.archive.org/download/JimGuittardBeach/Jim_Guittard__Beach.mp3
I look up into the sky
See the clouds and colours all around.
I hear the waves go in and out
See the birds and stars tonight.
Going with the rising tide.
Shouldn’t wait till morning time.
Moments pass as I decide.
I tell myself the reason why.
Waters flow and there’s no turning back.
Reaching for the horizon line,
Where it ends has only just begun.
Drifting through my open mind,
Ray of light about to shine.
Music by Jim Guittard 2001
Words by Jim Guittard and Dominic Campanella of the Quarter After
We shall see how things progress from here. The world needs freethinkers and people with passion to guide the way. No need to dumb things down anymore. As the New Hampshire motto says, “Live Free or Die.” America really is at a crossroads. It is time for decisions.
up1Wikipedia contributors. Psychedelic music. Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. May 21 2008, at 23:57. Available at: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Psychedelic_music. Accessed May 22, 2004.
Tagged with: America, Beachwood Sparks, BJM, Change, Choices, Creative Type, Crossroads, Decisions, Dominic Campanella, Doubt, Emotion, Fear, Indie, Influencing Society, Jim Guittard, Live Free Or Die, Los Angeles, Music, Neo-psychedelia, Paisley Underground, Passion, Peace, Protest, Psychedelic, Society, the Brian Jonestown Massacre, The Quarter After, the United States, Wake Up, War
The BJM Dallas Show
Posted in Good Music, Music, Neo-psychedelia, Psychedelic by guittard on May 10, 2008
Journal entry from August 13, 2005
I caught the BJM show here in Dallas on Saturday night. It was different but really glad Anton chose to play. The preceding shows in Palm Beach Florida and Orlando were cancelled. The Quarter After, the opener, was good as usual. I had seen them in L.A.
Before the show, when I spoke to Rob, he said Anton’s voice was not up to par so they were kinda nervous about the show. I was going to say hello to Anton but decided I didn’t want to bother him with talk cause I figured he would be in his zone about the show. Anton was sitting at the sound board before the show. I got a good picture of him at the board with his thumbs up. Glad it wasn’t the middle finger.
Anton – Before Dallas Show
After the Quarter After played, there was Innaway led by Reid Black. They were a Pink Floydish band from Philadelphia. It was cool and mellow. After Innaway, the crowd was getting anxious. The whole place was packed. I was rather pleased for Anton. I couldn’t even walk around. It was shoulder to shoulder. I had seen BJM at the same place 2 years prior and it was a pretty good crowd but not like shoulder to shoulder.
As I stood in the audience, the BJM brought out all their gear and set up but I wondered where’s Anton? The band patiently waited on stage smoking cigarettes and tuning and retuning etc. I looked around and Anton was on the board again DJ’ing music, kinda trippy hip-hop beat type stuff. It sounded really cool. Anton had his head phones on creating a vibe. I wish I knew what he was playing. That went on for 30 minutes. The band was ready to go and Anton was jamming out with his head phones still on at the sound board. I thought it was great. After probably 6 or so songs, the lights went low and Anton emerged onto stage.
He got on the mic pretty quick, “Anton style.” He was real nice though and the audience I thought was pretty good. They didn’t heckle him too much. Anton laid down the law from the start.
Anton Laying Down the Law
He said, “Texas had been real good to him and the band.” He didn’t want to cancel the show. He said that he couldn’t really sing that night. He said something like, “Look, I’m your guest; treat your guests right. If ya want to kill someone, go to Iraq. You be patient!” That was classic talk.
He explained that he would show us how they make up songs. He had his drummer start a hip hop beat and they all joined in. At one point he told his bassist to try not to lead for once or something like that. They jammed out this instrumental for probably 20 minutes.
I saw a couple of people walk out but I’m sure they had never seen the BJM before. Anton ends the instrumental song and says something like, “Well who in the audience can sing?”
Some guy with a cowboy hat on and sunglasses came up on stage to sing the first song “Sailor.” Anton made it clear that he would throw him out the door and never let him back in if he was a fuck up
or “pissed in the well.”
Anton and Cowboy
The songs they played were:
Unknown Jam
Sailor*
Nevertheless*
Whoever You Are#
Nailing Honey to the Bee#
This is Why You Love Me#
Jennifer*
Jennifer restart#
When Jokers Attack#
* – random fan(s) on vocals
# – Rob Campanella on vocals
? – Reid Black
As a girl came up to sing Jennifer, Anton said her name was Jennifer. She piped up it was “Jill.” There were a few false starts on that song. The girl was eventually told to get off and someone else came up. Rob stepped up to the mic to help out and did a good job. He did “This Is Why You Love Me.”
Rob C. Drops Some Rhymes
Several times during the show Anton said something like you don’t know me just because of some movie. And at least “I don’t give up.” Wise words.
The BJM played from 12 midnight to a little after 2. It was great that Anton let some fans help out. We are in this all together, right? Screw all this attacking stuff.
Betcha those fans who sang up there will remember for ever. I’m not disappointed.
Rob Sells Revolution Products
Tagged with: Anton Newcombe, BJM, Dallas, Dig!, Good Music, Indie Music, Innaway, Neo-psychedelia, Psychedelic, Revolution, Shoegaze, Texas, the Brian Jonestown Massacre, The Byrds, The Quarter After, Trees
Modern Psychedelic Influenced Bands
Posted in Good Music, Neo-psychedelia, Psychedelic by guittard on April 27, 2008
First of all I recommend a band called the Beachwood Sparks. They take the torch where Gram Parsons and the Byrds left off particularly with the Sweetheart of the Rodeo album. I’ve seen them live numerous times and have never been disappointed. They are the best especially with
their extended Space Echo freakout endings. They have 3 albums out and the first called Beachwood Sparks is my favorite. I hear that the BWS is getting back together (coincidentally on Roger McGuinn’s birthday), July 13th in Seattle for the 20th year for Subpop label. I wish I could be there.
Beachwood Sparks
The second band I recommend is called the Tyde. This band has mutual members of the Beachwood Sparks. The Tyde is more Bob Dylan or Lou Reed sounding with much reference to surfing. I’ve seen them live, too. They have 3 albums out. I like Once the best.
The Tyde
The third band that I recommend is the Quarter After. This band is Byrds influenced with chimey Rickenbackers and groovy lyrics. It is lead by brothers, Rob Campanella and Dom Campanella. Incidentally, Rob records and produces many of the bands I mention here. I was
fortunate to sit in on a Quarter After session a few years back.
Here’s my somewhat humorous review for their debut album:
The Revolution Is Coming Down!!!
I dig the Quarter After live and on record. They are nice
outstanding citizens who are dedicated followers of the
Revolution effort. If you don’t understand, look up the
Brian Jonestown Massacre.
Their song ‘Too Much to Think About’ can put you in a
trance if you are not careful. It takes you back to 1966
with some Raga-Rock influence. ‘Know Me When I’m Gone’
is my favorite track on the album. It is modern psychedelia.
Dominic’s singing is much like Roger McGuinn’s. Byrds fans
will love the Quarter After. Or any fan of the ’60’s or good music.
Quarter After is authentic and not cheesy. They do not
overdo it. Dominic’s 12 String Rickenbacker work is great.
Good harmonies too by Rob and various personnel.
The Quarter After has recently put out their second album. I have not got my hands on it yet but will review soon.
And last but not least is the band called the Brian Jonestown Massacre. These guys are pretty outstanding and have had a documentary about them already called “Dig!” This band is the one
that really should take credit for this revival in psychedelic sound. They have at least a dozen albums out. They are very prolific.
I hope you will check these bands out. They really cook.
Tagged with: 1960s, Anton Newcombe, Beachwood Sparks, BJM, Bob Dylan, California, Good Music, Gram Parsons, Neo-psychedelia, Psychedelic, Rickenbacker, Space Rock, Sub Pop, the Brian Jonestown Massacre, The Byrds, The Quarter After, the Tyde
“Good” Musical Genealogy
Posted in Rock and Roll History by guittard on April 24, 2008
Good music has its roots and can be tracked like a family tree. The long historical tree will show exactly where the influence of good music was handed down band to band, or artist to artist. It is naive and incorrect to think that any certain band just appeared and came up with “good music.” There is much tradition.
The Byrds are a great example of “good music.”
It has been written that the Byrds took traditional folk songs and put a Beatle beat.
With Bob Dylan’s philosophical mathematical poetry, the Byrds flew high. They pioneered the folk-rock, country-rock, and jazz-rock genres.
But prior to the Byrds and Elvis, the pre-rock and roll genre started in the late 1940’s. Elvis Presley, Little Richard, Jerry Lee Lewis, Chuck Berry and others all waited in line for their open door. If it had not been for pre-Rock and Roll, then the Byrds, Beatles, or the Stones would not have been ready. It is all connected.
In my head, I have imagined all these famous guys all standing in a line waiting their turn. Elvis’ opportunity came when DJ Dewey Phillips played his “That’s Alright Mama” on his Memphis radio show. Callers just couldn’t believe that this guy was white.
Elvis needed to give much credit to the sounds he heard on Beale Street. He is linked to such black artists as: B.B. King, Arthur Crudup, and Rufus Thomas. These guys pre-dated the invention of Rock & Roll.
Now the big controversial question is: who copied who? “To some, Presley had undoubtedly “stolen” or at least “derived his style from the Negro rhythm-and-blues performers of the late 1940s.” Some black entertainers, notably Jackie Wilson, countered, “A lot of people have accused Elvis of stealing the black man’s music, when in fact, almost every black solo entertainer copied his stage mannerisms from Elvis.” Blank, Christopher (July 15, 2006). “Elvis & Racism – Elvis Presley Legacy is cloudy through lens of race”.
So whatever you believe, Elvis is generally the one known for opening the doors for artists like Chuck Berry and Little Richard. I guess it is like the old adage “what came first: the chicken or the egg?” I tend to lean toward the opinion that Elvis really was not the original rock and roll pioneer. He was the one that got the most press and made it popular and in style.
So after Elvis, there stood the Beatles, and the Byrds waiting close behind. Here is the important shift. Elvis was a singer-entertainer but the Beatles and Byrds were songwriters and musicians. The bands of the 1960’s migrated towards songwriting.
Roger McGuinn, who was in the Byrds at that time, waited patiently behind Bob Dylan and the Beatles. As Dylan was making waves, the movie Hard Day’s Night soon came out. The door became wide open for the Byrds. McGuinn, Clark, and Crosby quickly formed their jangly poetry beat sound. It became classic and the door was wide open.
Others were to follow through the Byrds-Dylan door. The Turtles, Sonny and Cher all followed copying Dylan and the Byrds’ jangly sound. Arthur Lee with Love fits in there.
During this time the Beatles and the Byrds also got into a little egg/chicken situation. It has been written that George Harrison heard the Byrds’ “Bells of Rhymney” song and was influenced to write “If I Needed Someone.” It was through a mutual public relations man Derek Taylor that Roger received a pre-released copy of “If I Needed Someone”. The bands had a healthy relationship.
Both bands are linked to the 12-String Rickenbacker guitar and to Ravi Shankar. We know that John and George were already into Rickenbackers but the question is – who was the first band to turn on to Ravi? It has been argued that David Crosby introduced the Beatles to Ravi. But of course, the Beatles probably got more credit for this link after their Indian trip in 1968. It is much like Elvis getting the credit for being the original Rock and Roll pioneer.
So Ravi Shankar is standing in line next to the Beatles and the Byrds in this pretend line-up.
Fast forward twenty plus years and the line after the Byrds and the Beatles includes bands such as Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, the Beachwood Sparks, the Tyde, the Quarter After, and the Brian Jonestown Massacre. Where do the Ragas fit in the line-up? Hmm?
Tagged with: Beachwood Sparks, Bob Dylan, Elvis Presley, Folk, Folk-rock, George Harrison, Good Music, Neo-psychedelia, Psychedelic, Ravi Shankar, Rickenbacker, Rock and Roll History, Roger McGuinn, roots, the Beatles, the Brian Jonestown Massacre, The Byrds, The Quarter After, the Tyde
The BJM Philosophy: Not Giving Up
Posted in Change, Family, Music, Neo-psychedelia, Psychedelic, Society by guittard on March 16, 2007
I got into the BJM in late 1999. It was well before Dig but after the Viper Room and other events made “famous” in the movie. Put aside all the fistfights, verbal attacks or whatever, the music of the Brian Jonestown Massacre stands the test of time. Forget all the hype of Anton Newcombe being some crazy guy. Who cares? It’s about music right?
Starting in late 1999, I was lucky enough to see the band in person while living in Los Angeles. Anton was a cool dude to me. I never saw any of the abuse the movie is so based upon. In fact, he’s quite intelligent and courteous.
But the mark left with me from experiencing the BJM firsthand is tremendous. If I could sum up what I have gotten out of it. For me it left me with the feeling that I can have numerous chances to do “my thing.”
It’s about going for it no matter what, not giving up. Striving through all the hype. One does not have to be near famous to have hype about them. It seems that most families have hype. They have opinions on how one’s career should be or when they should marry, etc.
With the BJM, it’s about showing the press or mainstream or others that they are wrong with their close-minded routine thinking. It is a wake up call to society to think more positively and courageously with vision. A Beatles’ song comes to mind: “Think For Yourself.” Words are “Do what you want to do and go where you’re going to. Think for yourself ‘Cause I won’t be there with you.” It’s about standing on you own feet. Making your own history.
It is funny how when I read news stories about this famous person or that. The articles always bring up the past. Writers say nothing new. They write about what they’ve been told and don’t give people the chance to better themselves. Writers go along with the status quo, maybe for what is entertaining or controversial. I think the BJM evokes courage.
In America, we talk about free speech and everything but I think, in general, it is slanted toward the controversial, trashy, and rubbish category. Why do Americans like to read about controversy? I don’t but maybe most people do. I’m 33. Not that old. I’m among the Generation X, which have been written about to be cynical or the children of divorce families. I am from a divorced family and some of my family’s past is chaotic with fistfights and verbal attacks.
Here’s an excerpt from a news article I was mentioned in concerning “Generation X” finding their place in the world.1
Jim Guittard of Dallas, who will be 32 in October, lives with his grandparents, shelves books part-time at a branch of the Dallas Public Library and hopes to head to Eastern Europe or Central Asia for the Peace Corps this fall.
Armed with a degree in American history from Colorado’s Western State College, Guittard started out working as an automobile-insurance-claims adjuster but grew tired of the constant bickering over money.
To pursue his passion for playing the guitar, he moved to Hollywood, Calif., where he found gigs playing in clubs. But the money wasn’t enough to provide a steady living. To survive, he worked a series of low-paying jobs at a talent agency, a rental-car office and an apartment-locator firm.
The experiences left him disillusioned about working in corporate America, and he moved back to Dallas a little more than two years ago.
“I don’t want to settle,” he says of his decision to seek happiness rather than money. “Do what your heart says.”
That’s why I take comfort in the BJM. The BJM, I think, looks past the obvious. The obvious is, yes, you may have a disfunctional past but you can be somebody. It’s about not labelling others. Labels can be bad.
So what else can I say? Well, if you’ve read this far then, thank you. The BJM is cool.
Back in 2001, I recorded an instrumental in tribute to the BJM.
BJM-Like Song by Jim Guittard
http://www.archive.org/download/JimGuittardBJMlikeSong/Jim_Guittard__BJMLike_Song.mp3
up1Katherine Yung, “As Generation X begins to hit 40, it’s finding its place in the world,” The Dallas Morning News, 8 July 2005.
Tagged with: Alarm, Anton Newcombe, Awakening, BJM, California, Close-mindedness, Controversy, Courage, Dig!, Disfunctional, Dreams, Faith, Family, Forgiveness, Generation X, Hipsters, Hope, Indie Music, Journalism, Labels, Los Angeles, Media, Music, New Thinking, Not Giving Up, Open-mindedness, Persistence, Scandals, Silverlake, Stereotypes, the Brian Jonestown Massacre, Vision, Wake Up Call, Writers
My Top 50 Albums In Random Order
Posted in Good Music, Music, Neo-psychedelia, Psychedelic, Rock and Roll History by guittard on October 4, 2006
The Beatles – Rubber Soul – 1965
Bob Dylan – Bringing it All Back Home – 1965
The Rolling Stones – Exile On Mainstreet – 1972
Love – Forever Changes – 1967
The Dandy Warhols – Dandy’s Rule Ok – 1995
Beachwood Sparks – Beachwood Sparks – 2000
The Beach Boys – Pet Sounds – 1966
The Brian Jonestown Massacre – Give It Back – 1997
Miles Davis – Bitches Brew – 1970
Beck – Odelay – 1996
Son Volt – Trace – 1995
The Byrds – Notorious Byrd Brothers – 1968
Black Rebel Motorcycle Club – Howl – 2005
The Kinks – The Kinks are the Village Green Preservation Society – 1968
Merle Haggard and the Strangers – Lonesome Fugitive 1967
The Tyde – Twice – 2003
Uncle Tupelo – March 16-20, 1992 – 1992
The Doors – Morrison Hotel – 1970
Stephen Stills – Manassas – 1972
David Bowie – Aladdin Sane – 1973
My Bloody Valentine – Ecstacy and Wine – 1989
Pink Floyd – Piper at the Gates of Dawn – 1967
George Harrison – All Things Must Pass – 1970
The Warlocks – The Warlocks – 2000
The Velvet Underground – The Velvet Underground and Nico – 1967
The Brian Jonestown Massacre – Strung Out In Heaven – 1998
The Rolling Stones – Beggars Banquet – 1968
Buffalo Springfield – Buffalo Springfield – 1967
The Electric Prunes – Underground – 1967
The Byrds – Fifth Dimension – 1966
The Monkees – Head – 1968
Johnny Cash – At Folsom Prison – 1968
Donovan – Greatest Hits – 1969
Neil Young – Tonight’s the Night – 1975
Led Zeppelin – Houses of The Holy – 1973
The Flying Burrito Bros – Hot Burritos! The Flying Burrito Bros. Anthology 2000
Echo And The Bunnymen – Ocean Rain – 1984
Ride – Nowhere – 1990
U2 – The Joshua Tree – 1987
INXS – Kick – 1987
Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers – Into The Great Wide Open – 1991
Pearl Jam – No Code – 1996
Poco – Pickin’ Up The Pieces – 1969
The Cure – Disintegration – 1989
Return To Forever – No Mystery – 1975
Antonio Carlos Jobim – Stone Flower – 1970
The Who – The Who Sell Out – 1967
The Zombies – The Singles Collection: A’s & B’s, 1964-1969 -2000
The Association – Greatest Hits – 1968
The Lovin’ Spoonful – Greatest Hits – 2000
Tagged with: Beck, BJM, Classic Rock, George Harrison, Son Volt, Stephen Stills, the Beatles, the Brian Jonestown Massacre, The Byrds, The Doors, The Kinks, The Rolling Stones, Top 50 Albums, U2
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Education & Expertise Today
Senior Analyst, Directorate for Education and Abilities. Weinthal explained that in a federal report on anti-Semitism issued by the German government earlier this year, the crime of ‘Jew-hatred’ is classified in the category of ‘politically motivated correct-wing extremist crime.’” But once Jew-hatred has been declared a correct-wing crime by definition, most of its perpetrators will inevitably be classified as far-right extremists, even if they shouldn’t be. Young people do not have the financial understanding they want to make informed decisions about their future.
In some systems, fragmented governance structures are decreasing the clarity, co-ordination and transparency of funding flows. His estate and art studio sprawled upon the upper level of his historic estate with hundreds of miles of views all the way over to the Vermont mountains, captured in a lot of of his paintings. Robust organizational capabilities that reflect the capacity to perform and prioritize numerous tasks seamlessly with superb interest to detail. Lindsey (junior, UCLA) described her discomfort after seeing a cartoon drawing of the Israeli Prime Minister in the nearby student newspaper.
The authors employed application to discover student recognition of accumulation functions based on proper-hand Riemann sums. Following the retirement of the Labour Assembly Member for Llanelli in the summer season of 2015, Lee was selected as the party’s candidate in his house constituency and held the seat – the initial time any celebration had successfully defended the constituency at an Assembly election. We aim to develop whanaungatanga – relationships with the entire household in the interest of nurturing kids and their individual and neighborhood understanding possibilities.
According to the S&P International FinLit Survey, financial account holders have a tendency to be much more financially savvy (though a lot of them nevertheless lack monetary expertise). At present, he is the Chairman of Enterprise Asia , a non-governmental organisation that is set up to champion entrepreneurship development in Asia. As we teach calculus at Macalester, the integral is introduced purely as an anti-derivative, producing it extremely challenging to give which means to the Fundamental Theorem of Integral Calculus.
He has contributed chapters to a quantity of books which includes: Educational Innovation and Philadelphia’s School of the Future, Judging Bush, Conservatism and American Political Development, No Remedy Left Behind, Educational Entrepreneurship, and The Wonderful Society and the Higher Tide of Liberalism. Presently, the MoE carries out the Government of Jamaica’s mandate of making certain a technique which secures quality education and training of all citizens of Jamaica in order to optimise person and national improvement.…
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Orbital ATK Completes Key Test of Helicopter Active Protection System
25 Feb, 15, Source: Orbital ATK
Orbital ATK, Inc. (NYSE: OA), a global leader in aerospace and defense technologies, performed a live-fire demonstration of a key element of its Helicopter Active Protection System (HAPS). The HAPS Kill Vehicle (KV) was able to launch, perform pitch maneuvers and fly to a detonation point that simulated the location of an incoming rocket-propelled grenade (RPG). The demonstration is a valuable step toward a solution for the RPG threat to helicopters flying missions in dangerous areas.
Helicopters are vulnerable to damage from RPGs because the aircraft often hovers in position at low altitude, making it easy to target by an enemy on the ground. HAPS is designed to identify an incoming threat, launch and guide a KV to a precise location and detonate a warhead at a point where the RPG is rendered ineffective. All of this is designed to occur within a fraction of a second and far enough away from the helicopter to ensure the crew and aircraft are not harmed by metal fragments from the destroyed RPG.
The live-fire demonstration was designed to prove-out launch from a fixed ALE-47 Countermeasures Dispense System, off-axis pitch maneuvers of the KV and controlled flight of the KV to an impact point. The test flights successfully demonstrated these attributes and validated a number of HAPS components, including the KV launch cartridge, KV divert and attitude thrusters, non-linear guidance and control algorithms, and the fast-sync wireless command guidance link.
“Orbital ATK is dedicated to working with our customers to further develop this first-of-a-kind active protection system for helicopters and put it into the hands of our armed forces,” said Bill Kasting, vice president and general manager of Orbital ATK’s Defense Electronic Systems division of the Defense Systems Group. “Our design uses the helicopter’s existing, fixed Countermeasures Dispense System to launch the kill vehicle, allowing HAPS to meet the performance goals and the size, weight and power constraints.”
“Our aircraft protection systems demonstrate a commitment to protecting the warfighter,” said Mike Kahn, executive vice president and president, Orbital ATK Defense Systems Group. “We took an innovative approach to meet operational needs that can make a real difference in the level of safety for helicopters and their crews.”
The HAPS system consists of an Engagement Management Module, a slightly-modified Counter Measures Dispense System, such as the ALE-47, and the KVs that launch from the counter-measures dispenser. The KVs fit within the envelope of the standard flare and chaff launch tubes. In addition to countering RPGs, HAPS can serve as a last line of defense against advanced man-portable air-defense systems, or MANPADS.
The live-fire test was conducted in Socorro, New Mexico, and witnessed by personnel from the Rapid Reaction Technology Office of the Office of the Secretary of Defense. The Technology Office sponsored the testing of Orbital ATK’s internally-developed active countermeasure.
Orbital ATK’s aircraft survivability product portfolio includes the AAR-47 missile, laser and hostile-fire threat warning sensor and the ShotFinder acoustic hostile-fire detection system. The AAR-47 missile warning system is installed on more than 3,200 fixed and rotary-wing aircraft and is flown by the U.S. and its allies in more than 16 countries.
Orbital ATK’s Defense Systems Group is an industry leader in providing innovative and affordable ammunition, precision and strike weapons, electronic warfare systems, and missile components across air-, sea-, and land-based systems.
About Orbital ATK
Orbital ATK is a global leader in aerospace and defense technologies. The company designs, builds and delivers space, defense and aviation systems for customers around the world, both as a prime contractor and merchant supplier. Its main products include launch vehicles and related propulsion systems; missile products, subsystems and defense electronics; precision weapons, armament systems and ammunition; satellites and associated space components and services; and advanced aerospace structures. Headquartered in Dulles, Virginia, Orbital ATK employs more than 12,000 people in 20 states across the United States and in several international locations. For more information, visit www.orbitalatk.com.
Tags: ATK, Civil, News
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Mixed day for New Zealand’s Black Sticks against visitors Great Britain in Christchurch
February 8, 2019 Hockey World News Leave a comment
New Zealand endured a day of mixed fortunes in the FIH Pro League on Friday (8 February) as the Black Sticks played host to the national teams of Great Britain in Christchurch.
Ace striker Sam Ward became the first player to register a hat-trick in the FIH Pro League as Great Britain’s men stormed to a 6-2 victory over the home favourites, while Olivia Merry matched Ward’s feat by scoring three times for the Black Sticks women who recorded a fine 5-1 triumph over Great Britain’s women, the reigning Olympic champions.
The opening match of the day at the Nga Puna Wai Hockey Stadium in Christchurch – a city hosting their first international hockey match in eight years – featured the New Zealand (FIH World Ranking: 8) and Great Britain (WR:7) men’s teams in action. A sell-out crowd at the sparkling new facility were treated to three goals in the first half, however none went the way of the host nation as the visitors from Europe established a commanding 3-0 lead at half time. All three goals arrived in the second quarter, with Sam Ward, Phil Roper and Adam Dixon – recently named as the new Great Britain captain by Head Coach Danny Kerry – finding the target with well executed penalty corner routines.
While the Black Sticks had overturned deficits in their two previous FIH Pro League matches, fighting back from 0-3 and 2-4 against Netherlands and Belgium respectively, their chances of producing a comeback in this meeting were considerably reduced when Ward netted his second from close range early in the third quarter. Ward was heavily involved in Great Britain’s fifth goal, showing excellent 3D skills before providing the simplest of finishes for Player of the Match Phil Roper to score his second.
Just as it seemed the result was all but settled, strikes from Nic Woods, on his 100th senior international appearance, and Hugo Inglis took the score to 5-2 and gave the hosts optimism going into the final quarter. However, any potential momentum gathered was brought to a grinding halt when Sam Ward completed his hat-trick with a tap-in, giving Great Britain a fine 6-2 victory on the road. The result leaves GB’s men sitting top of the FIH Pro League standings thanks to a 100 percent win record, adding to last month’s victory over Spain in Valencia. To see view the current standings in the men’s FIH Pro League table, please click here.
“We are obviously delighted, it has been a long week with lots of training sessions and getting over a bit of jet-lag, but it is nice to come here and pick up those points”, said Great Britain captain Adam Dixon. “It’s pretty difficult to come away on the road, and to get this Pro League campaign underway with two victories is all that we could ask for, really.”
New Zealand captain Blair Tarrant’s assessment of the match was to the point, saying: “It’s extremely disappointing in front of a good home crowd. It wasn’t good enough from us today.”
The women’s fixture between New Zealand (WR:6) and Great Britain (WR:2) was notable for numerous reasons, with Head Coach Mark Hager taking charge of GB for the first time since recently ending a hugely successful ten-year stint as Head Coach of the Black Sticks women. New Zealand came into the match on the back of two defeats, so were determined to bounce back against a Great Britain team that were making their FIH Pro League debut and had beaten them in the semi-finals of the Rio 2016 Olympic Games en-route to winning gold.
Christchurch – Pro League women. New Zealand v Great Britain women. Mark Hager Copyright photo: Simon Watts / WorldSportPics
In terms of possession and shots, Great Britain dominated the opening two quarters but found themselves trailing 2-1 to the host nation, who suffered a late withdrawal from star midfielder and FIH Player of the Year 2018 nominee Stacey Michelsen through injury. Olivia Merry’s fifth minute strike gave the Black Sticks a perfect start, getting the vital touch on a fine pass from Kelsey Smith before Giselle Ansley restored parity with a penalty stroke before the end of the first quarter. Ella Gunson marked her 199th appearance for New Zealand with a well-taken penalty corner in the second quarter, giving the Black Sticks a 2-1 advantage over the Olympic champions at half time.
It got even better for the Black Sticks after the break, with Olivia Merry scoring two stunning strikes – one from open play, one from a penalty corner – to become the first player to score a hat-trick in the women’s FIH Pro League to established a commanding 4-1 lead. A fifth goal arrived in the final minutes of the contest, with Amy Robinson producing a superb deflection to chip the goalkeeper and give New Zealand their first win of the competition. To see view the current standings in the women’s FIH Pro League table, please click here.
“The goal-scoring has been a massive focus in the past couple of weeks as we obviously haven’t been putting the goals in the back of the net, so it was pretty pleasing to come out here today and do that”, said Player of the Match Olivia Merry. “It’s pleasing, but there is still a lot of work to be done.”
Great Britain captain Hollie Pearne-Webb said: “We need to look at what we need to improve on for our next game [against Australia on 16 February], so that is a big focus. We are kind of starting afresh at the moment, so this is our baseline. The only way is up, hopefully.”
great britainhockeyNew Zealnad
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Blessed Sacrament Chapel Commemorative Candles
If you have visited the Blessed Sacrament Chapel at the parish you have noticed the beautiful statues of St. Jude, St. Joseph the Worker, Our Lady of Grace, Sacred Heart of Jesus, St. Theresa of Lisieux, and St. Anthony of Padua. Below each of the statues are electronic votive candles. The use of candles to visualize prayer is a long standing tradition and for Catholics votive lights are a popular piety. This means that candles connected to prayer are considered a treasure of the People of God. Lighting a candle is an accompanying gesture to prayer and leaving an offering is considered a gesture of sharing. An offering is just that - an offering.
The upper row of candles in the Chapel are reserved for memorial candles that are lit for an entire year. The annual fee for a memorial candle is $365 and may be paid at the parish office. If you would like more information on sponsoring a memorial candle, contact the parish office at (480) 838-7474 or email parish@holyspirit-tempe-az.org
Commemorative Candle form
At the entrance of the Ch urch you may have noticed the inscribed bricks in memory of (or honor of) past and present members of our parish community. Memorial bricks are available and the donation for each brick is $200.00. Each brick may be inscribed with one, two, or three lines, although inscription is limited to 20 characters and/or spaces per line. If you are interested in purchasing a memorial brick, contact the parish office at (480) 838-7474 or email parish@holyspirit-tempe-az.org for additional information.
Commemorative Brick form
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Home » News » Property » The Cartwright residential conversion brings Manchester’s history into the modern day
The Cartwright residential conversion brings Manchester’s history into the modern day
May 2, 2019 Property 0
Manchester’s economic growth is continuing apace and the nature of its economy means that this growth is unlikely to be reversed by Brexit. There are two main reasons for this, one is that Manchester’s economy is highly diversified and the other is that it is already very global.
Economic growth generally leads to population growth and this has certainly been the case in Manchester, however, even though home prices have risen noticeably over recent years, Manchester remains a very affordable place to live because the local authorities have worked closely with developers to ensure that there is appropriate and sustainable development to increase the stock of high-quality housing without damaging the local environment.
The Cartwright is a great example of how old, unused industrial buildings can be transformed into high-quality, modern, housing without losing their original character.
From industry to modern-day luxury
The Cartwright, Manchester started life as a textile workshop, a fact which might, perhaps, be guessed from its large and impressive windows, which formerly brought in plenty of light by which workers could see and which will soon be a highly attractive feature in the forthcoming development of one- and two-bedroom apartments, scheduled for completion in October 2019.
The original character of the building will be maintained as much as possible and, in this case, will include both the brickwork and the woodwork. The interior of the building will be sensitively restructured (and updated as required) to provide generously-sized and well-proportioned accommodation (689 square foot for the two-bed flats and 538 square feet for the one-bed flats), the interiors of which will meet the sort of design standards expected of modern, high-quality apartments.
Notwithstanding all of these attractions, units at The Cartwright will be priced very affordably, starting at only £199K and will offer an estimated rental yield of 5.1%.
A great location ensures high demand
The Cartwright is located where the NOMA regeneration area meets the popular New Cross District. In addition to having many essential facilities within easy walking distance and a wide range of leisure facilities in the surrounding neighbourhood (including Manchester Arena), it also benefits from Manchester’s great transport connections, in particular, it is very convenient for Manchester Victoria railway station.
As Manchester is in the heart of the UK in a very literal sense (as well as a figurative one), it has superb railway connections across the country, for example, the journey time to London is just two hours and this is set to be halved with the arrival of HS2, which is still very much on schedule (unlike Crossrail) raising the possibility that it will be quicker to travel between Manchester and London than to travel from one side of London to the other! Manchester also has its own airport, which serves many destinations around the world and hence offers a convenient option for international travel, be it for work or for leisure.
For more information on the Cartwright or other Manchester buy-to-let properties, please contact Hopwood House
Tags: High quality housing The Cartwright Manchester buy to let properties manchester
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home Communications 5G network 5G Technology Conquering New Heights
5G Technology Conquering New Heights
The fifth-generation cellular network technology known as 5G provides broadband access, and is engineered to greatly increase the speed and responsiveness of wireless networks. The faster transmission speeds and lower latency provided by 5G could enhance a variety of military applications, including autonomous vehicles, sensor networks, command and control as well as intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance systems. It could change the defense landscape with instantaneous transmission and reception of enormous amounts of data.
The US Defense Department is putting together a list of bases where it will test — and ultimately deploy — 5G capabilities. The Pentagon’s research and engineering group is building use cases for the technology and determining which bases are best suited to test and eventually use the capabilities, DOD CIO Dana Deasy said, as cited by fcw.com.
“One of the things we want to do is not just go in there and do experimentation and pull it out but to actually leave a capability behind that the bases can continue to use from the 5G standpoint,” Deasy said.
There is, however, a security concern regarding supply chain, especially when companies like Huawei are involved and have ties to U.S. adversaries. Deasy said that while the U.S. isn’t necessarily at a disadvantage, it needs to consider building more things domestically.
“All forms of telecommunication are going to be a part of the global market,” Deasy said, commenting on Huawei’s seeming domination in the 5G market. “There are international players that we’re concerned about I don’t think it’s an end all game — I don’t think we’re too late to the party here…there will be a constant leapfrogging.”
It will remain to see how well will defense systems coexist with what promises to be the largest cellular wireless communications network ever built.
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La Regina Nuda and Italian Privacy Law – Athalie Matthews and Giacomo Parmigiani
So Kate and Wills have now jetted back from the South Pacific and are lying low after French Closer published topless pictures of the Duchess under the headline “OH MY GOD!” and other publications followed suit.
The dust is also settling on the royals’ initial victory last Tuesday (18 September) against Berlusconi-owned publisher, Mondadori France, in which the Tribunal de Grande Instance de Nanterre banned the publisher from selling or re-using the pictures in France. But – as the Gendarmerie poke around Provence for the offending paparazzo in the ensuing criminal inquiry – what next outside France?
It has not escaped the world’s attention that, on the day of the French judgment, not to be outdone, the Italian magazine Chi rushed out a 26-page special edition with 18 photos of the Duchess under the headline “La Regina E’ Nuda” (“The Queen is Naked”) – only to be followed on 19 September by the Swedish Se øg Hor (See and Hear) and its Danish sister title the next day.
So what would happen were a royal writ to wend its way to Italy?
Before publishing, Chi’s editor Alfonso Signorini defiantly said that “not even a direct call from the Queen” would stop him – and that the photographs complied with Italian privacy laws.
Inforrm’s modest inquiries reveal that this analysis was absolutely false; should Chi ever feel the wrath of the Windsors, Italian laws protecting name and image rights would give Mr Signorini a nasty mal di testa.
As in England, Italian privacy rights derive from various sources, but whereas in England put-upon princesses seek protection in a cause of action evolved from breach of confidence, Italian courtiers would point to legislation protecting name and image – both in the Italian Civil and Criminal Codes and in copyright and data protection legislation.
Articles 6 and 10 of the Italian Civil Code lay down name and image rights, Article 10 stating:
“Whenever the image of a person or of the parents, of the spouse or the children has been exhibited or published outside the cases in which the exhibition or the publication is in conformity with the law, or in a manner prejudicial to the dignity or reputation of that person or relative, judicial authority, at the request of the interested party, can order the abuse to stop, without prejudice to the recovery of damages.”
This provision works in conjunction with the Italian Copyright Act (Act 633/1941)[pdf], which sets out broadly what is and what is not in conformity with the law. Article 96 provides
“The portrait of a person cannot be displayed, reproduced or subject to commerce without the consent of this person, subject to the exceptions in the following articles…”
Article 97 provides
“The consent of the person in the portrait is not necessary when the reproduction of the image is justified by fame or the holding of public office, for the purposes of justice or for police, scientific or teaching purposes or when the reproduction is associated with facts, events and ceremonies of interest to the public or held in public. The portrait can still not be displayed or commercially distributed when the display or commercial distribution would prejudice the honour, reputation and dignity of the person portrayed.”
The words ‘justified by fame’ might well cause a shudder among the famous, especially given that in Italy this is generally interpreted to mean any person of interest to the public. However in practice the rule is that if a photo is taken of private premises (whether indoors or outdoors) without consent and the subject is not easily visible from public land, it cannot be justified by the fame of the person depicted and is thus unlawful.
The most famous illustration of this was the case of Lilli Gruber, an Italian journalist who didn’t take it lying down when a photographer climbed a tree and used a telescopic lens to get pictures of her sunbathing naked on her own private property in the garden around her swimming pool.
She promptly sued the Italian magazines, Oggi and Novella 2000, which published the stolen shots – and on 17 November 1994 the Court of Milan held that the conduct of the photographer violated Article 615 bis of the Criminal Code as well as Ms Gruber’s right to protect her image and privacy.
The court ordered the editors of both titles, the publisher and the photographer, to pay damages totalling 250,000 ,000 Lire, which today would mean in excess of 250, 000 Euros.
This case had obviously slipped the mind of Chi’s editor as he pressed the “print” button and gave his assurance to the world that it is fine to publish papped pictures of the future Queen of England with her top off (not to mention Wills rubbing suncream into her delicate derrière), defiantly telling The Mirror:
“I don’t sell artichokes and carrots, I sell photographic scoops…it satisfies the curiosity of readers, it is the first time that the future Queen of England has been pictured in such a way. They are natural pictures, there is no morbidity about them, there is nothing that could affect the dignity of the person involved….Lastly they were taken on a public road by photographers on public land…The Duchess was sunbathing on a terrace, sadly for her. Italian privacy laws say that we can quite happily take pictures from a public road, of personalities, exposed places, in open air.”
According to Milan-based law firm Mondini Rusconi – as you will by now have gathered – there is not a Corgi’s whimper of a doubt that Chi’s stated position is inconsistent with Italian law and that Mr Signorini was auditioning for RADA.
Editors know full well from the Gruber case – which remains good law – that whilst consent is not generally required when the famous person or holder of public office is in a public place or at a public event, it most certainly is when they are on a private terrace enjoying a private holiday and only visible with an exceptionally powerful telescopic lens.
Senior Partner Giorgio Mondini said:
“Based on publicly available information, it appears that the Duchess was on a private balcony in a private house enjoying a private holiday. She was a long way from any road and could not be seen at all without the aid of an extremely powerful telescopic lens. If she had been sunbathing topless on a public beach or visible by passers by then of course the pictures would be legal – but in these circumstances they are certainly illegal.”
Had the Duchess applied for a pre-publication injunction in Italy, she would in his view (as long as the pictures had not previously appeared there) have got one, he added.
Whilst Italian law has to perform a similar ‘balancing act’ to the one conducted by English judges, there is no doubt that the press’s rights would be outweighed by the holidaying Princess’s right to defend her modesty from the prying eyes of the world, he added.
Should the Duchess pursue the case in Italy, according to Mr Mondini, she would be likely to be awarded several hundred thousand Euros:
“This is clearly a very special case. The plaintiff is so famous and so much damage has been done to her by the worldwide press coverage that the Milan judges, who are usually conservative with damages, with 100,000 Euros the ceiling for example for defamation, would be likely to make a much more substantive award than usual.”
And what about the pictures themselves? The French court held that privacy had been breached, ordered the aptly named Closer to refrain from selling the photos or publishing them on-line and ordered it to hand back all devices containing the photographs (which it reportedly duly did) or face a fine of 10, 000 Euros per day.
According to Mr Mondini, an Italian civil court could prohibit further use of the unlawful pictures in Italy and order their destruction if a violation of Articles 96 and 97 of the Italian Copyright Act 633/1941 and/or article 615 Bis of the Italian Criminal Code were ascertained.
However, an order for the seizure or withdrawal of the copies of the magazine already on sale at newsstands across Italy would be unlikely due to the protection afforded to the freedom of press under Article 21 of the Italian Constitution and the fact that most of the damage was done upon first publication.
As for Ms Gruber, remedies would also lie in the Codice Penale: Article 615 bis of the Italian Criminal Code, entitled: “Illicit interference in private life”, states that:
[I] “Whoever, by means of instruments for visual or audio recording unlawfully obtains information or pictures relating to private life carried out in the places indicated in Article 614, is punished by imprisonment of between 6 months and 4 years.
[II] Unless the facts constitute a more serious crime, anyone who reveals or distributes, by whatever means of information, to the public, the news or the images obtained by the means indicated in the first part of this Article, will be subject to the same penalty.
[III] The crimes are punishable by a claim from the affected person without a prior complaint being filed by the injured party and the penalty is imprisonment of from one to five years if the act was committed by a public official or by someone carrying out a public function, abusing their powers or violating the duties inherent in their function or service or equally anyone abusing the profession of private investigator.”
(Article 614, ‘Violazione di domicilio’ refers breaches of privacy in the home/ the house or the grounds of one’s home/ house without consent or by clandestine means or deception.)
Under [II] then, it seems that, technically, an Italian editor and publisher could end up behind bars for publishing (revealing and distributing) such pictures to the public. However this has never happened in Italy.
Whatever legal path the Duchess may (or as seems increasingly likely may not) follow in Italy, Inforrm has taken a long-distance look at Mr Berlusconi’s own past relationship with the telescopic lens. Let us not forget that the former (three time) Italian prime minister notorious for his penchant for young, preferably naked, ladies, owns both French Closer and Italian Chi which have ridden so roughshod over Catherine Elisabeth Middleton’s efforts to tread the media minefield so carefully since her world-famous marriage to the heir to the British throne on 29 April 2010.
In April 2007 the Sardinian photographer Antonello Zappadu photographed Mr Berlusconi (then the opposition leader), by means of a telescopic lens, in the company of five naked and topless young women in the grounds of his Sardinian villa, Villa Certosa. As in the Duchess’s case, the photographer was not on private property and the images were not visible without technological help.
After the photos were published in Oggi, Mr Berlusconi filed complaints with the Public Prosecutor’s Office at Tempio Pausania in Sardinia, and with the Italian Data Protection Authority. The photos were ruled to be in breach of Article 615 bis of the Criminal Code and of data protection law and were banned (although subsequently published internationally).
It would also be open to the Duchess to call on the Authority which, whilst not a judicial court, has administrative jurisdictional powers, including the power to block the use of pictures or other materials violating the provisions of the Italian Data Protection Code (Legislative Decree number 196/2003).
An appeal of the 2007 criminal decision by the publishers of Oggi was rejected by five judges of the Supreme Court of Cassation in Rome who found that:
“..photographs showing behaviours causing harm to private life obtained by conduct with constitutes a crime, by means of intrusion in private place of residence with special technical means cannot be published in magazines and copies of daily newspapers.”
In June 2009 (around the same time as a further successful claim by Mr Berlusconi against Mr Zappadu for taking other photographs of the same property) the Spanish national newspaper El Paìs published the photos anyway, leading Mr Berlusconi frothing at the mouth at what he described as “…a violation of privacy and a scandalous aggression.” Ring any bells, anyone?
Athalie Matthews is a Media Law Associate at Bindmans LLP, Giacomo Parmigiani is an IP specialist at Milan firm Mondini Rusconi
« News: Trimingham v Associated Newspapers, Permission to Appeal Granted Prosecuting the Media: The DPP’s final guidelines – Alex Bailin QC and Edward Craven »
Tags: Athalie Matthews, Italy, Photographs, Royalty
Categories : Privacy
Inforrm reaches 1,500 posts – the popular and the less visible « Inforrm's Blog (09:38:08) :
[…] La Regina Nuda and Italian Privacy Law – Athalie Matthews and Giacomo Parmigiani […]
Inforrm Blog – Happy Third Birthday « Inforrm's Blog (00:07:19) :
[…] of media law in other jurisdictions – with widely read posts about developments in India, Italy, Spain and New Zealand (among many others). Earlier this week we had our first post on the […]
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Home News & Analysis DP World, NIIF JV acquires logistics operator in India
DP World, NIIF JV acquires logistics operator in India
The acquisition of KRIL expands the Dubai-based port operator’s logistics footprint and the joint venture’s portfolio.
Eduard Fernandez
Hindustan Infralog, a joint venture between DP World and India’s National Investment and Infrastructure Fund, has acquired a 76 percent stake in Krishak Bharati Cooperative Infrastructure (KRIL), an integrated multi-modal logistics operator, the Dubai-based port operator said.
The joint venture is acquiring the controlling stake through Continental Warehousing, a similar operator it acquired in March 2018. KRIL’s parent company, KRIBHCO, will retain the remaining 24 percent, according to a joint statement. DP World declined to disclose financial details but said the purchase price was less than one percent of its own net asset value of approximately $12 billion.
“[The acquisition] fits with our strategy of developing our logistics capability in key markets and complements our core business in the ports we operate across the country,” a spokesman said.
KRIL operates three major inland container depots in the Indian states of Haryana, Uttar Pradesh and Gujarat, and has container train operations, DP World said. It also has a strong presence in India’s National Capital Region of Delhi and districts from surrounding states, which has a population of 46 million.
Sultan Ahmed Bin Sulayem, group chairman and chief executive of DP World, said in the statement that the acquisition was “highly complementary” to the Continental Warehousing buyout.
“It enables the DP World Group to become a significant operator in the fast-growing inland logistics market,” he said.
The group currently operates six container terminals across five ports in India, supporting over 24 percent of the export/import container trade in the country, the spokesman said.
DP World and NIIF launched Hindustan Infralog in January 2018, with the aim of investing up to $3 billion in ports, terminals, transportation and logistics in India. The government-backed NIIF holds a 35 percent stake in the joint venture, according to DP World’s spokesman.
NIIF did not reply to a request for comment.
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Clothing and Apperal
Canadian Space Agency
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> Signature Products>Canadian Space Agency
Canadian Space Agency There are 60 products.
Mission Patch DSJ Child's T-Shirt
Child's T-Shirt
Mission Patch DSJ Men's T-Shirt
Mission Patch DSJ Women's T-Shirt
RADARSAT Men's T-Shirt
RADARSAT Lanyard
RADARSAT lapel pin
RADARSAT Women's T-Shirt
RADARSAT Four button set
Four button set
CSA/ASC David Saint-Jacques Expedition 58...
Made in Canada. David Saint Jacques' mission patch represents the power of dreams. By igniting human creativity and genius, dreams lead to progress. It also evokes the central role that space exploration has played in the evolution of our perspective of life on Earth.
David Saint Jacques' mission patch represents the power of dreams. By igniting human creativity and genius, dreams lead to progress. It also evokes the central role that space exploration has played in the evolution of our perspective of life on Earth.
David Saint Jacques' mission patch represents the power of dreams. By igniting human creativity and genius, dreams lead to progress. It also evokes the central role that space exploration has played in the evolution of our perspective of life on Earth. 3/4 length sleeve
CSA/ASC Unisex Horizon Dare to Explore...
Unisex Crew Neck T-Shirt in Blue. Ethically manufactured in Canada.In December 2018, Canadian Space Agency astronaut David Saint-Jacques flew to the International Space Station on his first mission. During his assignment, he will conduct a series of scientific experiments, robotics tasks and test new technologies.
Unisex Crew Neck T-Shirt in Grey. Ethically manufactured in Canada.In December 2018, Canadian Space Agency astronaut David Saint-Jacques flew to the International Space Station on his first mission. During his assignment, he will conduct a series of scientific experiments, robotics tasks and test new technologies.
CSA/ASC Horizon Dare to Explore Long...
Dare to Explore long sleeve crew neck in blue. Ethically manufactured in Canada. In December 2018, Canadian Space Agency astronaut David Saint-Jacques flew to the International Space Station on his first mission. During his assignment, he will conduct a series of scientific experiments, robotics tasks and test new technologies.
You'll look great on the go in this unisex, sophisticated full-zip sweater with stand-up collar. In December 2018, Canadian Space Agency astronaut David Saint-Jacques flew to the International Space Station on his first mission. During his assignment, he will conduct a series of scientific experiments, robotics tasks and test new technologies.
Hard cover journal. Ideal for students, creative artists and professionals alike. Available in two sizes.This image was designed for CSA astronaut David Saint Jacques’ mission to the International Space Station.
CSA/ASC Unisex Dare to Explore Crest...
CSA/ASC Pin Back Button
Diameter: 25.4 mm (1"). Made in Canada.The mandate of the Canadian Space Agency is to promote the peaceful use and development of space, to advance the knowledge of space through science and to ensure that space science and technology provide social and economic benefits for Canadians.
Diameter: 38 mm (1.5"). Made in Canada.David Saint Jacques' mission patch represents the power of dreams. By igniting human creativity and genius, dreams lead to progress. It also evokes the central role that space exploration has played in the evolution of our perspective of life on Earth.
Diameter: 3.8 cm (1.5"). Made in Canada.David Saint Jacques' mission patch represents the power of dreams. By igniting human creativity and genius, dreams lead to progress. It also evokes the central role that space exploration has played in the evolution of our perspective of life on Earth.
Embroidered iron-on crest. Diameter: 100 mm (3.9"). Made in Canada.David Saint Jacques' mission patch represents the power of dreams. By igniting human creativity and genius, dreams lead to progress. It also evokes the central role that space exploration has played in the evolution of our perspective of life on Earth.
In December 2018, Canadian Space Agency astronaut David Saint-Jacques flew to the International Space Station on his first mission. During his assignment, he will conduct a series of scientific experiments, robotics tasks and test new technologies. The rugged 65/35 Polycotton fabric makes this suit easy-care, machine washable and requires no-ironing. Made...
In December 2018, Canadian Space Agency astronaut David Saint-Jacques flew to the International Space Station on his first mission. During his assignment, he will conduct a series of scientific experiments, robotics tasks and test new technologies. The rugged 65/35 Polycotton fabric makes this Canadian Space Agency flighsuit easy-care, machine washable...
Dave Williams Mission STS-118 Magnet
Launched on August 8, 2007, the top priority of mission STS-118 was to deliver and assemble the S5 truss segment to the International Space Station (ISS).Made in Canada. 5.5 cm x 8 cm
Marc Garneau Mission STS-41-G Magnet
The National Research Council mission crest for 41-G is commemorative of the first space flight by a Canadian, Marc Garneau, in 1984.Made in Canada. 8 cm x 5.5 cm
Robert Thirsk Expedition 20/21 Magnet
On May 27, 2009, Canadian astronaut Dr. Robert (Bob) Thirsk launched in a Russian Soyuz vehicle from Baikonur, Kazakhstan, undertaking an unprecedented six-month stay on the ISS.Made in Canada. 8 cm x 5.5 cm
CSA/ASC Pewter Lapel Pin
Hand crafted, and hand finished custom castings of the Canadian Space Agency logo with specialized imprinting techniques that render details which would otherwise be impossible to achieve. Made in Canada.
CSA/ASC Men's Glow-in-the-Dark T-Shirt
Glowing with style, this navy blue t-shirt features a glow-in-the-dark Canadian Space Agency logo.The Canadian Space Agency is committed to leading the development and application of space knowledge for the benefit of Canadians and humanity.
CSA/ASC Ladies Glow-in-the-Dark T-Shirt
Glowing with style, this navy blue t-shirt features a glow-in-the dark Canadian Space Agency logo.The Canadian Space Agency is committed to leading the development and application of space knowledge for the benefit of Canadians and humanity.
CSA/ASC Youth Glow-in-the-Dark T-Shirt
Glowing with style, this navy blue t-shirt features a unique glow-in-the dark Canadian Space Agency logo.The Canadian Space Agency is committed to leading the development and application of space knowledge for the benefit of Canadians and humanity.
Mission STS-118 Crest — Dave Williams
Embroidered crest. Dimensions: 8.9 cm x 10.8 cm (3.5" x 4.25")Launched on August 8, 2007, the top priority of mission STS-118 is to deliver and assemble the S5 truss segment to the International Space Station (ISS). The 11 + 3 day mission marks the 22nd shuttle trip to the ISS, and the 20th flight of space shuttle Endeavour.
Mission STS-52 Crest — Steve MacLean
Embroidered crest. Dimensions: 10.2 cm (4") Space Shuttle Columbia made its thirteenth flight when it lifted off, in October 1992, on Mission STS-52. This flight orbited the Earth in a circular trajectory at an altitude of 296 km and for most of the ten day mission. It dropped to 214 km on the last two days of the mission at an inclination of 28.5 degrees.
Mission STS-115 Crest — Steve MacLean
Embroidered crest. Dimensions: 11.4 cm x 9.5 cm (4.5" x 3.75") During 12 days in space, Canadian Astronaut Steve MacLean and his crewmates successfully resumed the assembly of the International Space Station.
Mission STS-77 Crest — Marc Garneau
Dimensions: 10.2 cm (4")Canadian talent and expertise figured prominently on Shuttle Mission STS-77. Canadian Space Agency (CSA) Astronaut Marc Garneau celebrated his second flight into space.
Mission STS-85 Crest — Bjarni Tryggvason
Embroidered crest. Dimensions: 8.9 cm x 10.2 cm (3.5" x 4.5")Canadian Space Agency (CSA) Astronaut Bjarni Tryggvason was the Payload Specialist during STS-85, a mission dedicated to space science and hardware-testing for application on the International Space Station (ISS).
Space Shuttle Program Crest
Embroidered crest. Dimensions: 10.2 cm x 11 cm (4" x 4.4") The Space Shuttle—composed of an orbiter launched with two reusable solid rocket boosters and a disposable external fuel tank—carried up to eight astronauts and up to 50,000 lb (23,000 kg) of payload into low Earth orbit.
Mission STS-78 Crest — Bob Thirsk
Embroidered crest. Dimensions: 12.1 cm x 10.16 cm (4.75" x 4")The Life and Microgravity Spacelab Mission (LMS), a culmination of extensive efforts by an international team of scientists, engineers and support personnel, flew aboard Space Shuttle Columbia during STS-78.
Embroidered crest. Dimensions: 10.5 cm (4.1") STS-97 featured the installation of the first of four pairs of huge solar power arrays on the International Space Station. The 12-day mission was the Canadian Space Agency (CSA) Astronaut Marc Garneau's third—a record for Canadian astronauts at that time.
Mission STS-90 Crest — Dave Williams
Embroidered crest. Dimensions: 11.4 cm x 9.5 cm (4.5" x 3.75") The STS-90 mission launch was held on April 17, 1998 on board Space Shuttle Columbia at the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)'s Kennedy Space Center (KSC) in Florida. Canadian Space Agency (CSA) Astronaut Dr. Dafydd Rhys (Dave) Williams served as a Mission Specialist.
Mission STS-127 Crest — Julie Payette
Embroidered crest. Dimensions: 11.4 cm x 9.5 cm (4.5" x 3.75") The cosmic stage was set for a new era in Canadian space exploration and scientific research aboard the International Space Station (ISS) when Space Shuttle Endeavour launched on flight STS-127.
Mission STS-42 Crest — Roberta Bondar
Embroidered crest. Dimensions: 12.5 cm x 10.5 cm (4.9" x 4.1") Dr. Roberta Bondar became Canada's second astronaut in space when she participated in the first International Microgravity Laboratory (IML)-I mission on board Space Shuttle Discovery.
Marc Garneau Mission STS-41-G Crest
Embroidered crest. Dimensions: 10 cm x 10 cm (3.9" x 3.9") The National Research Council mission crest for 41-G is commemorative of the first space flight by a Canadian, Marc Garneau.
Canadian Astronaut Program Earth Crest
Embroidered crest. Dimensions: 8.9 cm (3.5")On May 7, 1986, the National Research Council of Canada created a Space Division to manage the Canadian Astronaut Program Office (the Astronaut Office is now part of the Canadian Space Agency) and Canada's new Space Station Program.
Mission STS-74 Crest — Chris Hadfield
Embroidered crest. Dimensions: 10.6 cm (4") STS-74 was the second in a series of Shuttle-to-Mir Station missions. It also marked the first space flight for Canadian Space Agency (CSA) Astronaut Chris A. Hadfield.
Mission STS-41-G Crest — Marc Garneau
Embroidered crest. Dimensions: 76.2 mm x 88.9 mm (3" x 3.5"). Marc Garneau conducted 10 experiments in three main categories: space technology, space science and life sciences.
Mission STS-96 Crest — Julie Payette
Embroidered crest. Dimensions: 4" x 4" On May 27, 1999 at 6:49 a.m. Eastern Daylight Saving Time (EDT), Space Shuttle Discovery was launched from the Kennedy Space Center (KSC) carrying an international crew of seven astronauts. On their third day of flight, the crew of STS-96 made history when the shuttle docked for the first time with the International...
CSA/ASC Stainless Steel Bottle
High quality stainless steel bottle with pewter emblem of the Canadian Space Agency logo. 592 ml (20-oz)
CSA/ASC Pewter Keychain
CSA/ASC Lapel Pin
Diameter: 20 mm (0.79"). Made in Canada.The mandate of the Canadian Space Agency is to promote the peaceful use and development of space, to advance the knowledge of space through science and to ensure that space science and technology provide social and economic benefits for Canadians.
CSA/ASC Brass Logo Hat
Beautifully detailed brass emblem of the Canadian Space Agency logo.
Hadfield Expedition 34/35 Mission Crest
This crest commemorates Expedition 34/35. The crest, in the shape of a guitar pick, is symbolic of Chris Hadfield's musical interests with an emphasis on science and art, a distinguishing feature of Expedition 34/35.
CSA/ASC Crest
Embroidered iron-on crest. Diameter: 76 mm (3"). Made in Canada. Embroidered crest of the Canadian Space Agency logo.
Hadfield Expedition 34/35 Mission Pin
This pin commemorates Expedition 34/35. The pin, in the shape of a guitar pick, is symbolic of Chris Hadfield's musical interests with an emphasis on science and art, a distinguishing feature of Expedition 34/35.
CSA/ASC Lanyard
Navy blue Canadian Space Agency lanyard with safety breakaway clasp. Dimensions: 1.90 cm x 91.44 cm (3/4" x 36")
CSA/ASC Key ring
Chrome and leatherette trim key ring with laser engraved Canadian Space Agency logo.
CSA/ASC Pen
Plastic with retro metallic finish, chrome trim and ridges on lower barrel. Push-action blue ink pen with Canadian Space Agency logo printed on barrel.
Ingenium Boutiques
Email: boutique@IngeniumCanada.org
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2018 Documentary Rated R 120 Minutes
In Theaters July 6, 2018
On 4K UHD Not Available
On Blu-ray October 16, 2018
On DVD October 16, 2018
Robyn Crawford
Gary Houston
Steven Gittelman
Whitney Houston broke more music industry records than any other female singer in history. With over 200 million album sales worldwide, she was the only artist to chart seven consecutive U.S. No. 1 singles. She also starred in several blockbuster movies before her brilliant career gave way to erratic behavior, scandals and death at age 48. The documentary feature Whitney is an intimate, unflinching portrait of Houston and her family that probes beyond familiar tabloid headlines and sheds new light on the spellbinding trajectory of Houston’s life. Using never-before-seen archival footage, exclusive demo recordings, rare performances, audio archives and original interviews with the people who knew her best, Oscar®-winning filmmaker Kevin Macdonald unravels the mystery behind “The Voice,” who thrilled millions even as she struggled to make peace with her own troubled past.
Rated R for language and drug content.
Box office gross: $2.9 million. View box office history.
Released by Roadside Attractions. See more credits.
Review: 'Whitney' soars on Blu-ray and DVD
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In 1966 James E. ‘Jim’ Breining was recruited to be the advisor to the Des Moines Police Explorer Post #21. What he accepted was a lifelong love and commitment to the organization and its youth. Jim and his Explorers quickly established themselves as leaders of innovation in the ‘hands on’ training of teenagers to be law enforcement officers. It was one of the earliest units to offer a ride-along program pairing youth with Police Officers in a regular patrol environment. An active weapons training program and traveling pistol team were also parts of the curriculum.
In 1972 Post #21 created their week long in-residence training academy as an annual requirement for those interested in belonging to Post #21 and potentially becoming police officers.
In 1973 Jim and his youth leader, Explorer Chief Kent Jefferies, traveled the U.S. spending their own time and money to build a consensus that a National Association of Law Enforcement Exploring was needed to fully promote the successful marriage of Police Agencies and local youth. Quickly, Richard Clement, International Association of Chiefs’ of Police President, joined the team with Stuart Knight, Director of the U.S. Secret Service soon to follow. Within 1 year, the Association was born and Jim’s Explorer Chief, Kent, was elected its first National Youth Representative. Four years later, Jim provided another National Explorer Youth Representative, Robert Tompkins, who helped lay the groundwork for the National Law Enforcement Explorer Competition as we know it today.
In addition to being a father to three great daughters and devoted husband to his wife Barbara, he was father to hundreds of Law Enforcement Explorers from across the country on a distinctly personal level and thousands of others by association. Recognized with Boy Scouts of America’s top award, the Silver Beaver, Jim was a champion of the movement which brought teenagers and law enforcement back together after its turbulent 1960’s relationship.
Today, youth in Public Safety training boast thousands of members whose roots can be traced in large part to Lt. James E. Breining.
Jim joined our Lord Jesus in 2003 carrying with him the accolades of thousands of Explorers, family and friends. At that time, his friends and family chose to pick up the mantel he left us to continue to promote Law Enforcement Youth Training and its ideals of character, leadership, love of Country and family. The Executive Board of the Scholarship Award Foundation is made up of former Explorers, family and friends.
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Search for a memorial: Order by date of death Order by name
| ANY | A | B | C | D | E | F | G | H | I | J | K | L | M | N | O | P | Q | R | S | T | U | V | W | X | Y | Z |
Giovanni Reitano
Reitano, Giovanni Wednesday, April 5, 2017 at the age of 81. Beloved husband of Claire. Loving father of Giuseppe and Anna-Maria. Dear brother of Frank (Maria), Stefano (Suzanne), Antonino (late Roberta) and...
Beverley Deschamps
June 22, 1942 - April 4, 2017
DESCHAMPS, BEVERLEY It is with great sadness that we share the sudden passing of Bev, also known to all as Mom, on Tuesday April 4, 2017 at the age of 74 years. Beloved wife of the late Maurice Deschamps....
Frances Theresa McGhee
September 12, 1935 - April 1, 2017
(nee Hill) Peacefully in hospital on April 1, 2017 at the age of 81 years. Beloved wife of the late William McGhee. Sister of James Hill (Patricia), Ken Hill and Walter Hill (Sandra). Predeceased by her...
Albert "Eddie" McParlan
March 3, 1941 - April 1, 2017
It is with great sadness we announce the unexpected passing of our loving husband, father and grandfather on Saturday April 1, 2017 at the age of 76, with his family by his side. He will be lovingly remembered...
Larry B. Smith
April 24, 1946 - April 1, 2017
Smith, Larry Buchanan Passed away at West End Villa on Saturday, April 1, 2017 at the age of 70. Larry’s difficult journey is now over and he is reunited in Heaven with his father Larry, his wife Patricia, and...
Giovannina Haddad
Haddad, Giovannina “Nina” (nee – Palazzolo) Peacefully in hospital on Friday, March 31, 2017, in her 87th year. Beloved wife of the late Fayek Haddad. Loving mother of Edward (Maria). Cherished grandmother of...
Father Robert John LaPlante
October 2, 1924 - March 31, 2017
Reverend Robert J. LaPlante ObituaryReverend Robert John LaPlante entered into eternal life on March 31, 2017 at Residence, Elisabeth-Bruyere in Ottawa, Canada at the age of 92. Robert John LaPlante was born...
Donna Mae Gignac
June 21, 1931 - March 30, 2017
GIGNAC, Donna Mae (nee Graham) Donna passed away peacefully at Starwood, on March 30, 2017 in her 85th year. Beloved mother of James Allan Gignac (Suzanne Edney), Gregory John Gignac (Marita Diaz), Joseph...
Khan Le
January 1, 1929 - March 30, 2017
Frank Pantalone
April 17, 1923 - March 30, 2017
PANTALONE, FrankPeacefully, at home on Thursday March 30, 2017 at the age 93. Beloved husband of the late Kay. Loving father of Wayne, Frank (Linda), Elena McGill (Jack) and Jim (Donna). Dear grandfather of 9...
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Click HERE for Saint Edward’s Chaplet Prayers
Click HERE for Saint Edward’s Novena
Saint Edward the Confessor
Born: c. 1003-1005 in Winchester Cathedral
Died: January 5, 1066 in London, England
Venerated: Roman Catholic Church
Canonized: February 7, 1161 by Pope Alexander III
Feast Day: October 13
Patronages: Difficult Marriages
English Royal Family
PLACES: England (before 1347)
Edward the Confessor was the son of King Ethelred III and his Norman wife, Emma, daughter of Duke Richard I of Normandy. He was born at Islip, England, and sent to Normandy with his mother in the year 1013 when the Danes under Sweyn and his son Canute invaded England. Canute remained in England and the year after Ethelred's death in 1016, married Emma, who had returned to England, and became King of England. Edward remained in Normandy, was brought up a Norman, and in 1042, on the death of his half-brother, Hardicanute, son of Canute and Emma, and largely through the support of the powerful Earl Godwin, he was acclaimed king of England. In 1044, he married Godwin's daughter Edith.
His reign was a peaceful one characterized by his good rule and remission of odious taxes, but also by the struggle, partly caused by his natural inclination to favor the Normans, between Godwin and his Saxon supporters and the Norman barons, including Robert of Jumieges, whom Edward had brought with him when he returned to England and whom he named Archbishop of Canterbury in 1051.
In the same year, Edward banished Godwin, who took refuge in Flanders but returned the following year with a fleet ready to lead a rebellion. Armed revolt was avoided when the two men met and settled their differences; among them was the Archbishop of Canterbury, which was resolved when Edward replaced Robert with Stigand, and Robert returned to Normandy.
Edward's difficulties continued after Godwin's death in 1053 with Godwin's two sons: Harold who had his eye on the throne since Edward was childless, and Tostig, Earl of Northumbria. Tostig was driven from Northumbria by a revolt in 1065 and banished to Europe by Edward, who named Harold his successor. After this Edward became more interested in religious affairs and built Saint Peter's Abbey at Westminster, the site of the present Abbey, where he is buried. His piety gained him the surname "the Confessor."
He died in London on January 5, and he was canonized in 1161 by Pope Alexander III. His feast day is October 13.
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Highway to the Danger Zone: States with the Worst Drivers
Promoted by Insurify
Some states lead the country in GDP or tourism, but which should be known for their bad drivers?
When it comes to operating a motor vehicle, not all drivers pass with flying colors. While some boast a perfect record, others find themselves facing speeding violations, citations, DUIs, or other traffic infractions over the course of their driving careers. With spring around the corner, more cars will soon venture back onto the roads after a winter of inclement weather. That said, these potential beach days and picnic excursions may be frequently accompanied by bad driving practices. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, over 37,000 people lost their lives in fatal traffic crashes in 2016 alone. However, some states see more of this bad driving than others.
The team of data scientists at Insurify sought to determine which states are home to more than a fair share of reckless motorists. Drivers were included in the analysis if they had at-fault driving infractions on their record from within the past seven years. While the Midwest and Mountain region had strong showings, the coastal Southeast held a presence at the top of these rankings as well. Buckle up: these are the top 10 states with the worst drivers.
National average. Across the U.S., 23 percent of drivers have at least one at-fault violation on their record. These infractions can quickly add up, as they drive up the cost of auto insurance on top of any baseline charges for ticketing and/or legal fees. The range of these increases in insurance spans from as low as three percent for driving without a seatbelt to 79 percent for a first-time DUI.
The Midwest is in for a bumpy ride. Half of the top 10 states for worst drivers—and two of the top three—fall within the boundaries of the Midwest. Despite its reputation for hospitality, the heart of America may not be so wholesome in its driving habits.
Population and police presence of little importance. Contrary to both DUIs and speeding in isolation—the former having an inverse relationship with population, and the latter having an inverse relationship with police presence per capita—overall traffic infractions do not vary in relation to these metrics. States with both large and small population densities, and large and small law enforcement presences, appear on this top 10 ranking.
The analysts at Insurify, a car insurance quotes comparison website, pulled from their database of over 1.6 million applicants to determine which states had the highest share of drivers with at-fault incidents. Those applicants are asked to answer questions regarding their driver history, personal, and vehicle information, including whether or not they had had an at-fault traffic violation within the past seven years. At-fault incidents included accidents, DUIs, failures to stop, speeding, reckless driving, passing violations, and other causes for citation. This share of respondents was then analyzed against the statewide driving population as a whole to determine the breakdown of at-fault car owners by state. Additional data on traffic fatalities and registered automobiles come from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety and the Federal Highway Administration’s 2016 report, respectively.
10. Colorado
Percentage of drivers reporting past driving incident: 27.4%
Rate of traffic fatalities per 100,000: 11.6
Number of Registered Automobiles: 1,807,777
A paragon of natural wonder and conservation, the Centennial State is no model for responsible driving, with 27 percent of drivers holding a record of past driving offenses. With almost two million cars on the road, this rate of transgression is costly: the state saw 3,602 traffic deaths in 2017 alone.
9. Idaho
Number of Registered Automobiles: 607,902
Idaho, one of the nation’s more sparsely populated states, nonetheless has one of the highest rates of at-fault driving offenses. Despite having a significantly smaller population and a lower density of cars on the road, Idaho saw a greater quantity of fatalities than Nebraska and a similar number to Connecticut and Utah.
8. Wisconsin
Wisconsin is still one of the top 10 states for traffic violations despite taking hardline measures against such offenses. Drivers will have their licenses automatically revoked for a total of five years after accumulating 12 or more moving violations or four or more major violations within a five-year period. Though infraction rates remain high now, perhaps this Habitual Offender Law will succeed in bumping Wisconsin off of the top 10 worst driver ranking in years to come.
7. Virginia
Rate of traffic fatalities per 100,000: 9.9
As the seventh-ranked state for poor driving, Virginia is not only prominent among incident-prone American states, it is also diverse in the range of those infractions. Old Dominion is third in the nation for speeding tickets, fifth for repeat traffic offenses, and Virginia Beach, VA is one of only two cities west of the Mississippi River to classify in the top 25 nationwide for rates of DUI.
As the state on this list with the most registered cars on the road, Ohio’s rate of bad driving arguably carries the largest heft. With such a large sum of motorists reporting a past driving offense, it may come as a surprise that Ohio has a much more lax policy on traffic infractions than that of Wisconsin. While a 12 point accumulation over five years will result in a five-year license revocation in the latter, 12 points against your license in just two years will only trigger a 6-month suspension in Ohio.
South Carolina, though in the middle of this top 10 ranking, has the second highest fatality rate on the list. This may result in part from the fact that 17 percent of drivers report a history of speeding—the highest in the nation. Additionally, almost one in three of those drivers continue to speed—and given South Carolina’s position on this list, are likely commit other violations—in the future.
4. Nebraska
Nebraska sees fewer than a million registered automobiles on the road, but has an infraction rate of 28.5 percent. At the center of the Midwest (the most well-represented region of this ranking), Nebraska is home to a share of bad drivers that is 1.24 times the national average. However, despite ranking highly for driving offenses, most are not fatal accidents, as Nebraska’s fatality rate is almost exactly the national average of 11.4.
The Hawkeye State brings us to our top three states for worst drivers in America with almost 29 percent of drivers reporting a history of traffic incidents. DUIs contribute a noticeable amount to these figures, as over 1 in 5 adults in Iowa engage in regular excessive drinking, according to the CDC.
With the smallest population and the fewest registered cars, Wyoming nonetheless has the second highest rate of bad drivers and the highest fatalities of any state on this ranking. While low-density states report the fewest accidents, they have the highest rate of fatalities, largely as a function of DUI-related deaths. Correspondingly, as the leading state for repeat DUIs nationwide, it may come as no surprise that Wyoming ranks in the top two for past traffic incidents.
1. North Dakota
The state with the highest percentage of bad drivers in America is North Dakota. Despite having speed limits that top out at a generous 75 mph, over 16 percent of drivers report a speeding ticket on their record. Additionally, North Dakota has the second-most repeat DUIs and leads the country in repeat-license-suspension. Given these dubious distinctions, it is fitting that North Dakota takes the crown in this line-up…it may just be one they never wanted in the first place.
If you have questions or comments about this article, please contact insights@insurify.com.
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The Return of the Deodand
In 1066, my family were centred in Somerset, England, where, if a horse ran over and killed someone, or a boat capsized, and caused a drowning, that horse or boat was given over to the victim’s family, under “noxal surrender.”
Alternatively, if an animal or object were responsible for the death of a person other than its owner, it could be taken and sold, and the proceeds passed to the family of the deceased.
One can see the purpose here – to provide some sort of compensation for those aggrieved.
However, as readers will know, the Normans came over to the British Isles in 1066 and conquered much of England.
Subsequently, the practice of noxal surrender was formalized into English common law and enforced by the state.
And, of course, as we know, when the state takes charge of anything, no matter how insignificant, it eventually finds a way to turn that power into a means of state profit.
The state, by its very nature is a parasite. It produces nothing. It serves to extract value from those who do produce.
And so, beginning in the late eleventh century, the deodand was introduced into law. A deodand was defined as a chattel that had caused a death and was therefore guilty of a crime against God. The Crown would find the chattel itself guilty of being a deodand, would confiscate the chattel, sell it and give the proceeds to “a pious purpose” – not to the aggrieved party.
Once the aggrieved party was removed from the equation, it wasn’t difficult to expand the law to include not only the loss of the chattel, but a fine of equal value to the chattel.
The fine was then paid to the Crown, although the Crown had not been aggrieved in any way. (The Crown, of course, had the authority to assess the value of the chattel, so it wouldn’t be surprising if the Crown’s assessment were on the high side.)
But, what if the owner couldn’t pay? Well this was a crime against God. Someone had to pay, so the Crown applied the convoluted logic that the township in which the owner lived had produced him, so the township was obligated to pay the fine.
So, in the deodand law, we have a very simple lesson as to how governments begin as a need to enforce the simple libertarian concept that no man should aggress against another or his property, but slowly morph into a profit centre. The government takes on a life of its own, not only becoming an end unto itself, but eventually abandoning its original purpose, in a pursuit of self-expansion.
Today, in the US, we’re witnessing the emergence of civil asset forfeiture, a collection of laws that allows the authorities (pretty much anyone with a badge and a gun) to confiscate chattels, if they conclude that those chattels may have been connected in some way to the commission of a crime – in effect, modern-day deodands.
For example, if, a decade or so ago, an officer of the law observed a teen to be in possession of an illegal substance, he might have chosen to detain and possibly arrest the teen. But, today, under civil asset forfeiture, he might wait until the teen went home. The officer might then arrive at the house with a riot squad, break down the door, search the house and, if he found a trace of the illegal substance, confiscate the house, cars and all other family possessions under civil asset forfeiture, under the mere suspicion that the house was being used to operate a drug ring. (This was an actual case.)
Under these laws, the authority in question would not be obligated to charge the family with a crime. Therefore, the family would have no means of challenging the charges in court in order to regain their property.
Instead, the authority would have the legal right to dispose of the property and apply the proceeds to their general revenue.
This, of course, converts any policing authority in the US into an authority that has the right to literally commit “highway robbery” and, in most states where civil asset forfeiture is prevalent, this is the most popular way in which it’s applied – roaming the highways, confiscating vehicles, cash and any other assets of value that the motorist might have.
And, remember, the justification is that the motorist is merely suspected of having been involved in a crime.
Civil asset forfeiture has become so prevalent in its brief existence that, already, authorities across the US take in a higher dollar value than all burglaries nationwide annually (over five billion dollars).
And, authorities are becoming more effective at it. They now take victims’ prepaid debit cards, and, by installing credit card scanners in police cars, are able to make on-the-spot thefts of deposits.
On the positive side, the Indiana Supreme court recently made a ruling that overturned a confiscation by authorities. We have yet to see whether this will change the trend, going forward.
Returning to the deodand, the law was abolished in England in 1846 and rightly so, as it had morphed from a form of recompense into the shameless looting of the population.
And, if it seems as though civil asset forfeiture is a modern twist on this theme, it is. The deodand law was cited by the US government as a source in the creation of the civil asset forfeiture laws.
The deodand law, in its latter stages, when it had become purely a method for looting, proved to be the ideal model upon which to build, in the view of US legislators.
What this tells us is that, today, US legislators have an entirely different approach to the notion of “Liberty” than they did in 1789, when James Madison drafted the Fourth Amendment to the Constitution (Click here to read Doug Casey's thoughts on the Fourth Amendment):
“The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated, and no Warrants shall issue, but upon probable cause, supported by Oath or affirmation, and particularly describing the place to be searched, and the persons or things to be seized.”
Mr. Madison’s source for this amendment was the English Bill of Rights of 1689.
As the source for the civil asset forfeiture laws is one of England’s more corrupt (and long-since, repealed) laws, it’s clear that the US Congress has reached a stage of regression – a return to the Middle Ages.
If we were to stand well-back from the present situation, and observe the US from an historical perspective, it would be easy to see that the US has entered into its Post-Constitutional era – a time when the “inalienable rights” of Americans have been thoroughly trounced by more primitive laws.
The question now is whether any American should wish to continue to take part in the grand American experiment, now that the Post-Constitutional era is underway.
Editor's note: Clearly, there are many strange things afoot in the world. Distortions of markets, distortions of culture. It’s wise to wonder what’s going to happen, and to take advantage of growth while also being prepared for crisis. How will you protect yourself in the next crisis? See our PDF guide that will show you exactly how. Click here to download it now.
Tags: politics,
Why Irrational Socialist Schemes Must be Implemented
Traditionally, the Democratic Party in the US has placed its primary focus on the protection of the middle class. But, in recent years, it has taken a sharp turn toward racial identity politics, gender issues, and redistribution of wealth along socialist lines.
Doug Casey on False Flags and Pretexts For the Next War
People who look outside the mainstream narrative of historical events often encounter the term “false flag” attack. What does this mean exactly?
Ensuring the Worst Possible Leadership
“A democracy is nothing more than mob rule, where fifty-one percent of the people may take away the rights of the other forty-nine.”
Stupidity, Evil and the Decline of the US
It used to be that America was a country of free thinkers.
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INVESTORS + NEWS
INTELLIGENTLY
MINING THE MARKET
We’re creating unmatched value through enhanced treatments and valued partnerships. And with an estimated $3.4 billion in annual brand sales, we believe we’re just getting started on our mission to maximize the full potential of treatments for patients and physicians around the globe.
SEE OUR BUSINESS STRATEGY IN ACTION
Eagle Pharmaceuticals Enters into Agreement with USAMRICD to Evaluate Neuroprotective Effects of RYANODEX Secondary to Nerve Agent Exposure
Wednesday, October 3, 2018 7:00 am EDT
WOODCLIFF LAKE, N.J.
NASDAQ:
EGRX
"We are delighted to be working with the U.S. Military on this important study to evaluate RYANODEX as a neuroprotective therapy in nerve agent exposure, a potential new indication for the drug"
WOODCLIFF LAKE, N.J.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Eagle Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (Nasdaq: EGRX) (“Eagle” or the “Company”) today announced that it has entered into an agreement with the United States Army Medical Research Institute of Chemical Defense (USAMRICD), the nation's leading science and technology laboratory in the area of medical chemical countermeasures research and development, to conduct a study to evaluate the neuroprotective effects of RYANODEX® (dantrolene sodium).
The study will be conducted under a Cooperative Research and Development Agreement (CRADA), a written agreement that allows government laboratories to partner with private industries or academia on research and development projects. Eagle will bear all costs associated with the study.
While the standard treatment of atropine and oxime is essential after exposure to a nerve agent, these drugs are not neuroprotective. If approved, RYANODEX would represent a first of its kind agent as a neuroprotective treatment for the amelioration of neurological damage due to nerve agent exposure. Nerve agent exposure often results in death.
“We are delighted to be working with the U.S. Military on this important study to evaluate RYANODEX as a neuroprotective therapy in nerve agent exposure, a potential new indication for the drug,” said Scott Tarriff, Chief Executive Officer of Eagle.
About USAMRICD
The United States Army Medical Research Institute of Chemical Defense (USAMRICD) is the nation's leading science and technology laboratory in the area of medical chemical countermeasures research and development. With sophisticated laboratories located at Aberdeen Proving Ground, Maryland, USAMRICD manages a diversified portfolio of medical chemical warfare agent research projects for the Department of Defense and other Federal Agencies. USAMRICD’s strategic plan relies on the continued outstanding performance of our scientists and support personnel and their abilities to exceed expectations on customer-directed research projects. As the Department of Defense's lead laboratory for the development of medical countermeasures against chemical threat agents, the USAMRICD is increasingly called upon to provide expert analytical and consultative services related to medical chemical defense research and to the medical management of chemical casualties. The Institute’s growing national and international customer base includes other government agencies, academia, pharmaceutical companies and commercial enterprises.
About Eagle Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
Eagle is a specialty pharmaceutical company focused on developing and commercializing injectable products that address the shortcomings, as identified by physicians, pharmacists and other stakeholders, of existing commercially successful injectable products. Eagle’s main strategy is to utilize the FDA's 505(b)(2) regulatory pathway. Additional information is available on the Company’s website at www.eagleus.com.
This press release contains forward-looking information within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, as amended, and other securities laws. Forward-looking statements are statements that are not historical facts. Words and phrases such as “anticipated,” “forward,” “will,” “would,” “may,” “remain,” “potential,” “prepare,” “expected,” “believe,” “plan,” “near future,” “belief,” and similar expressions are intended to identify forward-looking statements. These statements include, but are not limited to, statements regarding future events including, but not limited to: the Company’s ability to advance RYANODEX, including with USAMRICD or other parties, in the treatment of nerve agent exposure; the Company’s and USAMRICD’s ability and willingness to perform their respective obligations under the Cooperative Research and Development Agreement; the success of the Company’s commercial relationship with USAMRICD and the Company’s and USAMRICD’s ability to successfully work together; difficulties or delays in manufacturing, the enforceability or defense of intellectual property rights by or against third parties, the availability and pricing of third party sourced products and materials; successful compliance with the FDA; and the commercial success of the Company’s commercial portfolio, including RYANODEX, if and when launched. All of such statements are subject to certain risks and uncertainties, many of which are difficult to predict and generally beyond Eagle’s control, that could cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed in, or implied or projected by, the forward-looking information and statements. Such risks include, but are not limited to: whether the Company can successfully advance RYANODEX in the treatment of nerve agent exposure; whether the FDA will ultimately approve RYANODEX for the treatment of nerve agent exposure and/or other indications; whether Eagle’s studies will support the safety and efficacy of RYANODEX for the treatment of nerve agent exposure; whether Eagle will maintain successful compliance with the FDA and other governmental regulations; and other factors that are discussed in Eagle’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2017, filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) on February 26, 2018 and its other filings with the SEC. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements that speak only as of the date hereof, and the Company does not undertake any obligation to revise and disseminate forward-looking statements to reflect events or circumstances after the date hereof, or to reflect the occurrence of or non-occurrence of any events.
Investor Relations for Eagle Pharmaceuticals, Inc.:
In-Site Communications, Inc.
Lisa M. Wilson, 212-452-2793
lwilson@insitecony.com
NASDAQ: EGRX
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Lisa M. Wilson,
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© Eagle Pharmaceuticals, Inc. All rights reserved. Woodcliff Lake, NJ 07677
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For Chris Claremont, the Key to the X-Men's Future Success Is to Never Look Back
Charles Pulliam-Moore
Filed to: X-MenFiled to: X-Men
Image: Respect Films
Chris Claremont isn’t exactly sure just how many times Jean Grey and the Phoenix have returned from the dead, but when we spoke with the comics giant recently about the character’s impending return to Marvel’s books, he responded only with a heavy, slightly-annoyed sigh.
On some level, part of Claremont had to have known that when Jean Grey died in X-Men #137, it was only a matter of time before she was resurrected given that death and rebirth are kind of the whole point of Phoenixes. But during our conversation, Claremont emphasized an important point he makes all throughout Chris Claremont’s X-Men, an upcoming documentary about his comics career from filmmaker Patrick Meaney. Claremont explained that at the time, there had never been a comic book story arc quite like “The Dark Phoenix Saga,” and it was meant to shake the X-Men in a profound, lasting way that would have altered the course of their lives.
To that end, “The Dark Phoenix Saga” was successful on both accounts—so much so that it played a huge in role in propelling the X-Men to almost unimaginable levels of fame and popularity. Between “The Dark Phoenix Saga” and introducing a new generation of mutants like Rogue, Mystique, Gambit, and Kitty Pryde, Claremont breathed new life into the X-Men that fundamentally transformed the series in a way we haven’t really seen since. From Claremont’s perspective, the thing that truly made the X-books shine during the 17 years he oversaw them was the collaborative, and sometimes combative spirit that was present between himself and his editors like Louise Simonson. He told io9:
“Every writer with half a brain knows to surround himself or herself with editors who are smarter, far more articulate, and infinitely better looking. All good communal storytelling comes from the sagas and arguments within the writers room. It’s not a tangible, quantifiable thing and I don’t try [to quantify it] because I can’t.
I was there. It happened. It must work—at least, it worked for me in that context at that time.”
By the early ‘90s, Claremont’s run on the X-Men had become the stuff of legend, not just because of how popular his books were, but because of the sprawling, non-traditional stories and character development they ushered in. Whereas most comics tended to continuously recycle through a handful of plots that are slightly remixed to make them seem fresh (see: Secret Wars), Claremont firmly believed (and still does) that characters should continue to grow and evolve with forward-facing momentum:
“Creating a character [is] building a character, running through its life. That’s the writer’s job. You either have it or you don’t.
The advantage of being the creator of the character is I know them better than anybody, I like to think. But the reality one has to deal with in a serial collaborative medium like comics is that you’re not the only one who writes the character. On one level, all of the characters in Game of Thrones grow out of George R.R. Martin’s imagination. Therefore they are his. As long as they are in the novels they are his. But the moment they step forth onto the TV screen, they become filtered through the showrunners. In a business sense, it’s the same way with comics.”
Claremont’s approach to treating characters like living, breathing people whose decisions come with long-lasting consequences isn’t at all the norm in most mainstream comics these days. But pivoting back to that might be precisely the jolt to the system that the comics industry needs at a time when sales are down. People loved Claremont’s X-Men because he loved them, something he demonstrated by handling them with respect, care, and purpose.
Chris Claremont’s X-Men, telling the story of Claremont, Anne Nocenti, and Louise Simonson, will be available on VOD February 6; it also includes interviews with Rob Liefeld, Marc Silvestri, and Claremont’s fans and you can get an exclusive look at it right here:
Previously On the X-Men
Watch The Juggernaut's On-Screen Growth From Silent Menace To Absolute Terror
The Gifted's Epic Season Finale Promises a Mutant Civil War and a New Hellfire Club
The Problem With the X-Men Movie Rights Coming Back to Marvel
X-Men: Grand Design Wants to Save Marvel's Mutants From Themselves
It's Official: The X-Men and Fantastic Four Are Coming Back to Marvel Thanks to a Huge Deal Between Fox and Disney
X-Men: Dark Phoenix Director Simon Kinberg Knows Exactly What Went Wrong With Apocalypse
io9 Culture Critic and Staff Writer. Cyclops was right.
Recent from Charles Pulliam-Moore
Space Jam 2 Has Found a New Director in Malcolm D. Lee
Turns Out Swamp Thing's a Grower and a Shower
A Police Union Is Telling Cops to Use the Punisher's Logo Amid an Investigation Into Racist Social Media Posts
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MoviesMarvel
Spider-Man Swings Into the Golden Globes With Best Animated Movie for Into the Spider-Verse
Germain Lussier and Beth Elderkin
Filed to: Golden GlobesFiled to: Golden Globes
Spider-Man: Into the Spider Verse
Miles Morales swings his way to victory.
Image: Sony
King T’Challa may not have gotten his due, but Miles Morales is swinging high as Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse won Best Animated Feature at the 2019 Golden Globes. Thwip!
It was a groundbreaking year for superhero films at this year’s Golden Globes, as Black Panther was the first superhero film nominated for Best Drama, and Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse (which we named our favorite movie of the year) was nominated and won for Best Animated Feature, beating out the likes of like Incredibles 2, Isle of Dogs, and Ralph Breaks the Internet.
Sadly, Black Panther lost to the Queen biopic Bohemian Rhapsody, but the fact that it was nominated showed that superhero films aren’t just for kids anymore. They’re a cultural marvel and part of the mainstream. It was also disappointing to see that Mary Poppins Returns didn’t get a single award, despite several nominations, along with Westworld, The Handmaid’s Tale, and The Good Place. And, let’s be frank, a few of the winners were bad choices, or even downright upsetting...we’re looking at you, Green Book.
Here’s a full list of this year’s winners.
Best Motion Picture, Drama
Best Motion Picture, Musical, or Comedy
Best Director, Motion Picture
Alfonso Cuaron, Roma
Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture, Drama
Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture, Musical or Comedy
Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture, Drama
Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture, Musical or Comedy
Robert Redford, The Old Man and the Gun
Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role in a Motion Picture
Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role in a Motion Picture
Deborah Davis and Tony McNamara, The Favourite
Peter Farrelly, Nick Vallelonga, Brian Currie, Green Book
Best Motion Picture, Animated
Best Motion Picture, Foreign Language
Best Original Song, Motion Picture
“All the Stars,” Black Panther
“Girl in the Movies,” Dumplin’
“Requiem for a Private War,” A Private War
“Revelation,” Boy Erased
“Shallow,” A Star Is Born
Best Original Score, Motion Picture
Best Television Series, Drama
Best Musical or Comedy Series
Best Performance by an Actress in a Television Series, Drama
Elisabeth Moss, The Handmaid’s Tale
Sandra Oh, Killing Eve
Best Performance by an Actor in a TV Series, Drama
Richard Madden, Bodyguard
Best Actress in a Musical or Comedy Series
Rachel Brosnahan, The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel
Best Performance by an Actor in a Television Series, Musical, or Comedy
Sasha Baron Cohen, Who Is America?
Michael Douglas, The Kominsky Method
The Assassination of Gianni Versace
Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role in a Series, Limited Series or Motion Picture Made for Television
Patricia Arquette, Escape at Dannemora
Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role in a Series, Limited Series or Motion Picture Made for Television
Antonio Banderas, Genius: Picasso
Daniel Bruhl, The Alienist
Darren Criss, The Assassination of Gianni Versace
Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role in a Series, Limited Series, or Motion Picture Made for Television
Patricia Clarkson, Sharp Objects
Penelope Cruz, The Assassination of Gianni Versace
Yvonne Strahovski, The Handmaid’s Tale
Edgar Ramirez, The Assassination of Gianni Versace
Ben Whishaw, A Very English Scandal
Did your favorites win the night?
More of the Year's Best Movies
The 10 Best (and 5 Worst) Films of 2018
Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse Is the Game-Changing Origin Story You've Been Waiting For
Black Panther Is Marvel's First Shakespearean Epic
Hereditary Is a Horror Masterpiece That Shows a Family Losing Hope and Their Minds
A Quiet Place Is an Unexpectedly Terrifying and Intense Horror Movie
Mission: Impossible - Fallout Is Straight Up Incredible
Recent from Germain Lussier and Beth Elderkin
Game of Thrones' Final Season Cleans House With a Record-Breaking Number of Emmy Nominations
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IP Spotlight is published by Jim Singer, partner and chair of the Intellectual Property Department at Fox Rothschild LLP. Jim helps businesses, institutional investors, venture capital groups and others identify, protect, maximize value, and reduce risk associated with intangible assets.
Jim is a registered patent attorney and handles patent prosecution, infringement and validity studies, freedom-to-practice studies and design-around analyses. His patent experience covers a wide array of technologies including: electronic devices; computer systems and software; vehicle automation, drones and other robotic systems; lighting systems; power generation and distribution equipment; wireless communication technologies; printing and packaging systems; medical devices; data security and encryption technologies; cryptocurrency and other blockchain technologies; auto parts; virtual and augmented reality systems; consumer products; food and beverage production and distribution technologies; and many other fields.
Experienced in IP transactions of all sizes, Jim also handles on a daily basis:
software licenses,
patent and trademark licenses,
supply chain agreements for technology-focused businesses,
exclusive marketing relationships
technology transfer agreements and
technology development agreements.
Jim also performs IP audits and due diligence to help venture capital firms, private equity funds and potential investors understand the strength of a target company’s IP portfolio, obstacles to market entry and opportunities to expand IP. Jim also uses this experience to help startups and companies who are considering an investment or sale assess and increase the value of their IP positions.
Jim is also an experienced electrical engineer and worked in the electric utility and oil and gas industries.
In 2016, The National Law Journal named Jim to a list of “Intellectual Property Trailbazers,” noting that Jim guides clients toward a more holistic view of their IP assets and a more flexible approach to growing, protecting and profiting from those assets. For each year since 2010, the editors of Intellectual Asset Management magazine selected Jim for inclusion in its “IAM Patent 1000” lists of the world’s leading attorneys for both patent prosecution and technology licensing. Jim is also named as one of the leading IP attorneys in Pennsylvania by Chambers USA (2016 and 2017), is listed as an “IP Star” in Managing Intellectual Property (2015-2017), and has named in the “Best Lawyers” publication as a leading attorney in intellectual property and entertainment law (20150-2018).
Jim is based in Fox Rothschild’s Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania office. His email address is jsinger@foxrothschild.com.
The content on IP Spotlight is provided by the author as an individual. It does not necessarily represent the views of Fox Rothschild LLP or its clients.
This site is published for informational purposes only. The content provided should not be considered to be a substitute for legal advice, and this site does not establish an attorney-client relationship with any reader. The author makes no warranty whatsoever relating to the information contained on this site. For legal assistance, contact a legal practitioner who is licensed in your jurisdiction.
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Accommodation& Registration
About ISHRS
Workshop Has -89 Days Left.
James A. Harris, MD, FISHRS
James A. Harris, MD, FISHRS, received his medical degree with honors from the University of Colorado School of Medicine in 1989. He is the 2014 winner of the ISHRS Golden Follicle award for his clinical contributions to the field of hair restoration surgery. He is a Diplomate of the American Board of Hair Restoration Surgery (ABHRS) and past president of the ABHRS, member of International Society of Hair Restoration Surgery and serves on the board of governors and is the Chair of the FUE Advancement Committee. He is a Diplomate of the American Board of Otolaryngology, and Fellow of the American College of Surgeons. Dr. Harris' practice, The Hair Sciences Center of Colorado, is limited exclusively to follicular unit hair transplantation and follicular unit extraction.
Dr. Harris has patented a surgical methodology and instrumentation for performing rapid follicular unit extraction that ensures graft integrity. The method is the Harris SAFE System® and the technique has been demonstrated at live surgery workshops worldwide.
He was also a principal investigator and consultant for Restoration Robotics, a company that has developed an FDA cleared robotic system for follicular unit extraction that utilizes the SAFE System technology for FUE. The robotic device is called the ARTAS System.
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6-Year-Old Among 55 Bodies Uncovered at Florida’s School of Terror
By: Tamar Auber
Articles, Most Commented
55 bodies of children have been found on the grounds of a notorious boys’ reform school in Florida. The Arthur G. Dozier School for Boys was closed in 2011, yet for nearly a century boys at the school reported beatings, confinement, and witnessing boys going for punishment and never returning.
Opened at the turn of the 20th century the school, also known as the Florida School for Boys, was plagued by evidence of abuse from the very beginning. In 1903, an investigation revealed boys were being held in leg irons and beaten. During the ’50’s and ’60’s, the so-called ‘White House,’ a detention center for the boys, was said to be a place of torture for those who acted out.
Thomas Fred Medlock Jr. was incarcerated at the Florida facility in the mid-sixties. He recounts his harrowing arrival at the school after the Florida courts ordered him sent to the school for running away.
“Once I arrived at FSB my name was taken from me and I was then R297 for the rest of my time there,” he recounted on a web page devoted to the school’s alum. “After several days I was taken into a building, undressed and placed in a room with a blanket and a pot to use the bathroom in. There was a single bare light fixture in the ceiling that never shut off. I was fed once a day through a sliding slot at [the] bottom of the door with no silverware.”
Even today, Medlock insists, he does not know what he did to deserve his stint in ‘the hole.’ Yet, by Dozier standards, Medlock may have actually been one of the ‘lucky ones.’ Another boy, a 12-year-old sent around the same time as Medlock, returned home in a wheelchair, a patch over his eye and unable to speak. He soon died.
His brother, Jeffrey Sampson, is now left, decades later, trying to put together the pieces of his brother’s horrifying last days. “I do not know what he endured at Dozier and I may never know,” Jeffrey said of his brother Gregory, who died in 1966. “So rest in peace my dear brother, I still love you and miss you everyday.”
Yet unbelievably, despite the evidence of cruel abuse the state continued to operate until 2011, ordering boys deemed delinquent to the school and operating under a ‘professed ignorance‘ of the horrors inside the school.
“There have been allegations of abuse of the boys, and possibly even boys that were claimed to have run away but were never heard from,” said Arthur Eisenberg, Ph.D., chairman of Forensic and Investigative Genetics at the University of North Texas facility. “They never returned to their families. They just disappeared.”
Now the discovery of 55 graves, far more than the recorded number of deaths at the facility and some in a wooded area, point to a sinister atmosphere at the school that may have cost some young boys their life.
Sadly, the discovery has also revealed that even the very young may have suffered a cruel fate at the state-run school. “Last week, she [Attorney General Bondi] evoked the discovery of at least one boy, believed to be age 6, who was buried with a marble in his pocket,” a Tampa Bay Times editorial calling for justice for the boys read, “a small, poignant testament to the innocence lost when government shuts children out of sight and out of conscience.”
Photo Credit: The White House at Dozier/The White House Boys
Tamar is a New York based freelance writer and photographer whose work has appeared in over 15 publications. You can catch her work regularly on Issue Hawk, Latest, Jspace, and MediaGlobal.
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Category: 4/5 *
I’ve been in a mini-slump this week, barely having read anything at all, but I won’t sweat it and just try to muster more next week instead.
I did manage to read two graphic novels though; Heartstopper by Alice Oseman (which I adored!!) and Deadly Class, vol. 1 (because I’m watching the series on Viaplay).
I know that Heartstopper was originally a webcomic and I need to look it up because I must know what happens next in cute-ville!
Next week I’ll try to finish reading Dark of the West by Joanna Hathaway and continue listening to Omens by Kelley Armstrong.
What are you currently reading? 😊
Nightchaser by Amanda Bouchet (ARC)
“Some ends are just a new beginning…”
This book sucked me in from page one and didn’t let go until the end. Right from the start you get a feel for the main character Tess and the dynamic of her family of misfits. It was so well done, and I was already invested in the story from chapter one. The interactions and dialogue reminded me of an urban fantasy and I’m all for an urban fantasy in space.
The characters were layered, and each had their quirks, flaws and good qualities. I was especially intrigued by the main character’s backstory with her family and unfortunate childhood. I don’t want to go into too much detail and spoil things, so you’ll have to read the book to see what I’m talking about.
The worldbuilding was great, with a society and hierarchy that felt very believable (and quite horrifying if I’m honest). The whole situation in that world was bleak with the tyrant Overlord repressing creativity and spontaneity for the sake of so-called peace. A peace that meant constant fear of both the authorities and your neighbors (who could turn you in for so little as a colorful clothing choice). Not a fun existence…
Tess Bailey and her crew have been on the run for years, doing what they can to try to ease the misery of less fortunate areas of the universe. The latest Robin Hood-like heist don’t go as planned though and draws the attention of a vicious military general. In a bid to repair their ship after an ill-fated run-in with said general, they take a chance and lands on a well populated planet. There Tess gets to know Shade Ganavan and as events unfold, she must decide if she can trust him with more than the repairs of their ship.
Even though I felt like one of the twists could have benefitted from being harsher, I still liked it and felt very satisfied when it was revealed. Overall, I loved this story and if you also love reading about kickass rebel heroines and heroes with hearts of gold, this book is for you!
Published by Sourcebooks Casablanca.
Granted through Netgalley.
Big thanks to the author, publisher and Netgalley for this treat!
Empress Unveiled by Jenna Morland (ARC)
Now this was a nice surprise. I knew that I would most likely like or love this book since it was an Oftomes release and they have very talented authors already and seem to have an eye for finding new great ones, but I still wasn’t expecting the original-ness of this story. Especially the mythology and world-building intrigued the heck out of me. (And that Empress tree really made me envious. Where can I get one?!)
Empress Unveiled is about a 17-year-old girl named Swayzi with a mysterious terminal illness. Nobody knows the cause of her sickness, and the doctors are stumped. Supporting her she has her youthful mom and two best friends Tyler and Penelope. One day she meets an electrically intriguing boy who seems to be a miracle cure for her illness, but this meet will unearth a whole lot of other things. Like other realms, beings, magic and what she’s actually capable of herself. All of a sudden, she’s got a destiny and a path to follow, but will she be able to leave her mom and friends to follow it?
I love how Jenna Morland has twisted and created elements and beings that most of us has met in other settings before but giving those elements new context and rules. I don’t want to spoil too much, because I really enjoyed reading about it without knowing too much myself BUT I loved it. Just so you know. There’s also a love triangle in this, but it’s not an obnoxious or a mean one. It’s actually one of those where I don’t know which one I think she should pick. By the end of a book I usually know what I feel about the love interest and if there’s two – which one I would pick. Not this time. I almost hope that some irredeemable quality in one or the other character appears in book 2 so I can choose. 😉
So, if you’re looking for your next YA fantasy read I highly recommend checking this out! 🙂
Published by Oftomes Publishing.
Bookdepository
Saving Death by R. L. Endean (arc)
This book took me a while to get into, but about halfway through everything came into focus and I sailed through the pages. At first, it was mostly character driven and it was very interesting to follow Ava’s character development when she struggles with grief while also trying to bond with her love interest. Despite this, I would still have welcomed some more worldbuilding or “plot roots” to give the story more bulk in the beginning, but once the plot was revealed it was well worth the wait; being intriguing, filled with smart twists and suffused with the kind of mythos that you wish you’d been the one to think of first. This debut was full of potential and gives an exciting promise of an even better sequel. I highly recommend this gothic romance for anyone looking for an atmospheric YA read!
You can find here: Amazon, Book Depository, Adlibris and on Goodreads.
The Witches of the Glass Castle by Gabriella Lepore (ARC)
This was such a delight! Witches, mystery and darkness, what more can you ask for? And it was easily devoured, which is a very attractive quality that shouldn’t be undervalued. I love the satisfaction of it, to get so carried away with a story… It’s happiness.
The story follows Mia and her brother Dino who discovers that they are witches. Their whole family are witches (well, at least on their mother’s side) and all it takes is one small incantation, even said by mistake, to awaken the magic within. Because of their awakening powers, they are sent away to a place that can help the siblings learn control and nurture whatever power they may have. At the Glass Castle, they meet frightening but handsome warrior witches with feral instincts called Hunters and witches called Arcana that can read peoples thoughts and have visions of the future. It’s a strange but colorful new world where Mia and Dino must both come to terms with who they are and as events begins spiraling out of control they must choose what they think is right and where their allegiances lie in the end.
There’s some really good twists and turns in this book. It kept the story and my interest peaked through the whole thing. I’m also very fond of how the author portrayed her characters (and their dynamic). It was just the right amount of goof, cuteness and realness to make the relationships work.
I really recommend this book to anyone who love YA fantasy, and witch lore. A fascination with witches should be existent when picking this up. Just saying… 😉
I give this book 4 out of 5 stars! Witches of the Glass Castle is the first book in a duology, where the Witches of the Dark Power is the second book and they both releases today the 18th. So, Happy Book Birthday to Gabriella Lepore!
The Upside of Unrequited by Becky Albertalli (ARC)
Becky Albertalli’s story about a young girl named Molly, who’s constantly falling in and out of love, is delightfully written and I’d also like to add that her penchant (as I understand it) for diverse characters is spot on in today’s climate. It’s refreshing to read about a family dynamic that’s both something originally new and still manages to convey the modern-day family that often consists of more than one “correct” version.
Molly’s a seventeen-year-old girl who’s never been kissed and has never had a boyfriend. What she has had though are multiple crushes and thus she’s avoided experiencing rejection. Molly doesn’t see this as a problem, she’s careful… that’s all. When her womanizing and somewhat cynical twin sister Cassie suddenly falls madly in love, Molly can’t deny that she’s lonely and longing for connecting with someone of her own. Maybe having a boyfriend will even help her reconnect with her sister, as well as gifting her with her first kiss. Luckily (or maybe confusingly) for her, two boys pop up catching her attention. Who will she choose? The cute hipster boy Will who’s best friends with Cassie’s new girlfriend or her coworker the charming nerd boy Reid. And will she have the guts to put herself up for potential rejection?
Some scenes in this book had me cringing, not in a bad way, but in the way that I was acutely embarrassed on behalf of a character. That’s some really good writing and makes me very keen to read her Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda!
4 out of 5 stars!
I received this copy from the publisher (Penguin Random House UK Children’s) via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
Once A Soldier by Mary Jo Putney (ARC)
This is one of my guilty pleasures… Romance novels. Because who doesn’t like some steamy storyline once in a while? It’s a pretty undemanding genre that allows for some shifty timelines and cheeky sappy dialogue. Perfect reads for both warm summer days and cold winter nights.
I read all manner of romance, but my favorite are the ones that are stamped mystery/paranormal/crime/thriller/fantasy/sci-fi (well, you get my point) as they most often have a story built around the relationship(s) that intrigues me and keeps me on my toes but still give me steamy scenes and that tingly lovey-dovey feel. Nora Roberts is one author who does this combination beautifully. Now I’ve found another author who does this really well.
Once a Soldier is a historical romance (bonus points) that takes place at the end of Napoleons reign. Will Masterson take one last mission before he intends to retire from the war to manage his estate and title. A mission that takes him to the little mountain kingdom of San Gabriel where he meets Athena Markham, the foreigner who acts as a governess to the princess of said kingdom. Together they must find a way to keep San Gabriel’s enemies from invading, whilst also coming to terms with their mutual attraction.
I received this copy from the publisher (Kensington Books) via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. To see the pretty cover for this book, check it out on Goodreads or Amazon.
Amber Smoke by Kristin Cast (ARC)
Spontaneous reaction upon finishing this book? ARE YOU KIDDING ME?! That ending was the major of cliffhangers with some author-snark thrown in at the end. “The End…For Now.” I mean, come on! First she gets me invested in the characters, builds up the drama and basically uses the epilogue as a cliffhanger of evil? Genius! The gauntlet has been thrown and I must get my hands on the sequel pronto.
So, to move on and summarize… I loved Amber Smoke!
It’s about Eva and Alek finding their way to each other, their destinies being intertwined with that of the ailing Tartarus. In the realm of the Underworld the prison Tartarus is failing under a curse and tormented souls of the damned are escaping to the mortal realm, wreaking havoc and heralding an apocalypse. Alek, warrior son of the Furies, is sent on a mission by his mothers to find Eva, the descendant of Pythia, who is not yet aware of her ancestry or destiny, before everything falls apart. Though finding this lost daughter of the Oracle proves harder than Alek thought.
The whole story, characters and feel of the world is (not the same but) precisely what I was expecting after having read the first 3 books in the House of Night series which Cast co-authored. I did feel as though the story could have used a bit more something to solidify the relationships and given the whole thing more fluidity. Like a couple of more events to give the characters (and reader) a chance to feel the connection between both them and the plot. To get a more solid grip on everything. Or maybe that’s just me being greedy for more and not ready to let go of the story about Eva and Alek.
If you’ve read The House of Night series, or The Black Jewels series by Anne Bishop, that may not have anything in common other than being built on the premises of other mythological dimensions, the characters that move between and their impact on one another plus the general feeling of them, I think you’ll really like Amber Smoke.
I received this copy from the publisher (Diversion Books) via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
Girl in the Shadows by Gwenda Bond (ARC)
May 8, 2016 May 8, 2016 Leave a comment
I haven’t read that many books with a circus as a backdrop and having read this I don’t understand why, because this book was entertainment of the highest trapeze. Suspenseful with a hint of darkness, but an easy read and quite lovely all together. I loved every minute of this!
It’s about a girl named Moira who dreams of becoming a great magician, performing intricate showy illusions in Las Vegas like her father. There’s one small hitch though. Her father is not keen on the idea of his beloved daughter following in his footsteps, in fact, he won’t even give her a chance to show her skills and shuts her down every time she tries. So, when an invitation to the great Cirque American lands by her feet by accident she takes her chance and who could blame her?
The Miraculous Moira gets a shot at her dream. Little does she know there might be a reason her father was so adamant about keeping her away from magic all these years. Any magic at all…
This book is a stand-alone, though technically Girl in the Shadows is the second book set in this world. The first book published was Girl on a Wire. In retrospect I would have read Girl on a Wire first, because this story’s somewhat based on the first one and both revolve around the same artefact. It made me very curious about Jules, Remy and Dita from Girl on a Wire who Moira befriends upon arriving to the Cirque American, and their adventure.
BUT! This does not diminish Girl in the Shadows at all! So, if you have a chance to read Girl in the Shadows? Take it! 🙂
I received this copy from the publisher (Amazon Skyscape) via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. To see the beautiful cover for this book, check it out on Goodreads or Amazon. It’s gorgeous!
The Lux series by Jennifer L. Armentrout
I had my doubts about this series. I’ve read part of a trilogy by Jennifer L. Armentrout a couple of years ago where I LOVED the first book, was a bit put off by the second and couldn’t stomach the third. Then, at this year’s book sale in February I found the first book in the Lux series in the bargain section. I’m glad I did decide to pick up something by this author again.
The Lux series is delightfully well-balanced with action, romance and moral conundrums. The big plus being the consistency in writing and story through book 1-4 and they’re a solid 4 stars so far. I find that sometimes the first couple of books in a series is usually the best and the rest just kind of…degrades. Rarely to the extent that the books are unreadable, but they’re often not as interesting as the first one(s). For example, the Sword of Truth series by Terry Goodkind, the Anita Blake series by Laurell K Hamilton and the Nightrunner series by Lynn Flewelling. I freaking love these three, but the first books in either series is just genius compared to the ones that came later.
The first book introduces Kat who’s just moved to West Virginia with her mother. Kat’s life so far revolves around books and blogging about them (bonus points, right there). Having lost her father to cancer and with a mother that’s trying to stay afloat, she’s learned to take care of herself in her everyday life. She’s basically do an infusion of tumult, of the infuriating but hot neighbor variety. It’s just her luck the disturbed neighbor and his friendly sister are aliens. With baggage. Suspicious, two-faced government baggage.
There are five books in total and I have the Kindle version of Opposition waiting for me to read. 🙂
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Falling in Reverse + All That Remains Book Brief Fall Tour, Plus News on Operation: Mindcrime, Flaw + More
Liz Ramanand, Loudwire (2)
In addition to the big stories we covered today, Wire-to-Wire provides you with some of the other key rock and metal news items from August 7, 2017:
- Falling in Reverse and All That Remains will pair up for a brief tour this fall. The "Coming Home to Madness" trek kicks off Sept. 25 in Lawrence, Kan., and wraps Oct. 6 in Fort Wayne, Ind. Ocean Grove will open the shows, which can be seen here.
- Speaking of killer tours, Powerflo and P.O.D. have added more dates to their September trek. The tour starts Sept. 7 in New York, with shows booked through Sept. 24 in Albuquerque. Dates can be found here.
- Geoff Tate has revealed that the third album in his proposed trilogy is currently in the works. Appearing on the Lucas H. Gordon Show, Tate explained that the companion to 2015's The Key and 2016's Resurrection will be released by Operation: Mindcrime this fall.
- Veteran rockers Flaw have announced plans to release a new EP called United We Stand on Sept. 1. The EP is viewed as a companion piece to their Divided We Fall album. The six-song set includes four new tracks and a pair of live cuts. You can pre-order here.
- The Bronx have unleashed a new track called "Two Birds" from their upcoming album V, due Sept. 22. You can pre-order the album here and look for the band on tour in Europe and the U.S. at these locations. Plague Vendor and '68 will open the U.S. shows.
- Napalm Death frontman Barney Greenway told Metal Wani that their next album is in the "preliminary stage," and that they'll start work on the disc soon. He also revealed that even though guitarist Mitch Harris had been absent from the band's touring, he is still a member of the band and will "most likely" be part of the next disc.
- The Regrettes will team up with SWMRS and The Interrupters for a late year tour kicking off Dec. 1 in Detroit. Get ticketing info and see all of the dates at this location.
Loudwire 360 News Video
Filed Under: #NewMusicEveryday, All That Remains, Falling in Reverse, Flaw, Napalm Death, Operation: Mindcrime, P.O.D., Powerflo, The Bronx, The Regrettes
Categories: Concerts, Metal, New Albums, News, Rock, Songs, Wire To Wire
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A Screening Of Dirty Dancing With Bottomless Booze And Popcorn Is Coming To Manchester
Manchester’s Retro Video Games Festival Is Back For The WHOLE Summer
By Lovin Media
Gamers, get ready, because Power UP festival is back in Manchester by popular demand.
The video games festival is making its return to Manchester this summer at the Science & Industry Museum, where guests will have the chance to play some of the most popular games from the past 40 years, including Pong, Pacman, Minecraft and Mario.
Instead of a short stint this year, Power UP is back for the WHOLE summer. That’s right, from 20 July to 1 September you’ll be able to get your game on as much as you like, challenging your friends or even just challenging your highest scores.
Power UP festival is back this summer
There are 90-minutes sessions in play, as well as adult-only evenings sessions and half-day sessions.
For the first time, Power UP will feature handheld consoles such as the Gameboy and the Atari Lynx.
Mark Cutmore, Head of Commercial Experiences, said: “We know that Power Up is one of our most popular events of the year, and with sessions selling out for the past few years we decided that a two-week run just wasn’t enough.
“So I’m delighted to announce that Power Up will be in residence for the entire summer, giving more opportunities to play than ever before.”
Tickets start at £7 and you can buy them here.
A Super Special Star From RuPaul's Drag Race Is Touring The UK
Europe's Biggest Trainers Festival Is Coming To Manchester This Weekend
A Video Games Festival With 1000 Consoles Is Coming To Manchester
A 90s And 00s Throwback Gig With S Club, B*Witched, 5ive And More Is Coming To Manchester
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info@maggieleffler.com
About Maggie
Book Club FAQ
Booksmaggie_admin2016-04-24T19:10:59+00:00
THE DIAGNOSIS OF LOVE
Dr. Holly Campbell is trying to outrun the symptoms of her life: her doubts about her career, her grief over her mother’s recent death, and her chronic missteps at love. So answering an ad to be a doctor in rural England seems like the perfect escape. But Holly no sooner learns that practicing medicine in England is like driving on the wrong side of the road than her twin brother’s fiancée shows up on her doorstep, her grade-school crush turns up in her dormitory, and her mother’s old lover appears at lunch. How can Holly cure their ailments if she can’t even diagnose her own? THE DIAGNOSIS OF LOVE is the tale of a young doctor colliding with the past–and choosing her own future.
THE GOODBYE COUSINS
Diotima Linzer is a woman who believes in premonitions, especially the one that tells her it’s time to take her two-year-old, Max, home. After living abroad for fifteen years, Di returns to the States to start her life again. Accepting a job as a nanny seems like a step toward stability–until Di finds herself at the heart of another family’s struggles…Alecia Axtel is more stressed out than ever, thanks to the pressure of planning the perfect wedding, the prenup she hasn’t mentioned to her fiance, Ben, and the advent of her cousin Di–and Di’s toddler–into her apartment. Just as Ben announces he’s ready for children, and her boss announces her promotion to evening news anchor, Alecia’s estranged mother shows up. It’s enough to make a woman queasy. As their lives suddenly start changing in unexpected ways, two very different cousins–one searching for direction in the universe, the other desperate to stop her well-ordered life from unraveling–are about to discover the family they thought they’d lost may have found them instead.
THE SECRETS OF FLIGHT
Told in alternating viewpoints, THE SECRETS OF FLIGHT brings readers from the skies of World War II to the present day, where a woman is prepared to tell her secrets at last.
Estranged from her family since just after World War II, Mary Browning has spent her entire adult life hiding from her past. Now eighty-seven years old and a widow, she is still haunted by secrets and fading memories of the family she left behind. Her one outlet is the writing group she’s presided over for a decade, though she’s never written a word herself. When a new member walks in — a fifteen-year-old girl who reminds her so much of her beloved sister Sarah — Mary is certain fate delivered Elyse Strickler to her for a reason.
Mary hires the serious-eyed teenager to type her story about a daring female pilot who, during World War II, left home for the sky and gambled everything for her dreams — including her own identity.
As they begin to unravel the web of Mary’s past, Mary and Elyse form an unlikely friendship. Together they discover it’s never too late for second chances and that sometimes forgiveness is all it takes for life to take flight in the most unexpected ways.
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Copyright 2016 Maggie Leffler | All Rights Reserved
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The Sea of Possibilities
Levi Asher • November 17th, 2010
Arabic Awards Being A Writer British Comedy Comix Drama Eastern Film History Internet Culture Language Music New York City News Poetry Publishing Religion Russian Summer Of Love Technology Television
1. Just Kids, Patti Smith's beguiling memoir of late 1960s New York, the Chelsea Hotel, Robert Mapplethorpe and the early 1970s St. Mark's Church punk poetry scene, has won the National Book Award! Quite impressive. I totally called this back in February, you know. The winner's circle above includes Jaimy Gordon, Terrance Hayes, Kathryn Erskine.
2. Doonesbury turns 40! I grew up with this comic strip. I used to especially love the counterculture literary references: Uncle Duke was Hunter S. Thompson, and several characters lived at the Walden Puddle Commune. (This was probably a reference not only to Thoreau's Walden but also to B. F. Skinner's then-fashionable Walden Two.)
Before I found out Patti won the National Book Award I was going to illustrate today's blog post with a picture I found of Zonker scuba-diving in Walden Puddle. The image is too good to waste, so here it is:
3. Michael Orthofer of the Complete Review has written a book, The Complete Review: Eleven Years, 2500 Reviews, A Site History, about his experience creating and maintaining that website and the accompanying blog Literary Saloon. I've read it, and it's a charming, candid look at the kinds of questions, decisions and private struggles that animate the life of a serious independent blogger.
4. Rainn Wilson of The Office explains why he is a Baha-i, and why he wrote a book called Soul Pancake: Chew on Life's Big Questions. Looks like some wise stuff -- I may chew on some of these questions myself.
5. The history of Soft Skull, which may or may not be coming to an end.
6. A friend alerted me to the Yale Repertory Theater's production of Dostoevsky's Notes From Underground, starring Bill Camp. Looks good, though I still like my version too.
7. . "It ain't fair, John Sinclair". A video performance by the Michigan activist, poet and one-time manager of the MC5, directed by Laki Vazakas.
8. Breaking the Poetry Code: where poetry and electronic publishing meet.
9. If Other Directors Made The Social Network. My favorite: Christopher Guest.
10. Antonia Fraser has written a book, Must You Go, about her marriage to the late playwright Harold Pinter.
11. The Most Difficult Book I Punched In The Face.
12. Wikileaks and War Poetry by Daniel Swift.
13. Ten things that get called (mostly incorrectly) "Kafkaesque".
14. A much-needed documentary about the great, anguished, complicated 1960s-era folksinger/protest singer Phil Ochs, There But For Fortune.
15. Taoism is being allowed a revival -- a very modest one, but a revival nonetheless -- in China.
16. Reza Aslan talks about the latest Words Without Borders anthology Tablet & Pen on the Colbert Report. Also don't forget The Ecco Anthology of International Poetry, also from Words Without Borders, edited by Ilya Kaminsky and Susan Harris, and here's a website of literary international jokes called An International Joke.
17. Wanderlust, a dynamic display of "history's greatest journeys, from Magellan to Kerouac".
18. 20 Awesomely Untranslatable Words From Around The World.
19. Speaking of words, I'm pissed off that bluth was not chosen as the Word of the Year. Maybe it'll make the list for 2011.
3 Responses to "The Sea of Possibilities"
by W. Juan Wiippa on Thursday, November 18, 2010 11:20 pm
http://www.democracynow.org/2010/11/18/headlines#14
I heard part of an interview with Patti Smith on the radio and was amazed to find out that Gregory Corso was at her first poetry reading at a church in NYC.
She said Corso would heckle you if you were boring.
Before that interview, I never knew she was a poet before she was a punk-rocker.
by Bill_Ectric on Friday, November 19, 2010 10:12 am
The piece on untranslatable words is very good.
by Frances Madeson on Friday, November 19, 2010 10:22 am
You bet it's fishy! In what was arguably American publishing's lowest, most reptilian year, in which we saw multi-million dollar money-laundering payouts to the likes of professional charlatan and demagogue Sarah Palin and mass-murderer George W. Bush, one can't help noting the incredible cog dis between who was chosen this year to front the industry and the real aims of corporate publishing as a propaganda arm of the top 1% of the world's wealth hoarders. It's getting weirder every day. I guess the only thing to hope for in this scenario is that more listeners will be attracted to Patti Smith's music as a result of the media attention prompted by the award, and be rocked hard enough to want to resist.
The Great Lost Rock Memoir: Inside Out by Nick Mason
by Levi Asher Tuesday, March 11, 2014 04:17 pm
Pink Floyd's drummer has written a clever and honest autobiography, though unfortunately the book's format will keep readers far away.
"I'll Meet You Under The Words": Language Matters with Bob Holman
A new documentary showing on PBS explains the deep cultural significance of regional languages, many of which are destined for extinction.
Amiri Baraka, Newark Poet
by Levi Asher Thursday, January 9, 2014 09:09 pm
Amiri Baraka, a seminal Beat poet, angry playwright, revolutionary activist and scrappy indie publisher from Newark, New Jersey has died.
Geek Sublime by Vikram Chandra
by Levi Asher Sunday, February 15, 2015 10:08 am
A novelist and computer programmer explores the intersection of the two worlds.
Sixteen Songs About a Ship of Fools
The image of the "Ship of Fools" has appeared in several books, a movie, and sixteen songs by artists like the Doors, Grateful Dead, John Cale, Robert Plant, Soul Asylum, Sarah Brightman, Bob Seger, the Scorpions, Echo and the Bunnymen ...
A Bookstore Grows In Brooklyn
by Levi Asher Monday, October 19, 2009 06:39 pm
Fort Greene, Brooklyn celebrates the successful launch of a vibrant community-supported bookstore, Greenlight.
The Awful Movie Dr. Seuss Made in 1953
by Levi Asher Wednesday, February 27, 2013 08:47 pm
In this dream, the kid wears a glove on the top of his beanie, is chased by weird chubby thugs in brightly colored suits who resemble proto-Oompa-Loompas, dodges a pair of roller-skating old men who share a common beard, and is forced to participate in a 500-kid piano performance on a swirling 5000 key piano.
I assure you that I just made the movie sound better than it is.
The Vortex: Beats and Rock and Punk
by Levi Asher Tuesday, April 30, 2013 08:14 pm
Two books explore the intersection of literary, musical and artistic underground scenes: 'Text and Drugs and Rock 'N' Roll' by Simon Warner and 'The Best of Punk Magazine' by John Holmstrom.
The Best Article About the Velvet Underground Ever, by Lance Loud in 1975
by Lance Loud Monday, October 28, 2013 08:38 pm
A classic look at the emerging legend of the Velvet Underground, written by Lance Loud in 1975, now reprinted for the first time ever from Hit Parader magazine.
2013 Wrap-Up: A Mockingjay Year
by Levi Asher Thursday, December 26, 2013 06:40 pm
I hope my pick for the most significant book of 2013 will surprise you. It surprises me. For one thing, it's not exactly a book. It wasn't published in 2013. And I've never mentioned it on Litkicks before.
The Mahabharata, the Ramayana and the Mystique of William Buck
by Levi Asher Tuesday, April 1, 2014 02:52 pm
The mysterious William Buck began creating his Mahabharata in Carson City, Nevada in 1955, the year Allen Ginsberg wrote Howl, and his production seems to reflect a nascent Beat sensibility.
Pacifism Weekend: Why The Iran Deal Is Very Good News
Forget the noise. Despite the loud opposition, the peace agreement that will hopefully conclude this week is a great and historic step forward for every nation in the world.
Ship of Fools, the Enduring Metaphor
by Levi Asher Monday, March 23, 2015 09:59 pm
From Plato's Republic to Sebastian Brant medieval satire to Katherine Anne Porter's bestselling novel, the idea that we are sailing on a ship of fools has intrigued many minds.
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ELITE SHOPPING TV / LIVE ART TV's mission and passion (the kind that keeps us awake into the wee hours of the morning), is discovering the hidden gems of the art world and bringing them to light to share with our fellow art admirers and patrons anywhere in the world. The other art companies will always have their Andy Warhols, Jackson Pollocks, Keith Herrings, and other world-renowned masters respectively, but we at Live Art TV walk a different path.
We nurture new and exciting artists and help them grow. But only you, our devoted admirers of art, can help us transform these unsung talents from unknown into a whole new generation of masters. Our tireless search for new talent is ongoing, but our burning love for art keeps us on track to ushering them through our stage. As our business continues to expand so will our commodities. In addition to artwork, priceless antiques, high-end jewelry, and brand watches will also become part of our family.
In 2003, parent company Elite Shopping TV was created and began broadcasting in Milan, Italy, presenting a wide range of Italian and European works of modern art, jewelry, antique collections, and branded wrist watches. After fifteen wonderful years of success and experience, the time had come to expand our focus to a more global scale, thus Live Art TV was conceived in the United States. And thanks to the latest online streaming technology and platforms on Roku, Google TV, and Apple TV, our vision has come to fruition.
“We here at Live Art TV are utterly enraptured with the art world and we know how much it can enhance your everyday life. I want to make people all over the world fall in love with each new discovery and capture your imagination! I strongly believe that the time had come to move forward, while staying true to our roots and embracing today’s fast-paced digital world. So, let us be your cultivated guide of this rich, intoxicating world. You’ll wonder how you ever lived without it!” – Albert Yaghoubzadeh
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London Lightning
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If Ye Break Faith
Remembrance Day: Spitfire veteran, 95, credits luck for surviving Second World War
Tom Hennessy. (MORRIS LAMONT, The London Free Press)
"We few, we happy few, we band of brothers; for he today that sheds his blood with me shall be my brother."
St. Crispins Day speech in William Shakespeare’s Henry V
Tom Hennessy remembers well his lesson on the bond of brotherhood that is forged in war.
The former Royal Air Force fighter pilot, now 95 years old and living in London, served as a Spitfire pilot in the Second World War, where he patrolled the coast of France, fought over the Mediterranean and launched the British fighter plane off aircraft carriers to train for war in the Pacific theatre, that thankfully ended before he joined the fray.
But it was one harrowing night, after a routine patrol of attacking ground targets over Italy, he recalls at this time of year. His mission was to support the Italian campaign in the wake of the Allied invasion of Italy in 1943.
"I got jumped. We were over Italy, we were not in good shape, we had been bombing and were short on gas," said Hennessy, seated at the kitchen table of his Victoria Street home.
"All of a sudden, there were planes on top of us, all over us. I started slamming my plane and I saw tracer bullets all around me. I thought, ‘He’s got me.’ "
He put his plane in a steep dive and managed to shake the Messerschmidt 109.
"I jammed it down, giving him the idea he got me. That was as close as I got," he said.
But there is no question how he was able to escape that scrap and many others to survive the war.
"I was lucky I got through it. It has to be luck with (anti-aircraft fire) around you. I learned how much we depend on one another. When we flew abreast of each other, spread out next to each other, I did not care (about colour or race), but I knew they cared about me. It was a helluva way to learn that we all need each other."
On Remembrance Day Saturday, Hennessy likely won’t attend a ceremony or go to a Legion hall for a pint. As he has every year, he will watch a cenotaph ceremony on TV at home with Joyce, his wife of 40 years.
"There is nothing good about war, at all," said Hennessy.
He recalls returning home on a hospital ship, his leg broken in a soccer game, and was on deck at night when he saw the lights along the English coast — a sign the war had ended.
"That is when it hit me. I am coming home, but Jack did not come home, James did not come home, my brother did not come home. I started to have tears."
His brother Burt was also in the RAF, a wireless operator, and was killed in 1938 in Palestine during the Arab Revolt.
"There was a thankfulness that I was alive, I was OK. I am alive and got through it, but my good friends did not make it. "
Hennessy was born in Dublin, Ireland, in 1922 and joined the air force at 18 years old in 1940.
After initial training in Belfast he was sent to Scotland and then to Canada, where he was sent on a train through London and Sarnia, eventually ending up in Oklahoma to train on a Steerman for about six weeks.
It was there he became a pilot, earning his wings, and enjoyed a special ceremony at the base.
"When you flew solo for the first time, they threw you in a muddy lake," he laughed, showing a photograph of him being tossed in the water.
He returned to England for operational training for eight weeks before being posted to 504 Squadron in Northern Ireland.
"I was on Spitfires, all the time," he said.
It was only a matter of time before his squadron was relocated to southern England and he saw duty escorting ships out of England, then flying low-level missions over France attacking ground targets.
But change is constant in the service, and he soon found himself on the move again.
"I was sent back to a station near Liverpool for going overseas," said Hennessy. "When they give you khaki shirts and a pith helmet, you knew it was going to be warm."
Sure enough, he was stationed in Malta. He did not know it at the time, but he would fly in support of the Italian campaign, which began with the invasion of Sicily in 1943.
"In North Africa the (American ) Eighth Army was moving along. It looked like there was going to be an invasion in southern Europe," said Hennessy.
"There were more and more planes coming to Malta. We knew an invasion was coming, we did not know where. One night I was up, patrolling along the coast of Malta and there was not a boat to be seen. The next day there were hundreds of ships, all off the coast of Sicily."
One of his toughest missions was when his squadron was assigned to take out the radar at the Isle of Capri to aid U.S. bombing missions in North Africa.
"We had to stay under the radar, had to skim the Mediterranean forever. After a while you wonder what was water and what was air," he said.
After the war ended in Europe, he was sent to India to train on takeoffs from an aircraft carrier as he was preparing to fight in the Japanese theatre. He even underwent "jungle training" from Burmese fighters, in case he had to survive in the jungle.
"The Pacific war was still going, they were getting ready to invade. They they dropped the big one," he said of the atomic bomb dropped by the U.S.
After the war he returned to England where he soon saw a sign urging veterans to come to Canada. He knew no one here, but feeling restless, he craved another adventure. He worked odd jobs in Toronto before attending teachers’ college.
Hennessy worked in Toronto and Sarnia before becoming a supervisor in health and physical education for 25 years in London. He supervised the implementation of studies in health and phys ed.
"I was all over the city, went around to schools to make sure all the children were involved," he said.
After retiring in 1984, Hennessy conducted workshops on the healing power of laughter and play for businesses, hospitals and "anyone wanting professional development," he said.
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To the choirmaster: with stringed instruments. A Psalm of Asaph. A Song. In Judah God is known; his name is great in Israel. His abode has been established in Salem, his dwelling place in Zion. There he broke the flashing arrows, the shield, the sword, and the weapons of war. Selah Glorious are you, more majestic than the mountains of prey. The stouthearted were stripped of their spoil; they sank into sleep; all the men of war were unable to use their hands. ... Bible Verse Wall Art
1 Then the LORD said to Moses, 2 “See, I have chosen Bezalel son of Uri, the son of Hur, of the tribe of Judah, 3 and I have filled him with the Spirit of God, with wisdom, with understanding, with knowledge and with all kinds of skills— 4 to make artistic designs for work in gold, silver and bronze, 5 to cut and set stones, to work in wood, and to engage in all kinds of crafts. 6 Moreover, I have appointed Oholiab son of Ahisamak, of the tribe of Dan, to help him. Also I have given ability to all the skilled workers to make everything I have commanded you: Christian Canvas Art
As a secular, non-sectarian, universal notion of art arose in 19th-century Western Europe, ancient and Medieval Christian art began to be collected for art appreciation rather than worship, while contemporary Christian art was considered marginal. Occasionally, secular artists treated Christian themes (Bouguereau, Manet) — but only rarely was a Christian artist included in the historical canon (such as Rouault or Stanley Spencer). However many modern artists such as Eric Gill, Marc Chagall, Henri Matisse, Jacob Epstein, Elizabeth Frink and Graham Sutherland have produced well-known works of art for churches.[1] Salvador Dali is an artist who had also produced notable and popular artworks with Christian themes.[2] Contemporary artists such as Makoto Fujimura have had significant influence both in sacred and secular arts. Other notable artists include Larry D. Alexander and John August Swanson. Some writers, such as Gregory Wolfe, see this as part of a rebirth of Christian humanism.[3] Christian Canvas Art
During the development of Christian art in the Byzantine Empire (see Byzantine art), a more abstract aesthetic replaced the naturalism previously established in Hellenistic art. This new style was hieratic, meaning its primary purpose was to convey religious meaning rather than accurately render objects and people. Realistic perspective, proportions, light and color were ignored in favor of geometric simplification of forms, reverse perspective and standardized conventions to portray individuals and events. The controversy over the use of graven images, the interpretation of the Second Commandment, and the crisis of Byzantine Iconoclasm led to a standardization of religious imagery within the Eastern Orthodoxy. Christian Gifts
and in the cutting of stones for settings, and in the carving of wood, that he may work in all kinds of craftsmanship. "And behold, I Myself have appointed with him Oholiab, the son of Ahisamach, of the tribe of Dan; and in the hearts of all who are skillful I have put skill, that they may make all that I have commanded you: the tent of meeting, and the ark of testimony, and the mercy seat upon it, and all the furniture of the tent, the table also and its utensils, and the pure gold lampstand with all its utensils, and the altar of incense, the altar of burnt offering also with all its utensils, and the laver and its stand, Christian Gifts
Huram also made the pails, the shovels and the bowls. So Huram finished doing the work which he performed for King Solomon in the house of God: the two pillars, the bowls and the two capitals on top of the pillars, and the two networks to cover the two bowls of the capitals which were on top of the pillars, and the four hundred pomegranates for the two networks, two rows of pomegranates for each network to cover the two bowls of the capitals which were on the pillars.read more.
Masters, treat your slaves justly and fairly, knowing that you also have a Master in heaven. Continue steadfastly in prayer, being watchful in it with thanksgiving. At the same time, pray also for us, that God may open to us a door for the word, to declare the mystery of Christ, on account of which I am in prison— that I may make it clear, which is how I ought to speak. Walk in wisdom toward outsiders, making the best use of the time. ...
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MapGive
Drawing Our Resources Together
Why Map?
Learn to Map
Start Mapping
ABOUT MAPGIVE
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Launched in 2014, MapGive is a U.S. Department of State initiative that encourages and increases volunteer participation in the global mapping community and facilitates the creation of open geographic data to support humanitarian and development efforts. For many places in the world, this data is incomplete or simply does not exist, and through mapping, volunteers can help to fill gaps in the data set to build a more sustainable future. MapGive emphasizes collaborative online mapping as a method to engage with local communities and organizations, with resonant themes including education, urban resilience, and humanitarian response, among others.
MapGive utilizes the U.S. Department of State’s unique capabilities to strengthen the open mapping community’s ongoing efforts. For example, MapGive provides approved humanitarian and development related projects with USG-licensed high-resolution satellite imagery through the Imagery to the Crowd program. In addition, MapGive leverages the Department’s global reach to amplify the open mapping community’s voice through social media and creates collaborative programming with existing State Department efforts to better serve humanitarian needs.
ABOUT OPEN MAPPING
Open Mapping is when individuals work together to contribute to a freely accessible map of the world. Crowdsourcing is an important method of Open Mapping, but many mappers work from the ground directly in their communities. Updated map data that is open and highly detailed helps play a critical role in humanitarian assistance and development programs. Learn about some of the groups mobilizing the global mapping community.
OpenStreetMap (OSM) is a collaborative project that is building a free editable map of the world. A diverse, global community of contributors, including online volunteers, or remote mappers, as well GIS professionals, contribute data that creates an accurate, detailed, and up-to-date map. There are many free maps on the Internet, but the underlying data in many other maps is not available for public use due to legal and technical restrictions. OpenStreetMap opens up the map and the data to the public and makes it free to modify and use under an open license (Open Data Commons Open Database License 1.0). OpenStreetMap powers map data on thousands of web sites, mobile apps, and hardware devices.
Humanitarian OpenStreetMap Team
The Humanitarian OpenStreetMap Team (HOT) is a non-profit organization that coordinates the creation, production and distribution of free mapping resources to provide map data supporting humanitarian response efforts around the world through OSM. HOT efforts made a significant impact supporting earthquake relief in Haiti in 2010 and have since regularly made critical contributions to major disasters and worked to expand knowledge across partners and communities. HOT's mission is to apply the principles of open source and open data sharing towards disaster management and the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals.
YouthMappers
YouthMappers is an international university constorium on Mapping for Resilience that organizes a global community of learners, researchers, educators, and scholars to create and use open geographic data to directly address locally defined development challenges worldwide. YouthMappers invites students and faculty advisors to join its network that includes over 140 chapters across over 40 countries. YouthMappers is supported by the United States Agency for International Development through a grant from the USAID GeoCenter. Founding partners are Texas Tech University, The Geoge Washington University, and West Virginia University.
Missing Maps is an open, collaborative project founded by HOT, Medecins Sans Frontieres, British Red Cross, and the American Red Cross that aims to map areas using OSM so that individuals, communities, and organizations can use open data to better prepare and respond to natural disasters and humanitarian emergencies. Missing Maps supports community mapping by developing technologies, skills, and workflows and by harnessing a global volunteer network.
Global Facility for Disaster Reduction and Recovery (GFDRR)
The Global Facility for Disaster Reduction and Recovery (GFDRR) is a global partnership that helps developing coutnries better understand and reduce their vulnerability to natural hazards and climate change. GFDRR is a grant-funding mechanism managed by the World Bank that supports disaster risk management projects worldwide and provides knowledge, funding, and technical assistance. The Open Data for Resilience Initiative (OpenDRI), part of GFDRR, applies concepts of the global open data movement to the challenges of reducing vulnerability to natural hazards and the impacts of climate change and supports World Bank Regional Disaster Risk Management Teams to build capacity and long-term ownership of open data projects with client countries.
Secondary Cities
Secondary Cities (2C) is a field-based initiative of the U.S. Department of State's Office of the Geographer and Global Issues to map for resiliency, humanity security, and emergency preparedness. Secondary Cities builds partnerships to create geospatial capacity, enhance understanding through data and mapping, and enable science-based decision making. Projects and partners support any one or combination of open source and proprietary geospatial tools and technologies for data generation, data management and sharing, data visualization, and remote sensing.
MapGive in a Box
MapGive in the News
Imagery to the Crowd
Open maps...help us better understand our world and allow us to build more resilient communities, together.”
–Alyssa Wright, U.S.A.
Map Give
MapGive, an initiative of the U.S. Department of State’s Humanitarian Information Unit, makes it easy for new volunteers to learn to map and get involved in online tasks.
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« 2 Cuban political prisoners released; a third near death on Day 57 of hunger strike | Main | Demand Cuba release all its political prisoners NOW! »
Castro regime denies Dr. Oscar Biscet permission to visit United States
Dr. Oscar Biscet and his wife Elsa Morejon
One of Raul Castro's so-called "reforms" that has most excited so-called "Cuba experts," was a change in policy that has allowed numerous dissidents and other Cubans to travel overseas without first having to obtain government permission.
Unless, apparently, that dissident is named Dr. Oscar Biscet.
Biscet, perhaps the most recognizable of the Group of 75 prisoners of conscience jailed during the "black spring" crackdown, said this week the Cuban government denied him permission to travel to Washington, D.C., to participate in a White House event commemorating the 50th anniversary of the Presidental Medal of Freedom.
President George W. Bush in 2007 presented the medal to Biscet's children, as he Biscet sat in a Cuban prison.
Biscet was parole from prison in 2011 -- but only after he refused efforts by the regime, the Catholic Church and the Spanish government to force him to take overseas exile as a condition of his release.
It is his official status as being only "conditionally" free that the Castro dictatorship is using to block him from accepting President Barack Obama's invitation to the anniversary event.
"In reality, I remain a political prisoner," Biscet told MartiNoticias.com.
Another dissident told me during his recent visit to the United States that the Castro regime is allowing him and other activists to leave the country as a ploy to try to fool the world that real change is underway in Cuba.
What is happening to Biscet reveals how much of a ploy it really is.
Listen to Martinoticias' interview with Biscet, here.
Posted by Marc R. Masferrer on November 16, 2013 at 01:52 PM | Permalink
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Spirituality is an essential part of a fully experienced life. It touches on the deepest part of an individual’s being, as well as the shared experiences of all humans and, more broadly, all living things. Spiritual psychics tap into this mysterious aspect of existence to reveal truths about you, your loved ones, and the underlying ties that connect us all.
A widely known channeler of this variety is J. Z. Knight, who claims to channel the spirit of Ramtha, a 30 thousand-year-old man. Others purport to channel spirits from "future dimensions", ascended masters,[32] or, in the case of the trance mediums of the Brahma Kumaris, God.[33] Other notable channels are Jane Roberts for Seth, Esther Hicks for Abraham,[34] and Carla L. Rueckert for Ra.[35][36]
St. John Paul II’s biggest focuses was on marriage and family, and he left a tremendous gift to the Church in his Love and Responsibility teachings. They’re more commonly known as the Theology of the Body. Christopher West has written extensively on this, making the subject matter very accessible; others, like Patrick Coffin and Mary Healy, are following in his footsteps.
In 1936, the psychical researcher Nandor Fodor tested the Hungarian apport medium Lajos Pap in London and during the séance a dead snake appeared. Pap was searched and was found to be wearing a device under his robe, where he had hidden the snake.[157] A photograph taken at a séance in 1937 in London shows the medium Colin Evans "levitating" in mid air. He claimed that spirits had lifted him. Evans was later discovered to be a fraud as a cord leading from a device in his hand has indicated that it was himself who triggered the flash-photograph and that all he had done was jump from his chair into the air and pretend he had levitated.[158]
Through Guided Imagery, Meditation, Theta and Delta wave pattern healing, and Spiritual Guidance, I assist souls to awareness of where these energetic cyclical patterns origination is and how to transform it within this dimension and within all of their life experiences in all dimensions, so that one can remember, embrace, and treasure the all inclusive inner wisdom of our soul and of our Soul Life Purpose for this Life Experience clearing the pathway to the love and light you are.
According to James Randi, a skeptic who has debunked many claims of psychic ability and uncovered fraudulent practices,[202] mediums who do cold readings "fish, suggest possibilities, make educated guesses and give options." Randi has a standing offer of $1 million US dollars for anyone who can demonstrate psychic ability under controlled conditions. Most prominent psychics and mediums have not taken up his offer.[203]
Four, some psychic mediums get feelings or sensations in their body and mind, both physical and emotional. A spirit can make the psychic medium feel sad if they are trying to convey the message of depression. Or they can make the psychic medium’s lungs feel tight if they are trying to convey the message that someone had pneumonia or lung cancer. It is not uncommon that a psychic medium will feel a painful sensation in the head if the spirit is trying to relay the message that there was a head trauma that caused death. This could be due to an auto accident or suicide (or any number of causes), so the spirit will also send another message—perhaps a telepathic picture of a smashed car—to complete the story for the psychic medium.
The James Van Praagh School of Mystical Arts is here to empower and awaken you. Founded by New York Times bestselling author and internationally acclaimed spiritual teacher James Van Praagh, the James Van Praagh School of Mystical Arts offers a variety of innovative online courses and spiritual trainings that allow you to create your most fulfilling life, live your soul’s purpose, and share your gifts with the world. The school also offers one of the most in-depth and well-regarded psychic and mediumship certification programs available today. Ultimately, the James Van Praagh School of Mystical Arts is more than a learning experience. It’s a place of like-minded souls where you’re empowered to shine
14. You feel the presence of Spirits – You sense that there *could* be a spirit, but you’re not sure. Maybe you feel like someone is watching you, but it’s just you and Fido hanging out, snacking on popcorn and watching Game of Thrones. You may feel a sudden wave of emotion, such as sadness or anxiety associated with the presence. (clairsentience)
The Austrian medium Rudi Schneider was investigated in 1924 by the physicists Stefan Meyer and Karl Przibram. They caught Rudi freeing his arm in a series of séances.[137] Rudi claimed he could levitate objects but according to Harry Price a photograph taken on April 28, 1932 showed that Rudi had managed to free his arm to move a handkerchief from the table.[138] According to Warren Jay Vinton, Schneider was an expert at freeing himself from control in the séance room.[139] Oliver Gatty and Theodore Besterman who tested Schneider concluded that in their tests there was "no good evidence that Rudi Schneider possesses supernormal powers."[140]
As he did so, I was aware that he’d lost a brother. I could feel his brother right beside him, right there at the party. I didn’t really know quite what to do or how to behave. I had two choices, the first being to just blurt out something, and potentially shock this man by saying, “Hey, I know you lost a brother, and he’s standing right beside you!” No, somehow I don’t think that would have been the right approach. So what I did was this. I put my thoughts out to the brother and said, If you want me to give your brother a message, then you figure out how that conversation is going to come about. I put the responsibility on the spirit to work it out.
Other good starting points in studying the intellectual side of the faith are Frank Sheed’s Theology for Beginners and the Catechism of the Catholic Church. The Catechism is probably thought of more as a reference book, and it certainly is useful for that—but it also contains a tremendous amount of spiritual wisdom. In pondering the mysteries of our faith, we can better make connections between what the Church teaches and why the Church teaches it.
No doubt a great importance in the paranormal field is the problem of fraud. The field of psychic research and spiritualism has been so notoriously full of charlatans, such as the Fox sisters and Eusapia Palladino–individuals who claim to have special power and gifts but who are actually conjurers who have hoodwinked scientists and the public as well–that we have to be especially cautious about claims made on their behalf.[58]
Discover the Advice You Are Searching For Keen also has many psychic reading options outside of spiritual healing readers. If you have questions about your love life or relationships, you can get a love reading from a psychic on Keen. If you are interested in knowing your fortune through tarot, Keen has many online tarot readers who are proven experts at this medium. If you wish for an astrology reading, the Keen platform hosts astrologers who specialize in subjects such as Vedic astrology, Mayan astrology, and Chinese astrology amongst others. No matter what you're looking for, Keen.com can get you in touch with specialists in all of these very diverse and enlightening subjects.
A Medium is the interpreter that spirits talk through. Mediumship is a process of communication between a Medium (a physical body) on the earth plane and a discarnate (an entity without a physical body). A Medium is said to be sensitive to vibrations from the spirit world, enabling them to communicate with discarnate entities - including angels and guides.
In recent years, we've seen the emergence of "celebrity mediums," who are people that have become famous simply for being mediums. This, in turn, has led to some fairly intense scrutiny of those who claim to have mediumship ability. People like the "Long Island Medium," Theresa Caputo and Allison DuBois, who inspired the hit television show Medium, have often been criticized for taking advantage of their clients' grief. Still worse, many are accused of being frauds.
You may frequently use clairaudience as a means of spirit communication, although this is often used in conjunction with other senses. This is where sounds are heard within the mind almost as if the ears have heard them, or more rarely, actual sound heard by the ears. You might hear a name quite loudly in your mind and know that this is the name of the spirit companion trying to communicate with your client. Sometimes single letters or numbers are heard, this is due to spirits' frequent inability to communicate fully. Conversations very rarely occur in the mind of the medium unless they are very advanced or in a state of trance.
In 2013 Rose Marks and members of her family were convicted of fraud for a series of crimes spanning 20 years entailing between $20 and $45 million. They told vulnerable clients that to solve their problems they had to give the purported psychics money and valuables. Marks and family promised to return the cash and goods after "cleansing" them. Prosecutors established they had no intent to return the property.[196][197][198]
The beauty of the wealth of knowledge available to us is there is often a book for whatever need we may have. If we encounter questions about the faith, we have resources to develop our intellectual knowledge. The Catholic blogosphere has a myriad of “Catholic mom” sites where women mutually support each other in their vocations as wives and mothers. There are books too numerous to list that have come from Catholic authors on parenting and authentic masculinity and femininity.
In 1966 the son of Bishop Pike committed suicide. After his death, Pike contacted the British medium Ena Twigg for a series of séances and she claimed to have communicated with his son. Although Twigg denied formerly knowing anything about Pike and his son, the magician John Booth discovered that Twigg had already known information about the Pike family before the séances. Twigg had belonged to the same denomination of Bishop Pike, he had preached at a cathedral in Kent and she had known information about him and his deceased son from newspapers.[169]
In my eBook, The Medium Toolkit, we go over the most common ways all the different types of mediums sense, see and hear those in Spirit, if you're interested in learning more. Also, this whole blog is dedicated to new mediumship and processing all the feelings surrounding new and old gifts, alike. So it's Ok. You're here, among peers - take some time to look around.
"Have a little fun with friends," she told INSIDER. "Before going out one night, pull three cards with the intention of the cards giving you some forewarning about the evening. Let it be fun and easy and involve everyone! You can even ask, 'what happens if we go to this spot or this one?' Let the cards decide your night and see if they gave good advice!"
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At one time these evil spirits were holy angels living in heaven with God. But they rebelled with Satan and were cast down to planet earth. It's in the Bible, Revelation 12:7-9 NIV. "And war broke out in heaven: Michael and his angels fought with the dragon; and the dragon and his angels fought, but they did not prevail, nor was a place found for them in heaven any longer. So the great dragon was cast out, that serpent of old, called the Devil and Satan, who deceives the whole world; he was cast to the earth, and his angels were cast out with him."
I somehow got convinced to have a psychic reading with Adriana on Newbury St. I was walking down the road minding my own business and she pulled me aside and said something like, "You're at a crossroads and I see something about career in your future." Well, that's pretty non-specific, but I was intrigued because I've been plagued by work issues and feeling like I need to make a change.
If you are looking to connect with someone who has passed, then you are requesting a mediumistic reading. I will raise my vibration, as those in the spirit world will lower their vibration on a frequency level to make the connection possible. It is my spirit in my body connecting with a spirit that no longer has a physical body. I will be connecting to those who have passed and who are able to connect with you at the time of the reading. As an evidential medium, I will ask those in the spirit world to communicate evidential facts that will validate the continuity of life after the physical world. Besides describing what the person may have looked like here on the earth plane, I will also sense their individual personality, and ask them for as many details as possible such as birthday and anniversary dates, dates of passing, names, and maybe what kind of work they did here on the earth plane, objects they owned or where they lived, etc.. Sometimes one person will be connecting at the time of the reading, and sometimes many people from spirit will connect with you during the reading. My intention as an evidential medium is to work with those in the spirit world, asking for as much validation as possible so that it will leave no doubt in your mind that your loved one, or loved ones, have communicated with you from the spirit world.
Many souls have written or called me to ask, is an email reading effective? Is it as effective as say a phone or in person reading? What about healings, can they work via email or phone as well? As I have explained to many souls, an email reading is what we would call here on this earth dimension as just as effective and in some cases more so than the phone or a soul to soul physical presence reading. This is simply because in a phone reading or in-person reading, most of what is said we hear but we may be free from remembering every word spoken so that it resonates within us. While it is the energy of the reading rather than the words themselves that provide us with the shift within the soul, there are moments when we forget what is said and there are moments we come infinitely back to a Spiritual Medium or search for another reader to gift us what it is we have forgotten.
That’s why it’s invisible to the human eye. It’s because it’s vibrating at such a high frequency that we’re unable to see it. Just like a dog whistle, we can’t hear it due to the high pitch, yet a dog can. There’s a thin layer between this world and the next (which I refer to either as “the Other-Side” or “the Spirit World”), and the only thing that separates us is the frequency of the vibrations.
“You either have these very shallow ones or these rampantly esoteric ones with so many signs and symbols on them you can barely make them out,” says Matthews. “I bought my first tarot pack, which was the Tarot de Marseille published by Grimaud in 1969, and I recently came right around back to it after not using it for a while.” Presumably originating in the 17th century, the Tarot de Marseille is one of the most common types of tarot deck ever produced. Marseille decks were generally printed with woodblocks and later colored by hand using basic stencils.
This is an organized event that can take place in an auditorium, church or even a TV studio. Participants are picked out from the audience randomly, and the spiritualist or medium passes messages, either directly from the spiritual realm or via his or her personal spirit guide. It’s a good way to see how it all works, but you are playing a numbers game as the chances of you receiving a message are remote.
“I also enjoy reading with the Lenormand deck made by Daveluy, which has been beautifully reworked by Lauren Forestell, who specializes in restoring facsimile decks—cleaning up 200 years’ worth of card shuffling and human grief. The coloring on the Daveluy is very beautiful. Chromolithography gave an incredibly clear color to everything, and I think it was probably as revolutionary as Technicolor was in the days of the movies.”
As a spiritual trance medium, who has channeled messages and healing energy from the soul for thousands of souls around the world, so shall I be that clear channel for you. I provide a clear channel of connection and communication with God/Source itself and reading the Akasha (Akashic Records) to gift you with wisdom on your spiritual journey in providing channeled insights within your chosen Life Experience to bring you joy, peace, and assist in transformations of the soul.
Channeling is a method of trying to communicate with the spirit world that has existed since antiquity. Most modern channelers learn the art through the practice of Eastern meditation. This mildly altered state of consciousness enables the channeler to psychically perceive spirit messages. These manifest themselves as a “thought voice,” which is perceived in the stillness of the medium’s mind. Experienced mediums can enter into a trance state whereby the spirit entity takes direct control over the medium's voice, speaking through it in an accent quite distinct from the medium's normal mode of speech.
Now that you are becoming a medium, you'll need a very active, highly attentive spirit guide who'll take on the task of being the gatekeeper for communication. They'll help to screen spirits coming to you for communication and aid spirits struggling to get their meaning across. The guides bring the spirits forward to you and align their vibrations with yours. They are a little like a customer adviser. They manage the line of customers and give them access to you and the client when it's their turn. You need to establish who this special spirit guide is, there may be more than one, and build relationships with them. Your vibration must be tuned with theirs on a deep and permanent level.
Weeklyuniverse.com reports that many nonpsychic persons are hired as telephone mediums to work with clients by phone rather than in person. You probably have seen the ads in newspapers or magazines, and sometimes on television or radio: “Call 1-800-PREDICT (or something along those lines) to find out what’s in store for you.” Housewives, unemployed actors, and college students who need a part-time income often fill these roles at a low hourly pay rate.
The fifth, and final, thing you should know before going to a psychic medium demonstration or private reading is a piece of advice my friend John says best before every one of his demonstrations, “Don’t Feed The Medium!” If the psychic medium tells you that your Uncle Charlie is present. Don’t blurt out, “Oh, my goodness, my Uncle Charlie was a police officer who lost his leg in the war and died two years ago in a car accident!” Let the psychic medium tell you these things. If you offer that information yourself, then you miss out on the excitement and validation you could gain if the psychic medium was about to tell you those details.
The séance trick of the Eddy Brothers was revealed by the magician Chung Ling Soo in 1898. The brothers utilized a fake hand made of lead, and with their hands free from control would play musical instruments and move objects in the séance room.[96] The physiologist Ivor Lloyd Tuckett examined a case of spirit photography that W. T. Stead had claimed was genuine. Stead visited a photographer who had produced a photograph of him with deceased soldier known as "Piet Botha". Stead claimed that the photographer could not have come across any information about Piet Botha, however, Tuckett discovered that an article in 1899 had been published on Pietrus Botha in a weekly magazine with a portrait and personal details.[97]
No one truly knows when playing cards began to be used for divination, although as early as the fifteenth century, additional picture cards (trumps) were being added to decks of playing cards. These cards depicted images of gods, heroes, or motifs to express philosophical, social, astronomical, or other ideals. The earliest known mention of the practice of tarot-style cartomancy appears in literature in the 16th century. By the 18th century, simple divination methods using cards appeared in several manuscripts.
And at one point you’d hope that the physicist would step down from the pulpit and walk to your brokenhearted spouse there in the pew and tell him that all the photons that ever bounced off your face, all the particles whose paths were interrupted by your smile, by the touch of your hair, hundreds of trillions of particles, have raced off like children, their ways forever changed by you.
“Help yourself during this troubled period by reading holy books. This reading provides excellent food for the soul and conduces to great progress along the path of perfection. By no means is it inferior to what we obtain through prayer and holy meditation. In prayer and meditation it is ourselves who speak to the Lord, while in holy reading it is God who speaks to us. Before beginning to read, raise your mind to the Lord and implore Him to guide your mind Himself, to speak to your heart and move your will.”
Your spiritual reading will also be influenced by the personality of the psychic, medium or clairvoyant who is giving you a reading. Some spiritual readers are able to translate the spiritual information they receive in a language that is easy to relate to and understand. There are however, some spiritual readers who choose to impart insight and information in a more dramatic manner, so do not be surprised when they start talking about angels, spirit and your Higher Self.
Open readings address the larger aspects of your life rather than a specific problem area or question. They're usually done when you're entering a new phase of life, such as getting married, graduating from college or starting a family. You can somewhat direct the reading if you have a general area you want to cover, such as your career or health, but that's as specific as the direction gets.
A former skeptic & private investigator, Bob Olson has been an Afterlife Investigator & Psychic Medium Researcher since 1999. In his search for evidence of the afterlife, Bob has tested hundreds of psychics, mediums & other afterlife-related practitioners. Bob is the host of AFTERLIFE TV, founder of BEST PSYCHIC DIRECTORY and BEST PSYCHIC MEDIUMS, and offers his PSYCHIC MEDIUM WORKSHOP to help psychics and mediums improve their abilities and business. Visit Bob on AFTERLIFE TV's FACEBOOK page & on TWITTER. And don't miss Bob's new book titled ANSWERS ABOUT THE AFTERLIFE.
Once a being awakens and begins to see their life not as a victim of some pre-determined destiny, but as one who has control of the outcomes, then they require spiritual guidance to assist them to move forward on their path of enlightenment. The difference here is that the information is no longer based in prophecies or probabilities. Being psychic does not necessarily coincide with being evolved spiritually, however all spiritual guides have developed their psychic abilities. Spiritual guidance is based on following certain spiritual principles that assist the individual to examine some deep inner truths about themselves and their actions in order to create their desired outcome and to live their dreams. This guidance is based on a psychic intuitive awareness of the person who is doing the reading, but it is filtered through a high level of personal spiritual, emotional and psychological development to bring forth the information that will ultimately assist the person to move into a higher level of Light. Again, empowering the individual to be responsible for their life and ALL that is taking place around them. Most people are not willing to own everything that takes place around them, as there are many unpleasant things taking place in their reality. As long as someone is not willing to own their life completely, they will continue to remain a victim and be subject to the unconscious influences that also surround this lower level of consciousness.
Over time you must build up a relationship with your spirit guides. Your purpose in life is changing, and even if mediumship is only a hobby, your spirit guides need to adjust. Often-times you'll have a lead spirit guide who guides you the most in every day life and ensures you're staying on track according to your life plan if you have one. Different spirit guides preform different functions, for example, if you're an artist you may have an artist spirit guide who helps you while you paint. You may also have a motherly guide to help you in parenting and a business-minded guide for running a business. These are guides with certain expertise, learned during one or more previous lifetimes.
The biblical basis of this practice is St. Paul's advice to his disciple Timothy whom he appointed bishop. St. Paul told him to "Attend to reading." The word "attend" an allusion to the many other concerns that a bishop has to attend to. By this, according to St. Alphonsus Liguori, Doctor of the Church on Moral theology, the Apostle Paul "wished him to apply to the reading of holy books, not in a passing way and for a short time, but regularly and for a considerable time."
Since the psychic industry is unregulated, it is difficult to report scams and get your money back. It’s really up to the client (you) to determine the validity of a particular medium before plunking down your cash. In addition to visiting the website and screening by telephone, you can ask for referrals (keep in mind these could be the so-called psychic’s friends and relatives) or request the answer to a test question, such as the city where you were born or your maiden name. If the answer doesn’t satisfy you, don’t bother to schedule a reading. There are plenty of other psychics to check out.
The illustrations of French-suited tarot trumps depart considerably from the older Italian-suited design, abandoning the Renaissance allegorical motifs. With the exception of novelty decks, French-suited tarot cards are almost exclusively used for card games. The first generation of French-suited tarots depicted scenes of animals on the trumps and were thus called "Tiertarock" ('Tier' being German for 'animal') appeared around 1740. Around 1800, a greater variety of decks were produced, mostly with genre art or veduta. Current French-suited tarot decks come in these patterns:
Most religions have some belief in the afterlife, some more than others. I do believe that it helps to follow some kind of faith, and through these various teachings and a deeper understanding, it can assist us when it’s our time to cross over. I often use the analogy of the spokes of a wheel, in that each spoke represents a different religion or faith, and although each is independent of the other, ultimately they’re all moving in the same direction.
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BIM And The Cloud
Published: July 22nd, 2016
Bentley Systems
Building Information Modelling (BIM) is being described as a game-changing technology and even a cultural shift for the construction and smart buildings sector. Meanwhile, cloud computing has moved from an essential backstage structure of the internet to becoming a household name, representing a new age of information and communications technology (ICT). These two forces are now coming together to drive building design into the future.
“BIM in the cloud helps multidiscipline design and construction teams improve project outcomes by moving computation-intensive tasks to the cloud, enabling more rapid visualisation and simulation and optimised collaboration with access to intelligent, data-rich models”, according to Autodesk, a leading BIM technology provider.
BIM was originally introduced to support design and construction efficiency, and to reduce the cost of construction for building structures and mechanical, electrical and plumbing plants and networks. It quickly developed into a basis to support specialist simulation analysis such as people movement and occupancy, microclimate and carbon reduction. With the introduction of cloud computing and storage, BIM allows greater ease of access and collaboration from stakeholders anywhere in the world, opening up new possibilities.
“Our increased ability to allow mobile access from any device has improved our employee access to critical functions while in the field or working from home. The use of mobile technology, cloud computing, and custom databases have allowed us to improve many of our processes”, said David Reinhart, senior technology developer at SWCA Environmental Consultants in Phoenix, Arizona.
“We have built mobile apps for use on Android tablets that improve the accuracy and efficiency of field data collection. Data collected in the field imports directly into resource-specific databases, which automate analysis and reporting tasks. Cloud-based project web sites and web apps have helped us improve communication and collaboration between project teams, and have also been a powerful tool for public outreach”, he added.
The UK government has shown strong support for BIM and London’s Crossrail project, one of Europe’s largest construction projects currently underway, is serving as the ideal case study for BIM cloud technology. The substantial rail system will run from the city of Reading, west of London, to Shenfield and Abbey Wood in the east, via London Heathrow, the world’s busiest airport. Using 62 miles (100 km) of new tunnels, the Crossrail project hopes to alleviate congestion in the capital while offering improved travel options for London’s citizens, commuters and visitors.
Perhaps most interesting is what impact BIM may have on the all too common problem of London’s major construction projects running wildly of budget. The 90,000 seat national football stadium in Wembley, for example, had an original agreed fixed price of £458m, and an eventual cost £827m. It was a similar story for London’s Millennium Dome and the Jubilee Line underground expansion. A recent announcement from the BIM enabled Crossrail project, however, states the construction is currently “on time and within budget”.
The use of BIM on the project is the result of a partnership with Bentley Systems, who announced that the common data environment (CDE) for the project has officially been moved to the cloud. The CDE has been set up on a hybrid cloud-computing platform powered by Microsoft Azure and managed by Bentley’s AssetWise software.
“Crossrail is leading the world in demonstrating the value of BIM to realise greater efficiency and cost-effectiveness in project delivery and asset lifecycle information management”, said Alan Kiraly, senior vice president of Bentley Systems.
“We’re proud of our work together with Bentley Systems”, said David Epp, alliances director for Microsoft. “We are particularly impressed by Crossrail’s groundbreaking ambition in building both a digital and physical railway and are delighted to have had the opportunity to come together with Bentley to address the challenges and requirements of this world-class endeavour”.
Microsoft Azure is a secure cloud-based platform that has proved very advantageous for BIM users. Where previously BIM data may have been kept isolated, it is now increasingly understood that it can only reach its full potential when CDE is shared on the cloud. The BIM process comes with its own approach to workflow in which all relevant stakeholders need real-time, reliable access.
Placing the CDE on the cloud also offers significant advantages for BIM’s 5D modelling process, essential for deploying sensors and Internet of Things (IoT) infrastructure. The implications of cloud based CDE through BIM software for construction projects in the new era of smart buildings and cities cannot be understated. BIM continues to develop to meet the needs of modern construction in the 21st century.
Smart Buildings Can Make Us More Healthy
Cloud Connected Smart Elevators Enable Preemptive Maintenance Services
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Terrorism: September 11, 2001: Trauma, Grief, and Recovery
Posted by Joyce Boaz | Feb 13, 2009
When Joyce Boaz of Gift from Within requested the following article, we both hoped to find a way to assist those affected by the events of September 11. We hope that this article makes clear that it is normal to have any number of a wide range of thoughts, feelings and reactions in response to the terrorist acts of that day. In addition to the individual nature of response, people react to and recover from such experiences on different timetables. The article covers issues related to possible reactions, risk factors, intensifiers, and other issues that may arise. It presents methods of psychological first aid, self care, finding assistance, and talking to children about what happened. A brief description of traumatic grief, PTSD, and reenactment issues are provided. Joyce has added a list of resources for additional information. We hope that it will be the first of a group of helpful articles and that it will be of assistance to those who are responding in their individual ways to these events.
Kathleen Nader, D.S.W.
On September 11, 2001, terrorists hijacked four commercial airplanes. Two planes were used as missiles to destroy two towers in the World Trade Center. One plane crashed into the Pentagon. One, crashed into a field in Pennsylvania. This horrible tragedy resulted in the loss of thousands of lives, treasured structures, cherished beliefs and a valued sense of ongoing safety. As a nation, we shared shock/disbelief, horror, fear, sadness, grief, despair, anger, rage, worry, stress, and/or the need to take action. In addition, we have each been affected in an individual way by this tragedy.
Heroes have and will emerge. We can all become heroes by courteously and sensitively helping ourselves to recover, helping each other to recover, enhancing the safety of all, and, when possible, finding ways to act that make life better now and over time.
Psychological First Aid 1
In all cases, behave responsibly
Restore equilibrium
Recognize the impact of this event on current functioning
Act to restore equilibrium without overuse of avoidance or denial
When reasonable, postpone major life decisions until stress is reduced and equilibrium restored
Acknowledge and appropriately process grief, pain, anger, etc.
Seek needed assistance
Take good care of body, mind, and spirit
Be safe; make certain that others are safe
Take care of physical first aid and recovery needs
Rest/soothe mind and/or body when needed
Eat and exercise appropriately
Enhance emotional well-being
Find support (from friends, family, a counselor, clergy, or a therapist)
Find peace and quiet when needed
Engage in uplifting activities
If/when able, take positive action
Do things that you know will be helpful to yourself
When welcomed, do things that will be helpful to others
Rally around loved ones and those who are suffering
Restore safety
Offer your efforts and/or resources
Influence decision makers with sound and kindly delivered advice
Make positive change
When emotionally and physically able, reassess (what needs reassessing)
Change what should and can be changed
1 Professional and nonprofessional helpers, civilian and military, individuals and families alike have reacted to the events of September 11. This paper is addressed to all of them in honor of those who died, those who survived, and those who will be called to serve. We are a nation of survivors.
Reaching Overload
We have been inundated with painful images and stories. Concerns such as those regarding the dead, the injured (physically and/or emotionally), future vulnerability, the need to strike back, business losses, costs of restoration and protection, and more fill our thoughts and are regularly discussed in the media. The stresses have been unrelenting. The danger has not ceased. We wonder about the threat of another terrorist act. In New York there is continued danger from building debris, rescuer overwork, and other aspects of the cleanup process. For a long time, we hoped that people remained alive under the debris.
Many people have experienced varying levels of overload. A sense of being overwhelmed may result and may manifest as numbness, exhaustion, confusion, irritability, ready tears, anger, withdrawal, unexplained smiles or laughter, jokes (dark humor), or immobilization. Good self-care is essential. Methods used to recover from overload will vary for different individuals: a bath/shower, nap/rest, meditation/prayer, walk/run, drive/ride, organizing things, making a mess, absorption in a movie/game/task, peaceful and/or pleasant activities, looking at beautiful sights, removing irritating images, listening to specific sounds (music/water/ocean/birds), a massage, hot beverage, singing, crying, yelling, talking to a silent listener, solitude, people… As communities we have come together to show patriotism and mutual support. Neighborhood groups have gathered to light candles, cry, sing patriotic songs, commiserate, talk about what might happen or needs to happen. On the one hand, support is important. On the other hand, recovery must be an individualized experience.
As well as restoring safety and health (physical, mental, emotional and spiritual), it will be important to restore balance and a newly defined normalcy. For most of us, some issues require immediate attention (for example, safety and emotional recovery); other issues (for example, evaluating beliefs and practices) must wait until some recovery occurs. Faulty decisions can be made when overwhelmed or emotionally distressed. When reasonable, some decision-making will need to be postponed until after stress reduction. Decisions will be made by each individual about when to watch and listen, when to take action and when to rest. Decisions must be made about when to be alone and when to be among others; whether to seek support or also to seek counseling. We must determine when and where to be more cautious. For example, airports have already increased security measures. We will be confronted with finding balance in our protective reactions. For example, recognizing the line between reacting to deter assault or oppression and becoming the oppressor; recognizing the difference between reacting wisely and reacting without assessing long-term consequences.
Accepting Varied Reactions
Specific reactions as well as stress levels, grief, and trauma will differ based upon our individual experiences of the event, associations with those directly and indirectly affected, our past histories, cultures, belief systems, biochemical and physiological make-ups, temperaments, personalities, and the potential for long-term personal impact. The directly exposed, those whose loved ones died or were endangered in these events, and individuals with particular risk factors may be experiencing trauma, grief, traumatic grief, anxiety and/or other symptoms (see “Following Traumatic Events”). For those who have had previous traumatic experiences, symptoms may be reawakened by these events. Guilt or grief may complicate reactions or increase symptoms (see “Following Traumatic Events,”).
Multiple responses are likely. Individuals are unique and will respond uniquely. Although some responses may be the same for many of us (e.g., sadness, concern), their sources and manifestations will differ. Some people will seem unaffected by this experience. Because the events happened at a distance and/or did not affect them personally, some people may feel little hindered or will feel reassured of their own safety. Some people are numb or shocked and may have a delayed response. Some individuals endure their pain silently. Some people may feel elated or relieved by having survived the worst. Some individuals will feel irritation and annoyance because of the inconveniences that have and will occur as results of these events. Some will be irritable as a part of their stress reactions. Many will, at some point, experience some form of regression (see “Regression”). Some, whether or not directly affected, will have cried and/or suffered with every new detail or every new testimonial because of sympathy, present or past experiences, current circumstances and/or personal makeup. Some will see the horrific images every time they close their eyes. Some individuals will be immobilized.
Reactions will occur in many variations and on many points of a continuum from one extreme to another. People may vary their behaviors under differing circumstances. For some, this experience has been and will be uniting. For others it engenders a sense of separateness. Some will become more faithful and spiritual. Others will become more doubtful and question spiritual beliefs. Some will use this as an opportunity to rethink their lives and beliefs. Some will better appreciate their lives. Some will become disorganized. Others will become organized. Many will have a variety of thoughts regarding children, their ongoing safety, and their growth and development. It is essential to remember that different people will react differently and on different timetables.
Recognizing Vulnerability to Traumatic Response
In general, anything that reduces emotional distance or increases emotional involvement in what happened, may increase a person’s vulnerability and reactions. Among those who are particularly at risk are people who experienced the sights, sounds and smells; who felt the horror; whose relatives, friends, coworkers or rivals were endangered, killed or injured; who were previously traumatized; who have had mental health difficulties in the past; who have had specific, now unresolvable, interactions with someone killed in this event; or who have personalities or temperaments that make them particularly sensitive to the effects of a horrific tragedy. Studies suggest that individuals exposed to a violent event are at risk of experiencing increased symptoms if their parents have been previously traumatized (Nader, 1998; Solomon, Moshe and Mikulincer, 1988).
The Previously Traumatized. Those who have had previous traumatic experiences (e.g., exposure to violence, disasters, severe accidents) may reexperience thoughts, emotions, symptoms, and arousal levels associated with their original experiences. This event may serve as one more confirmation that the world is not a safe place or that it is difficult to know whom to trust. It will often result in the need for additional therapy to process the interplay of this event and the past experience(s).
The terrorism of September 11, 2001 has affected those who were previously traumatized in a number of ways. It may have amplified or reawakened traumatic emotions (such as fear, rage, depression, helplessness, anxiety, hypervigilance, fatigue, startle, distrust, poor concentration, stress, arousal, and horror…). It may have immobilized some of the previously traumatized as well as some exposed only to this event. Although the topic of facing old demons will be discussed in more detail in another article, a few examples may demonstrate the intensity and nature of the interaction of previous trauma and this event2 . Fran had been drugged, brutally assaulted and heavily scarred physically and emotionally. She was enraged at a government that gave money to countries that housed terrorists, a government that has itself attacked innocents. She was struck with the question,” Who will protect the innocents?”. This event left her even more enraged at the police who made her feel dirty and crazy and who never found her attacker. The danger is/was still out there. She felt unprotected and unassisted by doctors and mental health professionals as well. Her adrenalin was pumping amplifying her sense of rage and fear and the need to strike out… Don recalled the pain of watching, as a child, while his sibling was beaten to death. He had undergone extensive therapy. Before the terrorism of the 11th, he had been on the road to recovery. He had finally found a kind of peace during a trip he had made to a major city. On the 11th, horrible memories and emotions flooded back. He was not sure that he would ever find that peaceful place again.
In contrast to this vulnerability, there is some evidence that individuals who have successfully resolved previous traumatic reactions fare better during subsequent events. Paula had been exposed to multiple traumatic events (e.g., molest, rape, robbery). After the successful completion of therapy with a skilled trauma specialist, she did better than her husband or her friends during an earthquake that collapsed a nearby wall. Among other things, she knew to be cautious and to protect herself from the sights and sounds of horror. Although this result may be affected by more than one factor, it suggests that a severe reaction to this current event may be an indicator that past aspects of the original event need additional resolution. A severe reaction suggests the need for therapeutic assistance regardless of past history.
2Names have been changed and stories disguised or combined in the examples provided throughout this paper.
Reacting to reminders
Reminders of the tragedy of September 11 or of a previous trauma can engender sets of memories, thought processes, emotions or symptoms related to those experiences. Reminders may include certain mental or external images, sounds, smells, tastes, physical sensations, emotions, ideas, circumstances, weather conditions, places, people, and other things associated with the experience. For those who have been previously traumatized (perhaps especially when the previous trauma was a violent event), the tragedy of September 11 is a reminder.
Different people will have varying sensitivities to different reminders of the event. Some people may be reminded by airplane sounds, by any depiction of or actual explosion, building collapse, person jumping from a high place, etc. (intentional or unintentional; actual, media or movie depiction). Other individuals will only be alerted by specific things that closely approximate what they saw or heard during the event. The grieving may be reminded of the event every time they think of the deceased. Reminders may recall any or all of the emotions and symptoms associated with the original or with this event.
Seeking Support
Varying levels of assistance will be important for many people. For those who were saddened or who need to sort out their thinking, talking to a friend, clergy or other counselor may assist a return to a newly defined normalcy. There are a number of methods of healing that might be used individually or in combination. Efforts to reduce stress or to heal strained nerves may be the best or additional assistance for some – such as periods of turning off television or radio news shows, taking a walk, art or movement (such as painting or dance; with or without an art or movement therapist), or massage therapy (see also, “Reaching Overload”, above). Those who are experiencing grief may benefit from seeing a grief counselor.
Many people may go to one or two counseling sessions to process their reactions or to sort out their thinking. If hopelessness does not begin to become hopefulness, if fear or anger do not become attempts to find positive actions that lift spirits, then finding help may be important. When symptoms and emotions become intense and/or interfere with normal functioning, it is essential to seek an appropriately trained professional. Individuals experiencing trauma or traumatic grief; anyone immobilized by fear, anxiety or guilt; anyone whose previous trauma is overwhelming; anyone who (through action or inaction) may harm themselves or others should seek the assistance of someone trained and skilled in assisting the traumatized.
Usually, the best way to find a good therapist is through people who have been helped by a therapist. In addition, some clinicians can be found through a university library search under the topic of trauma or traumatic grief. A number of organizations have members who specialize in the treatment of trauma – such as the International Society for Traumatic Stress Studies (ISTSS); the National Center for Victims of Crime (NCVC); the Association for Traumatic Stress Specialists (ATSS); the National Organization for Victims Assistance (NOVA). There are skilled and less skilled therapists in every mental health organization. It is best to investigate the successes and skills of any therapist before entering therapy and to find the clinician and method that best suit the individual seeking support. Choosing wisely is each individual’s responsibility.
Responding to the Insensitive
Events like these bring out the best and the worst in people. We have already seen many heroic endeavors. We have also seen actions toward personal gain (such as price gouging). In times of intense stress and/or after fearful events have occurred, some will behave in insensitive ways. For example, groups of people may lessen their own discomfort by making jokes about what happened. Some of these jokes may seem to minimize the tragic nature of these events or to diminish those who have suffered or died. It is possible to understand the need for comic relief and, at the same time, excuse oneself from having to endure it.
A strong patriotism is one of the results of this experience. Some will find that they are now offended when any fellow American is insulted. It is essential that we avoid creating additional traumas or perpetuating hatred by overzealous acts.
Accepting All Thoughts and Positive Actions
This experience has unleashed a cascade of thoughts in multiple directions. All thoughts are reasonable. Actions must be responsible.
Any combination of responses is expected. For example, rage and a desire to retaliate (or bring to justice) may coexist with love for “the enemy.” Jamie was surprised by feelings of wanting to violently retaliate. She studied the face of Osama bin Laden, a known endorser of terrorism, when the media aired video footage. She wondered how he could look so calm in the videos. There seemed to be no tension in his face. At one point, to her surprise, she began to feel love while looking at him. She had always been taught to “Love your enemy.” Still, she wondered if it was okay for this involuntary feeling to arise in response to such a man. She knew that feeling love toward someone does not mean that they should be exempt from answering for their deeds. She also knew that feeling the desire to retaliate did not mean you would ever act on it. She endorsed finding well planned interventions that would not result in worse atrocities.
Reexamining ourselves may be a part of patriotic feelings. Several years ago, George, an architect, went to Saudi Arabia to design buildings for the government. He was there for one month. When he returned to the United States, he was surprised that he experienced culture shock coming home. In Saudi Arabia people covered their entire bodies with clothing. Women were covered except for their eyes; they did not drive and had very little freedom. Big city congestion and very tall buildings and billboards were absent from the landscape. Five times a day a voice sang out the call to prayer. Every one stopped to cleanse themselves and pray. He had only been gone for a month, yet he experienced some shock coming home. He found himself thinking how shocking it would be for his Arabian colleagues to enter and see all of the tall buildings, the congestion, the billboards and beaches with scantily clothed women, women competing with men, and the general demeanor of big city Americans. After the tragedies of September 11, after the initial shock, some of his first thoughts were about how we must look through foreign eyes and how we could show them the best of ourselves.
Patterns of response over time will differ for different people. Susan was glued to the news after the events of September 11th. Her heart poured out to those who had been in the planes and in the buildings that were demolished. She watched even after she became exhausted, crying with every new testimonial, wishing there was something that she could do, wanting to magically turn back the clock and intervene. In contrast, Bob, a veteran of the Vietnam War, found himself having flashback images of his war experiences. He dreamed of things exploding and bodies flying. He found himself shaking with fear toward enemies who could be hiding anywhere. After a few days, when Susan reached the point of feeling overwhelmed, she decided to watch movies to rest her overloaded mind. Movies from the 1940s were particularly soothing. One channel showed a movie about going back in time to a more peaceful, simple era. When rested, she again watched and listened as events began to unfold on ongoing news shows. After a few days, she became compelled to clean and organize. Perhaps symbolically, she became obsessed with a particular stain, determined to get it out. For Bob there was no escape. In desperation, he called another vet and, later, went to see a therapist.
Methods of coping also vary. After a week, Don, a school psychologist, lamented that he was so tired of explaining evil to children. He was just so very tired. He talked to a colleague about his response. Denise realized that she had reorganized all of her dresser drawers. She felt some relief at this good outcome of her distress. Charles found himself falling asleep when he was not engaged in a task. Cindy and Richard organized fund-raising efforts. Charlotte realized that she could not resolve her feelings and reactions alone. She sought therapy.
Moving in Harmony with Change
Although much remains unknown, it is certain that there will be changes in our lives. Individual, group, and national changes are likely to occur spontaneously and by directed effort. As a nation we share some common goals. Each individual will be affected in an individual way. We will have to carefully determine how to protect our safety and how to bring the perpetrators of these horrors to justice. Some decisions can and must be made by specific experts (e.g., professional, military). Matters are not simple. The consequences of all actions must be considered.
A terrorist group has expressed hatred toward us. We reassure ourselves by a strong showing of patriotism. We praise our heroes past and present. We review a newspaper article written by a Canadian recognizing the value of America. We come together as Americans. This is both a chance to recognize our worth and also to recognize how we can make a better nation. In the process of restoring the quality of our lives, it will be necessary to reexamine our nation and ourselves. It may be important to take a close look at our beliefs and practices and at the way others look at us.
Many individuals will experience new sensitivities. For a time, we may need to be more aware of what we say and project personally and collectively. Movie makers and publishers have already begun to respond to the changes. Additionally, advertising officials may have to reevaluate ad campaigns. Reactions to collapsing buildings may elicit different responses than they did before. Saying, “We will take you boldly into the future” may be less desirable to someone who wants to proceed cautiously or to see how things have been affected before boldly going anywhere.
An experience like this one raises many questions. Our many questions will be shaped by the personal experience, emotional impact, and our individuality. Most of us want to know who is responsible for this tragedy and what will be done about it. How will we prevent horrors and improve life? When will it truly be over? The question “why?” is also a common question following catastrophic events. It too will vary. Why attack innocence? Why me/us? Why my loved ones? Why our business/building/job? Why this much hatred of us? Why such disregard for human life?
Many issues must be reconciled. For example, one issue may be to help our children recognize that they are still the person who would not actually intentionally harm another person, even if, right now, they feel the desire to annihilate the perpetrators of these horrors. Many of our youths have already expressed the desire to protect innocents while bringing terrorists to justice. In stopping additional harm, part of what must be done is to find the line between doing good (for example, protecting people) and doing evil (for example, harming innocent people); the line between effective action and action that will perpetuate terrorism.
When talking to children and adolescents about traumatic events or following the death of a loved one, gentle, courtesy is important (e.g., choose an appropriate setting for the discussion). Telling the truth is a must. It is also important to give the child age appropriate information that is within her/his ability to comprehend and process. Distorting the facts or withholding information may result in future confusions and in distrust. The information may be heard from a classmate or the news. Avoid giving too much information for the child to handle at one time. Recognize age factors in the child’s understanding of the issues and of the permanence of death. Provide an atmosphere of open communication. Permit questions.
It is also important to reinstate a child’s sense of safety. For example, a three-year-old who wants to know why every one is so upset can be told that a plane crashed into some very tall buildings and many people died. An eight-year-old will have a fuller understanding of what happened. In addition, the eight year old may benefit from an opportunity to take some positive action and/or to better understand aspects of the Muslim faith. They may want to help with fundraising, find activities that help the whole family to feel better, write to a senator… Youths will need to know that actions are being taken by our government and leaders to protect all of us and to prevent terrorism. They do not need worrisome, unneeded details that increase a sense of being endangered.
Although responding to children following disastrous events must be tailored to the specific event, specific children and the specific community, there are some basic guidelines for parents and teachers that may be helpful following catastrophic events.
AFTER SAFETY IS RESTORED
Recognize the impact of the event on life and the child’s development.
Seek skilled intervention and assistance.
Engage in good self-care.
Be a supportive presence.
Listen without judging, without interrupting, without probing.
With the child’s permission: comfort; record important details of his/her story.
When indicated or requested: provide age appropriate factual information.
Recognize regressions.
When indicated: Be gently firm; set reasonable limits; reduce stress.
Be patient.
Recognize individuality. Honor individual differences.
Err toward caution in providing safety until judgement is restored.
Know your limitations. Seek appropriate assistance.
© Nader, 1999. Reprinted with permission.
Shocking events may result in regression in children and adults or in precocious development for children (Nader, 2001). Regression is not always easy to recognize. Childlike behaviors are common under some normal circumstances – for example, during anger, playfulness or endearment. Additionally, regression may be as subtle as desiring a person, place, or situation that previously signified good or safe feelings. Regressions such as loss of skills may be complicated or exaggerated by other trauma symptoms such as a changed biochemistry, lack of sleep, cognitive difficulties and/or preoccupations. Regression is sometimes interpreted as laziness, sloppiness, defiance, or attention getting behavior (Nader, 1999, 2001).
Following traumatic experiences, individuals may be regressed much of the time or may regress spontaneously, for example, in response to traumatic reminders. Adolescents and adults, as well as younger children, may function at more primitive levels. For example, they may use more concrete and literal levels of processing information, be more easily distracted, or engage in activities characteristic of someone younger. Thinking may be more concrete and less imaginative. Instructions may have to be delivered simply and may need to be repeated more than once (Nader, 1999, 2001).
Each person is a unique individual. It is important to learn to identify specific regressive tendencies. It may not be enough to approach someone with age level language and expectations. In addition, 1) recognize their functioning emotional age (which may change from contact to contact) following the event; 2) speak in age appropriate language; and 3) respect chronological age while adapting to the emotional functioning age. For example, for a traumatized 8 year old, it may be necessary to use a tone or the patience normally addressed to a 2 year old while speaking in the language of the 8 year old child. It may be important to use the patience, understanding and, when needed, gentle firmness afforded a younger child (Nader, 1999, 2001).
Following Traumatic Events
The long-term effects of exposure to traumatic events may include changes in personal traits (e.g., lack of confidence; inhibitions; increased risk taking; disruptions to moral beliefs or development); disturbances in interpersonal functioning (e.g., loss of friends; irritability/bullying; withdrawal); cognitive dysfunction (e.g., memory and concentration problems; inhibited imagination; primitive thinking and processing); mental health disturbances (e.g., chronic and/or complicated PTSD; substance related disorders; conduct, mood, anxiety, somatoform, eating, sleep, impulse control, personality, and/or dissociative disorders); attempts at numbing the emotions (e.g., drug abuse; alcoholism; overuse of medication; excessive sleep); compulsive repetition of traumatic behaviors and sequences (e.g., a molest victim’s promiscuity; squeezing into small spaces after having been buried under debris; repeated roller-coaster rides years after a rollover car accident; see “Reenactments” below); attempts at self punishment or warding off (e.g., self mutilation; other rituals; placing self in punishing circumstances; scratching at the sites of physical wounds or symbolic locations); and repetitive somatic complaints or general ill health (e.g., shakes; headaches; stomach aches; deficient immune response) (Garbarino, Kostelny, & Dubrow, 1991; Herman, Perry & van der Kolk, 1989; Nader,1996, 1997, 2001; Nader & Fairbanks, 1994; Nader & Pynoos, 1993; Terr 1991; Pynoos & Nader, 1988; Pynoos et al., 1987; van der Kolk & Saporta, 1991). In addition, there is a growing body of evidence that individuals who experience traumas are more likely to have children who experience traumas (Danieli, 1998) and may be more prone to biochemical stress responses (Suomi, 1998; van der Kolk & Saporta, 1991).
Failure to resolve moderate to severe traumatic reactions may result in long term consequences that interfere with the ability to engage, over time, in productive behaviors and to function adequately socially, academically, professionally and personally (Wilson & Raphael, 1993). Unresolved traumatic exposure may perpetuate violent acts that result in trauma for others (Admundson, 1993; Nader, 1997). Individuals who commit acts that traumatize others (e.g., school shootings) have sometimes been previously traumatized or have had unresolved traumatic grief (Nader, 1997). Individual and/or intrafamilial violence have increased following violence or disaster (Ibrahim, 8-4-92; Kohly, 1994; Nader, 1997; Nader & Fairbanks, 1994). Resolving traumatic experiences can restore the quality of life and serve as a protective factor (Nader, 1998; Pynoos et al., 1987).
Bereavement after a traumatic loss is more complicated than simple bereavement (Eth & Pynoos, 1985; Nader, in press, 1997b, 1996). Because of the significant differences between sudden unexpected grief and anticipatory grief, a new diagnosis, traumatic grief, has been delineated (Burnett, Middleton, Raphael, Dunne, Moylan & Nada, 1994; Jacobs, 1999; Prigerson et al., 1996; Stamm, 1999 a and b). In addition to deaths that occur during traumatic events, traumatic grief may occur after any personally devastating loss (Jacobs, 1999). The symptoms of grief (traumatic or otherwise) are affected by the circumstances of the death, aspects of the individual (biological, historical, psychological, psychosocial and sociocultural), and facets of the relationship between the deceased and the bereaved (Nader, 2001; Pynoos & Nader, 1990; Stamm, 1999b). After a traumatic experience, individuals may suffer from grief, traumatic grief, trauma and/or other disorders. Treatment for bereavement alone following a traumatic death can be ineffective and can have harmful effects (Jacobs, 1999; Nader, 1996, 1997b; Nader and Pynoos, 1993).
The combination of trauma and grief may affect the bereavement process in a number of ways. For example: 1) Symptoms common to both grief and trauma may intensify; 2) Thoughts of the deceased may lead to traumatic recollections (of images, sounds, smells, emotions related to the event); 3) Trauma symptoms may hinder or complicate issues of bereavement such as grief dream-work, the relationship with the deceased, issues of identification, the processing of anger and rage; and 4) A post-traumatic sense of estrangement or aloneness may interfere with healing interactions (Nader, 1997b).
After a person has been exposed to a traumatic event (an event in which they have experienced, witnessed or were confronted with life threat, serious injury or physical threat to themselves or others), and has experienced intense fear, helplessness, or horror (for children, disorganization or agitation), he or she may develop PTSD or some trauma symptoms. Symptoms include persistent reexperiencing of aspects of the event, persistent avoidance of things associated with the traumatic experience and/or numbing of responsiveness, and persistent symptoms of increased arousal (APA, 1994).
Reexperiencing symptoms may include:
recurrent, intrusive distressing recollections of the images, thoughts or perceptions associated with the event (repeated play with trauma themes in children);
recurrent distressing dreams;
acting or feeling as if aspects of the event were recurring (or trauma specific reenactment);
intense emotional distress when exposed to internal (e.g., thoughts, physical sensations, emotions) or external (e.g., sights, sounds, smells) stimuli that symbolize or resemble some aspect of the event.
Persistent numbing and avoidance include:
efforts to avoid feelings, thoughts, or conversations associated with the event;
efforts to avoid places people or activities that serve as reminders;
difficulty recalling some aspect of what happened;
markedly reduced participation or interest in significant/usual activities;
feeling estranged or detached from others;
reduced ability to experience the full range of emotions (e.g., diminished ability to experience love or joy);
and a sense of a shortened future or a less full life (e.g., a life without career, marriage, children, or normal life span).
Persistent increased arousal includes:
difficulty falling or staying asleep;
irritability or outbursts of anger;
difficulties with concentration (may include short term memory problems);
hypervigilance (feeling on alert to danger); and
exaggerated startle response.
For a diagnosis of PTSD, the disturbance must persist for more than one month and cause significant distress or impairment to social, occupational, or other important functioning. Symptoms may be delayed (APA, 1994).
Traumatic Impressions
As a consequence of physiological (e.g., increased pulse, elevated adrenal cortical hormones) and psychological (e.g., horror, fear, rage) phenomena during traumatic events, multiple impressions register or imprint themselves with intensity and may become interlinked (Nader, 1997b; Terr, 1991). They include sensory impressions (e.g., touch, sights, sounds, smells), strong desires (e.g., to fight, intervene, flee, hide, rescue, or find; to stop the offender or to retaliate), attempts to understand (e.g., feelings or actions of others; “Why me?”), senses of injustice (e.g., innocents are killed or injured; bad things happen to good people; bad people have success), senses of betrayal (e.g., the unwelcome actions of known others; victimization by people who pretend to be friendly or harmless or who come as students in our schools, universities or training facilities), rejection of self (e.g., disdain for the helpless or ineffectual self; feelings of it should have been me instead of…), changes of focus (e.g., prominence of ineffectual self or of negative events over positive; prominence of our collective goodness and intolerance of contrary ideas), and more. These deeply ingrained impressions, desires to act, imagined interventions, and specific role identifications become embedded into traumatic memory representations; even the smallest details may become carved solidly into the memory (Nader, 1997b; Nader & Mello, 2000; Terr, 1991).
Traumatically imprinted thoughts and images often repeat themselves until they are properly processed or become suppressed, remaining influential in life. This can result in an increase in arousal symptoms or in readiness to arousal (Dodge, Bates, Pettit & Valente, 1995; Nader & Fairbanks, 1994; van der Kolk & Sapporta, 1991) or in a variety of other troubles (Herman, 1992; Nader, 1997; Terr, 1991). When intense impressions, wishes, urges and emotions remain unresolved, strong urges to express or play out the related emotions and behaviors to some form of completion may ensue. The sense of completion can be illusive and pursuing it sometimes results in frustration, dangerous or unrewarding experiences, or repeated traumas (for the trauma victim or for others). Lack of resolution of ongoing intervention fantasies such as the fantasies during and after the event of preventing or stopping harm, of challenging the assailant, of repairing damage, of desires to act can result in major changes in behavior and personality. For example, desires for revenge or retaliation or identification with the aggressor may result in increased aggression or inhibition (Nader & Mello, 2000; Nader & Pynoos, 1991).
One possible result of trauma is a tendency to relive or reenact aspects of the experience. Aspects of a traumatic experience may be relived or reenacted through emotional or physiological reactions, thoughts (or illusions, hallucinations, flashbacks), or behaviors that replicate, depict or symbolize aspects of the traumatic experience or traumatic emotions. Initial reenactments may be readily linked to the original experience. For example, the link to the trauma is evident in the child who, after a sniper attack on her elementary school ground, began to jump behind things when she heard any popping noise; the visiting Irish adults and adolescents who jumped to the ground when a bus backfired. Repeated actions may include inhibitions related to a heightened sense of vulnerability, dangerous risk taking, physiological or emotional response configurations, and complex patterns of action or reaction (Nader, 2001). Even unresolved curiosity may become a part of reenactments; for example, after her sister’s death, curiosity about what death feels like resulted in one person’s dangerous and careless rock climbing.
Initially or over time, for adults or children, unresolved aspects, episodes or emotions from a traumatic experience may translate into repeated complexes of behavior and emotions that affect the quality of life (see also life scripts, life dramas, faulty mental equivalents…). Initially or as time passes, the link between the original event and these complex patterns of thought, action, or reaction may be unrecognized (Nader, 2001). Whenever her adult life stresses increased, a woman molested by her father and others until age 12, experienced tightness of throat, nausea, fatigue, and a sense of aloneness, being trapped and being caretaker to everyone else. This pattern was not linked to her trauma until therapy sessions much later in her life.
One traumatic episode or emotion might result in a number of different behavior complexes (Nader, 2001). Like the boy who was unable to assist an injured child across the room when debris began to fall during an earthquake, some rescue workers or others may later experience an ongoing sense that someone is in danger, the repeated need to rescue others, an ongoing depression over a sense of ineffectualness, and/or a sense of hurting others somehow. Anger may express in a number of ways initially or later after someone who minimized the danger impeded the escape of someone who was injured or killed. A girl with unresolved anger that a friend prevented her from escaping injury after part of a building collapsed had perpetual nonspecific angry feelings at those who were close to her and repeated outbursts of anger at her mother. If she had not resolved these feelings in treatment, she may have had continued angry feelings, may have later chosen friends who endanger others or may have developed a tendency to endanger friends. A person’s unrecognized intense desire to remove him or herself from harm may result in a style of running away in response to stress or in a repeated sense of inescapable endangerment. If the same person was injured in the experience, he or she may have an ongoing sense of failure or ineffectualness. One individual may go through phases of reenacting or intermittently reenact different aspects of an experience. For example, at different times an individual may become any of the following depending on his or her traumatic experience: runner, rescuer, endangered, endangerer, victim, silent or frozen witness, protestor, escaper into fantasy (or fictional character), a divided or dissociated self, self punisher, betrayed, betrayer, soother, calmer, aggravator, searcher, assistant to the perpetrator etc. (Nader, 2001).
A wide variety of thoughts, emotions, and symptoms are normal responses to traumatic events. The events of September 11 have affected us as a nation and as individuals. As a nation we will have to act and react with wisdom, recognizing the long-term effects of our actions. Our personal reactions have been shaped by our individual natures, heritages, and our past and present experiences. Reactions will occur on different timetables for different individuals whether they were in the World Trade Center, Pentagon, awaiting the arrival of individuals whose flights were hijacked, or at a physically safe distance from the direct dangers of these events. Most of us will need to engage in some or many healing endeavors such as celebrating life, soothing stressed nerves, mentally processing and reassessing relevant issues, seeking appropriate support, engaging in positive actions, and recognizing personal needs. Our efforts toward helping ourselves and toward helping others will be healing to each of us and to this nation.
My sincere thanks to Joyce Boaz and Marilee Conant for their excellent feedback and encouragement. I extend my deep appreciation to those who shared brief descriptions of their own experiences. My heart has been touched.
Amundson, K.J. (1993). Violence in the Schools: How America’s School Boards Are Safeguarding your Children. Alexandria, VA: National School Boards Association, pages 3-11.
American Psychiatric Association (1994). Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders (4th ed). Washington, DC: Author.
Burnett, P., Middleton, W., Raphael, B., Dunne, M., Moylan, A. & Marinek, N. (1994). Concepts of Normal Bereavement, Journal of Traumatic Stress, 7, 123-134.
Dodge, K. A., Bates, J. E., Pettit, G. S., & Valente, E. (1995). Social Information-Processing Patterns Partially Mediate the Effect of Early Physical Abuse on Later Conduct Problems. Journal of Abnormal Psychology, 104 (4), 632-643.
Eth, S. & Pynoos, R. (1985). Interaction of Trauma and Grief in Childhood. In S. Eth & R. Pynoos (eds.), Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder in Children, (pp. 171-186). Washington, D.C.: American Psychiatric Press.
Garbarino, J., Kostelny, K., & Dubrow, N. (1991). What children can tell us about living in danger. American Psychologist, 46, 376-383.
Herman, J.L., Perry,J.C. and van der Kolk, B.A. (1989). Childhood trauma in borderline personality disorder. American Journal of Psychiatry, 146(4), 490-495.
Ibrahim, Y.M. (1992, August 4). Iraqis left coarse scars on the psyche of Kuwait. The New York Times, p. A3.
Jacobs, S. (1999). Traumatic grief: diagnosis, treatment, and prevention. Philadelphia: Brunner/Mazel.
Kohly, M. (1994). Reported child abuse and neglect victims during the flood months of 1993. Missouri Department of Social Services, Division of Family Services, Research and Development Unit.
Nader, K. (1996). Children’s exposure to violence & disaster. In Corr, C.A.and Corr, D.M. (eds.), Handbook of Childhood Death and Bereavement, New York: Springer Publishing Company, pp. 201-222.
Nader, K. (1997). Childhood traumatic loss: The interaction of trauma and grief. In C.R. Figley, B.E. Bride, and N. Mazza, (eds.), Death and Trauma: The Traumatology of Grieving, pp. 17-41. London: Taylor and Francis.
Nader, K. (1997). Assessing Traumatic Experiences in Children. In J. P. Wilson & T. Keane (Eds.) Assessing Psychological Trauma & PTSD, pp. 291-348. New York: Guilford Press.
Nader, K. (1998). Violence: Effects of a parents’ previous trauma on currently traumatized children. In Danieli, Y. (Ed.), An International Handbook of Multigenerational Legacies of Trauma (pp. 571-583), New York: Plenum Press.
Nader, K. (1999). Psychological first aid for trauma, grief and traumatic grief. 3rd edition. Austin, TX: Two Suns.
Nader, K. (2001). Treatment methods for childhood trauma. In J. P. Wilson, M. Friedman, & J. Lindy, (Eds.), Treating psychological trauma and PTSD, (pp. 278-334). New York: Guilford Press.
Nader, K. (in press). Simple formulas best applied to simple grief. Contemporary Psychology: APA Review of Books.
Nader, K. & Fairbanks, L. (1994). The Suppression of Reexperiencing: Impulse control and somatic symptoms in children following traumatic exposure, Anxiety, Stress and Coping: An International Journal, 7, 229-239.
Nader, K. and Pynoos, R. (1991). Play and Drawing as tools for interviewing traumatized children. In Schaeffer, C., Gitlan, K. and Sandgrund, A., (eds.), Play, Diagnosis and Assessment. New York: John Wiley, pp. 375-389.
Nader, K. and Pynoos, R.S. (1993). The children of Kuwait following the Gulf Crisis. In, Lewis, L. and Fox, N. (eds.), Effects of War and Violence on Children. Hillsdale, NJ: Laurence Erlbaum Publishers, 181-195.
Prigerson, H., Bierhals, A., Kasl, S., Reynolds, C., Shear, M., Newsom, J., & Jacobs, S. (1996). Complicated grief as a disorder distinct from bereavement-related depression and anxiety: a replication study. American Journal of Psychiatry, 153, 1484-1486.
Pynoos, R. and Nader, K. (1988). Psychological first aid and treatment approach for children exposed to community violence: research implications, Journal of Traumatic Stress, 1(4): 445-473.
Pynoos, R. Frederick, C., Nader, K., Arroyo, W., Eth, S., Nunez, W., Steinberg, A., and Fairbanks, L. (1987). Life threat and posttraumatic stress in school age children, Archives of General Psychiatry, 44: 1057-1063.
Stamm, B. (1999a). Empirical perspectives on contextualizing death and trauma. In Figley, C. R (ed.). Traumatology of grieving: conceptual, theoretical, and treatment foundations, pp. 23-36. Philadelphia: Brunner/Mazel.
Stamm, B. (1999b). Conceptualizing death and trauma. In Figley, C. R (ed.). Traumatology of grieving: conceptual, theoretical, and treatment foundations, pp. 3-21. Philadelphia: Brunner/Mazel.
Suomi, S. J. & Levine, S. (1998). Psychobiology of Intergenerational Effects of Trauma. Danieli, Y. (Ed), International Handbook of Multigenerational Legacies of Trauma. (pp. 623-637), New York: Plenum Press.
Terr, L. C. (1991). Childhood traumas: An outline and overview. American Journal of Psychiatry, 148(1), 10-20.
van der Kolk, B., & Sapporta, J. (1991). The biological response to psychic trauma: Mechanisms and treatment of intrusion and numbing. Anxiety Research, 4, 199-212.
Brock, S. & Lazarus, P. (eds.). Best Practices in Crisis Prevention and Intervention in the Schools. National Association of School Psychologists.
Danieli, Y. (Ed), International Handbook of Multigenerational Legacies of Trauma. New York: Plenum Press.
LaGreca, A., Silverman, W., Vernberg, E., & Roberts, M. (Eds.). Helping Children Cope with Disasters: Integrating Research and Practice. Washington, D.C.: APA Press.
Lehmann, P. & Coady, N. F. (Eds.). Theoretical perspectives for direct social work practice: A generalist-eclectic approach. New York: Springer Publishing Company.
Wilson, J. P., Friedman, M. & Lindy, J. (Eds.), Treating psychological trauma and PTSD. New York: Guilford Press.
Webb, N.B. (1991). Play Therapy with Children in Crisis, a Casebook for Practitioners. New York: Guilford Press.
© K Nader & Gift From Within, 2001.
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Joyce Boaz
Healing Racism, Hatred and Violence
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Written by symbol48 April 27, 2017 April 28, 2017
Time of Troubles
The Troubles in Londonderry, Northern Ireland
The book I co-wrote with Tom McKeown (USN retired) called Londonderry Farewell will soon be published and I thought I’d give readers a preview of the manuscript before its formally published. (See below) Tom and I became close friends when we were both on the Board of the Palm Springs Writers Guild in 2013 and 2014. Tom was given command of closing down one of the last naval bases in Europe: a communications base in Northern Ireland that had been central to Atlantic communications in WWII and strategic to the nation until the mid-70s. In 1976, Captain McKeown was sent by the highest level brass in Washington DC at the time to close the base in the middle of the civil war in Northern Ireland referred to as the Troubles.
The conflict was primarily political and nationalistic, fuelled by historical events. It also had an ethnic or sectarian dimension although it was not a religious conflict. A key issue was the status of Northern Ireland. Union/loyalists in Northern Ireland were mostly Protestants and considered themselves British. They wanted Northern Ireland to remain within the United Kingdom. On the other hand, Irish Nationalist/Republicans were mostly Catholics and wanted Ireland to be united with the 26 counties which made up the Republic of Ireland at the time. In contrast to the loyalist Protestants, the Catholic nationalists wanted an independent Ireland free from the control of the United Kingdom.
The situation in Ireland in the mid-70s seems startingly similar to the battles fought today on the grand scale of nationalism and globalism. In a sense, the Protestant loyalists were similar to the European nations that want to stay within the European Union. The Catholic nationalists, on the other hand, wanted their independence from the larger entity. They wanted their own nationalism back. The Ireland of the 70s and the Europe of today are somehow placed in front of us as some type of lesson to be learned. Or if not a lesson to be learned, at least acknowledgement that this battle has surfaced in various forms throughout history but always essentially a battle between the individual and the state. The Irish Nationalists represented the “individual” standing against the state represented by the Irish Loyalists. Loyal to Britain.
There seems a close correspondence of the events of our present day and the Troubles of Ireland. One thinks of the battles in American and the world today and the larger meaning of the battles: individuals against the state; states against the nation; a nation against the world. Nationalism versus Globalism. Freedom versus equality. (Masculine versus Feminine) The two paradoxical symbols America was founded under. The battle in the mid-70s in Ireland was the reappearance of an archetype symbol battling against each other: the fources of the individual versus those of the group of the state. This has always seem to contitute the great political dividing line between all classes of people in culture these days. Throughout history, this division seems like battling symbols, reappearing in various forms wearing (as Jung noted) the “clothing of the day.”
The conflict first became a matter of global attention amid a Northern Ireland Civil Rights Association political campaign to end discrimination against the Catholic and nationalist minority by the Protestant/unionist government and police force in 1968. This campaign was met with violence by loyalists who viewed the campaign as a republican stalking horse. This eventually led to the deployment of British troops, initially to protect Catholic civilians and subsequent warfare the next three decades.
Captain Thomas McKeown
It was 1976 and Captain Tom McKeown was a rising naval star who in his late 30s had commanded two ships on very strategassignments. He was promoted to a called desk job in Washington DC. He was happy that the family was together after so many years apart. He now had four children. He was coaching his sons baseball team. The family was having cookouts in the yard. HIs wife showed him a brochure and said she wanted to go to Hawaii some day.
He felt ready to accept it was time in his life to replace his adventures at sea with his work on land so to speak. It seemed to promise the slow, methodical pace of working in a Pentagon desk job on a wide hallway that disappeared over the horizon. And, getting a home in the suburbs and coaching his son’s baseball team. His wife Mary was happy. It was one of the first times, she felt the family could all be together after all the years that her husband had been at sea.
One day, he was called into the office of the top brass in the navy. He was offered the assigment of being the commander of the base as it closed down and was to be secretly handed over to the British. There was a home on the base and the navy would pay for the expenses of his family going with him to the base. It was certainly not the safest place in teh world to take a family. All the files handed to him in the meeting were marked Top Secret. No one could know this though. It was a serious situation ready to cause something big on the diplomatic radar, a problem heard around the world. The relationship of Ireland to America at this time was of course the big elephant in the room. There was changing policies on Ireland resulting from the switch from Ford to Carter. Explosions were common each day in the famous city of Northern Ireland called Londonderry. Home of the song Danny Boy.
Captain McKeown was given some time to consider the offer to go to Ireland and the closing and handover of the base to the British. Hopefully it would be a peaceful, uneventful handover. Causing no major blips on the grand map of American diplomacy at the time. He weighed things in his life. He wondered if he should ask his wife Mary and the family to go with him? Into this place of revolution and civil war. He had a few days to consider the offer of the brass. One night, he discussed it with his wife Mary. He had decided that he wanted his family to go with him to Northern Ireland. He and his family would be placed in an interesting situation. Just by the fact alone the Captain McKeown was Irish. And, Catholic.
Evening in Ocean City, Maryland – A New Proposal to Mary
One evening, Captain McKeown took his wife Mary to one of their favorite places for dinner in Ocean City, Maryland. They only came there for special occasions. Like the night he asked her to marry him. Like the evening they celebrated their fifth anniversary. So, Mary knew something big was up that evening she looked at him over the wavering candle of the table they had even sat at before. It was that particular place, somehow, that place associated with a certain set of key events in their lives. He tells his wife about the offer from the navy brass for him to go to Northern Ireland for a year and command the closing of a base. In the midst of the Troubles. Mary had certainly heard of the Irish troubles. She considered the offer: the danger of going to Northern, Ireland with her husband. The danger, to her family and marriage, of letting Tom go away again. What would she do?
I’m proud to be the co-author of the story that happened to Captain Tom and his family over a year in the middle 1970s. Review copy before publication enclosed below in PDF. Any comments appreciated. Always appreciate your feedback. Johnfraim@mac.com.
PDF – Londonderry Farewell
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Darren Aronofsky Enlisting Top-Tier Ensemble For Latest Film
James Tisch April 15th, 2016 - 11:21 PM
Director Darren Aronofsky has from the start of his career always been able to court impressive ensembles for his eclectic films. His latest, a still untitled drama being set up at Paramount, looks to be no different. Oscar winning superstar Jennifer Lawrence is already attached to headline his latest alongside Oscar winner Javier Bardem (No Country for Old Men). Reportedly, Aronofsky appears to be on the verge of casting stalwarts Michelle Pfeiffer, Domhnall Gleeson, Brian Gleeson (Domhnall’s brother) and Ed Harris as well. The Hollywood Reporter first reported this story.
The roles themselves appear under lock and key but the story of Aronofsky’s latest appears to be focused around a couple who is tested when uninvited visitors show up at their home. Chaos inevitably ensues. Aronofsky also penned the screenplay and the movie seems primed for a production start this June with Paramount likely releasing the title sometime in 2017. For cinephiles, this may be a very big deal indeed from the director who has gathered numerous attention all the way from his 1998 indie breakthrough Pi through past successes Requiem for a Dream (2000) and The Wrestler (2008). Aronofsky earned an Oscar nomination for directing the 2010 ballet melodrama Black Swan (which star Natalie Portman picked up a trophy for); his last film was Noah (2014) starring Russell Crowe, Jennifer Connelly and Emma Watson.
Pfeiffer, who has received three Oscar nominations throughout her illustrious career, was last seen opposite Robert De Niro in the crime comedy The Family. She will soon be seen in the indie Beat-Up Little Seagull. Domhnall Gleeson had a stellar 2015, appearing in critical and commercial hits such as The Revenant, Ex Machina and, of course, Star Wars: The Force Awakens. His brother Brian, meanwhile, will soon appear in Assassin’s Creed opposite Michael Fassbender and Marion Cotillard. Harris can currently be seen in The Adderall Diaries and is slated to appear in Warren Beatty’s upcoming Howard Hughes project, due sometime later this year.
Of course, the major speculation here will likely be what possible magic Aronofsky may be able to create with Lawrence, currently cinema’s reigning superstar. Lawrence, now complete on her Katniss duties, will return as Mystique in the upcoming X-Men: Apocalypse and be seen in the science fiction film Passengers opposite Chris Pratt later this year. She’s also attached to star in It’s What I Do for director Steven Spielberg but no production timetable has been set for that as of yet.
We will stay tuned to the latest developments on what may be one of the more exciting cinematic offerings of 2017.
Untitled Darren Aronofsky Film
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Miami’s Pat Riley, Chicago’s Gar Forman co-Executives of Year
By Kurt HelinMay 10, 2011, 1:53 PM EDT
The executives who orchestrated the two biggest turnarounds in the NBA this season — Pat Riley of the Miami Heat and Gar Forman of the Chicago Bulls — will share the NBA’s Executive of the Year award.
Well, privately they probably share this about as well as two 3-year-old girls in a room with one Princess Ariel doll. But publically they will say nice things. And Riley got screwed in this vote, but we’ll get to that in a bit.
There were 30 votes from team executives (you can’t vote for yourself, insert your own Riley joke here) and both Forman and Riley got 11 votes. John Paxson of the Bulls finished third (we assume one of his votes was from the Clippers, who would like to choke Vinny Del Negro themselves).
Riley got robbed here.
Make no mistake, Forman did a fine job, he brought in coach Tom Thibodeau, which was the biggest step in the turnaround of the team. Well, that and drafting Derrick Rose, which was lottery luck. Forman also brought in Carlos Boozer and filled out the rest of a good Bulls roster.
But Riley… look, you may love to hate the Big Three, but to pull that off was a brilliant and ballsy move. He had to take huge risks, clear out loads of cap space, convince everyone to go with the plan, get them all to sign for less so that Udonis Haslem and Mike Miller could be brought in. (Okay, so Miller proves he’s not perfect.)
Riley lapped the field as executive of the year. That he didn’t win shows how other executives around the league feel about him more than anything. Watching his team jell the last couple weeks, Riley doesn’t care what they think.
Tags: Chicago Bulls, Gar Forman, Miami Heat, Miami Heat Superteam, NBA Executive of Year, Pat Riley, Ton Thibodeau
Grizzlies’ Josh Jackson to enter diversion program, have resisting arrest charges dropped
Christian Petersen/Getty Images
By Kurt HelinJul 17, 2019, 10:00 AM EDT
On the court, Josh Jackson‘s status had fallen so far that the No. 4 pick of just two years ago was traded to Memphis in a salary dump for Phoenix (so it could sign Ricky Rubio and re-sign Kelly Oubre).
Off the court, Jackson appears to have dealt with his arrest at a Miami music festival this summer by reaching a plea deal that will keep him out of the courtroom. TMZ broke the story.
But, Jackson was able to get the felony charge dropped a couple weeks ago … and now, we’ve learned he’s cut a deal to get the misdemeanor charge dropped too.
The Miami State Attorney’s Office tells us Jackson has agreed to complete some kind of pre-trial diversion program in exchange for having the charge dropped.
The diversion program usually consists of either community service or some kind of life-improvement courses (like alcohol education or something like that) to help offenders grow from their legal mistakes without having a conviction on their record.
While that report is pretty vague on the details, it also sounds about right.
This is not exactly the most serious of crimes. Jackson was arrested at Rolling Loud music festival in Miami when he reportedly tried to enter VIP area many times without a proper pass. Eventually, the police were called and they handcuffed him, but when he got the chance Jackson tried to run away. In handcuffs. That didn’t end well. He was initially charged with escape and misdemeanor resisting arrest.
While none of that speaks well of Jackson handling a situation with maturity or common sense, this also is not the kind of serious crime that needs to be clogging up the court system. This seems a good agreement.
Back on the court, there are minutes to be had on the wing for Jackson, he will be competing for time against
Dillon Brooks, Grayson Allen, Kyle Anderson, Brandon Clarke, and Jae Crowder. The question is, will Jackson earn those minutes, or will Memphis be looking to move on from him as fast as Phoenix was. Jackson will make $7 million this season, then hit the free agent market next summer (likely as a restricted free agent), he’s playing for that next paycheck.
Pelicans forward Brandon Ingram says he’s “pretty close” to resuming normal workouts
METAIRIE, La. (AP) — Pelicans forward Brandon Ingram says he’s “pretty close” to resuming normal workouts as he continues to recover from surgery to address a blood clot in his right arm.
Ingram says he has not resumed shooting, but has worked on his shooting form while also conducting ball-handling and passing drills, as well as lower-body workouts.
Ingram did not give a specific timeline for his return to full basketball activities with the Pelicans, the team to which the Lakers traded him this offseason as part of a multi-player and multi-draft pick deal for six-time All-Star Anthony Davis.
Ingram spoke about his health on Tuesday during formal introductions at Pelicans headquarters for him and three other new players: guard Lonzo Ball, swing player Josh Hart, and center Derrick Favors.
Ball and Hart also were part of the Davis trade. Favors was traded by Utah to New Orleans.
Ingram was averaging 18.3 points and 5.1 rebounds last season before he was diagnosed with deep venous thrombosis in early March.
Lawyer sentenced to 5 years for fraud, scamming Charles Barkley among others
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (AP) — A lawyer convicted of swindling NBA star Charles Barkley and using the name of former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice to bolster an investment scam was sentenced to five years in prison Tuesday.
U.S. District Judge Karon O. Bowdre also ordered Donald Watkins to pay about $14 million in restitution.
Prosecutors had sought a prison sentence of 17+ years for Watkins and 6+ years for his son, Donald Watkins Jr. Both were convicted on fraud and conspiracy charges earlier this year. The two men stole more than $15 million from investors and a bank, prosecutors said.
Bowdre said she took the elder man’s age, 70, into consideration in imposing a lighter sentence, but the term was stiffer than the home confinement requested by Watkins. She then began a sentencing hearing for the son.
During the pair’s trial earlier this year, witnesses including Barkley testified about losing money in an investment scheme run by the elder Watkins.
Barkley, who grew up near Birmingham and now works as a television analyst, described himself as a friend of the elder Watkins, who has split time living in both Alabama and Atlanta.
Barkley lost more than $6 million in investments and loans, prosecutors said, and so did other professional athletes including former NFL players Takeo Spikes and Bryan Thomas and former NBA star Damon Stoudamire.
Stoudamire’s wife, Natasha Taylor-Stoudamire, spoke at the sentencing and said she couldn’t comprehend what Watkins had done.
“I can’t even comprehend how Donald Watkins Sr. and Jr. can take money from me or the rest the victims that were trying to have generational wealth for our children’s children,” she said, according to al.com .
Rice, a native of Birmingham, testified that Watkins wrongly used her name in promoting an energy business at the heart of the case. Prosecutors said Watkins included Rice’s name in an email to investors although she had declined to get involved.
Watkins once served as a city council member in Montgomery and helped successfully defend HealthSouth Corp. founder Richard Scrushy in a massive fraud that nearly bankrupted the company, now known as Encompass Health. He also has worked on civil rights cases.
More than 15 years ago, Watkins drew media attention when he attempted to purchase a major league baseball team. More recently he said he was attempting to purchase the NFL’s St. Louis Rams before the team moved to Los Angeles.
Although he portrayed himself as wealthy, prosecutors said Watkins had a net worth of only a few thousand dollars.
Writing in a blog post before the sentencing, Watkins Sr. said he would continue to appeal his conviction and claimed he was innocent.
“Jurors try to do the right thing, more often than not. However, my 46-years of active participation in the American judicial system has shown me (and the world) that well-meaning jurors often convict innocent defendants,” Watkins wrote.
Dion Waiters shows off slimmed down physique on Instagram
By Kurt HelinJul 16, 2019, 11:00 PM EDT
Suddenly the annual “he lost/gained 15 points and is in the best shape of his life” portion of the NBA summer is upon us.
The Miami Heat are known around the league for having one of the best conditioning programs, guys who go there almost universally get in better shape. Dion Waiters last season seemed to be the exception to the rule. Waiters wasn’t 50-year-old-suburban-dad-with-a-beer-gut out of shape, but coming off an injury where he didn’t get to train like he wanted, Waiters didn’t look like a guy in NBA shape either. Critics lit Waiters up on social media.
Waiters posted his response — he’s been hitting the gym.
Last year when I came off 1 of the most depressing & frustrating times of my life. Coming off injury & not feeling like myself nor looking like myself I was in a dark place mentally & physically , Because the game I love so much was taken away due to season ending surgery. Now a days with this social media ran world they laughed at me made jokes etc not knowing what I was battling or going through everyday. So instead of me joining the circus I told myself you from (Philly) you’ve been through worst shit in your life than this. So I promise myself I would work my ass off & get back to where I was before the injury. I’m not done yet but I kno somebody in the world prolli needed to hear this. Stay positive block out the outside noise & grind. #Philly🧀 #stayTune
A post shared by 🔥🔥🔥🔥 (@waiters3) on Jul 15, 2019 at 7:22pm PDT
Good for Waiters.
Let the flood of NBA workout videos and shots of guys with their new physiques begin.
Philly fans will be hoping to see one from Joel Embiid.
Grizzlies’ Josh Jackson to enter diversion program, have resisting arrest charges dropped July 17, 2019 10:00 am EDT Pelicans forward Brandon Ingram says he’s “pretty close” to resuming normal workouts July 17, 2019 8:55 am EDT Lawyer sentenced to 5 years for fraud, scamming Charles Barkley among others July 17, 2019 7:47 am EDT Dion Waiters shows off slimmed down physique on Instagram July 16, 2019 11:00 pm EDT Russell Westbrook trade to Houston official, Thunder praise him on way out door July 16, 2019 9:18 pm EDT Anthony Davis dances around question about re-signing with Lakers July 16, 2019 8:00 pm EDT Kendrick Perkins: ‘Pelicans better lock Zion in the House’ because of great New Orleans food July 16, 2019 6:57 pm EDT Rockets coach Mike D’Antoni: ‘If the superstars want to play together, then they will make it work’ July 16, 2019 5:55 pm EDT Report: Ben Simmons contract extension allows him to hit super-max triggers July 16, 2019 4:55 pm EDT Report: Before Paul George trade, Thunder were already preparing to trade Russell Westbrook next year July 16, 2019 3:55 pm EDT Canada’s FIBA World Cup training camp features 17 NBA players July 16, 2019 2:55 pm EDT James Harden, Russell Westbrook forming unprecedented MVP backcourt July 16, 2019 12:34 pm EDT Report: After two-year, $21 million deal falls apart, Knicks signing Reggie Bullock for less than room exception July 16, 2019 11:22 am EDT Giannis Antetokounmpo has rough go of hitting baseball off tee with New York Yankees (video) July 16, 2019 10:11 am EDT NBA 2K20 ratings: LeBron James, Kawhi Leonard earn 97s to lead way July 16, 2019 9:00 am EDT Report: Chris Paul trade to Miami hung up on picks moving with him July 16, 2019 8:13 am EDT Brandon Clarke named Summer League MVP, leads Grizzlies to Vegas title July 16, 2019 12:39 am EDT Mavericks owner Mark Cuban fined $50,000; Rockets owner Tilman Fertitta $25,000 July 15, 2019 9:45 pm EDT Report: Clippers, Rockets both still interested in Andre Iguodala, but both at stalemate July 15, 2019 8:30 pm EDT Warriors GM on D’Angelo Russell: ‘We didn’t sign him with the intention of just trading him’ July 15, 2019 7:30 pm EDT Report: Raptors don’t intend to trade Kyle Lowry, Marc Gasol or Serge Ibaka July 15, 2019 6:25 pm EDT Report: As expected, Cavaliers waive J.R. Smith; ‘unlikely’ he joins Lakers July 15, 2019 5:47 pm EDT Lakers GM Rob Pelinka: ‘For us, anything short of a championship is not success’ July 15, 2019 4:22 pm EDT NBA Power Rankings after wildest summer in league history July 15, 2019 3:15 pm EDT Report: 76ers signing Ben Simmons to five-year, $170M max contract extension July 15, 2019 2:13 pm EDT Report: Chris Paul unpopular as union president, because he has prioritized stars July 15, 2019 1:20 pm EDT Anthony Davis: I’ll address long-term future with Lakers next year, not now July 15, 2019 11:42 am EDT Report: Cavaliers waiving J.R. Smith July 15, 2019 10:22 am EDT Cavaliers reportedly still not interested in trading Kevin Love July 15, 2019 9:00 am EDT Brandon Clarke’s slam in OT sends Grizzlies to Summer League title game vs. Timberwolves July 15, 2019 7:45 am EDT Anthony Davis reportedly to pull out of USA Basketball, World Cup this summer July 15, 2019 2:15 am EDT Kings reportedly sign Tyler Lydon to two-year contract July 14, 2019 11:00 pm EDT Report: Thunder ‘aren’t averse to keeping’ Chris Paul if he’s open to idea July 14, 2019 9:07 pm EDT Caron Butler says Markelle Fultz is healthy July 14, 2019 6:00 pm EDT Report: Nets signing David Nwaba to two-year contract July 14, 2019 4:00 pm EDT MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo: ‘I think I am at 60 percent of my potential’ July 14, 2019 2:00 pm EDT Anthony Davis ‘not even going to sugarcoat it’ anymore: I like playing power forward, not center July 14, 2019 12:00 pm EDT Report: Marcus Morris, agent Rich Paul part ways July 14, 2019 10:00 am EDT Carsen Edwards impresses at Summer League, earns guaranteed contract with Celtics July 14, 2019 8:00 am EDT Rumor: Pistons could target Pau Gasol as backup center July 13, 2019 11:00 pm EDT
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My brother’s albums: Prince and the Revolution, Purple Rain
Jurisdiction disputes in the Sibling Rivalry Collection Race at times precluded me from liking bands more suited to my tastes than my brother’s — Madonna and Depeche Mode spring to mind. But for the most part, my brother was more than welcome to some of his claims.
He dug Prince. I did not.
I liked a few of his singles, but in terms of overall output, I didn’t see the appeal. I appreciate Prince now, but I still wouldn’t consider myself a fan.
Oddly enough, I did become a fan of Wendy and Lisa. I’m not sure what drew my attention to them, aside from being featured so prominently in videos. (Or maybe I subconsciously picked up on the gay undertone of the pair.) When Prince broke up the Revolution, my brother continued to follow him, leaving me to take up the cause for Wendy and Lisa.
Parade is my favorite of the Prince and the Revolution albums. Sure, “Kiss” and “Mountains” are solid singles, but that psychedelic first side went beyond rock, funk, pop, whatever the hell else. It was thoroughly composed, no less structurally taut than a piece by Mozart or Beethoven. And for the longest time, I thought Parade was all I really needed from Prince.
As I got deeper into expanding my vinyl collection, I thought about those albums my brother had that I too wanted — Graceland by Paul Simon, … Nothing Like the Sun by Sting, Like a Virgin by Madonna. When I exhausted the overlap, I turned my attention to other parts of his collection.
I doubt I would pick up Out of the Cellar by Ratt, or any of his Toto albums. But Prince and the Revolution? Those albums where Wendy and Lisa had the most influence? I was willing to check them out.
The Revolution is credited on only three albums, starting with Purple Rain. The streaming services helped me to determine it was the better starting point in my limited exploration of Prince.
The nine-track album yielded five singles, which were played to death on the radio. At the time, I would have loved nothing more than to never hear those songs again. But after 30 years, their familiarity is comforting.
That left four tracks to explore. The introduction to “Computer Blue” is a running joke among some friends of mine, and it should be one among yours as well. “Baby I’m a Star” is a nice glue between “I Would Die 4 U” and the title track. And of course, without “Darling Nikki”, there would be no Parents Music Resource Council and the marketing coup-de-grace of the “Explicit Lyrics” marker.
Aside: I remember buying an album with an “Explicit Lyrics” label at the Fort Shafter Exchange, and the clerk carded me because the store wouldn’t sell those albums to anyone under 18. The majority of my music shopping had migrated to Tower Records by then, and they sure as hell didn’t care.
While I wasn’t a stranger to Purple Rain at the time of its release, I don’t find it surprising my appreciation for the album comes as late in my life as it has.
I wasn’t schooled enough in race relations in the United States to grasp the divide between “black music” and “white music”. I just knew I dug bands from England, and Prince was not from England.
Now that I’ve learned the history of rock ‘n’ roll, I see how Prince transcends that divide. He’s a bad enough motherfucker that those labels don’t fucking apply.
Tags: my brother's albums, prince, sibling rivalry collection race
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Tag: maren morris
#Two4Tunesday: Zedd, Maren Morris & Grey – ‘The Middle’ & Lil Dicky – ‘Freaky Friday’ featuring Chris Brown
Zedd, Maren Morris & Grey – ‘The Middle’
Zedd‘s latest track, ‘The Middle’ features the American electronic music duo, Grey (aka brothers Kyle Trewarth and Michael Trewartha) and vocals by American country singer, Maren Morris.
This track may well have come out at the start of 2018 but 10 weeks later, it’s still at Number 10 in the UK charts, following the success of 2017’s ‘Stay‘ with Alessia Cara, however this track performed even better than that.
It’s a fun, uplifting track which has a very similar feel to ‘Stay’ with it’s combination of raw, powerful and digitised/vocoder vocals, atop a blend of 90s pop sensibilities and modern EDM vibes, making for a very distinctive sound.
The video is great fun too, with it’s stunning set and extravagant use of visual lighting. All-round this is just a fantastic piece of modern pop that will undoubtedly get stuck in everyone’s head; a true favourite of mine right now!
‘The Middle’ is on iTunes for downloading now! – https://itunes.apple.com/gb/album/the-middle/1336771022?i=1336771388
Lil Dicky – ‘Freaky Friday’ featuring Chris Brown
The second track this week is Lil Dicky‘s Number 1, smash hit, ‘Freaky Friday’, featuring guest vocals from Chris Brown.
The track itself is a combination of hip hop, pop and comedy (think similar to The Lonely Island), centring on the film(s) of the same name and continually references Chris Brown himself, throughout.
Whilst this track is intentionally comedic and works hilariously with its accompanying music video, there’s no doubt about it that this is one heck of a catchy tune too; it’s easy to see how it’s managed to top the UK Charts!
The music video itself parodies the 2003 film Freaky Friday (starring Jamie Lee Curtis and Lindsay Lohan) and features cameos from Jimmy Tatro, Ed Sheeran, DJ Khaled and Kendall Jenner. It’s a must-watch video but also, I defy anyone not to end up singing along to this earworm of a track!
‘Freaky Friday’ can also be downloaded from iTunes now! – https://itunes.apple.com/gb/album/freaky-friday-feat-chris-brown/1351005381?i=1351005400
Posted in Two4TunesdayTagged alessia cara, chris brown, comedy, comedy hip hop, dance, dance music, dj khaled, earworm, ed sheeran, edm, electronic dance music, freaky friday, grey, hip hop, jimmy tatro, kendall jenner, lil dicky, maren morris, new music, new music 2018, new music friday, pop, pop music, rap, stay, the lonely island, the middle, tuesday, tunesday, two 4 tuesday, two 4 tunesday, two4tunesday, vocoder, zedd
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As Development Boom Bubbles, Oakland’s Arts Scene Increasingly Troubled
July 28, 2015 by Eric K. Arnold 7 Comments
Community members discuss art at an Oakland Creative Neighborhoods Coalition meeting
Last January, when Mayor Schaaf proudly preened in a Burning Man-style art car during her inauguration, hopes were high that art would become a priority. After all, Oakland’s much-ballyhooed cultural renaissance had brought national and even international attention to the city, completely remaking an image once invariably linked to crime and blight.
Libby Schaaf rode in an art car during her inauguration last January
But perhaps arts advocates should have paid more attention to the fact that the onetime Skyline High cheerleader and Jerry Brown aide was driving around in a motorized snail. Just six months into the new administration, there’s been little, if any, forward progress; the arts community has slid into crisis mode, and city officials’ lack of accountability and direction where the arts are concerned is a big reason why
Two weeks ago, the news from the arts scene was that the Rock Paper Scissors Collective was looking for a new home after it was informed its rent would be rising. Last week, even more portentousness appeared: First Humanist Hall—supporter of underground film festivals, non-profit organizations, and community gatherings—was declared a nuisance due to noise complaints from new neighbors. Then the City Council chose developer Orton for the Henry J Kaiser space over a competing proposal from a group including longtime arts supporter Randolph Belle, which was focused around community benefits (including a workforce development plan, in conjunction with Laney College). Instead of a mid-size arena, hotel, and convention center, the space is now expected to hold tech offices and a brewery.
Detail from Brett Cook’s “Reflections of Healing”
Development vs. Art
But that’s not all: Last Thursday, the Building Industry Association of the Bay Area (BIA) announced it had filed a federal civil rights lawsuit against the city, alleging the percent for public art requirement, which took effect this past February, violated the First and Fifth Amendments. In a press release, the Pacific Legal Foundation’s Tony Francois claimed the ordinance “harms the public interest,” although it’s unclear how public art, which is by definition beneficial to the community, could be detrimental. BIA’s Executive Officer Bob Glover called the ordinance “irresponsible” and claimed it would further drive up the cost of housing, even though the majority of the development projects in Oakland’s pipeline have no affordable housing component.
Ironically, news of the lawsuit came just one day after San Francisco announced it was committing $50 million to public art on Treasure Island, an initiative funded in part by SF’s own percent for art ordinance.
“Oakland’s hallmark is its diversity, and if we can create arts districts that both celebrate and differentiate the many cultures represented here, we will be successful.” – Steve Huss, former Oakland Cultural Arts Manager
“Public art is an essential community benefit,” says Anyka Barber, founder and Director/Curator of Oakland’s Betti Ono gallery, noting that Oakland is one of many major Bay Area cities that have adopted percent for art ordinances. According to Craig Watson, Executive Director of the California Arts Council, percent for art programs are common throughout the country; there are more than 300 such programs nationwide, he says. Alma Robinson, Executive Director of California Lawyers for the Arts, says lawsuits challenging public art requirements are uncommon, but when cases have been tried, “cities have prevailed.”
Developers, she added, “should be proud to support the enhancement of Oakland through public art, [which] really enriches cities.”
Besides SF, similar percent for art requirements exist in several nearby cities, including Emeryville, Richmond, San Jose, Walnut Creek, Santa Rosa, Sunnyvale, El Cerrito, and San Mateo. Nationwide, percent for art programs exist in 27 states and territories, including Oregon, Louisiana, Connecticut, Iowa, Washington, D.C., Maine, New Mexico, Rhode Island, Vermont, Alaska, Maine, Utah, Montana, South Carolina, and Guam. Considering the proliferation of such programs, the lawsuit would seem to have little legal merit. However, it can be viewed as a clear message from developers to elected officials that they run the city, and not the other way around.
Zio Zieglar’s recent mural commemorating the 70th anniversary of the UN charter in downtown Oakland
Magnet for Economic Development
As if that wasn’t enough, word is that Steven Huss, Oakland’s Cultural Arts Manager, has resigned to take a less-contentious, better-funded position in Walnut Creek – leaving the fate of an NEA grant to develop an Arts Master Plan for Oakland up in the air.
The cumulative impact of all these developments could strike a crushing blow to Oakland’s cultural arts community, confirming its worst fears about gentrification and displacement and creating a leadership void at the already short-staffed Cultural Arts Department. There’s also a leadership void at the city-funded ProArts gallery, after the forced resignation of Executive Director Margo Dunlap, so Huss’s departure adds more chaos and uncertainty to a muddled situation.
In a 2010 interview posted on the NEA’s website, Huss noted that the arts sector generated $100 million annually for Oakland—a figure which has undoubtedly grown over the past five years—and its overall importance as a “magnet” for economic development.
He went on to say, “In Oakland… the unique character of neighborhoods is best expressed through the arts, and the creation of arts districts can shine a light on the distinctive cultural heritage of these places. Oakland’s hallmark is its diversity, and if we can create arts districts that both celebrate and differentiate the many cultures represented here, we will be successful.”
Detail from Mario Chiodo’s “Remember Them: Champions of Humanity”
Despite Accolades, Civic Commitment to Arts Underwhelming
In truth, Oakland’s civic commitment to arts and culture has been anything but robust for years, while diversity has been the first casualty of a rapidly-shifting demographic. The Cultural Arts fund’s annual budget—slashed in the wake of the recession—is less than the amount Public Works spends on abating tag vandalism, and the loss of the redevelopment agency in 2012 eliminated a key funding source for the city’s public artists.
As reported by Bay Area News Group, only a smidgen of the $400,000 approved by the City Council in 2013 for anti-blight murals has been allocated over a two and one-half year period.
The few murals which have been produced via this fund have all but eliminated tagging and blight recidivism, yet some Councilmembers have yet to issue RFPs, even as Public Works spending on abatement has increased 50%, according to KQED.
Detail from CRP’s “Love Arts Music”
Furthermore, city staffers have reportedly lagged in returning calls about mural fund applications, refused to pay artists on time and/or made them jump through unnecessary bureaucratic hoops, even after murals have been completed. The City Attorney’s office has also reportedly inserted new clauses into artist contracts which require them to give up federal protections known as VARA rights, with no explanation for the policy change.
The City Council’s decision to go with Orton over Belle’s group likely means the end of the line for the Kaiser auditorium, a historic venue which hosted concerts by everyone from Elvis Presley to the Grateful Dead to Bob Marley and the Wailers to Public Enemy and NWA, and reportedly was the site of a historic 1962 speech by Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., which inspired Black Panther Party co-founder Bobby Seale.
The apparent loss of a potentially-reactivated HJK arena robs the city of a mid-sized venue whose prospective owners had a commitment to the cultural community which cannot be said of the operators of the Fox Theater – you can count on one hand the number of shows per year there featuring local artists. And the displacement of RPS, the last remaining original founding member of the Art Murmur— an organically-developed event which saved former Mayor Jerry Brown’s 10K plan from failure and made Oakland buzzworthy after years of second-tier status—seems more than symbolic.
Attitudinal Healing Connection’s Amana Harris (l.) and youth prepare to cut the ribbon on AHC’s “Superheroes” mural
‘Sign of the Times’?
“I’m still reeling, wondering how a city doesn’t do everything possible to support education and jobs for low-income communities of color,” said Belle in a Facebook post after the City Council vote on the HJK property. “But then [I] realize it’s the sign of the times,” he added.
While the communities Belle mentions can certainly benefit from investment in the cultural arts, the gentrification wave is impacting everyone across the board – including artists of all ethnicities and anyone not at the upper tier of income levels.
OCNC members discuss art in Oakland
On the surface, economic growth might seem like a positive thing for Oakland; however, the boom—mainly confined to real estate and tech—has been a calamity for the arts scene. A few months ago, at a city-convened arts stakeholder meeting , arts advocates speculated on the irony of Oakland’s artists making the city cool, only to find themselves priced out. Although some advocates felt the percent for art requirement didn’t go far enough, it at least offered a glimmer of hope for the city’s artists. But the announcement of the lawsuit by developers could delay or even rescind any commissions under the ordinance, and casts a pall on any future attempts to redistribute the wealth flowing into the city among the creative community.
It seems cruel to blame a newly-minted public art ordinance for the increased cost of housing, considering that last year, before the ordinance went into effect, Oakland apartments had the highest rental price hikes in the entire nation, while overall rental prices were the second fastest-rising in the country, and have ballooned as much as 300% over a three-year period.
Detail from Dan Corson’s “Shifting Topographies”
Currently, a typical one-bedroom apartment in Oakland rents for around $2000 a month, and landlords have been proactive in trying to get market rate for properties which rented for much less not long ago – putting economic pressure on art spaces, especially those in Uptown, the city’s most-visible arts district. As the RPS collective noted, “We are being priced out of our space not because of anything we have done, but simply due to the cold calculus of gentrification. There is more money to be made in this space from something other than community-driven art, and that is enough and more than enough to push us out the door.”
The one positive amidst all this bad news is that the San Francisco Foundation recently announced it was giving East Side Arts Collective $1 million to buy its building, ensuring many more years of community-oriented programming in the San Antonio district. Yet as welcome as that news is, it does nothing to help the arts community elsewhere in the city.
Keeping Oakland Creative
If ever there was a time to organize Oakland’s creative arts community, this is it. For the past several months, the Oakland Creative Neighborhoods Coalition has been attempting to do just that. Founded by Betti Ono’s Barber—recently named one of the Bay Area’s Top Ten Art Personalities—and artist, teacher, and arts administrator Katherin Canton, OCNC has coined the hashtag #KeepOaklandCreative and holds organizational meetings to try to rally the city’s culture creators around a policy platform which aims to make a sustainable future for artists, by taking a proactive stance against displacement. (Disclosure: Oakulture Editorial Director Eric Arnold is a member of OCNC’s Steering Committee.) OCNC’s stated goal is to get the city to restore the Cultural Arts Commission (CAC)—another casualty of the recession—a necessary first step in developing greater accountability at the civic level for the arts community.
Katherin Canton (l.) and Anyka Barber
(c.) lead an OCNC meeting
A revised CAC could bring clarity to a confusing, labyrinthine process for artists trying to work with the city. Currently, Oakland’s Cultural Arts Program is under the Economic Development and Marketing department, and its small staff is assisted by an all-volunteer Public Art Advisory Committee. There’s no designated liaison with Parks and Rec (which operates city facilities such as the Malonga Casquelourd Center) or City Council (artists are generally left to facilitate discussions over such things as applying for the anti-blight mural program on their own); almost all direct interaction with the artist community, other than open forum sessions at monthly meetings to review public art projects, is carried out by the department’s one full-time staffer, Denise Pate. Navigating the system is a bureaucratic nightmare at best, compounded by the fact that artists sometimes have to wait up to a year before being compensated for completed projects.
In the case of the percent for art ordinance, the artist community at-large was not asked for input in its drafting, perhaps by design; in the Tribune article, Schaff describes the ordinance as “pro-developer” – a notion which was reinforced during a “stakeholder meeting” also attended by members of the development community and Emeryville city staff this past February.
Fogo Na Roupa dance in front of a CRP mural honoring ethnic dance legends
At the meeting, stakeholders were asked for suggestions for implementation, yet that seems to have been just a formality. When community concerns were brought up, Schaff’s staff hastily shot them down. There was no review of public art programs in cities other than Emeryville, and the developers—only one of which was based in Oakland—didn’t exactly warm to the idea of having any type of community review or oversight of proposed art projects. Developers, their representative said, don’t like to be told what to do, a statement which now seems ominous in the wake of the BIA lawsuit.
OCNC’s next meeting, scheduled for this Wednesday at Betti Ono, will be “an important discussion that is not just about a Percent for Public Art program, but raises critical questions about intersectional issues adversely affecting the most vulnerable Oaklanders today- communities of color, immigrant communities, and low income communities,” explains Barber. “Policies which promote gentrification and displacement, she adds, impact “the vast and deep cultural legacies and traditions of our communities.”
The OCNC, she says, wants the city to implement arts-based initiatives which generate economic development while strengthening community. “We need to see a deeper and more expansive investment in cultural equity across the city in all neighborhoods, and we need to see this investment put into practice as a resource and key strategy for creating a better Oakland and a better Bay Area.”
Detail from AHC’s “Superheroes”
In other words, this isn’t just about art for art’s sake, but leveraging the power of creativity for the greater benefit of the community. That’s a good thing – unless one buys the argument that promoting art is somehow harmful to the public interest.
Meeting #2 of the Oakland Creative Neighborhoods Coalition will be held at Betti Ono Gallery on Wednesday, July 29th at 6:30pm. Betti Ono is located at 1427 Broadway in downtown Oakland.
Categories: Activism, Art review, Artivism, Community Issues | Tags: Anyka Barber, Betti Ono, Brett Cook, Building Industry Association of the Bay Area, Development, Displacement, Gentrification, Henry J Kaiser Auditorium, Libby Schaff, Oakland Creative Neighborhoods Coalition, Percent For Art, Public Art, Randolph Belle, Rock Paper Scissors, Steve Huss | Permalink.
7 thoughts on “As Development Boom Bubbles, Oakland’s Arts Scene Increasingly Troubled”
meleworth
Thanks for covering this important topic. FYI – California Arts Council’s ED is Craig Watson, not Craig Martin.
Eric K. Arnold
good catch, thanks!
Chainsaw Buddha
This is unfair to APE and the folks who put a lot of $$ and effort to bring the Fox back to life. Lets focus on jobs and safety first. Without a safe environment and strong Police department we cannot sow the gorund for cultural revival.
“The apparent loss of a potentially-reactivated HJK arena robs the city of a mid-sized venue whose prospective owners had a commitment to the cultural community which cannot be said of the operators of the Fox Theater – you can count on one hand the number of shows per year there featuring local artists.”
Unfair to APE? I don’t think so. In retrospect, the city was probably too fair to them in not negotiating a better community benefits package. The folks who put a lot of money into the restoration were Oakland taxpayers, who got a venue which primarily serves tourists and visitors, and has supported restaurants and bars but hasn’t helped cultural establishments, i.e. art spaces, other music venues. Also, did you just say “strong police department” and “cultural revival” in the same sentence? What does one have to do with the other? Police spending is a big reason social services are underfunded.
Lisa Ruhland
Thanks for covering this important topic. FYI – Oakland’s Mayor is Libby Schaaf, not Schaff.
Karen Eichler
Does the code envision or articulate “art” as anything that might be ephemeral such as performance, music, dance or other “arts”, or any temporary installations? Often, performing and temporary arts that are under-funded and under-represented could be deployed, and, from the property owner’s perspective, enliven a property and change the streetscape as well as, or better than, permanent art. Likewise, it creates more opportunities, for more artists, if it is an evolving program of installations instead of something that is placed permanently by one artist, and forgotten.
In most cities, land-use and planning departments currently require retail at the streetscape of development projects. Current thinking is that it also contributes to walkability, safety, community engagement and in general a lively streetscape. But, vacant retail actually creates the opposite environment – often graffiti, vagrancy and avoidance. Would the City of Oakland consider the temporary activation of retail a partial fulfillment of the % for arts requirement? Again, ongoing programming, excitement at the streetscape, and building foot traffic might create enough life that long-term leasing activity occurs, creating a long-term lease that contributes to the health of the City.
Hello and thank you for caring about what’s happening in Oakland! I am looking for some help to spread the word about what has happened to yet another arts venue in Oakland: Studio 1924. For more information, you can see http://ww2.kqed.org/arts/2015/12/23/oakland-dance-studio-is-newest-victim-of-rising-rents/. We need help finding a new space and with enough community support, we hope to purchase a property so that Oakland can enjoy a dance and entertainment venue for many years to come. Contact me if interested in helping. Thank you!
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Singhvi CD case an individual issue: Sibal
Edited By Odishatv Bureau Published By Odishatv Bureau Last updated Dec 25, 2018 - 11:31 AM
New Delhi: Terming the controversy over a CD purportedly involving Congress MP Abhishek Singhvi as an individual issue, the government today said it was not mulling any move to restrain the social media.
“This government since 2004 has not taken a single step to curb the social media,” Telecom Minister Kapil Sibal told reporters here in response to questions whether the government was thinking of imposing any curbs on the social media which has gone viral over the CD. “Eight years have passed. Has the government taken any action against the social media? None. So, why do you ask this question,” Sibal said. When pointed out that Singhvi has moved court, he maintained that individuals, whether in government or outside, can adopt legal procedures to vindicate their rights.
“I don`t think we should be asking the government to respond to individual rights when they can be dealt with individually. It is an individual issue. He or she is entitled to seek relief from whichever court they wish to. Government should not be commenting on these issues,” he said. Asked about Press Council of India Chairman Markandey Katju`s comments favouring curbs on social media, the minister said he was entitled to his views.
“Putting curbs on the media is a serious issue. That does not mean the media does not have any responsibilities. The media itself has certain responsibilities and our expectation is that the media must discharge those responsibilities,” he said. He added that if the media does not do so then it should be debated by the people. “We should have a consensus before we move forward,” he said.
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"Viet Nam"
"Vietnam War, 1961-1975"
Race relations 14
Gesture 4
International affairs 3
Photographs 11
Portraits 11
Dog tags 1
Pamphlets 1
Uniforms 1
Arlington County 4
Camp Hansen 4
H? Chí Minh, Thành Ph? 4
5708 Arundel Ave. 3
Montgomery County 3
Richland County 1
Brown, James Edward 12
Bennett, L. Howard 4
Garrett, Kent 4
Greaves, William 4
National Educational Television 4
Smith, Thomas 2
United States Army 2
Allied Printing Trades Council 1
Bailey, Jan 1
Bond, Horace Julian 1
Bonham Manufacturing Company Inc. 1
Communist Party of the United States of America 1
Lewis, T. G. 1
Mallin Hardware 1
Young Communist League 1
The Black G.I. Black Journal segment
16mm motion picture film of The Black G.I. [Black Journal segment]
Garrett, Kent, American, born 1941
Greaves, William, American, 1926 - 2014
National Educational Television, American, 1954 - 1970
Bennett, L. Howard
16mm Film (a): acetate film
Length (Film): 1,800 Feet
H? Chí Minh, Thành Ph?, H? Chí Minh, Viet Nam, Asia
Camp Hansen, Okinawa, Japan, Asia
Arlington County, Virginia, United States, North and Central America
The Black G.I. is a two-part documentary episode of the television series Black Journal. It focuses on the experiences of African-American soldiers in the Vietnam War. This film features frank and open discussions from soldiers, ranked officers, and politicians about the racism that defined the different experiences black soldiers had in this war.
This 16mm color film is an hour-long documentary segment of Episode No. 22 of the NET (National Educational Television) television program, Black Journal; a weekly public television newsmagazine in the late 1960s/early 1970s that examined the many issues pertinent to the black American experience at the time. It was originally broadcast on March 30, 1970, and is believed to have been filmed over the course of 1969. Episode No. 22 of Black Journal was directed by Stan Lathan, while the "Black G.I." segment was directed by Kent Garrett. Executive Produced by William Greaves.
Contains: 16mm Film (a), Original 1,600 foot Film Reel (b), and Original 1,600 foot Film Canister (c).
2012.79.1.51.1a: 16mm film. This film opens with a narration over images of African American men in the history of the US military. The first moving image section shows African American men fighting during World War II. The narrator discusses the irony of African American men fighting for freedom in Europe while not enjoying the same freedoms in the US. There are multiple shots of the Tuskegee Airmen. Eleanor Roosevelt pins (unknown) medal on African American soldier. Next, newsreel footage of Joe Louis arriving at an airbase and greeting black troops. The narrator then talks about the desegregation of the US military during the Korean War and points out the lack of black soldiers in leadership positions. Color footage marks the transition of the narration to coverage of the Vietnam War. Two African American soldiers in civilian clothing with soul power patches can be seen dapping. Series of brief excerpts from interviews of black soldiers play, each stating their position on being black and in the military during the Vietnam War. The narrator reveals the disproportionate percentage of black men who are killed in action versus their white counterparts. There are multiple shots of combat and post-combat footage in Vietnamese rice fields and footage of riverside villages. Two sailors patrol a river and discuss their experience in Vietnam thus far and what they'll do when they get home. They discuss their mission and how to be black while being in the military. A girl group performs at the USO in Saigon. Tanks and amored personnel carriers patrol suspected enemy locations along border with North Vietnam. Sailors on a patrol boat open fire at the river bank and a confederate flag can be seen flying from a flag pole on board. Black sailors discuss cultural challenges of being in the Navy and the lack entertainment geared towards black musical tastes of the time. One sailor talks about being disciplined for getting into an altercation after a white sailor ripped his tape player from the wall for playing soul music. The narrator reveals that an all white court martial found the sailor, Bobby Jenkins, guilty of assault, demoted him and docked his pay. A sailor relays that he and other African Americans met with the Assistant Secretary of Defense for civil rights to discuss their poor treatment and were promised changes by the Assistant Secretary. The sailors talk about how some local Vietnamese have adopted some of the negative perceptions of African Americans, which some black sailors believe they learned from some white members of the military. The sailors discuss how their hands are tied when it comes to standing up for their rights as sailors on a patrol boat dap and salute the camera with black/soul power fists. Air Force fighter pilot, John Bordeaux, discusses his personal experience of not facing the same discrimination expressed by other African American military personnel. Two black career Army officers, Davis and Rogers, discuss the systematic discrimination they've faced; in particular, they recall incidents of being passed over for promotions despite strong credentials. Brigadier General Frederick E. Davison, the first African American combat general, rejects the assertion that an African American who succeeds in the military is an Uncle Tom and discusses the many actions that the Army has taken to ensure equal treatment and opportunities. A cover of "Sittin' on a Dock in the Bay" plays over a montage of black soldiers in the field. A group of black Marines in a mess hall at Camp Hansen, Okinawa discuss the unfair treatment they've experienced, such as being forced to wear a collared shirt with their dashikis and not being allowed to wear their hair in an afro. One marine relates an incident in which they were violently confronted after returning from a USO show that primarily featured soul music. There is a series of shots of shops in Koza "Four Corners", Okinawa geared towards African American soldiers. Another group of soldiers discuss their dissatisfaction with being drafted to fight in Vietnam despite social and economic discrimination at home, and being harassed and targeted as being "troublesome" if they decide to attend country music night at local clubs. L. Howard Bennett, Deputy Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights, discusses how black soldiers complaining about the lack of soul music are expressing grievances beyond simply entertainment selection and dissatisfaction with communcation in the chain of command. He also states his opinion that black soldiers fighting for the US puts them in a better position to demand equal rights at home.
2012.79.1.51.1b: Original 1,600 foot film reel.
2012.79.1.51.1c: Original 1,600 foot film canister. The metal film canister has two sticker labels; each from a different film services company.
Vietnam War, 1961-1975
2012.79.1.51.1a
© National Educational Television
5708 Arundel Ave., Rockville, Montgomery County, Maryland, United States, North and Central America
This preservation 16mm color film is an hour-long documentary segment of Episode No. 22 of the NET (National Educational Television) television program, Black Journal; a weekly public television newsmagazine in the late 1960s/early 1970s that examined the many issues pertinent to the black American experience at the time. It was originally broadcast on March 30, 1970, and is believed to have been filmed over the course of 1969. Episode No. 22 of Black Journal was directed by Stan Lathan, while the "Black G.I." segment was directed by Kent Garrett. Executive Produced by William Greaves.
Poster promoting March and Rally for Peace, April 27, 1968
Allied Printing Trades Council, founded 1911
H x W: 22 1/8 x 15 3/4 in. (56.2 x 40 cm)
Manhattan, New York City, New York County, New York, United States, North and Central America
Viet Nam, Asia
A black and white poster advertising the March and Rally for Peace. The poster features four people holding signs protesting the Vietnam War. The top of the poster is printed with white text that reads: [HELP END / DEMONSTRATIONS]. At the bottom text reads: [END THE WAR] along with information about the meeting time and place of the march. There is also a small Allied Printing Trades Council mark in the lower right hand corner. The back has a handwritten inscription that reads: [1968 US].
Memorabilia and Ephemera
Photograph of Thomas Smith at base camp with inscription on back
Smith, Thomas, American, died 1987
dye and photographic gelatin on photographic paper
H x W: 4 1/4 x 3 3/8 in. (10.8 x 8.6 cm)
chromogenic color prints
Color photograph of Thomas Smith holding an M16 rifle. Smith is wearing fatigues, a hat, and sunglasses. Military vehicles and three men in fatigues are visible in the background. The photograph is torn on the bottom left side and is adhered to a backing. A handwritten inscription on the back reads: [This is base camp 7c / me and my / girlfriend / sweet 16 / m-16 that is / we call them / black power].
Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture, Gift of Devlin Culliver
Military fatigue shirt worn by James E. Brown of the 20th Engineer Brigade
Bonham Manufacturing Company Inc., American
Brown, James Edward II, American
United States Army, American, founded 1775
cotton (fiber) and plastic
H x W: 30 x 35 in. (76.2 x 88.9 cm)
A Vietnam War olive green short sleeve military shirt. This button down style shirt is missing two front plastic buttons. It has four pockets on the front, each with a flap and a two button closure. Extremely worn, it has a large faded patch over the front right side. There are holes throughout: on the left top breast pocket, on the front button placket, next to right hand breast pocket and into right armpit. There is a name patch reading 'BROWN' over right top pocket and a patch reading 'U.S. Army' over left top pocket. It has a fold over style collar, very worn at the back of neck. There is a United States Military Assistance Command shoulder sleeve insignia on the right shoulder. It consists of a shield shaped patch with a black sword between black battlements. There is a 20th Engineer Brigade shoulder insignia on the left shoulder. It consists of a diamond shaped patch with a black three turret tower inside a broken black border on green field.
There is a small hole in the right shoulder, and large tears along bottom left hem. There is fading and discoloration throughout.
There is a sewn-in tag at the collar. It is a white rectangle with black print.
'MEDIUM-SHORT/ Chest 37-41 inches/ HEIGHT: Up to 57 inches/ 8405-935-4707'
There is a sewn-in tag on lower right side. It is a white rectangle with black print. For full text please see notes text entries.
Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture, Gift of James E. Brown
Double Victory: The African American Military Experience
NMAAHC (1400 Constitution Ave NW), National Mall Location, Community/Third Floor, 3 053
Dog tag and P38 can opener used by James E. Brown during the Vietnam War
Mallin Hardware, American
L x W: 17 5/8 x 1 5/8 in. (44.8 x 4.1 cm)
Shelby, Richland County, Ohio, United States, North and Central America
A silver metal dog tag with stamped information. Rectangular shape with rounded ends, it has letters stamped deeply into the metal. The tag is bent slightly towards one end. There are small dents and scratches throughout, and signs of wear around the suspension hole. The stamped letters read "BROWN/JAMES E/[social security number]/OPOS/BAPTIST." Also attached to the bead chain by a shorter bead loop is a P38 can opener. Inscribed on one side is "U.S./MALLIN/SHELBY.O." The can opener is roughly rectangular in shape, with a hole on one corner for the suspension chain. There is a raised metal groove running down the length of the rectangle. One side has a small sharp half-moon indentation cut out of the edge. Below this indentation is a hinged, half-moon shaped tooth with a sharp curved upper edge. This section can lay flat against the larger rectangle of metal or swing open. The metal is stained and has some rust spots.
Tools and Equipment-Military
Photograph of an American soldier in Vietnam
dye on photographic paper
H x W: 3 3/8 x 4 1/4 in. (8.6 x 10.8 cm)
dye diffusion transfer prints
A color photograph of a soldier in Vietnam. This image depicts a young man in olive green army fatigues, standing in an open, grassy area. Behind him are palm trees and jungle foliage, and a mountain in the background. The man stands facing the viewer, hand on hips. He is in shadow and the picture is slightly unfocused.
A color photograph of a soldier in Vietnam. This image depicts a young man in olive green army fatigues. Behind him are palm trees and jungle foliage, with a fallen tree and a clearing in the background. The man stands facing the viewer, hand on hips. The picture is slightly unfocused.
H x W: 3 1/2 x 3 1/2 in. (8.9 x 8.9 cm)
A color photograph of a soldier in Vietnam. This image depicts a young man in olive green army fatigue pants. Shirtless, he wears sunglasses and combat boots as he leans against an upright sheet of corrugated metal. He holds a cigarette in his left hand and wears a watch on his right wrist. In the background are several army trucks and the figure of a man, also shirtless, bending over.
Photograph of two American soldiers in Vietnam
H x W: 3 7/16 x 3 7/16 in. (8.7 x 8.7 cm)
A color photograph of two soldiers in Vietnam. In it two men hold their clasped fists in the air. The two men face each other, one's right hand gripping the other's left. The men stand in profile but turn their heads and gaze at the viewer. They are both in olive green military fatigues; the left-hand figure in tee shirt and cargo pants, the right-hand figure in a long sleeved coat and cargo pants. He holds a beverage can in his left hand. In the background are several military shelters with their sides rolled up. There are several men, also in military fatigues, gathered under one shelter.
Photograph of an American soldier leaning on a jeep in Vietnam
A color photograph of a soldier in olive green military fatigues leaning against a military jeep. Wearing sunglasses and his hat sideways, he poses with his left fist on his hip and his right arm resting on the jeep's hood. He gazes over the top of his sunglasses at the viewer. The jeep is olive green with the words "HARD CORE" painted in white letters across the bottom of the windshield. There is a red castle painted between the words. The same red castle is depicted on a white sign attached to the jeep's front grill. One the other side of the figure is a stack of filled sacks. In the background are oil drums and other military gear.
Photograph of two American soldiers sitting on a jeep in Vietnam
A black and white photograph of two soldiers, in military fatigues, sitting on the edge of a jeep's wind shield. The two figures, side by side, each hold up their right fists in the air. The figure on the right wears a boonie hat and sunglasses, and a watch on his left wrist. The left hand figure is bareheaded and holds his boonies hat on his left knee. They are both perched on the edge of the windshield, boots resting on the jeep's hood. Both figures gaze smiling at the viewer.
H x W: 3 1/2 x 3 7/16 in. (8.9 x 8.7 cm)
A color photograph for two soldiers in Vietnam. Wearing military fatigues and standing side by side, the figure of the right wears a boonie hat, olive green tee shirt and cargo pants. The figure on the left is bareheaded and is wearing a long sleeved coat and cargo pants. He holds a beverage can in his right hand; his left is in his pocket. Both gaze directly at the viewer. In the background is a large military tent made of wood and canvas.
Photograph of four American soldiers in Vietnam
A color photograph of four American soldiers in Vietnam. Wearing military fatigues and standing side by side, they stand with right arms raised and fists loosely clenched. The figure on the far left wears only pants, a small necklace, and a watch around his left wrist. He slightly shorter than the other three men. The other three wear olive green fatigue shirts and cargo pants. The first and second figure from the right hold beverage cans in their left hands.The figure on the far right also holds a cigarette between the fingers of his left hand. The second figure from the right leans heavily towards the soldier on his proper right hand side. All four gaze at the viewer. In the background is a large dark grey shipping container with one door open.
A color photograph of two American soldiers in Vietnam. The figure on the left wears a boonie hat and an olive green tee-shirt tucked into olive green cargo pants. He has a metal carabineer hooked to his right hand pants belt loop. The figure on the right wears an olive green military shirt with rolled up sleeves and sunglasses. He is giving a high five to the other figure with his right hand. He faces the camera frontally and gazes at the viewer over the top of his sunglasses. The other figure stands sideways to the camera and returns the high five with his raised right hand. His left arm, raised to the same level, makes a fist. This figure turns his head to the right towards the viewer. In the background are two indistinct and partially visible figures, one standing next to a large dark grey cargo container, the other standing next to a mechanical device, possibly a motorcycle. In the distance are brown and green fields.
Photograph of American soldiers at a mess tent in Vietnam
A color photograph of American soldiers standing by a mess tent with a flat roof. It depicts several soldiers clustered under and next to a wood structure with canvas sides. The canvas has been rolled up and piled on the structure's roof. Under the tent are several large metal pots and containers, one of which appears to contain food. In the foreground are two soldiers greeting each other. The left hand figure, standing sideways to the viewer, wears an olive green peaked cap and olive green fatigue shirt with rolled up sleeves. He gestures with his right arm up, with his elbow bent, pointing outwards toward the viewer. He gazes straight ahead at the right hand figure who stands immediately in front of him. This soldier stands frontally to the viewer, his head turned to his right towards the other figure. He gestures with his right arm, holding it up and slightly out to the side, and bent at the elbow, nearly touching the other man's outstretched hand. He wears an olive green military shirt and cargo pants. His head, wearing a boonie hat, touches the rolled up canvas at the edge of the tent roof. Behind him a third man, standing under the tent roof and wearing cargo pants and a watch on his left wrist, dips his right hand into one of the metal pots. In the background is the front part of a military jeep, a large canvas tent, and stacks of metal barrels.
Representative Julian Bond, American, 1940 - 2015
Lewis, T. G., American
Bailey, Jan, American, 1942 - 2010
paper, ink, metal
H x W: 11 × 8 1/2 × 1/16 in. (27.9 × 21.6 × 0.2 cm)
Graphic booklet with a black and white illustration on the front cover. The illustration depicts soldiers wading into a river with dense tropical foliage along the riverbank. Palm fronds are prominent in the right middle ground of the image. The soldiers are all helmeted and carry their weapons and packs above their heads. At the top in large, white block letters is the title [VIETNAM]. In the lower right corner is the artist's signature and date [T.G.Lewis '67].
© Julian Bond. Permission required for use.
Young Worker Vol. 3 No. 2
Young Communist League, American, founded 1920
Communist Party of the United States of America, American, founded 1919
H x W: 10 11/16 x 8 1/16 in. (27.2 x 20.5 cm)
A pamphlet made of black ink on a white paper. The front cover has black ink on a green cover and features a black and white photograph of demonstrators in New York protesting the Vietnam War. The interior consists of twenty-eight pages of text and photographs. The back of the pamphlet has a black and white photograph of protestors.
Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture, Gift of the family of Dr. Maurice Jackson and Laura Ginsburg
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Cecilie Enger
Breathe for Me
Pust for meg
Gyldendal 2017
Can you forgive yourself for the pain you inflict on others?
Almost-sixty-one-year-old anesthesiologist Carla Ruud drives from Oslo to her hometown to visit her mother at the nursing home. With her in the car is a young woman, Synne, who is heading in the same direction. On the icy road, Carla loses control of the car and they end up driving off a cliff. Despite all her medical experience, Carla cannot save Synne’s life.
Breathe for Me is a pensive novel from the author of the best-seller Mother’s Gifts. A novel about three generations of women – Carla’s mother aged 90, Carla herself, and Carla’s daughter, Ingrid aged 31 – about the vulnerability of being dependent on those closest to you and about losing control over your own life. One can withstand pain as long as it has a purpose, but what about when it does not have any? And the day you no longer feel like anybody needs you, who are you then?
‘Her light, pleasant style deepens the existential thematic depth, which makes the novel almost impossible to read and just as impossible to put down. This is just amazingly pensive, thorough and well-written.’
‘Well-written, hearty prose.’
‘Enger’s book feels fresh, almost surprisingly original. (…) In a quiet way it manages to wake the reader to new reflections on the inevitable pain of life.’
Photo: Trude Rønnestad
Cecilie Enger was born in 1963, and has studied history, Norwegian and journalism. She also works as a feature journalist when she is not writing critically-acclaimed novels. Her first novel Necessity was published in 1994 and was warmly received by critics. Her big break came with Mother’s Gifts in 2013, which sold internationally and earned her the Booksellers’ Prize that year. She is perhaps best known for biographical and historically-inspired novels as well as strong portraits of female characters.
Denmark (Jensen & Dalgaard)
(Selected):
The Norwegian Bookseller’s Prize 2013
Shortlisted for the 2013 Critics’ Prize
2008 The Amalie Skram Prize for best female fiction writer
2007 The Neshorn Prize, for the book of the year.
Nominated for the 2000 Brage Prize
1994 Nota Bene Cultural Prize
Mother’s Gifts (2013)
The Chamber Maid (2011)
Storming Heaven (2007)
Look in Mercy (2003)
The Henriksen Brothers (2000)
Extremity (1996)
Necessity (1994)
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‘Sweet Spot’ With Mike Sugerman: A Taste Of Chocolate History
Filed Under:Mike Sugerman, Sweet Spot, WCBS 880
“Sweet Spot,” by Mike Sugerman
WHITE PLAINS (WCBS 880) – Of the roughly 143 museums in New York City, Choco-Story has to be the tastiest.
Jacques Torres and his company produce 250 tons of chocolate a year at a factory in Brooklyn. So a Manhattan museum in Hudson Square only seemed natural.
“I created the museum because I made the chocolates, now I’m growing the chocolates. So it makes sense that I teach about chocolates,” he says.
It’s pretty sweet.
“How do we make chocolates? And by the way, what is chocolate? What is a cacao tree? So we have cacao tree and banana tree into the museum to teach you how they grow and where do they grow,” says Torres.
There won’t be a quiz at the end, though there are lessons in commerce, politics and history.
None of it’s sugar-coated. Well it is, but not that way.
Visiting the 4,500 square foot factory, you see the man’s passion for chocolate and the pure fun he has making it.
“Christmas is about between 20 and 28 percent, depending on the year. Christmas is a big chunk of what we do,” he says.
Torres got the idea from another chocolatier who opened a similar spot in Belgium, which also has a place in chocolate lore.
But who cares. Museums? You had me at chocolate.
Find more from the “Sweet Spot” here.
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Southall Black Sisters: Dissent to Speak Power to Truth, Hope to Counter Hate and Violence
Pragna Patel - 22nd July 2015
Editor’s Note: Pragna Patel of UK women’s organisation Southall Black Sisters (SBS) and Mauro Cabral of Global Action for Trans Equality (GATE) were given the inaugural Bob Hepple Equality Award, established by the Equal Rights Trust, in a ceremony in London on 16 July 2015. This is a modified version of her acceptance speech.
This award recognises the collective endeavours of the women at Southall Black Sisters. Among others, it is about the 75 year old Indian woman who walked into our centre, and wanted to leave her husband after 50 years of violence and abuse. She told us, ‘I feel like a boulder in a violent stream that is being slowly eroded away and there is very little left’. These words capture the essence of our work; to navigate the tide of various, often converging streams of violence, discrimination and injustice that wear away at the strength and dignity of women, and strip them of their humanity.
We are privileged to work with women whose everyday battles for justice continue to inspire us. But we have also learnt that we have to collect the political residue that builds up from every individual account of resistance, and use it to construct a politics of dissent and hope. We know from the lived experience of these women that dissent is necessary to speak truth to power and hope is necessary to counter the dominant ideologies of hate and violence that surround us. Together, dissent and hope form the bedrock of a progressive politics of solidarity and reinforce that an injustice to one is an injustice to all.
It is our 36th anniversary this year. From our inception, we have sought to give a voice to some of the most marginalised women in the UK: women who stand at the intersection of race, class, gender, religion, sexuality and power.
It is hard to select only a few stories from the many that have formed part of our journey, but I mention some.
Krishna Sharma, the young woman whose death inspired the first public demonstration against domestic violence in Southall.
Kiranjit Ahluwalia, who was compelled to take the life of her abusive husband to protect herself and her young sons, only to find herself prosecuted and convicted of his murder – her successful campaign to overturn that conviction exposed a criminal justice system struggling to free itself from its patriarchal roots. It led to a fundamental reform of the defence of provocation and significant normative shifts in public perceptions of domestic violence, especially in minority communities.
Zoora Shah, who was condemned by a criminal justice system unable or unwilling to recognise the circumstances of utter destitution and oppression which compelled her to take the life of her abusive pimp in order to protect her young daughters, one of whom has just been elected to Parliament by a community in Bradford, a community that once vilified Zoora but has finally come to understand her struggle for justice.
Despite these incremental gains, there are the struggles that have seemed impossible to win in a context of unprecedented austerity measures and anti-immigration border controls.
Our efforts over the decades to ensure protection for the thousands of migrant women who find themselves trapped in domestic violence because of immigration controls – these efforts culminated in the introduction of the Domestic Violence Rule in 2002 and the Destitution and Domestic Violence Concession in 2012, which have thrown a vital lifeline to thousands of migrant women. Similarly, we have continually challenged moral blindness in the garb of ‘multiculturalism’ which allowed the State to violate its legal and moral duty to intervene in cases of gender based violence in minority communities. For example, we now have the Forced Marriage (Civil Protection Act) 1997 .
Then there are our perennial struggles for funding and survival in the face of a hostile economic and political climate. In 2008 we challenged an attempt by our local authority to withdraw much needed funds for our services. This withdrawal was based on the flawed assumption that the interests of social cohesion and integration, and even equality itself, were undermined by the existence of specialist service that caters specifically to Black and minority women. What began as a local campaign for funding turned into a significant struggle for transforming the meaning of equality. Equality as a transformative concept was re-affirmed in Kaur & Shah, R (on the application of) v London Borough of Ealing & Anor [2008] EWHC 2062 (Admin). Since then, the Public Sector Equality Duty, the foundation of this challenge, has become an indispensable tool in our struggle for substantive equality.
These are important victories and we should take the time to celebrate, but the struggle continues. It is imperative that the bigger political battles for equality and access to justice continue to realise their inextricable link to rampant neo-liberalism and religious fundamentalism – movements which thrive in each other’s regressive ideological and anti-democratic environments, and seek to establish power without accountability.
Pragna Patel is the Director of Southall Black Sisters, group of black and minority women with years of experience of struggling for women’s human rights in the UK.
Pragna Patel, ‘Southall Black Sisters: Dissent to Speak Power to Truth, Hope to Counter Hate and Violence’ (OxHRH Blog, 22 July 2015) <http://ohrh.law.ox.ac.uk/southall-black-sisters-dissent-to-speak-power-to-truth-hope-to-counter-hate-and-violence/> [Date of Access].
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Home - News - Searching for new arthritis treatments
Searching for new arthritis treatments
Arthritis is the leading cause of disability in adults in the U.S., affecting more than 54 million people with more than 100 distinct types of the disease.
To make matters worse, there are no approved treatments for the most common form of arthritis—osteoarthritis. It stems from the loss of cartilage between bones and joints and will affect more than half of all Americans over the age of 65.
Understandably, this has led to much concern about the future of arthritis treatment.
“We all want to live long enough that we eventually have some wear-and-tear form of arthritis,” said OMRF Vice President of Clinical Affairs Judith James, M.D., Ph.D. “But we don’t want any disability or limitations from it that tend to occur as we age. What we need is a disease-modifying drug.”
James, a rheumatologist and internationally recognized expert on arthritis, said that advancements in treating other forms of arthritis offer hope for similar developments in osteoarthritis.
“In the past decade, we have seen big changes in treatment for several types of arthritis, including the introduction of drugs and interventions for less-common forms like rheumatoid arthritis,” said James.
Rheumatoid arthritis is a chronic illness mainly characterized by inflammation in the lining of the joints, and it affects more than 1.3 million adults in the U.S. James currently serves as principal investigator on a clinical trial called StopRA, a prevention study for the disease.
“We are testing people who are at high risk of developing RA. Our goal is to get them on treatments that may help prevent the disease from ever occurring,” she said. If you are interested in participating or finding out more about the study, please call 405-271-7745 or email jackie-keyser@omrf.org.
The National Institutes of Health invests more than $500 million annually toward understanding and treating various forms of arthritis. Some of that work is happening at OMRF, including research by scientist Tim Griffin, Ph.D., who studies the effects of obesity on the development of osteoarthritis.
“Much of what we initially learned about osteoarthritis came from studying end-stage diseased tissues when people had their joints replaced,” said Griffin.
However, technological advances in imaging and biomarkers have allowed scientists to study earlier stages of disease. Griffin says that this has given new hope for a cure.
“We now think of early-stage OA as resulting from a family of different conditions, such as obesity, trauma, or aging,” he said. “Treatments that target the specific cause of osteoarthritis at the early stages may delay or even prevent disease.”
Multiple studies have shown that a diet avoiding inflammatory foods like saturated fats and refined carbohydrates can help protect you. Griffin’s lab recently found that diets high in saturated fats increased the risk of joint inflammation in mice—even before cartilage loss began.
“We are working on this disease in earnest and continue to understand more and more about it,” said James. “I am increasingly hopeful that we will see a treatment for osteoarthritis in our lifetime.”
But while we await the first osteoarthritis drug, what can we do in the meantime?
“‘Move as much as you can,” said James. “The more you sit, the stiffer and more painful your joints become. Other keys are to maintain a reasonable body weight and participate in joint-safe exercises like swimming or using an elliptical machine.”
Filed Under: News Tagged With: aging, arthritis, biomarkers, disability, drugs, elderly, Griffin, James, Judith, Judith James, newsok, oa, OKC, Oklahoma Medical Research Foundation, OMRF, option, osteoarthritis, ra, research, rheumatoid arthritis, science, scientist-news, study, therapeutic, therapy, Tim Griffin, Timothy, trauma, treatment
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Tag Archives: cathy watson
Hyperlocal Voices: Cathy Watson, Uckfield News
Cathy Watson, an experienced journalist, first set up the Uckfield News 3 and a half years ago to promote her PR business, which it has since outgrown. The site is “reactive”, says Cathy, both in the directions that it has grown, and in many of the stories that it covers: “Where I see people hunting for information, perhaps on Twitter or Facebook, about traffic hold ups or fires I make the calls to find and post answers but I don’t make the traditional daily calls.”
This is part of the ongoing Hyperlocal Voices series of interviews.
Who were the people behind the blog, and what were their backgrounds?
I set up the blog but my husband, Paul Watson, now helps with it. We are both journalists.
I have worked as reporter, news editor, sub-editor, deputy editor and acting editor moving, within one company, between the Bury Free Press, Newmarket Journal and Lynn News and Advertiser. After moving to Sussex I worked as a freelance for the Sussex Express.
Paul too worked in all jobs across the newsroom before becoming an editor. He edited free newspapers in King’s Lynn and Wisbech before moving to edit the Middy, (the Mid Sussex Times at Haywards Heath) and then the Sussex Express.
Most recently he has been looking at the future training of journalists in managing a project led by the National Council for the Training of Journalists supported by the Broadcast Journalism Training Council, the Periodicals Training Council and the Society of Editors.
The project has included a survey of employers of journalists, relevant education providers and new entrants to the profession.
He continues to work as an editorial consultant for the NCTJ.
What made you decide to set up the blog?
I started a PR business, wanted to attract the attention of local businesses and thought it would help to have an Uckfield News page on my website. I updated it daily with nibs (news in brief).
When did you set up the blog and how did you go about it?
I started the news page three-and-a-half years ago using the free Microsoft Office Live platform. After about 18 months I altered the focus of the site to Uckfield News and a year ago had a bespoke site built.
What other blogs, bloggers or websites influenced you?
None. I didn’t know people were setting up ‘hyperlocal’ sites. Everything I have done has been reactive, people liked the news so I added more of it, I tested a shopping feature and it led to the listings, the listings are now leading to more features and people who pay to list (so supporting the site) are, where possible, sources for stories.
How did – and do – you see yourself in relation to a traditional news operation?
Uckfield is on the edge of circulation areas of three paid-for newspapers. They cover the town well but can’t pick up the ‘nitty gritty’ because of commitments to other towns.
I’m particularly interested in planning applications, change within the town, shopping and business news. I concentrate on reporting facts, leaving people to add their views in the comment sections at the end of stories, and on Uckfield News Twitter and Facebook pages.
I also mix paid-for ad features in with the news.
Where I see people hunting for information, perhaps on Twitter or Facebook, about traffic hold ups or fires I make the calls to find and post answers but I don’t make the traditional daily calls and tend to avoid “shock, horror, probe”.
What have been the key moments in the blog’s development editorially?
Adding shopping, business and history features. They are a good way of bringing people back to the site on a regular basis.
What sort of traffic do you get and how has that changed over time?
It doesn’t seem long since I was pleased to have four or five visitors a day! Growth has been slow but by the time we launched the new site a year ago we were getting about 1,000 unique visitors a month.
In our most recent peak we hit about 4,500 unique visitors, 9,000 visitors and 25,000 page views. The figures have settled again to about 3,000 unique visitors, 5,000 visits and 14,000 page views a month but the trend is upwards.
Paul and I have the desire to cover everything that moves because old habits die hard! But I am reining back because I don’t want to do this without advertising support. I have just had the site altered to accommodate advertising and hope to start building that side of the business.
This entry was posted in twitter and tagged BJTC, cathy watson, facebook, Hyperlocal, Hyperlocal Voices, Microsoft Office Live, NCTJ, paul watson, ptc, twitter, uckfield news on November 23, 2010 by Paul Bradshaw.
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Anti-Human Rights, Chaosistan, Middle East, Syria, Turkey
How the Syrian Case Would Be Tackled?
Written by ORIENTAL REVIEW on 09/11/2011
More in Anti-Human Rights:
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The deeper the crisis in Syria, the more evident it becomes that its former ally, Turkey, has played its part in the process. As the only moderate Islamic NATO member state, Turkey has turned into a springboard for the Syrian opposition. Istanbul announced the creation of a Syrian national council, analogous to the Libyan NTC. Opposition members are actively collaborating with Turkish governmental bodies. Actually, Turkey homes a headquarters of Syrian immigrants who handle all those destructive policies at home. It was Turkey where the so-called Free Syrian Army (FSA) was formed to comprise Syrian deserters. A group of Syrian military men, who reside in a strictly protected refugee camp, have claimed responsibility for the killing of nine Syrian soldiers and an officer on Syrian territory. There is no doubt that the rebels were working off the debts owed to new bosses. The Turkish authorities say that their relations with the FSA chief Riyad al-Asad and his army are «purely humanitarian», while a key task for Ankara there is to ensure security of the FSA members. Turkey’s Foreign Ministry seems to ignore the fact that collaboration with the FSA is the way to cause bloodshed in Syria and not «to allow the army freely express their political views».
The Turkish Foreign Ministry even held a press-conference for the FSA chief Riyad al-Asad, who said that his army was «the leader of the Syrian nation» and would «fight against the regime until stability and peace come». At the conference al-Asad was accompanied by ten security guards, a sniper among them. When the conference was over, journalists were told that further contacts with the FSA chief were possible only through Turkey`s Foreign Ministry. Isn`t it the best proof of the FSA being a marionette organization? Apart from the FSA, there are dozens of other militant groups traveling across the Turkish-Syrian border and bringing death and chaos in their native countries.
Hugh Pope of the International Crisis Group thinks that Turkey has been preparing for a massive interference in Syrian domestic policy. He described the alliance of Turkey and the FSA «a brand new territory».
Meanwhile, Russia and China have managed to prevent Turkey from interfering into Syria`s home policies. Nevertheless, Ankara has all chances to undermine stability in the neighboring country. Turkey enjoys developed economic ties with Syria, which helps maintain relative stability in the area, for example, in Aleppo, where local businessmen receive big orders from Turkey. If Ankara imposes an economic blockade on Syria, Aleppo`s economy as well as that of other Syrian cities will face a serious blow.
What will Turkey gain from toppling the Assad regime? The answer is linked to the role of Islamic factor in Recep Erdogan`s policy. Islamization of countries affected by the Arab Spring movement, which was initiated by Saudi Arabia, could not but force Turkey to take a step in a similar direction. The Syrian opposition responded to Islamic rhetoric, which is very likely to undermine the position of Damascus. Islamic symbols are being widely used in street protesters in Syria. Trying to leave behind the Saudis, the Erdogan regime has advanced in orchestrating civil unrest in Syria.
It is worth mentioning that when tensions broke out in Syria, Bashar Assad sat down for talks with the opposition to try to improve the situation. He immediately announced reforms demanded by the opposition. Nevertheless, it became clear very soon that those were not reforms which Assad`s critics wanted but the decline of the existing regime. The situation resembles much of that in Libya, which offers us more reasons to suspect that a third country is involved in the conflict.
Supported from abroad, the Syrian opposition took the risk of open confrontation with the regime. Killing the rebels is now the only way to bring peace into the region, otherwise the locals will be again and again forced into clashes with the army. In the past few months, the number of rebels has increased several times, which means that a full-scale military operation is needed to fight against them. Meanwhile, the Assad regime has been carrying out only a defensive policy, thus allowing the rebels to implement their destructive ideas. If the Syrian government fails to announce an offensive, it will face the risk of sharing the fate of Muammar Gaddafi. Assad has no more options except sending troops to restive areas.
Some observers say that Assad lacks enough will to announce such hardline measures. It means that he should be replaced by a more decisive politician, who will be ready to repeat the operation of 1982 when Assad`s father ordered a crackdown on Muslim protesters in Hama. But it was just one restive city at the time, while today the unrest affects many towns all across Syria. So, despite this being a very difficult decision to make, it appears to be the only reasonable solution to the situation, otherwise Syria will face years of bloodshed.
Ankara expects to topple the Assad regime before a civil war begins. Evidently, Erdogan wants a moderate Islamic regime in Syria, which will turn this religiously diverse country into a puppet in the hands of Pan-Turkism. This initiative is likely to be backed in NATO since the alliance is not opposed to moderate Islamists in Damascus: «controlled by Turkey» will mean «controlled by NATO».
The question is whether the Assad government will have the nerve to launch an offensive against the armed opposition. The answer will decide the country’s fate. Mr. Assad has recently announced that the «Libyan scenario» is unlikely to repeat in Syria: «…Any similar scenario will cost dearly to its initiators.» Well, the problem is that the ‘initiators’ seem to be ready to pay a very high price…
Source: Strategic Culture Foundation
ORIENTAL REVIEW
Independent Moscow-based Internet journal focusing on the past, present and future political and security issues in Eurasia and beyond, working for you since 2010.
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Rhapsody Forum
Grads and Interns
A Word of Healthcare Wisdom, from the Crowd
By Stephane Cornille
Conventional wisdom prescribes to obtaining a second or even third opinion when it comes to a diagnosis and matters of the heart.
But, what if instead of relying on one, two or a few opinions, the wisdom of the crowd – millions of people coming together – could determine the correct diagnosis, treatment plan and even contribute to new and novel healthcare research. Crowdsourcing, first coined in 2006, refers to the sharing of ideas between individuals distributed across boundaries, whether geopolitical or geographical, in pursuit of co-creation. "The premise is that aggregating perspectives, data, expertise, and experience from a variety of sources is better than relying on a single source to provide a solution for a problem or support for an initiative." Its role in healthcare has much potential...
Swarm diagnosis - A rare disease is defined as one which affects less than 200,000 people globally. There are some 7,000 diseases that fit that criteria, affecting 8% or 25 million Americans, each taking an average of 7½ years to be diagnosed. But, technology has enabled new platforms to rise as an adjunct to the sole primary care provider. Websites like CrowdMed and PatientsLikeMe are making the process of unraveling the medical enigmas of the world a team effort, where the collective intelligence of many thousands of qualified medical professionals can quickly and accurately assign the correct medical diagnosis. By way of incentive, patients can also offer a monetary reward as a compelling motivation of sorts. CrowdMed has harnessed the wisdom of the crowd to solve over 1,500 medical cases, with over 50% of patients eventually having their diagnosis confirmed by their physician, currently the most rigorous affirmation proclamation.
#BlackDeath Trending - Crowdsourcing is democratising the disease identification and diagnostic process, upsetting the traditional equilibrium by empowering people to share and collaborate beyond geographical and geopolitical boundaries. It is an increasingly viable alternative to conventional methods of detecting and monitoring disease outbreaks, and is consequentially changing the way that the discovery and spread of disease is tracked. Aggregating and analysing vast amounts of data, from both informal and formal sources ranging from location based social media services like Facebook, Google, Twitter, and Foursquare, to local health and WHO alerts, and news reports; healthcare providers can improve prevention measures and pinpoint disease outbreaks in near real-time. In the not-too-distant future, technology will enable the tracking of consumer behaviour, which will also shape the way healthcare is both accessed and delivered to a much more personal degree, minus the patient privacy tradeoff.
After the devastating and catastrophic Haitian earthquake in 2010, HealthMap could automatically collect, organise and disseminate data from multiple networks to identify the outbreak of a cholera epidemic a full two full weeks before it was confirmed by the country’s department of health. In 2014, HealthMap detected and identified the Ebola outbreak in southeastern Guinea nine days before WHO formally announced the epidemic. But, the risk of crowdsourcing public health threats surfaces the possibility of online chatter spreading irrational or unnecessary fear through misinformation, whether nefarious or not, when not independently verified by an epidemiologist. The readily available trove of data that can be prised from news channels and social networks will be especially powerful in cases where little or no historical data exists.
R&D 2.0 – It takes an average of 12 years to bring a new drug to market, and costs over $350 million. This tenuous and cumbersome process represents an archaic approach to R&D which will be superseded in the golden era of crowdsourcing. With traditional clinical trials conducted behind closed doors with a limited number of participants; crowdsourcing is a transparent and global alternative which allows scientists to accelerate healthcare research by analysing immense amounts of data. Personal genomics and biotechnology company 23andMe can leverage data collected from its millions of data donor in pursuit of solving many of the modern medical mysteries. In August 2016, the company published its results from the largest clinical study ever conducted (450,000 participants), which uncovered important genetic clues that will help unravel the riddle that hides behind the darkest depths of depression
Clinical trials are typically conducted in a select few locations, often with just a handful of participants, but modern technology means that research can enter the real world, open for all to participate, anywhere, and anytime. Apple recently announced ResearchKit, an open source software framework that makes it easier to enrol participants and conduct clinical studies. ResearchKit gives researchers a larger and more varied study group, with fast and easy access to clinical data; information can be collected hourly, without interrupting the day-in, day-out of people's lives. mPower, a Parkinson's Disease study app which was launched in 2015 has enrolled over 10,000 participants, the largest Parkinson's study in the world. The inbuilt gyroscope in the iPhone helps researchers measure and gain insight into the participant's dexterity, balance, exercise regime, and memory, as well as qualitative self-reported measurements including disposition.
Crowdsourcing represents a departure from the traditional laggard approach to healthcare, but it also represents a departure from the notion of privacy, something that many of us are too complacent in protecting. This exciting exploitation of modern technology is a great equaliser, a digital democracy of sorts which will lead to the collective voice being heard for the first time in the pursuit of truly personalised healthcare.
Stephane Cornille
Consumer Engagement Marketing Manager
Amadeus Analytics
Our Team_1
Jobs at Orion Health
Region: New Zealand
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Home/American film directors
American film directors
Johnny Depp Net Worth
John Christopher Depp II well known as Johnny Depp currently has net worth which is estimated to be over $650 million dollars. Johnny earned his net worth while working as…
Jon Voight Net Worth
Jon Voight was born on December 29, 1938 in New York, United States, of Slovakian descent. The famous American actor first came to prominence, and is perhaps still best known,…
Steven Soderbergh Net Worth
Steven Andrew Soderbergh was born on 14 January 1963, in Atlanta, Georgia USA of Swedish descent. He is a famous producer, screenwriter and director, probably best known for working on…
Salma Hayek Net Worth
Salma Hayek Pinault, commonly known as Salma Hayek, is a famous American and Mexican film producer and director, model, actress, as well as a singer. Salma Hayek rose to prominence…
Christopher Meloni Net Worth
Christopher Peter Meloni is known under the name of Christopher Meloni in the entertainment industry. It has been estimated that the overall size of Christopher Meloni’s net worth is as…
Alan Alda Net Worth
Alan Alda was born Alphonso Joseph D’Abruzzo (note: AL DA) on 28 January 1936, in The Bronx, New York City USA. Alan is an actor and producer, undoubtedly best known…
Henry Winkler Net Worth
Henry Franklin Winkler was born on 30 October 1945, in Manhattan, New York, USA, of German-Jewish parentage, and is an actor as well as television director and producer, and writer.…
Tom Hanks Net Worth
Thomas Jeffrey Hanks was born on 9 July 1956, in Concord, California USA of British (father) and Portuguese (mother) descent, and is a well-recognized film and television actor, producer, director,…
Sally Field Net Worth
Sally Field is a very famous actress, producer, singer and director. Sally is known for appearing in such shows and movies as “The Flying Nun”, “Places in the Heart”, ‘Forrest…
Martin Lawrence Net Worth
Martin Fitzgerald Lawrence is as American comedian, screenwriter, musician, film producer, TV producer and director whose estimated net worth is as amazingly high as $120 million. He is best known…
Jane Fonda Net Worth
Lady Jayne Seymour Fonda, to give her a full name, was born on 21st December 1937, in New York City, New York, USA of Italian, Dutch, French English and Scottish…
Morgan Freeman Net Worth
American actor Morgan Freeman is one of the legends in the film industry, born on 1 June 1937 in Memphis, Tennessee. Morgan is known for his versatility, and particularly from…
Bruce Willis Net Worth
Bruce Willis was born on 19 March 1955, in Idar-Oberstein, Germany, to an American father and German mother. He is one of the most famous actors and producers, and in…
Matt Damon Net Worth
Among the biggest names in modern Hollywood, the American actor, screenwriter and producer Matthew Paige Damon was born on 8 October 1970 in Cambridge, Massachusetts, and as Matt Damon he…
Johnny Knoxville Net Worth
Johnny Knoxville is a nickname of Philip John Clapp, also known as PJ Clapp, PJ Knoxville, Lance the man, Johnny Jackass and P. J. Clapp. PJ Clapp is an American…
Leonid Fedun Net Worth
Kait Parker Net Worth
Steven Van Zandt Net Worth
Vince McMahon Net Worth
Michael Phelps Net Worth
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How much money makes Ben Foster? Net worth
Ben Foster Net Worth
Ben Foster makes how much a year? For this question we spent 18 hours on research (Wikipedia, Youtube, we read books in libraries, etc) to review the post.
The main source of income: Musicians
Ben Foster information Birth date: 1980-10-29 Birth place: Boston, Massachusetts, U.S. Profession:Music Department, Composer, Soundtrack
:How tall is Ben Foster – 1,82m.
How much weight is Ben Foster – 63kg
Benjamin A. Ben Foster (born October 29, 1980) is an American actor. He has had roles in films including The Laramie Project, Liberty Heights, Get Over It, Hostage, X-Men: The Last Stand, Alpha Dog, 30 Days of Night, The Messenger, Bang Bang Youre Dead, The Mechanic, Contraband, Pandorum, and Lone Survivor. He received best supporting actor nominations from both the Saturn and Satellite Awards for his 2007 role in the film 3:10 to Yuma.
Wikipedia Source: Ben Foster
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Professor at Brown helps lead the fight against Alzheimer’s
By Kelly Thomas | September 6, 2016, 9:16 EDT
Printed from: https://newbostonpost.com/2016/09/06/professor-at-brown-helps-lead-the-fight-against-alzheimers/
Dr. Stephen Salloway (news.brown.edu)
PROVIDENCE – Dr. Stephen Salloway, a professor at Brown’s Warren Alpert Medical School has dedicated much of his career to finding a cure for Alzheimer’s disease. Now, after over two decades and hundreds of articles, his research is demonstrating “the most promising treatment results” he’s ever seen.
The results are part of a clinical trial Salloway helped lead for the drug Aducanumab. The antibody aids brain cells in fighting off the amyloid beta proteins that build up and exacerbate the disease’s symptoms. Participants in the study had slower cognitive decline thanks to Aducanumab, a finding Salloway hopes will encourage those affected by Alzheimer’s.
In 2011, President Obama signed the National Alzheimer’s Project Act calling for a national plan to address Alzheimer’s. The following year, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services released the National Plan to Address Alzheimer’s Disease with the goal of finding significant treatment breakthroughs by 2025. Butler Hospital, and specifically its 25-year-old Memory and Aging Program, which Salloway directs, is at the forefront of this national battle against Alzheimer’s and dementia-related diseases. The program is currently recruiting for phase 3 of the drug trials, the final step before a hoped-for FDA approval. The doctors’ goal, Salloway says, is to find the “[R]ight drug, right dose, right patient with a focus on prevention and early intervention.”
Salloway hopes Aducanumab, with the proper research, will also be able to be adopted to treat other neurodegenerative disorders such as Parkinson’s disease.
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Prime Capital Investment Advisors Continues Growth
Established wealth advisory firm in North Carolina joins Prime Capital Investment Advisors
OVERLAND PARK, Kan., Aug. 14, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Moores Creek Capital Partners, based in Raleigh, North Carolina, will join Prime Capital Investment Advisors (PCIA) this month, continuing PCIA’s growth in 2018.
Moores Creek’s already well-established office will be complemented by PCIA’s robust operations and support services, as well as expanded wealth advisory services. This move also positions the Raleigh-Durham firm for future growth.
“We have been in business since 2006 and have enjoyed steady growth,” said Jim Hirst, managing partner of Moores Creek. “In today’s wealth advisory landscape, it has become increasingly challenging to manage the business while also addressing the changing and growing needs of clients. Certainly, joining PCIA gives us access to additional resources; however, the big winner will be our clients who will benefit from the expanded services we can provide as a result of this partnership.”
“We recognized 2018 to be a year of growth and expansion for PCIA,” said Scott Colangelo, founder and chairman of Prime Capital Investment Advisors. “Welcoming Moores Creek to Prime Capital Investment Advisors and establishing a presence in Raleigh-Durham is a part of our plan to build a national brand and serve clients across the country.”
“I’ve known Scott Colangelo and the PCIA team for quite a while,” said Rich Murray, managing partner of Moores Creek. “When we were looking at solutions to expand and enhance our client offerings, joining PCIA was the obvious choice.”
Moores Creek represents the latest of additions to PCIA. In recent months, PCIA also announced expansions into Florida, Houston and Northern California as part of a planned growth strategy. The company has also bolstered its executive team by hiring industry veteran Glenn Spencer as CEO. This addition will give PCIA 12 offices in 10 states.
“Jim and Rich are highly respected and have built a tremendous firm that serves the needs of investors in the Raleigh-Durham area,” said Spencer. “We are thrilled they have decided to join PCIA.”
About Prime Capital Investment Advisors
Prime Capital Investment Advisors provides a client-centric, team approach to full-service financial planning, including fee-based asset management and wealth management. The firm has several locations throughout the United States, with investment advisor representatives serving clients across the nation.
Advisory services offered through Prime Capital Investment Advisors, LLC. (“PCIA”), a Registered Investment Adviser. PCIA: 6201 College Blvd., 7th Floor, Overland Park, KS 66211. PCIA doing business as Qualified Plan Advisors (“QPA”).
Tom Heapes
Trozzolo Communications Group
theapes@trozzolo.com
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C. Africa peace deal to be initialled Tuesday: Sudan
AFP February 3, 2019
Central African Republic's President Faustin Archange Touadera plans to attend peace deal initialling with 14 armed groups, says a spokesperson from the Sudanese government, who hosted the talks (AFP Photo/FLORENT VERGNES)
Bangui (Central African Republic) (AFP) - A peace accord between the Central African Republic government and 14 armed groups will be initialled in Khartoum on Tuesday, and signed in full at a later date, the government in Sudan, which hosted the peace talks, announced.
Central African President Faustin Archange Touadera would attend the ceremony to initial the document, originally scheduled for Sunday, Sudanese foreign ministry spokesman Babikir al-Siddiq said in a statement on Sunday.
He did not specify where it would take place.
A breakthrough was announced on Saturday at the conclusion of talks in Khartoum, backed by the United Nations and the African Union, which started on January 24 in a bid to end years of fighting that has killed thousands of people.
No details of the agreement have been released. But one of the main points in dispute during the talks had been the question of an amnesty for the rebels.
Under Western pressure, Bangui has always refused pardons for warlords, several of whom are under UN sanctions or cited for human rights violations in UN reports.
On Saturday, African Union Commissioner for Peace and Security Smail Chergui said a deal had been struck though some details still had to be ironed out.
This agreement is the seventh since 2012 in a country that has suffered years of conflict. All the previous pacts broke down.
Central African Republic is rich in mineral resources but remains one of the world's poorest nations.
It has struggled to recover from a 2013 civil war that erupted when President Francois Bozize, a Christian, was overthrown by mainly Muslim Seleka rebels.
In response, Christians, who account for about 80 percent of the population, organised vigilante units dubbed "anti-Balaka" in reference to the balaka machetes used by Seleka rebels.
Thousands of people have died in the violence, 700,000 have been internally displaced, and another 570,000 have fled abroad.
Rebel forces currently control between 70 and 80 percent of the country, despite the presence of more than 12,000 UN peacekeepers (MINUSCA) in the former French colony.
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Here's a Gullwing Mercedes You Can Maybe Afford
Bob Sorokanich
Road & Track March 29, 2019
Photo credit: Car-Special
From Road & Track
In the market for a Mercedes-Benz 300SL Gullwing? Prepare to spend well over a million dollars. At that price, you can see why most Gullwings never get driven. We've come across a potential solution that's only about 60 percent sacrilegious.
Listed on ClassicDriver, this Gullwing replica nails the proportions and details of the real thing-and at just under $225,000, it's a bargain compared to the real thing.
German dealer Car-Special has a ton of photos and details about this knockoff Gullwing. Based on a 2000 Mercedes-Benz SLK320, this 300SL tribute has all the modern features of the donor car: Airbags, climate control, ABS and traction control. It's powered by the stock SLK's 3.2-liter V6, sending 216 horses to the rear wheels through a five-speed automatic transmission.
What's most impressive to me is the accuracy of the Gullwing body. Fiberglass replica bodies pop up occasionally, though Mercedes cracks down on the practice when possible. It's not clear from the listing whether this replica is fiberglass or steel, but whatever it's made out of, it's mighty convincing.
And, yeah, admittedly the Y2K dashboard and airbag steering wheel take a little away from the overall aesthetic. I don't mind it. Worse would be if the builder tried to hide this car's modern roots under a haphazard vintage-style dash and knockoff steering wheel. This way, the knowledgeable onlooker can immediately tell what's going on. I respect that kind of transparency.
Anyway, the whole reason a replica like this exists is so you can walk up to one of the most beautiful car designs ever created, hop in and drive off. I think this accomplishes that perfectly. And for one fifth of the price of the real thing? Yeah, that's a bargain to us.
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Stalled Aramco IPO sets back deal-making at U.S. subsidiary Motiva
By Jessica Resnick-Ault and Erwin Seba
Reuters March 26, 2019
FILE PHOTO: An Aramco oil tank is seen at the Production facility at Saudi Aramco's Shaybah oilfield in the Empty Quarter, Saudi Arabia May 22, 2018. REUTERS/Ahmed Jadallah/File Photo
HOUSTON (Reuters) - Saudi Aramco's delayed initial public offering is sidelining grand North American expansion plans at its U.S. refining subsidiary Motiva Enterprises LLC, people familiar with the matter said, at a time when its rivals grew their market share.
After dissolving a partnership with Royal Dutch Shell PLC two years ago, Motiva set out to rebuild and boost market share in the Americas. It evaluated deals for LyondellBasell Industries NV's Houston refinery, with the Caribbean government of Curacao, and considered expanding its sole U.S. oil refinery.
But none of those came to pass as the company feared it might pay too much for acquisitions or become too exposed to disruptions by expanding its sole U.S. refinery, the people said. As a result, Motiva has slipped to 11th place from ninth among the top U.S. refiners by capacity since striking out on its own, according to U.S. government data, as other refiners inked deals to take advantage of the shale boom.
(For a graphic, click https://tmsnrt.rs/2HxT1wn)
"They were very handicapped by the fact that the kingdom was contemplating the IPO," a refining consultant to Motiva said, speaking on condition of anonymity as the talks were private. "What they told us was 'until this gets done or resolved, we cannot do anything.'"
Saudi Aramco did not want Motiva to enter deals that could hamstring its IPO or raise questions about its strategy, leaving Motiva unable to expand, the people said.
Plans for the Aramco IPO were shelved last year for the foreseeable future, sources told Reuters in 2018. Saudi Energy Minister Khalid al-Falih said in January the kingdom would still go ahead, and list the company by 2021.
A Motiva executive said the company has not given up on increasing its U.S. processing might.
"We don't comment on anything specifically, but we do want to increase our refining capacity," said Todd Fredin, the company's head of supply, trading and logistics.
A spokeswoman for Motiva declined to comment on past or potential acquisitions and expansion plans. Saudi Aramco declined to comment.
Vision 2030, the Saudi Crown Prince's signature economic program designed to lessen the kingdom's reliance on oil, also undercuts the need for U.S. expansion, said Andrew Lipow, president of refining consulting firm Lipow Oil Associates.
"They are in the process of trying to look toward 2030, and adding assets outside of Saudi Arabia" is not as critical anymore, he said. "A refinery in the United States doesn't create jobs in Saudi Arabia."
Rivals have used acquisitions and expansion to boost their share of the U.S. market. Marathon Petroleum Corp last year acquired the fifth largest U.S. refiner Andeavor for $23 billion.
This year, Exxon Mobil Corp embarked on a multi-billion dollar refinery expansion and Chevron Corp added a second Gulf Coast refinery as the two largest U.S. oil companies take advantage of record production out of Texas shale fields. The United States is now the world's top oil producer, pumping more than 12 million barrels a day.
(For a graphic, click https://tmsnrt.rs/2VIJTbg)
"Economy of scale is very important for refiners," said Joseph Israel, chief executive of Houston-based refiner Par Petroleum, whose parent last year acquired a Tacoma, Washington, plant and new refining capacity in Hawaii. "The right kind of growth typically supports efficiency, commercial flexibility, and visibility in the market."
Motiva emerged from a Texaco-Saudi venture formed in 1988 as a U.S. outlet for Saudi crude. Last year, Saudi exports to the U.S. fell to 949,000 barrels per day (bpd), only the second time that figure has been less than 1 million bpd since that year, according to U.S. Energy Department data, as the United States gets more barrels from Canada than OPEC producers.
Motiva can process up to 603,000 barrels of oil a day at its Port Arthur, Texas refinery, the largest in the United States. The plant, which processes U.S. and other crudes, does not disclose revenue.
Last April, during a reception for the Crown Prince, the company said it was considering expanding the Texas refinery by up to 900,000 bpd capacity, which would have made it the largest plant in the world, surpassing a Reliance Industries plant in India.
The project was abandoned two months later to avoid concentrating at one U.S. Gulf Coast site, Motiva said. It has pledged to explore adding between 1 million and 1.5 million bpd capacity, but has not said when or where that would happen.
In February, Motiva ended talks with Curacao over a request to operate its 335,000 barrel-per-day Isla refinery and storage terminal. Those discussions ended after the Isla refinery's supervisory board in January disclosed a corruption probe into selection process for a new operator.
"They didn't want to be dragged into a corruption scandal – it was fraught," said another refining consultant familiar with the Curacao talks.
Before its split from Shell in 2017, Motiva weighed buying LyondellBasell's 264,000 bpd Houston refinery to replace plants it was turning over to Shell. Motiva pulled out of the sale process fearing it could be seen as overpaying for the plant after outbidding other refiners, said a person familiar with the talks. The plant was taken off the market after no bid reached Lyondell's desired minimum price, the person said.
The company has shifted at Saudi Aramco's direction toward petrochemicals. The U.S. operation recently gained its parent's approval to build a $5 billion steam cracker to produce ethylene, a plastics building block, that would start operations by late 2022, according to documents reviewed by Reuters.
Recently, it requested proposals from investment banks to evaluate its options should CITGO Petroleum Corp, the U.S. arm of Venezuela's state oil company, go on the market, according to two people familiar with the matter.
"Motiva has been allowed its freedom and is heading in all directions at once," said the person familiar with Motiva's Curacao talks, speaking on condition of anonymity. "There's initiative fatigue."
(Reporting by Jessica Resnick-Ault and Erwin Seba, additional reporting by Stephanie Kelly and David J. French; editing by Gary McWilliams and Edward Tobin)
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Trump wants his next press secretary to be a cable news 'street fighter'
Brittany Shepherd and Hunter Walker
Yahoo News June 14, 2019
WASHINGTON — With Sarah Sanders on her way out of the White House, President Trump is looking for a new press secretary and, as usual, he has his eye on cable news.
Multiple sources in the president’s orbit told Yahoo News that Trump’s vision for Sanders’s replacement doesn’t involve returning to traditional White House press briefings. Instead, the sources said the president is looking for an aggressive defender to make regular television appearances. He also seems settled on having a woman fill the role: The list of top contenders to take the position is filled with five women who have on-air experience.
“This is about how you can take control of the news cycle and represent the president. ... What Trump ultimately wants as the press secretary is someone who’s going to be a loyalist and an attack dog to go out there and defend him,” one source close to the president said.
Multiple sources named five women who are in the running for the press secretary. Stephanie Grisham, who has served as the primary spokeswoman for first lady Melania Trump, topped the list. Grisham did not respond to requests for comment.
President Trump with White House press secretary Sarah Sanders after it was announced she will leave her position at the end of the month, June 13, 2019. (Photo: Kevin Lamarque/Reuters)
The sources were divided on whether Grisham would be open to moving from Melania Trump’s office to the West Wing; however, there was a consensus that the job was hers for the taking. A source close to the president said Grisham is “the best” fit for the position.
“She’s defended Melania and shown that she’s definitely up for the street fighter aspect of this,” the source said of Grisham, who has aggressively responded to various rumors and stories about the first lady.
A former Trump campaign adviser agreed with that assessment.
“She’s got the inside support. FLOTUS loves her,” the ex-adviser said of Grisham. “She understands how to work with Trump and the media. She’s protected them.”
The White House did not respond to requests for comment on this story.
Stephanie Grisham, communications director for Melania Trump. (Photo: Jonathan Ernst/Reuters)
Sanders, who is set to leave her post at the end of this month, transformed the role of the press secretary since coming onboard in mid-2017. Traditionally the position involved being the public face of the White House via a daily press briefing. However, under Sanders, the briefings went from multiple times a week to being virtually eliminated. Sanders stepped behind the podium in the White House briefing room only two times so far this year.
Her last briefing was 95 days ago.
In the absence of briefings, Sanders role has largely involved making appearances on television news programs to defend the president. All of the sources who discussed her replacement with Yahoo News indicated Trump wants a similar approach for her successor.
“They haven’t had a briefing in 90-something days. It might be another 90 days. ... This isn’t about a job at the podium,” the source close to the president said.
Trump is a devoted cable news watcher who focuses on how he’s portrayed on television. So his ideal press secretary, a former campaign staffer said, would be “a figurehead … who appears on TV all the time.”
“That’s the thing with Trumpworld. The only thing that matters if you’re a high-level person on the press or communications side is whether you’re good on TV,” the ex-staffer said. “At the end of the day, he only takes you seriously if you’re on TV.”
Trump’s focus on television also has made him eager to have a woman fill the press secretary role. “It’s pretty clear the president wants a woman to do it,” the source close to Trump said. “He likes that imagery. He’s kind of settled in what he’s looking for.”
The source suggested that the desire for a woman as press secretary meant that Tony Sayegh, a senior Treasury spokesperson who has been spoken of as a potential successor to Sanders, was unlikely to get the gig. Sayegh, who left his post on Thursday, has been the top spokesperson for Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin.
Multiple sources said another man, Sanders’s current deputy Hogan Gidley, was also not in the running for the role due to opposition from other members of the administration.
“Almost universally nobody wants Hogan to do it,” the source close to the president said. “That’s the common refrain, anybody but him.”
Gidley did not respond to a request for comment.
Secretary of the Treasury Steven Mnuchin, left, and the Assistant Secretary for Public Affairs for the Treasury Tony Sayegh. (Photo: Eitan Abramovich/AFP/Getty Images)
Along with Grisham, the other women who are said to be in the running for the press secretary job are Justice Department spokeswoman Kerri Kupec, State Department spokeswoman Morgan Ortagus, Fox News contributor Katie Pavlich, and former State Department spokeswoman Heather Nauert. None of them responded to requests for comment. All of them have extensive television experience. Like Pavlich, both Ortagus and Nauert have worked at Fox News.
Multiple sources said that Kupec was recently offered a position as a leading spokesperson on President Trump’s reelection campaign that would have been an ideal stepping stone to the press secretary role. However, Kupec turned down that position. The source close to the president cited this as a reason they were dubious Kupec would be interested in leaving her position at the Justice Department. They argued Kupec “likes the autonomy” that comes with being outside of the White House.
“She gets the experience but isn’t necessarily labeled as a Trump person,” the source said of Kupec.
Trump previously announced he would nominate Nauert to be U.S. ambassador to the United Nations last December. However, Nauert ultimately withdrew from consideration amid reports she had employed a nanny who was not authorized to work in the United States. That issue could also be a roadblock to Nauert getting the press secretary job.
State Department spokesperson Morgan Ortagus. (Photo: Alex Wong/Getty Images)
Ortagus and Pavlich don’t have that kind of baggage. The source close to Trump said the president “likes” Ortagus because she’s “a Fox person.” But while appearances on Fox News would definitely catch Trump’s eye, that might not be enough to secure the press secretary post.
That source noted Sanders’s interactions with the press often included contentious interactions with reporters from major news outlets.
“When’s the last time Sarah had an interview that was just a lay-up?” the source asked.
Similarly, Trump would be looking for someone who had a body of work that extended beyond conservative media to replace Sanders.
“This is a street fighter-type position over at the White House,” the source said. “This isn’t Fox News where everyone likes the president and it’s just presentation and delivery.”
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Gear: Book Review: Inside SCG 003
Book Review: Inside SCG 003
By Michael Banovsky
The book: Inside SCG 003
Author: Bart Lenaerts
Purchase: Click here
Ferrari. Porsche. Lamborghini. Exotic car legends, to be sure, but new challengers in the supercar class are rare and, usually, amount to little. There is, however, reason to believe that SCG will turn out differently.
SCG is Scuderia Cameron Glickenhaus, the carmaker founded by well-known businessman and former Hollywood director James Glickenhaus has already been making waves with their latest project, the road and race 003. With entry to this year’s 24 Hours of Le Mans secured, a team was on hand to document every step of 003’s design and build process, this book is essentially a behind-the-scenes look at how a new supercar is born.
The book is unique for being spread across two editions bought together. The first part explains the entire saga and all the ins and outs of the car and the team, complete with all technical details, unexpected complications and little dramas. It also has a QR code to get an arty interpretation of the car at any 3D print shop. This first book will be at your doorstep within weeks.
The second part, however, will take a little bit longer to produce, as it will continue 003’s story after the car has raced at the 24 Hours of the Nürburgring. In addition to the entire racing story, it’ll have an alloy plate on the back with a milled SCG logo, the number of your book and your own name. Order early enough, and the team will try to put your name onto 003 for the 24 Hours of the Nürburgring race!
With full access into the entire development of a car, the book is a must-read for those who wish they had more insight into how a modern sports racing car is designed and built. As a new car brand, it’s also a chance to follow SCG from the very beginning.
Purchase Inside SCG 003.
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Michael, it’s been a while. Hope all is well!
-Robbie
James Glickenhaus
In 2015 we will race VLN1/VLN3 and The 24 Hours of Nurburgring two SGC 003C’s.
In 2016 we hope to do additional races with SCG 003C but it’s unlikely SCG 003C will be allowed to race at Le Mans.
If we sell enough cars we plan to build SCG 004 LMP1 and race the WEC and Le Mans in 2017.
Christopher Gay
2017 would be a great time for another LMP1 entry. I’d like to be a part of that think tank when it’s go-time for development to race.
Jim Valcarcel
Thank you for a heads up on this book. I am sure it will be a fantastic read. Mr. Glickenhaus is a very interesting person. His creation of interesting cars is to be lauded in the car world. I for one wish him every success in his endeavors. I met him once while looking at one of his cars and he was most gracious.
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SchwartzReport: Fukushima Fries the West Coast 28 Ways — US Map & Links — Deeply Frightening, Pity There Is No One Attending to the Public Interest….
03 Economy, 03 Environmental Degradation, 07 Health, 07 Other Atrocities, 08 Proliferation, 08 Wild Cards, 11 Society, Academia, Civil Society, Commerce, Corruption, Earth Intelligence, Government, Idiocy, Ineptitude, Lessons, Media, Officers Call
This is the latest on Fukushima and the impact it is making on the U.S. West Coast. This directly affects me, as well as tens of millions of other Americans, and there doesn’t seem to be a thing we can do about it.
28 Signs That The West Coast Is Being Absolutely Fried With Nuclear Radiation From Fukushima
MICHAEL SNYDER – Global Research – Centre for Research and Globilization
The map below comes from the Nuclear Emergency Tracking Center. It shows that radiation levels at radiation monitoring stations all over the country are elevated. As you will notice, this is particularly true along the west coast of the United States.
Every single day, 300 tons of radioactive water from Fukushima enters the Pacific Ocean. That means that the total amouont of radioactive material released from Fukushima is constantly increasing, and it is steadily building up in our food chain. Ultimately, all of this nuclear radiation will outlive all of us by a very wide margin. They are saying that it could take up to 40 years to clean up the Fukushima disaster, and meanwhile countless innocent people will develop cancer and other health problems as a result of exposure to high levels of nuclear radiation. We are talking about a nuclear disaster that is absolutely unprecedented, and it is constantly getting worse. The following are 28 signs that the west coast of North America is being absolutely fried with nuclear radiation from Fukushima.
1. Polar bears, seals and walruses along the Alaska coastline are suffering from fur loss and open sores…
Wildlife experts are studying whether fur loss and open sores detected in nine polar bears in recent weeks is widespread and related to similar incidents among seals and walruses.
The bears were among 33 spotted near Barrow, Alaska, during routine survey work along the Arctic coastline. Tests showed they had “alopecia, or loss of fur, and other skin lesions,” the U.S. Geological Survey said in a statement.
2. There is an epidemic of sea lion deaths along the California coastline…
At island rookeries off the Southern California coast, 45 percent of the pups born in June have died, said Sharon Melin, a wildlife biologist for the National Marine Fisheries Service based in Seattle. Normally, less than one-third of the pups would die. It’s gotten so bad in the past two weeks that the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration declared an “unusual mortality event.”
3. Along the Pacific coast of Canada and the Alaska coastline, the population of sockeye salmon is at a historic low. Many are blaming Fukushima.
4. Something is causing fish all along the west coast of Canada to bleed from their gills, bellies and eyeballs.
5. A vast field of radioactive debris from Fukushima that is approximately the size of California has crossed the Pacific Ocean and is starting to collide with the west coast.
6. It is being projected that the radioactivity of coastal waters off the U.S. west coast could double over the next five to six years.
7. Experts have found very high levels of cesium-137 in plankton living in the waters of the Pacific Ocean between Hawaii and the west coast.
8. One test in California found that 15 out of 15 bluefin tuna were contaminated with radiation from Fukushima.
9. Back in 2012, the Vancouver Sun reported that cesium-137 was being found in a very high percentage of the fish that Japan was selling to Canada…
• 73 percent of mackerel tested
• 91 percent of the halibut
• 92 percent of the sardines
• 93 percent of the tuna and eel
• 94 percent of the cod and anchovies
• 100 percent of the carp, seaweed, shark and monkfish
10. Canadian authorities are finding extremely high levels of nuclear radiation in certain fish samples…
Some fish samples tested to date have had very high levels of radiation: one sea bass sample collected in July, for example, had 1,000 becquerels per kilogram of cesium.
11. Some experts believe that we could see very high levels of cancer along the west coast just from people eating contaminated fish…
“Look at what’s going on now: They’re dumping huge amounts of radioactivity into the ocean — no one expected that in 2011,” Daniel Hirsch, a nuclear policy lecturer at the University of California-Santa Cruz, told Global Security Newswire. “We could have large numbers of cancer from ingestion of fish.”
12. BBC News recently reported that radiation levels around Fukushima are “18 times higher” than previously believed.
13. An EU-funded study concluded that Fukushima released up to 210 quadrillion becquerels of cesium-137 into the atmosphere.
14. Atmospheric radiation from Fukushima reached the west coast of the United States within a few days back in 2011.
15. At this point, 300 tons of contaminated water is pouring into the Pacific Ocean from Fukushima every single day.
16. A senior researcher of marine chemistry at the Japan Meteorological Agency’s Meteorological Research Institute says that “30 billion becquerels of radioactive cesium and 30 billion becquerels of radioactive strontium” are being released into the Pacific Ocean from Fukushima every single day.
17. According to Tepco, a total of somewhere between 20 trillion and 40 trillion becquerels of radioactive tritium have gotten into the Pacific Ocean since the Fukushima disaster first began.
18. According to a professor at Tokyo University, 3 gigabecquerels of cesium-137 are flowing into the port at Fukushima Daiichi every single day.
19. It has been estimated that up to 100 times as much nuclear radiation has been released into the ocean from Fukushima than was released during the entire Chernobyl disaster.
20. One recent study concluded that a very large plume of cesium-137 from the Fukushima disaster will start flowing into U.S. coastal waters early next year…
Ocean simulations showed that the plume of radioactive cesium-137 released by the Fukushima disaster in 2011 could begin flowing into U.S. coastal waters starting in early 2014 and peak in 2016.
21. It is being projected that significant levels of cesium-137 will reach every corner of the Pacific Ocean by the year 2020.
22. It is being projected that the entire Pacific Ocean will soon “have cesium levels 5 to 10 times higher” than what we witnessed during the era of heavy atomic bomb testing in the Pacific many decades ago.
23. The immense amounts of nuclear radiation getting into the water in the Pacific Ocean has caused environmental activist Joe Martino to issue the following warning…
“Your days of eating Pacific Ocean fish are over.”
24. The Iodine-131, Cesium-137 and Strontium-90 that are constantly coming from Fukushima are going to affect the health of those living the the northern hemisphere for a very, very long time. Just consider what Harvey Wasserman had to say about this…
Iodine-131, for example, can be ingested into the thyroid, where it emits beta particles (electrons) that damage tissue. A plague of damaged thyroids has already been reported among as many as 40 percent of the children in the Fukushima area. That percentage can only go higher. In developing youngsters, it can stunt both physical and mental growth. Among adults it causes a very wide range of ancillary ailments, including cancer.
Cesium-137 from Fukushima has been found in fish caught as far away as California. It spreads throughout the body, but tends to accumulate in the muscles.
Strontium-90’s half-life is around 29 years. It mimics calcium and goes to our bones.
25. According to a recent Planet Infowars report, the California coastline is being transformed into “a dead zone”…
The California coastline is becoming like a dead zone.
If you haven’t been to a California beach lately, you probably don’t know that the rocks are unnaturally CLEAN – there’s hardly any kelp, barnacles, sea urchins, etc. anymore and the tide pools are similarly eerily devoid of crabs, snails and other scurrying signs of life… and especially as compared to 10 – 15 years ago when one was wise to wear tennis shoes on a trip to the beach in order to avoid cutting one’s feet on all the STUFF of life – broken shells, bones, glass, driftwood, etc.
There are also days when I am hard-pressed to find even a half dozen seagulls and/or terns on the county beach.
You can still find a few gulls trolling the picnic areas and some of the restaurants (with outdoor seating areas) for food, of course, but, when I think back to 10 – 15 years ago, the skies and ALL the beaches were literally filled with seagulls and the haunting sound of their cries both day and night…
NOW it’s unnaturally quiet.
26. A study conducted last year came to the conclusion that radiation from the Fukushima nuclear disaster could negatively affect human life along the west coast of North America from Mexico to Alaska “for decades”.
27. According to the Wall Street Journal, it is being projected that the cleanup of Fukushima could take up to 40 years to complete.
28. Yale Professor Charles Perrow is warning that if the cleanup of Fukushima is not handled with 100% precision that humanity could be threatened “for thousands of years“…
“Conditions in the unit 4 pool, 100 feet from the ground, are perilous, and if any two of the rods touch it could cause a nuclear reaction that would be uncontrollable. The radiation emitted from all these rods, if they are not continually cool and kept separate, would require the evacuation of surrounding areas including Tokyo. Because of the radiation at the site the 6,375 rods in the common storage pool could not be continuously cooled; they would fission and all of humanity will be threatened, for thousands of years.”
Are you starting to understand why so many people are so deeply concerned about what is going on at Fukushima?
For much more on all of this, please check out the video posted below…
Categories03 Economy, 03 Environmental Degradation, 07 Health, 07 Other Atrocities, 08 Proliferation, 08 Wild Cards, 11 Society, Academia, Civil Society, Commerce, Corruption, Earth Intelligence, Government, Idiocy, Ineptitude, Lessons, Media, Officers Call
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<Zionists try to close down Palestine solidarity group at Philadelphia university
Why is SeaWorld giving politcal money to Pennsylvania lawmakers?>
Exclusive: Local and State Police Involved in Sensitive Hemisphere Program
tattleadminon September 10, 2014 /18 comments
By Dustin Slaughter
Federal, state, and local police, with the assistance of phone company employees embedded within DEA narcotics intelligence units, are utilizing an unclassified but “law enforcement sensitive” program, known as Hemisphere, which provides nearly unfettered access to an enormous database containing call records of all telephone calls passing through phone company switches likely owned by AT&T, according to a partially-redacted 24-slide presentation obtained by The Declaration.
The program is part of counterdrug operations within the Philadelphia-Camden High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area (PC-HIDTA), which encompasses Philadelphia, Delaware & Chester Counties as well as Camden County, NJ.
Hemisphere is funded by the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP) as part of the administration’s High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area initiative, with AT&T receiving an undisclosed amount of federal dollars to add nearly five billion calls per day, nationwide, to the Hemisphere database, and to assist authorities in maintaining the program’s secrecy from an investigation’s launch up to and including actual trials.
Hemisphere differs from – and far exceeds in scope – the National Security Agency’s phone record collection program, called Section 215, as the NSA maintains its own database and stores records for just five years. The Hemisphere database stores call detail records (CDR) dating as far back as 1987.
It is not known whether other carriers including Verizon, T-Mobile, and Sprint, have a similar arrangement with DEA to allow access to their call switches. What is clear: all calls from those carriers which pass through AT&T switches are immediately entered into the database.
The New York Times first revealed the existence of Hemisphere late last year, when an activist from Washington state was accidentally given slides through a public records request indicating the program was being used by law enforcement agencies on the West Coast. The New York Times article indicates that “Hemisphere West” launched in 2007.
The slides obtained by The Declaration from the Obama administration, while undated, suggest the program predates 2007, however, because Hemisphere West cites the program’s ability to access 20 years worth of call data, while The Declaration‘s version cites just 10 years worth of access. This east coast version presumably now has access to at least 20 years of data.
A Drug Enforcement Administration spokesperson did not respond to a list of emailed questions including: how long Hemisphere has operated in Southeastern PA; how many local and state law enforcement requests have been submitted since the start of the program; Hemisphere “success stories”; what privacy safeguards and auditing procedures, if any, are in place. DEA also did not respond to a phone request for comment.
This latest document also suggests that the DEA, state, and local police aren’t the only agencies that use Hemisphere in Southeastern Pennsylvania.
One slide indicates that the Department of Homeland Security, U.S. Marshals Service, FBI, and possibly the U.S. Coast Guard may have access to the database.
Just as the slides published by The New York Times included Hemisphere “success stories”, so does this latest batch; one titled “To Catch a Predator” seems to indicate a non-drug related operation. The other, “New York State of Mind”, may be alluding to a massive prescription drug bust in New York last year.
A heavily-redacted slide presumably citing a Hemisphere “success story”.
A second slide may indicate a prescription drug trafficking interdiction program.
How Hemisphere Operates: Painstaking Secrecy from Investigation’s Start through Trial
The process begins when a state-level or local investigator, for example, fills out a request form and submits it with an agency-issued subpoena (also known as an administrative subpoena) to the Philadelphia-Camden “Investigative Support Center” (ISC).
Hemisphere manual instructs first-time requesters to contact the Philly-Camden HIDTA intelligence analyst.
The ISC point person is the intermediary between the investigator and phone company employee, or “Hemisphere analyst”.
Once the required documentation is vetted for sufficient details by the ISC, it is then forwarded to a regional Hemisphere center. For the Philadelphia-Camden HIDTA, this center is located in Atlanta, GA.
Two additional centers – one in Houston and another in Los Angeles – handle requests for other parts of the country.
Hemisphere analysts in the Atlanta center will then search Hemisphere’s enormous database, pull up the records, and then return results directly to the requesting investigator through email in as little as an hour.
The unilateral power given to law enforcement agencies by Hemisphere’s secrecy is matched only by the currently unknown software it uses, allowing investigators to start with one target number and expand to include additional “possibly significant numbers”, immediately widening the collection of call records. The document also touts Hemisphere’s ability to locate dropped (“burner”) phones, through an algorithm, by analyzing “the calling pattern of a previous target phone to find the new number.”
Additionally, state and local investigators are required to perform what is called “parallel subpoenaing” – a keystone of the DEA’s recently revealed and legally problematic “parallel construction” policy involving its Special Operations Division – in order to “maintain the integrity” of Hemisphere.
With each request for call records submitted to Hemisphere analysts, investigators must also subpoena the call carrier after the Hemisphere records are obtained, thus “walling off” the program by creating a seemingly innocuous paper trail for investigators and any subsequent trial.
The document makes explicit:
Hemisphere slide instructing investigators to maintain utmost secrecy.
Hemisphere Exists in Potentially Legal Grey Area
These call detail records are obtained with no judicial oversight; investigators need only submit a Hemisphere request form and a subpoena issued from a law enforcement agency, known as an administrative subpoena.
Jeffrey Vagle, a former associate in Pepper Hamilton’s Privacy, Security and Data Protection Group and now executive director of Penn Law’s Center for Technology, Innovation & Competition, believes Hemisphere is operating in a legal grey area.
Vagle thinks Hemisphere would likely withstand “the third party doctrine”, a legal threshold created in the wake of Smith v. Maryland, a landmark 1979 case which upheld that data willingly given over to a phone company – such as dialing a phone number – invalidates an individual’s Fourth Amendment protection against unreasonable, warrantless search and seizure.
He is troubled by the need for the program’s secrecy, however.
“A program like this should be able to withstand legal scrutiny. And we don’t do that by keeping it secret. Judges handle secret or sensitive information all the time. There’s ways to do that, where the judge can at least take a look at what’s going on and make an informed decision without informing the world about it.
Former federal prosecutor and current Columbia law professor Daniel C. Richman told the New York Times last year that Hemisphere merely “streamlines” the “bread-and-butter” practice of subpoenaing a suspect’s phone records, but he added that the program may have one Fourth Amendment problem: namely whether mere access to such a massive amount of data is “reasonable”.
Others in the legal community, such as Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) staff attorney Hanni Fakhoury, echo some of that concern, but Fakhoury raises another question: who actually manages Hemisphere’s massive database. Is it AT&T or the government?
In an email interview with The Declaration, he wrote:
“While the slides indicate the government should use a subpoena to get this info initially, there’s an interesting question about whether the government is collecting or ‘seizing’ this data before it even is making a request. It’s not entirely clear who maintains or stores these records.”
Perhaps a clearer Constitutional problem arises when the use of Hemisphere’s parallel subpoenaing – or what the EFF calls “intelligence laundering” – meets the Fifth Amendment, which contains a “right to due process” clause. This clause, reaffirmed in Brady v. Maryland, requires the government to disclose “material evidence”, or facts that could change the course and outcome of a trial.
Here’s where the Fourth and Fifth Amendments coalesce and run up against a program like Hemisphere: when the government hides sources and methods – “evidence” for purposes of the Fifth Amendment – from a defendant and their legal counsel, this deprives a defendant the right to challenge evidence used against them, and to question the veracity of affidavits served with a search warrant or wiretap request – which is where the Fourth Amendment enters.
Hemisphere’s controversial nature has drawn the attention of the Justice Department’s Office of Inspector General (OIG), which recently launched a review of the program.
According to OIG’s website, this ongoing review is examining “the legal authority for the acquisition or use of these data collections; the existence and effectiveness of any policies and procedural safeguards established with respect to the collection, use, and retention of the data; [and] the creation, dissemination, and usefulness of any products generated from the data.”
It’s not clear how the report will impact the program or the legal system, but challenges to Hemisphere have already started in court.
Last year, the Electronic Frontier Foundation became the first legal advocacy organization to push back against Hemisphere. While their amicus brief was ultimately not successful, however, Fakhoury believes there are ways attorneys can better represent defendants and strengthen due process:
“In any case where the government has used phone records or CDRs [call detail records] they obtained via subpoena, or obtained location information via cell site location data or a cell phone’s GPS, a defense attorney should request whether Hemisphere was used to develop leads or run data analysis. If there are specific orders or warrants that reference ‘confidential sources,’ then defense attorneys should be making discovery requests and notifying the court that references to ‘confidential sources’ could potentially be the Hemisphere program.”
The Declaration will continue our investigative reporting on this and other issues. Sign up for email updates and follow us on Twitter and Facebook.
Tagged: AT&T call detail record CDR DEA Department of Homeland Security Department of Justice DHS DOJ Drug Enforcement Administration Hemisphere Program Jeffrey Vagle PC-HIDTA PC-ISC Philadelphia-Camden High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area Philadelphia-Camden Investigative Support Center
aranjedeath September 10, 2014 at 1:29 pm
100% you should use PDFy instead of scribd for document hosting. Scribd is not for document hosting it’s for reading of ebooks and things. It uses DRM to restrict free access to their materials. Here’s a copy of the PDF on PDFy, and a link to a founder stating the purpose of Scribd.
https://pdf.yt/d/L8LI2Gf8n2wQivsN
https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8035319
PDFy has an easy embed interface, download button right on the embed/site, and automatic archiving in the Internet Archive for all documents uploaded as Public.
Dustin Slaughter September 10, 2014 at 6:48 pm
It's just metadata, right? - Seasonal pumpkin spice mathew web site September 13, 2014 at 8:39 am
[…] « Federal, state, and local police, with the assistance of phone company employees embedded within DEA narcotics intelligence units, are utilizing an unclassified but “law enforcement sensitive” program, known as Hemisphere, which provides nearly unfettered access to an enormous database containing call records of all telephone calls passing through phone company switches likely owned by AT&T, according to a partially-redacted 24-slide presentation obtained by The Declaration. […] Hemisphere differs from – and far exceeds in scope – the National Security Agency’s phone record collection program, called Section 215, as the NSA maintains its own database and stores records for just five years. The Hemisphere database stores call detail records (CDR) dating as far back as 1987. » […]
AC September 14, 2014 at 8:58 pm
“Legal gray area”? WTF? Presumably this ‘gray area’ exists in some 4th Amendment-free alternative universe.
/Scribd does suck. No pdf downloads = crap.
The Hemisphere Decks: A Comparison and Some Hypotheses | emptywheel September 15, 2014 at 9:18 am
[…] week, Dustin Slaughter published a story using a new deck of slides on the Hemisphere program, the Drug Czar program that permits […]
Hemisphere Project: Drug Agents Access Enormous AT&T Phone Database; Calls Since 1987, 4 Billion Records Added Daily | LeakSource September 15, 2014 at 7:54 pm
[…] 24-slide presentation obtained by The Declaration from the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) and Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP) […]
9.22.14 Daily Links | Daily Links & News September 23, 2014 at 2:32 pm
[…] assessment from TruthOut, crossposted from Philadelphia’s independent outlet, The Declaration, about a call intercept program that is much broader and more invasive than anything that the […]
A Landmark Year for The Declaration, and All Thanks to You | The Philly Declaration December 31, 2014 at 12:47 pm
[…] exposed how the Drug Enforcement Administration, in partnership with the White House, is using a highly-sensitive, Constitutionally-questionable telephone record collection program named… in our […]
The Many Problems with the DEA's Bulk Phone Records Collection Program - Freedom's Floodgates January 23, 2015 at 4:26 pm
[…] for the first time the existence of a program known as “Hemisphere.” which allows the DEA and local law enforcement to obtain call records from AT&T. As government presentations about the program repeatedly make […]
The Many Problems with the DEA’s Bulk Phone Records Collection Program | thewire January 23, 2015 at 4:46 pm
Snuppy.dk » The Many Problems with the DEA’s Bulk Phone Records Collection Program January 23, 2015 at 4:55 pm
The Many Problems with the DEA's Bulk Phone Records Collection Program - GovernmentSecrets.com January 23, 2015 at 7:26 pm
Now the DEA is Collecting our Phone Records: RIP 4th Amendment | Informed Comment January 24, 2015 at 12:30 am
The Many Problems with the DEA's Bulk Phone Records Collection Program | Michigan Standard January 24, 2015 at 4:00 am
[…] first time the existence of a program known as “Hemisphere.” which allows the DEA and local law enforcement to obtain call records from AT&T. As government presentations about the program repeatedly make […]
Arab News Blog » Now the DEA is Collecting our Phone Records: RIP 4th Amendment January 24, 2015 at 5:20 am
The Many Problems with the DEA's Bulk Phone Records Collection Program - January 24, 2015 at 9:56 am
James Clapper Admits Phone Dragnet Data Retention Is about Discerning Patterns | emptywheel March 3, 2015 at 10:23 am
[…] and the basis used to make those accuracy claims (for one incarnation of the Hemisphere dragnet, DEA was claiming 94% accuracy, based of 10 years of data and, apparently, multiple providers). And this points to the […]
The Many Problems with the DEA’s Bulk Phone Records Collection Program | Sandora News Aggregator Portal March 7, 2015 at 6:10 am
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