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Study sites
Sudden ecosystem shifts
Soil & plant processes
Better management
Várzea, PT
Albatera, ES
Ayora, ES
Castelsaraceno, IT
Messara, GR
Randi Forest, CY
Randi Forest, Cyprus: Description of site and main causes of degradation
Authors: **
Coordinating authors: Tsanis, I. K. and Daliakopoulos, I. N.
Editor: Jane Brandt
Source document: Daliakopoulos, I. and Tsanis, I. (eds) 2014. Historical evolution of dryland ecosystems. CASCADE Project Deliverable 2.1. CASCADE Report 04. 126 pp.
Description of the study site
Cyprus is the third largest island in the Mediterranean, and is located in the South East Mediterranean, in the Levantine Basin, with an area of 9,250 km2. The island is dominated by two mountain ranges: Troodos, in the central and western part and Pentadaktylos in the north (Kyrenia range). The geological history is characterized by marine sedimentation in a sea that became gradually shallow. The climate is intense Mediterranean with an average annual rainfall of approximately 480 mm. The Pissouri area is located at the south zone of Cyprus, in the south east part of Paphos district area and consists of the Randi Forest (located in Pissouri basin), being characterized as drylands. Vegetation consists of plants from different habitats such as pine forests, phrygana, maquis, all growing around the rocky hill faces. In the Pissouri area, lack of rainfall leads to shallow soils and water erosion, while soils are further damaged by livestock grazing, thus impeding plant growth.
The topography of Cyprus is affected by the geology and dominated by the Troodos Mountains in the south and the Kyrenia Mountains along the northern coast and Mesaoria plain. The Randi Forest Study Site is approximately 14 km² with focus on three particular areas at 34°40.286N, 32°39.292E; 34°40.237N, 32°38.830E and 34°40.487'N, 32°38.797' E over an area of approximately 4 km² at an inclination of 20-25%. The topography ranges from 0 to 140 m above sea level. The sites include the three grazing conditions being examined by CASCADE.
Geology and Soils
The dominating soils in the area are calcaric regosols, with a deep brown color. The soil contains around 25% clay and 40% silt. In the valley and on hills there is a slight inclination of 20%. Deeper colluviums soils are also present with 30-40% clay and 50% silt. Many parts of the area are characterized by severe topsoil erosion losses and thus, the root system is limited by the underlying strata. Furthermore, the high CaCO3 content and the clay soils reduce the infiltration rates and thus increase water erosion.
Soil studies and classification began in Cyprus in 1957 and consisted of the physical and chemical data of soil properties. The majority of soils on Cyprus display near neutral to alkaline pH (>8) values, reflecting the influence of carbonates, as well as colluviums – alluvium areas and alkaline earth oxides and hydroxides derived from dominate formations. This is significantly more alkaline than the average for the rest of Europe (ph 5.5-5.8).
The sites consist of hilly terrain covered by open areas with shrubs and sparse carob and olive trees. Areas south of the forest consist of vineyards, which have dried up due to lack of water. As the land is not suitable for agriculture, it is used for livestock grazing, in particular goats and sheep. Besides recent events, the major land use change occurred in the 1930s, when Randi Forest was still an actual forest rather than the shrubland it currently is. When interviewing people in the village, two old men aged 87 and 85 years old said that “in the 1930s the British governor gave permission to the local people in the area to cut the trees and use them as firewood”.
The climate in Cyprus is intense Mediterranean, with wet, variable winters from November to March, and hot, dry summers from May to September, separated by short spring and autumn seasons of rapidly changing weather. The average annual rainfall in the area was 410 mm from 1990 to 2000, and 440 mm from 1970 to 2000, below the 480 mm average for the island as a whole.. However, annual rainfall data from the Asprokremmos region near the Randi Forest indicates an average rainfall of 490 mm. Annual rainfall has decreased by almost 50%, from about 600 mm to about 330 mm, over the period 1960-2002.
The average annual temperature in the area is 33°C during summer and 15°C during winter-time. Monthly temperature fluctuation in the area is relatively stable over the historical record with an annual average of 19.5 °C. In the study area, the average monthly evapotranspiration is 180 mm, with the potential evapotranspiration being 250 mm monthly. The potential evaporation in the area was estimated at 1,700 mm.
The period of zero precipitation lasts for four months, from July until October. There is no information available regarding the groundwater level and the flow/runoff. There is also no available information regarding the type and amount of irrigation water. The area is just outside the Pissouri West, located over a Gypsum Aquifer. In the last few years, the aquifer has gained more importance because of the reduction in the diverted quantities of surface water. The aquifer is outcropping in several places. Recharge depends on rainfall and, to a lesser degree, on return flow from irrigation. The aquifer has yet to be studied in depth. The groundwater in this aquifer is supposed to always be saturated in sulfate ions (SO4--) the concentration ranging between 1400 and 1,500 mg/l which is beyond EU limits for drinking water (250 mg/l) but within the limits for irrigation (250 to 3,000 mg/l).
Main ecosystems
Cyprus is a Mediterranean island, biogeographically isolated from the three regional continents and therefore the plant and animal species have evolved into endemic species. During the Neolithic and Chalcolithic eras, several species of large mammals (hippopotami and elephants) and alien plant species were introduced to the island. Cyprus is considered as a biodiversity “hotspot” area as it is the only center of birds’ endemism in Europe and the Middle East.
The Cyprus flora includes in total 1,910 taxa that are native or naturalized, among of which 143 are endemic. The percentage of endemics can reach over 20% within the Troodos mountains, where large numbers of endemic plants such as the cedar (Cedrus brevifolia) and the golden oak (Quercus alnifolia) grow. The varied microclimate and geology is the main reason for the high number of endemic species.
In the study site, the natural landscape is dominated by scrublands, the typical Mediterranean maquis, Garigue and Phrygana. This landscape has been formed by man-made activities such as forest destruction with subsequent periodic burning and overgrazing, followed by soil erosion. Where soil is not significantly eroded and factors such as slope, aspect and moisture are favorable, succession follows from phrygana to garigue and finally to maquis. Most of the shrubs are sclerophyllous of varied heights such as Calycotome villosa, Genista fasselata and Rhamnus oleoides. Trees are scattered in the area and consist mainly of Olea europaea, Ceratonia siliqua and Pinus species. The Bromus and Malva species are found among the shrubs and tree grasslands. For the purpose of the CASCADE project, plants in the area of interest were identified using the natural key system which is based on morphological characteristics such as structures of stems, roots and leaves, embryology and flowers. Plant parts were collected and photographed from an area of 50 ha.
In total, 57 species were identified within the study site. Various types of shrub communities dominate in the thermo-Mediterranean semi-arid zones. It is a typical coastal zone with dry grasslands, shrubs and forest openings. Trees, shrubs and grass were observed among the species, where the most dominant ones in the area were Olea europaea, Calycotome villosa, Cistus parviflorus, Genista fasselata, Sinapis alba, Malva sylvestris and wild poaceae species. Eighteen plant families were observed (Anacardiaceae, Apiaceae, Asteraceae, Cistaceae, Compositae, Ericaceae, Fabaceae, Lamiaceae, Malvaceae, Oleaceae, Papillionacea, Pinaceae, Poaceae, Ranumculaceae, Rosaceae, Rubiaceae, Urticaceae and Zygophyllaceae).
A synoptic view of vegetation health and the associated function of ecosystems can be derived from analysis of archival and on-going sequences of NDVI. New estimations from LandSat imagery (black circles) at the exact locations of the study site were used to correct the global dataset for bias. NDVI in the study area shows no significant trend since the 1980s. Nevertheless, NDVI values are significantly low.
Cyprus contains diverse fauna due to the fact that the island is at the crossroads of three continents and there is a wide range of habitats present on the island. The fauna includes endemic species of mammals, snakes and birds. The island is considered to be an important endemic region for birds from all over the world, while it constitutes one from the 8 most important migratory routes for the birds in Europe. Nine mammal species are included in the Annex of II Directive 92/43, and in particular one as priority. Two mammals are included in the Annex I of the Habitat Directive i.e. the Cyprus muflon (Ovis orientalis ophion) and fruitbat Rousettus aegyptiacus. More than 385 species of birds have been recorded in Cyprus, 53 as permanent residents and the rest as migratory. Twenty-four species of reptiles and 3 species of amphibians are documented. Four endemic subspecies of lizards and two endemic species of snake are reported, as well as two endemic subspecies. The Cypriot snake Coluber cypriensis and the grass snake Natrix natrix cypriaca are both endemic species of reptiles. The Cyprus snake Coluber cypriensis was added in Annexes II and IV of Directive 92/43/EEC, as priority species. It has been characterized as endangered (EN) by IUCN as the threats for this species increase mainly due to human activities and fires.
In the study site, fauna consists of birds, mammals, insects and reptiles. Birds include the species Αlectoris chukar, Coturnix coturnix, Tyto alba, Streptopelia turtur and Pica pica. Insects include Lepidoptera, Hemiptera, Orthoptera and Coleoptera. Mammals like Lepus capensis, Hemiechinus aurithus and Vulpes vulpes where observed during a night visit. Within the category of mammals, goats and sheep are included as domesticated and not wild animals.
Vegetation – soil system
In the study site, the main vegetation is consisted of Phrygana, mostly Calycotome villosa, Genista fasselata and Rhamnus oleoides. The selected plant for monitoring is R. oleoides which is the most common and at the same time, uniform in terms of shape and size.
The brief event timeline shows the most important changes and milestones that occurred in the natural and social environment of Cyprus and the Randi Forest area.
Socio-economic status
Pissouri has experienced continuous population growth. In 1881 there were 482, inhabitants, increasing to 956 in 1931, 1,072 in 1960, and 1,030 in 2973. The current permanent population in the Pissouri area is approximately 1,400 people, about half of whom are Cypriots and half of whom are expatriates, primarily from the United Kingdom.
Pissouri was a very traditional agricultural village, producing grapes, wine, potatoes and citrus fruits. There are also many olive, carob and almond trees in the area. Livestock grazing, especially sheep and goats, was also common. However, in recent years, farmers had to eradicate big part of their vineyards, as they became unprofitable and, instead, focused on housing development and the tourist industry in the south part of the village. This has led to a significant decline in the agricultural sector. The livestock sector was moved to the northwest area of Pissouri, which is where the study site is located.
Main Causes of Land Degradation
Human induced Drivers
Historically, the study area was predominately used for agriculture. However, in the last few decades, southern Pissouri was affected by expanded development and coastal urbanization. As a result, the agricultural land in the area was lost to building development. In the northern part of the area, the agricultural land remained uncultivated. After 1995, the lack of rainfall resulted in the decline of flora. As it could no longer be used for agriculture, the area north of Pissouri (the Randi Forest) was used for livestock grazing. Moreover, as the Pissouri cliffs, to the south of the Randi Forest, are considered a protected area the space available for livestock grazing was further minimized.
As the land in the area is not suitable for agriculture, it is used for livestock, in particular goats and sheep. The government allocated permits to licensed shepherds permitting grazing for approximately 600 goats and sheep. However, the actual number of animals grazing in Randi Forest is more than 3,700. Unlicensed shepherds are said to own another 1,240 animals that graze in this area. As a result, an additional 4,000 animals are estimated to graze in Randi Forest. The amount of land allocated within the area for grazing is around 1,000 ha, which is approximately 70% of Randi Forest. As a result of overgrazing and the dry climate, vegetation has significantly diminished. Moreover, livestock presents a significant source of pollution for both soil and groundwater reservoirs, resulting from the large quantities of liquid and solid waste from the farming activity.
Natural Drivers
The arid climate, coupled with soil erosion, prevent the proliferation of flora in the area. This is further affected by the overgrazing of the livestock population. A prolonged drought event took place during 1993-2001, only interrupted by a brief period of normal conditions in 1995. Droughts of shorter duration and intensity also took place around 1975 and 2008.
What is interesting is a possibly significant negative trend observed both in the SPI and aridity data. While on average conditions do not appear to be on the extreme side of dry or arid, the situation has taken a turn to more distressing figures during the recent decades.
Indirect causes
Sheep and goats play an important role in the economy of Cyprus in terms of meat and milk production. Although goats and sheep take up 18% of value animal production (including both meat and milk), they cover 90% of demand for goat and sheep products (both meat and milk) so that only 10% of relevant products is imported. Goat and sheep milk make up 22% of the total milk production in Cyprus, with the remaining 78% coming from cattle.
From 2000 to 2008, Cyprus faced a 34% decline in goat and sheep populations, due to the declining number of farming units, the aging farmer population and climate variability. The increase of protected areas in Cyprus has resulted in the relocation of the livestock around the Randi Forest area for grazing, increasing the amount of livestock in the area beyond that is permitted by the Government. As the Government does not strictly monitor the area, there is an over-abundance of goats and sheep for the area that resulted in the overgrazing that is evident in the study area.
CASCADE leaflet
© CASCADE 2013
What processes happen in an ecosystem during a sudden shift?
© 2012 - 2019 Cascadis
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CLUB LEGEND LEON PRYCE RETIRES
IT is with sadness that the club announce Bradford Bulls captain and legend, Leon Pryce, declares his retirement from rugby league with immediate effect.
The 35-year-old was the first player to sign for the new club in January.
The veteran half-back spoke out in an interview earlier in the season: “It is tough playing in such a difficult league at my age, you have to be in prime physical condition to be at your best week in week out.”
Leon bows out on one of the most successful careers in rugby league history, as the second most decorated player in the modern era. Winning twelve major titles, four Super League, five Challenge Cups and three World Club Challenge victories.
The half-back is one of only three players in recent rugby league to win both the Harry Sunderland and Lance Todd Trophy, joining the short list of legends to do this, alongside Paul Wellens and Kevin Sinfield.
Pryce has represented both England and Great Britain on the international stage, as well being a valued member of the final Lions defeat in Australia in 2006.
Leon Pryce said: “After playing rugby since a young boy I am finally done. I wished to have one more year at Bradford but I just couldn't do it.”
Leon was desperate to sign off his rugby career with the Bradford Bulls, although was unable to complete the season, despite his hardest efforts.
Thank you for an incredible career Leon, we wish you all the best in future life.
The club will do it’s best to support Leon in his next steps in life.
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At the end of January, I was interested to learn how the BBC's news website reported Italy's recession. It was not on their radar. Unsurprisingly, several scare stories were. One, by business editor Simon Jack, was headlined "No-deal Brexit to leave shelves empty warn retailers." My attention was grabbed, however, by a dramatic warning with a stated cost impact. "Tomato prices 'may rise 10%' if there is a no-deal Brexit." I clicked the headline to discover it was a 'Video journalism' feature; "The price of imported tomatoes could rise by as much as 10% on UK shelves in the event of a no-deal Brexit, Spanish growers have warned." The accompanying video was a promotional feature for an Alicante tomato grower. He earnestly explained that he could not absorb any more costs, such as preparing paper work. "After all," he lamented, "tomato prices have remained the same for 10 or 15 years." In addition to paper work, there 'might' be duty as well. Tomatoes are important; indeed 48% of Canary Island production is sold in the UK.
Project fear assumptions are always predicated on a supine defenceless UK meekly accepting ruin. Accepting that we are defenceless. It is noteworthy that, in 1988, the UK produced 66%, or two-thirds, of its food needs. Today, that figure has fallen to 50%. In the same period, imports from the EU have risen from 19 to 32%. In terms of fresh foods, the picture is stark. 62% of all fresh foods in Britain are imported, much from the EU, and almost half of those goods (46%) originate from Spain with an additional 22% from the Netherlands. There are obvious opportunities for British growers, as well as third countries and more of that later. The EU's sanctions and Russia's retaliatory embargo forced a renaissance in their agriculture.According to a 2017 FT report agriculture has overtaken arms sales to become Russia's second-biggest export sector. The UK agricultural sector faces the post EU world in a much stronger position than did Russia in 2013. A renaissance is overdue and as Obama said, "Yes we can."
There is no reason why the UK should impose the same tariffs as the EU, after Brexit. The world is full of eager producers of everything we need. Together with our own potential we can ensure well-stocked shops and lower prices. EU sanctions on Russia have cost millions in extra subsidies to buy surplus produce, €400m up to 2016. The UK is a far larger market and EU producers far more vulnerable. Without our money they will be hard pressed. Why that vulnerability, especially of the Spanish, has not been used by British negotiators is puzzling - to say the least.
Agriculture and politics are inseparable, a fact better understood when comparing EU agriculture's 1.5% GDP contribution with the roughly 40% CAP (Common Agricultural Policy) share of the EU's budget. The core principle of CAP is the protection of producers. An EU schematic "Intervention Logic Diagram - Entry Prices for Fruit and Vegetables" explains the EPS (Entry Price System):Specific objective = Protection + No market disturbance + Balance supply and demand + Preventing price repercussions from non-EU sources to ensure stable producer prices. Global Objectives are: Ensure fair income; stabilise markets AND eradication of poverty and sustainable development in developing countries. Italics mine to demonstrate how the EU's politically correct statements are contradicted by its actions.
To meet the objectives, a system of agricultural subsidies seeks to ensure a minimum return for growers. According to the EU, in 2017, of a total CAP budget of €58.9 Billion, direct payments accounted for €41.6 billion. Main beneficiaries of these 'Tier 1' payments (in € billions) were: France 7.1; Spain 5.5; Germany 5.5; Italy 3.8 and Poland 3.5. An odd fact is that the EU subsidises GM crops in Spain! In fairness, it should be pointed out that fruit and vegetable growers claim they don't get enough of this largesse.
Most fresh fruit and vegetables are sent to markets on 'Consignment' and the price is determined the day of sale based on supply and demand. The produce does not have a cost. Labour plus fixed costs, duty, transport and packing are costs that are deducted from the realised price and determine whether the grower finds it worthwhile to produce. However, in the EU it is rather different. A mishmash of Soviet planning controls married to the most fundamental free market system (if one excludes barter) attempts to square the circle.
Consumers and taxpayers support the CAP system through higher prices, subsidies and import taxes. In addition to subsidies and surplus purchasing, the EU protects growers of 15 fruits and vegetables against international competition during the growing season. It uses quotas and an arcane system of ad valorem tariffs combined with EPS. The aim of EPS is to restrict imports below a product-specific, politically designated entry price. SIV (the Standard Import Value) price is set daily for each country whose produce is in an EU market. It is based on a representative selection of 'Marketing' centres and is published for each product listed, for all available varieties and sizes. The final SIV is calculated after deductions for transport, insurance, wholesale margin and handling. There are three choices available to importers when deciding how to declare value for duty purposes. In practice, because of the consignment system, SIV is most widely used.
There is no better way to explain the system than to quote the commission: "When the EPS is undercut by 8% or more, the maximum specific tariff, referred to as the maximum tariff equivalent (MTE)3, of up to 80% of the EP (entry price) is charged. For example, the EPS is applied to oranges during the EU orange harvest season in the period December 1–May 31. The MFN tariff for oranges seasonally varies between 3.2% and 16.0% whereas the MFN EP remains constant at a level of 354 €/t. If oranges are exported to the EU at a price of 336.3 €/t, the EP is undercut by 5%. This implies that the exporter has to pay an additional specific tariff of 17.7 €/t, which is equal to the gap between the import price and the EP. If the entry price for oranges is undercut by 8% or more, an additional specific tariff at the level of the MTE of 71 €/t is charged."
I've lived and worked in a number of countries. Moving countries involves adjustment. One that I experienced many times was the adjustment of taste. Returning to the UK after periods working in Africa and Central Asia had me wondering if I'd know what I was eating with my eyes closed. Compared with the vibrant, flavoursome, mouth wateringly tasty vegetables I had been used to, the UK ones were bland. Poly-tunnels, hydroponics, intensive breeding, all have conspired to take taste off the plate. When I lived in Lagos, my garden, even in the wet season, was a cornucopia that never stopped flowing with vegetables and melons. After all, the climate is not dissimilar to the artificial ones that are expensively reproduced in European green houses.
Despite EU claims that it helps developing countries with 'Sweetheart' deals, many find it impossible to develop and as a result are reliant on aid. The potential for countries in Sub Saharan West Africa are enormous if they really had a level playing field. The upside for us would be sustainable development of tasty produce plus a reduction of aid payments. UK producers would also benefit through innovation and concentration on high quality seasonal produce. Crowborough tomatoes, famous for quality and taste, were once eagerly awaited, now no one has even heard of them. A visit to any farmer's market will convince anyone of the potential for good quality homegrown produce.
Kantar (the consultancy group) state in their February 2019 white paper: 'The Impact of Brexit on UK Grocery Industry and Shoppers:' "Kantar believes that most of the measures being enacted right now are both sustainable for retailers and better for consumers. In total, the investments being made to ensure a smooth Brexit are those required under any circumstances to help make the UK a healthier, more environmentally friendly nation. In some ways, we should be thankful that Brexit has injected more urgency into these initiatives." They sum up: "Kantar's view is that, as a result of Brexit, many of Britain's grocers will find themselves at the global forefront of exploring new retail technologies. This can only be a positive for Britain's labour force, British consumers, and the country's ability to attract investment and partnership."
How the "Backstop" breaches international treaties
Beware: Brexit is being used to bury bad news
Michael Wood dropped out of art school and worked in agriculture until accepted for business training by a major Japanese trading house. Working for major Japanese, Dutch and German firms he was involved in International trade from the mid sixties to his retirement in 2010. His career focus was mainly on agricultural products and he has extensive knowledge of perishables both short sea imports and deep sea exports. He travelled widely and has lived and worked in Nigeria, Ukraine, Central Asia as well as the EU (Belgium, Germany and Luxembourg). He became involved in information technology in the late 90s and was engaged by LM Ericsson to advise on a mobile telephone business model applicable to sparsely populated developing countries in Central Asia.
Prior to retirement he was CFO and GM of a London based manufacturing, warehousing and property company. The manufacturing division sourced raw materials and parts from Italy, UK, China, Taiwan and India.
After retirement he developed disability products with Chinese manufactures and imported them into the UK.
He now lives in London with his wife, a lawyer, and writes on a variety of subjects including disability issues.
Tuesday, 16 July 2019 An Existential Crisis: We Are Threatened by a Parliamentary Coup
Monday, 01 April 2019 Ritual Humiliation in the New Theocracy
Friday, 08 March 2019 Fruit, Fear and Brexit
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United Teachers of New Orleans Endorses Ellen Hazeur for Judge
NEW ORLEANS – United Teachers of New Orleans (UTNO), AFT Local 527, enthusiastically endorses Ellen Hazeur for Judge of Civil District Court, Division “A”.
Ellen Hazeur, also endorsed by the Greater New Orleans AFL-CIO, was honored to have received the strong support of the Teacher’s Union.
In announcing their endorsement, UTNO stated:
“Ellen Hazeur demonstrates the compassion, insight, and experience that our city needs from the bench. We appreciate that during her service as city council member and clerk of court, she has observed and thought carefully about the range of issues many of our citizens face that lead them to district court.
In all of her experience Ellen Hazeur has demonstrated what we as teachers know well: good public servants don’t just punch the clock or follow the minimal job descriptions and prescriptions given to us. Just as our students need and demand more than simple preparation for what is on a test, the citizens in Civil District court will encounter in Ellen Hazeur a compassionate innovator and problem-solver.”
UTNO, which represents teachers, paraprofessionals, nurses, clericals and social workers, announced their endorsement after interviewing all the candidates in the race for the Division “A” Judgeship to replace Judge Tiffany Chase who was elected to the 4th Circuit Court of Appeal last year.
UTNO’s statement went on to say:
“Ms. Hazeur impressed United Teachers of New Orleans not only with her clear understanding of how the civil district court works to serve citizens of New Orleans but especially with her insights into the importance of providing fair judicial services to citizens who come before her court regardless of the quality or even existence of legal representation they bring to the court.”
Ellen Hazeur was twice elected to the New Orleans City Council where she was the first woman and first African-American woman to represent District “E”.
Ellen was then elected Clerk of First City Court where she has overseen the handling of over 200,000 cases. As Clerk, Ellen has four terms of experience in working with judges, attorneys, and self-represented litigants in First City Court.
Election Day is March 24, 2018. Early voting period is March 10 - March 17, 2018.
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Displaying items by tag: Kazakhstan
Astana and Tashkent Become Strategic Partners
by Sergei Gretsky (07/10/2013 issue of the CACI Analyst)
The recent visit of Kazakhstan’s President Nursultan Nazarbayev to Uzbekistan on June 13-14 was closely watched in the capitals of other Central Asian states as well as Central Asia’s neighbors. The visit continued the discussions started last year during Uzbekistan’s President Islam Karimov’s visit to Kazakhstan when the two presidents initiated a process of closer alignment between Astana and Tashkent in regional security matters. This time the two leaders have taken relations between their countries a step further by signing a Treaty on Strategic Partnership.
CACI Analyst, June 26, 2013
20130626analyst.pdf
Published in CACI Analyst Archive
Kazakhstan Adopts Controversial Pension Reform
by Georgiy Voloshin (the 06/26/2013 issue of the CACI Analyst)
On June 21, Kazakhstan’s President Nursultan Nazarbayev signed into law a bill introducing a comprehensive reform of the country’s pension savings system. The main novelty of the bill is a provision increasing women’s retirement age from 58 to 63 years, thus ensuring full equality with the working male population. Earlier in April, the chairman of Kazakhstan’s National Bank, Grigory Marchenko, made public the results of an independent assessment made by international experts according to which the state budget might lose US$ 19.6 billion worth of potential tax revenue by 2023, should a similar reform not be adopted by the end of this year.
Published in Field Reports
Kazakhstan Goes G-Global
by Sergei Gretsky (the 06/26/2013 issue of the CACI Analyst)
In recent years, Kazakhstan has taken a number of steps to raise its international profile and firmly plant its flag on the world stage. The first success was scored when the country became Chairman-in-Office of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) in 2010 and hosted the OSCE Summit in December of that year. The next accomplishment was hosting the 7th Asian Winter Games in January-February 2011. Earlier this year Astana successfully outbid Liege (Belgium) to become the venue of Expo 2017. The Astana Economic Forum and its G-Global online platform, however, may turn out to be Kazakhstan’s most significant imprint on global politics and economics.
CACI Analyst, May 29, 2013
Joint Center Publications
Silk Road Paper Svante E. Cornell and S. Frederick Starr, Modernization and Regional Cooperation in Central Asia: A New Spring, November 2018.
Book S. Frederick Starr and Svante E. Cornell, ed., Uzbekistan’s New Face, Lanham, MD: Rowman & Littlefield, 2018.
Article Svante E. Cornell, “Turkish-Saudi Rivalry: Behind the Khashoggi Affair,” The American Interest, November 6, 2018.
Article Mamuka Tsereteli, “Landmark Caspian Deal Could Pave Way for Long-Stalled Energy Projects,” World Politics Review, September 2018.
Article Halil Karaveli, “The Myth of Erdoğan’s Power,” Foreign Affairs, August 2018.
Book Halil Karaveli, Why Turkey is Authoritarian, London: Pluto Press, 2018.
Article Svante E. Cornell, “Erbakan, Kısakürek and the Mainstreaming of Extremism in Turkey,” Current Trends in Islamist Ideology, June 2018.
Article S. Frederick Starr and Svante E. Cornell, “Uzbekistan: A New Model for Reform in the Muslim World,” Central Asia-Caucasus Analyst, May 12, 2018.
Silk Road Paper Svante E. Cornell, Religion and the Secular State in Kazakhstan, April 2018.
Book S. Frederick Starr and Svante E. Cornell, The Long Game on the Silk Road: US and EU Strategy for Central Asia and the Caucasus, Lanham, MD: Rowman & Littlefield, 2018.
Article Svante E. Cornell, “Central Asia: Where Did Islamic Radicalization Go?,” Religion, Conflict and Stability in the Former Soviet Union, eds Katya Migacheva and Bryan Frederick, Arlington, VA: RAND Corporation, 2018.
The Central Asia-Caucasus Analyst is a biweekly publication of the Central Asia-Caucasus Institute & Silk Road Studies Program, a Joint Transatlantic Research and Policy Center affiliated with the American Foreign Policy Council, Washington DC., and the Institute for Security and Development Policy, Stockholm. For 15 years, the Analyst has brought cutting edge analysis of the region geared toward a practitioner audience.
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WRESTLING BABYLON Author Muchnick To Discuss Benoit Developments In Radio Interview
Courtesy of Irvin Muchnick:
Author Muchnick to Discuss Benoit Developments in Radio Interview
Author Irvin Muchnick will discuss his latest revelations in the Chris Benoit case, and other developments, in an interview with Dan Kennedy on WOC Radio in Davenport, Iowa, Tuesday, April 8, at 8:35 a.m. Central time.
WOC, 1420 AM, streams live at http://www.woc1420.com.
Last week Muchnick revealed that World Wrestling Entertainment produced a tribute show to Benoit on the USA cable network on June 25, 2007, even though WWE executives were fully aware that law enforcement authorities in Fayette County, Georgia, already believed that Benoit had murdered his wife and their 7-year-old son, and killed himself. The story can be viewed at http://muchnick.net/babylon/2008/04/03/exclusive-wwe-knew-chris-benoit-was-the-perpetrator-before-staging-%e2%80%98monday-night-raw%e2%80%99-tribute/.
Atlanta’s Fox5 News last night reported that steroids, human growth hormone, and syringes were found in the attic of a Locust Grove, Georgia, home formerly owned by an as-yet-unnamed WWE performer.
Dr. Phil Astin, a Carollton, Georgia, physician who treated Benoit and other pro wrestlers, is currently under federal indictment following an investigation by the Drug Enforcement Administration. The indictment states that Astin prescribed Benoit a ten-month supply of steroids every three to four weeks. Benoit passed an April 2007 test under WWE’s Wellness Program, which allows wrestlers to have steroids and growth hormone with doctors’ prescriptions. Benoit’s autopsy later showed that under California State Athletic Commission drug-testing procedures, the wrestler would have been found to have the commission’s third highest ever recorded level of testosterone.
Muchnick is author of Wrestling Babylon, co-author of Benoit: Wrestling With the Horror That Destroyed a Family and Crippled a Sport, and at work on the forthcoming Chris and Nancy: The True Story of the Benoit Murder-Suicide and Pro Wrestling’s Cocktail of Death. Website: http://wrestlingbabylon.com. Blog: http://muchnick.net/babylon.
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Carrie Marshall: Bigmouth Strikes Again
Carrie Marshall is a writer, journalist, broadcaster, songwriter and parent.
Stadium*
Soundcloud (HΛVR)
Soundcloud (DMGM)
Contact / Personal
I see dead people, at £30 a pop
Downmarket tabloid newspapers can be pretty depressing things at the best of times, but it’s when you turn to the advertising that things get really appalling. Easy loans with interest rates loan sharks would be ashamed of, cheap and nasty tat, and worst of all, psychic telephone lines.
There’s a special circle of Hell reserved for the worst people in the world, and when they pop their clogs the operators of psychic phone lines will end up there. Their expensive ads promise closure or advice and offer to solve problems, but the only problem they solve is “how do we line our pockets by preying on the despairing, the depressed and the deeply troubled?”
Here’s the pitch. You call one of four numbers depending on your particular needs, so if you want to speak to a departed relative it’s the first line, if you want psychic advice on love and relationships it’s the second, and so on. All of the print is nice and large except for the price, where if you peer at the ad through the Hubble Telescope or an electron scanning microscope you’ll eventually be able to find out that calls cost £1.50 per minute, and a typical call could exceed 20 minutes. That’s £30 from people who can ill afford to spend such sums, and who almost certainly won’t realise how expensive their call will be.
Maybe I should call one of these lines with a pressing enquiry and report back on the quality of psychic insight – I’ve got a call recorder on the phone, after all, so it’ll be pretty easy to do. What do you think? Of course, it does mean that I’d have to go and purchase a downmarket Sunday tabloid next weekend, but that’s a price I’m willing to pay. Although I may solicit paypal donations to cover the cost of the phone call, heh ;-)
£1? Yikes!
Sony: we dropped the ball
2 thoughts on “I see dead people, at £30 a pop”
Squander Two says:
January 24, 2005 at 9:11am
Did you see Midsomer Murders last night? A fortune teller approaches DCI Barnaby and offers to tell his future in exchange for money. He holds up ID and tells her there are stiff penalties for obtaining money by deception. She says but, ah, she really is a psychic. He says, “So how did a clairvoyant to the crowned heads of Europe not know I was in the CID?”
January 24, 2005 at 11:23am
“I have decided I like the way I look and I’m the expert.”
Not going for gold
When Rod Liddle is trending
Probably not coming to a newspaper near you
Well behaved girls rarely make rock history
My name’s Carrie, and I live in Glasgow. I’m a freelance journalist, columnist, author, copywriter, scriptwriter and broadcaster, and I write features, news stories and tutorials about technology, the Internet and pop culture for lots of magazines and websites as well as crafting compelling copy for small businesses and multinational corporations alike.
I make music in a band called Stadium*, and we’re about to release some records. I also make music as half of HAVR: our music’s here, on Soundcloud.
I have written thirteen books so far – four about writing, three about technology, five about making music and one novel – and I co-wrote seven more computer and music titles and a radio documentary series. My most recent projects (as of 2019) include a secret ghostwriting project and four books about effective writing.
If you want to contact me for work stuff, please read this page before you email. Thanks.
Mermaids | Stonewall | LGBT Health & Wellbeing Scotland (including the LGBT helpline) | LGBT Youth Scotland | LGBT Foundation | Equality Network Scotland | MIND | Music Minds Matter | Switchboard LGBT Helpline | Human Dignity Trust | Albert Kennedy Trust | Human Rights Campaign (US) | GLAAD (US)
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Robert B. Somerville Co.
Robert B. Somerville and Almita Piling build a Solar Farm project in Ontario. Ontario established its position as a pioneer in renewable energy when it developed North America’s first comprehensive guaranteed pricing structure for renewable electricity production.
The feed-in-tariff (FIT) program offers stable prices under long-term contracts for energy generated from renewable sources such as biomass, biogas, landfill gas, on-shore wind, solar photovoltaic and hydropower.
FIT enables the province to construct renewable energy infrastructure using private investments without the initial outlay of capital, while advancing its mission to phase out coal-fired electricity generation by 2014. In addition, the program is expected to boost economic activity and generate new green industry jobs, especially for the construction industry.
In particular, FIT has created a unique opportunity for Robert B. Somerville Co. Ltd. For more than 50 years, the King City, Ontario-based contractor has designed, installed and maintained the infrastructure for utilities as well as mainline and distribution systems for oil and gas pipelines. The province’s decision to pursue renewable energy generation bodes well for Somerville since its core business includes electrical collection systems.
Perfect Partnership
Since January, Somerville and its joint-venture partner, Ponoka, Alberta-based Almita Piling Inc., have been working on the 30-megawatt Sault Ste. Marie Solar Farm project in Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario. Under a $1.8 million contract, the two companies are supplying and installing nearly 21,750 helical screw piles and a racking system for Q-Cells International Canada, an affiliate of Q-Cells SE. They will subsequently install the solar panels onto the racking system before the project concludes in June. Q-Cells will provide operations and maintenance services for the system.
Although Somerville has acted in a subcontractor capacity on previous solar projects, such as land preparation, road building and electrical collection, this is its first large-scale solar project, and it is pleased to be doing it in partnership with Almita. Together, the companies can provide a full range of services and be more cost competitive, says Somerville Manager of Contracts and Business Development Abe Dyck.
Aside from its expertise in electrical collection systems, Somerville has constructed pipelines across Canada for decades and has the equipment and experience to build projects across a diverse range of terrains. Almita had worked as a subcontractor to Somerville on previous pipeline projects, which is how the two companies were introduced.
“Almita has a long history in Alberta of manufacturing and installing screw piles,” Dyck states. “However, because FIT requires local contractors, they can’t do installations in Ontario unless they open an office here. That is not their core business. They are very busy in oil and gas in Alberta, so that’s why it is beneficial for us to partner on these solar projects in Ontario.”
FIT requires solar farms to be built on land that cannot be used for agricultural purposes. As a result, they are typically built in areas with poor soil conditions, Dyck says. The Sault Ste. Marie Solar Farm site is on swampy land, which is why Somerville and Almita opted to build the project in the winter and take advantage of the frozen conditions.
However, “This winter was so cold that we lost a lot of the productivity we were hoping for because the frost was causing more challenges than we originally anticipated,” Dyck says. “At the same time, there were deadlines to get this project on stream, so we increased our resources by bringing in more equipment and more manpower to pick up the productivity that we had lost.”
Then, in the springtime, a quick thaw created very wet soils, “so we had to bring in different resources to work around these new soil types,” he continues. “The client has been impressed with our ability to access alternative equipment to meet the new site conditions. We invested in a large number of excavators with drill head requirements to do these screw pile installations. The client liked the fact that we made that expenditure and are doing everything we can to meet their schedule.”
Because this is the first major solar project Somerville and Almita have worked on together, the Sault Ste. Marie Solar Farm has been a learning experience for both companies. “It’s a very heavy logistical effort that has to run smoothly, and I think we’ve learned everything we needed to learn on this first project, so we know firsthand how we can improve for other projects,” Dyck states.
He adds that Somerville intends to continue partnering with Almita on all future solar farm projects. “This project is 30 megawatts, but there are at least another 2,500 megawatts of projects that have to be built in the next couple of years,” Dyck notes. “In fact, there are probably more projects than availability of resources.”
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The Charity
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Home / 2018 / January
Inveralmond Community High School: F1 in Schools STEM Challenge
Kraig Brown
In 2018, Digital Xtra Fund is supporting an exciting programme of 11 high-quality initiatives, which will introduce over 3,200 young people to high-level computing skills. We are highlighting each of these initiatives through a series of blogs; looking at how they inspire, enable and engage young people to be digitally innovative and creative, with a better understanding of the future career opportunities digital skills provide. In the third blog in this series, we are looking at Inveralmond Community High School and their use of the F1 in Schools STEM Challenge to engage young people from around the country.
The F1 in Schools STEM Challenge, with support from the Formula 1 community, is a global not-for-profit initiative that offers young people something truly unique – the opportunity to design and produce a model Formula 1 car that reaches speeds of 20 metres per second, utilising cutting edge digital manufacturing technologies and working alongside instantly recognisable global businesses.
Pupils aged 11-18 work as part of a team to design their own model Formula 1 car, utilising 3D modelling, testing and simulation packages, then operating rapid prototyping equipment to turn their digital concept into a physical model, which they will then race against teams around the country in the hope of making it to the UK finals, followed by the 2018 World Finals held in September. Underpinned by science and mathematical principles, the F1 in Schools Challenge supports the development and application of a broad range of digital skills, including digital creation and production, animation, and coding. Teams must also work together using soft skills such as project management, communication, and marketing to secure team sponsorship and manage budgets to fund their research, travel, and accommodation costs.
Inveralmond Community High School is currently Scotland’s only F1 in Schools Centre of Excellence. They offer a range of digital resources which any school from across Scotland can utilise free of charge in order to compete in the F1 in Schools STEM Challenge Scottish Finals, ranging from industry standard CAM (Computer Aided Manufacturing) machines and resources through to state of the art 3D modelling and printing facilities. Support from Digital Xtra Fund has enabled Inveralmond Community High School to purchase the final piece of their resource jigsaw, an official F1 in Schools race track and timing system. This will allow participants to not only design and build their cars on site, but also test them in an official capacity – greatly improving their chance of success on a UK and global level.
David Dodds, Principal Teacher at Inveralmond Community High School said “The support from Digital Xtra Fund has been fantastic. This new equipment will enable teams to properly test their custom cars in the build up to the Scottish Finals later this month [23 Feb]. Every student involved in the challenge relishes the opportunity to celebrate months of hard work as they race their cars down the new track on competition day in a bid to get to the UK finals in March. The procurement of this state-of-the-art system will add a new dimension to the development and application of digital skills in Scotland”.
The F1 in Schools Scottish Finals will take place at Inveralmond Community High School on 23 February when 20 teams comprised of 120 pupils will travel to Livingston from Aberdeen, Edinburgh, East Lothian, East Renfrewshire, Falkirk, Fife, Glasgow, Midlothian, and West Lothian to compete in this exciting and unique extracurricular activity while enjoying STEM in action.
This hands-on programme provides a fun way for pupils to challenge themselves and gives them the opportunity to develop key skills which will form the foundation of their future, in whichever career path they choose. Digital Xtra Fund’s support of this programme will have a lasting legacy for F1 in Schools in Scotland, and is made possible thanks to the valued support of Scotland’s tech industry.
Andrew Denford, Founder and Chairman, F1 in Schools said “Scotland has always produced very strong F1 in Schools teams, with ambitious, engaged students who really relish the challenge that F1 in Schools offers them. We haven’t had a World Champion team from Scotland yet, but I’m sure it is only a matter of time, particularly with Inveralmond Community High School now having the luxury of a race track and timing system for the Scottish schools to use for track testing. We wish all the teams competing at the Scottish Finals the best of luck and we look forward to seeing the winning teams at our National Finals at Silverstone race circuit on 19th and 20th March.”
Thanks to our industry Partners, donations, and in-kind support, Digital Xtra Fund is able to provide annual grant awards to support projects like this, contributing to our goal of giving every young person in Scotland access to a digitally creative activity. Find out more about supporting Digital Xtra Fund and inspiring Scotland’s digital future.
F1 Schools STEM Challenge Scottish Event
Interested in seeing the F1 Schools STEM Challenge in action? Looking for an apprentice with hands-on experience to join your team? Join us at Inveralmond Community High School on 23rd February from 10:00 – 14:30.
The event will bring together over 120 students as they compete for a place at the UK Finals. If you fancy a day of digital skills, friendly competition, and fun – please sign up to attend here.
Apps for Good: Scottish Regions
In our second blog, we highlight how Digital Xtra Fund is supporting Apps for Good to reach more young people in rural Scottish areas. Apps for Good is a charity with a mission to grow a generation of problem-solvers and digital makers who are empowered to improve their world through creating technology. In 2018, Digital Xtra Fund is proud to help expand the presence of this amazing programme in Scotland, giving 225+ young people in Aberdeenshire, Perth & Kinross, Orkney Islands and Highlands the opportunity to access Apps for Good’s product development programme; enabling participants to grow their digital, entrepreneurial and enterprise skills, connect with industry professionals from the Scottish digital sector, and participate in the annual Apps for Good event in Edinburgh.
Apps for Good train teachers via their CPD programme to deliver inspirational digital courses to their pupils. Scottish pupils aged 12-16 will work together in teams to find issues they care about, then learn how to build, market and launch digital solutions by developing mobile apps and Internet of Things (IoT) products. Previous award-winning Scottish projects include: Midge Forecast, which uses topographical data to forecast midge density, helping predict a common Scottish menace; Teen Health, providing teen-friendly info on sexual health and contraception; Keep Fit Determination, which encourages young people to exercise and earn points in order to keep playing their favourite game consoles; and Safe Step, sensor enabled mats that alert caregivers and family members of the elderly when someone has fallen or gone missing via a mobile app. A key to Apps for Good success is that it places digital training within a real-world context, enabling young people to gain relevant experience, developing the skills and confidence to build digital products to solve problems in their communities and see a clear purpose to their learning.
With the support of Digital Xtra Fund, participants will also get the opportunity to attend Apps for Good’s annual Edinburgh event, bringing together some of Scotland’s brightest young digital makers and entrepreneurs for a day of networking and skill development workshops. At the event the students will be showcasing their products, participating in workshops to further develop their skills and get feedback from some of Scotland’s top industry experts.
Heather Picov, UK Managing Director, Apps for Good said “Our partnership with Digital Xtra Fund has been fundamental in helping us grow our reach across Scotland enabling us to equip young people with the skills they need for the future. We are delighted to be working with Digital Xtra Fund once again in 2018 to spread the impact of our courses and help even more Scottish young people put their talents and skills towards creating digital products for good.”
Engaging thousands of young people each year, Apps for Good positively impacts young people’s skills development, showing overall improvement in coding, teamwork, problem solving, communication/presentation skills, product design and confidence. Digital Xtra Fund and Apps for Good also share a commitment to improving diversity in digital technologies, increasing the number of girls taking part, and providing more young people in Scotland the opportunity to take part.
Apps for Good is one of 11 high-quality initiatives Digital Xtra Fund is supporting in 2018, which will introduce over 3,200 young people to high-level computing skills. The Fund’s annual grant awards, which are supporting Apps for Good for a second year, are made possible by the valued support of Scotland’s tech industry, supplying sponsorship, donations and in-kind support that all go towards our goal of giving every young person in Scotland access to a digitally creative activity. Find out more about supporting Digital Xtra Fund and inspiring Scotland’s digital future.
Apps for Good Scottish Event
Do you work in the tech industry and want to join Apps for Good on 23rd February to celebrate Scotland’s young entrepreneurs?
This event will bring together the next generation of digital talent in Scotland as over 100 students come together under one roof at the Dovecot Studios in Edinburgh for a day of idea sharing, networking and workshops. Sign up to attend here.
Stirling High School: Digital Learning Hub
In 2018, Digital Xtra Fund will be introducing over 3,200 young people to digital technologies by supporting 11 high-quality initiatives across Scotland. Over the next few months we will highlight each of these initiatives through a series of blogs as they inspire, enable, and engage young people to be digitally innovative and creative, and give them a better understanding of the future career opportunities digital skills provide.
The first initiative we will look at is Stirling High School’s (SHS) new Digital Learning Hub, which launched this week at CodeBase Stirling and will involve pupils from SHS as well as six of their feeder primary schools. The Hub will help inspire pupils from P6-S2 through extracurricular coding workshops; engaging more girls in computing science and giving young people, regardless of background or where they live, a chance to take part.
The Digital Learning Hub aims to build a sustainable ecosystem of young computing science developers. 30 pupils six Stirling primary schools will complete 10 workshops using Raspberry Pi development kits: setting up a computer; coding in Scratch and Python; using sensors, LEDs and autonomous vehicles; and getting the chance to be creative and explore their own ideas. Workshops will be run by experienced Computing teachers, supported by pupils from SHS and primary teachers, and run in partnership with CodeBase Stirling, who are providing a collaborative space for young people to learn to code in a live industry environment, and meet and learn from CodeBase’s tenants and partners.
Once the initial round of workshops are completed, the 30 participants will be recognised as Digital Champions within their own primary schools and will go on to deliver the Hub’s 10 workshops to their peers, again with the support of pupils and educators from Stirling High School. Overall, up to 210 young people will take part in the Digital Learning Hub, giving them an exciting early introduction to coding, hands-on activities, and peer-to-peer learning that will build confidence and leadership skills.
Paul Cassidy, HT Stirling High said “This project is an excellent example of how we are preparing our young people for their future through developing a range of skills including teamwork, collaboration and digital skills. Our Digital Champions in S1 and S2 are developing their leadership skills by supporting the young people from our primary schools as part of the project. The learning community is excited to be working with CodeBase Stirling and we are grateful for the support from the Digital Xtra Fund and Sharp.”
Digital Xtra Fund’s commitment to inspire future talent is backed by a range of partners who understand the importance of empowering young people to understand and create with technology, not just consume it. Support for SHS’ Digital Learning Hub has been generously provided by Sharp as part of their biennial Inspire Expo, taking place in Edinburgh from 15-17 January 2018. Sharp has been inventing one-of-a-kind products and solutions that benefit society and business for more than 100 years and their support of Digital Xtra Fund is greatly valued in benefiting Scotland’s next generation of digital makers.
In addition to supporting Digital Xtra Fund, Sharp has also kindly donated a BIG PAD interactive display to Stirling High School, giving participants an innovative way to present their ideas to their peers as well as brainstorm and collaborate on their projects. The BIG PAD will also be used in day-to-day teaching at Stirling High School, benefiting all SHS pupils with the use of Sharp’s latest technology.
Jason Cort, Director of Product Planning and Marketing, Sharp Europe said: “The future’s not only about technology, it’s also about the young people who will be using that technology. That’s why we decided to support Digital Xtra Fund this year as part of our Inspire Expo event. 2018 being Scotland’s Year of Young People makes this even more poignant. Sharp has a portfolio of interactive solutions, including BIG PAD, that are dedicated to helping students get better education outcomes. BIG PAD will let Stirling High School’s teachers and students share information in exciting new ways and crucially, it is very easy to use, so these benefits will be accessible to everyone.”
Digital Xtra Fund’s annual grant rounds, which support SHS’ Digital Learning Hub and many other inspirational projects, are made possible by the valued support of Scotland’s tech industry, supplying sponsorship, donations and in-kind support that all go towards our goal of giving every young person in Scotland access to a digitally creative activity. Find out more about supporting Digital Xtra Fund and inspiring Scotland’s digital future.
May I have a slice of pizza with some extra data please…
Skyscanner commits to inspiring next generation of digital leaders
BT launches hunt for UK’s next young tech pioneer
Young people are key to bridge the digital skills gap
BT-sponsored Barefoot Computing provides boost for computing lessons in Scottish schools
© Digital Xtra Fund 2017. Digital Xtra Fund is a Scottish Charitable Incorporated Organisation (SCIO) registered in Scotland. Registered Number: SC047272
A : Digital Xtra Fund, c/o ScotlandIS, Oracle Campus, Blackness Road, Springfield, Linlithgow, EH49 7LR
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> City of Chesapeake, Virginia > Government > City Council > Town Meetings > City Responses from Previous Town Meetings > Western Branch Town Meeting held September 1, 2015
Western Branch Town Meeting held September 1, 2015
Following are responses to issues, grouped under headings, raised at the Western Branch Town Meeting.
New Traffic Pattern on Bruce Road
The City’s Traffic Engineer reports that the recently completed intersection improvement project that added an additional lane along Bruce Road approaching the Taylor Road signal resulted in a re-allocation of the lane assignments to improve traffic flow (new traffic pattern). The pavement markings for new dual left-turn lanes were designed with a short taper length to maximize the vehicle storage in the turn lanes. Generally, vehicle speeds approaching the signal are slow enough to enter the turn lane without difficulty. Traffic Engineering will continue to monitor the new operations and will modify the pavement markings if needed.
Western Branch Commonwealth Railway Trail
By way of background, the referenced rail line has been relocated to the medians of State Route 164 and Interstate 664. The Virginia Port Authority as owner of the abandoned right-of-way, has informally expressed the desire to transfer the property to the City of Chesapeake. As such, the City of Chesapeake has scoped a project to construct a 10-foot recreational off-road trail to accommodate bicyclists and pedestrians. This trail would become a critical component of the larger “Multi-City” Trail that would eventually extend from Suffolk to the Ocean View section of the City of Norfolk, a distance of over 30 miles.
The total project cost is estimated to be $775,000 for design and construction of a 3 mile off-road trail system (Phase 1) along the abandoned Commonwealth Railroad right-of-way from Gum Court to the Portsmouth City line. The Commonwealth Transportation Board included $300,000 for this project in the FY 2015-2020 Six-Year Plan, with $60,000 of this amount required as the local 20% match. Staff submitted a grant this past year for the remaining funding; however, we were unsuccessful in obtaining additional funds. The feedback we received from VDOT was the City’s grant application did not compete well because we do not yet own the property on which the trail will be constructed.
Given the limited funding, Public Works is designing the project in-house. Preliminary survey data has been obtained and design efforts will continue over the course of this year with design completion scheduled for spring of 2016.
Public Works is also coordinating closely with the City Manager’s Office on intergovernmental efforts with various stakeholders to resolve the property transfer issue. Advancing the design and obtaining the necessary right-of-way will better position the City to receive additional grant funding.
Existing Bruce Road Trail
The Parks, Recreation & Tourism Department is proposing paving the existing dirt trail in the 2018 Capital Improvement Program, subject to the future appropriation of funds by City Council.
Bike Lane – Portsmouth Boulevard
Our Assistant City Engineer reports that the 60% plan for the Portsmouth Boulevard project showed the 10' wide multi-use path on the south side of the project (due to the number of driveways and houses along the north side and the fact that the south side was mostly wide open for a future development with better control of access points along Portsmouth Boulevard). The proposed multi-use plan was presented at the project’s citizen information meeting. We received some public input at the time that favored the multi-use path on the north side. After discussions with the consultant and coordination of the two projects (Suffolk’s project), the City of Chesapeake decided to switch the location of this multi-use path to the north side which will match what Suffolk has in place at this time. The current 90% plan under review shows this path along the north side.
Need for Bike Lanes and Sidewalks
The City has numerous bike and pedestrian facility recommendations in the adopted 2050 Trails Plan, including multi-use paths on Gum Road, bike lanes on Airline Boulevard and other enhancements on Elizabeth Harbor Drive and Jolliff Road. As recommended in the 2035 Comprehensive Plan, the City will continue to promote the construction and/or expansion of the identified sidewalks and bicycle trail facilities through the following action strategies: encouraging the development and implementation of a “complete streets” policy to accommodate multiple modes of transit/transportation; seeking to amend the City Code to require to be constructed for new and redeveloped sites along the street frontage; encouraging applicants to proffer or stipulate installation of sidewalks during the development review process; and considering bicycle/trail facilities in the design of all future roadway improvements, shared utility easements between neighborhoods, and right-of-way acquisition. Funding to implement these projects will be pursued through a combination of developer contributions, City capital improvement budget financing, and special funding opportunities through federal, state, or regional bike/trail grants.
Cedar Grove – Speeding
Police Officers have been assigned to increase patrols in that area to address the issue.
Portsmouth Blvd. Property Maintenance Concerns
Concern was expressed that some businesses down Portsmouth Blvd. are not getting enough attention from the City in regards to maintaining the upkeep of their properties – specifically referenced were the Pizza Hut, Burger King, and KFC. The referenced properties were investigated by staff on September 8, 2015. At the time of the inspection, the code compliance inspector determined the properties on Portsmouth Blvd. from Gum Road to Dock Landing were not in violation of the Chesapeake Zoning Ordinance. The average height of grass or similar vegetation is less than 10 inches.
Ahoy Acres
Public Works staff are working on the list of maintenance issues provided. With regard to the paving of Ahoy Drive, it is included on this fiscal year’s resurfacing schedule and it is expected to be completed by mid-November.
Enhanced Landscaping for Taylor Road
Public Works reports that there are no current plans to install additional landscaping along Taylor Road. Maintenance of existing grass shoulders and medians continues. The shoulders on Taylor Road are mowed during each 21-28 day cycle. Prior to mowing, our contractor collects litter in the areas that will be mowed. Taylor Road is swept four times annually. The most recent sweeping operation on Taylor Road was in July, 2015.
Pine Grove West
This is a current application that seeks to rezone 14.32 acres to R-TH-1 (11.95 acres) and O&I (2.12 acres) located on the north side of Portsmouth Blvd. adjacent to the City of Suffolk. View the Planning Commission recommended approval at their September 9, 2015 public hearing, with the proffers. City Council will consider the application at its October 20, 2015 meeting.
Western Branch Community Center
Upgrades to the Western Branch Community Center in the last several years include: recoated gym roof; new sign on Portsmouth Blvd.; replaced cabinets and countertops in kitchen; painting of all walls and trim; repair of ceiling insulation and painting of ceiling, walls and trim in gym; replaced cabinets and countertops in art room; replaced treadmill, Olympic weight plates, and elliptical; replaced floor tile in main building; and this fall, repaved parking lot.
Features of the Western Branch Community Center are: Fitness Room with full collection of up-to-date weight and cardiac equipment; Gymnasium that can be converted to accommodate basketball courts, pickleball courts, volleyball courts or badminton courts; Game room with pool table, TV, gaming system, table tennis table; Art Room that can be used for programming and available for rental by up to 30 persons; Club Room with fully updated kitchen that can accommodate approximately 80 persons based on programming; and 2 half-court basketball courts.
A sampling of programs includes: programs for Seniors such as Peppy Steppers Line Dancing and Pickleball; Instructional Classes such as ballet and tap; Therapeutic Recreation such as Adaptive Movement Program Karate classes and Jr. Alley Cats (bowling); Open Recreation Gym programs such as volleyball and badminton; Youth Programs such as Stay and Play Afterschool Program and Youth Reading Programs; Athletics such as Youth Football and Fall Soccer; Community Center rental options; and Special Events such as Farmer’s Market and Movie & More.
Use of Jolliff Middle School for Recreational Purposes
The School System does not provide for use of their school buildings for recreational purposes by non-students as the schools were not designed to be utilized as recreation centers. The Department of Parks, Recreation and Tourism advises that although there are no indoor services offered at this location at this time, the Department is working with Schools to possibly open schools for recreation and structured programs.
Lakes of Jolliff – No Nearby Parks
The closest playground to Lakes of Jolliff is Western Branch Park. The City has been receptive to acquiring land in this area, but there has been no suitable land available, wetlands being the biggest issue in the past. As development unfolds in the surrounding area, the Department of Parks, Recreation and Tourism will continue to work with developers and pursue land for a playground.
Lakes of Jolliff – Unfinished Paving
The Department of Development and Permits reports that when the plat was recorded in June 2011 for Lakes of Jolliff, home construction was initially slow. Although the infrastructure was constructed, the final surface of asphalt was withheld until the majority of home construction is complete. At this time nearly all lots have been developed and the developer was instructed to install the final surface course, which was scheduled to commence the later part of September.
Sidewalks in Cedar Grove
Most of the residential streets in the Cedar Grove subdivision were designed and built prior to building standards that require subdivisions to have sidewalks. The City Code was revised in 1995, and has since required property owners to construct sidewalks for all new and redeveloped sites along both sides of the street. Many of our residential streets that were built prior to 1995 did not include sidewalks. That is the reason why not all of the streets in the Cedar Grove development have sidewalks. City projects that have proposed to add sidewalks or other pedestrian/bike facilities to existing local streets have generally been found to be very costly and have not been supported by many of the homeowners whose properties front the streets. These projects usually require costly re-location of utilities, right-of-way acquisition from the homeowners, and the re-designing of the roadside stormwater facilities and the residential driveways along the segment of roadway that sidewalks are being constructed.
Because of the high cost associated with adding sidewalks along existing local streets and the low community support for these facilities, new sidewalk projects have been focused along collector streets that connect to activity centers and locations where other existing facilities are provided. Recognizing the need to provide new sidewalks so that residents have the choice to walk and bicycle conveniently to shopping, schools, and recreation areas, a Citywide trails plan map has been developed and is included in the City’s Comprehensive Plan. This detailed map is the primary guide for planning new sidewalks and shows the future locations and the recommended type of facility. View information on the City’s Trail Plan.
Economic and Residential Growth
With regard to economic development and the balance of residential and non-residential growth, the City’s 2035 Comprehensive Plan addresses this topic in Chapter Two – Responsible Growth. This chapter takes into consideration the successful economic growth the City has experienced but recognizes the need to balance residential and non-residential future development and redevelopment. This balance includes identifying areas more suited to economic opportunities in areas less suitable for residential development. An important tool to identify future economic and resident growth is the 2035 land Use Plan. The Land Use Plan establishes a pattern of compatible land uses that help to strike the desired balance of residential and non-residential uses. Additionally, the Comprehensive Plan has a number of policies to guide future growth. Policies include the Planning and Land Use Police a.k.a., Level of Service Policy, which addresses the appropriate timing of growth; the Public Utility Franchise Area which discourages leapfrog development; and the Urban, Suburban and Rural Overlay Districts, which sets forth the future form of development with higher densities in the northern urban areas of the city transitioning to agriculture/open space with limited development in the south.
The Western Branch Task Force has been formed by the Economic Development Authority to focus on economic development issues in Western Branch generally, and also more specifically the Portsmouth Boulevard Corridor. The Task Force will conduct a series of focus group meetings to solicit input from various stakeholders in Western Branch.
Loss of Retail/Need for High-End Grocer
The City’s Economic Development staff maintains a constant dialogue with sought after businesses and their designated real estate representatives or preferred development teams. Many retailers have proprietary metrics they rely on when evaluating potential locations. Many of the retailers choose to “test” the Hampton Roads market by first establishing a location in the most densely populated trade areas of the region. If year over year of same store sales meet company expectations, then other future locations in the region may be considered based (typically) on population density.
Businesses that use demographic information when analyzing future locations are often comparing one trade area with others in the Hampton Roads region or even outside of the region/state. By comparison, certain trade areas are more attractive than others based on various location metrics or economic “drivers” that are key factors in the growth strategy of an individual business.
Any limitation (or perceived limitation) usually results in a location being eliminated from further consideration in the corporate approval process. In addition to the standard demographic information used by all businesses, Economic Development staff uses “outside of the box” metrics to help craft a profile of Western Branch. For example, staff is constantly pitching the health conscience membership of the One Life Fitness facility in Western Branch as representative of the types of shoppers that would frequent a “high-end” grocery store. However, the grocery sector in Hampton Roads is extremely competitive. With estimates as high 16% of the grocery market share attributed to commissaries, many grocers perform an in-depth analysis of shopping patterns when analyzing potential locations.
The City’s Economic Development staff has investigated the feasibility of a "sportsplex” facility in Western Branch. In fact, staff has had confidential, in-depth discussions with sports facility operators. According to those operators, the single most important and limiting factor in the development of a “sportsplex” facility is securing the financing (either via a financial institution or equity investors) necessary to construct and operate an athletic facility. Economic Development has investigated various potential funding sources for athletic facilities but financing requirements are limited for this type of operation.
Western Brach as a Fine Arts District
The proposal to designate an area in Western Branch as a Fine Arts District may be a process that the Chesapeake Fine Arts Commission may want to pursue.
Ads at Western Branch High School Tennis Courts
Chesapeake Public Schools indicates that Western Branch High School has approved placement of these signs on the tennis court fencing, for which the business pays a yearly advertisement fee.
Maintenance of Appearance of City’s Main Roadways/Entrances
The Department of Public Works does have a system (Preventative Maintenance Schedule) in place for regular maintenance of landscaping/grass mowing through a seasonal contract. In addition, there is a preventative maintenance schedule for trash pickup along major roadways.
Hotel Tax
Comments were made that the City could obtain revenue for infrastructure through increasing the hotel tax. Following is a comparison of the City’s rate to other localities. All cities in the Hampton Roads area are charging an 8% tax rate on hotel lodging. Several, including Chesapeake also charge a flat dollar tax on top of the 8% tax rate.
Schools’ STEM Programs
The Governor’s STEM Academy represents an exciting initiative in academic choices for Chesapeake Public Schools’ students. The Technology Academy opened in September 2008 with its first freshman class. Spring 2012 the Academy earned the distinction of being a Governor’s STEM Academy. The academy operates as a school-within-a-school and features a cutting-edge curriculum especially designed for students with an interest in STEM careers. Students will have multiple opportunities for taking advanced courses and sampling such special programs as mentorship and internship.
The innovative learning environment of the Governor’s STEM Academy also provides students the added advantage of combining academic and technical training that prepares them for a variety of post-graduate choices: entry-level jobs, advanced technology training, or college or university studies. Students are drawn from across the city and may choose to pursue the Standard Diploma Program or the Advanced Diploma Program. Students attending the Governor’s STEM Academy take core academic courses as well as STEM elective courses from one of more of the three career pathways: Engineering and Technology, Programming and Software Development, and Global Entrepreneurship and Technology. Admission to the program is through an application process. Applications are due January 15 of each school year.
The City flag can be purchased from US Flag & Signal, 802 Fifth Street, Portsmouth, VA 23704 (757-497-8947) for approximately $132.50 for a 3'x5' nylon flag.
Flag Protocol
School Administration provides that they have communicated to all of their building principals that both the American and Virginia flags should be flown every day that school is open, which includes the days the schools are open during the summer regardless if students are present or not. The school division does have a school board policy on flags (P 6-5 Ceremonies and Observances). This policy includes the U.S. flag and State flag only. All schools have been provided information on flag etiquette.
Utility Trailers in Residential Areas
A citizen addressed City Council requesting a change be made to Section 6-2002 of the Chesapeake Zoning Ordinance that would permit utility trailers to be stored in the front yard in residential areas. It was felt that a utility trailer is no different than allowing a work truck in the driveway. Furthermore, it was felt that the size of the trailer should be considered (in this case the trailer is smaller than a car).
According to the City’s Zoning Administrator, utility trailers are grouped with recreational vehicles in the zoning ordinance. The zoning ordinance does not allow utility trailers that are defined as recreational vehicles or commercial vehicles to be parked or stored on any lot in a residential district. City Council previously reconsidered reducing restrictions of recreational vehicles in front yards. After a public hearing, the restrictions were preserved to maintain the appearance of communities. This issue can be reconsidered by City Council.
Possible Interchange at Greenbrier Parkway and Indian River Road
In 2006, a new interchange and roadway (City Line Road) was proposed off I-64 between the existing interchanges at Greenbrier Parkway and Indian River Road. This project, however, was not approved by the Federal Highways Administration.
Sinkhole on Cobb Avenue
The sinkhole around the manhole in this area has been reported to the Public Utilities Department for repair.
Sidewalk on Airline Boulevard
Our Traffic Engineer reports that Public Works has scoped a project to include installing a 10-foot wide multi-use path along the north side of Airline Boulevard that would connect into the existing sidewalk at the Jolliff Middle School and run approximately 1.6 miles to Ahoy Drive. The estimated cost to install the 10-foot wide multi-use path is $1 million. Staff is preparing an application to request federal funding for this project through the Transportation Alternatives Program (TAP). Applications for TAP funding will be submitted to VDOT by November 1, 2015.
Drum Creek and Taylor Road Drainage Concern
Stormwater Engineering and Operations have investigated the request and it appears that the “retention pond” is actually a finger /tributary of Drum Creek. This waterway leads to the Western Branch of the Elizabeth River and is not considered a City owned or maintained stormwater management facility. The City of Chesapeake is not responsible for maintenance in the area that was described. Removal of sediments by the City is limited to obstructions to drainage within public easements. Normally, public drainage easements do not extend beyond the “high water line” or the “edge of water” of a receiving facility such as the Western Branch of the Elizabeth River. A field investigation was conducted by Stormwater Operations to ensure positive drainage flow for the public stormwater conveyance system in the area. The investigation found no obstructions in the system. The channel from the 12” pipe appeared to be draining properly. The receiving area in question is deemed wet, but the flow line is clear and draining properly. The drop inlet at the right-of-way line is dry and clean. Accordingly, no maintenance work was performed.
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Tyler Perry's "I Can Do Bad.."
Whenever I have the pleasure of seeing one of Tyler Perry's latest films, I feel a spiritual energy at least as authentic and as powerful as can be known at real church! I also sense that his films are for Christians who just do not or cannot see how they affect others for better or worse.
Perry's most entertaining character, Madea, is typical of many Christians who just aren't in church. Her cussing, Bible illiteracy, troubles with the police (po-po), and all her other problems like living in her house with an eternally obnoxious brother, don't keep her from being there and being strong for others who need a Madea in their life. Madea has backbone if nothing else- but she has much, much more.
In most of Perry's movies, the theme of self-preservation through forgiveness runs very deep. In the latest film, I Can Do Bad All By Myself, you hear great music by Mary J. Blige and Gladys Knight, you witness great preaching by Pastor Marvin Winans, and you experience the drive of the gathered church- all of it electrifying the entire story line.
As Blige performed the soul- full title song, I couldn't help to think about Job's friends and the church. How often do we, without even thinking, pile on someone- anyone- who is doing bad, who has made a mistake, made a poor choice? Why do we assume the worst and form judgments that are neither just nor helpful? Why?
To begin with, nobody asked us. We don't have to have an opinion on everyone and everything. And like Job, people aren't looking for advice or fake reassurances that you've been where they are when you both know you haven't. Doing that is not only uncalled for, but also, it just contributes to the sense of isolation.
So the genuine love of real Christians, displayed throughout the film, is finally received as it was meant to be given: as a gift, as grace. Love- knowing it as gift and not as tool of manipulation or power over- and choosing to receive it as gift- is why the main character played by Tarji P. Hensen can begin to love herself and those closest to her for the first time. In the end, this mysterious love and healing grace is our only way out of doing bad all by ourselves.
The Guarantee Guarantees Nothing
Choosing Forgiveness as an Adult Child
The Serenity, I Mean, Senility Prayer
Thanks Rebecca Patton, ANA President
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All in Europe
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NEC, National Exhibition Centre Weeks to go until event: less than 9 weeks
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TYPE O NEGATIVE Members 'Not Cooperating' In Telling Of PETER STEELE's Story
Jeff Wagner ("Mean Deviation: Four Decades Of Progressive Heavy Metal" book, former Metal Maniacs editor), is currently assembling his next book, "Soul On Fire - The Life And Music Of Peter Steele", about the late TYPE O NEGATIVE and CARNIVORE frontman who passed away on April 14, 2010 from heart failure at the age of 48.
Writing on the book's official Facebook page, Jeff says: "I'm disappointed in the recent decision of the surviving TYPE O NEGATIVE members to not cooperate in the telling of his story. Between January and April, I established contact several times with each of them. Despite e-mails and phone conversations which were cordial and, I thought, positive, they have made this decision for reasons still unclear.
"On the upside, more than 40 people have participated and shared thoughts, emotions and recollections for this project. This includes people verifiably close to Peter — family, close friends, music industry figures, members of FALLOUT, CARNIVORE and session musicians for TYPE O NEGATIVE. This book is being written in tribute to Peter and it is going forward at full steam.
"Josh, Kenny and Johnny have my contact information. The door is always open for them to take part, albeit prior to its release, currently scheduled for October 31st.
"I'd like to believe Peter is having a good laugh at all of us right now."
Steele was born Petrus T. Ratajczyk on January 4, 1962 in Brooklyn, New York. He stood 6' 7" (201 cm) tall, and had a low, bass-heavy voice, which was one of the most recognizable features in TYPE O NEGATIVE's music.
Before forming TYPE O NEGATIVE, Steele played for the metal group FALLOUT and the thrash band CARNIVORE.
"Going through a midlife crisis and having many things change very quickly made me realize my mortality," Steele told Decibel magazine in 2007. "And when you start to think about death, you start to think about what's after it. And then you start hoping there is a God. For me, it's a frightening thought to go nowhere. I also can't believe that people like Stalin and Hitler are gonna go to the same place as Mother Teresa."
Wagner is a music connoisseur and metal historian, and a former editor of Metal Maniacs magazine. He has penned incisive liner notes for releases by EMPEROR, POSSESSED, DARK ANGEL, CONFESSOR and others. A music industry professional since 1994 and a lifelong music obsessive, Wagner lives for what he writes about and writes about what he lives.
Video Premiere: HALESTORM's 'Vicious'
MICHAEL SCHENKER FEST To Release 'Revelation' Album In August
L.A. GUNS Frontman Defends GRETA VAN FLEET: They Are A 'Good Band'
Former BIOHAZARD And AGNOSTIC FRONT Members Launch THE TAKE
SKINDRED: Lyric Video For 'Loud And Clear'
No More Hollywood Endings
MYSTIFIER
Protogoni Mavri Magiki Dynasteia
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John Hoppner
1758-1810 British John Hoppner Galleries John Hoppner (April 4?, 1758 - January 23, 1810), English portrait-painter, was born in Whitechapel. His father was of German extraction, and his mother was one of the German attendants at the royal palace. Hoppner was consequently brought early under the notice and received the patronage of George III, whose regard for him gave rise to unfounded scandal. As a boy he was a chorister at the royal chapel, but showing strong inclination for art, he in 1775 entered as a student at the Royal Academy. In 1778 he took a silver medal for drawing from the life, and in 1782 the Academy's highest award, the gold medal for historical painting, his subject being King Lear. He first exhibited at the Royal Academy In 1780. His earliest love was for landscape, but necessity obliged him to turn to the more lucrative business of portrait painting. At once successful, he had throughout life the most fashionable and wealthy sitters, and was the greatest rival of the growing attraction of Lawrence. Ideal subjects were very rarely at tempted by Hoppner, though a "Sleeping Venus," "Belisarius," "Jupiter and Io," a "Bacchante" and "Cupid and Psyche" are mentioned among his works. The prince of Wales visited him especially often, and many of his finest portraits are in the state apartments at St. James's Palace, the best perhaps being those of the prince, the duke and duchess of York, of Lord Rodney and of Lord Nelson, Among his other sitters were Sir Walter Scott, the Duke of Wellington, Frere and Sir George Beaumont. Competent judges have deemed his most successful works to be his portraits of women and children. A Series of Portraits of Ladies was published by him in 1803, and a volume of translations of Eastern tales into English verse in 1805. The verse is of but mediocre quality. In his later years Hoppner suffered from a chronic disease of the liver. He was confessedly an imitator of Reynolds. When first painted, his works were much admired for the brilliancy and harmony of their colouring, but the injury due to destructive mediums and lapse of time which many of them suffered caused a great depreciation in his reputation. The appearance, however, of some of his pictures in good condition has shown that his fame as a brilliant colourist was well founded. His drawing is faulty, but his touch has qualities of breadth and freedom that give to his paintings a faint reflection of the charm of Reynolds. Hoppner was a man of great social power, and had the knowledge and accomplishments of a man of the world. The best account of Hoppner's life and paintings is the exhaustive work by William McKay and W Roberts (1909
Jupiter and Io
The Bowden Children
Captain George Porter
1789 Denver Art Museum
Lady Caroline Capel Holding her Daughter Harriet
Richard Brinsley Sheridan
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Home > Cross and resurrection through a poet's eyes
Cross and resurrection through a poet's eyes
By Alison Goodlad
Christians agree that the death and resurrection of Jesus is central to their faith. But as soon as we try to understand the ‘how’ and ‘why’, it becomes much more difficult to articulate this belief. Alison Goodlad suggests that the evocation of poet R. S. Thomas is among the imaginative resources that construe meaning with vitality, while 'leaving the reason torn'.
Christians agree that the death and resurrection of Jesus is central to their faith. But as soon as we try to understand the ‘how’ and ‘why’, it becomes much more difficult to articulate this belief.
The early Christians grappled with this too and used a variety of imagery to express their experience. It is important to realise that the experience came first and the explanations came later. But if the experience is to be shared, communication is vital and words form an important part of this. Language is the key.
Poets are the supreme magicians with language, being able to conjure such breadth, depth and height from the same words as are used mundanely by the rest of us. We need the prosaic of course. But in our necessary struggles to understand, and particularly to appropriate that central tenet of the Christian faith – the death and resurrection of Christ – we may have tried too neatly to encapsulate in theory what is in fact far more mysterious and challenging than such theories appear to allow.
Formal explanations of the crucifixion and resurrection are known as atonement theories. The early Christians, whose witness we have in the Bible, were certainly looking for ways to understand and communicate the events that had taken place; events which had overturned their world. But the language they used was metaphorical.
Over the years, the process of trying to express the meaning of the crucifixion and resurrection continued, and in different cultural contexts new theories emerged building on the language from the Bible, but seeking to be more rational and less suggestive.
My forthcoming book, Leaving the Reason Torn: Re-thinking cross and resurrection through R.S.Thomas, is not intended to say that such enterprises have been wrong or that they do not have their place. But some of us have found the theoretical approach to be insufficient. We need creative minds, including the poets, to help us grapple with the Easter events and to enter into this world with mind and heart.
The 20th century Welsh poet/priest R. S. Thomas is such a creative mind. His language is profoundly unsettling at times, courageously saying what some may think but feel unable to utter. He looks at things from more than one perspective, trying out one idea before moving on to another way of seeing. His poetry is personal in the sense that it is his own faith journey he is expressing: a continual wrestling with the God to whom he is totally committed but whom he struggles to understand in the light of a suffering but dazzlingly beautiful world.
Crucifixion and resurrection language permeates Thomas’s poetry and allows us to appreciate that crucifixion and resurrection is a way of being in this world; that Good Friday and Easter Sunday encapsulate a recurring dynamic.
Before going on to look at how this extraordinary Welsh poet helps us to see the cross and resurrection with fresh eyes, I give an overview of the main atonement theories and show why it is that these can only take us so far in engaging with the death and resurrection of Christ. Others have also found that the rich metaphors of the Bible have been somewhat tamed by the more rational analytical approach and want to open the doors to a less constricted approach.
It seems that the explanatory approaches that may have served people well in other times are not so appropriate in our current Western cultural climate, in our time which goes under the slippery and rather ill-defined term, post-modernity. We need the different voice of the creative artist to help us. That is what the book is all about.
© Alison Goodlad has been examining and reflecting on the work of RS Thomas for several years. She is currently undertaking postgraduate theological studies at Sarum College, and she is a member of St Stephen's Church in the Anglican Parish of Central Exeter (http://www.parishofcentralexeter.co.uk/ [1]). Alison's book Leaving the Reason Torn: Re-thinking cross and resurrection through R.S.Thomas will be published by Shoving Leopard, Edinburgh, in association with Ekklesia, in June 2011. Initial enquiries to: office AT ekklesia.co.uk, marked ‘Reason Torn’.
More from Alison Goodlad on Ekklesia [2].
Source URL: http://www.ekklesia.co.uk/node/14621
[1] http://www.parishofcentralexeter.co.uk/
[2] http://www.ekklesia.co.uk/search/node/alison%20goodlad
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'The CBS Concert Recordings' New Import CD
The complete soundtrack of CBS special, two concert performances - from June 19, 1977 in Omaha, and June 21, 1977 in Rapid City.
These two concerts are now available in a deluxe 2-CD set with almost 60 historical tracks. Also included is a beautiful 16-page booklet stuffed with extensive liner notes and relevant photos.
Especially for the Elvis Collectors We include numbered 100% genuine reproductions of the original tickets of both concerts. This is limited to 555 editions only!
Hear Elvis at the piano and many songs performed for the very last time on stage. With the last and arguably best-performed version of "How Great thou art" and the last versions of "Are you lonesome tonight", the powerful "Trying To Get To You" and the unusual "Hawaiian Wedding Song".
With this release it is obvious whatever may have been wrong, Elvis' unique voice never failed him!
In the spring of 1977 CBS-TV expressed an interest in creating a the program. After much pre-planning, producers Gary Smith and Dwight Hemion chose the cities of Omaha and Rapid City on the June tour for their primary videotaping locations. Elvis did not do so well in Omaha, but gave everything he had in Rapid City.
The Monday, October 3, 1977 broadcast, aired about six weeks after Elvis' unexpected death, used most of the second show in their edit.
The RCA soundtrack "ELVIS IN CONCERT" reached *Billboard* U.S. #3 shortly after this airing. The program would be rerun just once, on Sunday, May 7, 1978, and has never been issued on VHS or DVD.
source: Elvis Information Network
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S.T. Lakata, Fanbase Press Senior Contributor
Published in Comics
‘In Place of Honor #2:’ Comic Book Review
Fans of Shards: Volume 1 will be happy to see a second chapter for one of the stories in the first of two anthologies. In Place of Honor: Chapter One explores a world where wolves and ryders are seeking control in an ongoing war, while one wolf, Bennett, is captured and locked in chains in a cell. Not only does this character stay in wolf form for the majority of the first chapter, she ultimately has to watch other wolves being tortured and murdered, quite gruesomely, before escape is offered by an enemy that appreciates honor above horrifying prison tactics.
Published in Geeky Parent Guide
Geeky Parent Guide: Exploring Amazing Opportunities at San Diego Comic-Con 2019
“Comic-Con International: San Diego began in 1970 when a group of comics, movie, and science fiction fans -- including the late Shel Dorf, Ken Krueger, and Richard Alf -- banded together to put on the first comic book convention in southern California. Comic-Con started as a one-day ‘minicon,’ called San Diego’s Golden State Comic-Minicon, on March 21, 1970 at the U.S. Grant Hotel in downtown San Diego.” (Comic-Con Int'l)
Geeky Parent Guide: Exploring Strength of Character on ‘Forrest Gump’s 25th Anniversary
Forrest Gump is celebrating its 25th anniversary this July, and for someone that saw it four times in theater (at age 14), it’s a perfect time to review the significance of this movie to parents and their kids. Tom Hanks is the titular character in this film, earning him the Academy Award (1994) that was his second in back-to-back years.
‘Spencer & Locke 2 #4:’ Advance Comic Book Review
Spencer & Locke 2 #4 reaches a point in the plot that never even remotely seemed possible. Writer David Pepose carefully crafts the conclusion to the second story arc of this amazing series with dominoes falling until the last one blows your mind.
Published in Editorials
Countdown to the Eisners: 2019 Nominees for Best Coloring
Fanbase Press' coverage of the 2019 Will Eisner Comic Industry Awards continues with the "Countdown to the Eisners" series. From Wednesday, May 29, through Wednesday, July 10, 2019, Fanbase Press will highlight each of the Eisner Awards' 31 nomination categories, providing comic book industry members and readers alike the opportunity to learn more about the nominees and their work. Stay tuned for Fanbase Press' continued coverage of the Eisner Awards, including live coverage of the ceremony at San Diego Comic-Con on Friday, July 19.
Published in Fundamental Comics
Fundamental Comics: ‘Monstress’ and Finding Ways to Live in a World of Inequality and Hate
“Fundamental Comics,” a monthly editorial series that introduces readers to comics, graphic novels, and manga that have been impactful to the sequential art medium and the comic book industry on a foundational level. Each month, a new essay will examine a familiar or less-known title through an in-depth analysis, exploring the history of the title, significant themes, and context for the title’s popularity since it was first released.
Geeky Parent Guide: ‘Parenting in the Zombie Apocalypse’ with Steven J. Kirsh, Ph.D.
“Parenting is difficult under the best of circumstances--but extremely daunting when humanity faces cataclysmic annihilation. When the dead rise, hardship, violence, and the ever-present threat of flesh-eating zombies will adversely affect parents and children alike.” – Steven J. Kirsh, Ph.D.
Countdown to the Eisners: 2019 Nominees for Best Penciller/Inker (or Penciller/Inker Team)
Countdown to the Eisners: 2019 Nominees for Best Cover Artist
The level of sophistication that keeps coming with Spencer & Locke 2 continues to astonish me, as I devoured Issue 3. Readers can enjoy Spencer & Locke 2 #3 on its own and be completely satisfied with the story within its comic book pages. That’s the talent of writer David Pepose, creating elements dedicated to this particular chapter, while still connecting the dots for longtime fans of this Sin City-meets-Calvin and Hobbes story.
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Written by Justin Robinson, Fanbase Press Guest Contributor
The Future Will Be Carpeted: An Analysis of ‘Deep Space Nine (S7E23)’
“Extreme Measures”
7.23 (aired May 19, 1999)
“My death isn’t a tragedy. It’s a celebration. In death I can finally step out of the shadows and prove to my self that I existed. That I lived.”
-- Luther Sloan
Let’s say I get attacked by a barbarian. We’re talking a classic image: fur loincloth, helmet with horns on it, yelling something about Crom, the whole bit. Let’s also say that I somehow defeat him. Stop laughing. This is a thought experiment. The point is, when I tell you about what happened at, say, a barbecue or something, gesticulating wildly with my beer, I will have a wealth of options of how to tell you what happened. I can throw around evocative words like “disembowel,” or “eviscerate.” I can be clear if I merely killed him, or if I annihilated, destroyed, or crushed him. My story can use only the purplest vocabulary, and I will never repeat an adjective, so many will I have to choose from. Now, ask me how I feel about my wife, my mother, the movie Alien, or bacon cheeseburgers, and I’ll use the same word.
I love them.
In English, we don’t have many options for expressing an affinity stronger than “like.” Sure, there’s “adore,” but that has a layer of irony behind it and feels strange to use unless you’re expressing an opinion on small dogs in sweaters or a new kind of artisanal milk. So, we as English speakers are left with only one option, and the word “love” does a ton of heavy lifting, encompassing a plethora of distinct feelings.
But wait, it gets worse. That, incidentally, could be the motto of 2017. American culture is also preoccupied with an antiquated notion of masculinity. Even fundamentally well-meaning people who want to erase the artificial distinctions between genders generally line of up on the side of giving traditionally masculine traits to women rather than vice versa. Women are allowed to be warriors and wear pants, but a man who wants to be a nurse and wear a skirt? That’s weird. Expressing affection between men is even more fraught, as loving another dude is a little bit gay. Not that there’s anything wrong with that, only there secretly is.
As much as Star Trek wants to be the far future, it’s still tied to the mores of the time it was written. The ‘90s were an improving landscape, and on the whole the DS9 writing staff was a collection of forward-thinking men (Yes, all men.), but even they are trapped. The nice part is that it bears some fruit in this episode.
In their desire to close off the various threads of the show, the writers took this week’s hour as a way to tie a bow on the Bashir/O’Brien friendship. It’s one of the defining relationships of the show and evolves in much the same way as the series itself. They begin hating each other, transform into rivals, and finally into inseparable best friends. In an emotionally healthy culture, there would be absolutely no homoerotic subtext here. People should be allowed to be close without implying that it’s sexual. Also, there’s nothing wrong with homoerotic subtext in the slightest -- there’s a metric ton in Bashir’s relationship with Garak, and it’s awesome.
This episode resolves exactly how they feel about each other. It’s the best moment in the hour, and an incredibly rewarding one as we’ve watched them grow together. Bashir puts it into words, “You love Keiko, but you like me a little more,” and he feels the same about Ezri. (Still not a fan of that, but I need to let it go.) Love is generally assumed to be just a turbo-charged version of like, which isn’t it at all. Love and like are related emotions, to be sure, but one isn’t required for the other. Think of every poisonous relationship you’ve ever seen or been involved in, where the two people genuinely despise one another but at the same time can’t be apart. Or, you know, how you feel about a parent who voted for Trump. That’s love without the like.
Parks and Recreation, which might be the best show ever at charting friendship, also created one of the greatest romances with Leslie and Ben. Their “I love you and I like you” is a perfect summation of how these two ideas are fundamentally different. Bashir and O’Brien like each other better than they like the women they love, as they share more in common and have bonded over many adventures, and there’s absolutely nothing wrong with that. It’s a close friendship without a sexual component, but in our American culture, this is viewed with suspicion, even by those involved in the relationship itself.
While the revelation is a small one, it’s a good way to cap off the friendship. Unfortunately, the episode has to pull double duty, relegating this emotional subplot to the background. Unfortunately, we’re robbed of one final O’Brien Must Suffer episode, but the next best thing is uniting the twin threads of Bashir episodes: the medical mystery (extra points for being Dominion-related) and his obsession with espionage. The writers needed to tie up the thread of the Founder Plague that’s killing Odo, and this way makes the most sense. He’s in bad shape, too, with maybe only a week of life left, spending it on the station in some kind of medical pod. Kira and Garak return to the Resistance; Odo can’t bear to see Kira in pain in the last moments of his life. He would rather remember the happier times. Kira, being all about respecting the free will of others, agrees, though it breaks her heart.
Bashir and O’Brien bait their trap with a false message to Starfleet Command that Bashir’s found the cure. Sloan shows up, and Bashir captures him pathetically easily. It’s a little silly in the context of the nigh supernatural Sloan as displayed in “Inter Arma Enim Silent Leges,” who uses plot magic to escape certain death. Still, it’s satisfying to watch our heroes put one over on the smug secret agent. There’s an extra layer of irony: Bashir plans to use some Romulan Mind Probes on Sloan, the same illegal devices used on Bashir with Sloan’s knowledge.
The wily Section 31 head has a final trick, and here he’s shown as a true believer. He trips a device in his brain that will kill him. Bashir manages to slow the death down -- being a brilliant doctor with a genetically enhanced brain has its upsides -- and comes up with an insane plan. He will go into Sloan’s brain and find the cure among the rapidly decaying memories. O’Brien insists on going along, and the two of them descend into the crumbling mind of the the master spy.
Last-minute budget cuts and a need to preserve a plot twist, though, turn what could have been a psychedelic voyage into a mundane walk through some of DS9’s corridors. It’s a drab choice that robs what they’re doing of some of the wonder that should be present. What they find are two Sloans. The first is grateful to the two of them for essentially killing him. He’s a Federation patriot who loves his family and is pleased to have been returned to them. He’s alienated from his later actions and wants nothing more than to help right at least one wrong. It’s the fundamental paradox at the heart of a spy. To do the work requires a near fanatical love of country and perhaps even principle, but in turn shows the principles to be false and the country to be as soiled as any other. This is the wide-eyed idealist Sloan. Unsurprisingly, he’s shortly murdered by the dominant part of the personality, the ruthless operative hopelessly corrupted by a lifetime of morally questionable actions.
This Sloan does everything he can to put off the discovery, but eventually the two friends find the inner sanctum. A dying Sloan tells them it’s the headquarters of Section 31, a disorganized room scattered with information. There is no such room in the real world, though, with Sloan keeping every bit of information on his doomsday conspiracy locked away in his mind. O’Brien quickly finds the cure -- it’s literally just sitting out. But Sloan tries to tempt Bashir into recovering more information. There’s enough in there to presumably destroy Section 31 for good. O’Brien sees what Sloan is really after, though. If he can keep Bashir in his mind until he dies, Bashir will die as well, the cure with him.
What Sloan didn’t count on was O’Brien. Had Bashir gone in alone, he would have succumbed to temptation and died. O’Brien pulls him out of there. The two share a drink and toast to friendship. While this episode is flawed, unfortunately not quite nailing the trip into Sloan’s mind, and making the acquisition of the cure look like magic, it does a good job of showing how far these two have come. They’re a study of opposites, but when it comes down to it, they’re two of a kind. Shame there’s no word for precisely how they feel.
Next up: The end, part 8.
Published in: The Future Will Be Carpeted
Justin Robinson, Fanbase Press Guest Contributor
Latest from Justin Robinson, Fanbase Press Guest Contributor
The Future Will Be Carpeted: An Analysis of ‘Deep Space Nine (S7E25-26)’
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Eghosa Omoigui
Follow @eghosao
Eghosa Omoigui is the founder and Managing General Partner of EchoVC Partners. Before this, Eghosa was with Intel for nearly 10 years and his last role was as Intel Capital Director, Strategic Investments, Consumer Internet & Semantic Technologies, where he acted as a senior investment professional focused on platform-agnostic consumer web services and digital media-based investment opportunities. Omoigui also drove ICap's investment focus on next generation semantic technologies, smart data and the realtime web. Eghosa was personally responsible for (developing supporting theses for and) sourcing investment opportunities in various companies including AdMob, Jaiku, Powerset, Facebook, LinkedIn, Teracent and Pandora.
Prior to this role, Omoigui was Chief of Staff to the President of Intel Capital (the largest global tech corporate VC), and, before that, Chief of Staff for Intel’s Treasury organization, helping oversee an $18B cash platform. Omoigui attended UPenn Law School and Olin Graduate School of Business at Babson College.
Investments led in US and India include: GraphScience (acquired), Stipple (acquired), Frid.ge (acquired), Retailigence, Betaworks, Sense Networks (acquired), Voxify (acquired), SmartZip, Yatra, BuzzInTown (acquired), Vriti, Cerebra & MediaSpike.
Investments led in Africa include: Hotels.ng and Printivo.
Olutosin Oni
Principal, Investments
Olutosin Oni is a Principal, Investments and Portfolio Management at EchoVC Partners. Prior to joining EchoVC, Tosin co-founded a number of startups including a boutique financial advisory firm in which he helped develop strategy and advised clients, and a securities trading platform. He was previously Head, Structured Products at FBN Capital Limited, a role in which he managed the launch of the Structuring desk and led the development of the desk’s risk management and performance management frameworks. While at FBN Capital, Tosin set up the firm’s structured products vehicle through which the company managed over N100 billion in assets. He also led the setup of FBN Capital’s Market Making desk.
Tosin graduated from Imperial College, London with an MSc. in Computing Science and an MEng. in Chemical Engineering. He has also worked at UBA Capital (now United Capital Plc) where he worked on transactions raising over US$1 billion in debt capital, and Quality Capital Management, a UK based systematic global macro hedge fund.
Tsendai Chagwedera
Associate Principal & Regional Head, East Africa
Tsendai is an Associate Principal & Regional Head, East Africa at EchoVC. Prior to joining EchoVC, Tsendai worked at TPG covering Africa private equity. His responsibilities included conducting due diligence on potential investment opportunities, leading deal execution, and monitoring portfolio companies.
Previously he worked at Emerging Capital Partners, an Africa-focused private equity fund based in Nairobi, Kenya. Prior to Emerging Capital Partners, Tsendai was an Associate at H.I.G. Capital in Boston, where he completed growth private equity transactions in the technology space. Tsendai began his career at The Blackstone Group as an Analyst with the technology M&A team in Boston.
Tsendai graduated from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology with a Bachelor of Science degree in Mathematics.
Damilola Thompson
Senior Counsel, Legal, Compliance & Corporate Development
Damilola Thompson is Senior Counsel, Legal, Compliance and Corporate Development of EchoVC Partners, and has over 10 years of legal experience. Prior to this, she worked for a top-tier law firm in Lagos, Nigeria for 4 years, with core competencies in Corporate, Venture Capital and Private Equity transactions. During this period, she drove seed/early-stage financing transactions for startups, and represented African and international investors. In her years of legal practice, she has gained experience and acted as a legal adviser to a number of companies involved in Microfinance, Oil and Gas, Telecommunications, Mobile money sectors.
Ms. Thompson is passionate about startups and venture financing, and providing early-stage companies with much needed mentorship required for scaling. She has a graduate degree from the University of Lagos, Nigeria and is on track to obtaining an LL.M in Business Law from the University of California, Berkeley. She has also completed various post-graduate courses including the Kauffman Fellows Academy’s course on Venture Capital. She is a member of the Nigeria Bar Association (NBA), an Associate of the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators, United Kingdom (CIArb UK), a member of the Institute of Chartered Secretaries and Administrators of Nigeria (ICSAN) and a part of the leadership team of the SingularityU Lagos Chapter. She provides mentorship to a number of startups and is a mentor with the Unreasonable Institute, Nigeria.
Taiwo Kamson Ketiku
Vice President, Investments
Taiwo is a VP, Investments at EchoVC Partners and has over 10 years’ experience as a Finance professional in Investment Research and Investment Banking.
Prior to joining EchoVC, Taiwo worked at United Capital Plc for 6 years as an Investment Banker. Her focus was mainly on M&A Advisory and Capital Markets. In that role, she successfully launched and registered a Naira and Dollar (US$10M) fund for the asset management subsidiary of United Capital.
Whilst at United Capital, Taiwo was involved in the structuring of SME funds and other funds that are in the pipeline. She has also raised over US$1 billion in debt and equity for various corporates, facilitated M&A transactions such as the acquisition of the drink businesses of a listed consumer goods company, mergers of power companies, etc. Taiwo’s sector coverage for transactions include Banking, Insurance, Hospitality, FMCGs, Telecoms, Agriculture, Power and Oil &Gas in Nigeria and SSA.
Taiwo graduated from the University of Aberdeen Scotland with an MSc. in Finance and Investment Management and a BSc. (Hons.) in Banking and Finance from Covenant University in Ogun State, Nigeria.
Deji Sasegbon
Director, Platform & Portfolio Operations
Deji Sasegbon is Director, Platform & Portfolio Operations at EchoVC. With close to 10 years of experience building and deploying innovative technology in industries ranging from Energy, FMCGs, Legal, to Transport, Deji has coupled his love for novel technology with strong technical expertise and operational experience.
Prior to joining EchoVC, Deji worked as a Production Engineer in Total Exploration & Production Nigeria where he developed a first of its kind remote monitoring and collaboration centre geared towards increasing the operational efficiency of a $1B asset. While at Total, he built and implemented key metrics used to analyse oil and gas production, safety, and asset maintenance. Deji has also worked in Utilities, Oil Field Services, a top-tier Legal publication firm, and co-founded a number of startups.
Deji graduated with a doctorate in Chemical Engineering from Imperial College, London.
Eunice Chou-Omoigui
Head of Incubation & Product Development
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Eunice is Head of Incubation & Product Development at EchoVC Partners. Prior to joining EchoVC, Eunice worked on five different startups in varying stages, from conception to acquisition and combines a deep love of technology and design with a solid business and operations background. She has co-founded three startups: Flavorize (a food recommendation engine), MetricMesh (a cross-device, real-time behavioral advertising platform) and Studio Archcraft (an independent video game development studio). She was formerly the head of Network Development at Massive Inc, the in-game advertising market leader which was acquired by Microsoft and Manager of Corporate Development at Tagged, a pioneer in the social discovery space. Eunice graduated from New York University's Stern School of Business with a BS in Finance and a BS in Information Systems. She has also worked at JP Morgan Partners and Merrill Lynch.
Fisayo Durojaye
Associate, Investments & Portfolio Operations
Fisayo is an Associate, Investments and Portfolio Operations at EchoVC Partners. Prior to joining EchoVC, Fisayo worked in the investment banking team at Afrinvest (West Africa) Limited, a leading indigenous full service investment banking franchise in Nigeria. At Afrinvest, he worked on transactions across various sectors including Banking, Insurance, FMCGs, Agriculture, and Real Estate amongst others. Particularly, Fisayo was a core member of the firm's Start-up/Technology advisory business, where he advised start-ups and entrepreneurs on potential capital raising options as well as growth strategy. His role covered emerging sectors including Financial Technology (Peer-to-Peer Lending, Securities Brokerage and Asset Management), Media Content Creation and Distribution, etc.
Prior to that, Fisayo worked at CAO Partners Limited as a business analyst, where he assisted in the restructuring of an HNI portfolio, positioning the portfolio for superior performance during the gradual recovery from the devastating economic recession.
Tito Cookey-Gam
Analyst, Investments & Portfolio Operations
Tito is an Analyst, Investments and Portfolio Operations at EchoVC Partners. Prior to joining EchoVC, Tito worked at the Asset and Resource Management (ARM) Company as an analyst in their investment fund.
Prior to that, Tito worked in the investment banking team at Crasner Capital, a boutique investment bank in London. At Crasner Capital, he worked on emerging market transactions across various sectors including Banking, Insurance, FMCGs, and Agriculture.
Tito holds a Masters in Biochemical Engineering from the University College London.
Aima Nwafor-Ohiwerei
Senior Analyst, Research & Portfolio Operations
Aima is a Senior Analyst, Research and Portfolio Management at EchoVC. Prior to joining EchoVC, Aima worked at Singularity Investments for almost 2 years as an associate on startup investments within the Telecommunications, Media and Technology space, where she sourced investment opportunities, managed portfolio companies and Research.
Prior to this role, she was an entrepreneurship agent of change at Draper University and is part of the leadership team for Singularity University’s Lagos Chapter.
Before that role, she worked as a Tax associate at Ernst & Young (EY) for 2 years where she worked on Tax knowledge management, Tax advisory, and Tax compliance.
She holds a degree from Bangor University, Wales, a certificate of completion of the Kauffman Fellow’s Academy’s course on Venture Capital, currently in pursuit of the Chartered Alternative Investment Analyst certification (CAIA).
Saeed Seghosime
Saeed is an Analyst, Investments and Portfolio Operations at EchoVC Partners.
Prior to joining EchoVC, Saeed worked at Sahel Capital as an analyst in their investment fund. Before Sahel, Saeed worked on the investment team at Verod Capital, a West Africa-focused private equity fund manager. At Verod Capital, he worked on emerging market transactions across various sectors including Education, Pharmaceuticals, FMCGs and alternative energy.
Saeed holds a bachelor’s degree in chemistry and chemical engineering from the University of Huddersfield.
Adeola Agbaje-Dosekun
Prior to joining EchoVC, Adeola worked at Citibank as a Management Associate in the top talent program for the Sub-Saharan Africa region with rotations in Corporate & Investment Banking as a junior Transactor and as an Analyst in the bank’s Risk Division. Prior to joining Citibank, Adeola interned with Merrill Lynch and Guaranty Trust Bank’s Upstream Oil & Gas and Corporate Finance Divisions.
Adeola joined EchoVC in July 2017 and supports entrepreneurs in the pre and post-funding stages. Adeola also conducts market research, evaluates technology products, identifies gaps in the market and participates in events that help build the ecosystem for entrepreneurs in tech.
Adeola holds a Bachelor of Engineering and Masters in Finance from Loughborough University.
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Hurricane debris remains 'huge, huge' undertaking
Debris from Hurricane Michael rests along a canal in Mexico Beach, Florida last October. (Photo by Scott Olson/Getty Images)
By Jim Turner, The News Service of Florida
Posted Jan 17 2019 12:22PM EST
Updated Jan 20 2019 04:05PM EST
Lawmakers eye 'long, long recovery' from hurricane
Air Force steers fighter jets to Tyndall
Hurricane season will be remembered for Michael
PANAMA CITY, Fla. (NSF) - Gov. Ron DeSantis directed the state Division of Emergency Management to speed money to Panhandle communities that are being swamped financially by “massive” amounts of debris from Hurricane Michael.
Emerging from a closed-door meeting Wednesday with Federal Emergency Management Agency Administrator Brock Long and local officials, DeSantis said that, in addition to upfronting disaster relief money to local governments, he will push the White House to increase federal reimbursements for debris cleanup.
“I think that this warrants it,” DeSantis said after the meeting at A.D. Harris Learning Village in Panama City. “Obviously, there is a lot of stuff going on in Washington right now, it’s not the best of times. But I think that would be very good for the local community.”
DeSantis and Long later planned to tour Tyndall Air Force Base, Mexico Beach and a site where temporary housing was being put up in Panama City.
In addition to receiving the concerns from local officials about debris removal, Long said additional temporary housing is on the way.
“I think we have to take a deep breath and understand large-scale disaster recovery takes many years. It’s not just a matter of months,” Long said. “While a lot’s been accomplished, we realize we have a long way to go.”
Long also said he doesn’t expect Michael’s recovery to require a request for additional emergency funding from Congress or that the response for Michael will be impacted by the federal shutdown, which has halted paperwork for people seeking reimbursements from 2017’s Hurricane Irma.
Florida Emergency Management Director Jared Moskowitz said the state understands the needs of local governments that are burning through their annual budgets responding to Michael.
“It’s an impossible task when you have a $5- or $10- or $20-million annual budget, but yet the debris is two or three times your annual budget,” Moskowitz said.
State officials have estimated the Oct. 10 hurricane created about 20 million cubic tons of debris, as the Category 4 storm barreled a path from Mexico Beach into Georgia. Much of the debris is still strewn across the region.
By comparison, Hurricane Irma, which cut a path from the Florida Keys to Jacksonville, resulted in about 2 million cubic tons of debris.
Local governments expect to eventually receive 75 percent reimbursement from the federal government for debris removal. DeSantis said his request is to bump that figure to 90 percent on the federal side.
“I’m just constantly surprised at the scale of the debris,” DeSantis said. “For a storm that hit a relatively small portion of our state to have 10 times the debris of a storm (Irma) --- that, granted, wasn’t as powerful but really ran up the whole state --- that is a huge, huge undertaking.”
DeSantis said he’s seen progress in the clean-up and that the quicker the debris is cleared, other steps in the recovery will follow, such as reopening businesses and being able to better welcome tourists.
Wednesday was the second time DeSantis has gone to Bay County to view the recovery effort since he took office Jan. 8.
As of Friday, the storm had resulted in 141,039 insurance claims, with estimated insured losses of $5.023 billion. So far, nearly 73 percent of the claims have been closed, and 84 percent of the closed cases have resulted in money changing hands.
Still, state Chief Financial Officer Jimmy Patronis said he’s urging insurance companies to more quickly close claims.
“The longer that we draw out the insurance claims process, the more frustrating our homeowners get with the claims process, the more likely they are to go out and seek other solutions, and sometimes those other solutions are going to lead to fraud in their insurance claim,” Patronis, a Panama City Republican, said.
Patronis has also urged the Triumph Gulf Coast Board to work with the state Division of Bond Finance to assist in establishing loans that local governments could use for rebuilding. Triumph Gulf Coast administers settlement money from the Deepwater Horizon disaster in the Gulf of Mexico.
“My team has reviewed the law governing Triumph funds, and it seems to provide many allowable uses,” Patronis wrote to the board Friday. “Specifically, we believe these funds are an appropriate funding source to help rebuilding efforts by making secured loans to local governments.”
The Triumph board is awaiting a report from Bay County about the economic impacts of the storm.
More Florida News Stories
Florida: Schools will teach students signs of mental illness
By News Service of Florida
Public schools will be required to teach students at least five hours of mental health instruction beginning in 6th grade, under a mandate approved by the state Board of Education Wednesday and hailed by Florida's top educator as a “life saver.”
Education officials proposed the change to the statewide school curriculum in June, following discussions with First Lady Casey DeSantis, who has made the mental health issue one of her top priorities.
The new requirement will require students to take courses aimed at helping them to identify the signs and symptoms of mental illness, find resources if they are battling with depression or other issues, and teach them how to help peers who are struggling with a mental health disorder.
Hard Rock's guitar-shaped hotel in Florida will start taking reservations
The world’s first guitar-shaped hotel will open later this year in Florida, and they will soon start taking reservations.
Guests can begin booking rooms on July 24 at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel and Casino in Hollywood. It will feature luxurious rooms, a comedy theater, thousands of slot machines, retail stores and a lazy river. When guests enter the lobby they will be greeted by a waterfall with lights and projections.
The guitar tower is part of a $1.5 billion expansion to the hotel.
Florida city officials hope 'Baby Shark' song will drive homeless from park
Officials in West Palm Beach are hoping a continuous loop of children's songs played throughout the night will keep homeless people from sleeping in a city park.
West Palm Beach parks and recreation director Leah Rockwell tells the Palm Beach Post they're trying to discourage people from camping out along the glass-walled Lake Pavilion. She says the pavilion rakes in some $240,000 annually from events.
The loop of "Baby Shark" and "Raining Tacos" is a temporary fix to keep homeless people off the patio. Rockwell says the city wants to formalize hours for the park, which should make trespassing laws easier to enforce.
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Dr. Sigmund Freud and Psychoanalysis
Dr. Sigmund Freud is a psychoanalyst born on May 6, 1856. He was an Austrian neurologist and the founder of psychoanalysis. Through dialogues and talks between the patient and the psychoanalyst, a psychopathology in a clinical method is done. While creating psychoanalysis, Freud has developed many therapeutic techniques like the concepts of free association and discovered transference as well. Psychoanalysis was first used by Freud in treating patients in 1896.
Freud’s “most significant work”, Die Traumdeutung (The Interpretation of Dreams) came into view in November 1899. This triggered the development of psychoanalysis in various paths. These developers were mostly Freud’s students like Alfred Adler, Carl Gustav Jung and the neo-Freudians such as Karen Horney, Harry Stack Sullivan and Eric Fromm. But Freud managed to maintain the name psychoanalysis.
Through psychoanalysis, the analyst concludes the unconscious problems and conflicts that causes the patient’s symptoms and character disorders. The patients must deliberate their thoughts along with the free association fantasies and dreams in order to be inferred by the analysts. Interpreting the transference and countertransference is included in this analysis of conflicts and problems. The analyst encounters the patients’ pathological defenses in order for them to receive help and gain insights.
Psychoanalysis is a discipline that is still being scientifically questioned. Despite that, it continues to have as a strong significance in psychiatry. It is also used a lot outside the therapeutic arena, such as in the fields psychoanalytic literary criticism, in the deconstruction of film and analysis, fairy tales and more cultural phenomena.
Though it was declined as a diagnostic and clinical practice, Freud’s psychoanalysis remained influential in psychology, psychiatry and psychotherapy. It also created extensive and contested arguments concerning its therapeutic efficiency. Freud’s mind and body of work make this play all the more interesting.
We welcome you to Freud’s Last Session.
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Health topics Environment and health Chemical safety Environment and Health Task Force meeting kicks off national planning in 7 key areas
Environment and Health Task Force meeting kicks off national planning in 7 key areas
Last year, countries in the WHO European Region adopted the Ostrava Declaration, which commits them to make visible, measurable and equitable progress on environment and health in 7 priority areas. In order to do this, Member States agreed to develop national portfolios of actions on environment and health by the end of 2018, coordinated by country-nominated focal points.
This network of environment and health focal points met in Bonn, Germany, on 20–21 March 2018 for the eighth meeting of the European Environment and Health Task Force (EHTF) to kick off and collaborate on developing these portfolios. Participants shared resources and discussed the technical support available, and also showcased examples of how countries have addressed the priority areas through multisectoral collaboration.
“The Ostrava Declaration sets out where and how we must take action on environmental risks to protect the health of our citizens today and in the future,” said Mr Ivan Karic, State Secretary from the Ministry of Environmental Protection, Serbia, at the meeting. “Now we are taking the next step, developing and tailoring actions to meet our specific national needs. To make the right policy decisions, we rely strongly on WHO’s technical expertise and guidance from its European Centre for Environment and Health in Bonn.”
During the meeting, the EHTF also elected its Bureau. The new Chairperson for the coming year, Dr Nune Bakunts of Armenia, took over from Mr Robert Thaler of Austria. Other members of the new Bureau represent the health and environment ministries of Austria, Israel, the Netherlands, the Republic of Moldova, Serbia, Ukraine and the United Kingdom. The Bureau guides the preparation of the EHTF meetings and supports the WHO Secretariat in the intersessional period. The next EHTF meeting is scheduled for 2019.
Priority action areas of the Ostrava Declaration
The Ostrava Declaration identifies the following 7 areas for action:
improving indoor and outdoor air quality for all;
ensuring universal, equitable and sustainable access to safe drinking-water, sanitation and hygiene for all and in all settings;
minimizing the adverse effects of chemicals on human health and the environment;
preventing and eliminating the adverse environmental and health effects, costs and inequalities related to waste management and contaminated sites;
strengthening adaptive capacity and resilience to climate change-related health risks and supporting measures to mitigate climate change and achieve health co-benefits in line with the Paris Agreement;
supporting the efforts of European cities and regions to become healthier, more inclusive, safer, resilient and sustainable; and
building the environmental sustainability of health systems and reducing their environmental impact.
WHO European Centre for Environment and Health in Bonn, Germany
Through the European Centre for Environment and Health, WHO/Europe provides Member States with expertise on the most up-to-date evidence on the nature and magnitude of existing and emerging environmental health risks, and assists them in identifying and implementing policies to address these risks.
Declaration of the Sixth Ministerial Conference on Environment and Health
WHO European Centre for Environment and Health (ECEH), Bonn, Germany
EHP Governance
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Tags: Fiction Uncovered, iBookstore, Sophie Rochester
Fiction Uncovered to work with the iBookstore
Fiction Uncovered is delighted to announce that it will be working with Apple’s iBookstore to promote eight shortlisted titles when the inaugural selection is announced on 19 May 2011. iBookstore is included in the free iBooks app for iPad, iPhone and iPod touch.
The Fiction Uncovered promotion pledges to support those writers who deserve recognition but have yet to receive a major literary prize or media attention, or be picked for retailer promotions. It will create the opportunity for eight fiction writers (novels, short stories, graphic novels) in the UK to be part of a major promotion supported by retailers, and a major publicity and marketing campaign.
The eight titles for the Fiction Uncovered 2011 promotion will be announced on 19 May 2011 at a lunchtime event in Piccadilly with a special Shoreditch House Literary Salon event that same evening.
The Chair of Judges for Fiction Uncovered 2011 is the writer Giles Foden. He will be joined by Damian Barr (author, playwright, journalist and host of the Soho House Literary Salon), Simon Burke (Fiction Buying Manager, Waterstone’s) and Sarah Crown (Literary Editor, Guardian Online). The judging panel is currently reading over 80 titles submitted for Fiction Uncovered 2011.
Tweets that mention Fiction Uncovered to work with the iBookstore | Fiction Uncovered -- Topsy.com
[…] This post was mentioned on Twitter by Literary Platform, Fiction Uncovered. Fiction Uncovered said: We're working with iBookstore on the promotion of the 8 Fiction Uncovered titles – more here http://bit.ly/gj2WxU and in Bookseller today […]
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First Vehicle Services Team Awarded “Best in Category” for Safety Excellence
The Houston Business Roundtable recently awarded First Vehicle Services a “Best in Category” Safety Excellence Award for Outstanding Safety Performance. This award recognizes Greater Houston Area industrial contractors for their outstanding safety performance.
The award was accepted by First Vehicle Services General Manager Bill Snowden and Operations Manager Ed Martin, on behalf of their entire First Vehicle Services team, at the 27th Annual Houston Business Roundtable Safety Excellence Awards dinner. Snowden commented, “We are very pleased to receive this award, as it illustrates the core value of First Vehicle Services – If you can’t do it safely, don’t do it.”
The process through which contractors are selected for the Houston Business Roundtable Safety Excellence Award takes six months to complete. The process begins with a request for nominations. This award is unique in that contractors must be nominated by their clients, the users of their services. There are no self-nominations. First Vehicle Services was nominated by Exxon/Mobil Fleet Maintenance in Baytown, Texas.
Once nominated, the contractor must then submit all safety documentation and data to be evaluated for number of fatalities; total recordable injuries and illnesses; lost workday cases; safety policies and procedures; year-to-year improvement in statistics; and, documented best practices. Each nominee must also undergo a rigorous audit process. The audit consists of a review of site safety programs, with specific emphasis on employee interviews. More than 100 specific safety items are evaluated and rated for each nominee.
Once audits are completed, select contractors are then identified as recipients of bronze, silver or gold level of recognition, but only one “Best in Category” is awarded. First Vehicle Services received a “Best in Category” for a medium-sized specialty contractor in hard crafts.
About First Vehicle Services
Safety is the core of how First Vehicle Services operates as a leading provider of contract fleet maintenance and management services. A division of Cincinnati, Ohio-based FirstGroup America, First Vehicle Services maintains more than 38,500 vehicles and pieces of equipment across North America for government agencies, municipal organizations and private companies. For more than 25 years, First Transit has worked toward the company vision “to provide solutions for an increasingly congested world, keeping people moving and communities prospering.” Parent corporation FirstGroup plc, is traded on FTSE as “FGP”. For more information, visit www.firstvehicleservices.com.
About the Houston Business Roundtable Safety Excellence Awards
Since 1988, the Houston Business Roundtable has been recognizing Greater Houston Area industrial contractors for their outstanding safety performance. This award process, over the years, has brought many of the owner companies in the Gulf Coast together with their contractors in a cooperative effort to improve on-site safety, eliminate accidents and – most importantly – reduce injuries to employees. For additional information about the Houston Business Roundtable, visit http://www.houbrt.com .
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Disappearing Christians in the Middle East
Middle East Quarterly
http://www.danielpipes.org/1050/disappearing-christians-in-the-middle-east
[For the table of contents of this special issue of the Middle East Quarterly, please click on the link in the first paragraph below.]
The Middle East Quarterly begins its eighth year with its first issue devoted to a single topic—that of disappearing Christians in the Middle East.
The transfer of power of Bethlehem from Israel to the Palestinian Authority just before Christmas 1995 inspired a spate of articles[1] on Bethlehem's diminishing Christian presence. They noted that a place not long ago 80 percent Christian is now but one-third Christian. For the first time in nearly two millennia, the most identifiably Christian town on earth has lost its Christian majority. The same changes have taken place in two other famously Christian towns, Nazareth and Jerusalem. In Nazareth, Christians went from 60 percent of the population in 1946 to 40 percent in 1983. Jerusalem Christians in 1922 slightly outnumbered Muslims (15,000 versus 13,000);[2] today, they number under 2 percent of the city's population.
The same applies in other parts of Israel. A report from the Galilee village of Turan quotes a Christian store owner: "Most Christians will leave as soon as we can sell our houses and shops. We can't live among these people [Muslims] anymore."[3] One journalist concludes that "The Christian community in the West Bank is close to extinction."[4]
Nor are Israeli-held territories unusual in this regard; Christians are fleeing from all over the Middle East. Emigration began in the aftermath of World War I and has greatly picked up in the last decade. In Turkey, Christians constituted a population of 2 million in 1920 but now only some thousands remain. So severe is the problem that the Orthodox Patriarchate in Istanbul is in danger of collapsing for lack of large enough pool of candidates. Christians earlier in this century represented about one-third of the Syrian population; now they account for less than 10 percent. In 1932, they composed 55 percent of the Lebanese population, now less than 30 percent. More than half the Christians of Iraq have left. Copts began leaving Egypt in significant numbers after the 1952 revolution.
The Christian population decline has two main causes: emigration and declining birth rates.
Emigration represents the end of a long process of exclusion and persecution. On the West Bank, a nearly-permanent Muslim boycott of Christian businesses is the problem. In Egypt, fundamentalist Muslims constantly target Christians. The Lebanese civil war of 1975-90, when reduced to its essentials, represented a successful effort by Muslims to reduce Christian power in the country. But by far the worst situation is in the Sudan, where the civil war that has been raging most of the time since 1956 has led to wholesale atrocities.
Declining birth rates can also be seen throughout the region. In Israel, for example, live births per thousand among Muslims comes to 37; among Christians, a mere 22 per thousand.[5] In addition, the small number of Christians leads some to marry Muslims, which effectively means they are lost to their community.
At the present rate, the Middle East's 12 million Christians will likely drop to 6 million in the year 2020. With time, Christians will effectively disappear from the region as a cultural and political force. As one report puts it, "there are more Palestinians living in Bayt Jala in Chile than in Bayt Jala [on the West Bank] itself."[6] Along similar lines, Prince El-Hassan bin Talal notes in this issue that "there are today more Christians from Jerusalem … living in Sydney, Australia, than in Jerusalem itself."
For many years, the plight of Middle East Christians attracted little attention in the outside world. The earlier protectors of their interests—the British, French, Russian, and Greek governments, as well as the Vatican—turned away from the current problems.
Recently, however, American organizations have taken up the cause of persecuted Christians around the world, primarily in the Muslim world and in Communist countries. The signs are all around. The Senate has conducted hearings on this topic[7] and the State Department in 1999 began releasing a survey on religious persecution world-wide, the Annual Report on International Religious Freedom. A prominent politician has proposed that New York City not purchase goods from corporations doing significant business in countries where Christians are persecuted.[8] A host of organizations[9] and individuals[10] have made this topic their concern.
This is all to the good, for bringing American and international attention to this unhappy situation could be a significant step toward making improvements. None of these groups, however, are specialists in the Middle East or Islam. To help inform them and others, the Middle East Quarterly devotes special attention to the matter of the Middle East's disappearing Christians.
[1] For example: André Aciman, "In the Muslim City of Bethlehem," The New York Times Magazine, Dec. 24, 1995 and, Sue Fishkoff, "A Prayer in Bethlehem," The Jerusalem Post International Edition, Dec. 30, 1997.
[2] Anglo-American Committee of Inquiry, A Survey of Palestine (reprinted, Washington: Institute for Palestine Studies, 1991), vol. 1, p. 148.
[3] The Jerusalem Report, July 10, 1997.
[4] David Rosenberg, "The Christian Exodus," The Jerusalem Report, Nov. 15, 1990.
[5] The Jerusalem Report, Dec. 26, 1991; Abraham Ashkenasi, Palestinian Identities and Preferences: Israel's and Jerusalem's Arabs (New York: Praeger, 1992), p. 46.
[6] Ha'aretz, Aug. 12, 1994.
[7] For extracts from the Department of State testimony given by Steven Coffey, see Middle East Quarterly, Sept. 1997, pp. 77-80.
[8] The New York Times, June 15, 1997
[9] Foremost among them Christian Solidarity International, the Coalition for the Defense of Human Rights under Islamization, Freedom House, the International Fellowship of Christians and Jews, the Peubla Institute of Freedom House, and the Rutherford Institute.
[10] Foremost among them Sam Brownback, Michael Horowitz, A. M. Rosenthal, Arlen Specter, Frank Wolf, and Bat Ye'or.
Dec. 17, 2006 update: According to an article in London's Daily Mail, "O, Muslim town of Bethlehem...," the town where Jesus was born has seen the proportion of its Christian population dwindle "from more than 85 per cent in 1948 to 12 per cent of its 60,000 inhabitants in 2006. There are reports of religious persecution, in the form of murders, beatings and land grabs."
Dec. 22, 2006 update: In an article, "'All my staff at the church have been killed - they disappeared'," the Times of London publishes a graphic drawing on the information from this website:
The collapse in Christian populations in the Middle East, sourced to DanielPipes.org.
Mar. 31, 2007 update: The same story continues in Lebanon:
In a poll to be published next month which was exclusively leaked to The Sunday Telegraph, nearly half of all Maronites, the largest Christian denomination in the country, said they were considering emigrating. Of these, more than 100,000 have submitted visa applications to foreign embassies. Their exodus could have a devastating effect on the country, robbing it of an influential minority which has acted as an important counter-balance to the forces of Islamic extremism. About 60,000 Christians have already left since last summer's war between Israel and Hezbollah.
Dec. 4, 2007 update: In an interview with the Jerusalem Post, Justus Reid Weiner of the Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs expresses great pessimism about the future for Christians living in the Palestinian Authority. He predicts that there will be no more Christian communities living in the Palestinians territories within 15 years unless something is done quickly. "Christian leaders are being forced to abandon their followers to the forces of radical Islam."
May 11, 2009 update: In Gaza, Tim McGirk of Time magazine reports, "those Christians who can wrangle a way of leaving, do. The ancient seafront city once had a thriving Christian community, but now it is down to 2,500 souls. They emigrate to Australia, the United States, Lebanon, anywhere they have relatives who can help them get started on a new life." As for the whole of what had been the British Mandate in 1948, "Christians made up more than 20% of the population. Today, the figure has fallen to 2.5% in Israel and the Palestinian territories."
Apr. 4, 2012 update: "The Christian Era in the Middle East is Over" writes Giulio Meotti: "Ramallah was 90% Christian before the 1948 War of Independence and Bethlehem was 80% Christian. Today Ramallah is a large Islamic city and Bethlehem's Christians are near extinction. Arab Christianit joined evil forces to buy temporary security." Much of interest.
Dec. 23, 2012 update: A new book, Christianophobia by Rupert Shortt, religion editor of the Times Literary Supplement, argues that Christianity is "close to extinction" in the region of its origin due to growing persecution, mainly by Islamists. A report in the Sunday Telegraph (London) tells something about Shortt's work:
The most common threat to Christians abroad is militant Islam, it says, claiming that oppression in Muslim countries is often ignored because of a fear that criticism will be seen as "racism". It warns that converts from Islam face being killed in Saudi Arabia, Mauritania and Iran and risk severe legal penalties in other countries across the Middle East. … The "lion's share" of persecution faced by Christians arises in countries where Islam is the dominant faith, the report says, quoting estimates that between a half and two-thirds of Christians in the Middle East have left the region or been killed in the past century. "There is now a serious risk that Christianity will disappear from its biblical heartlands," it claims.
Related Topics: Anti-Christianism, Middle East patterns
Christians Disappearing From Iraq
Iraqi Christians Emigrate
Valentine's Day in Mecca
Christianity in the M|iddle East [44 words] Janice Mermikli Jun 29, 2014 17:32 215655
10 98% is the magic number [221 words] A guest Dec 27, 2012 02:43 201959
7 And now the vanishing Copts of Egypt [303 words] dhimmi no more Dec 25, 2012 17:45 201890
9 Just a few comments [179 words] Alexandros Dec 24, 2012 14:40 201839
1 A reply to Alexandros [570 words] Kepha Hor Dec 24, 2012 19:59 201839
1 Dear Mr. Alexanadros [243 words] Debanjan Banerjee Dec 31, 2012 10:19 201839
2 Welcome back Debanjan Banerjee [189 words] Prashant Jan 1, 2013 05:49 201839
1 Dear Mr. Prashant [458 words] Debanjan Banerjee Jan 3, 2013 10:00 201839
1 Happy New Year! [626 words] Alexandros Jan 4, 2013 15:53 201839
1 Our dear Deb and his madrassa [216 words] dhimmi no more Jan 5, 2013 08:40 201839
3 Morsi and the leopard! [330 words] dhimmi no more Jan 5, 2013 09:46 201839
1 our dear Deb is saying that Iran is a democarcy! Sobhanallah! [259 words] dhimmi no more Jan 5, 2013 09:57 201839
1 Charity starts at home [160 words] dhimmi no more Jan 5, 2013 10:04 201839
1 Hi Prashant [329 words] AAA Jan 5, 2013 22:45 201839
1 Islamic delusions [56 words] dhimmi no more Jan 6, 2013 17:06 201839
1 Dhimmi needs a reality check [108 words] Ali Baba Jan 30, 2013 02:13 201839
3 Justifying the absurd and in this case the murder of 90M Hindus by the Muslim invaders of India [387 words] dhimmi no more Jan 30, 2013 19:26 201839
2 Guiding the perplexed and lost tablighees [1014 words] dhimmi no more Jan 31, 2013 13:57 201839
1 the Christian exodus will cause more and more Muslim extremists [168 words] Baskinta Apr 30, 2012 07:16 195334
BRILLIANT [18 words] FREDA FLOOD Mar 13, 2010 20:23 170087
1 Ironic isn't it? [49 words] uha1 May 12, 2009 23:25 155322
3 Christians never won when they carried the sword [118 words] baskinta Apr 30, 2012 07:31 155322
how sad [139 words] gajab Oct 28, 2007 21:08 112537
3 Consequences.. [164 words] donvan Jul 17, 2007 09:39 103850
1 Deja vue all over again [100 words] yuval brandstetter MD Jul 5, 2007 12:26 103034
5 Disappearing Christians [127 words] gary fouse Jul 7, 2007 15:18 103034
You're right yuval brandstetter [183 words] Warren Sep 18, 2008 07:23 103034
West bowing to Islam [125 words] Zeena Oct 24, 2011 10:21 103034
I am not surprised [71 words] italian Jan 14, 2006 18:20 31624
4 Disappearing Christians in the Middle East [378 words] mahendran Jacob Jul 17, 2007 18:50 31624
To Mahendran Jacob [192 words] Kepha Hor Dec 24, 2012 20:08 31624
Why does America's Educational & Legal "Elites" hate Christians? [191 words] Bruce Apr 4, 2014 19:19 31624
To Bruce [14 words] Kepha Hor Apr 8, 2014 17:22 31624
4 Disappearing Christians [203 words] Herb Burack Sep 10, 2004 11:37 16888
1 Why Americans are so obsessed against the Pope? [54 words] italian Jan 14, 2006 18:14 16888
Why are so many Christians disappearing in the Middle-East? [399 words] Lujack Skylark Aug 15, 2007 11:29 16888
4 Rise of the Beast (Daniel 7:19-20 & 7:24 & Revelation 17:12) [111 words] Lujack Skylark Aug 17, 2007 12:22 16888
3 Obssession with the Pope [119 words] Kepha Hor Dec 24, 2012 20:15 16888
1 Now For the Update [1241 words] Tom Oct 23, 2013 11:33 16888
2 The Pope represents some 1.2 Billion+ Roman Catholics [600 words] Lujack Skylark Oct 24, 2013 23:04 16888
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AMIRA ELADAWI
Amira is driven by her intellectual curiosity and is passionate about not just helping clients solve problems but creating transformational results that last.
She founded Global Perspectives following a long tenure with Booz & Company, inspired by the idea that a client needs more than just an answer to succeed in a rapidly changing business environment. They need a consultant who will look beyond accepted practices and methodologies, who will partner with her clients to deliver lasting expertise and organizational change.
Amira has worked across the globe, from North America to the Middle East, Africa, Asia and Europe for a wealth of clients including Ministers of Tourism, Heads of State, a First Lady, as well as Fortune 50 companies. She has extensive expertise in strategy and turnarounds for clients in the Tourism & Leisure sectors (hospitality; health & wellness; retail & entertainment), as well as the consumer goods sector (CPG). In the course of her experience, Amira has successfully served large corporations, SMEs, start-ups, and governments.
Amira is also an experienced operator, having served as Director of Corporate Development at Orascom Construction Industries and senior Finance Group Manager at Proctor & Gamble.
In addition to management, Amira is passionate about teaching. She regularly coaches an immersive business boot-camp on strategy and financial analysis.
Amira also founded a micro-finance NGO for single mothers in Egypt, and serves as an advocate and subject-mater expert for Demeter, an organization that supports entrepreneurs in developing countries.
Bi-lingual in Arabic & English, Amira holds a double-major BA in Economics and International Relations, magna cum laude, an MBA from Harvard Business School, and a Masters Certificate in Hospitality Management from Cornell.
JENNIFER FEENEY
Experiential Leadership Development
Jen has spent the last 18 years engaged in experiential leadership development. As a longtime sea captain, she spent many years entrenched in both the struggles and opportunities of leadership and performance under extreme pressure; leading her crews in challenging and occasionally life-threatening conditions aboard vessels at sea. Taking the lessons learned in some of the world’s most difficult environments, Jen works to transfer that learning into practical and clear programmatic elements that foster the development of authentic leaders.
Working across a broad range of industries including technology, biotech & pharmaceuticals, energy, consumer products and education, Jen specializes in designing unique programs that cut to the core of operational problems and roadblocks and help clients clarify and achieve their goals on both the personal and professional levels in very real, often raw and truly authentic ways. With Global Perspectives, Jen will focus on risk-management projects, taking leadership outside their comfort zone to deal with real-life risk to enable behavioral change.
Jen is also a licensed USCG captain, Wilderness First Responder, certified mindfulness trainer and yoga teacher. She is currently serving on the board of directors for Ocean Classroom.
Jen holds a BA from Hampshire College.
JOSEPHINE GARRETT
Corporate Finance & Operations
Jo is all about delivering tangible results to the bottom line! Her hands-on approach to management combined with 24 years of experience in corporate finance allow her to dig deep and drive financial excellence.
Jo began her career as an investment banker before focusing on M&A and strategic development. Building on her core expertise in M&A, due diligence, and transaction execution, Jo has held a number of C-level positions in media, entertainment, and merchandising companies in the U.S. and Europe. Most recently, she was the CEO of e-commerce merchandiser DFTBA.com, and prior to that was COO/CFO of Bandmerch, a licensing and merchandising company servicing the music industry.
Jo has extensive experience working with private equity companies and investors, as well as developing business plans and complex financial models for both start-ups and established enterprises.
Jo is a dual citizen of the U.S. and the U.K., and is conversational in both French and Tagalog. She holds a Bachelor’s degree from Harvard College as well as an MBA from Harvard Business School.
JUAN BOSC
Hospitality Sales & Marketing
Juan has over 15 years experience in operations, sales and marketing in hospitality with a focus on the Food & Beverage Industry. He has worked at such notable venues as Paul Bocuse's Brasserie de L’Est in Lyons, Beau-Rivage Palace in Geneva, as well as the Four Seasons Hotel des Bergues in Geneva, and organized promotional events for Diageo and Bacardi.
Juan founded ZeGo, a Food & Beverage consulting practice and has served a wide variety of clients, including international off-trade companies like Bacardi, Selfridges' pop-up restaurant with Chef Pierre Koffmann in London and Casina Valadier, an historical luxury restaurant and venue in Rome.
Fluent in five languages (Spanish, Italian, French, Portuguese and English), Juan holds a DEC from College Ahuntsic in Montreal, Canada.
KARIM RAGAB
Karim is driven by his professional purpose to help “build blocks for economic growth” through is own investing, consulting and business coaching activities. He believes that prosperity in emerging markets can only be achieved with a foundation of strong and professionally run private enterprises.
Karim is an Entrepreneur and founder of three companies currently operating in the Middle East (Tabibi, Kompass Education, and Catalyst). He is also a Business Coach and the representative of Gazelle International Coaches in Egypt.
Prior to that, Karim's 18 year work experience includes working in Private Equity (Citadel Capital), Management Consulting (Booz Allen Hamilton), as well as consumer goods (Procter & Gamble).
A dual citizen of both Germany and Egyptian, Karim is fluent in English, German, and Arabic and can operate in French. Karim holds a BSc. in Mechanical Engineering from the American University in Cairo, and an MBA from INSEAD.
LIVIA BERNARDINI
International Marketing & Digital Innovation
London, UK / Rome, Italy
Livia is passionate about articulating visions and converting them into achievable roadmaps. As an international marketing communications expert who founded the firm GetOut, Livia repeatedly demonstrates strong leadership and charisma and a proven ability to influence others at all levels of an organization. She advises a number of brands seeking to attract international consumers or international expansion.
She has gained industry recognition in her work with challenging blue chip brands from the banking to retail sector in multiple countries, including a Clio Award, an IMA Award and a number of LIA Awards. Her clients include Barclays Global Investments, Barclaycard, Harvey Nichols, Fiat Group Auto, Ferrari, NetJets, L’Oreal, Philips, Johnson & Johnson, De Beers, Louis Vuitton and others. She led her own startup in the eCommerce/collaborative consumption and social enterprise space.
Bi-lingual in Italian and English, Livia has a BS in Communication from Perugia University, Italy and an MA in Marketing Communication and Media from Monash University in Australia.
MARK GARRETT
Mark is a CPA with a broad range of experience in the areas of technical accounting and finance.
He is one of the few experts in the field with extensive knowledge of, and experience with, the new revenue recognition requirements that were jointly issued by the FASB and IASB. He advises companies on the complex requirements of revenue accounting and provides guidance on structuring transactions to avoid negative financial implications.
His background includes serving as vice president within American Express’s Global Accounting Policy & Advisory Group, and as owner of an independent consulting firm in London where he filled a variety of interim management roles. Previously, he worked in transactional advisory services at PriceWaterhouseCoopers in Europe and the U.S., and also worked at KPMG. Mark has expertise in both U.S. GAAP and IFRS.
Mark holds a BA and Masters of Accountancy from Samford University.
NELSON GAYTON
Miami, FL / Los Angeles, CA
Nelson is a prominent specialist in digital media, innovation and entrepreneurship with an emphasis on the media, entertainment and sports industries. He is a Harvard-published author and is cited in numerous business media, including CNN, NPR, Knowledge@Wharton, and Forbes, amongst others.
Nelson is the Executive Director of the Entertainment & Media Management Institute and has served as adjunct faculty and Founder/Managing Director of digital-media think tanks at the Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania, UCLA Anderson Graduate School of Management, and Founder/Director and faculty member of USA module for the Berlin School of Creative Leadership in Los Angeles and Silicon Valley. Nelson was also recently named a global digital media thought leader by CLSA Ltd, Asia's leading and longest running independent brokerage and investment group.
Today, Nelson teaches numerous executive education and leadership programs, specializing in design thinking and agile management. He serves as a Senior Advisor to angel and venture-capital investors in more than US$150m of venture-backed, digital media and entertainment enterprises. Nelson has also served as Managing Partner of Crayon Venture Partners and as Special Assistant to the CEO of Sony Pictures Entertainment. Prior to this, he has enjoyed a successful career as Founder and EVP of Microtime Media and PolyMedia Communications and before then, as Latin American merchant banker with the Hong Kong Shanghai Corporation.
Bi-lingual in Spanish & English, Nelson holds an MBA from Harvard Business School, an MFA in digital media and film & television from UCLA, and a BSM from Tulane University.
Dr. PAUL KIRKITELOS
Entrepreneurship & Business Development
Paul is inspired by helping others to help themselves, believing that a collaborative approach to leadership empowers others to face challenges and emerge victorious.
Paul brings a wealth of experience to tackling client problems. He served as the Chairman & CEO of Doral Energy, the COO of Nutragenetics where he worked alongside a Nobel Prize winner in Medicine, as well as the Founder & COO of Rabbitt Capital Management. Additionally, Paul is a former management consultant with McKinsey & Company, where he advised large corporations on strategic and financial considerations.
Off the job, Paul is an instructor/coach for Fullbridge Program's "Mini-MBA Bootcamps" in various locations in the United States, Europe & the Middle East. He also pursues his passion as a yoga instructor and triathlete.
Paul holds a B.S. in Electrical Engineering & Physics from the Worcester Polytechnic Institute, as well as an M.SC. & Ph.D. in Astrophysics & Nonlinear Dynamics from the University of Virginia.
SESHA GADEY
Sesha is passionate about using a combination of rigorous analytics and creative thinking to solve seemingly intractable problems and transform customer experiences.
Sesha was previously a Case Team Lead at L.E.K. Consulting, where she led teams in strategy formulation and commercial due diligences across a range of industries including retail, hospitality, consumer goods (CPG), industrials, health care services and pharmaceuticals. Her engagements covered commercialization, market entry, customer & competitor research and analysis, sales & marketing strategy, customer segmentation, and brand positioning. Prior to her tenure at L.E.K., Sesha was a management consultant at the Courtyard Group in New York, where she helped clients create sustainable improvements through change management and information system strategic planning.
Sesha holds a BA in Anthropology from Case Western Reserve University, an MPA in health policy and management from New York University, and an MBA from the MIT Sloan School of Management.
DREW TURLEY
Summer Associate
Drew is inspired by complex problems involving people and thrives on tackling multi-facet issues and seeks innovative, out-of-the-box solutions. He hopes that by confronting customer service, organizational, recruitment and strategy challenges, he can help to increase efficiency, add value, and make the workspace enjoyable for both clients and employees.
His international background in the restaurant and entertainment industries has helped him develop exceptional customer service, communication and training skills. Committed to finding solutions for the projects he takes on, Drew is a dedicated and passionate professional who enjoys working across cultural boundaries with other enthusiastic professionals.
Drew is a student at Colorado College.
ProFun Management Group
Park Management & Customer Experience
www.profungroup.com
ProFun Management Group brings more than 250 years of shared experience to the management and operation of theme parks, entertainment centers, visitor centers, attractions and other leisure-time projects worldwide. They approach every project with fresh thinking rooted in years of experience but are not beholden to rigid doctrines or restrictive standards. They are one of the few global operators of entertainment attractions not dominated by a singular brand, yet at the same time have proven their devotion to building compelling brand experiences – from Warner Bros. to Volkswagen.
Their entrepreneurial spirit is compatible to Global Perspectives. They act fast, adapt quickly and capitalize on opportunities in the marketplace. They follow trends and study every last detail of ongoing operations to find improvements and mitigate problems.
Fessel International
Food & Beverage Experts
www.fessel.com
Fessel International provides expert counsel to the restaurant industry and the companies and individuals for whom excellent Food Service is a critical element of their success. They service a wide variety of restaurant venues, from urban developments to casinos, universities and fine dining. They focus completely on the Food and Beverage aspects of each project, from feasibility and conception, through systems and design development, to project implementation and staff training.
Conceptual Design Group
www.condzngrp.com
Conceptual Design Group is an association of inter-disciplinary Architects and Industrial Designers who come together to create unique architectural environments that entertain, stimulate, and inspire the public. CDG specializes in design and planning for the Entertainment industry (including Theme Parks, Water Parks and Family Entertainment Centers), as well as the Hospitality industry (including Resort Hotels, Restaurants, Clubs and Casinos).
CDG has received three PCBC Gold Nugget awards for excellence in design.
Global Perspectives, PO Box 7263, Santa Monica, CA 90406, United States+1 (424) 333-0590info@g-perspectives.com
Copyright 2015 Global Perspectives
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Another Total Fabrication by the Global Warmers
Started by loganinkosovo , Jul 28 2013 12:13 PM
#1 loganinkosovo
Location:Afghanistan
http://www.climatece...bad-is-it-16294
The Lake at the North Pole, How Bad Is It?
The pictures are dramatic — a camera at the North Pole Environmental Observatory, sitting in the middle of what appears to be either a lake or open ocean, at the height of the summer sea ice melt season. Set against the backdrop of the precipitous decline in sea ice cover in recent decades due in large part to global warming, this would seem to be yet another alarming sign of Arctic climate change.
Image from one of the North Pole Environmental Observatory webcams, taken on Thursday, July 25.
Credit: NSF's North Pole Environmental Observatory.
These images have attracted media attention, such as this AtlanticWire post and this Daily Mail story, both of which portray the images as potential signs of an intensifying Arctic meltdown.
But before concluding that Arctic climate change has entered an even more ominous phase, it’s important to examine the context behind these images.
First, the cameras in question, which are attached to instruments that scientists have deposited on the sea ice at the start of each spring since 2002, may have “North Pole” in their name, but they are no longer located at the North Pole. In fact, as this map below shows, they have drifted well south of the North Pole, since they sit atop sea ice floes that move along with ocean currents. Currently, the waterlogged camera is near the prime meridian, at 85 degrees north latitude.
Annotated map showing the location of the North Pole and the location of the buoys with the webcams.
“It’s moved away from the North Pole region and it will eventually exit Fram Strait,” said Mark Serreze, the director of the National Snow and Ice Data Center (NSIDC) in Boulder, Colo., in an interview. Fram Strait lies between Greenland and Norway, and is one of the main routes for sea ice to get flushed out of the Arctic Ocean.
The second thing to keep in mind is that melting sea ice at or near the North Pole is actually not a rare event. Observations from the webcams dating back to 2002, and from satellite imagery and nuclear-powered submarines that have explored the ice cover since the Cold War era dating back several decades, show that sea ice around the North Pole has formed melt ponds, and even areas of open water, several times in the past.
The webcam depicting what seems like open water is most likely “just sitting in a big melt pond” that has formed on top of the sea ice cover, Serreze said. This melt pond started forming around July 10, and is likely close to its peak depth and extent. The occurrence of a melt pond at or near the North Pole is “just not that unusual,” Serreze said, and is even less rare at a more southern location such as where the camera is now.
“The whole Arctic sea ice cover does show melt during summer even at the North Pole,” he said, speaking of a typical melt season.
Serreze said it’s usually possible to walk through these melt ponds with hip boot waders on, as opposed to having to swim, since there is ice underneath the meltwater.
Video of images taken by the North Pole Environmental Observatory webcam during the 2013 melt season. (The pond starts to appear at 1:25.)
James Overland, a researcher at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, told Climate Central in an email that the melt pond does seem unusually large compared to what is typically observed in a melt season, though. “We have extensive melt ponds every year, but I do not remember such an extensive lake in previous years. The lake is more a product of how the ice was configured earlier in the year,” he said.
Walt Meier, a research scientist at the NSIDC, said the lake's apparently large size may be the result of snowfall totals this winter and other factors. "The pool seems rather larger than normal, but that could likely be simply due to factors other than the temperature: how much snow fell on the area over the winter (more winter snow = more melted snow), the topography of the ice (little hills and valleys in the ice causing the water to pool in certain regions), etc.," Meier said in an email.
Arctic sea ice cover has been rapidly shrinking and thinning since the start of satellite observations in 1979. Last year, sea ice extent and volume plunged to a record low. When the melt season finally ended in late September, the Arctic Ocean managed to hold onto less than half of the average sea ice extent seen during the 1979-to-2000 period.
The past six years have had the six smallest sea ice extents since 1979, indicating that the ice has not recovered from the previous record low in 2007. Researchers attribute this to the loss of thicker multiyear ice, which has been replaced by thinner ice that forms in the fall and melts in the spring and summer.
Serreze said the thinness of the ice cover has made it much more susceptible to weather patterns that promote ice transport and melting. So far this summer, sea ice extent has tracked above that of 2012, with a slow rate of ice melt in June followed by much more rapid melting during the first three weeks of July after weather patterns became more favorable for melting, Serreze said.
“I would be extremely surprised if we were not” well below average come September, Serreze said, but the prospect of setting another record low “depends on the vagaries of the weather, and we just can’t predict that.”
The only difference between Socialism and National Socialism is the snappy uniforms. - Logan "Aside from ending Slavery, Fascism and Communist World Domination, War has never solved anything! ""For it's Tommy this, an' Tommy that, an' "Chuck him out, the brute! But it's "Savior of 'is country" when the guns begin to shoot." - Rudyard Kipling "People sleep peaceably in their beds at night only because rough men stand ready to do violence on their behalf."---George Orwell "Always Remember-All Lessons in Life are Expensive.....and the last one costs you everything you have." - Logan" Socialism is just Communism without a Dictator....and you can always find a Dictator!" - Logan "An Armed Man is a Citizen. An Unarmed Man is a Subject. Subject to anything anyone wants to do to him." - Logan "Without the Second Amendment there is no First Amendment...or Third or Fourth or Fifth....or 6th, 7th, 8th, 9th, 10th, 11th, 12th, 13th, 14th, 15th, 16th, 17th, 18th, 19th, 20th, 21st, 22nd, 23rd, 24th, 25th, 26th or 27th!" - Logan Peace is not the Absence of War. Peace is the Absence of the Opportunity for War. True Peace comes through Superior Firepower. - Logan
I guess you could call the Arctic Sea a lake. You'd be an Idiot, but that has never stopped them before.
http://www.climatede...-s-in-one-week/
1,122 Record Cold Temps in the U.S. in one week
July in the USA ends on a frigid note as record cold outpaces warmth nearly 10 to 1
71% Of The US Below Normal Temperature in 2013
South America in massive deep freeze
http://www.climatede...than-half-that/
North Pole Sees Unprecedented July Cold – Arctic Sees Shortest Summer On Record — ‘Normally the high Arctic has about 90 days above freezing. This year there was less than half that’
#4 canuck
Senior Villager
I was in southern Brazil last week. Spent a week freezing my you-know-what's off.
And it is supposed to be mid summer!
We serioously need more of that global warming we have been promised.
PS: Love the quotes!
#5 ohreally?
Everyone should know that when it's summer in the northern hemisphere it's winter in the southern hemisphere, but it seems some people don't know that. But that's besides the point. If you had taken just a moment to look up the climate of Brazil you'd soon learn that that country has five different climate regions. Did you know that? You said you where in the south and knowing what I know now because I looked up the climates of Brazil and you did not, tells me that the temperatures you experienced were normal or near normal for that area of the country during Brazil's winter season.
P.S. As climate change skeptics conclude with great misunderstanding global warming doesn't mean the global temperature all over rise uniformly to a toasty warmth.
#6 no1plumbrr
no1plumbrr
Would let the taxpayers foot the bill to go to a GV convention
Location:Fayetteville, nc
Interests:DENISE
ghosts, aliens, and anything crazy.
FEARS: clowns and now BEP, thanks guys you rock ! ;)
Yeah, the planet is tilted, and wobbles, which causes the seasons.
In love with an awesome woman
SHALOM my friends !
Much as it horrifies me to admit it, it seems that you are right about Brazil.
I travel a lot and frequently end up in places that I can't even find on a map. So where is Brazil anyway?
So assuming you are right and it is winter there, I wonder why were all the locals complaining that they had never experienced it so cold? Also, some of them said that they had seen snow last week, for the first time in their lives.
Anyway, the next time I am there I will ask them about that. In the meantime, I have add buying an atlas to my list of things to do.
Thank you for dispelling my ignorance.
I am surprised and at a loss for words.
As for the cold and snow the weather does odd things. If this is just one odd occurrence it means nothing, but if it becomes the norm then it can be attributed to climate change.
http://www.cnsnews.c...h-cooling-trend
What Global Warming? 2012 Data Confirms Earth In Cooling Trend
AP has to retract "Unusually Warm Period" Claim!
What Global Warming? 2012 Data Confirms Earth In Cooling Trend - See more at: http://www.cnsnews.c...h.nKO0HucJ.dpuf
#10 loganinkosovo
http://freebeacon.co...e-change-rally/
OFA Gets Zero Attendance for Climate Change Rally
Not a single person showed up at the Georgetown waterfront Tuesday for a climate change agenda event put on by Organizing for Action, the shadowy nonprofit advocacy group born out of President Obama’s 2012 campaign, the NRCC wrote in its blog.
The event page for the “Climate Change Day of Action Rally” disappeared after rainy weather appeared to drive away whatever people planned to attend. The embarrassing showing follows the news that only one volunteer stayed for an OFA Obamacare event in Centreville, Va., last week to work the phones:
The people who think the seas will rise and drown us all never watched Mr. Wizard.........
#12 ohreally?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iKiq5EwkzDg
Loved Mr. Wizard when I was growing up but I see you only learned half of the story. While this demonstration is correct your conclusion derived from this demonstration is incorrect. You have not considered the water still frozen on land. When that flows into the ocean it will raise sea levels worldwide [which have risen]. You can do a demo of this yourself. Do what Mr. wizard just did but this time continue to add water to the glass of ice and water. The glass of water represents all of the frozen water on land and it melting into the ocean. What do you think will happen?
"What do you think will happen?"
I don't know........Spring?
I'm not going to get into an argument with you about a phony Government and "Scientist" Graft scheme based on the rings of one tree in Siberia that can't even be peer reviewed because the Crooks at East Anglia University burned all the "evidence" (If there was any to begin with), and has a Messiah with a carbon footprint even bigger than his BAD_WORD.
It's a crock of crap floating in a sea of feces and it always has been.
http://www.climatede...m-of-researche/
Warmists Now ‘Blame the Volcanoes’ Global-Warming ‘Pause’: ‘Since 2000, volcanic aerosols increased their heat-blocking ability by between 4% and 7%, according to the study from a team of researchers at NASA & NOAA’
http://www.climatede...ince-the-1960s/
Flashback 2008 Study: ‘Lack of observed [volcanic] dust in atmosphere could be responsible for as much as .18 to .36 degrees F rise (about 1/3rd) in avg. temp since the 1960s’
http://wattsupwithth...holic-families/
Al Gore compares climate skeptics to anti abolitionists, racists, homophobes, and alcoholic families
Wait a minute.....I though Greenhouse gasses were BAD!
So using Warmer "Logic" we should be dying of heat prostration right about now.....
You mean the global cooling that happened after Krakatoa actually happened? And there were no SUVs to stop it from happening? Oh, the Humanity!
Things you won't see on CNN
since they are too busy reporting fraudulent "Global Warming" stories....
http://www.bbc.co.uk...merica-23916217
Peru snow state of emergency extended to more regions
South American countries gripped by snow
Chile cold snap kills two as homeless deaths rise to 16
Antarctic cold snap kills nine in Argentina
A spell of extreme cold weather has brought ice and snow to much of Argentina, killing at least nine.
Back to Skeptics
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Haier America Opens Technology and Design Center of Excellence
WAYNE, N.J. — Haier America announced the opening of a Technology and Design Center of Excellence in Evansville, Indiana, which will create 50 high-wage technology jobs and bolster the local economy.
The 30,000-square-foot research and development center, located at 900 W. Pennsylvania, is anticipated by city officials to realize $10 million in economic impact each year. The Center will support Haier's expansion in the United States, bringing new, advanced products to U.S. consumers and positioning the global leader in home appliances and consumer electronics at the forefront of American design and manufacturing.
"With the wealth of talent in the area and the way in which the local and regional communities have embraced us, Evansville is the perfect location to launch this Haier facility in the United States," said Adrian Micu, president and CEO of Haier America. "The opening of the Haier Center aligns with our strategy to design and manufacture consumer-centric, whole-home platform solutions that fit the lives and meet the needs of American consumers. Haier is closer and more committed to U.S. markets than ever before."
Haier America plans to invest more than $2.8 million renovating the façade and interiors of the former Coca-Cola bottling plant and distribution center in Evansville.
When complete, Haier's Technology and Design Center will house its engineering offices, performance and reliability laboratories, a consumer experience showroom and model shop with rapid prototype capabilities. With its focus on design and innovation, the Haier Center will support expansion into new product categories, such as cooking appliances, and introduce advanced technology across product lines.
For additional information, visit www.haier.com.
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Communities Media
Media Township
In the summer of 1887, a farmer, Nathan Wever, platted a market town on his land. Later that year an elaborate ceremony took place that gave the community its name. The two halves of the Santa Fe Railroad, one from Kansas City, the other from Chicago, were linked together at the highest point (some 675 feet above sea level) between the Mississippi River and Lake Michigan. The new town was called Media, or halfway point, instead of Wever.
In the 1890`s oil was discovered nearby, and it was predicted that Media would soon become a metropolis with paved streets and factories. It never happened. Media did become an optimistic forward-looking town and the sponsor of the earliest efforts at higher education in the county, Wever Academy. Media also is the home of Francis Davidson, the inventor of the Monarch tractor engine.
Santa Fe Railroad Trestle, drive a mile east on the county blacktop (Smithshire Road) to view the historic trestle bridge. Santa Fe Railroad Trestle, erected in 1882 on the Santa Fe mainline, this is a unique structure for the Midwest. With a span of 1,000 ft. plus and 6 stories high, it testifies to the steel girder construction skills of that era. The U.S. Army provided top security for the trestle during WWII. This mainline remains in full service today.
Walnut Grove Cemetary, drive a couple of miles west to visit the stone memorial.
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Film Review: Wes Anderson’s ‘Isle of Dogs’ is Inventive Delight
akira takayama
kunichi nomura
Spike Walters
CHICAGO – Fans of director Wes Anderson will find plenty to love in his second stop motion animated feature (after “Fantastic Mr. Fox”), entitled “Isle Of Dogs.” It’s an immersive and intricately detailed story set in Japan, and features a dizzying array of visual gags, along with Anderson’s trademark whimsy.
Interview: Director MIke Mills on the Endgame in ‘Beginners’
Submitted by PatrickMcD on June 6, 2011 - 12:05pm
Goran Visnjic
Thumbsucker
CHICAGO – What would be the circumstance if after a mother dies, the father suddenly comes out as a gay? Writer/director Mike Mills had that situation occur, and created the new film “Beginners,” featuring Christopher Plummer and Ewan McGregor.
Considering Sore Subject Matter of ‘Chapter 27,’ ‘Why?’ is Only Plausible Reaction
Submitted by HollywoodChicago.com on April 21, 2008 - 10:07pm
Mark David Chapman
Mark Lindsay Chapman
CHICAGO – As a contemporary of the John Lennon assassination in 1980 and an ardent admirer of the late Beatle, I had a hard time figuring out the reasons for making the film “Chapter 27”.
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A Chat with Software Developer Victoria Fry: A Career in Tech is All in the Family
August 8, 2014 Tanya Adams Leave a comment
There is a shortage of women in tech. That’s a fact.
Could it be that schools don’t encourage young girls toward a career in computers or math? Could it be the media and its lack of females depicted in tech oriented careers?
Yes, it could be.
Offering more courses in schools, science and tech camps for girls, and profiling women in the profession can all bring more women into the field.
But there is a larger influence in any young woman’s life that could be the most important element in choosing a life in tech or any other profession. That influence is that of the young woman’s parents.
That influence is that of the young woman’s parents.
Software Developer and Integrator, Victoria Fry, credits her very supportive parents when asked how she came to choose a career in technology; especially her mother, Suzanne.
Fry is one of three siblings (all females) who have opted for careers in the sciences (One sister is a nurse; the other is in bio-medical research.) Fry chose technology.
At a young age, Fry had an aptitude for math. Her mother, who also works in tech, recognized her daughter’s ability.
“She saw that I enjoyed math and encouraged me,” Fry says.
With her mother’s encouragement, Fry continued to enjoy math throughout elementary and middle school. In high school, she was introduced to computer programming.
“In high school, we didn’t really have too many programming classes,” she says. “We had maybe one and it was kind of the same environment that you see now. There were one or two girls in that class and twenty guys.”
Despite being one of the few women in the class, Fry took that programming class and found her calling.
“I really enjoyed it,” she says. “I loved being challenged to figure things out. That class really got me interested in computer programming, so that’s what I pursued in college.”
In college, the trend of being one of very few women in her computer programming courses continued. But that didn’t faze Fry. However, she did find the interaction between the men and women in her college courses minimal.
“I joke with my husband, because we were in the same computer classes in college. I tell him, ‘you were one of the only men that talked to me in college.’” She laughs.
Throughout college Fry says her parents were there for support. Whenever she was stressed about a test or felt overwhelmed with her studies, her father would remind her to put it all in perspective.
“He’d say ‘relax it will be okay. The world will keep going,” she laughs.
She credits her parents with creating the balance in her life that allowed her to pursue technology and for giving her the confidence to know she would succeed.
Serving Those Who Serve
Today, as a Software Developer and Integrator for USAA, a financial services firm serving U.S. military members and their families, Fry works on the team responsible for USAA’s iPhone and iPad apps.
“I love working at USAA, because of the team atmosphere,” she says. “In mobile development we’re a close knit group.”
Fry works on the maintenance side of the application; correcting any issues that USAA members (clients) see in production. Her integrator title means that she also works with colleagues across USAA’s large organization. At any given time, she may work on other projects as well as the apps.
Fry finds creativity in the problem solving aspect of her work.
“Figuring out problems, implementing a solution, and creating your own solution. I definitely think there’s creativity in that.”
Fry began at USAA directly after graduating from college with a computer science degree. Her mother also works in IT with the organization.
Voted # 2 of COMPUTERWORLD’s ‘Best Places to Work in IT 2014,’ USAA’s campus boasts fitness centers, child care facilities, and Starbucks coffee shops. All great amenities for sure; however, for Fry providing services to military members and their families is most fulfilling.
“At USAA, the mission we are all striving for is serving those who serve,” she says proudly. “And the people who work here have such a wide range of technical knowledge and technical backgrounds. It’s interesting day in and day out working with these people.”
Since the birth of her own daughter, Fry says she has started mentoring through the Aspire community within her workplace. The group plans to mentor young people in the local schools in Texas next year and encourage young women who have an interest in technology.
“Now that I have a child of my own. I definitely see that drive to encourage others.”
Fry is grateful to her mother for recognizing her talents and encouraging her into the technology field.
“I asked her why she chose tech. Why did she go in this direction?” she says. “Her answer was simple. She said she wanted to make a better life for herself and her family. I really admire and respect her for that.”
Fry’s advice to other women who are contemplating a career in tech?
“It’s a male dominated field,” she says, “ but, I think if you have a passion for it, you’re more than capable of standing in a room with nothing but males and holding your own. Don’t be intimidated if you’re the only woman in the room. You’re smart. Go for it!”
Don’t be intimidated if you’re the only woman in the room. You’re smart. Go for it!
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Astroturfing (Global)
Revision as of 14:12, 20 May 2019 by Admin (talk | contribs)
Astroturfing 🌍
Location: Global
Definition: The attempt to create an impression of widespread grassroots support for a policy, individual, or product, where little such support exists
Keywords: Global – Grassroots – Public opinion
Clusters: Market – Functional ambivalence – Gaming the system – Camouflage – Creating facades
Author: Anna Bailey and Sergei Samoilenko
Affiliation: Alumna, School of Slavonic and East European Studies, University College London, UK and College of Humanities and Social Sciences, George Mason University, USA
Website: Anna Bailey's profile page at ResearchGate, Sergei Samoilenko's profile page at GMU
By Anna Bailey, Alumna, School of Slavonic and East European Studies, University College London, UK and Sergei Samoilenko, College of Humanities and Social Sciences, George Mason University, USA
‘Astroturfing’ refers to the practice of artificially creating the impression of widespread public support for a policy, cause, organisation, individual or product, where little or no support in fact exists. Such practices exist globally, but the term itself predominates in English-language political and media discourse, particularly in the USA and UK.
Etymologically, the term derives from AstroTurf, a brand of artificial turf which, when spelt in lower case, is commonly used to refer to artificial grass in general. The metaphorical adaption of the term is commonly attributed to US Senator Lloyd Bentsen, who in 1985 complained about the large volume of letters he received, ostensibly from members of the public, which he viewed as part of a hidden organised campaign by insurance companies to protect their interests. ‘A fellow from Texas can tell the difference between grassroots and astroturf,’ Bentsen stated (Sager 2009[1]). The concept of ‘astroturfing’ is thus intrinsically bound up with the concepts of ‘grassroots support’ and ‘grassroots activity’. ‘Grassroots activity’ refers to coordinated political or social activity spontaneously generated and organised from the ‘bottom up’ by ordinary citizens. The use of the term ‘grassroots’ in this sense can be traced back to the US Senator Albert Jeremiah Beverege, who in 1912 referred to the Progressive Party as the party that ‘has come from the grass roots. It has grown from the soil of people’s hard necessities’ (Samoilenko 2014: 189[2]). In the case of astroturfing, the connotation is that genuine grassroots support does not exist but has been artificially replicated, just as astroturf replicates real grass.
A typical pre-internet form of astroturfing was paid-for letter writing campaigns, such as that referred to by Bentsen when he coined the term. Such campaigns were used by corporate clients as a lobbying tool, with the aim of convincing political representatives that their cause enjoyed greater public support than was in fact the case (Lyon and Maxwell 2004: 563-4[3]). However, the growth of internet use, in particular social media and crowdsourcing platforms, has dramatically increased the range and scope of astroturfing behaviours. The cloak of anonymity makes the internet a highly effective platform for astroturfing, while the growing importance of online and crowdsourced information provides a powerful incentive for engaging in it.
The core type of deception involved in astroturfing is identity-based deceit – a false representation of the identity of the author or supporter. However, some forms of astroturfing also involve message-based deceit – the delivery of false or misleading information (Zhang, Carpenter and Myung 2013: 3[4]). The latter is the case, for example, in fake product reviews and other forms of disinformation. Astroturfing involving message-based deceit is often employed in a corporate context, for example to generate positive consumer reviews for one’s own product or service, or to generate negative reviews for that of a rival. One recent study found that nearly one in five reviews on the business review website Yelp were suspected of being fake (Luca and Zervas, forthcoming [5]). Some major companies use sophisticated persona management software to create entire astroturfing ‘armies’ of authentic-looking but nevertheless fake social media accounts, which can be deployed as and when needed (Bienkov 2012[6]).
Astroturfing has been the subject of increasing political and media attention in the twenty-first century, as the growth of internet and social media usage has led to these platforms being exploited by governments and their supporters as tools of information warfare. Some national governments are alleged to employ large armies of hidden paid agents to troll online discussion forums with pro-government views. For example, the Chinese state employs an army of paid online commentators (dubbed the ’fifty-cent army’ after the amount they are supposedly paid per post) to spread pro-regime propaganda on online forums (Han 2015[7]). State-sponsored trolling is by no means confined to ‘authoritarian’ regimes, but is also employed by Western democracies. For example, the United States Central Command (Centcom), which oversees US armed operations in the Middle East and Central Asia, has awarded contracts to companies to develop persona management software that will allow its military personnel to secretly propagate pro-American propaganda on social media sites via fake online personas (Fielding and Cobain 2011[8]).
Another form of astroturfing that has received increased attention in recent years is the phenomenon of ‘sock puppeting’. In its literal meaning, a sock puppet is a simple form of puppet made by wearing a sock on one’s hand. The gap between fingers and thumb give the impression of a mouth, and the addition of simple details like eyes make the sock resemble a face. In political and media discourse, a ‘sock puppet’ refers to an organisation that has the façade of independence, but whose existence is in fact dependant on often concealed funding from another source, thus compromising its independence. The term can also refer to an author who uses a fake persona, often online, to positively review or discuss their own work.
Sock puppets typically champion policies which do not enjoy significant public support, but which are favoured by a government ministry or bureaucratic department. The government can then justify the adoption of these policies by claiming that they are responding to external pressure from civil society. This is by no means a new phenomenon: the 1960s and 1970s saw the rise of single-issue health pressure groups in the UK – ostensibly independent but funded by the government – campaigning on such issues as smoking and alcohol (Berridge 2007: 164[9]). For example, the foundation of the anti-tobacco lobby group Action on Smoking and Health (ASH) in 1971 was actively encouraged by the Department of Health, which also provided the bulk of its funding in its first two decades. ASH provided a source of external pressure for policies the Department of Health itself favoured, and in practice they often worked collaboratively (ibid.: 167-177). At the other end of the spectrum, tobacco companies have responded by creating sock puppets of their own to counter-lobby. For example, in 1993 several major tobacco companies funded the foundation of the National Smokers Alliance (NSA), which purported to be a grassroots organisation representing smokers’ rights (Givel 2007[10]).
In the UK, the charitable sector as a whole has been criticised for becoming increasingly dependent on state funding, and thus risking turning itself into an entire sector of sock puppets (Snowdon 2012[11]). Sock puppeting has even been criticised from within the state itself. The UK’s Department for Communities and Local Government (DCLG) called for other government departments to ‘cease funding “sock puppets” and “fake charities”’ in order to reduce wasteful government spending. The DCLG stated: ‘Many pressure groups – which do not deliver services or help the vulnerable – are now funded by state bodies. In turn, these nominally “independent” groups lobby and call for more state regulation and more state funding’ (DCLG 2012: 11[12]).
It is possible that, with the increased trend towards Freedom of Information (FOI) legislation in Western polities, sock puppeting will become increasingly subject to public exposure as covert funding streams are revealed. However, whether exposure alone is sufficient to curb such an entrenched practice is another matter.
Political campaigns in the future will be progressively threatened by online astroturfing in the form of social bots and other imposters posing as autonomous individuals on the internet, with the intent of promoting a specific agenda. As astroturfing technology develops it is becoming increasingly difficult to distinguish fake personas from real individuals (Bienkov 2012[13]), which poses a threat to open democratic debate as well as the utility of crowdsourcing platforms such as consumer review websites. There is a very real danger, in both politics and business, that participants will be forced to spend money on astroturfing just to remain competitive with their rivals. In game theory terminology astroturfing is thus a form of non-optimal behaviour known as a ‘prisoner’s dilemma’, since money is sunk on rival disinformation which effectively cancels out both sides. It also represents a ‘social loss’ (Simmons 2011: 187-8[14]), as resources are spent on ‘non-productive’ uses rather than those which generate wealth or add value.
↑ Sager, R. 2009. ‘Keep off the astroturf’, New York Times, 18 August, http://www.nytimes.com/2009/08/19/opinion/19sager.html?_r=0
↑ Samoilenko, S. 2014. ‘Campaigns, grassroots’, in K. Harvey (Ed.), Encyclopedia of social media and politics, Vol. 3, pp. 189-194. Thousand Oaks, CA: SAGE Publications
↑ Lyon, T. P. and Maxwell, J. W. 2004. ‘Astroturf: Interest group lobbying and corporate strategy’, Journal of Economics and Management Strategy, 13(4): 561-97.
↑ Zhang, J., Carpenter, D. and Myung, K. 2013. ‘Online astroturfing: A theoretical perspective’, Proceedings of the Nineteenth Americas Conference on Information Systems, Chicago, Illinois, 15-17 August. Available online at http://aisel.aisnet.org/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1620&context=amcis2013
↑ Luca, M. and Zervas, G. Forthcoming. ‘Fake It Till You Make It: Reputation, Competition, and Yelp Review Fraud’, Management Science, available at https://dash.harvard.edu/bitstream/handle/1/22836596/luca,zervas_fake-it-till-you-make-it.pdf?sequence=1
↑ Bienkov, A. 2012. ‘Astroturfing: What is it and why does it matter?’, Theguardian.com, 8 February, http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2012/feb/08/what-is-astroturfing
↑ Han, R. 2015. ‘Manufacturing Consent in Cyberspace: China's 'Fifty-Cent Army'’, Journal of Current Chinese Affairs, 44(2): 105-34 .
↑ Fielding, N. and Cobain, I. 2011. ‘Revealed: US spy operation that manipulates social media’, Theguardian.com, 17 March, https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2011/mar/17/us-spy-operation-social-networks
↑ Berridge, V. 2007. Marketing Health. Smoking and the Discourse of Public Health in Britain, 1945-2000 (Oxford: OUP).
↑ Givel, M. 2007. ‘Consent and Counter-Mobilization: The Case of the National Smokers Alliance’, Journal of Health Communication, 12(4): 339-57.
↑ Snowdon, C. 2012. Sock Puppets. How the government lobbies itself and why, IEA Discussion Paper No. 39. London: Institute of Economic Affairs.
↑ Department for Communities and Local Government (DCLG). 2012. 50 Ways to Save: Examples of sensible spending in local government, London: DCLG.
↑ Simmons, R. T. 2011. Beyond Politics. The Roots of Government Failure (Oakland, California: The Independent Institute)
Elder, M. 2012. ‘Hacked emails allege Russian youth group Nashi paying bloggers’, Theguardian.com, 7 February, http://www.theguardian.com/world/2012/feb/07/hacked-emails-nashi-putin-bloggers
Kte'pi, B. 2014. ‘Deception in political social media’, in K. Harvey (Ed.), Encyclopedia of social media and politics, Vol. 4, pp. 357-359. Thousand Oaks, CA: SAGE Publications
Snowdon, C. 2014. The Sock Doctrine. What can be done about state-funded political activism?, IEA Discussion Paper No. 53. London: Institute of Economic Affairs
Retrieved from "http://www.in-formality.com/wiki/index.php?title=Astroturfing_(Global)&oldid=4437"
Functional ambivalence
Creating facades
SSEES
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Tag Archives: Kane Brown
Giddy-Up: Kane Brown Releases New Song, “Like a Rodeo” [Listen]
Kane Brown promised his Instagram followers that he’d release a new track, “Like a Rodeo,” if his recent post—depicting him lip-syncing a snippet of the tune—received 1 million views. Kane’s fans came through on their end with more than 1.2 million views, so Kane kept his word and released the new tune on July 12.…… MORE
“CMA Fest” TV Special to Feature Performances by Carrie Underwood, Keith Urban, Miranda Lambert, Tim McGraw, Luke Bryan & More
If you weren’t lucky enough to be one of the 80,000-plus fans who descend on Nashville during each day of CMA Fest this year, Thomas Rhett and Kelsea Ballerini have you covered. Kelsea and TR will once again co-host an upcoming three-hour television special on ABC that features 2019 CMA Fest performances from more than…… MORE
Kane Brown Reveals He Had a “Vision” for His New Single, “Homesick” [Listen]
After topping the charts with his fourth consecutive No. 1 single, “Good as You,” in May, Kane Brown will try to make it five in a row with the release of “Homesick.” Penned by Kane, Brock Berryhill, Matthew McGinn and Taylor Phillips, “Homesick” is featured on his 2018 album, Experiment, and will impact country radio…… MORE
Watch Exclusive Clip of Kane Brown Performing “Lose It” on Upcoming Episode of Nickelodeon’s “All That”
Kane Brown will be the musical guest on an upcoming episode of Nickelodeon’s newly rebooted sketch-comedy series, All That. Kane will be performing his hit song, “Lose It,” which became his third No. 1 single in December 2018. All That originally debuted in 1994—running for 10 seasons until 2005—and made stars out of many of…… MORE
Kane Brown Teams With Marshmello for New Single, “One Thing Right” [Listen]
Kane Brown joined forces with electronic music producer/DJ Marshmello for a new single, “One Thing Right.” Penned by Kane, Marshmello, Jesse Frasure, Josh Hoge and Matthew McGinn, “One Thing Right” is Marshmello’s first collaboration with a country artist. The tune was initially slated for Kane’s 2018 sophomore album, Experiment, but Kane decided to send it…… MORE
Dan + Shay, Thomas Rhett, Kelsea Ballerini, Kacey Musgraves, Kane Brown & More Earn Multiple Teen Choice Awards Nominations
The Teen Choice Awards announced its first wave of nominations on June 19. Dan + Shay, Thomas Rhett, Kelsea Ballerini, Kacey Musgraves, Kane Brown, Billy Ray Cyrus and Lil Nas X earned multiple nominations on the country front. Lil Nas X led all artists with five nominations, including three for his crossover hit, “Old Town…… MORE
Photo Gallery: CMA Fest’s Nissan Stadium Night 1 With Kelsea Ballerini, Kane Brown, Brothers Osborne, Rascal Flatts & More
Thousands of fans braved the rain at Nissan Stadium during Night 1 of CMA Fest on June 6 to see scheduled performances by Kane Brown, Kelsea Ballerini, Brothers Osborne, Rascal Flatts and Florida Georgia Line, with surprise appearances by Tanya Tucker, Brandi Carlile, Midland, Ashley McBryde, Brooks & Dunn, Morgan Wallen, the Chainsmokers and Hardy.…… MORE
Darius Rucker & Friends Help Raise $425,000 for St. Jude With 2019 Concert & Golf Tourney
Darius Rucker is a man on a mission. With his 10th annual Darius & Friends Benefit Concert on June 3 at the Ryman Auditorium and golf tourney on June 4, Darius surpassed $2 million raised for St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital. This year’s concert, auction and golf tourney raised more than $425,000 for St. Jude,…… MORE
CMT Awards: The Winners
Video of the Year: Best video of the year; awarded to the artist and the video director. Carrie Underwood – “Cry Pretty” WINNER Kane Brown – “Good as You” Keith Urban feat. Julia Michaels – “Coming Home” Kelsea Ballerini – “Miss Me More” Luke Combs – “She Got the Best of Me” Male Video of…… MORE
Vote Now: CMT Reveals 5 Finalists for Video of the Year at CMT Awards
CMT revealed its five finalists for Video of the Year at the CMT Awards on June 5: Carrie Underwood – “Cry Pretty” Kane Brown – “Good as You” Keith Urban feat. Julia Michaels – “Coming Home” Kelsea Ballerini – “Miss Me More” Luke Combs – “She Got the Best of Me” Fan voting via Twitter…… MORE
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MANHUNT with JOEL LAMBERT: Is this all-new Discovery Channel series something you must Catch or Evade?
I love watching war-themed movies or series/movies that involves the lead character to escape a prison cell or its enemy. I love the intensity and the adrenaline-rush it provides me as it shows how the plot unfolds even if I know if it just not real. :(
Well good news as Discovery Channel has a new series entitled MANHUNT with Joel Lambert. The show pits former U.S. Navy SEAL and escape and evasion expert Joel Lambert in a real-life, extreme version of hide-and-seek against some of the globe’s most elite military and law enforcement tracking units – the Philippines Army Scout Rangers, South Korean National Police (KNP) SWAT, Panama's anti-drug trafficking unit Servicio Nacional de Fronteras (SENAFRONT), Poland’s border guard, the Straz Graniczna, and more. The stakes are extraordinarily high as the seven-part original series puts Joel’s evasion and escape skills, and the readiness of these national hunter force agencies to the ultimate test.
To capture Joel, these highly trained tracking units can use any assets available to them in a real world manhunt, unlike Joel, who is provided with minimal supplies to survive – for anything else he needs, he must search for along the way. Armed with only a basic survival kit and his wits, Joel is dropped on location in the Philippines, South Korea, South Africa, United States, Poland and Panama with a head start. He then has up to 48 hours to reach a pre-determined extraction point that only he is aware of – while being pursued by a different hunter force agency each week as well as having to face treacherous terrains and deadly wildlife such as lions, leopards, rhinos and more – or risk being captured.
Last March 31, members of the media were invited on a special screening of this newest show of Discovery Channel. I was shocked to see the cinema with a number of Philippine Army Scout Ranges (don't worry they are not planning a coup attempt). The event was hosted by Rovilson Fernandez and he started the event by providing overview about the show. We are very privilege as Joel Lambert himself is on attendance and we were able to see the episode that was shot in the Philippines. Although, to be honest, it made me nervous as compared to other countries that Joel Lambert visited for the show, they have a lot of assets that they can use for tracking. I then thought if it has been wise decision that our Army Scout Rangers agree to take on the challenge. I don't want to spoil the episode but it was really a must-watch episode as I can feel my heart pumping faster as the show progressed and you will really be on your seat to know whether they can capture him or not.
MANHUNT WITH JOEL LAMBERT premieres on Monday, April 7 at 8:00 p.m. It also encores every Friday at 3:00 p.m. and 11:00 p.m., Saturday at 5:00 p.m. and Sunday at 10:00 p.m. Here's the episode guide and be sure to mark it down on your calendar, most especially the episode shot in the Philippines on May 12. The big question, will our Philippines Army Scout Rangers capture Joel Lambert or will he put them on global shame? As per Joel Lambert, this episode is the hardest of all!
Episode 1: Pre-Show, “Before the Chase” (April 7)
Kicking off the series is an inside look behind-the-scenes at MANHUNT, Discovery Channel's all-new action/survival series – and the dangerous conditions battled during production. Joel Lambert, an ex-Navy SEAL, takes on some of the world’s most specialised military and law enforcement tracking units, as he puts them to the tests and challenges them to try to physically capture him over a period of up to 48 hours. Shot in some of the most remote and exotic locations of the world, viewers meet each of the hunter forces and hear about the difficulties Joel experienced in trying to escape and evade each one. The making of the series proves just as challenging as severe injuries and near-death accidents plague the crew all while trying to capture this ultimate game of cat-and-mouse.
Episode 2: South Africa, “Safari Survival” (April 14)
Joel is hunted across a private game reserve in South Africa as he faces off against one of the most specialised forces yet – the International Anti-Poaching Foundation (IAPF). With the reserve full of deadly animals such as lions, leopards, elephants, and rhinos, Joel must be hyperaware of both the hunter force behind him – and the dangerous game ahead. Comprised of ex-military and ex-poachers, the IAPF’s keen tracking skills allow them to spot even the faintest hint of Joel, without the aid of high tech assets. But when the IAPF finds a pride of lions on the prowl, the hunt changes to a life-and-death rescue mission to find Joel before he becomes a lion’s lunch.
Episode 3: Poland, “Race to the Bridge” (April 21)
Joel has just 36 hours to escape and evade Poland’s elite border guard, the Straz Graniczna. Over a distance of 25 kilometres, the border guard deploys all their assets, including thermal camera helicopters, all-terrain vehicles (ATV), motorcycles, tracking dogs and world class field units, in an attempt to intercept Joel before he reaches his extraction point. As the Straz Graniczna mobilises dozens of troops, Joel is forced to utilise all of his deception tactics – not to mention, make his way down a 20 metre cliff, and risk a daring truck ride – to attempt to save himself in this battle of Polish pride versus Joel’s rigorous training.
Episode 4: Panama, “Swim to Survive” (April 28)
Panama's elite anti-drug trafficking unit SENAFRONT has just 36 hours to track, hunt and capture Joel through the jungles of San Jose Island, situated close to 100 kilometres off the coast. Joel battles for his freedom through thick rainforest, rocky shorelines, and some surprising wildlife, while SENAFRONT unleash their full arsenal, using ATV patrols, boat units, and ground trackers to pressure Joel from all sides. But when Joel decides to use the natural terrain to conceal his trail, SENAFRONT turns the tables by using one of Joel’s signature moves against him.
Episode 5: Arizona, “Testing the Eagle” (May 5)
Joel faces off against the U.S. Army's Phantom Recon unit – a battle-tested group of trackers, supremely skilled in hunting down the most elusive of enemy targets. Their turf in southern Arizona is the harsh 75,000 acres of terrain surrounding Fort Huachuca military base, an area home to mountain lions and bears – and a much-favoured route of illegal immigrants and heavily armed drug smugglers trying to gain passage into the country. If Phantom Recon is not intimidating enough, Joel is also being monitored by a squadron of sophisticated unmanned aerial drones, whose cameras have locked in on his every move. With Joel pitted against both top-notch trackers and the latest aerial spyware, will his skills and endurance be enough to get him to a successful extraction before the “enemy” closes in?
Episode 6: Philippines, “Escape the Jungle” (May 12)
Joel faces off against the Philippines Army Scout Rangers, with just 48 hours to escape the dense jungle. Over a distance of 25 kilometres, and with two trucks as their only assets, the Scout Rangers prove they are among the world’s best at jungle tracking as they utilise their unique skill set to stay hot on Joel’s trail. But the harsh heat and humidity of the Philippines jungle – and an unfortunately timed typhoon – push Joel, the hunter unit and crew to the brink.
Episode 7: South Korea, “Hiding in Plain Sight” (May 19)
Joel takes on the South Korean National Police (KNP) SWAT unit in a challenge like he has never faced before – an urban evasion. Situated on the heavily populated and highly trafficked tourist island of Jeju, Joel must alter his tactics to escape the KNP’s web of over 5,000 closed-circuit television cameras, in addition to their boat, air and mobile assets. Nothing is off-limits to Joel as he tries to avoid physical capture through the back alleys of the city. But when the pressure of the KNP becomes too much for Joel, he leads them out into the wilderness on a wild path of deception and near misses.
Watch it and you will agree to my experience that this is really a must watch series!
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MANHUNT with JOEL LAMBERT: Is this all-new Discove...
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Places In J&K
Sonmarg
Kokernag
Naranag
Achabal
Aharbal
Doodpathri
verinag
Patnitop
Zanaskar
Lakes & Springs
Dal Lake
Manasbal Lake
Mansar Lake
Nigeen Lake
Pangong Lake
Wular Lake
Budget Packages
Standard Packages
Religious Packages
Hotels In J&K
Hotels In Srinagar
Hotels In Pahalgam
Hotels In Sonmarg
Hotels In Gulmarg
Hotels In Patnitop
Ticketting
Chose Your Language
Kashmir Introduction Kashmir Map
Places To See Srinagar Mughal Gardens Gulmarg Pahalgam Sonmarg Patnitop Verinag Kokernag Manasbal Doodhpathri
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Srinagar About this sound listen (help·info)) is the summer capital of the Indian State of Jammu and Kashmir. It is situated in the Kashmir Valley and lies on the banks of the Jhelum River, a tributary of the Indus.[3] The city is famous for its gardens, lakes and houseboats. It is also known for traditional Kashmiri handicrafts and dry fruits.
Etymologically Srinagar is composed of two Sanskrit words, ?r? (Lakshmi) and nagar, which means “city”. One theory of the origin of the name is that a Pandava King Ashok (not to be confused with the Mauryan Emperor Ashok) built the city of Srinagari (Srinagar).[4] Another theory is that Mauryan Emperor Ashoka founded the original city of Srinagar, then situated on the site of the present village of Pandrethan, 5 km to the north of the existing capital.
The city is located on both the sides of the Jhelum River which is called Vyath in Kashmir. The river passes through the city and meanders through the valley, moving onward and deepening in the dal Lake. The city is famous for its nine old bridges, connecting the two parts of the city. Hokersar is a wetland situated near Srinagar. Thousands of migratory birds come to Hokersar from Siberia and other regions in the winter season. Migratory birds from Siberia and Central Asia use wetlands in Kashmir as their transitory camps between September and October and again around spring. These wetlands play a vital role in sustaining a large population of wintering, staging and breeding birds.
Hokersar is a wetland situated near Srinagar. Thousands of migratory birds come to Hokersar from Siberia and other regions in the winter season. Migratory birds from Siberia and Central Asia use wetlands in Kashmir as their transitory camps between September and October and again around spring. These wetlands play a vital role in sustaining a large population of wintering, staging and breeding birds.
Hokersar is 14 km (8.7 mi) north of Srinagar, and is a world class wetland spread over 13.75 km2 (5.31 sq mi) including lake and marshy area. It is the most accessible and well-known of Kashmir’s wetlands which include Hygam, Shalibug and Mirgund. A record number of migratory birds have visited Hokersar in recent years.[citation needed]season.
Srinagar has a humid subtropical climate (Köppen Cfa), much cooler than what is found in much of the rest of India, due to its moderately high elevation and northerly position. The valley is surrounded by the Himalayas on all sides. Winters are cool, with daytime a January average of 2.5 °C (36.5 °F), and temperatures below freezing at night. Moderate to heavy snowfall occurs in winter and the only road that connects Srinagar with the rest of India may get blocked for a few days due to avalanches. Summers are warm with a July daytime average of 24.1 °C (75.4 °F). The average annual rainfall is around 710 millimetres (28 in). Spring is the wettest season while autumn is the driest. The highest temperature reliably recorded is 38.3 °C (100.9 °F) and the lowest is ?19.9 °C (?3.8 °F)
Srinagar is one of several places that has been called the “Venice of the East” or the “Kashmiri Venice”[19][20][21] Lakes around the city include Dal Lake – noted for its houseboats – and Nagin Lake.
Srinagar has some Mughal gardens, forming a part of those laid by the Mughal emperors across the Indian subcontinent. Those of Srinagar and its close vicinity include Chashma Shahi (the royal fountains); Pari Mahal (the palace of the fairies); Nishat Bagh (the garden of spring); Shalimar Bagh; and the Naseem Bagh.[citation needed].
The Sher Garhi Palace houses administrative buildings from the state government.[citation needed] Another palace of the Maharajas, the Gulab Bhavan, has now become the Lalit Grand Palace hotel.
Time In Kashmir
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WhatsApp Beta version shows UPI payment feature
Technology Tech News
8 Reasons to buy a Nift Fifty (50mm) Lense
WhatsApp will soon facilitate instant money transfer via the Unified Payments Interface (UPI) transaction system, shows a new Beta update by the Facebook-owned mobile messaging platform.
Launched by the National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI) and regulated by the Reserve Bank of India RBI), UPI facilitates the instant fund transfer between two bank accounts on the mobile platform.
With over 200 million monthly active users (MAUs), WhatsApp has been in the news for working towards a UPI-based interface in its platform.
Now, with the new update to the beta channel (which brings the application up version 2.17.295), we get a glimpse into a new potential feature for the future. It’s called WhatsApp Payments and it looks as if it will allow for immediate bank to bank transfers. The feature is still under development and there could be coming that prevents it from being brought to the public. But it looks as if we’ll be able to send payments to one another via WhatsApp in a future update.
Mobile payments have been on a rise since last year’s demonetisation. In such scenario, digital payments app Paytm has seen major growth in terms of transactions and its user base. It is to be mentioned, as WhatsApp is entering into payments, Paytm is planning to introduce its messaging feature.
WhatsApp is not the only app that is entering into digital payments. Several other popular services such as messaging app Hike and Truecaller already support UPI payment services. However, this move from WhatsApp, the most popular app in India with over 200 million active users, will surely give a boost to digital payments in India.
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Bicultural Fellowship
A BOOK IN EVERY LIBRARY
What Writers Are Saying
We the Interwoven
Chuy Renteria
Renteria - Bio
Melissa Palma
Palma - Bio
Sadagat Aliyeva
Aliyeva - Bio
Aliyeva - Two Little Cottages
Aliyeva - Four Brothers
Aliyeva - First There Was Love
Aliyeva - Ay Usagi
Aliyeva - Moon Child
Aliyeva - Glossary
Palma - Mi Último Adiós
Palma - ORD to CID
Palma - ORD sa CID
Palma - Filial Bonds
Palma - CVA
Palma - Glossary
Renteria - A Story About Work
Renteria - Una Historia Sobre El Trabajo
Renteria - Maijoma, My Sister
Renteria - Glossary
Filipino/Filipina/Filipinx—Person from the Philippines or of Filipino descent; over 100 million Filipinos live in the Philippines proper, while an estimated 10 million Filipinos live in the diaspora as migrants or Overseas Filipino Workers (OFWs) in countries such as the United States, Canada, Australia, Hong Kong, and Saudi Arabia.
Iowa—Named after Ioway, the French Word for the indigenous Bah-kho-je tribe, a landlocked state with boundaries that include the Mississippi River on the east and the Missouri River on the west; bordered by Wisconsin and Illinois to the east, Missouri to the south, Nebraska and South Dakota to the west, and Minnesota to the north.
Midwestern—Often perceived as General American English, this dialect may or may not be characterized by prevalence of the Northern Cities Vowel Shift; according to RAYGUN, LLC, of or relating to God’s gift to planet earth and the galaxy’s most important region.
Philippines—Named in honor of King Philip II of Spain, an archipelago nation of over 7,000 islands in Southeast Asia situated south of Japan, east of China, and north of Indonesia; the tropical country is divided into three main regions of Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao.
Tagalog—National language of the Philippines, along with English; there are over 150 distinct languages spoken among the various ethnic groups in the Philippines.
The Filipino Family
anak—Tagalog, child, term of endearment.
ate/kuya—Tagalog, elder sister/elder brother.
kababayan— Tagalog, countryman.
lola/lolo—Tagalog, grandmother/grandfather.
mga pamangkin— Tagalog, cousins.
nanay/tatay—Tagalog, mom/dad.
pamilya—Tagalog, family.
tita/tito—Tagalog, aunt/uncle.
Filipino National Icons
adobo—National dish of the Philippines; a stew based on soy sauce and vinegar; from the Spanish adobar, “to marinate.”
carabao—Water buffalo native to the Philippines; national animal of the Philippines.
Ferdinand Marcos (1917-1989)—President of the Philippines from 1965-1986; a corrupt dictator who declared martial law, engaged in extrajudicial killings, and swindled an estimated $5-$10 billion USD from the Philippine National Treasury; was ousted in the peaceful People Power Revolution demonstrations in 1986 and died in exile in Hawaii; however, his wife and children were allowed to return and have been elected to public office and political power.
José Rizal (1861-1896)—Filipino national hero, nationalist during the end of the Spanish colonial period, renowned polymath (political scientist, novelist, poet, sculptor, journalist, linguist, and ophthalmologist), and polyglot conversant in 22 languages (Spanish, French, Latin, Greek, German, Portuguese, Italian, English, Dutch, Japanese, Arabic, Swedish, Russian, Chinese, Greek, Hebrew, and Sanskrit, plus the local languages Malay, Chavacano, Visayan, Ilocano, and Subanun); author of the novels Noli Mi Tangere and El Filibusterismo, he was executed by a Spanish firing squad on December 30, 1896.
Lea Salonga (1971-present)—One of the most famous singers and actresses in the Philippines, first known for originating the lead role of Kim in the musical, Miss Saigon, in 1989; also served as the singing voice for iconic Disney princesses such as Jasmine and Mulan.
lengua de gato—Filipino butter cookie shaped like a cat’s tongue, most famous in the mountain city of Baguio, a former site of Spanish, Japanese, and U.S. military bases.
sampaguita—Jasminum sambac; national flower of the Philippines.
Iowa State Icons
Black Hawk County—Founded 1843, a county in northeastern Iowa with a population of 131,090 in the 2010 census with the county seat residing in Waterloo. National Register of Historic Places in Black Hawk County include the Black Hawk Hotel, the Cotton Theater, and two Carnegie Foundation libraries.
Chief Black Hawk (1767-1838)—Born Ma-ka-tai-me-she-kia-kiak, a warrior of the Sauk American Indian tribe, and author of the first Native American autobiography in the U.S. in 1833; an active commander in the War of 1821 and the Black Hawk War in 1832.
eastern goldfinch—Carduelis tristis; the official state bird of Iowa.
Hawkeye—Common nickname for the state of Iowa, possibly originating from the eponymous scout, Hawkeye, in James Fenimore Cooper’s The Last of the Mohicans published in 1826.
old rose—Along with black, the school colors of Waterloo West High.
puppy chow—Best-selling bake sale item in Iowa; a sweet concoction of cereal, chocolate, peanut butter, and powdered sugar erroneously named Muddy Buddies in the Chex cereal box recipes.
Wahawk—The official mascot of West High School, a portmanteau of the city and cFounty names of Waterloo and Black Hawk, respectively.
wild rose—Rosa blanda; the official state flower of Iowa.
barangay—Tagalog, neighborhood, the smallest administrative unit of government in the Philippines, also known as baryo, from the Spanish barrio.
bundok—Taglog, mountain; origin of the English phrase boondock, a rural town considered backward and unsophisticated, derived from conditions of guerilla warfare during the Philippine–American War of 1899-1902.
knee high by the Fourth of July—Midwestern English, what your eighth-grade science teacher says in addition to, “It’s not a summer job, it’s an adventure!” in futile attempts to get you to join his detasseling crew.
Kumusta po?—Tagalog, greeting, “How are you?”
not so bad—Midwestern English, said in response to “How are you?”, conveys to the listener that things are positive, but the speaker does not want to appear boastful in their contentment lest it cause the listener to feel uncomfortable.
not so good—Midwestern English, said in response to “How are you?”, conveys to the listener that the speaker is not at their best, but they do not want to burden the listener with the full details of why they really want to say “terrible.”
piña—Tagalog, finely woven Filipino textile made from leaves of a pineapple plant.
ukay-ukay—Tagalog, secondhand store where items sold are commonly shipped from different countries including the United States. The author once saw a man in the Manilla on the MRT wearing an Iowa 2A basketball shirt prominently featuring the towns of Wapello, Sioux Center, Fort Dodge, and Ottumwa.
RAGBRAI—Acronym for the (Des Moines) Register’s Annual Great Bicycle Ride Across Iowa, founded in 1973; roughly translates to 468 miles of sweat, determination, and the best rhubarb pie you’ll ever eat next to 10,000 of your closest cycling friends.
Melissa Palma is an Iowa-raised daughter of Filipino immigrants. She was privileged to grow up in a multi-generational household with her grandparents, parents, and little sister in Waterloo, Iowa.
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Current Issue: 2006 - Volume 32 - Number 4 (July/August)
Marcelo Costa Vaz
Evalo Marchi
Francisco Suso Vargas
Vaz MC, Marchi E, Vargas FS. Pleurodesis: technique and indications. J Bras Pneumol. 2006;32(4):347-356
Pleurodesis: technique and indications
Pleurodese: técnica e indicações
Marcelo Costa Vaz; Evalo Marchi; Francisco Suso Vargas
Recurrent pleural effusion, which is commonly seen in clinical practice, compromises patient quality of life, especially in patients with advanced malignant disease. The therapeutic approach to the pleural space involves a wide range of techniques, including aggressive procedures such as pleurectomy. Among such techniques, pleurodesis is the most frequently used. Pleurodesis can be induced through the insertion of pleural catheters, as well as through major surgical procedures (such as thoracotomy). There are various recommended sclerosing agents, including talc (which is the most widely used), silver nitrate and, recently, proliferative cytokines. This article summarizes the principal approaches to the treatment of recurrent pleural effusion, pleurodesis in particular, addressing the indications for, as well as the advantages and disadvantages of, their application in daily pulmonology practice.
O derrame pleural recidivante é uma situação clínica comum que compromete a qualidade de vida dos pacientes, em especial dos portadores de doença oncológica em estágio avançado. A abordagem terapêutica do espaço pleural é variada, incluindo procedimentos agressivos como a pleurectomia. A pleurodese é a técnica mais freqüentemente utilizada, podendo ser induzida tanto através da inserção de cateteres pleurais, como por procedimentos cirúrgicos amplos (toracotomia). São vários os agentes esclerosantes indicados, incluindo o talco, que é o mais utilizado, o nitrato de prata e recentemente as citocinas proliferativas. Este artigo resume as principais abordagens do derrame pleural recidivante e particularmente da pleurodese, suas indicações, vantagens e desvantagens para a aplicação na prática diária do pneumologista.
Keywords: Pleural effusion, malignant/prevention & control; Pleural neoplasms; Pleura/surgery; Pleurodesis/methods; Silver nitrate; Talc; Recurrence
Palavras-chave: Derrame pleural maligno/prevenção & controle; Neoplasias pleurais; Pleura/cirurgia; Pleurosede/métodos; Nitrato de prata; Talco; Recidiva
Recurrent pleural effusion is commonly seen in clinical practice, and results from the anatomic or functional impairment of the pleural surfaces by benign or malignant processes. Among the wide range of clinical entities responsible for the production of these effusions are the transudates (resulting, in particular, from heart, liver or kidney failure), and the exudates (principally generated by nonspecific infections, tuberculosis or neoplasms).
In this context, we must highlight the significant predominance of cancer, which accounts for approximately 50% of the total number of these deposits.(1) It is estimated that there are approximately 200,000 new cases of malignant pleural effusion per year in the USA.(2) In Brazil, despite the lack of precise epidemiological surveys, it is believed that, due to the common characteristics of the two countries, the number of patients with malignant pleural effusion is of the same magnitude in both.
The treatment for recurrent pleural effusion is complex and is aimed at arresting band preventing fluid collection, maintaining the pleural cavity free from new fluid accumulation. The first step is to address the pathological process responsible for the formation of the effusion. In the case of transudates, the treatment is aimed at treating the heart, kidney or liver failure, whereas it is aimed at treating the infection or cancer in the case of exudates. However, when the systemic treatment of the condition responsible for the formation of the effusion does not control the fluid accumulation and does not prevent its recurrence, local treatment should be recommended, allowing the free expansion of the lung with subsequent functional improvement. The methods in reference include initial thoracentesis, pleural drainage, pleuroperitoneal shunt, pleurectomy and pleurodesis.
The objective of the initial thoracentesis is the removal of fluid from the pleural cavity in order to achieve lung expansion and subsequent functional improvement. However, due to the potential risks of this procedure, caution is called for regarding the volume to be removed from the pleural cavity. Therefore, it is recommended that, even in large effusions, fluid removal should not exceed 1200 ml (maximum, 1500 ml), since the removal of larger volumes of fluid increases the risk of developing pulmonary edema, in addition to respiratory or hemodynamic alterations that can ultimately result in respiratory distress syndrome or hemodynamic shock. The pleural fluid removal, performed with all the necessary precautions, is well tolerated and significantly improves the dyspnea caused by the effusion. Nevertheless, since the fluid can rapidly re-accumulate, performing multiple thoracenteses becomes a temporary alternative in the control of recurrent pleural effusion. The need for multiple punctures is physically and emotionally invasive, resulting in evident protein and electrolyte depletion.
The second option to be considered is prolonged drainage to maintain the pleural cavity free of fluid. It should be noted that leaving a drain in place for long periods (a month or more) can, in itself, result in symphysis of the pleural surfaces, which is highly positive. Nonetheless, prolonged drainage results in great nutritional deprivation,(3) increases the risk of pleural infections and can decrease survival.(3) Until recently, such drainage was performed with large-caliber tubular thoracic drains (34 to 40 F), which have been currently replaced by small-caliber catheters (maximum, 16 F). There are very effective pleural catheters in the market, such as the pig-tail or pleurex, which are highly functional, although their equally high cost can be an obstacle. Commercial production of these catheters has just recently begun in Brazil (Figure 1). This will certainly decrease costs, simplify the procedure and benefit our patients.
The third option is using a pleuroperitoneal shunt, which is nothing more than a thin catheter with a receptacle (a unidirectional valve) at its midpoint. The extremities of the shunt are placed in the pleural and peritoneal cavities, and the catheter, including the receptacle, follows a subcutaneous trajectory (Figure 2). When the patient presents worsening of symptoms (basically dyspnea), the receptacle is repeatedly compressed, removing fluid from the pleural cavity and, by virtue of its unidirectionality, sending it to the peritoneal cavity. The inconvenience of this system lies in the small volume of the valve chamber (+ 2 ml), which can require an exhaustive number of compressions of this compartment.
For the removal of 400 ml pleural fluid, more than 200 compressions are necessary. Other negative aspects of the system are the high valve obstruction rate, the risk of neoplastic implantation in the abdominal cavity(4) and the high cost, which makes it practically unviable in Brazil.
The fourth option is pleurectomy. It is undoubtedly the most effective procedure. However, it has been contraindicated due to the accompanying high rates of morbidity and mortality.(5) In fact, the high risk of complications is justifiable since it is major surgery and the candidates are patients with impaired general health status. It represents highly aggressive treatment of a group of patients with limited survival.
Finally, there is pleurodesis, that is, the intentional collapse of the pleural surfaces (visceral and parietal) resulting in the symphysis of the pleural space, which hinders the accumulation of fluid. This has been the procedure most often used in the case of complete pulmonary expansion and the general condition of the patient is good. It is currently the best option for the control of recurrent malignant pleural effusion.(6)
It is important to mention that pleurodesis only represents the local therapy of a clinical manifestation, which is generally the treatment for dyspnea. Therefore, the objective of this procedure is not to change the progression of the cancer, and it is not aimed at prolonging patient survival. In view of this, pleurodesis reduces the dyspnea caused by fluid accumulation in the pleural space and consequently results in greater functional capacity and better quality of life.
Our intention is to discuss the strategies for inducing pleurodesis in patients with recurrent pleural effusion, especially that of neoplastic origin. We endorse certain methods of execution cited in the medical literature.
In this review, due to the current tendency toward simplification of the pleurodesis procedure, we discuss the integration of the skills of clinical pulmonologists, thoracic surgeons and oncologists in a joint analysis of the patients, in order to promote effective and minimally invasive pleurodesis.
This review is consistent with the line of research pursued by the Pleura Group of the Pulmonology Department of the University of São Paulo School of Medicine, and our objective is quite clear: the comprehensive evaluation of patients suffering from pulmonary diseases. We believe that patients with lung cancer should be submitted to holistic treatment by the pulmonologist, rather than being referred to the oncologist immediately after confirmation of the diagnosis. Therefore, we disagree with those who recommend referring such patients to a surgeon for the induction of pleurodesis immediately after recurrent pleural effusion has been confirmed. Thanks to recent technological advances and simplification of procedures, the physician should develop the necessary skills to create continuity in the treatment of these patients, as well as to coordinate clinical-surgical-oncological integration, in order to offer the best treatment options to patients with neoplasms. (See our proposal regarding minimally invasive outpatient pleurodesis performed by a pulmonologist.)
Therefore, the aim of this discussion is to answer the following questions: What are the indications for pleurodesis? What is the best agent for pleurodesis? What is the best method for the performance of pleurodesis?
The selection of studies was based on bibliographic searches of the following electronic databases: Medline; the Cochrane Controlled Trials Register; and the Evidence-Based Medicine Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews. The search terms used were 'pleurodesis' and 'pleural effusion'. We limited our search to articles that focused on efficacy and safety, ruling out case descriptions, letters to the editor and editorials.
Recurrent benign pleural effusions
The performance of pleurodesis in recurrent benign (transudative) pleural effusion is controversial and should be regarded as a procedure reserved for use in exceptional cases.(7)
We found no controlled, randomized or comparative studies evaluating the efficacy and safety of pleurodesis in benign processes. The findings of observational studies suggest that, in these situations, pleurodesis is efficacious and safe. However, there is the theoretical fear that, after pleurodesis of the transudates, the pleural fluid will begin to accumulate in other tissues, such as those of the pulmonary parenchyma.(8)
Therefore, the performance of pleurodesis in recurrent benign pleural effusion is only acceptable in those rare situations in which there is absolute failure of the clinical treatment of the underlying disease.
Among the causes of recurrent benign pleural effusion, we should mention liver, kidney and heart failure, as well as hypoproteinemia and myocardial revascularization.
Recurrent malignant pleural effusions
The main indication for pleurodesis resides in this group of patients. However, not all the patients with malignant pleural effusion benefit from the procedure. In some situations, there is a consensus regarding the induction of pleurodesis (Chart 1); in others, it is absolutely controversial.
Once these conditions have been considered, the ideal moment at which to perform the procedure should be analyzed. Some authors defend the idea that pleurodesis should be performed as soon as possible after the diagnosis has been confirmed.(9) Others recommend its performance only if chemotherapy fails to control the pleural effusion. However, there is no evidence to support the use of the latter strategy. In this situation, the analysis of the control of the pleural effusion (radiological regression of the effusion and decreased number of thoracenteses to promote dyspnea relief) is preceded by the performance of one or two cycles of chemotherapy (after two to three months or even at the end of the chemotherapy treatment). Although there are factors in favor of and against these approaches, both indications are currently accepted (Chart 2).
Once the timing of pleurodesis has been decided, other factors that, despite not enjoying a consensus, can modify the indication criteria should be considered, since they can interfere with the result expected. Therefore, acid pH (< 7.3),(10) low glucose level (< 60 mg/dl) and incidence of chylothorax have been related to worse prognosis and worse efficacy of pleurodesis, independently of the technique and of the drug used (5) (Chart 3). The presence of lymphangitis and a performance status index lower than 70 have been associated with worse clinical evolution of the patient after the induction of pleurodesis.(5) Finally, lung entrapment, either due to pleural loculations or to a lack of pulmonary expansion, reduces the efficacy of pleurodesis, as well as increasing the risk of infections in the pleural space.(3) Therefore, pleurodesis is not recommended under these conditions.(3)
PERFORMANCE OF PLEURODESIS - METHODOLOGY
Types of procedures
Pleurodesis can be achieved through the use of various stimuli: direct physical lesion (abrasion); instillation of caustic or irritating chemical substances (talc, doxycycline, silver nitrate or bleomycin) into the pleural space; or immunological induction with Corynebacterium parvum, transforming growth factor-beta (TGF-ß) or interferon-alpha 2 (IFN-a 2).
Mechanical stimuli
Among the mechanical stimuli, abrasion is the principal method. Abrasion is carried out during a surgical intervention, whether conventional or video-assisted, in which the surgeon exfoliates the pleural mesothelium, creating friction with a rough-surfaced material (gauze, for example). This irritation results in the desquamation of the mesothelium and activation of the inflammation and coagulation pathways, with subsequent proliferation of fibroblasts and collagen deposition, resulting in pleural symphysis.
Pleural abrasion is not currently used in the control of recurrent neoplastic pleural effusions due to its lesser efficacy, as well as to the high risk of bleeding in the regions involved and to the possibility of tumor dissemination. These two risks are related to the direct manipulation of the tumor with lesion of newly formed vessels and embolization of tumor cells that are released during the manipulation of the tumor mass. Another inconvenience of pleural abrasion is that it requires surgical intervention. Its indication has been currently recommended only for selected cases of recurrent pneumothorax.
Chemical stimuli
Pleurodesis induced by chemical stimuli was first carried out at the beginning of the last century. There are references to the fact that, in 1901, Spengler injected silver nitrate into the pleural cavity for the control of recurrent pneumothorax.(5)
Apparently, talc was first introduced into the pleural cavity, with the objective of collapsing the existing residual space after pulmonary resection, by Bethune in 1935.(5) Since then, various substances have been used to induce pleurodesis, although there is as yet no consensus regarding the ideal sclerosing agent (Chart 4).
Chemical stimulation has the advantage of allowing various routes of access to be combined. The most important aspect, in this particular case, is that pleurodesis can be achieved surgically or through simple drainage.
Talc is classically considered the most efficacious sclerosant. When compared with other agents, it presents a relative risk of 1.34 for therapeutic success (95% confidence interval: 1.16 to 1.55) and a success rate of over 90% in most studies.(11) However, in a recent multicenter study conducted in Europe, talc was found to be efficacious in 71% to 78% of the patients submitted to pleurodesis, all of whom survived for more than 30 days after the procedure.(12) Talc has been considered the agent of choice, since it presents many of the characteristics cited in the definition of an ideal agent (low cost, wide distribution, easy administration, high efficacy and low rate of side effects). It can be administered, either by insufflation during thoracotomy or through drains of various calibers, in the form of so-called talc slurry (talc suspension in saline solution). Despite its low rate of complications, its use has been associated with acute respiratory distress syndrome, which affects 1.2%(7) to 9% of patients(13) and can be fatal. It is believed that this complication is related to the size of the talc particles. The smaller ones would be more easily absorbed from the pleural cavity and distributed throughout the circulation, resulting in a greater risk of remote complications.(14) Due to the severity of this type of complication, other drugs again began to be studied.
Doxycycline has proven efficacious and safe for the induction of pleurodesis. However, it is not available in many countries (including Brazil). In the past, some health facilities in Brazil utilized oral tetracycline/doxycycline derivatives to induce pleurodesis. Nevertheless, there are doubts as to whether the sclerosing effect observed is due to the agent used or to the excipient (talc). In addition, we should also be concerned with the sterilization of the agent introduced in the pleural cavity, since the capsules are in fact commercially distributed for oral ingestion and their content is not sterile and are therefore not recommended for pleurodesis.(6)
Silver nitrate was the first substance utilized in the induction of pleurodesis, being abandoned, for reasons that remain unclear, in the 1980s. Our group recently posited that the adverse effects observed in the past were secondary to the high concentrations of silver nitrate used (from 1% to 10%), and we therefore suggested that the use of lower concentrations would be safer and more efficacious.(15) In studies with laboratory animals (rabbits), 0.5% silver nitrate proved highly efficacious and presented a low rate of complications.(16) The pathophysiological mechanism involved in the induction of pleurodesis seems to be, to a certain extent, different from that observed with the talc, since, in this rabbit model, the corticosteroid did not reduce the efficacy of the pleurodesis obtained with silver nitrate, in contrast to what occurs with the talc. A recently published study involving human subjects with neoplastic pleural effusion and utilizing 0.5% silver nitrate, demonstrated efficacy indices similar to those found for talc, with low rates of side effects.(15) Naturally, further comparative studies of the safety and efficacy of silver nitrate in humans are required.
Bleomycin is an antineoplastic agent that was used to induce pleurodesis in past decades. However, its low efficacy and high cost have significantly limited its use.
Immunological stimuli
Chief among the immunostimulants is C. parvum. Its principal advantage is that it does not require surgical intervention or pleural drainage and can be introduced into the pleural space through a simple puncture. However, the described efficacy of this agent has not been reproduced in Brazil, and there are currently difficulties in its production, and there is no distribution network.
Other immunostimulant agents include interleukin 2-alpha, staphylococcal superantigen and TGF-b. In a comparative, randomized, prospective, parallel study carried out in 2004, IFN-a 2b was found to be less efficacious than bleomycin,(17) and its use was not indicated for pleurodesis induction. Staphylococcal superantigen seems to be a promising agent, despite having been little studied. In a study carried out in 2004,(18) staphylococcal superantigen was instilled in fourteen patients with low performance status indices. It was successful in eleven patients (71%), without any side effects. Its principal advantage is ease of administration, not requiring hospitalization or thoracic drainage. Since these results are still preliminary, further studies of efficacy and safety are required. Finally, TGF-b is a cytokine that stimulates tissue proliferation and collagen formation, without inducing an inflammatory reaction or tissue lesion. The major concern regarding its use is related to its systemic absorption, with development of fibrosis in other organs, including the lung. It was successfully tested in experimental animals with low short-term complication rates.(19) However, studies analyzing its efficacy and safety in humans have yet to be carried out. It is rather unlikely that TGF-b will prove to be the ideal sclerosing agent, since its cost is higher than that of other agents.
Therefore, we can conclude that, despite the lack of consensus, talc, in the dosage of five to ten grams, remains the most accepted agent.
Route of access
Route of access is defined as the method by which the sclerosing agent is given access to the pleural space, either through classical thoracotomy, through video-assisted surgery, through thoracic drainage with local anesthesia or through thoracic drainage with thoracic puncture and a small-caliber catheter.
All of these techniques present advantages and disadvantages that can interfere with the final result of the procedure (Chart 5). Among the advantages, we can cite the complete drainage of the pleural cavity, the more homogeneous distribution of the sclerosing agent in the pleural space, less aggressiveness of the procedure and less need for hospitalization. These factors influence the choice of the technique that is most appropriate for a given patient.
In these past few years, the route of access for pleurodesis has been thoroughly studied. There is a tendency to reduce the aggressiveness of the treatment, migrating from talc insufflation during thoracotomy to video-assisted insufflation and eventually to the instillation of sclerosant through a thoracic drain. Even when the thoracic drain is used as a route of access to the pleural cavity, there is a tendency toward reducing its complexity and morbidity (pain). Therefore, we have evolved from using large-caliber to using small-caliber drains and ultimately to the use of pleural catheters.
In parallel with the reduced aggressiveness, the efficacy of the treatment must be maintained. The ideal route of access for striking a balance between efficacy and safety in pleurodesis has yet to be defined.
Unfortunately, many studies comparing routes of access have not employed the same sclerosing agent for each route, thereby making it difficult to interpret the isolated effect of the route of access to the pleural space. A meta-analysis carried out in 2004(11) by the Pain, Palliative Care and Supportive Care Group of the Cochrane Database of Systematic
Reviews (112 patients), evaluated the efficacy of talc pleurodesis using video-assisted surgery or using drainage/talc slurry (talc in suspension). The authors showed that the instillation through video-assisted surgery was more efficacious, with favorable relative risk of 1.19 (95% confidence interval: 1.04 to 1.36) and similar mortality in the two groups. Unfortunately, in this meta-analysis, it was not possible to compare the adverse effects of the two treatments due to the lack of pertinent data in the studies involved.
Despite the fact that video-assisted surgery was found to be more efficacious than slurry pleurodesis, the level of success for both procedures was over 90%, which is quite acceptable in clinical terms.
The current evidence suggests there is no difference between the use of large-caliber thoracic drains and small-caliber thoracic drains (catheters). Although a consensus has yet to be reached, small-caliber drains provides more comfort to the patient and can be more easily introduced, being currently recommended as an option for the initial approach to recurrent pleural effusion and for the induction of pleurodesis.(20)
Small-caliber drains have been successfully used in the performance of rapid pleurodesis. In this new form of pleurodesis induction, the pleural catheter is put in place, the sclerosant is instilled, the drain (with a unidirectional valve system that allows the outflow of the fluid but does not allow the air to get in and prevents backflow of the fluid into the pleural space) is left open, and the drain is generally removed within 48 h.(21) The combination of small-caliber drains with a valve system, such as the
Heimlich valve, which is a unidirectional valve system that allows the replacement of the water-seal (Figure 2), has facilitated pleurodesis induction, allowing greater patient mobility and comfort, as well as allowing pleurodesis to be performed in outpatient clinics.
CONCLUSIONS AND rECOMMENDATIONS
We can conclude that pleurodesis can be indicated in benign pleural effusions, with restrictions. The principal indication for pleurodesis is recurrent malignant pleural effusions, with full pulmonary expansion, in patients with good performance status indices.
Pleurodesis via chemical stimulus, especially talc pleurodesis, remains the first option for the treatment of recurrent malignant pleural effusion. Silver nitrate seems to be a reasonable option for use in Brazil, although more studies of its safety are needed.
The most efficacious route of access is video-assisted surgery. However, the use of small-caliber thoracic drains (catheters) provides a good cost-effectiveness/comfort ratio, especially for patients in advanced stages of neoplastic disease.
The most significant aspect to be considered is that pleurodesis has become a procedure to can be carried out in outpatient clinics by physicians. This simplifies its execution considerably while maintaining the indices of efficacy. Therefore, there is no need for hospitalization, which would deprive patients, during this difficult phase of their life, of contact with their families.
1. DiBonito L, Falconieri G, Colautti I, Bonifacio D, Dudine S. The positive pleural effusion. A retrospective study of cytopathologic diagnoses with autopsy confirmation. Acta Cytol. 1992;36(3):329-32.
2. Light RW, editor. Pleural diseases. 3rd ed. Baltimore: Williams & Wilkins; 1995.
3. Varga FS, Teixeira LR, Marchi E. Derrame pleural. 4a ed. São Paulo: Roca; 2004.
4. Genc O, Petrou M, Ladas G, Goldstraw P. The long-term morbidity of pleuroperitoneal shunts in the management of recurrent malignant effusions. Eur J Cardiothorac Surg. 2000;18(2):143-6.
5. Vargas FS, Teixeira LR. Pleural malignancies. Curr Opin Pulm Med. 1996;2(4):335-40.
6. Dikensoy O, Light RW. Alternative widely available, inexpensive agents for pleurodesis. Curr Opin Pulm Med. 2005;11(4):340-4.
7. de Campos JR, Vargas FS, de Campos Werebe E, Cardoso P, Teixeira LR, Jatene FB, et al. Thoracoscopy talc poudrage: a 15-year experience. Chest. 2001;119(3):801-6.
8. Webb WR, Ozmen V, Moulder PV, Shabahang B, Breaux J. Iodized talc pleurodesis for the treatment of pleural effusions. J Thorac Cardiovasc Surg. 1992;103(5):881-5; discussion 885-6.
9. Marrazzo A, Noto A, Casa L, Taormina P, Lo Gerfo D, David M, et al. Video-thoracoscopic surgical pleurodesis in the management of malignant pleural effusion: the importance of an early intervention. J Pain Symptom Manage. 2005l;30(1):75-9.
10. Crnjac A, Sok M, Kamenik M. Impact of pleural effusion pH on the efficacy of thoracoscopic mechanical pleurodesis in patients with breast carcinoma. Eur J Cardiothorac Surg. 2004;26(2):432-6.
11. Shaw P, Agarwal R. Pleurodesis for malignant pleural effusions. Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2004;(1):CD002916. Comment in: ACP J Club. 2004;141(2):43.
12. Dresler CM, Olak J, Herndon JE 2nd, Richards WG, Scalzetti E, Fleishman SB, Kernstine KH, Demmy T, Jablons DM, Kohman L, Daniel TM, Haasler GB, Sugarbaker DJ; Cooperative Groups Cancer and Leukemia Group B; Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group; North Central Cooperative Oncology Group; Radiation Therapy Oncology Group. Phase III intergroup study of talc poudrage vs talc slurry sclerosis for malignant pleural effusion. Chest. 2005;127(3):909-15.
13. Rehse DH, Aye RW, Florence MG. Respiratory failure following talc pleurodesis. Am J Surg. 1999;177(5):437-40.
14. Maskell NA, Lee YC, Gleeson FV, Hedley EL, Pengelly G, Davies RJ. Randomized trials describing lung inflammation after pleurodesis with talc of varying particle size. Am J Respir Crit Care Med. 2004;170(4):377-82.
15. Paschoalini MS, Vargas FS, Marchi E, Pereira JR, Jatene FB, Antonangelo L, et al. Prospective randomized trial of silver nitrate vs talc slurry in pleurodesis for symptomatic malignant pleural effusions. Chest. 2005;128(2):684-9.
16. Vargas FS, Antonangelo L, Capelozzi V, Vaz MA, Genofre EH, Marchi E, et al. Lung damage in experimental pleurodesis induced by silver nitrate or talc: 1-year follow-up. Chest. 2002;122(6):2122-6.
17. Sartori S, Tassinari D, Ceccotti P, Tombesi P, Nielsen I, Trevisani L, et al. Prospective randomized trial of intrapleural bleomycin versus interferon alfa-2b via ultrasound-guided small-bore chest tube in the palliative treatment of malignant pleural effusions. J Clin Oncol. 2004;22(7):1228-33.
18. Ren S, Terman DS, Bohach G, Silvers A, Hansen C, Colt H, et al. Intrapleural staphylococcal superantigen induces resolution of malignant pleural effusions and a survival benefit in non-small cell lung cancer. Chest. 2004;126(5):1529-39.
19. Gary Lee YC, Teixeira LR, Devin CJ, Vaz MA, Vargas FS, Thompson PJ, et al. Transforming growth factor-beta2 induces pleurodesis significantly faster than talc. Am J Respir Crit Care Med. 2001;163(3 Pt 1):640-4.
20. Clemensten P, Evald T, Grode G, Hansen M, Krag Jacobsen G, Faurschou P. Treatment of malignant pleural effusion: pleurodesis using a small percutaneous catheter. A prospective randomised study. Respir Med. 1998;92(3):593-6.
21. Yildirim E, Dural K, Yazkan R, Zengin N, Yildirim D, Gunal N, et al. Rapid pleurodesis in symptomatic malignant pleural effusion. Eur J Cardiothorac Surg. 2005;27(1):19-22.
* Study carried out by the Pleura Group of the Pulmonology Department, Instituto do Coração (InCor, Heart Institute), Universidade de São Paulo (USP, University of São Paulo) School of Medicine - São Paulo, Brazil.
1. Ph.D. Professor in the Pulmonology Department of the Universidade de São Paulo (USP, University of São Paulo) School of Medicine - São Paulo, Brazil. Attending physician in the Pulmonology Department of the Instituto do Coração (InCor, Heart Institute) of the Universidade de São Paulo (USP, University of São Paulo) School of Medicine Hospital das Clínicas - São Paulo, Brazil
2. Tenured Professor in the Pulmonology Department of the Universidade de São Paulo (USP, University of São Paulo) School of Medicine - São Paulo, Brazil. Associate Professor, Chief of the Department of Thoracic Surgery at the Faculdade de Medicina Jundiaí (FMJ, Jundiaí School of Medicine) - Jundiaí, Brazil
3. Full Professor in the Pulmonology Department of the Universidade de São Paulo (USP, University of São Paulo) School of Medicine - São Paulo. Brazil. Director of the Pulmonology Department of the Instituto do Coração (InCor, Heart Institute) of the Universidade de São Paulo (USP, University of São Paulo) School of Medicine Hospital das Clínicas - São Paulo, Brazil
Correspondence to: Francisco Suso Vargas. R. Itapeva, 500, 4C, Bela Vista - CEP: 01332-000, São Paulo, SP, Brazil. E-mail: pnevargas@incor.usp.br; vargasfs@terra.com.br
Submitted: 3 January 2006. Accepted, after review: 12 January 2006.
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- behind the screen with independent designers, developers and others.
Joe Crawford
From Respiratory Therapy to Pixel Therapy.
Joe believes the web is a good thing.
"It's about what you do with the materials at your disposal"
What did you do before the Web?
Before the web I was a Respiratory Therapist. That's the derivation of the "Lung" part of "ArtLung".
Prior to being an RT I was directionless. As a 15 year old kid I fell in love with what I could do with the Amiga Computer. I put together resumés for family members and did computer graphics and some animation. That was at 15 or 16 years old. My first job was in a bank, then I worked in a library for a while. These were key formative jobs for me, as I started to learn about business, customers, the whole enchilada.
Before the web, I read Douglas Adams' Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy (in 1983), Gibson's Neuromancer (in 1984), Bruce Sterling's Islands in the Net (in 1989), and Clifford Stoll's Cuckoo's Egg (in 1989). This reading mentally prepared me for the idea of a global information network. I had an awareness that there was this internet "thing" that eventually I'd meet up with. I think I internalized that the net was necessarily going to be influenced by the same kind of forces that influence our daily lives -- government and business especially. I also realized that cyberspace would be globally available to anyone who cared to jack into the network. The cliché that "on the Internet, nobody knows you're a dog" should be a source for celebration, liberation, but also caution.
How did you find the web?
I found it at World Cafe in Santa Monica, California in 1995. It was a bar and internet cafe. I would go there late at night and surf what must have been Netscape 2 browsers. Surfing and searching and playing on irc was so cool. The concept of talking to people around the world on these little text interfaces was mind-blowing. HAM radio had been around for decades, but this was on computers, which made it better.
I bought Laura Lemay's "Teach Yourself HTML 3.2 in 14 Days" book and wrote my first HTML page longhand while I was working the night shift at a hospital in downtown L.A. The next morning I keyed it into SimpleText on my Mac and was stunned that it worked. I've been hooked since.
Why are you here?
To explore and to learn and to share. I like contributing to something that is "greater than the sum of the parts." I also take a great deal of pleasure from sites I've built for people which actually do things and make a change in their lives. I'm probably proudest of WebSanDiego.org, which I started 3 years ago now (it's March 2002 as I write this). I threw it together after having knocked around in various online forums for a while -- Dennis Wilen's Web405, WebMonster's web design list, and I remember really enjoying Usenet. I particularly like being part of good online communities. The benefits of meeting people you would not ordinarily meet are wonderful.
In the 1980's there was a PBS show hosted by a cartoonist - he'd have a guest on and they'd chat and draw. Wonderful, short-lived show. I remember someone on that show saying that when he was coming up he thought that having the right pen would be the thing that would turn him into a "professional" like a Herblock or Charles Schulz. But at some point he said he realized it's not about the "right" brush or pen, it's about what you do with the materials at your disposal.
Methods of production
What do you use to create your sites?
I'm partial to TextPad and BBEdit . Also emacs. You can read the artlung.com colophon for a list of the tools I use to build my personal projects. I suppose at one time or another I've touched a bit of everything - from HTML markup to JavaScript to server side scripting to databases - from Windows to *nix servers. I also bill myself as a designer, though I do less of that than I'd like. I end up doing a lot of crazy tasks -- I love a good challenge. Example: I built a word count of a hundreds-of-pages website for a potential client out of the unix tools -- linklint, lynx, curl, xpdf, and wc. It was wild to be able to mix and match tools in ways I had not imagined. The capacity to find new ways to use skills we have is invaluable.
What do you see as the greatest strengths of the web?
Empowerment. The ability to give back to community. I think being able to re-create yourself is amazing. It certainly has been for me.
What do you see as the greatest dangers?
The main danger to the web is from those who think empowerment of individuals is a problem. People with an interest in taking away personal empowerment use financial and political influence to destroy or hobble the Internet. The battles over copyright, fair use, encryption, basically anything the EFF is squawking about, are about that collision. Another danger to the web is that it will become a mirror of the problems we have in the real world.
A third danger is that companies sometimes have an interest in undermining the data formats we use on the web by making the web proprietary. This is why I am proud to have gotten involved with the Web Standards Project when it was first forming. That's a continuous battle as new standards come into use. It's important that no one company have the capacity to control what happens on the web.
What would you say to folks who want to work the web?
You have to have the ganas to work on web stuff. All you need is desire. The technology changes frequently, and you have to keep up. The tools we use are always playing catch-up ball with best practices in accessibility, standards compliance, usability, design, browsers. If you keep your eye on the state of the art, work hard, and try to have fun with it, you're set.
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Artlung.com
WebSanDiego.org
artlung.com colophon
ArtLung Blog
Web Standards Project
Islands in the Net
Cuckoo's Egg
Teach Yourself HTML 3.2 in 14 Days
· p i x e l v i e w ·
a lemurzone design production
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Our Top 10 Picks
Traveller Essentials
102 reviews on Yelp
Oxford Street is the most popular shopping destination in all of London, among the best in the world. From budget firesale prices to the utmost of luxury, Oxford Street has something for everyone, regardless of wallet size.
Behind Our Choice
Being London’s premier shopping hub and the nexus gathering different brands, Oxford Street houses at least five different chain department stores (including Selfridges, Debenhams, John Lewis and House of Fraser). Together, they prove greater than the sum of their parts, providing a shopping experience that not only leads London but the United Kingdom as a whole as well.
Having long left its history as a 17th-century fresh produce market behind, Covent Garden is one of London's popular shopping and entertainment district, and a can't miss destination for all visitors to London.
The Market Building
Covent Garden has more than the typical high-end brands. What sets this destination apart are the eclectic merchant stalls in the Market Building, the abundance of gastronomic options, and a great variety of street performances. Shoppers, foodies, and sightseers can each find what they are looking for here.
Oxford Street Carnaby Street
Carnaby Street
55 reviews on Yelp
Located in London's famous Soho, Carnaby Street is a pedestrianised street filled with fashion and lifestyle retailers that focus on the hip and trendy.
31 Carnaby Street
Surrounded by colourful buildings, Carnaby Street is filled with a relaxed and laid back vibe that has given to rise many of London’s signature subcultures, from Mods and Skinheads to Punks and the New Romantics. Visit and see what is potentially the newest trend to come out of London!
Covent Garden Harrods
The world-leading luxury department store Harrods features over 300 departments with a wide range of products and services across its over one million square feet of retail space.
87-135 Brompton Road
An attraction with a royal past and historical significance, Harrods is more than your typical department store. Not only does it hold warrants from her Majesty the Queen and Prince Charles, the store had also displayed memorable items in its past from the autographs of Marilyn Monroe and Gandhi to BB King’s guitar. None who visits London for more than an airport transfer should miss this landmark institution.
Carnaby Street Selfridges
Founded in 1906, the award-winning Selfridges is an iconic department store with its current flagship store on Oxford Street, featuring over 400 brands covering womenswear, menswear and beauty.
Considered a London landmark, Selfridges has won many accolades, including three ‘Best Department Store in the World’ wins and one ‘ World’s Best Sustainability Campaign by a Department Store’ in various Global Department Store Summits in the 2010s. Though less historical than Harrods and not as diverse as other shopping attractions, Selfridges is perhaps the best in London when it comes to providing a pure shopping experience.
Harrods Liberty London
Situated on Great Marlborough Street, the 140-year old Liberty London is a whimsical department store specialising in eccentric designs.
As a department store dedicated to unique goods, Liberty London is perhaps best known for its prints and fabrics, having inspired many British designers such as Christopher Kane. These iconic prints are available in various forms, including stationary, accessories and scarves. Not only would they be perfect souvenirs for visitors to London, but it would also make great gifts for friends and family back home.
Selfridges Fortnum & Mason
Founded in 1707, Fortnum & Mason situated in Piccadilly is famous worldwide for their tea and teaware.
Fortnum & Mason embodies the British stereotypical tea culture. Simply enter the shop, and you would immediately be assaulted by the visual spectacle of shelves upon shelves of elegant Mint coloured tea tins. Where better to pick up what you need to create the perfect English afternoon tea in the comforts of your own home.
Liberty London Harvey Nichols
Harvey Nichols is a chain of luxury department store founded in 1831, with its flagship store in Knightsbridge, focusing on high-end fashion brands.
109-125 Knightsbridge
With branches across Europe, the Middle East, and Asia, Harvey Nichols is a cultural ambassador of British luxury. While this means some travellers can find their branches closer to home, it is still worth the time to make a visit to their spacious and chic Knightsbridge flagship.
Fortnum & Mason Westfield London
Westfield London
Located in Shepherd's Bush, Westfield London is the London branch of an Australian shopping centre chain that provides the full mall experience, including food, shopping, cinemas, and more!
Ariel Way
Despite having three main floors, over 360 retail outlets, and a 17 screen cinema which hosted the Captain America 3: Civil War European premiere, Westfield London remains unsatisfied with the experience they can offer, with an ongoing expansion scheduled for completion in Spring 2018. Combined with the dedicated luxury section affectionately named ‘the Village’ designed by Michael Gabellini featuring 40 international and British luxury brands, Westfield London has nowhere to go but up on www.london.com’s Top 10 list despite their Australian roots.
Harvey Nichols Hamley’s
With two and a half centuries of history on its side, Hamley’s is one of the world’s best-known toy retailers and a popular tourist destination for adults and children alike.
As the leading toy store in the United Kingdom, Hamley’s can claim success in a myriad of means, but since we are discussing England, perhaps it is easiest to mention the Royals: Hamley enjoys TWO Royal Warrants from Queen Mary and Queen Elizabeth II respectively. They also feature a diverse array of toys, figurines, novelty gifts from franchises such as Harry Potter and Lord of the Rings, ensuring something for everybody. And if we were ranking solely based on Christmas performances, Hamley would perhaps take the crown with its annual toy parade, the largest in the world!
© 2019 www.london.com. All Rights Reserved.
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Award-Winning Chef and Restaurateur
Meet the DC Chef who has gained international success promoting the cuisine and culture of his home region. Chef Luigi is a world-renowned authority on Italian cooking and living. A celebrity favorite for decades, this certified Sommelier and Television Personality is known for promoting culinary traditions on the verge of extinction in the United States, Italy and around the globe.
EXPERIENCE AT AN EARLY AGE
AN EXPERT IN THE FIELD
WORLD MARATHON RUNNER!
Born on a farm near Lagonegro, Basilicata, Chef Luigi’s farm to table roots created the foundation for his current culinary philosophy. “My sister still maintains the same rituals that she learned 60 years ago and we still enjoy her homemade cheese,” says Chef Luigi. He is proud to uphold the same traditions of making everything from scratch in his restaurants. His role as a restaurateur enables him to preserve culinary history with each plate he presents.
As a distinguished alumnus from the culinary school in Maretea, Chef Luigi’s formal training includes working in renowned restaurants all over the world. He opened Al Tiramisu Restaurant in 1996 and was awarded the coveted Insegna del Ristorante Italiano, the seal of approval by the President of Italy as well as Slow Food DC’s Snail of Approval Award. His latest concept, Aperto opened in the fall of 2016. In 2017, Chef Luigi was named Ambassador of Basilicata’s Cuisine in the World by the Federation of Italian Cooks. When he is not cooking for celebrities like Italian Prime Minister Mario Monti, Former Secretary of State John Kerry, and actor George Clooney, Chef Luigi makes frequent appearances on U.S. and Italian television and has been featured in countless print media articles. Chef Luigi is a member of the American Chefs Corps Network through the U.S. Department of State. Chef Luigi is also a member of The James Beard Foundation, The Diplomatic Culinary Partnership, Slow Food DC, The International Association of Culinary Professionals, the Culinary Historians of Washington, The Federation of Italian Cooks, and is affiliated with the National Concierge Association and Ciao Italia. Chef Luigi is the first certified Sommelier from the Association of Italian Sommeliers in Washington, DC.
Holding dual citizenships, Chef Luigi is passionate about giving back to both communities which he considers home. He recently founded a non-profit Organization called Basilicata: A Way of Living, to maintain the local traditions of the region while creating jobs and tourism. He also founded Pasta Lab, an event which pairs professional chefs with female home cooks to uphold the artisan pasta making traditions of the past.In Washington, D.C. Chef Luigi teaches the students in the culinary program at the DC Central Kitchen to make the same time-honored recipes creating a culinary bridge betweenhis two cities and their cultures. Chef Luigi spends the little free time he has attending and conducting demonstrations at the farmers markets, participating in culinary competitions, hosting benefit events and cooking with local school children.
Healthful and Delicious Dishes Come Naturally to an International Marathon Runner
“For 40 years, I have provided the distinctive, dignified, authentic cooking of Italian food, so simple, pure and sparkling fresh that it nourishes your body and embraces your soul” As an international marathon runner, Chef Luigi understands the important role that nutrition plays in overall health and optimal performance. Many of his recipes demonstrate how to eat healthfully without sacrificing flavor. One of his all-time fan favorites, the Vegetable Terrine with Red Pepper and Seed Coulis is elegant enough to be served at an upscale buffet, yet easy enough to be prepared at home and allows enough for you to enjoy leftovers! View the recipe here.
This unique collection of more than 100 mouthwatering recipes reveals the history of Al Tiramisu, Washington, D.C’s “most authentic” Italian restaurant, as well as the life story its owner, Chef Luigi Diotaiuti. The book welcomes readers to Al Tiramisu – sharing memories and favorite dishes of both celebrity diners and cherished clients. Chef Luigi leads you through a culinary tour back to his homeland of Basilicata, Italy and shares secrets from some of the finest dining establishments around the globe where he began his career. The final chapter outlines Chef Luigi’s life in America and includes recipes that he served at the James Beard Foundation and in cross-cultural culinary venues on both sides of the Atlantic. Each beloved recipe represents Al Tiramisu’s “elevated” Italian cooking style and features an Italian cooking tip and a wine pairing.
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Watch: New rent regulations come into force as of January 2020; seeks stability in sector
A minimum period of one year, minimum notice periods for both landlords and tenants, and obligatory contract registration are some of the points within what Prime Minister Joseph Muscat described as a landmark rent reform.
The rent reform, which comes at the end of an almost year long process, seeks to remove a situation wherein around 8% of those living in Malta were subject to what Muscat described as the “laws of the jungle” by adding security, stability, flexibility and efficiency to the rental sector.
Praising the content of the law, Muscat noted that “the notion that a landlord can kick you out of your house from one day to the next is over”, and said that this is a law that has to stand the test of time and the test of different economic cycles.
He said that it was not based on heavy-handed regulation, as that would have resulted in either the market rebelling or the government being taken to court, but is based on incentivising landlords.
Muscat noted that the new law must pass the test of Parliament and pledged that the government will listen to feedback from the Opposition and make changes if the suggested alternatives are deemed to conform to the thought process behind the reforms.
Kurt Scerri, who headed the reforms, said at a press conference at Castille Palace that this reform will make sure that Malta has a European standard of laws when it comes to the rental sector while also closing off various loopholes and making the sector more formal and transparent. He noted that the reform would be based on four pillars; stability, flexibility, safety, and efficiency.
Parliamentary Secretary for Social Accommodation Roderick Galdes echoed this notion before adding that the amount of research done into this law was without precedent.
“The rental market should not be a question of success for one and misery for another; I have faith that this law gives the solutions needed to address a number of challenges and be part of a holistic strategy in housing”, he said.
Justice Minister Owen Bonnici meanwhile praised the legal reforms that are being introduced within this reform, saying that it was important that efficiency is being improved and that remedies would be given out in shorter times.
The new law applies to rental contracts which have a residential scope, and do not apply to social or touristic leases. Neither does it apply to contracts which were signed before 1995.
A mandatory duration of one year has been introduced so to provide stability to tenants, while fiscal incentives for landlords who rent their property for longer than the minimum period have also been introduced.
In the case of any case of a let, landlords remain free to fix their initial rent price, while each contract contains a minimum period that the tenant has to live in the rented property, a minimum notice period that the tenant has to give to the landlord if they intend to release themselves, and a minimum notice period that the landlord has to give to the tenant if they intend on not renewing the contract.
In the case of a yearlong rent, the price of the rent remains fixed for the duration of the contract. The landlord is bound to give a three-month notice period before expiration that the contract will not be renewed; otherwise the contract is automatically renewed for another year. The tenant meanwhile is obliged to stay in the property for the first two months of the contract before having the right to release themselves from the contract, while if the intention is to be released from the contract, the tenant must give the landlord a month’s notice.
For a two-year rent, the obligations essentially remain the same; however the tenant’s obligation to stay in the property increases to the first four months, and the tenant’s notice to the landlord in the case of a release from contract increases to two months. In the case of leases of three years or longer, the former obligation increases to six months, and the latter to three months.
In both cases, the landlord is free to increase the rent price during the contractual period, with the increase being pegged to the Property Price Index but, at the same time, not exceeding 5% per year.
Those renting property on two-year or three-or-more-year leases will also be eligible for tax credits which vary according to the size of the property.
Those renting out a single bedroom house for two years will be eligible for a tax credit of €200, while those renting such a property for three years or more will be eligible for a tax credit of €300. Those renting out a double bedroom property will receive €300 if they rent it out for two years and €400 if they rent it out for three years or more. The credit is at its highest for those renting out a property of three bedrooms or more; if the landlord rents out such a property for two years, they will receive €400 and if they rent it out for three years or more, they will receive €500.
The new Act does have a proviso for shorter contracts and seeks to regulate what are termed as ‘Room Rentals’ and ‘Short Lets’, both of which will have a duration of six months. This applies for foreign workers who are temporarily in the country for six months or less; students on short courses; foreign tenants who are not looking to establish long term residence in Malta; and Maltese tenants who need to rent an ordinary residence for a period less than six months.
In these cases, tenants are obliged to use the property for the first month and must give a seven-day notice to the landlord if they wish to be released from it. The contract, which is fixed at six months in length, is not renewable.
In all these cases, the reforms stipulate that it is compulsory to register the rental contract with the Housing Authority, along with a declaration of the deposit and a full inventory of the contents in the property and their condition.
The number of people residing in the property must be indicated to ARMS as well, while tenants are authorised to know their water and electricity consumption through the landlord as well. Where there is a lack of compliance on the part of the landlord, the tenant may recover additional expenses by deducting these expenses from their rent payment.
ARMS have also been instructed that in the case where residents are shown to be occupying and renting out a property, they cannot interrupt the provision of water and electricity.
The Housing Authority will also be given the Budget and resources to be able to employ Enforcement Officers who would be specifically engaged to regulate the housing market.
In the case that the rental contract is not registered, the tenant can inform the Housing Authority who will carry out their own independent investigation. If they find that the landlord is in breach of regulations, the Authority will give him or her the opportunity to confirm themselves with the law, but if the landlord still does not conform after that period of time, the Authority can open proceedings with the Rent Regulation Board which can stipulate an administrative fine of up to €10,000 to the landlord.
Furthermore, the Rent Regulation Board can also act in favour of the tenant in the case of breaches and impose that the property is rented to the tenant for a period of three years and for not more than 75% of its market value.
A new mechanism will also be created as part of this act, wherein a specialised panel within the Housing Authority will address comparatively minor claims which relate to deposits or maintenance and which do not exceed €5,000.
The panel will be composed of legal and technical experts, while claims should be submitted in writing along with all the necessary evidence. The panel can, if it deems fit, take a decision on the case in camera and without summoning either of the parties, although the decision remains appealable before the Court of Appeal. Such claims have to be decided within five working days from the last submission of evidence.
When it comes to evictions meanwhile, the law will be amended so that in a court case against a tenant, the magistrate can pronounce him or herself with regards to the eviction of the tenant at the first hearing irrespective of whether there are any other pending matters, including arrears.
The landlord also has the right to demand compensatory payment from the tenant in the case of over-holding, wherein the tenant would overstay their contract after its expiration.
The regulations will come into force on the first day of 2020, meaning that all new contracts signed after 1 January of that year have to be registered with the Housing Authority.
If a valid contract is ongoing and ends at some point during 2020, then it will be allowed to expire without the necessity of being registered, however for similar contracts which are invalid – in that they are not in writing or lack an essential condition – the rent will be considered a de-facto lease and the tenant will have the remedies mentioned earlier to fall back upon.
In the case of valid contracts that are currently ongoing and extend past 2020 and into 2021, the conditions of the new law will begin to apply as of 1 January 2021.
No Parliament on Tuesday on first anniversary of murder of Daphne Caruana Galizia
Parliament will not be held tomorrow to honour the one year anniversary since the assassination of journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia. ...
Moviment Patrijotti Maltin Leader Resigns After Party Wins Fewer Than 800 Votes At MEP Election
Posted on May 27, 2019 May 27, 2019 0 Comments 0
Henry Battistino has resigned as leader of the Moviment Patrijotti Maltin in light of yesterday’s European Parliament election results, which...
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Home Newcastle News INTERCHANGE TO FEATURE A PIECE OF LOCAL HISTORY
INTERCHANGE TO FEATURE A PIECE OF LOCAL HISTORY
Tyson Cottrill
The new Wickham Interchange will feature a unique piece of Newcastle’s local history.
The Wickham World War I honour roll was originally installed at Wickham Superior Public School in 1918 as a memorial to the school’s 326 staff and students who served in the war.
The marble and granite structure – that weighs in at 1.2 tonnes – was donated to Newcastle Museum following the 1989 earthquake.
It remained on display there until 2008 when the museum was relocated to Honeysuckle, when the memorial was moved into storage.
The memorial was delivered in 48 pieces and installed by a specialist team of stonemasons on the main concourse.
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http://www.nbnnews.com.au
Tyson Cottrill is a journalist and producer based in Newcastle, with 10 years television news experience. Tyson first began work with NBN in 2007, before being employed as a journalist at Channel Nine in Sydney, Brisbane and the Gold Coast. Born and raised in Newcastle, Tyson has a Bachelor of Communications from Charles Sturt University.
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Education in Mount Prospect
Mount Prospect has a number of distinct and award winning school districts. It has multiple districts that serve the entire village. Central Mount Prospect is served by Mount Prospect School District 57. North (and somewhat east) Mount Prospect is served by River Trails School District 26. South (and somewhat west) Mount Prospect is served by Elk Grove Community Consolidated School District 59.
A very small portion of northern Mount Prospect in its northernmost point is served by Buffalo Grove-Wheeling Community Consolidated District 21. A small part of north central Mount Prospect is also served by Arlington Heights School District 25. Township High School District 214 serves Mount Prospect, served by multiple High Schools, all but Buffalo Grove High School. Prospect High School is the only one located within the village. Two (K-8) Catholic parochial schools are located within Mount Prospect.
Mount Prospect Geography
Mount Prospect is located at 42°3′56″N 87°56′10″W (42.065427, -87.936217). According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 10.2 square miles, of which, 10.2 square miles of it is land and 0.04 square miles (0.1 km²) of it (0.39%) is water. At 665 feet above sea level, Mount Prospect is a high point in the immediate area.
Mount Prospect Demographics
As of the census of 2000, there were 56,265 people, 21,585 households, and 15,152 families residing in the city. The population density was 5,513.1 people per square mile. There were 21,952 housing units at an average density of 2,151.0 per square mile. The racial makeup of the city was 78.13% White, 1.82% African American, 0.20% Native American, 11.18% Asian, 0.05% Pacific Islander, 4.14% from other races, and 2.02% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 13.77% of the population.
All information about Mount Prospect courtesy Wikipedia.
Not looking in the suburbs? Search for homes in the Loop
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About DOR
Charles Lea
Feeling like he couldn’t confide in anyone about his depression, Charles turned to DOR to help him look for employment and gained not only employment, but financial and emotional support.
Charles - I think up until before I came into the DOR and became a consumer of the program, I really experienced a lot of challenges both personal and academic.
I’m the only black male of my program among faculty and among students. Going through this program for the past five and a half years has been a very isolating experience. I think with that and the lack of support that I really needed to move myself forward just put me in that little place and it just made it really hard. In addition to trying to manage my financial expenses. It's LA it so it's really expensive here especially trying to be a student. I’ve been struggling on and off as I mentioned with the depression. Trying to manage the things that I can on my own and it was just really hard. There were days where I would just lay in bed and couldn't get out couldn't do anything. I wasn't making any progress, most of my attention was going towards trying to find employment and school was dragging along and the experiences that I had within my program didn't help with that as well.
I feel like I’ve been placed in settings where I’ve always been the only one and because I’ve been the only one, I’ve been afforded opportunities that maybe others haven’t. Yet with that, I feel that as a result I've had to work harder in the sense to where I can't show any signs of weakness and I can't let anyone down. When there have been experiences where I'm dealing with my depression, I'm not able to really disclose that or to really identify, someone that I could receive some support from. Especially being the only one it's for one hard to trust others outside of your racial ethnic group in many settings especially when you’re the only one. Two, in professional settings you’re not sure how others are going to be received by that. Things that are personal, I tend to keep personal in professional settings, but when it start to clash it makes it a really big challenge to deal with which makes the depression in some instances worse. But I think that because I am a black male I feel like I've had to work harder. I think that to obtain certain things in some instances but or to be respected or to be recognized on the same level as others and that in many instances causes so much pressure because you always want to do well. And again, you don't want to show any signs of weakness or that you're incompetent or anything like that. I think that that creates a lot of anxiety for myself which perpetuates the depression and insomnia and many different things. It's just it's a ripple effect. I think. It sucks.
Coming into this program and then getting the support that I need to move forward, that's really helping me. I think with just lifting my spirits, being more optimistic about the future, in addition to allowing me to be able to take advantage of opportunities that I may not have had, the ability to do on my own.
It just feels good to have to know that you have some extra support and going on that job market. It was great. I was able to share some of the great things that were happening with my counselor.
She would tell me of other supports that they could provide that might be useful to ensure that I was able to get a job and I actually did end up getting a job throughout this process. My counselor was one of the first persons I thank about that. I let her know along the way about where I was getting interviews and what I was doing.
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Not in Hall of Fame If it's not in the Hall of Fame, it's at Not in Hall of Fame
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Difference between revisions of "Thomas Kirker"
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<p>Thomas Kirker was an early governor of Ohio and political leader. </p>
<p>Born in Tyrone County, Ireland, in 1760, Kirker immigrated with his family to Lancaster, Pennsylvania, at the age of nineteen. After marrying Sarah Smith in 1790, he and his wife moved to Kentucky. The Kirkers did not remain in Kentucky long, moving north to modern-day Ohio in 1793. Eventually, Kirker settled in Liberty Township in Adams County, where he lived the rest of his life.</p>
Thomas Kirker was an early governor of Ohio and political leader.
Born in Tyrone County, Ireland, in 1760, Kirker immigrated with his family to Lancaster, Pennsylvania, at the age of nineteen. After marrying Sarah Smith in 1790, he and his wife moved to Kentucky. The Kirkers did not remain in Kentucky long, moving north to modern-day Ohio in 1793. Eventually, Kirker settled in Liberty Township in Adams County, where he lived the rest of his life.
Kirker became an influential figure in the Northwest Territory, and Governor Arthur St. Clair appointed him to be a justice of the peace in 1797. Over the next several years, Kirker, a member of the Democratic-Republican Party, actively campaigned for Ohio statehood to the consternation of Governor St. Clair, a member of the Federalist Party. Kirker represented Adams County at Ohio's first Constitutional Convention in 1802 and as a member of the General Assembly (1803-1815, 1816-1817, and 1821-1825). He served as speaker of the Ohio Senate for seven terms between 1804 and 1815 and as Speaker of the Ohio House from 1816 to 1817.
Kirker became acting governor of Ohio in March 1807, when Governor Edward Tiffin resigned to become a United States Senator. His term was supposed to end after the gubernatorial election in October 1807, but Return J. Meigs Jr.'s election was overturned because he had not resided in Ohio for four straight years prior to the election. Instead, Kirker remained as acting governor for the duration of the 1807-1808 term.
As governor, Kirker dealt with Ohio citizens' concerns about Native American threats in western Ohio. He sent Thomas Worthington and Duncan McArthur to Fort Greene Ville in late 1807 to investigate, but the two men found no evidence to support the settlers' concerns. Because of Worthington's and McArthur's report, military conflict with the Native Americans did not materialize during Kirker's administration.
In 1808, Kirker ran against fellow Democratic-Republicans Thomas Worthington and Samuel Huntington for the governorship. Both Kirker and Worthington held similar political beliefs, arguing that the state legislature was supreme in creating law, while Huntington believed that ultimate authority to determine constitutionality of law rested with the Ohio Supreme Court. Kirker and Worthington split the vote among those sharing their view, allowing Huntington to gain the majority and become the state's next governor. Kirker returned to the state legislature, where he continued to represent Adams County until he retired from public service. He died in 1837.
Duncan McArthur
Arthur St. Clair
Edward Tiffin
Fort Greene Ville
Northwest Territory
Ohio Constitutional Convention of 1802
Return J. Meigs, Jr
Thomas Worthington
Democratic-Republican Party
Retrieved from "http://www.ohiohistorycentral.org/index.php?title=Thomas_Kirker&oldid=33457"
History People
Early Statehood
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Parents-Teachers
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White House history and facts:
For more than 200 years, the White House has been more than just the home of the Presidents and their families. Throughout the world, it is recognized as the symbol of the President, of the President's administration, and of the United States.
For two hundred years, the White House has stood as a symbol of the Presidency, the United States government, and the American people. Its history, and the history of the nation's capital, began when President George Washington signed an Act of Congress in December of 1790 declaring that the federal government would reside in a district "not exceeding ten miles square on the river Potomac." President Washington, together with city planner Pierre L'Enfant, chose the site for the new residence, which is now 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue. As preparations began for the new federal city, a competition was held to find a builder of the "President's House." Nine proposals were submitted, and Irish-born architect James Hoban won a gold medal for his practical and handsome design.
Construction began when the first cornerstone was laid in October of 1792. Although President Washington oversaw the construction of the house, he never lived in it. It was not until 1800, when the White House was nearly completed, that its first residents, President John Adams and his wife, Abigail, moved in. Since that time, each President has made his own changes and additions. The White House is, after all, the President's private home. It is also the only private residence of a head of state that is open to the public, free of charge.
The White House has a unique and fascinating history. It survived a fire at the hands of the British in 1814 (during the war of 1812) and another fire in the West Wing in 1929, while Herbert Hoover was President. Throughout much of Harry S. Truman's presidency, the interior of the house, with the exception of the third floor, was completely gutted and renovated while the Trumans lived at Blair House, right across Pennsylvania Avenue. Nonetheless, the exterior stone walls are those first put in place when the White House was constructed two centuries ago.
Presidents can express their individual style in how they decorate some parts of the house and in how they receive the public during their stay. Thomas Jefferson held the first Inaugural open house in 1805. Many of those who attended the swearing-in ceremony at the U.S. Capitol simply followed him home, where he greeted them in the Blue Room. President Jefferson also opened the house for public tours, and it has remained open, except during wartime, ever since. In addition, he welcomed visitors to annual receptions on New Year's Day and on the Fourth of July. In 1829, a horde of 20,000 Inaugural callers forced President Andrew Jackson to flee to the safety of a hotel while, on the lawn, aides filled washtubs with orange juice and whiskey to lure the mob out of the mud-tracked White House.
After Abraham Lincoln's presidency, Inaugural crowds became far too large for the White House to accommodate them comfortably. However, not until Grover Cleveland's first presidency did this unsafe practice change. He held a presidential review of the troops from a flag-draped grandstand built in front of the White House. This procession evolved into the official Inaugural parade we know today. Receptions on New Year's Day and the Fourth of July continued to be held until the early 1930s.
More White House facts:
There are 132 rooms, 35 bathrooms, and 6 levels in the Residence. There are also 412 doors, 147 windows, 28 fireplaces, 8 staircases, and 3 elevators.
At various times in history, the White House has been known as the "President's Palace," the "President's House," and the "Executive Mansion." President Theodore Roosevelt officially gave the White House its current name in 1901.
Presidential Firsts while in office... President James Polk (1845-49) was the first President to have his photograph taken... President Theodore Roosevelt (1901-09) was not only the first President to ride in an automobile, but also the first President to travel outside the country when he visited Panama... President Franklin Roosevelt (1933-45) was the first President to ride in an airplane.
With five full-time chefs, the White House kitchen is able to serve dinner to as many as 140 guests and hors d'oeuvres to more than 1,000.
The White House requires 570 gallons of paint to cover its outside surface.
For recreation, the White House has a variety of facilities available to its residents, including a tennis court, jogging track, swimming pool, movie theater, and bowling lane.
4th of July Coloring Pages US President Military Coloring Pages US Flag Patriotic Symbols to Color History for Kids
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Mutated viral strain worrying vets, boarders, owners
Pet Spa & Resort owner Lynn Wilkins with some of her guests photo by Amy Shewchuk
BY AMY SHEWCHUK
HARDYSTON, N.J. — It only took a few coughs from some recent boarding canine clientele for Lynn Wilkins of the Pet Spa & Resort in Hardyston, N.J., to want to find some answers.
“I was alerted by a new client whose dogs had a cough after boarding with us and within two days afterwards I noticed some of my regular boarders coughing,” said Wilkins, who has owned and operated the sprawling facility off Route 94 for over 20 years.
“We are very strict with our vaccine requirements, so when we saw just a few dogs coughing while others weren’t, we knew we had to alert our clients as well as get assistance from local veterinarians," she said. "I called Dr. Lori Walker, DVM of Animal Hospital of Sussex County in Augusta, N.J., and within 48 hours had 6 to 8 coughing dogs quarantined and tested.”
Dr. Walker performed nasal and oral swabs of the stricken dogs and sent the samples to Dr. Christopher Frye, DVM, DACVSMR of Cornell University who performed a complete respiratory panel serology to try to determine the cause of the coughing. Serology is the diagnostic identification of antibodies in the serum of any type of bodily fluid.
The test results came back quickly and it was determined that three of the six samples sent tested positive for Parainfluenza, which is normally covered by the DHPP and Bordetella vaccines, something that Pet Spa and most boarding facilities, groomers and dog parks require. So, the results left Wilkins with more questions than answers as to why only some of the dogs at her facility were affected.
The answer, as all the veterinarians involved came to agree, was that the dogs were infected by a a mutated form of Parainfluenza. Not to be confused with Canine Influenza, Parainfluenza is similar to humans getting the common cold. A mutated strain of Parainfluenza means that dogs will not have developed any immunity until they have been exposed. Only then can they produce the necessary antibodies to protect themselves. Even if a dog has received its regular DHPP or DTAP (Distemper, Hepatitis, Parainfluenza and Parvovirus) and Bordetella (Canine Infectious Tracheobronchitis; a.k.a. “Kennel Cough”) vaccines, the mutated virus can still be contagious, often before it is symptomatic.
Fortunately, the Parainfluenza virus is not life threatening. Dogs typically show symptoms (hacking cough, runny nose and eyes) about 3 to10 days after exposure. Symptoms usually resolve between 6 and14 days.
From the onset of the infected dogs, Wilkins transparently took to her website and Facebook Page alerting clients and the general community that there was some type of cough going around and that they were doing everything to determine what it was as they disinfected and sanitized the facility.
“I have been getting first-hand knowledge of kennels, dog parks and veterinary practices throughout the country that are also dealing with a rapidly spreading outbreak of 'canine cough,'” she said. "We are sharing the results of our testing to help others who are dealing with this illness in an effort to help the canine community everywhere, not just at The Pet Spa. My goal is and always has been the health, happiness and well being of all dogs, not just the dogs at my facility.”
The Pet Spa has documented every symptomatic dog and absorbed the cost of veterinary care antibiotics for dogs in their facility. More serum samples will be sent to Cornell and studied further, possibly for pharmaceutical companies to create a new vaccine for this mutated viral strain.
CBS 19 News out of Charlottesville, Va., reported that at least 22 dogs seen at Autumn Trails Veterinary Center have had the same symptoms since last Thursday, and that all the dogs were ‘well-vaccinated.’ The clinic is also running tests to determine the cause.
“From what we’ve seen this is becoming an epidemic, possibly starting in North Carolina and moving up the East Coast,” said Dr. Ted Spinks, from the Animal Hospital of Sussex County, locared in Hampton Township. Spinks is a veterinarian for 37 years who also specializes in epidemiology. “The best precautions that dog owners can take are keeping up on their vaccines and making sure they are administered correctly, by a veterinarian or technician. I recommend boosting your dog’s DHPP/DTAP/DAP and Bordetella vaccines to build immunity. I would also be cautious about dog parks and make sure that vaccines are done at least two weeks before taking your dog anywhere around other dogs.”
Spinks has had professional experiences with the Parvovirus epidemic in Florida and a Rabies epidemic in Pennsylvania. He has also done extensive research on tick-borne diseases such as Lyme disease, which is also a current epidemic.
"This mutated form of Parainfluenza has spread like wildfire and it is difficult to deal with as it is contagious up to 3 days before the dog becomes symptomatic,” Spinks said.
Barb Green, president of Dogs of Vernon dog park said, “While this is going around it’s best to avoid dog parks. We have shared the Pet Spa’s message on our Facebook Page to warn people and to make sure their dogs are up to date on vaccines. Unfortunately, there’s no way to determine which dogs are vaccinated at the park, it is an ‘At Your Own Risk’ environment.”
Spinks recommended that all dogs parks should at least post a sign citing the town ordinance for vaccine protocols so that people are more aware of their importance. Boarding facilities and groomers often have strict vaccine requirements which is why they are the least likely source of contagion. However, in this recent case, the mutated strain of virus seems to be resistant to vaccines.
“Lynn and her staff are doing everything they can and they’re not ‘pulling the wool over people’s eyes,” Spinks said. “I have been there every day since this occurred and their disinfection protocol is top-notch. They even replaced all ventilation filters, as the virus is airborne. At this time I would have no problem at all boarding my own dog there.”
“My staff is going above and beyond, working up to 15 hours a day to ensure the highest level of care and cleanest environment for all the dogs in our care as we always do. I applaud their efforts and dedication,” Wilkins said.
The Pet Spa has also emailed and messaged over 240 local veterinarians and kennels alerting them to the outbreak and are still calling customers with upcoming reservations, stating that they have cases of Parainfluenza. Most clients at this point are keeping their reservations, Wilkins said.
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dragon-fly / dragonfly
A genus of insects of the family Libellulidæ, having large and strongly reticulated wings, a large head with enormous eyes, and a long body. They are exceedingly powerful and swift of flight. — Webster, 1882
The much-abused dragon-flies, says a recent writer, are perfectly harmless to human beings. They neither bite nor sting, but destroy vast numbers of mosquitoes, flies and other insects. If brought into the house, they will catch flies and mosquitoes as long as they are unmolested. In fact, they ought to be made household pets, instead of being ruthlessly driven out as though their presence was dangerous. – Redwood (Minnesota) Gazette, 1881.
Dragonflies are observed by young Laura Ingalls near Plum Creek in Minnesota, and near the Big Slough in Dakota Territory. Except for noticing that the dragonfly on the homestead is hunting a gnat, they’re merely mentioned in passing, as a part of the landscape. On a recent trip to Ingalls Homestead, I walked along the road by the Big Slough and looked down to see an Emperor Dragonfly at my feet; the photo I snapped is on the navigation button that brought you here.
There are about 500 species of dragonflies found in North America, ranging in size from less than half an inch to over five inches in length. They start life as eggs laid on water plants or the water’s surface, in jelly-like masses. These eggs hatch into nymphs which live and feed in the water itself, the longest cycle of the dragonfly’s existence, up to four years in some cases. Once mature, the nymph crawls out of the water, sheds their skin, and the adult dragonfly takes off to find food… and a mate.
Dragonflies are said to be one of few bugs that people actually like (others are ladybugs and butterflies). The poet Tennyson called dragonflies “living flashes of light” in the poem below, and they can be found in many beautiful colors. They are also deadly predators more skilled at hunting prey than even the lion, and they can rival a cheetah for speed, flying at up to 35 miles per hour. Dragonflies have four wings capable of working either together or independently, allowing for flight in all directions: up and down, back and forth, and twisting and turning. They can even take off backwards. Six legs grab their prey, and their large eyes allow them to easily spot mosquitoes or gnats; you often see dragonflies skimming the surface of a pond or other body of water, looking for dinner. They can kill up to 300 insects per day and were no doubt appreciated by the Ingalls family living so close to the slough that mosquitoes were a problem. (See By the Shores of Silver Lake, Chapter 31, “Mosquitoes.”)
The following appeared in a Minnesota newspaper at the time the Ingallses were homesteading near De Smet. The photo of a dragonfly laying eggs, shown below, is by Andreas Trepte, www.photo-natur.de, and used with permission.
A USEFUL AND UNAPPRECIATED INSECT. One of the most useful and beneficial insects of the summer season, and one whose services are least appreciated by the agriculturist, is the common dragon fly. There are many varieties, comprising an extensive and beautiful group of large sized insects, rivaling our butterflies in gracefulness of form and brilliancy of coloring, while they excel them in rapidity of flight. Various popular names have been given them in different countries. The French call them “Demoiselles,” the Germans “Gauze Flies” and “Virgins of the Water,” while among the English they are known as “Dragon Flies,” “Horse Stingers,” and “Devil’s Darning Needles.” The first of the English names is very appropriate to the character of the fly, for among other insects, it fully earns its title of “Dragon.” It is not a “horse stinger” however, can neither bite, sting nor poison, and as to a “devil’s darning needle,” does not sew up the mouths of those children who are given to romancing. They are perfectly harmless to man, and can be handled without danger.
The dragon fly belongs to the order “Neuroptera” and the family “Libellulidae.” They have six legs and four wings. In average specimens the body attains the length of an inch and a half or two inches. They are almost universally dressed in gayest colors. The body is variously banded with rich shades of blue, green and yellow, and the wings give off the most iridescent and metallic reflections. The substance of the wings is a delicate newwork, covered by a thin, transparent membrane, combining great strength with lightness, which enables it to fly and dart upon its prey with the greatest rapidity. The long tail, or “needle,” undoubtedly, acts as a rudder to its steady flights. The large head is provided with two enormous compound eyes, composed of many thousand facets, and their great power of vision is still further increased by three simple eyes, or ocelli, on the upper portion of the head. The mouth is quite a formidable structure. The upper lip is broad and conceals powerful toothed mandibles, and there are other organs of the mouth armed with strong teeth which enable it to rend and masticate its food.
The natural term of life of the dragon fly is about one year. Most of its existence is passed in the water in the condition of larva or pupa, and it inhabits the air only three or four weeks. When about to complete its final transformation, the pupa climbs up some suitable place near the surface of the water, attaches itself firmly to some object, and in a short time the skin opens along the back, and from the rent there soon appears the perfect dragon fly, who, after drying his wings, trusts his untried pinions with the fullest confidence to the new element, in which he lives but a few short summer days.
Tennyson beautifully describes these chances in the “Two Voices”:
To-day I saw the dragon-fly
Come from the wells where he did lie.
An inner impulse rent the veil
Of his old husk; from head to tail
Came out clear plates of sapphire mail.
He dried his wings; like gauze they grew
Through crofts and pastures wet with dew
A living flash of light he flew.
During its existence of three or four weeks above the water its whole life is a continued good to man. It hawks over pools and fields and through gardens, decimating swarms of mosquitoes, flies, gnats and other baneful insects. Their rapid flight and enormous range of vision enable them to capture these insects with ease. They destroy multitudes of moths and millers whose larvae are injurious to vegetation, while they do not injure any product of agriculture themselves. A few of them shut into a house, would very soon rid it of flies, bugs and mosquitoes. They are perfectly harmless, and can be handled with impunity, and are an interesting subject for study, as there still remains much to be learned of their natural history. The dragon fly is widely distributed over all parts of the globe, but few, however, exceed in size or beauty those of our own country. — The Mankato (Minnesota) Review, 1881.
dragon-fly / dragonfly (BPC 3; TLW 1)
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David L. Prentice of Carroll Twp., Pennsylvania
Spring 2010 and Revised 1 Jan 2010
1. David L. Prentice, b. 24 May 1904, obtained his SS# in PA, and d. Aug 1979 in Monongahela, Washington Co., PA per SSDI. In 1833 he was living in Carroll Twp., PA, where his son. Leroy Prentice, was born.
He m. Anna Secrist. It is unclear whether she is the Anna L. Prentice shown in the SSDI as b. 13 Jan 1911, obtained her SS# in PA, and d. Jul 1990 at an unspecified location. David and Anna had 2 or more children, including:
Leroy Prentice, b. 5 May 1933 in Carroll Twp., PA. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . [2]
Dolores Prentice. Died before 2008. It is unclear whether she is the Dolores Prentice shown in the SSDI as b. 12 Mar 1936, obtained her SS# in PA, and d. 12 Feb 2001 in Homestead, Allegheny Co., PA.
2. Leroy Prentice was b. 5 May 1933 in Carroll Twp., PA, and d. 18 Jul 2008, Select Specialty, McKeesport, PA. His obituary reads as follows:
Leroy Prentice, 75, of Monongahela, (Carroll Twp.), died July 18, 2008 in Select Specialty, McKeesport. He was born on May 5, 1933, in Carroll Twp., a son of the late David L. and Anna Secrist Prentice.
Mr. Prentice was a member of Transfiguration Church in Monongahela. He retired from Combustion Engineering in East Monongahela after 33 years of employment. His interests include spending time with his family, working on cars and taking care of his vegetable garden.
He is survived by his wife of 58 years, Patricia Ann [Staffen] Prentice; son Leroy W. Prentice and wife Alice of Monongahela; two granddaughters: Heather Ann Bianchi and husband Joe of New Eagle, Allison Marie Prentice of Monongahela; great granddaughter Liliana Marie Bianchi; brother-in-law Francis Staffen and wife Josephine of Monongahela. In addition to his parents, he was preceded in death by his sister Dolores Prentice.
Friends will be received on Monday from 7-9 and Tuesday from 2-4 & 7-9 in the Frye Funeral Home, Inc., 427 W. Main Street, Monongahela. A mass of Christian burial will be held at Transfiguration Church on Wednesday at 10:00 AM with the Rev. George Chortos, pastor as celebrant. Committal services and interment will follow in Monongahela Cemetery.
He m. Patricia Ann Staffen. Children of Leroy and Patricia per his obituary:
Leroy W. Prentice. He m. Alice and in 2008 lived in Monongahela. Daughters:
Heather Ann Prentice. She m. Joe Bianchi of New Eagle. Daughter:
Liliaa Marie Bianchi.
Allison Marie Prentice of Monongahela.
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Professional Mariner / Web-Bulletin 2019 / Budget deal provides $675 million for polar security cutters
Budget deal provides $675 million for polar security cutters
The House had canceled funding for the heavy icebreaker program last summer to fund a border wall
Courtesy U.S. Air Force
Polar Star, the only functional U.S. heavy icebreaker, is shown at McMurdo Station in Antarctica.
The following is text of a news report from the U.S. Naval Institute (USNI):
(WASHINGTON) — The Coast Guard’s long-sought heavy icebreaker, the polar security cutter, was among the programs to receive funding when Congress passed a spending package late Thursday.
The Coast Guard is receiving $655 million to start construction on the lead ship for a new class of polar security cutter and is receiving an addition $20 million to purchase long lead time materials for a second heavy icebreaker, as part of the Department of Homeland Security’s fiscal year 2019 appropriations bill, congressional staffers told USNI News.
Last summer, the Senate had agreed to appropriate $755 million for the polar security cutter. The House of Representatives, though, instead provided DHS with $5 billion to build a wall along the border with Mexico while canceling funding for a variety of programs, including the polar security cutter.
“With the support of the administration and Congress, we plan to build a new fleet of six polar icebreakers – at least three of which must be heavy icebreakers – and we need the first new polar security cutter immediately to meet America’s needs in the Arctic,” read a statement from the service provided to USNI News. “The United States is an Arctic nation with extensive national and global responsibilities. Our role in the Arctic is growing. Diminishing Arctic sea ice is expanding access to the region and attracting attention from both partner and rival states across the globe. Resource extraction, fisheries, tourism and commercial shipping, in conjunction with traditional Alaska native activities, are driving increased maritime activity and a greater need for Coast Guard presence in the region. America’s only heavy icebreaker, the Coast Guard cutter Polar Star, is more than 40 years old and must be replaced by the new polar security cutter.”
The Coast Guard has for several years pushed for funding the icebreaker program. Currently, the Coast Guard has only one operational heavy icebreaker, USCGC Polar Star (WAGB 10), commissioned in 1976. A second icebreaker, USCGC Polar Sea (WAGB 11) has not been operational since a 2010 engine failure and instead has for nearly a decade served as a parts donor to keep Polar Star running, USNI News reported in 2017.
For years, having only one working heavy icebreaker hindered the Coast Guard’s ability to satisfy mission requests from government agencies effectively. The Coast Guard was only able to fulfill 78 percent of heavy icebreaking missions between 2010 and 2016, according to a September 2017 Government Accountability Office report.
House Appropriations subcommittee on Homeland Security member Rep. David Price, D-N.C., told USNI News that the new bill will start to build up what he sees as a critical U.S. capability.
“With China and Russia showing increased interest in the Arctic region, the Coast Guard’s Arctic Strategy is more critical than ever to our national security,” Price said in a statement to USNI News. For years, there has been a significant gap in our nation’s icebreaking capabilities, and I’m pleased the bipartisan FY19 omnibus bill includes funding to finally construct a new polar security cutter, as well as money to begin purchasing long lead time materials for a second. The new polar security cutter will ensure that our national security and economic interests are protected, that our marine vessels are provided safe passage, and that the United States has the ability to counter increased Russian aggression.”
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ASTOUNDING SOUNDS, AMAZING MUSIC
Psychedelic/Space Rock
TCat
With a comic book-like cover and title, it makes you wonder at first glance, what Hawkwind' intention for their 6th album could be. Well, it actually fits with the format of the album, which was intended to be like individual sci-fi stories. The inspiration for this concept was taken from the Sci-fi magazine 'Astounding and Amazing Stories'. The inside of the gatefold features ads for make-believe products named after the members of the band. This was quite a playful and ingenious idea at the time, though at first glance, seems a little tacky. Once you realize what their intentions were, to make each song a short sci-fi story, it makes a lot more sense.
This was the first album since 1971 to not feature Lemmy, better known as the infamous member of Motorhead. The replacement was Paul Rudolph who was a cleaner, better trained bass player than Lemmy. It also features Robert Calvert as the main lead vocalist for the first time. Robert wanted more songs that were character based, so, like Peter Gabriel with Genesis, he could act out the characters in the songs in concerts, making spontaneous theater. Thus the goal was to make the songs more visual. All band members contributed to writing or co-writing at least one track.
The first track 'Reefer Madness' is inspired by the old cult favorite anti marijuana movie. Immediately you can hear the difference in the bass, and you will notice the cleaner sound. However, it doesn't ruin the fun of the space rock/sci-fi feeling of the album. As the song approaches the middle instrumental section, things get more chaotic, and in this case, more enjoyable. Even the high synth sounds aren't overly obnoxious, but fit right in to the psychedelic feel. As the vocal hijinx are added in later, the humor in the song becomes readily apparent. It matches the feeling of the old movie quite well.
'Steppenwolf' was written while Calvert was reading the book with the same title. It is a song about city life and the myths tied to living in the city. The song has a great guitar hook, and a good driving beat, with plenty of organ, and sax added into the mix later. The track runs over 9 minutes and there is a driving feel during the verses. When the instrumental break starts, it quiets down and a beautiful melody led by violin starts. Spoken vocals come in later, the narrator being a man-wolf. This gives the song that 'pulpy' feeling of the type of story in the magazine that is featured as the concept.
'City of Lagoons' is an instrumental written by drummer Alan Powell. It is a mid-tempo song, mostly driven by synthesizers. It's an okay track that really doesn't leave much of an impression. This is followed by 'The Aubergine That Ate Ragoon', another instrumental, this time written by bass player Rudolph. This one is a lot more upbeat, funky and interesting utilizing sax player Nik Turner.
'Kerb Crawler' was the single from the album. It has that single sound, but is still unmistakable Hawkwind. The album version of the track is remixed by David Gilmour from 'Pink Floyd' of course. It has a very good guitar break and the song is interesting enough, but it didn't do well as a single unfortunately, since it is a strong enough song. It is unfortunately too short.
'Kadu Flyer' was written by both Nik Turner and Simon House. Turner also does the lead vocals on this one. House plays sitar on the track. Turner's vocals leave a lot to be desired, but the track is decent nevertheless. It is mostly structured all the way through until the last part, where things are more improvised.
'Chronoglide Skyway' is written by House and is all instrumental. It starts off with some interesting effects and is quite minimal at first. It eventually falls into a rhythm pattern, but is quite spacey as you would expect. The treated sax in this one is a nice touch.
The entire album is quite inconsistent, but it is still enjoyable, as each track is treated as a separate 'story'. The best parts of the album is the instrumental sections, but that is usually the case with Hawkwind. It's not their best, but it is a decent and fun album. The overall feel of the album is definitely Hawkwind, even with some line up changes and the sharing of songwriting on the album.
TCat | 4/5 | 2018-9-2
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Raindancing with the Best of Independent Cinema
by Vesa Kuosmanen
The sold out screenings of the 16th Raindance Film Festival in London proved that low-to-no budget filmmaking is well, and more entertaining and thrilling than ever. Raindance, like (and unlike) its more famous U.S. equivalent Sundance, is not a festival for big blockbusters and Hollywood stars, but for independent filmmakers who have fought hard to get their films made. This commitment of the filmmakers to their films can be seen on the screens and in the atmosphere of the festival.
Whereas Raindance lacks the glamour and stars of the upcoming B.F.I. London Film Festival, it feels more accessible and personal. Here you can actually meet the filmmakers and have a chat, the filmmakers who really care about their films. Where else can you see the director/producer team walking around the local venues putting up their posters and telling people about their loved little film, the film that might start its success here, other than in Raindance?
Raindance does not quite have the effect of Sundance to make stars, there are no new El Mariachi's, Juno's or Little Miss Sunshine's born here, but many quality British or international features gain attention and distribution, which otherwise wouldn’t happen. As the independent filmmakers from all over the world gather here, there are a few distributors and sales agents around as well, looking for that next gem.
This year, in my opinion and backed up by the jury’s best debut feature award, the next big indie film might come from Toronto, Canada. The outrageously hilarious Production Office is as funny as cinema gets. The wonderful lead woman, Shauna MacDonald, doesn’t spare the F-word, but her performances made the audience piss themselves - rarely, if ever, have I seen the whole cinema captivated by one actor, who is pretty much in every frame of the film.
The closing night film, Hush, is easy to be seen as the next London to Brighton, a gritty low budget British thriller, but an extremely good one. ‘The most intensive film of the year’, might be the tagline if this was a big studio film, but in this case it would be totally true. The director Mark Tonderai has created a story, where you don’t want to take your eyes off the screen for a second, not even to find that last candy in the bag. Never before have I been in cinema where the whole audience applauds while the film is still on.
All in all, it can be seen that the tax break and digital shooting formats have truly helped the independent filmmakers to get their visions on screen. Naturally among the hundreds of the films shown during the 11 day Raindance film festival, there were some not so great films, to put it in a nice way, but maybe that’s what’s so great about it; one never knows what one will get. In addition, you get films that dare to deal with the subject matters that never make it in big budget blockbusters.
Gardens of the Night, a beautifully-made film, delves into the world of child abduction in a highly realistic way. Independent cinema has an important role to make the audience think about the difficult subject matters, which are not politically correct enough for the big studios to tackle them.
Sadly many, maybe most of the film screened in the Raindance may never get distribution, or only a small one. That is why this festival is truly important; giving the independent filmmakers a voice, showing that there is audience wanting more indie cinema. The filmmakers there might look scruffy and poor, probably because they spent their last pennies to make the film, but they have important things to say and many beautiful stories to tell.
Raindance London Film Cinema
Sippy 2008-10-27 19:03:26
I totally agree or disagree as i have not seen all of the fest and was only able to see a couple with my friend who's a filmmaker himself any way i think there should be more of these festivals. nicely written!?!!!@
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Alexander the Great claimed by both sides in battle over name of Macedonia
Nikola Gruevski’s love affair with statues began with Alexander the Great. In 2011, much to the consternation of Greece, the Macedonian prime minister had the world’s largest sculpture of the warrior king installed in Skopje’s central square. Now, after peppering the capital with grandiose bridges, a gargantuan triumphal arch, concert halls, theatres, new government buildings and artworks great and small, the premier has gone a step further.
Upping the ante in what has become one of the west’s more unlikely disputes, Gruevski instructed that waxworks of Alexander, his father, Philip II of Macedon, and his mother, Olympias, be given pride of place in a new archaeological museum. “All these exhibits … are of priceless value for our country and represent a part of our cultural heritage,” Gruevski pronounced as he opened the museum last month.
Built in Greek-revival style, the monumental edifice is the latest in an array of controversial works that have transformed the face of a city that even by the standards of communist-era former Yugoslavia was famously drab. Gruevski claims that the makeover – among the most ambitious in Europe, costing as much as €500m (£390m) – will help lift the spirits of his countrymen. With nearly 30% of the nation out of work and more than a third living beneath the poverty line, Macedonians are among the poorest people in Europe.
But officials do not deny that the building project has another purpose: to score points in the long-running battle over the name of Macedonia. The Greeks have long argued that their neighbour’s desire to lay claim to the nomenclature – and use of symbols associated with it – implies territorial ambitions over their own adjacent province of Macedonia. True to Balkan form, the row has its roots in ancient history.
In the 23 years since the landlocked state proclaimed independence, Alexander the Great has dominated the dispute. Athens says the Greek-born general is irrefutable proof of Macedonia’s Hellenic credentials; Skopje says he is an inherent part of local identity as the leader of an empire that incorporated the region and extended as far as India.
As the row has intensified, Greece has blocked its neighbour’s bids to join Nato and the EU. Greek officials insist that the country be referred to internationally as the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, the provisional name with which it was admitted to the UN, even if it is formally recognised as the Republic of Macedonia, its constitutional name, by more than 130 states.
Gruevski’s decision to move the goalposts – just as Greek archaeologists are excavating a burial mound in northern Amphipolis in Macedonia province that some believe could contain the tomb of one of Alexander’s relatives – has inflamed passions on both sides of the border. And Macedonians themselves are at odds over a scheme that many say not only smacks of megalomania but has turned Skopje into a mini Las Vegas.
“I don’t see why the Greeks should be offended. We are offended,” said Sasho Ordanoski, a political analyst and outspoken critic of Gruevski’s overtly nationalist policies. “Skopje has become the capital of kitsch in Europe in architectural and political style. The whole thing reeks of bad taste and has been a huge financial disaster. We both share the same territory of the historic empire of Alexander the Great and we have built the highest monument to Alexander in the world. If anything, Athens should be pleased.”
The Greeks are no less prone to politicking on the issue. A statue of Alexander on a steed – carved almost two decades before Macedonia’s own mounted warrior came to grace Skopje’s central square – has been hauled back to a warehouse because officials are undecided about which public space the sculpture should be erected in.
In Athens, politicians privately say the time is ripe to settle the dispute. A compromise solution of “Upper Macedonia” is among those thought to have been proposed by Greek officials. The UN has announced that envoys from the two states will meet in New York on Wednesday for a new round of negotiations.
But the omens do not look good. Skopje’s foreign minister, Nikola Poposki, declared before the talks: “We are further away from a solution than we were a few years ago.”
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Broderick Hunter Won't Settle for Just 'Sexy' Anymore
Beatrice Hazlehurst
Thankfully, gone are the days of models being seen and not heard. This has been no easy feat. It's taken an uprising of sorts: models detailing their unfair working conditions in the industry, models embracing other fields and, primarily, models dominating social media. Broderick Hunter's career took off prior to Instagram's enormous influence on the industry, and consequently he taught himself to shine without the sheen of a million-strong online fanbase, proving he's so much more than a pretty face.
Nevertheless, he has a face many are familiar with. Discovered after a chance shoot with a photographer friend blew up on Facebook, you might recognize Hunter via the pages of Vogue, as Ciara's love interest in "Sorry," or Issa Rae's very rude Tinder date on Insecure, from the subway, his YouTube grooming tutorials, the many, many listicles about hot guys you need to be made aware of. Despite his success, Hunter remembers when his agency threatened to drop him if he continued to curate his brand outside of the fashion industry and share his life online — a laughable concept in 2018. Hunter intends to keep expanding his professional hyphens, but first and foremost, he will not settle for anything less than a platform to showcase his personality.
Of course, with the white hot spotlight on the fashion and film's treatment of those in front of the camera, now has never been a better time for someone operating in those spheres to make their voice heard — and Hunter is not about to step away from the mic anytime soon. In conversation with PAPER, he weighs in on male models' recent sexual assault allegations, fashion's potentially problematic relationship with social media and the downfalls of fame.
How do you feel you evolved in fashion before expanding into film? Is that where you wanna continue to put your energy?
Of course. I mean, I'm always going to really be in touch with the fashion industry. I'm never gonna leave that, especially because it's been the base of who I am today. So taking my time into the modeling industry... with modeling it was just more so just finding out where I wanted to go regarding my brand and how I wanted to present myself.
Broderick Hunter on Instagram: “Protect Your Passion.”
How do you feel that you've done that? How would you describe your brand?
Well, at that time there wasn't a lot of models that were creating YouTube channels, and I was one of the first guys, and the first black guys at that, that started doing men's grooming tutorials, haircuts, and skincare. People always looked at me as like, "Okay, you're good looking," or whatever the case may be. I kinda wanted to up the ante. I have a funny side to me.
You were also never really a social media model.
Never. I never really dove straight into it. If you take too many selfies and pose in too many kitchens and you're drinking too much [skinny] tea, you know what I'm saying?
That must be such an LA thing, too.
Well, it definitely is a LA thing, but I think it's just a industry thing, because now it's more so, like, how many followers do you have? How can you gain more? And it's all about numbers, numbers, numbers. You no longer have to be in a magazine or be in a campaign to be sort of a superstar. So I think that's more so why people have a little bit more respect for me, because they know that that's where I started, and they know that [social media] is not what's made me, me.
It must be frustrating for you to come from that very traditional route and now watch these people explode off social media.
Oh, yeah. I never get bitter, I just get better. I know where I came from. A lot of these people that are here now, they're not gonna have the same type of longevity. I call them "microwave celebrities" because it's so...It's just quick. They're just popping up everywhere, you know what I'm saying? Everybody's getting a little blue check now.
Yeah, they're not slow cooking in the oven.
Yeah, there's no progression, so you're not gonna know how to maintain anything. I get more pleasure knowing that I worked and strived for my status.
At the same time social media has really democratized fashion. Similar to musicians or rappers like SoundCloud. Agents and A&Rs, they're behind now. The masses are finding these people first.
Yeah, well because the thing about it is with social media, everything's easily accessible now. You can talk to your favorite celebrity, if you're lucky. That wasn't existing back when I was growing up. Now, you can keep up with any and everybody. I can open my phone and find out what Rihanna's up to.
I wonder if that's kind of made things easier for celebrities, in knowing what Rihanna ate yesterday, maybe it's humanizing them.
I get what you're saying, but I think it's really all about what you put out there. As myself with being an influencer, celebrity, or whatever, I'm just very careful about what I put out. I could be dating somebody right now, and if I don't post about it, nobody knows about it. I give people just a little bit, not a lot, just a little bit to keep them biting. You just kind of always gotta keep everything in a moving motion, to keep you gears oiled.
Well, you're also in two of the industries now where so much is in motion. Fashion and film and television, it's crazy. With the whole Me Too movement and Time's Up, on top of the diversity struggle. Have you felt tokenized?
I totally feel that. I totally get exactly how people feel that, because we all have different experiences when it comes down to that. Me personally, I've seen and been through all of that. I've also lost a lot of opportunities just because of my sexuality, I'm straight.
So the Testino and Weber thing didn't surprise you at all?
In the industry in general, that kinda stuff just happens. It's just the industry that we're in. So it's nothing surprising to me, but I do feel like you do have the control to say no. You don't have to do all that stuff, I know I didn't. All of us have been tried in some way, shape, or form in the industry.
You were approached like that, too?
Oh, yeah. Oh, yes, of course. 'Cause back before the social media, the only way you really could say something was like, he said, she said.
Do you think it will change?
Not in my time, no. Not in my time. I don't know how or when, but that's never gonna really change.
But it was interesting these two photographers that were so prevalent, to watch them be taken down really sends a message that no one's safe.
I've had the opportunity to shoot with Bruce Weber, and I've had the time to meet Mr. Testino. They've all treated me with love and respect and everything. I don't know what happened with any of those other guys, but as I said, it's the industry as a whole that's pivoted into these type of things that are happening. The fact that those guys are at the top of the game, and they're basically the kings, I think people were kinda shook.
It's the power that they wield that makes these young men feel coerced. Did you ever worry about being blacklisted?
Yeah. Those are the exact things that would run through my mind anytime I was in any type of situation like that. But you have to conduct yourself in a way where you can... As I said, you can easily say no, walk out.
But not everyone's as self-assured, or as strong, as you.
I think everybody has their own power in their own way. Everybody has a thing about them, but I think people are so scared to tap into that. My agency, when I started making my YouTube videos, were asking like, "What are you doing?" They're so used to guys doing what they're told. I was one of the first guys that actually was saying stuff and making controversial statements. I feel like they were looking at it in a way where, okay, this is something we haven't seen before.
Why do you think it is that male models don't get afforded the same rights to a personality that female models do?
Male models have been trapped in their heads, thinking that they have to fit in only this type of mold. Now we've created a space where the aspect of what was a norm is no longer a norm anymore. You used to have to be 6'2" to model. Now guys are 5'10", 5'9", stuff like that. It's expanded, we're expanding now.
Also it seems as though nepotism has never been more prevalent than right now.
No, no, you're totally right. But that nepotism, the cosigner having a famous or successful parent is really really strong these days, because thanks to social media, now you don't have to build that profile. You're offspring of fame.
Do you get recognized? Can you live normally?
Yeah, I get recognized a lot, yeah. You know, people that want to follow me around for three blocks or something like that. Everybody's shooting their shot these days.
But it's a lot of love.
Oh yeah, I do get in trouble from time to time, people having misunderstandings, especially on Twitter. I'm known for hyping Black women a lot. And then somebody wants to say "Oh, so you're a racist, you don't like white girls", I'm like "I love all women personally. I love all women".
Did you experience racism early on in fashion?
Oh yeah. It's very racist. I've been pulled from top tier shows because they wanted to use a white person. It's happened so many times in my career, and that's one of the reasons why I branched away from runway. Not to mention these stick figure guys. I would have to really starve myself to get to that size and that's something I wasn't comfortable with. I'm not gonna jeopardize myself over 15 seconds on a runway that's gonna be here and gone.
And at the end of the day, it's a job.
And not even a job that's going to sustain you. The exposure's not even the same anymore. Back then, when I started, yeah, you had to be on the runway show in order for people to know who you are. That used to matter. Now, a runway show is about as relevant to models as a selfie. People say "Dude, why'd you leave fashion?" First of all, I never really left fashion. I just transitioned. I took time transitioning.
You outgrew it.
Yeah, physically and mentally. You can make yourself a star in your own way. When social media became relevant thing, I was like "Damn, this is my opportunity to show people what the hell I got."
You're here, you've arrived.
Now I'm just Broderick Hunter. You know, I can do it all.
Photography by Alec Nguyen
Scarlett Johansson: My Quote Was Edited for 'Clickbait'
Ian Isiah Debuts Intoxicating 'Persistent' Video via Pornhub
Follow or Be Lost: @Sommerray
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Tuesday 2 May 2006
Legal Profession and Legal Aid (Scotland) Bill: Stage 1
The Convener (Mr David Davidson): : Good afternoon, ladies and gentlemen. I welcome to the 12th meeting in 2006 of the Justice 2 Committee members of the committee and our adviser on the Legal Profession and Legal Aid (Scotland) Bill, Margaret Ross, whom I thank on behalf of committee members for the work that she has done so far.
I noted from the 600-odd consultation responses that I went through that some people seem to think that I have a son who is a lawyer in Scotland. That is not the case. My son was called to the English bar some years ago and then went to the West Indies, where he became an advocate under English law. He is now a solicitor who practises in England. He has no Scottish qualifications whatsoever and is not capable of doing work as a lawyer in Scotland. He is not a member of the Faculty of Advocates or the Law Society of Scotland. I say that because some people said in their submissions that they thought that I had a direct family connection with the professions that we are considering under the Legal Profession and Legal Aid (Scotland) Bill.
Do other members want to say anything?
Maureen Macmillan (Highlands and Islands) (Lab): : I refer to the declaration that I made last week. I have received e-mails that say that I should not be a member of the committee. I make it clear that that is nonsense.
Agenda item 1 is to consider whether to take in private agenda item 3, on consideration of the written evidence on the Legal Profession and Legal Aid (Scotland) Bill that we have received. Do members agree that we should take that item in private?
The Convener: : Agenda item 2 is our second evidence session on the Legal Profession and Legal Aid (Scotland) Bill. There are three panels of witnesses.
Panel 1 is from the Law Society of Scotland. I welcome Caroline Flanagan, who is the president of the society; Douglas Mill, who is its chief executive; Michael Clancy, who is director of its law reform committee; Philip Yelland, who is director of its client relations office; Oliver Adair, who is convener of its legal aid solicitors committee; and Anne Hastie, who is a non-solicitor member of one of the society's client relations committees. It would be helpful if one member of the panel spoke on behalf of the society and brought in others to speak as required. Further to the submission that the society has already given the committee, are there any new comments that someone would like to make briefly?
Caroline Flanagan (Law Society of Scotland): : First of all, thank you for introducing us all. I am conscious of the fact that we have brought quite a large team, but we thought that it was important for you to have the benefit of the expertise of the various people who are here. I know that you do not want a long opening address, but I would like to mention one of the things that we want to stress today: we believe in the policy behind the bill that there should be an independent commission to deal with service complaints. There has been a lot of comment in the media, and I would not like the committee to get the impression that we have moved back from where we said we were last year. We think that there should be a commission, but we do not think that it should deal with conduct issues, other than those to do with handling complaints. We do not think that it should deal with negligence or that it should have reach over the master policy and the guarantee fund, but we believe in the fundamental principle.
We are doing what we always do in relation to law reform—the committee will have seen members of our team here before—which is to try to examine things dispassionately and with the public interest, as well as the profession's interest, in mind, to try to ensure that the law that is passed is good law that makes things better for the Scottish public.
The Convener: : Thank you for those comments. I shall start the questioning on behalf of the committee by asking you a question that follows on from the comment that you just made about supporting the proposal that the new commission should consider service complaints. Given that it is recognised that consumers tend to have a fairly low level of confidence in the current complaints-handling system, why should the professional bodies retain responsibility for considering complaints about conduct?
Caroline Flanagan: : I shall leave to one side the question whether there is a low level of consumer confidence, because I do not know that that is necessarily correct. The principal issue in relation to conduct is whether or not the profession is independent. Conduct is central to being a solicitor and being part of the profession. Service is very much about somebody who may have a complaint about a bad job and who may be looking for consumer compensation. In a democratic society, it is key that the solicitor or legal adviser is independent. The solicitor often stands between the client and the state, and it is imperative that the state does not have control over that adviser. We know of no other profession over whose conduct the state would have control in a democracy. The same clearly applies to advocates.
The previous Justice 1 Committee felt that it was appropriate that solicitors should deal with complaints about conduct. I understand that the Deputy Minister for Justice believes that solicitors should continue to deal with complaints about conduct, and the bill is based on that approach. As far as we are concerned, the essence of independence is that the profession says who can come into it and who should not have the right to be a solicitor. We think that the two issues are quite different. Where the bill has reach over conduct, we think that it goes too far, so we do not think that the proposed Scottish legal complaints commission should superimpose its decisions in relation to conduct matters on the Law Society of Scotland. We are happy for it to look at how we handle complaints: the Scottish legal services ombudsman will go and we accept that somebody has to look at how such issues are handled. However, we do not think that the commission should, as Mr Swinney put it last week, put its toe in the water in relation to how to deal with conduct complaints. I know that the committee was interested in that issue, and we are anxious to explain what we see as the difference.
The Convener: : During the debate in the chamber a couple of weeks ago, I pointed out the following parallel to Mr Swinney. The medical profession has the General Medical Council, which looks at conduct and standards, and the British Medical Association, which has the trade union role. Does the Law Society of Scotland have any views about such a division?
Douglas Mill (Law Society of Scotland): : That issue is one that we wanted to raise with you early on. It disappoints me that, at times, the Law Society of Scotland is treated as if it were nothing but a mere trade union. We are a statutory body that was created by the Westminster Parliament under the Legal Aid and Solicitors (Scotland) Act 1949, and we have a section 1 obligation to act on behalf of the profession and on behalf of the public in relation to the profession. It is not in our gift to decide to reinvent ourselves as a trade union. Indeed, our main contact with this Parliament is through the law reform process. We do our best to reform the law—and the bill that we are considering now is no different—in the best interests of the public and the profession.
There is a deeper question about whether, ultimately, it is a matter for the Scottish Parliament to determine whether to re-examine or repeal that section 1 obligation, but such a provision is not within the terms of the bill. However, at the moment we have no drive towards being a trade union, and we are not speaking to you today as mere trade unionists.
I welcome John Swinney, who has joined us. Do any other members have questions?
Bill Butler (Glasgow Anniesland) (Lab): : Mr Mill, can you define for me a "mere" trade unionist, as opposed to a trade unionist?
Douglas Mill: : I am not being pejorative about trade unions, which fulfil a valid role in society; I am talking about the "mere" interest of our profession—or the interests of our members. We have a statutory responsibility that goes beyond looking at everything that we do, which includes admitting solicitors to the profession, educating them or providing them with continuing professional development. We have to consider not just the interests of our members, but the interests of the public, and that is a major balancing factor.
Bill Butler: : I am grateful for that clarification. I am sure that you will agree that language is very important.
Colin Fox (Lothians) (SSP): : Like the panel, I do not want to get into whether the public have a low or high degree of confidence in the Law Society. I am sure that we all want to ensure that they have the utmost confidence in the Law Society.
The independence of the Law Society has been highlighted. What is the Law Society's view of the idea of establishing a wholly independent commission that would be responsible for all complaints, not just those in certain subdivisions, which we may touch on later?
Caroline Flanagan: : That goes back to what I said before and would imperil what we see as the independence of the legal profession. I understand the thought of putting everything under one roof. However, last year, having looked at the responses to the consultation, we said that, in service complaints—which are 70 to 80 per cent of the complaints that we handle—we were never going to win the perception battle. We felt that we had won the reality battle, in terms of how the complaints were handled, but that the perception was past praying for as long as the Law Society looked at those complaints. We think that there is a big difference between service complaints and conduct complaints.
The idea that conduct complaints should be handled by an independent body was not consulted on. The option D that is, effectively, before us now only ever related to service complaints. If we had been asked last year whether we wanted to hive off service complaints if conduct complaints were to go as well, we would have said, "No. Keep them all at the Law Society." We are saying that if you are going to split the types of complaint, that should be done so that service complaints go and conduct complaints stay. If there is concern that they should all be dealt with under the one roof, we would say that that should be our roof if we are to maintain the independence of the profession.
Colin Fox: : We will come to the separation of those two matters in due course. Is not there a danger that the Law Society is overplaying its hand by saying that its independence is being called into question when we are talking about a complaints procedure? We are talking about an independent commission looking at complaints, rather than an independent commission trying somehow to run or substitute itself for the Law Society.
Douglas Mill: : We see two definitions of independence. One—which, I think, the committee is driving at—is that the system should be independent of the profession. In relation to service matters, we fully concede that. Our concern is also about independence from the Government. As the president said earlier, we are concerned that there are certain areas of work in which solicitors are the only people who stand between the citizen and the state. There are also unpopular areas, such as the defence of criminals, cases involving damp houses and immigration appeals, in which the solicitor might not be too popular with the state.
One of our profound concerns centres on compliance with the European convention on human rights. We think that the body that is proposed in the bill would not be sufficiently independent from the Government for us to be relaxed about that. Michael Clancy has been in touch with Lord Lester of Herne Hill, and he has clarified our concerns in relation to the ECHR.
Caroline Flanagan: : It is not so much from the profession's point of view that independence is so important, but from the point of view of the people of Scotland, who deserve an independent profession. It is important for the profession—which is part of the public—but it is more from a public perspective that the independence of the legal profession is key.
Jeremy Purvis (Tweeddale, Ettrick and Lauderdale) (LD): : We will hear from the Faculty of Advocates later, but I was just going through its written submission to the committee. I am interested to see that its existing complaints committee is comprised of
"four persons drawn equally from a panel of members of Faculty and lay persons nominated by the Scottish Ministers."
That does not imperil the independence of the profession, does it?
Douglas Mill: : We are not here to answer on behalf of the faculty. Our system is entirely different and is a much more considerable system than the faculty's. I will ask Philip Yelland, our director of client relations, to answer that. Anne Hastie is here to speak on the considerable lay input that we have into our existing system. We are—
Jeremy Purvis: : I am sorry for interrupting, but my point was about the appointment of lay members by ministers.
Douglas Mill: : Yes, I know. The Scottish Solicitors Discipline Tribunal is partly lay and is appointed, to a certain extent, by ministers as well. Therefore, to an extent, we already have that procedure. The solicitor members of the tribunal are appointed by the Lord President, and the non-solicitor members—Philip Yelland will be able to tell you about ratios and numbers—are appointed by Scottish ministers. Our concern is that the proposed commission is far closer to Scottish ministers than it should be for there to be robust independence.
Michael Clancy (Law Society of Scotland): : It is important to look at schedule 1 to the bill when considering the degree to which Scottish ministers will have a role to play in the appointment of the proposed commission. Paragraph 2(2) of schedule 1 states:
"Members are appointed by the Scottish Ministers."
Paragraph 5 makes it clear that Scottish ministers may be involved in the removal of members of the commission. Paragraph 7(1) states:
"The Commission is to pay to its members such remuneration as the Scottish Ministers may in each case determine."
Further on, paragraph 17(1) states:
"The Scottish Ministers may give the Commission directions of a general character as to the exercise of the Commission's functions".
That is slightly more than Scottish ministers having a role in connection with the nomination of part of a disciplinary structure. Their role goes beyond the Government's role in any existing structure in these islands and reflects the position that is assumed in the white paper from the Department for Constitutional Affairs, on the creation of the legal services board and the office for legal complaints in England and Wales.
That is where I draw the distinction between the constitutions of the faculty's discipline committee or investigative committee and the Scottish Solicitors Discipline Tribunal, and that of the proposed commission. The committee should bear in mind the fact that members of the Scottish Solicitors Discipline Tribunal are appointed not by Scottish ministers, but by the Lord President; therefore, there is a judicial input into the Scottish Solicitors Discipline Tribunal. It is important to recognise the distinctions between the existing systems and the commission that is proposed in the bill.
Jeremy Purvis: : That will open the debate on, for example, the appointment of the Lord Advocate as an independent prosecutor.
Michael Clancy: : You might think that; I could not possibly comment.
Jeremy Purvis: : There will be on-going debates. The committee would like to know where the balance will be. As Mr Mill said, to a certain extent, ministers are already involved in the Law Society; however, he then said that the proposals take us in the wrong direction. The committee would like to know where you think the balance should be. You are not saying that ministers should not be involved at all—or perhaps you are. Lord Lester's opinion indicated that, because ministers are involved, somehow the tribunal is not going to be independent. Where should the balance be?
Douglas Mill: : It is a question of balance, and the detail is important—detail on which we are willing to engage with the Executive. We do not think that it is beyond the wit of mankind to work out something that balances all the interests. However, what is proposed in the bill is extremely one-sided.
The Convener: : The membership of the society's committee for conduct complaints is 50 per cent lay and 50 per cent professional. If the commission had such a balance, do you think that it would be equipped to deal with conduct complaints?
Philip Yelland (Law Society of Scotland): : You are quite right to say that the membership of the professional conduct committee, which deals with complaints about professional misconduct, is 50 per cent solicitor and 50 per cent non-solicitor, which is the same as the client relations committees, which deal with service complaints. The move to 50:50 membership, which we took on board very quickly after it was recommended by the previous Justice 1 Committee, has worked very well for us.
The Convener: : What if, later on in the bill's passage, such a proposal is made for the commission?
Douglas Mill: : The bill does not propose such a committee structure for the commission. I think that we have still to see a lot of the detail, but the proposed system appears to be based on case managers making decisions. That is a retrograde step, because it means that we lose both professional and lay expertise.
The Convener: : Colin Fox will now ask some questions on a topic that has been exercising the committee: the distinction between service and conduct complaints.
Colin Fox: : Will you give the committee a clear idea of what a service complaint is and how it differs from a conduct complaint?
Philip Yelland: : Perhaps I can provide a couple of helpful examples. As we indicated earlier, service complaints relate to the service that the client receives from the solicitor and might involve failure to return telephone calls, answer letters quickly or explain how expenses will be dealt with. Conduct complaints, on the other hand, relate to matters of professional discipline and involve breaches of practice rules or the solicitors' code of conduct, such as lying to a client, taking a client's money, being dishonest or not acting independently.
Colin Fox: : Do the public understand that distinction? If someone made a complaint to the Law Society of Scotland, would they understand the categories under which it might be dealt with?
Philip Yelland: : Some people understand the distinction, but not everyone does. In recent years, we have tried to improve our literature to explain it to the public. I should point out that some people who complain to us do not seek financial recompense; they simply do not want their solicitor to continue, because they feel that he or she has acted improperly.
Colin Fox: : A number of people, including the Scottish legal services ombudsman, have pointed out that complaints can often straddle both categories. In light of that, can the bill's provisions stipulate that service complaints should be dealt with in one way and conduct complaints in another, or will such a separation cause difficulties?
Philip Yelland: : Those provisions might well cause difficulties, but they can be overcome. We already co-regulate with a number of bodies, such as the office of the immigration services commissioner, which has made it clear that the approach works quite well. Once the architecture of the new commission becomes clear, we will simply have to sit down and find a way of dealing with the matter to ensure the minimum of disruption, delay and bureaucracy for the person making the complaint.
Colin Fox: : Who makes the decision whether a complaint is handled as a service complaint or as a conduct complaint?
Philip Yelland: : Under the Law Society of Scotland's current process, we agree the issues with the person who makes the complaint and, after considering the statutory definition of inadequate service and what falls into the category of potential professional misconduct, the case manager decides whether it is a service or a conduct matter.
Colin Fox: : Is it fair to say that, no matter what category complaints fall into, having a single mechanism might make things far simpler and ensure that problems never arose?
Philip Yelland: : Superficially, things might appear simpler. However, as you proceeded with an investigation and the decision-making process, you would get into difficulties trying to decide what should be done. As I pointed out earlier, there is a distinct separation between a service complaint, which involves the provision of poor service to a client, and complaints about professional discipline.
Caroline Flanagan: : Anne Hastie wants to make a couple of comments.
Anne Hastie (Law Society of Scotland): : Perhaps the distinction is not that clear to the public. I am a member of a client relations committee, which handles policy, strategy and so on. The non-solicitor members have been keen to ensure that the literature can be easily understood by the public, does not contain too many terms that could be misunderstood and makes clear what the issues are and how they can be dealt with. I have been a non-solicitor reporter for the Law Society of Scotland for about three years, and I was surprised to find that the Law Society in England and Wales does not have such positions. When I told members of the Law Society in England and Wales that I was a non-solicitor reporter they asked, "What's that?"
Perhaps Philip Yelland did not make it clear that the case managers in Scotland, unlike those in England, take on the case, which then goes to the sifting panel, which is made up of solicitor and non-solicitor volunteers. It will then go to either a non-solicitor reporter or a solicitor volunteer reporter to investigate—it is not the case managers who carry out the investigation and reporting, which is what happens in England. Thereafter, the case goes to one of the committees that investigate complaints, the membership of which is 50 per cent solicitor and 50 per cent non-solicitor. We on the complaints, or client relations, committees decide whether the complaint is upheld.
In all the media coverage, the other 85 non-solicitors and I were passed over; we just did not seem to exist. The public are definitely involved; we try to make the process clear and present the consumers' point of view.
Mr John Swinney (North Tayside) (SNP): : As I understand it, when a complaint is made against a solicitor, it is investigated first by a Law Society reporter. Is that correct?
Philip Yelland: : Once a complaint has come in and we have agreed the issues, the case manager will put those issues to the solicitors for a response. The response and the solicitors' file will come to us and then to a reporter, who, as Anne Hastie said, can be a solicitor or a non-solicitor, depending on the type of case. Thereafter, the report comes back and the parties have a chance to comment on it before it goes to a client relations committee for consideration. The client relations committee, which is made up of 50 per cent solicitors and 50 per cent non-solicitors, then makes the decision, unless the recommendation relates to professional misconduct, in which case it goes to the professional conduct committee, which is also 50 per cent solicitors and 50 per cent non- solicitors. The professional conduct committee will then decide whether somebody should be appointed to prosecute the matter before the independent Scottish Solicitors Disciplinary Tribunal; it may reach a different view, which would not involve prosecution before the tribunal.
Mr Swinney: : Are there circumstances in which the view expressed by a reporter commissioned by the Law Society to examine a case is rejected by the client relations committee?
Philip Yelland: : Yes, that can happen. If it does, the decision that the complainer gets, which is different from that recommended by the reporter, will be explained by the committee in the minute of its meeting, which is issued to both parties. There should be clear reasoning why there is a change from what the reporter has recommended. If the complainer is unhappy with that decision, they can take the matter to the Scottish legal services ombudsman as a handling complaint. Under the bill, if we were dealing with a conduct matter, that would still happen: the complainer would be able to take the matter to the new commission, which would be wearing the current ombudsman's hat.
Mr Swinney: : Let us say that a committee rejects a reporter's findings and the client goes to the ombudsman, who agrees with the reporter. Does the Law Society on occasion refuse to implement the recommendations expressed by the ombudsman?
Philip Yelland: : I think that I am right in saying that, if you read the ombudsman's reports of the past few years, you will find that in more than 98 per cent of cases we have accepted the ombudsman's recommendations. If we do not accept those recommendations and the ombudsman thinks that a decision is unreasonable, she has the power to publicise that view. I think that I am correct in saying that during the previous ombudsman's five and a half years in office, there was publicity of matters in the national press on only three or four occasions. We accept most recommendations.
Mr Swinney: : When the professional conduct committee judges that individuals are guilty of professional misconduct, which you said meant being dishonest or lying to a client—Mr West gave us other definitions last week—are such individuals always prosecuted at the tribunal?
Philip Yelland: : Current legislation says that the council of the Law Society may prosecute—it is not required to do so—and circumstances could arise in which the professional conduct committee decided that, for good reason, a solicitor was not to be prosecuted but the conduct would be noted on their record, so that if it recurred, the matter could return to the committee for further consideration. However, I think that in fewer than five cases last year was a matter noted rather than prosecuted.
Mr Swinney: : So in some circumstances, although the Law Society finds an individual guilty of professional misconduct, no disciplinary action is taken against them.
Philip Yelland: : That is incorrect. The society has no power to make a finding of professional misconduct. If the professional conduct committee believes that professional misconduct has taken place, it can send the matter to a fiscal to prosecute before the independent tribunal, which decides whether there was misconduct. Alternatively, if the professional conduct committee decides not to prosecute a matter that may be misconduct, it can merely express the view that behaviour appears to be professional misconduct
In summer 2004, the society said publicly and clearly that it should have powers to deal with low-level misconduct, to enable that to be dealt with properly. The bill proposes a finding of unsatisfactory professional conduct, but it will not allow the society to deal with low-level misconduct, such as solicitors who do not reply to two or three letters.
The Convener: : In the early stages of the process, which you described, a complaint is referred to the solicitor who dealt with the client. Does the complainer see the solicitor's response?
Philip Yelland: : The complainer normally sees the response, unless the complaint is made by somebody who is not the solicitor's client. In those circumstances, issues of confidentiality can arise so, with the ombudsman's assistance, we have developed a procedure under which the response would not normally be copied. However, if the complainer is the solicitor's client, they will see the solicitor's response.
The Convener: : That answer is helpful.
Douglas Mill: : I will add to Mr Yelland's earlier description of the process. One recommendation that the Justice 1 Committee made some years ago was that the Law Society should create firewalls, which are what Mr Yelland described. Prosecutions no longer go through our council—that was an important piece of governance redesign that we put in place to keep prosecutions within the ambit of 50 per cent lay representation.
The Convener: : Bill Butler will ask about ECHR compliance, which has been mentioned.
Bill Butler: : Whether the new commission is ECHR compliant is an issue. The Executive and the Presiding Officer say that the bill complies with the ECHR, but Mr Clancy said that, because of provisions in paragraph 2 of schedule 1 on appointment, removal and remuneration and because of the ability to give directions of a general character, the Law Society felt—having obtained an opinion from Lord Lester—that the commission would not be ECHR compliant as it would not be an independent and impartial tribunal. For the record, will you summarise all the changes that the Law Society thinks are needed to make the bill ECHR compliant and to help the Presiding Officer and the Executive out of the quandary that you think they are in?
Michael Clancy: : As the committee knows, I am always here to be helpful. I will try my best. You are correct: ministers and a Deputy Presiding Officer certified that the bill complied with the ECHR.
Bill Butler: : I take it that the Deputy Presiding Officer did so in the Presiding Officer's name.
Michael Clancy: : The Parliament's officials have taken that view. What the Law Society has presented to the committee is an opinion from a leading Queen's counsel who has great experience of ECHR matters. You might say that that just means that there are other opinions—sure enough, there are. When the society spoke to the Executive in the latter stages of last year, without the benefit of the opinion of Lord Lester of Herne Hill QC, we came to the view that any structure would have to be compliant with the ECHR. I do not need to rehearse for the committee the necessity for any measure that the Parliament passes to comply with section 29 of the Scotland Act 1998 or with section 6 of the Human Rights Act 1998—the committee knows that only too well. However, there are always views and notwithstanding the fact that my colleagues and I, in discussions with Executive officials, made the point that any new structure would have to be ECHR compliant, the bill was presented to Parliament in the fashion in which it appears before us today.
The explanatory memorandum sets out the Executive's case. It believes that the proposed body will be ECHR proof because it will be an administrative tribunal that will exercise a quasi-judicial function rather than a judicial one. The Executive also believes that the commission will be independent because the Scottish ministers will really be "nominal appointers"—I think that that is the correct phraseology—of the commission members because appointments will have to comply with Nolan certification and go through the standards and appointments procedure. That is all very well, but we are trying to explain that other experts have other views. We must find some means of ensuring that the bill is proof against challenge. It is clear that some things could be done to the bill to proof it against challenge.
Bill Butler: : Such as?
Michael Clancy: : The issues of independence that I spoke of could be dealt with by further insulating the commission from political interference or the possibility of it. There might be a role for the Judicial Appointments Board for Scotland, the Parliament or the existing judiciary to become involved in appointments to the commission. After all, if it is going to exercise the powers of a court, it might fall under the jurisdiction of the court.
Other issues arise regarding proofing. On whether there will be adequate supervision of the commission, we must remember that case law says that there can be certain challenges to the independence of a body if there is adequate external supervision by a court. However, the bill will not provide adequate supervision. The appeals committee will not be sufficiently detached from the commission. I think that there would need to be provision for an appeal to the court for the commission to be insulated fully against challenge.
Bill Butler: : Obviously, you are saying that the Law Society supports having an external right of appeal.
Michael Clancy: : Yes.
Bill Butler: : In that case, what do you make of the view of the Scottish Law Agents Society that such a right would be costly and cause unwelcome delays and that it would be preferable to focus on addressing the independence of the proposed commission to make the bill ECHR compliant? In other words, it is the independence of the commission, according to the Scottish Law Agents Society, that is the nub of the matter and not an external right of appeal. Does the Law Society have a view on that?
Michael Clancy: : With the best will in the world, it is not for me to battle with the Scottish Law Agents Society over this committee table. I can do that privately in the corridor outside after the meeting.
Bill Butler: : I am asking only for an opinion, not a full-scale war.
Michael Clancy: : You know me; I am not into full-scale wars.
Bill Butler: : I am a pacifist myself—on certain occasions.
Michael Clancy: : I am quite prepared to express my opinion on some things, but I am not sure that this is one of them. If the question of independence is resolved, it will reduce the importance of external appeal. However, an external appeal is the best way to be 100 per cent certain that the bill is proof against all possibility of challenge.
Bill Butler: : I think that you are saying that, although having an external appeal might be the best way it is not the only way, and that if the independence question were resolved, that might be acceptable to the Law Society. Is that what you are saying?
Douglas Mill: : There is another element to this, which is the public's right to appeal. I make it very clear that we do not think that it is just the solicitor who requires a right of appeal.
When we responded to the Executive's consultation last year, we identified that the one thing that is missing from our existing system is a meaningful appeal mechanism. The public do not realise that their only right of redress is through the Scottish legal services ombudsman, who can look only at handling issues.
We felt that the existing system could be improved by providing some fairly robust, cheap and cheerful, quick and dirty appeals system rather than something as full-blown and costly as a judicial review. Notwithstanding what fixes the bill from an ECHR point of view, the profession, and more particularly the public, will look to go somewhere else. The public will not consider an internal appeal from the proposed commission to be a real appeal. The commission will end up with the same perception difficulties that we have.
Bill Butler: : What would the Law Society see as an ordinary appeal process without going to a full-blown judicial review?
Caroline Flanagan: : I can help you with that. We discussed that point because it is no good saying, "There isn't an appeal," full stop. It is helpful to come up with some ideas.
You could create a separate structure, but that would probably be unhelpful because it would create yet another layer of expense. The easiest thing to do would be along the lines of a licensing appeal. You could take an appeal to a local sheriff on a summary basis. The local authority makes decisions in licensing cases that involve taxi drivers, for example, and there is an appeal to a sheriff. It is not terribly expensive, it is quick and it would provide that measure of independence and the second bite at the cherry that the public will probably want, as Douglas Mill said.
Bill Butler: : Is a licensing appeal through local government really analogous to what we are discussing?
Caroline Flanagan: : The type of work is not analogous, but the procedure could be. That procedure is quick and it is not expensive for the parties.
Douglas Mill: : We consider the sheriff court to be the proper forum because of its local nature, which assists the public.
Jeremy Purvis: : I want to be clear about the recourse to the courts as set out in the bill. The point at issue is the appeal by solicitors, rather than by members of the public, who can go to court if they so choose. Is that correct?
Douglas Mill: : No. We think that both the solicitor and the public should have an equal right of appeal. Either aggrieved party should have a summary right of appeal.
Jeremy Purvis: : But is it the case that the bill would allow members of the public to appeal to the court, but not solicitors?
Michael Clancy: : It is not an appeal to the court. Members of the public could take an action for negligence to the court, but a solicitor is effectively disfranchised from his or her rights under article 6.1 of the ECHR to have an independent and impartial tribunal to deal with a civil right or obligation. That is the problem. The commission would not be an adequately independent and impartial tribunal.
Jeremy Purvis: : Lord Lester received information about other quasi-judicial bodies in Scotland before he wrote his opinion, paragraph 15 of which states:
"I assume for the purposes of my advice that the existing disciplinary arrangements"
are compatible with the ECHR. Therefore there is an assumption that we have a neat system throughout Scotland and that everything is compliant. Is that correct?
Michael Clancy: : When I gave Lord Lester his instructions, I did not speak about a general tour d'horizon of disciplinary systems in Scotland. We talked about the system of regulation of solicitors.
Jeremy Purvis: : Right. Paragraph 15 talks in general terms about
"the legal professional bodies and the discipline tribunals".
Michael Clancy: : Of course, the fact is that those arrangements are proof against the ECHR. In the past few years, the cases of Robson and Thomson v the council of the Law Society of Scotland have clarified beyond doubt that the discipline tribunal processes are ECHR compliant.
Jeremy Purvis: : I want to return to Bill Butler's point about what would be required to make the bill compatible with the ECHR. Lord Lester is clear that simply changing the independence of the membership of the commission would not be sufficient for his opinion on compliance to change. He states that there would have to be a right of appeal against the commission's decisions.
Michael Clancy: : That is correct.
Jeremy Purvis: : So his opinion will be the same, even if there is a compromise on the membership of the appeals committee or the commission.
Michael Clancy: : Independence would go only so far. For the body to be fully compliant with the ECHR, it is important for there to be a right of appeal. I am sure that Lord Lester would be happy to explain that personally to the committee, if members wanted to invite him.
Jeremy Purvis: : How much would he charge?
Michael Clancy: : That would be for the committee to negotiate with Lord Lester.
Colin Fox: : Last week, the committee heard evidence from the bill team. We pressed them on the apparent inconsistency in the bill that solicitors will have the right to appeal against the commission's decisions, but the general public will not. Perhaps you can shed light on the current circumstances. At present, what right of appeal do members of the public have in the Law Society's complaints handling system?
Philip Yelland: : With service complaints, the public do not have a direct right of appeal, although they have the right to refer a handling complaint to the Scottish legal services ombudsman. In some of the ombudsman's annual reports, she has expressed concern that many people have gone to her with the view that they are appealing, whereas the ombudsman's office does not have a power to take appeals. In a service case, the solicitor has a right of appeal to the independent discipline tribunal against a finding of inadequate professional service, which could involve an award of compensation or a refund of fees.
With matters of professional misconduct that are dealt with by the discipline tribunal, the solicitor has the right of appeal to the Court of Session. In that situation, the council of the Law Society steps into the shoes of the complainer to do the prosecution before the tribunal and has the power to appeal against the decision, if, for example, it thinks that a solicitor should have been struck off rather than only restricted or suspended.
Colin Fox: : I want to ensure that I understand the matter clearly. With service complaints, the general public have no right to appeal decisions, but the solicitor has that right.
Philip Yelland: : That is correct, at present.
Colin Fox: : I am concentrating on the present. With conduct complaints, the Law Society of Scotland, in one guise or another, steps into the shoes of the member of the public and carries out the prosecution. The solicitor has the right to appeal, but the member of the public does not have the right to appeal in their terms, because somebody is standing in their shoes. Therefore, in effect, under the current system, members of the public have no right of appeal in either category of case. Under the bill, the public will have no right of appeal, either. That is something that we need to address.
Philip Yelland: : That is right.
The Convener: : We will now consider the financial impact on the legal profession of the proposals.
Jeremy Purvis: : One concerning aspect in the submissions are the comments on the bill's potential to force certain categories of solicitor out of the market. We have received lots of written evidence on that matter. I will read the evidence from one firm, although I am not sure whether this is a matter of public record, so I will not mention the name. It states:
"My firm provides advice to some of the poorest members of society. We represent people who have mental health issues; require guardians; have difficulty in understanding legal concepts and who have unrealistic expectations of outcomes."
The submission goes on to say that the bill
"will require to be considered by every practice in Scotland. Firms will close and those clients who can least afford to go without representation will be most disadvantaged."
That is a deep concern. What research has the Law Society done into the market impact of the proposals?
Caroline Flanagan: : No direct research has been done, because clearly there has not been enough time between seeing the bill for the first time and giving evidence today.
We are attempting to address the law of unintended consequences. We understand some of the aims of the bill, but it is important that this committee—which has to take the bill and make it as good as it can be—knows what the consequences may be.
Members will have seen from our submission that most complaints come in certain areas of work. That is not because the solicitors are in some way bad, but because the areas of work are areas in which people make distressed purchases or have unrealistic expectations.
I think that I have seen the response that you quoted, Mr Purvis. In certain cases, some clients may not be in a position fully to understand what they are being advised on. We are concerned that in civil legal aid, in particular, and in rural areas—indeed, in any situation that does not involve big commercial firms—solicitors will consider certain areas of work and say, "This is not worth the risk." Also, in private client cases the risk and the additional cost of regulation can be passed on to the client, but in legal-aid cases the fee is fixed. We therefore think that the downward trend of civil legal aid—which already concerns the Scottish Legal Aid Board and the Executive—will almost certainly accelerate. No one will take on certain areas of work for which the fee is not very good, the risk of complaint is high, and a fee has to be paid to the commission even if the work was done perfectly. We have real concerns about that.
Jeremy Purvis: : We are in danger of conflating three components—the bill procedures, the levy and the type of work. However, as you have said, you have done no research on any of them. There has obviously been time to obtain legal opinion but not enough time to do research among your members.
Douglas Mill: : There is a great distinction between obtaining legal opinion, which can be done quite quickly, and doing meaningful research.
I, too, am aware of the response that you quoted, and I think that you will find that it is a law centre response. Anne Hastie has a background in citizens advice and we are concerned about the disproportionate impact of the complaints commission on the coalface of the profession—on people working in Scots law in practices that may be in rural areas or in poorer parts of towns or cities and which do the type of work that is likely to produce complaints. We are talking about cases in which people are stressed. Big firms tend not to have a record of complaints—not because they have much better lawyers than the lawyers in the smaller firms but because they have a corporate client base and different ways of sorting things out.
There is one statistic that we are in a position to arm the committee with at this stage. We understand that, of the firms registered for civil legal aid—and the number is reducing—50 per cent drew less than £20,000 from the Scottish Legal Aid Board last year. A lot is being done round the margins of legal aid and the president was right to suggest that the main concern is that solicitors will have to let their heads rule their hearts when doing that kind of work, which tends to be done on a pro bono basis.
Jeremy Purvis: : Let us leave to one side the complaints levy, which the committee will come back to when considering the financing of the proposed measures. If a firm of solicitors is operating with difficult clients in a difficult area or in an area where provision is sparse, and if the firm is good and has a record of providing good services, complaints will not start to come in from its clients just because a new commission has come into being. The firm's profile will already exist. That is why I was asking about research. I was hoping to hear that you had profiles of firms already, with information about the types of firms and the types of cases that led to complaints. I had expected you to have that information and to be able to tell the committee about it.
Douglas Mill: : We can certainly assist the committee with that because we will be able to get that information from our own records.
There are two reasons why a firm should be concerned. First, a disproportionate penalty of £20,000 is proposed, against which there is no meaningful right of appeal. One case in which such a disproportionate penalty was awarded could close the door of the type of firm that we are talking about—and the doors of law centres and CABx. That £20,000 must be considered in the context that for years we operated with a penalty of £1,000; it is wrong that that was not linked to inflation. The penalty was increased to £5,000 last year; indeed the Justice 1 Committee recommended a few years ago that it should be put up to £5,000 and linked to inflation. The profession effectively now faces, within a 24-month to 36-month period, a twentyfold increase in penalty.
That is only half of it. The other reason why those firms need to be bothered is that, regardless of whether they are exonerated—even if the commission finds that they did not provide an inadequate service—they still pay a case fee. That is against most tenets of natural justice. The system has the potential to be a blackmailers charter. Those are the dual reasons why any business, whether it is a firm of solicitors, a law centre or a CAB, will be concerned.
Caroline Flanagan: : Mr Purvis, when you said research, I took you to mean had we gone out to the profession, asking them about that subject. We have more information, but we have not gone to the profession and said, "Here are some questions for you." I misunderstood what you meant by research. The fact that the committee has had quite a few responses from the profession probably gives a view of the profession's feelings on that area.
Philip Yelland: : To give the committee a brief snapshot, the most common complaints that we get arise out of litigation and tribunal work, where there is a winner and a loser. Many of those cases—not all—arise because the person has lost. Some arise because the people who won did not get the result that they wanted. Ten years ago, it was different; conveyancing was the main cause of concern. If the committee wants more detailed information on that we would be more than happy to provide it. There are also issues about the size and types of firms. Again, we can provide that information to the committee if that would assist it.
Caroline Flanagan: : I wonder whether Mr Clancy would come back on the appeals point that was mentioned earlier.
Michael Clancy: : Colin Fox said earlier that the complainer did not have an appeal under the structure proposed in the bill. Philip Yelland might have been answering a question about our current system rather than the structure proposed by the bill. In fact, the complainer does have an appeal under the bill. Schedule 3 sets up the appeals committee and the process for dealing with that. Paragraph 1(g) of schedule 3 makes provision
"as to appeal to the appeals committee by a complainer, a practitioner"
or such-and-such. Although the rules of procedure that will be operated by the commission's appeals committee are not laid out in the bill—that is an issue for subordinate legislation, which has its own difficulties—it is clearly envisaged that there is to be an appeal by both the complainer and the practitioner.
Colin Fox: : I am grateful to you for pointing that out. A level playing field is to be welcomed.
Mr Stewart Maxwell (West of Scotland) (SNP): : You seem to be opposing the increase from £5,000 to £20,000; you said that £20,000 was a disproportionate amount. Why should not an aggrieved client be compensated at an appropriate level, if the appropriate level happens to be £10,000, £15,000 or £19,000?
Douglas Mill: : They already are, under the existing system. They already have the right to sue the solicitor for negligence and to recover exactly what they are entitled to.
Mr Maxwell: : So your view is that we should put them through a lengthy and costly process in the court.
Douglas Mill: : There are many difficulties if we compare the perception with the reality. We have already conceded that the perception of how a client has been handled can be forever damned even if the reality is solid. There are one or two fundamental misconceptions about the master policy, so I am glad that we are dealing with the matter.
The first misconception is that a person must sue—they do not have to do so. I have figures from Royal & Sun Alliance Insurance, our lead insurer, that show that fewer than 1 per cent of claims against solicitors go to court. Claims tend to go to court only if a relatively novel point of law is being tested or there are unrealistic expectations about the quantum—the amount that the claimant is claiming. Therefore, there is no necessity for a lengthy delay.
The second urban myth seems to be that solicitors will not act against other solicitors and will not take up claims on behalf of clients who have problems with their former solicitors. Again, that is absolutely untrue. As we speak, approximately 130 solicitors firms in Scotland—around 10 per cent—are actively pursuing a claim or claims on behalf of clients under the master policy. A system therefore exists for clients to get recompense.
Mr Maxwell: : Yes, but the question is why people should have to take that second step, whether through the court or by dealing with the matter before it goes to court when a compensation level of above £5,000 is appropriate. Surely it would be simpler and fairer to deal with the matter at the first stage rather than have to go through supplementary stages.
Douglas Mill: : There are not really any supplementary stages. Some people pursue their own claims against the master policy, but most people will go to a solicitor, who will advise them that they may have a claim for negligence in addition to an inadequate professional service claim. Philip Yelland said that we have a system for dealing with that. Therefore, there is no additional hassle for the client.
Philip Yelland: : That is right. The maximum compensation is £5,000 under the current legislation. We can take on the complaint, deal with it and award up to £5,000. If a person wants to pursue the matter further through the courts, they can do so. The only thing that would then happen is that any compensation that we have ordered the solicitor to pay will be taken into account in any final settlement, which is clearly just and reasonable. That approach has been taken for around five years. Previously, we told people that they would have to pursue matters through the courts, but we no longer do so. As a result, in a number of cases we have dealt with the matter and somebody has then made a judgment about how much more money they think they should be entitled to and whether they should take the matter on from there.
Mr Maxwell: : If you disagree with the figure of £20,000 for the maximum level of compensation, what do you think would be a fair level? Is £5,000 fair? Should the figure be somewhere between those two figures?
Douglas Mill: : The £5,000 limit has only just been introduced. We have been making awards of up to £5,000 for only a year or so. My difficulty with the proposed figure is that it has come straight out of the Department for Constitutional Affairs in England and is designed to reflect the English figure. However, there are big differences in the earning power, structure and so on of the professions down south and up north. The fact that 400 or 500 consultation responses have been received from the profession indicates that it sees the proposal as an unnaturally high leap within a very short period of time.
Philip Yelland: : It might help Mr Maxwell to be aware that since we got the power that we are discussing in April last year—the power applies only to business from then onwards—the highest compensation award that we have made is £3,200. There have also been a couple of awards of £2,000, but we have not yet made the maximum award of £5,000.
Mr Maxwell: : Given those figures, it sounds as if you are not sure why you are afraid of the change. However, will you clarify one matter before we move on? The danger to firms as a result of the possible size of compensation awards was commented on. I think that it was said that firms would not do the work or that they could be forced out of business. I was not sure that I had picked up correctly what was said and wondered what was meant. Is that what was said? I assume that firms would be insured for any awards that are made against them and am therefore not sure how they would be forced out of business.
Douglas Mill: : You are probably referring to what I said. I think that clients will suffer more than solicitors. The proposals might result in certain geographical areas of Scotland being unable to get solicitors in the same way that they cannot get dentists.
The Executive made a dangerous assumption that the compensation awards would be picked up by insurance. I do not think that they would be, for a range of reasons that are set out at length in the excellent responses from Royal & Sun Alliance, which is the lead insurer under the master policy, and Marsh, which is the broker under the master policy. Their worry is twofold. First, the response when the level increased from £1,000 to £5,000 was to increase the excess or self-insured amount that every practice has, to ensure that they were not covered by the master policy. At the moment, they are not covered by the master policy except in rare circumstances in which a solicitor has dropped dead or gone out of business. The insurers are certainly likely to be worried about picking up liability for compensation awards if those awards are not arrived at applying the law of negligence and are not subject to an appeal or to proper scrutiny.
Our director of professional practice has described the master policy as being in effect a deferred loan scheme rather than an insurance policy. In other words, we pick up any claims in our premiums in future years. That is why there is likely to be an impact. It is not as if we simply claim an insurance payment and sail off into the sunset without any downstream financial obligations.
Mr Maxwell: : That is the nature of all insurance policies. If someone has a prang in their car or their car is stolen, their insurance premium goes up.
Douglas Mill: : Absolutely. The master policy and professional indemnity insurance in general are no different from that. It is not as if there is a panacea.
The insurers have not yet made up their minds about what to do. They are likely to do one of two things. Either they will exclude the compensation payments under the master policy or they will readjust the self-insured amounts. At the moment, any firm of solicitors with seven or fewer partners would in effect have to self-insure a £20,000 penalty. That brings me back to one of my fundamental points, which is that the impact of the commission will fall disproportionately on the high street, which is the sector of the profession that is already under the most pressure.
Mr Maxwell: : I do not want to hold up the discussion, but it would be helpful if we could get further information about how the insurance policies work.
The Convener: : I know that Maureen Macmillan has a particular interest in the master policy and the guarantee fund. When we hear the answers to her questions on that subject, we can decide whether we need to ask for more information.
Maureen Macmillan: : You said that only about 1 per cent or 2 per cent of cases go to court and that somebody makes a judgment about that. Who makes that judgment? How is the quantum worked out? Is it done between the solicitor for the wronged side, as it were, and the insurance company?
Douglas Mill: : It is worked out in one of two ways. A claim will be lodged with the broker, which will pass it on to the insurers. RSA, which is the lead insurer, will handle most of the claims. Most of the time, it will handle the claims in-house, using its own staff. However, claims of larger value and more complex claims are likely to be passed to panel solicitors, who have a set of claims-handling obligations and so on. As with most claims, whether they are to do with a broken leg or a damaged car, these claims will be established between the two firms of solicitors.
The point that I would like to make clear is that, where there is a valid claim under the master policy, it is dealt with without the necessity of court action.
Maureen Macmillan: : Do you agree that the fact that the claims are established between the two firms of solicitors gives the impression that the system is very cosy and that the amounts of money that are being awarded are being depressed?
Douglas Mill: : That is not my impression or the impression of the legal profession. I do not think that there is any evidence that would bear out any assertion that the settlements are unnaturally depressed. I am sure that RSA and Marsh would be happy to give you written or oral evidence to that effect.
Maureen Macmillan: : It is useful to have that view out in the open.
You seem to be saying that you do not trust the proposed complaints commission to make a reasonable settlement and that, because the £20,000 is there as a ceiling, it will automatically make settlements that are much more onerous than the settlements that are made at present.
Douglas Mill: : It is not a question of trust. From a standing start, the new commission will have to acquire an awful lot of experience to determine who or what is a vexatious or litigious complainer, and to get some idea of what is commensurate and proportionate. Our worry is that the amount of any award has to be determined using such aspects of the law of negligence as foreseeability and a duty to minimise loss. Currently, amounts are ultimately determined by recourse to the court. If a claimant feels that he has been offered a ridiculously low amount of money, he has the facility to go to court, but that facility will not exist under the proposed commission.
Maureen Macmillan: : Do you feel that there will be a lack of expertise in the commission when it starts?
Douglas Mill: : Any organisation would find it difficult to come up with expertise from a standing start. At least we have the advantage that we have been doing this—or a variant of it—for about 57 years, but it will take a while for the commission to build up expertise.
Maureen Macmillan: : There has been some evidence that there are unacceptable delays in getting claims processed through the master policy. Do you accept that? The fact that there are undue delays is the reason that is suggested for giving the complaints commission oversight of the process.
Douglas Mill: : I do not accept that and I do not think that there is any evidence that that is the case. The situation is dealt with in the Marsh and RSA responses, to which I have referred. I do not think that the evidence goes beyond what the Scottish Consumer Council's submission calls anecdotal evidence. There is no solid evidence that there is any delay. It is simply not in the interests of any party throughout the chain of master policy to delay things. The committee should realise that there is nothing more stressful for a solicitor than having a negligence claim against him or her. They want it to be dealt with as quickly as possible.
Colin Fox: : I have two brief points. I will focus on the current £5,000 compensation level and leave aside the £20,000 completely. One of the remedies that are available to the Law Society in disposing of a complaint is to order the solicitor to charge the client no fee. You have already said that the maximum compensation that you have declared so far is £3,200. Have there been occasions when the penalty that was levied against the solicitor might have been more than £3,200 by virtue of the fact that the solicitor had to do their own work?
Philip Yelland: : Yes, that is quite right. There have been occasions where the combination of an award of compensation—even under the limit of £1,000—and an order to refund all fees or even a significant part of a solicitor's fees has far exceeded that amount.
Colin Fox: : Is it fair to say that there have been occasions where the total has exceeded the current £5,000 limit?
Philip Yelland: : Oh yes. I can certainly think of occasions when that has happened. The biggest refund of fees that I can think of was somewhere in the region of £24,000.
Colin Fox: : Right. That is clearly beyond the penalty proposed in the bill.
Could you give us an idea of where the majority of disposals fall? I take it that compensation seldom settles at the £3,200 level. At what level are the majority of disposals settled?
Philip Yelland: : Last year, the average compensation payment was £474. A total of 452 compensation awards were made last year. There was an abatement of fees in 168 cases. In 14 cases, we asked a solicitor to do something to rectify matters, and there were 31 cases in which we asked the solicitor to do something else. For example, if a solicitor has not wound up an executry very well, one of the options is to instruct the solicitor to give it to someone else to finish off. The second solicitor finishes off the case and the original solicitor has to pay for it. Obviously, each year is different. If the committee wants more information about that, we will be happy to provide it.
Colin Fox: : Just to clarify, my maths shows that half of the complaints resulted in a disposal along the lines of ordering a solicitor to do extra work, and so on.
Philip Yelland: : Of the matters that go to committees, it is fair to say that something like 30 per cent result in an inadequate professional service award.
Colin Fox: : Thank you. I am grateful.
Jackie Baillie (Dumbarton) (Lab): : I wish first to ask a supplementary question following on from something that Maureen Macmillan raised. Mr Mill was definitive in his rejection of the notion of any delays at all to claims against the master policy or the guarantee fund. Given the evident complexity of some negligence cases, I find that line hard to swallow whole. Having not yet ploughed through all 600 submissions—although I promise faithfully to do so—I would ask Mr Mill to indicate the average time taken and the longest time that it has taken to resolve a case.
Douglas Mill: : I simply cannot do that, but I know who could: the Royal & Sun Alliance, the lead insurer. It is the claims-handling body. I will define my terms slightly more accurately. I am saying that undue delay on the part of the lead insurer or its panel solicitors does not particularly happen, rather than that there is no delay at all.
I would like to make a supplementary point, too. Perhaps I should have said this when Mrs Macmillan asked me about it. We should not confuse the payments for inadequate professional service with claims under the master policy. The average annual payment over the past couple of years has been about £10 million, which is a significant amount of money. The figures are assessed against the law of negligence.
Caroline Flanagan: : Of course, the Law Society does not handle the negligence complaints that are made against the master policy. Those complaints go to the insurer, and the Law Society does not deal with them. There is nothing that we can do at that end of things that can be overseen.
Jackie Baillie: : I understand that. I was just concerned that a definitive statement had been made. The matter has now been clarified. There could be a delay, but it will perhaps not be an undue delay. That is excellent—I like to understand things.
Mr Swinney: : I am interested in what the witnesses have just said about the Law Society having nothing to do with the arrangements for handling negligence claims. I have in front of me a memorandum in connection with the case of one of my constituents. It was issued by Mr Mill on 5 July 2001. I do not know whether it is available among the committee's papers, but I know that the convener has a copy. I am happy to pass it on.
The Convener: : The committee has it.
Mr Swinney: : That is fine. Mr Mill's memo was written to the then president of the Law Society, Mr McAllister. It refers to the broker of the master policy. Mr Mill suggests that it would be good if he and the others involved all got together and had a "summit meeting" to discuss how to dispose of my constituent's "several valid claims". Mr Mill and I have discussed the matter at length over the years, but I find that a rather strange memo if it is to sit comfortably with the statement that the president has just made.
Caroline Flanagan: : For reasons that are clear, I will ask Mr Mill to answer that. That was before my time.
Douglas Mill: : Mr Swinney and I have indeed discussed this matter on several occasions over the past few years. I would say that it goes a long way towards proving that we do not dabble in individual claims. I will go on oath and on record, and I will swear on my granny's grave, that never once have I, any member of my staff or any office-bearer dabbled in a claim.
My point is that there are various parties involved. Let us say that Anne Hastie represents the Law Society. She tenders the master policy brokerage on a five-year rolling programme with Philip Yelland, who represents the broker, Marsh. Each year, he in turn buys that on the market from me, the RSA, as lead insurer, and from the other insurers. When necessary, they would instruct Caroline Flanagan, representing the panel solicitors. That is the sharp end of claims being dealt with.
The layer of insulation between the Law Society and claims handling is Marsh the broker. Our then president, Martin McAllister, got a letter from Mr Swinney's constituent, Mr Mackenzie. The committee will accept that many letters that our president gets do not have the same degree of foundation as lies behind Mr Mackenzie's issues. I was asked to give a briefing on the matter. I quite properly inquired of Marsh, "I seek an assurance that these claims are being progressed quickly." That is what I do in such situations. I give my president an assurance that I am satisfied, having been satisfied by Marsh. That is all set out in the Marsh response, to which I refer the committee. I will say, "I have been satisfied by our broker that our insurer and its solicitors are acting expediently." That particular message was relayed back. That is the sum and substance of the matter. If we dabbled in claims, that would have been a very different memo.
Mr Swinney: : The memo of 5 July encourages
"a summit meeting on the up-to-date position"
to be held to look at
"both the complaints and the claims aspects."
That rather suggests that the Law Society has been involved. The claim remains unresolved to date and yet the memo is dated 5 July 2001. I appreciate your indulgence in allowing me to put that on the record, convener.
Douglas Mill: : I really feel that I require to respond to two of the points that were made. If the claim remains unresolved, it is a matter for Mr Mackenzie and for the guarantee fund. There may be a plethora of reasons why the case remains unresolved. In the inquiry that he made to our fairly recent president, Mr Mackenzie raised a mix of issues. From the client's perspective, it can be difficult to separate out claim issues from matters of complaint. It is perfectly valid for me to inquire of Philip Yelland and his team whether Mr Mackenzie has complaints and, if so, whether they are being dealt with expeditiously. That is very different from dabbling in the merits of the case, which we would never do. I give my personal assurance to the committee that that is and will always remain the case.
The Convener: : Obviously, the committee is not in the position to arbitrate in the matter, but that has now been put on the record.
I will let in Mr Purvis, if it is on the point and he is brief.
Jeremy Purvis: : I return to the matter of the £20,000 limit. I will be brief. I understand that if someone goes to a court on a point of negligence, for example, there is no limit to the compensation that the court can decide.
Douglas Mill: : None whatever. The court will recompense to the full value of the claim.
Jeremy Purvis: : That is helpful. In our oral evidence taking and in the written submissions, we have heard that insurers could use the bill as a threat to put up insurance premiums, which could cripple small firms, especially those with tight margins. However, surely insurance would also be against the prospect of complaints being made to the commission.
Mr Yelland quoted statistics from the Law Society's annual report. Although there was a 4 per cent reduction in the number of complaints in 2001, there was a 14 per cent increase in 2002; a 19 per cent increase in 2003; and 30 per cent increases in both 2004 and 2005. The number of complaints rose from 2,112 in 2001 to 4,849 in 2005. Would the rise in the number of complaints not have a much bigger impact on any insurance broker who was looking at trends than any rise in the level of compensation? Surely the brokers will look at the figures and say, "There is something wrong with this profession."
Philip Yelland: : I do not think that it would, because the reason for the significant increase in the number of complaints over the past two or three years comes down to complaints about the profession's alleged mis-selling of endowment policies. Those complaints will come to an end in the next two or three years. If the figures for those complaints are stripped out of the totals, there is still a small percentage rise in the number of complaints that are received each year, but it is nothing like the percentages that are in the annual report. We can provide the committee with information on the number of endowment complaints, if that would be helpful. Although those complaints have skewed the figures, it is also fair to say that most financial services regulators are suffering the same difficulties.
The Convener: : We would be grateful if you would do that.
Jackie Baillie: : I will be brief. Nobody will need to swear on their granny's grave to answer this question, which is on the complaints levy. We heard from the bill team last week that, irrespective of whether a complaint is upheld, a complaints levy will be charged. We were told that the reason was to remove the financial incentive for the commission to charge solicitors inappropriately. What is your view of that and how would you fund it?
Caroline Flanagan: : I noticed that the Executive said that it did not want to find that the commission felt obliged to try to uphold complaints. That was an extraordinary thing to say about a commission; it suggests that it will not be able to make its own decisions.
However, I also noticed that the committee quickly picked up on the fact that the same pressure will arise in relation to the hurdle that vexatious and frivolous complaints must cross. One view is that an imperative on the new commission should be to get complaints over that hurdle.
The Law Society has no problem with the proposal that someone who has polluted the system—in other words, someone who has done bad work and failed to sort things out with the client—should pay towards the handling of a complaint. However, we have a problem with the proposal that someone against whom a client makes a complaint even though they have done work well should still have to pay for the handling of the complaint simply because they could not satisfy the client that the work had been done well and in spite of the commission agreeing that the work had been done well. We would prefer the system to be skewed in such a way that a true polluter had to pay more than someone who merely sought to answer a complaint.
There is a proposal that complaint handling should be funded by a combination of the imposition of a levy on the whole profession and the use of case fees or a polluter-pays system to pick up a percentage of the amount required. We think that funding should be skewed towards the whole profession, but an element of it could come from a true polluter-pays system. What is proposed is a solicitor-pays system, not a polluter-pays system; the two are not the same.
Jackie Baillie: : Thank you. That was clear.
Lastly, I turn to the issue of non-lawyers. It appears that, at stage 2, the Executive intends to lodge amendments that will enable the Scottish Legal Aid Board to provide grant funding for non-lawyers, as well as case-by-case funding. Do you support such a change?
Oliver Adair (Law Society of Scotland): : We have always agreed that other providers can provide as good a service as the one that solicitors provide. Our difficulty with the bill is that it proposes a case-by-case funding system, which we do not think would be practical for the other providers. You will note from our submission that we favour a grant or contract-based system. We have no difficulty with non-lawyers receiving funding.
Caroline Flanagan: : I have a supplementary to that. We are concerned about the fact that the bill will not create a level playing field. The bill does not make it clear whether such new registered advisers, who would be paid by SLAB, would be covered by the new commission. Given that solicitors and advocates will be covered by the commission, it would be extraordinary if the new, subordinate level of adviser that is being created was not.
Furthermore, it is extraordinary that people such as will writers and claim handlers will not be covered in any way. The bill will subject to more regulation areas of the profession that are already fairly heavily regulated but will leave unregulated practitioners alone. I do not think that that is in the public interest.
The Convener: : It is fair to say that yours is not the only organisation that has drawn attention to that issue.
Mr Swinney: : I return to the idea of a general levy. If the bill's proposals are implemented, does the Law Society plan to reduce the cost of the practising certificate for solicitors?
Douglas Mill: : We probably will reduce it, simply because about 50 per cent of the work of the client relations office will be reconfigured. Although that cost might well reduce over time, the reduction will in no way reflect what the additional cost of the commission will be. There may be a £50 to £60 saving on the practising certificate fee, whereas we calculate that the economic impact of the commission on the average solicitor may be about £500.
In reply to Jackie Baillie, I wanted to say that, sadly, the commission's independence has been lost sight of when it comes to payment. Although it is fine that the commission should be independent of the profession, it seems that the profession will pick up the entire bill for it. The Executive will save about £400,000 per annum as a result of the abolition of the Scottish legal services ombudsman's office. The society thinks that that commitment should continue for a range of reasons, not least to enforce the independence of the new commission. It was difficult to respond to the proposals in the financial memorandum because it contains no solid targets. Perhaps the funding could be structured in such a way that the Executive funded the head-office costs and the profession picked up case fees and on-going operational costs. That would be more equitable. The point about payment and independence should not be lost sight of.
Mr Swinney: : Are the estimates that the financial memorandum makes about the number of staff that the commission will have either too large or too small? Mr Yelland is probably best placed to answer that.
Philip Yelland: : The difficulty is that it is hard to tell from the bill and the financial memorandum exactly what the structure will be. When you asked Executive officials about that at last week's meeting of the Finance Committee, you obtained some helpful information. My concern is that given that individuals with relatively small case loads will be doing the work, the estimates for the number of staff and therefore the overall salary costs are probably on the low side.
Douglas Mill: : We followed Mr Swinney's questioning. We have a range of financial concerns about the commission, one of which relates to the fundamental lack of financial accountability. Any suggestion that the fact that the commission will refer its budget to the professional body once a year amounts to adequate control is nothing short of daft. We think that a body such as Audit Scotland must have a role to play. Many of our members are exercised because at the moment it looks as if the new body will be able to write itself a blank cheque, without being accountable to Parliament, the Executive or the profession that will fund it, either wholly or principally.
The Convener: : I have no doubt that, in time, the Finance Committee and perhaps even the Audit Committee will comment on that.
Thank you for your contribution to what has been a reasonably tight session. I welcome your offer to send supplementary information. As we proceed with our analysis of the bill, we may need additional material, so I am glad that you have said that you would be willing to provide it.
We will resume with our next panel at 25 minutes to 4.
: Meeting suspended.
: On resuming—
The Convener: : We now move to the second panel. I welcome Valerie Stacey QC, the vice-dean of the Faculty of Advocates. She is supported by Carole Ferguson. Would you like to add anything to your submission on behalf of the faculty?
Valerie Stacey (Faculty of Advocates): : No. I will introduce my colleagues. As you said, I am the vice-dean of the Faculty of Advocates. I am supported today by Carole Ferguson. She is not a member of the Faculty of Advocates but is a member of our staff who is here to assist me with my papers. I was going to bring Kenneth Campbell, who is a member of the faculty, but unfortunately he is in court up the road, so I have brought Carole with me.
Mr Swinney: : Someone has to be there.
Valerie Stacey: : Yes. Someone has to mind the shop.
The committee has our written submission. I have watched the video clip of the previous evidence, for example from the Executive. I also listened to part of what Caroline Flanagan and the other representatives of the Law Society of Scotland said. I know that committee members have asked other witnesses a number of questions that they may also wish to ask me. I will try not to repeat too much of what members have heard already, when the issues do not apply differently to the Faculty of Advocates. I will concentrate on the issues that affect us in a different way.
Of course, our submission is on behalf of the Faculty of Advocates. I emphasise at the outset that the faculty is a different organisation from the Law Society and that we work in a different way. That has consequences for complaints and for how we handle them. The most obvious point is that we are very much smaller than the Law Society. The number of practising advocates is 466; our non-practising membership takes the figure up to more than 700. Our non-practising membership includes a large number of judges and sheriffs but also people who have retired and various tribunal chairmen. The number of advocates who represent clients in court and give written opinions is about 466, whereas Mrs Flanagan is the president of the Law Society, which represents more than 11,000 lawyers. The two organisations are entirely different sizes.
The type of work that we do is also different, in that we do not handle clients' money. Therefore, we do not have accounts rules, because we do not need to have them. We do not have a guarantee fund, because we do not need to have one as there is no way in which an advocate deals with clients' money. In contrast, a great deal of solicitors' work involves conveyancing, executries and such like, so they certainly handle clients' money. The fact that the type of work that we do is different has consequences for the regulation that is required for advocates.
If members have had the opportunity to read our submission, they will have gathered that, despite the Executive's view on the matter, we state that the bill will not be compliant with ECHR. We also say that we do not agree with various aspects of the bill anyway. If it is of any assistance to the committee's consideration of the bill and its reporting back to the Executive on it, I am happy to answer any questions that the committee might have, expand on anything in our written submission or, indeed, address anything that we did not write about but on which the committee would like my view.
The Convener: : I can assure you that you were invited here to represent the Faculty of Advocates because we recognise the differences between the professions and their different roles and methods of operation.
As with the previous panel, members will pick up on certain areas and other members will ask questions on the back of that. I will start in the same way as I did with the Law Society. The public's confidence in complaints against the legal system seems to be low. The Faculty of Advocates said clearly in its written submission that it believes that it is far wiser to have self-regulation. Perhaps you can explain why the faculty says that.
Valerie Stacey: : We say that because we think that it is vital that, as a society, we have independent lawyers; that is, lawyers who are independent of the executive and who will represent their clients without fear of any consequence that that might have for the lawyer. What the Scottish Executive proposes in its bill would, in effect, end that independence and mean that the executive would have some control over the profession. Our view is that that would not be a good thing for clients because it is important that a member of the public who becomes a client can go to an advocate—through a solicitor, as members will know—who will represent them whether or not their case is attractive and whether or not it is a case that the advocate can see is likely to annoy or go directly against the executive. It is important that a client can find a lawyer who is not in any way controlled by the executive.
That is the widest point about the independence of lawyers that I would make. The independence of the profession is vital. However, I also recognise that people must have confidence in a complaints system. Such people include the clients who wish to make the complaints and the lawyers about whom the complaints are made. In order to have a good complaints-handling system, we must have confidence from both parties.
Now, I appreciate that there are people who feel that lawyers stand up for one other and do not have a good complaints system—I am constantly being told that in newspapers and elsewhere, so I accept that there are people out there who feel that. There will always be some people who feel that, no matter what. I am not saying for a moment that my part of the profession has always been perfect or, indeed, that it will be perfect in future. No doubt, like everybody else, there are things that we could do better and things in the past that we could have done better. However, complaints are now dealt with by complaints committees, of which half the members are lay people and half are advocates.
I submit to the committee that that is a good system for confidence. From the client's point of view, it means that it is not just lawyers looking after lawyers—if the client feels that that is how lawyers act. The committee will appreciate that I do not concede that we act like that and I will tell you why in a minute, but I concede that there are clients out there who say that that is what they think, so I accept that that is what they think. When they discover that there are two lay people on the complaints committee, I submit that that should give them confidence that it is not just lawyers looking after lawyers.
We must take an holistic view of a complaints system and consider the position from the other point of view, which means that lawyers, too, must have confidence in the system and believe that the people who deal with complaints, to put it bluntly, know what they are doing. That matters from the client's point of view as well because in order to make a decision about whether somebody has done something right or wrong, we must know what they are supposed to have done.
The Convener: : Do you feel that there is any need for an external review of the procedures or external guidance on them?
Valerie Stacey: : We certainly feel that there is a need for the lay members that we have. We are pleased to have them and we feel that they are helpful.
As vice-dean of the faculty, I am quite often one of the members of a complaints committee. There are four people on the committee and each one has an equal vote. If I was on the committee, I would be the chairman, but I would not have an extra vote. My experience has told me that the lay people are very useful. I listen to and am interested in what they say. I accept that they bring a perspective that is different from mine. The faculty thinks that there is certainly a role for lay people.
If you are asking me a wider question about the whole system, you will know—or perhaps you will not know—that our submission to the Executive suggested that there should be a completely independent appeals body to which either the practitioner or the person making the complaint could appeal after the matter had been dealt with by the profession. You will appreciate that such a body would be different from the ombudsman.
The Convener: : You said that you, or a member of the faculty, might chair a committee, but that you would have no casting vote. How would you come to a decision if there were two votes each way?
Valerie Stacey: : In such situations, in which we have been, we try to discuss the matter further to see whether we can all come to a view. If we cannot do so, the complaint will not be upheld.
Colin Fox: : I welcome your introductory remarks and your acceptance that the public often feel that lawyers protect one another in the complaints system. Such fears, anxieties, perceptions or perspectives—call them what we will—are part of the committee's deliberations.
I want to focus on a couple of points in the faculty's submission. There is the category of service complaints and the category of conduct complaints. Given that there were 47 complaints against advocates in the years 2004 and 2005, which is a small number of complaints, and given that the public might not be able to distinguish between the categories, is there not a case for putting all complaints against advocates together?
Valerie Stacey: : Are you asking whether we might put them all together in the future?
Colin Fox: : Yes.
Valerie Stacey: : Would all complaints go to the commission?
Valerie Stacey: : We would not be in favour of that. The faculty does not make the distinction that the Law Society makes between conduct complaints and service complaints, which I think it is rather difficult to make. I have looked at the complaints that we have dealt with recently and asked various colleagues who serve on committees whether they thought that particular complaints were about service or conduct. We have had discussions about that.
Let us take the example of delay, which I accept is something that the public think goes hand in hand with lawyers. For an advocate, a complaint about delay might be a service complaint, but it shades into conduct too, because we deal with the court. The courts have diets and people have to turn up on a specific day. If an advocate has not done the work, they are not able to assist the court. That might have service consequences for the client, but it also has conduct consequences. The faculty is concerned that the distinction is not easy to make. There are other examples, but I think that you understand what I am saying.
However, the fact that the distinction is not easy to make would not in itself make me say that all complaints should go to the commission. In my opinion, if they all went to the commission, the independence of the profession would be weakened. I understand the Executive's proposals to mean that conduct complaints, however they are defined, are to stay with the profession, but the Executive will have the opportunity to do a variety of things, which my colleagues said in our submission and I say to you give the Executive some control. There is perhaps a question about creeping control there, but at least the proposal is that the conduct complaints should be left with the profession at present, which I think is a good idea.
I would not be in favour of conduct complaints going to the commission, but you will appreciate that I am not in favour of anything going to the commission. The reason for my view is that conduct is a matter for a profession. We must keep up our standards—we have an interest in that. It is not in the faculty's interest to have members who are not performing to an appropriate level of conduct. That reflects on us all.
Colin Fox: : It is interesting that you say that the faculty does not make a distinction between service complaints and conduct complaints.
Valerie Stacey: : We do not do that in the way that the Law Society has to.
Colin Fox: : That is valuable, as is your point that if the bill is enacted, making that distinction will remain difficult—you gave the example of delays in court. Would the faculty not oppose putting all complaints together if the profession continued to examine complaints? You are against putting complaints together if the commission considers them together, but you would not be against that if the profession considered complaints.
Valerie Stacey: : Essentially, that is what we do at the moment. We simply receive and deal with a complaint, without spending too long thinking about what kind of complaint it is.
Colin Fox: : That brings us back to the beginning. What you describe is what you do at the moment, but that involves a system in which the public have little confidence.
Valerie Stacey: : I hear what you say. I have said that I accept—as I must, from reading newspapers and so on—that some people say that they have no confidence in lawyers. As it happens, such comments are mostly about solicitors, but that is simply because there are far more of them. I am not trying to say that there are no people out there who say that they have no confidence in advocates, because I am sure that there are.
Colin Fox: : My final point is designed to obtain some free advice from a QC. You think that QCs cannot work out the distinction in the bill between conduct complaints and service complaints, so whoever takes on the duty of establishing that in due course will have a hell of a problem on their hands. Is it fair to say that?
Valerie Stacey: : That is what I am saying.
Colin Fox: : Great. Smashing.
The Convener: : That could have been construed as a leading question, Mr Fox.
Mr Maxwell: : In response to questions from the convener and Colin Fox, it is clear that your main concern is independence.
Valerie Stacey: : That is my major concern, although you will appreciate that I have other concerns.
Mr Maxwell: : Could the bill be amended to deal with that concern effectively? Is the concern caused by the fact that ministers will appoint members of the commission? We discussed with the Law Society other possibilities that would create a more independent commission.
Valerie Stacey: : Ministers will appoint members and will be able to get rid of them. One very wide provision says that a person can be stood down because they are thought unsuitable.
Mr Maxwell: : Do you object to the creation of the commission per se or to the creation of a commission as envisaged in the bill, because of the perceived possibility of political interference?
Valerie Stacey: : I am sorry; I understand the question now. The objection is to the commission as it is described in the Executive's bill. It is unsuitable. The faculty says that the profession ought to deal with complaints, but we understand that people for some time have had the ability to approach the ombudsman if they think that a complaint has not been handled correctly. Our suggestion was a little more radical—it was to have an appeal to a completely independent body, which would take only appeals. Complaints would stay mainly with the profession but an appeal to a completely independent body would be available. That is a long way away from what is suggested, especially for the Faculty of Advocates.
One difference between how we and solicitors work might not be obvious. I understand from the Executive's bill and its policy memorandum that it wants issues to be resolved at source; the bill has provisions on prematurity and so on. It is difficult to see how such a system would work with the Faculty of Advocates, because we are all sole practitioners. The Law Society has, properly, a standing order that says that its member firms must have complaint-handling or client-relation partners—Michael Clancy is sitting behind me and he will tell me if I am wrong, but I think that I am right. Advocates do not have such a system because we are sole practitioners.
Of course, we have a discipline code. The office bearers of the faculty—I am the vice-dean and we have a dean and other office bearers—have certain duties in relation to our complaints rules, which we carry out along with the lay people I mentioned. We do not have firms in which there are three partners and two assistants, so it is difficult to see exactly how that would be dealt with. We do not speak directly to most of our clients without a solicitor being present. Members will appreciate that clients generally come to us through a solicitor, although there are exceptions to that. Some people can instruct an advocate directly, but that tends to be people from other professions, such as chartered surveyors and not members of the public. Generally, I get a letter from a solicitor on behalf of his client asking me to do a particular piece of work, which, I hope, I will do and that will be that. The solicitor may instruct me again, or they may not—that is up to them. It is difficult to see how the proposals in the bill would work for us.
Maureen Macmillan: : Earlier, in response to either Stewart Maxwell or Colin Fox, you said that the complaints commission will not be able to deal with conduct cases, but you said later that appeals to an independent body would be a good thing. I presume that that independent body could deal with conduct cases. I am not sure why you think that an independent appeals body could deal with conduct cases, whereas the commission could not.
Valerie Stacey: : That body would deal with appeals only. There would be a funnelling up, so there would be far fewer appeals than conduct cases.
Maureen Macmillan: : Yes, but basically you are talking about lay people dealing with conduct cases.
Valerie Stacey: : I beg your pardon, but I was not.
Maureen Macmillan: : Perhaps you could elaborate on who should be on the appeals body.
Valerie Stacey: : It would be essential to have lawyers on it. We suggest a mixture of lawyers and lay people. Our point is not that we should have lawyers on it to protect other lawyers, although I appreciate that Mrs Macmillan is not arguing that that is our aim. The point is that a person needs to know what lawyers are supposed to do before they can make a sensible decision about whether a lawyer did something well, badly or indifferently.
Maureen Macmillan: : Indeed, but there must be a trade-off between that need and the need for transparency, so that the public agree that complaints are considered properly. One of my concerns is that, as you said, a large proportion of the complaints against advocates are about conduct. If they are seen to be dealt with by the Faculty of Advocates, the public might not perceive that to be transparent.
Valerie Stacey: : To be frank, we need more than just a perception that the process is transparent. The lay members that we have do not simply give the impression that they are involved—they actually are involved and they are useful. I accept that some members of the public will say that the complaints are really dealt with by the Faculty of Advocates, because the complaints committee meets in the faculty's premises and the chairman is the vice-dean of the faculty. I understand that people will wonder how independent that is, but actually, half of the members are lay people.
Maureen Macmillan: : I agree, but I am talking about perception. The fact that there are many conduct cases might lead people to think that the complaints committee is not doing a good job of impressing on other members of the faculty what good conduct should be.
Valerie Stacey: : I cannot agree with that. Although I would like there to be no complaints at all, it would not be fair to say that we have a lot of complaints. There have been 47 in each of the past two years, but let us say that the figure is about 50 a year, which is a little higher than the actual figure. Given the number of practitioners and the type of work that we do, I cannot agree that that is a lot of complaints. It is hard to say what would be a lot of complaints, but I cannot agree that we have a lot.
You have touched on one reason why it is important that the profession deals with conduct cases. It is important for the profession to know what is going wrong if something is going wrong, and it is important for me as vice-dean to know what complaints arise. As a member of a committee myself, I deal personally with some complaints, but I make it my business to know about other complaints. I know that other people on the committees deal with these matters but, as vice-dean, I am certainly entitled to find out what is going on and what complaints have been made. However, other counsel cannot just go to Carole Ferguson, who does a lot of the work on this matter, and ask her about complaints. I am working on ways of telling counsel about recently upheld complaints without breaching confidentiality. After all, having a complaint made against you is an important matter for a lawyer. As Michael Clancy said earlier, it is a horrible thing to happen. I am not saying that the experience is not horrible for the complainer—I have no doubt that it is—but lawyers and members of the Faculty of Advocates take any complaint made against them extremely seriously. Our rules cover the publicity—or otherwise—of a complaint, because we do not think that everything should be publicised. As a result, I need to be careful what I tell other counsel in case I breach a person's confidentiality.
On the other hand, as vice-dean, I have an educational role, and it is important to tell newer or younger counsel about the sorts of things that have been happening to educate them about these matters.
The Convener: : How do you appoint the committee's lay members?
Valerie Stacey: : They are appointed by the Executive. I do not know the nuts and bolts of the process, but we end up with a list of people and simply have to see who will be available for service on a particular day.
The Convener: : Are you quite happy to accept that input from the Executive—which basically amounts to Government telling you how to operate some of your systems—instead of from an independent body?
Valerie Stacey: : I am happy to accept the list that the Executive produces. However, I do not think that it is necessarily telling me what to do.
The Convener: : So it is not directing you.
Valerie Stacey: : No.
Mr Maxwell: : You have been very fulsome in your praise of the lay members who sit on your committee. However, in your written submission, you oppose the establishment of the new commission because you think that it will
"lack the necessary expertise to determine complaints against advocates fairly and effectively."
The new system will be based on a mix of lay and legal members. Will you tell us why you feel that your current system, which contains a similar mix, is worthy of praise but the proposed commission will, in your opinion, lack the same level of expertise?
Valerie Stacey: : The bill does not make it clear exactly to whom the complaints will be delegated. I might be wrong but I do not imagine that, given the terms of the bill, the nine proposed commissioners—four lay representatives, four legal representatives and a non-legal chairman—will sit as a nine-member committee to hear every complaint. The only provision in that respect simply allows the commission to delegate its work to any person, and there is no suggestion that the person to whom the work is delegated needs to be qualified in anything.
Mr Maxwell: : So you are concerned by the fact that you are unsure or unclear about the process of investigating complaints.
Valerie Stacey: : I am unclear about that, and I am troubled by it.
Mr Maxwell: : Earlier, you said that the committees in the current system comprise two lawyers and two lay people. However, in response to the convener, you also said that, if there is a split decision and agreement cannot be reached, the complaint will not be upheld. Is that correct?
Valerie Stacey: : Yes.
Mr Maxwell: : But is that not the crux of the problem? Under your current system, the legal profession effectively has a veto, because the two legal members of the committee can block any complaint simply by refusing to reach agreement. I am not saying that that happens, but do you not appreciate that, given the problem of perception that others have highlighted, it would be appropriate for the commission to have a non-legal majority?
Valerie Stacey: : I appreciate that you could, in theory, say that and I understand the importance of knowing what could happen under a system of rules, even if it never does.
First, the proposed commission will offer to the lawyer or the complainer an appeal to the tribunal. The tribunal will be independent of the commission. Secondly—and this will not answer your process point—it does not seem to happen that the lawyers line up on one side, whichever side it might be, and the lay people on the other. The lawyers tend to be somewhat harder on their colleagues than the lay people are. I cannot prove that to you, but it is often the way that lawyers take a dim view of incorrect behaviour by other lawyers. I do not feel that what you describe happens in reality.
Mr Maxwell: : Thank you. You seem to be concerned about a lack of expertise among commission members.
Mr Maxwell: : Although the lay members might not be legally qualified, do you not think that they would have an appropriate background to serve on the commission and that they would have skills and expertise in areas that cut across many different professions, which would give them the ability to be effective on the commission? Also, it would not be necessary for them to have a legal background, as some members would have to be lawyers, so a lack of legal expertise would not be a problem.
Valerie Stacey: : I disagree; I think that it would be a problem. It would be a problem in other professions too. If I wanted to know whether my doctor had treated me negligently, I would not ask an accountant; I would ask another doctor.
Mr Maxwell: : I appreciate that: that is why the lawyers would be on the commission. Surely there are common standards for the type of service that would be offered?
Valerie Stacey: : Perhaps I can put it this way: I do not mean to be pejorative about anybody other than my own members, but some regulation equates to a file check. That might be the case with some complaints against solicitors. It might also be the case with the Financial Ombudsman Service. It can be asked, "Did you tell the client such-and-such? Did you give them a particular leaflet? Did you give them an explanation of something in writing?" and boxes can be ticked to show whether those things were done.
The trouble for advocates is that that is not how we work. We do not keep files such as those that are found in solicitors' offices. We cannot produce a file and say, "Here you are: here are all the letters that we sent out. Here are the cheque entries," and so on. That is not the way we work. We are sent papers by a solicitor, we do a particular piece of work and then we send them back. Determining whether we did something wrong would sometimes be a little more complicated to work out. That is partly what I was talking about earlier—the shading between service and conduct complaints is a little more difficult for us than it is for some other professions.
I am concerned not only for me but for the public. I honestly do not think that without legal knowledge a person would be able to say, "That advocate has given the wrong advice or has done the wrong thing." You would need to have some legal knowledge to know whether that was the case.
Some members of the public might have a complaint that I and my colleagues on the complaints committee would recognise, but it might not be obvious even to someone who has a background in complaint handling. I certainly recognise that there are people with such a background. I have worked with the outgoing legal services ombudsman and others and I know that there are people with complaint-handling skills; since I became vice-dean, I have learned a lot from them about the right way to handle complaints. They need to have technical knowledge, which is why I used the example of a doctor's negligence—there is no use asking your accountant about that.
The Convener: : I will bring in Bill Butler to raise the ECHR issue.
Bill Butler: : Ms Stacey, I will not begin with ECHR; I will lead up to it. In your introductory remarks to the committee, you said that the bill would end the independence of the profession. A little later on, you said that it would very much weaken the independence of the profession. Which is it?
Valerie Stacey: : I do not think that something can be a bit independent—it is either independent or it is not.
Bill Butler: : That is my point. Are you saying that the bill would end the independence of the profession or are you resiling from that and saying that it would weaken it?
Valerie Stacey: : I am saying that it would end it. There are no shades of independence—you are either independent or you are not.
Bill Butler: : I am grateful for that, because you said both things, so I wanted to sort out which it was.
Valerie Stacey: : I am sorry about that.
Bill Butler: : That is fine. Are you saying that you are against the proposed commission as it is described in the bill? Are you really saying that the bill is not open to remedial action?
Valerie Stacey: : Amending the bill to make it ECHR-compliant would turn it into a different bill.
Bill Butler: : It would be the bill at which you hinted when you said the process should be as it is now with the Faculty of Advocates and that there should be an appeal to an independent body. Is that what you would prefer?
Bill Butler: : However, given that your preference is not contained in the bill, and we are looking at the bill today, let us turn to it.
Mr Clancy referred to paragraph 2 of schedule 1 and the Law Society's concerns about issues of appointment, removal, remuneration and direction of a general character. For the sake of argument, let us say that you are not against the commission per se. What would you do to improve the bill and make it comply with article 6 of the ECHR?
Valerie Stacey: : There would need to be an appeal to something other than an internal appeals committee—either a court or a body that has the vital characteristics of a court.
Bill Butler: : What about remuneration, appointment and direction of a general nature? Would they all have to be elided?
Valerie Stacey: : It would depend upon who did the appointing and what the rules were on appointment to the commission.
Bill Butler: : Would you prefer the appointment system to use a list? You seemed to be content with that when you talked about the lay people who are part of the process that you described. Would that address your concerns about appointments? In other words, individuals would not be directly appointed; there would be a list.
Valerie Stacey: : No. The individuals whom we have as lay members are a part of our system of regulation, but they are not the system of regulation. That is the difference.
Bill Butler: : On the external right of appeal, I will ask you the same question that I asked the Law Society. What do you make of the Scottish Law Agents Society's view that a right of external appeal against a decision of the commission would be costly and cause unwelcome delays, and that it would be preferable to focus on addressing the independence of the commission? Do you agree with that?
Valerie Stacey: : The two go hand in hand. In order to have an independent body—whatever we might call it—you must have a right of appeal. The commission would, at least in part, determine civil rights and obligations. In order to do that, it would have to be independent or there would have to be a right of appeal to an independent body. If I understand you correctly, the two go hand in hand.
Bill Butler: : I am a lay person, so you will have to bear with me, although I am sure that you are used to lay people within the process that you have described. If the Executive said, "Okay, we have listened, we have reflected and we are going to introduce an external right of appeal," would that satisfy you, or would the whole bill have to be changed according to the concerns raised by Mr Clancy and the Law Society?
Valerie Stacey: : I did not hear everything that Mr Clancy said, but I can say—
Bill Butler: : He talked about schedule 1 and issues of appointment, removal, remuneration and directions of a general character. I think that I have got it right.
Valerie Stacey: : I agree with him that all those matters are important. Just having the independent appeal body would not cure the ECHR contraventions that we have identified.
Bill Butler: : So, in your opinion—speaking for the Faculty of Advocates—everything would have to be changed. In other words, there would have to be a new bill.
Valerie Stacey: : That is what I said. It would look like a different bill altogether. The problems cannot be cured simply by having an independent appeal.
Bill Butler: : So we could not cure the bill; in your view, we would just have to kill it.
Valerie Stacey: : I suppose that that is what I am saying—start again.
Jackie Baillie: : I turn to questions about the complaints levy. You were listening earlier. In essence, there seems to be a choice between the Executive's view, which is that the complaints levy should be levied on all, irrespective of whether complaints are upheld, and the view that emerged earlier, of a polluter-pays principle. What is your view of those options? Do you have an alternative mechanism?
Valerie Stacey: : The Executive's suggestion is unfair. Let us take the illustrative amount of £300, which I appreciate is just an illustration. If a complaint was made and was found by the commission not to be vexatious or frivolous—which would be quite difficult for the commission to determine—it would proceed. Even if the complaint was found to be completely unfounded, members of the Faculty of Advocates would have to pay the £300. That does not seem fair, and it might have unfair consequences. Members of the Faculty of Advocates range from those who are quite young and are just starting out on their legal careers to senior QCs. It is not a case of the polluter paying, for the reasons that you have been given already.
The Executive's funding proposal is that there should be a general levy as well, which every practitioner would have to pay. If there is to be a commission that is independent of the profession—although you will appreciate that I am not saying that it is independent of the Executive—it seems a bit thick that the profession should have to pay for it with no control over what it does. I am concerned about the bureaucracy and cost of the whole thing. Douglas Mill mentioned that it was perhaps a matter for Audit Scotland. No controls seem to be built in.
I am not an expert on how much it costs to run an office, so I cannot tell you whether the estimates that the Executive has given in the financial memorandum are right or wrong, but they do seem a bit light. The Law Society knows more about that than I do; I work in the advocates' library, so it is difficult for me to know exactly what it costs to run an office. It is proposed that a lot of people be employed. I do not understand there to be proper controls. The fact of the matter is that the people who will do the work will not pay for it, somebody else will, and that somebody else will be us, the practitioners.
First, I do not think that what the Executive is proposing amounts to a polluter-pays approach, because everybody would pay, whether they are a polluter or not. Secondly, the way in which the commission is to be funded is fundamentally wrong, in that it is to be funded by people who do not have any control over it. Whichever witness said earlier that it is a bit like a blank cheque is right.
Jackie Baillie: : Does it not strike you as slightly odd that, in everybody's desire to have independence, they are willing to have the Executive fund the proposals, at least partly?
Valerie Stacey: : The Faculty of Advocates proposes that it continues with funding most complaints against its members, with the possibility of independent appeals. We do not expect there to be an appeal in every case; there are always fewer appeals than there are cases at first instance. The majority of complaints handling would continue to be done by the Faculty of Advocates, which we, as members of the faculty, effectively pay for. Those who sit on complaints and investigating committees—counsel also investigate complaints—do so voluntarily. We have staff, whom we of course have to pay, who do various things for us, not just complaints. Complaints are handled at no cost to the client, however. We do not charge people for making a complaint. We pay for it ourselves. I do the work for nothing.
Under the new provisions, my members would pay the general levy—the illustrative figure of £120 has been given. If somebody complained about one of my members, the member would then have to pay £300, whether or not they had done anything wrong. They would also have absolutely no control over what was happening in the commission that it is proposed be set up. At the moment, faculty members have some control over what the office bearers do, in that we are a democracy and they can vote us out.
Jackie Baillie: : Likewise.
Colin Fox: : You seem to be telling the committee that you are opposed to a complaints levy, for the reasons that you have outlined. Do you support having a general levy as well as public funds, or are you saying that there should not be a general levy at all and that everything should be paid for out of public funds?
Valerie Stacey: : It depends what the Scottish legal complaints commission is going to do. If it is to be the commission as proposed by the Executive, it will be funded by the profession. The Executive says that it will take complaints away from us, so we will have less to do in that regard. I think that the Law Society witnesses said that that might be true for them—I think that Mr Mill said that about 50 per cent of his staff could be deployed doing things other than handling complaints—but it would not be true for us.
Colin Fox: : Even if very little is done, how do you suggest the work should be funded? The Law Society suggested that, according to its figures, £400,000 would be saved by winding up the office of the Scottish legal services ombudsman.
Valerie Stacey: : That is right.
Colin Fox: : Are you suggesting that that would be the source of funding for the new commission?
Valerie Stacey: : Yes, that would be one way of funding it.
Colin Fox: : So there would be no levy of any kind.
Valerie Stacey: : Yes. That is Government money. If there is to be public regulation, as opposed to our private regulation, it should be funded publicly.
Jeremy Purvis: : My questions are about negligence and claims and the new maximum compensation level of £20,000, as discussed by the previous panel.
First, I have a question about the role of lay members, which follows on from a question from Mr Butler. Your written evidence discusses the Scottish Solicitors Disciplinary Tribunal, which is an internal appeals committee. It says:
"The Disciplinary Tribunal is chaired by a retired senior judge".
It adds that two counsel are appointed by the faculty and that there are three members from a panel appointed by the Government, with one of the disposals being
"a fine not exceeding £15,000".
You said that you are not aware of the nuts and bolts regarding the Government appointees. Are you aware of how they can be removed, what their tenure is and who they should be?
Valerie Stacey: : This might sound pernickety—forgive me if it does—but the tribunal is not an internal committee. It is not a Faculty of Advocates committee, but a separate tribunal, headed by a judge. At the moment, that is generally Lord Coulsfield. The membership consists of counsel and laypeople. The laypeople are on a list of laypeople who are appointed by the Executive and they serve on the tribunal for five years.
Jeremy Purvis: : That is similar to what is proposed. Your responses to Mr Butler's questions were black and white but, in your written evidence, I see shades of grey. The tribunal is not part of the Faculty of Advocates. Some of its members are counsel, but most of its members, other than the chair, are from a panel that is appointed by the Government and they serve on the tribunal for five years. We might find that, if they prove to be unsuitable to serve on the panel, they can be removed by a letter. That is similar to the proposals in the bill. To say that the bill's proposals are absolutely beyond the pale is to take a black-and-white approach but, with regard to appeals, there appears to be a halfway house.
The bill might be amended at stage 2. For example, the minister might say that, after consideration, it has been decided that the legal members will be appointed by the Lord President. That would result in something that looks far more like the existing disciplinary tribunal. If similar alterations were made to the appeals committee—with the Lord President appointing members and the membership being put together in a slightly different way—we would, again, end up with something that looks far more like your existing mechanism.
Valerie Stacey: : But it would not feel like it. As I understand the bill, it suggests that the commission would be made up of nine members plus staff, and that the commissioners could delegate any of their functions. I envisage there being a bureaucratic office in which people deal with the work as it comes in. As I have said, I do not think that the first decision to be made, which is whether a complaint is vexatious or frivolous, would go to the nine commissioners.
Our disciplinary tribunal is very much like a court. The faculty instructs counsel to draw up a complaint that looks a lot like a criminal complaint and counsel appear at the tribunal. Generally speaking, the advocate about whom the complaint has been made also has counsel—they do not have to, but that is usually the case. We are a small organisation, and these things do not happen every day of the week. It is relatively unusual for us to require to have a tribunal although, lately, there have been one or two—I am not trying to say that it never happens.
The Convener: : Can we bring the discussion back to the subject of your original question, Mr Purvis?
Jeremy Purvis: : With regard to the maximum level of compensation, which it has been suggested should be £20,000, we have been hearing about whether it would be better to allow the courts to set the amount of compensation, which could mean that there would be no limit on the amount.
As a matter of public policy, do you think that it would be better to have a simple, inexpensive and straightforward route for a complainer, involving going through a complaints body, rather than a route that required them to go through what might be a difficult and intimidating process in the courts? Further, do you think that having such a system would be better than simply having the procedural safeguards that the profession currently enjoys?
Valerie Stacey: : I think not. There is some confusion in the minds of the bill's drafters about the £20,000. A court action in respect of negligence could be against a lawyer or it could be against a driver with whom a person has been in a car accident. It is the same type of thing. The court has to decide whether there has been negligence. Lots of negligence case law has been developed over the years. That has happened not to make work for lawyers, but because life is complicated. That is one of the reasons why law can be perceived as complicated.
Once it has been decided that the person who is said to have done something wrong did act negligently, the amount of money that is due to the other person is calculated by the court, using a set of rules or laws that we have passed and which we have all signed up to. That procedure includes showing that there has been a loss, which need not consist of hard goods. For example, someone does not need to show that their car was written off and that it was worth £10,000. The court recognises that as a loss, but it also recognises that people suffer personal injury, inconvenience and distress. All those aspects are recognised as appropriate heads of damage. However, a person must explain what their loss is and show that they have incurred it.
People also have a duty to mitigate their loss. If something bad happens to someone and they incur a loss, they are not entitled to sit back and say, "Well, that's it. I'm not doing anything to help myself ever again." The person must mitigate their loss. The principles to which I have referred are all recognised in the courts. As I said, we have all signed up to them. Some of them have been passed as statute law and some as common law, but they are the law.
The Faculty of Advocates currently has in its rules the ability to order compensation of up to £5,000, but the Executive is proposing to change that limit to £20,000. If I understood them correctly, the Executive's representatives explained to the committee last week that one reason behind the proposal was that they thought that going to court was too uncertain and complicated and that it would be better if compensation could be paid in another fashion. Well, what do they mean by that? What will this compensation be for? Will someone have to show that they have suffered loss? The bill does not make that clear, because it says that compensation may include a sum in respect of loss incurred, distress and inconvenience. Including those things implies that there may be other things. In addition, compensation will perhaps be tested against a different test from the one that the courts have developed for negligence. The Executive's proposal involves a policy decision. It can implement it if it wishes, but it must consider the consequences.
I heard what the Law Society said about the insurance question and I can give you the faculty's point of view. We, too, carry personal indemnity insurance, which means that if an advocate makes a mistake that costs a client, a claim can be made against his or her insurance. We want to have that protection for clients. Frankly, when dealing with big claims for millions of pounds, it would be difficult for an advocate to sleep at night if they did not have personal indemnity insurance. None of us can say that we are immune to making mistakes. We might make a mistake, so we need insurance.
On the £20,000 limit that the Executive proposes, I think that the insurers have responded to the committee on that and the committee might take evidence from them on it. However, it would be interesting to know what their position is because, as I understand it, they cannot say definitely that they will be able to cover potential claims of £20,000 or, if they were able to do so, on which basis they could do so. The reason that they cannot say definitely—they will tell you this better than I can—is that they need to work out what risk they are covering and set a premium accordingly. That is what they do.
The Convener: : We have had evidence that they would do that.
Valerie Stacey: : Is that so? Well, I am not surprised. I was not aware of that from the video broadcast of the meeting, but I am not surprised to hear it. Of course, we have asked the insurers what their position would be, but they have not been able to tell us definitely. Frankly, the last thing that we want to hear is that there is now this somewhat easier system where you have only got to make one claim. You do not need to make a complaint and then raise a separate court action—you just make the one claim. However, we do not know whether the claim will be covered by insurance or what will be taken into account in the claim, and we cannot predict how much a person would get. Frankly, that does not sound particularly useful to me.
The Convener: : Could you drop a note to the committee on the outcome of any discussions that you have with the insurance people with whom you deal?
Valerie Stacey: : Certainly.
The Convener: : That would be helpful.
Jeremy Purvis may ask his last question.
Jeremy Purvis: : Before I do so, I want to ask about the fine that has been mentioned. A fine that does not exceed £15,000 can be handed out by your tribunal. How many £15,000 fines has the tribunal handed out?
Valerie Stacey: : I would need to check the records. I had a look before I came here and I would be reluctant to say that we have never handed out such a fine, but I do not know of one in recent years. I could write to you about that, too.
The Convener: : That would be fine.
Jeremy Purvis: : Finally, I ask you to expand on points that you raised in your submission. First, you raised concerns that complaints could be made about the quality of representation. That issue is probably particular to your profession rather than to those that are represented by the Law Society of Scotland. The second issue is confidentiality, which you mention in paragraph 56 of your submission. The committee will produce a report on its consideration of the bill at stage 1, and it would be helpful if you could explain your concerns.
Valerie Stacey: : I will try to do so. I am aware of the hour and I appreciate that I have perhaps taken up a lot of the committee's time.
It is difficult to encapsulate the point about quality of representation, but I will try to do so. In our written submission, we are trying to say that courts would not be acting in the public interest if there were to be a rehearing of a trial, particularly a criminal trial, in the context of a complaint. If a person is tried and convicted—those who are acquitted will not complain—he may complain afterwards and say that his trial was not conducted properly. That is a good ground of appeal and has been so since 1996; before then, it was not a ground for appeal. That is as it should be, because we do not want people to be wrongly convicted. We do not have an interest in wrongly convicting people; we have an interest in ensuring, as best we can, that there are no wrongful convictions.
However, I suggest to the committee that it would not be useful for the question whether the lawyer had asked the right questions, or had put forward the right defence, to be dealt with as a separate matter from the criminal appeal, which focuses on whether there has been a miscarriage of justice. If we had what we would call satellite litigation, that would not be good for the law and for the administration of justice. The issue is complicated. Forgive me if my comments do not make it appear any less complicated, but it is difficult to encapsulate the issue.
What troubles us in relation to confidentiality is that the proposed commission would have the power to demand that documents be sent to it. From time to time we receive complaints from the complainer—the complainer is the other side in litigation—who writes in and says, "I went to court and lost the case. The lawyer on the other side, Mrs Stacey, said such and such and she was wrong to say that. She must have been wrong, because what I said was correct and what she said was different." We receive complaints of that nature. People get very upset when they feel that a lawyer on the other side has said something that is wrong. Emotions run high.
When we deal with those complaints, we do not say, "You do not have any right to complain about somebody else's lawyer." However, in my view it would not be correct if the proposed commission was able to demand, from the lawyer who has been complained about, his client's papers. After all, the person who is doing the complaining is the other side in the litigation. One is not entitled to say to the other side in the litigation, "Empty out your briefcase and let us have a look at your papers." There is a confidentiality problem.
The Convener: : That is clear.
Jackie Baillie: : I understand that you are opposed to section 45, which will enable the Scottish Legal Aid Board to pay non-lawyers on a case-by-case basis. We hear that the Executive is likely to lodge amendments at stage 2 to provide for grant funding for non-lawyers, but I assume that you would still be opposed to the provision. Would your position change if non-lawyers were subject, as the Law Society suggested earlier, to the same complaints-handling system as lawyers?
Valerie Stacey: : That would be better. The faculty believes that people who give out advice need to be regulated. I always say that there is more to regulation than complaints handling; there is having standards in the first place, which both the Law Society and the Faculty of Advocates have. Maintaining the standards that people are supposed to reach involves training, education and admission, all of which need to be considered. Representing people in court or giving people advice is a privilege and someone should not be doing that unless they have been properly trained and regulated in what they do. As the member has identified, our concern is lack of regulation.
The Convener: : Thank you for making yourself available to give evidence, Mrs Stacey. I also thank the colleague who accompanied you.
Valerie Stacey: : Thank you.
The Convener: : On our third panel, I welcome Craig Bennet, the president, and Ken Swinton, the ex-president, of the Scottish Law Agents Society. I also welcome Robert Sutherland, the convener of the Scottish Legal Action Group. I apologise for the previous sessions running on a little longer than we had anticipated—when we are getting quality evidence, it is hard to cut it short. We have to be perceived to be doing our job.
Consumers seem to have a low level of confidence in complaints handling. Why should the professional bodies retain responsibility for considering complaints about conduct?
Ken Swinton (Scottish Law Agents Society): : There is a difference between conduct and service complaints. Part of the essence of a profession that sets standards for itself is that it should enforce those standards as a matter of discipline. Service complaints are a different breed from those that involve conduct; I can see that Colin Fox has difficulty with that. I also heard what Valerie Stacey said on the matter.
In most cases, the difference is reasonably clear. However, as the committee has heard in all the evidence today, there is a degree of overlap in certain grey areas. My view is that there is definite public interest in service complaints being dealt with externally to the Law Society. The Scottish Law Agents Society welcomes the introduction of a new commission to deal with the service side of complaints.
Craig Bennet (Scottish Law Agents Society): : I reiterate what our immediate past president, Ken Swinton, said. We have always been of the opinion that service complaints and the Law Society do not go together. I will explain why I say that. By virtue of being solicitors, we are all members of the Law Society of Scotland. The Scottish Law Agents Society is an independent beast, as it were. We act as a voluntary society with about 1,800 solicitor members. We have been around for a lot longer than the Law Society—since 1884—and we have acquired a considerable body of experience over that time. As our submission shows, we have thought for some time that service complaints should be taken away from the Law Society and given to a different body, whereas the Law Society should retain conduct complaints, for reasons that the society advanced today.
Robert Sutherland (Scottish Legal Action Group): : With professional services of whatever type, the professional body's function is to set the standard for the professional service. It determines the admission of persons into that body, regulates people's ability to continue to provide services, supervises training and generally sets standards. Given that, it is still appropriate for the professional bodies to retain control of conduct matters. If conduct matters are removed from professional bodies, that will gut an essential part of their function.
The Convener: : If the proposed commission had a committee whose members were split 50:50 between lawyers and laypeople, would you still feel that it could not undertake conduct inquiries properly?
Robert Sutherland: : If the commission did such inquiries, the reason for having a professional body would be undermined. If a professional body cannot regulate itself and its members or set standards to meet needs from time to time, as situations develop, why have a professional body?
Craig Bennet: : My society has no difficulty with a lay majority to deal with service complaints. I will comment on an issue that Valerie Stacey, but not the Law Society, raised. I am not a QC or a member of the council of the Law Society; I am, in effect, a general practitioner in Dunfermline who does a bit of everything. We have only anecdotal evidence, but people at the coalface tell us, whether in pub talk or otherwise, that lay members are—dare I say it—softer and more understanding of the position that the solicitor has got himself or herself into than are solicitor members.
Colin Fox: : You talk about separating complaints on services and conduct. The convener suggests that if the committee's members were 50 per cent lawyers and 50 per cent lay members, it would still have the expertise of lawyers. The Law Society's proposal and current system is for 100 per cent lawyers. Do you see the attraction to the wider public, whom we must consider, in having the commission take conduct complaints, which would make the entire system independent? Otherwise, half of it would be independent and the other half would still be self-regulating.
Craig Bennet: : I appreciate where you are coming from. Professional conduct is a fundamental tenet of the legal profession. The standard of proof is different in each case. For service complaints, it is the balance of probabilities, but a conduct complaint is treated as a criminal case and requires proof beyond all reasonable doubt.
As Robert Sutherland from SCOLAG said, because the removal of a person's livelihood is involved, the majority of members should be lawyers of some description—be they solicitors or advocates. Such people should judge their colleagues, although I admit that some lay input might be required; my society has no problem with that. Our position is that a lay majority should deal with service complaints, but that the Law Society should continue to deal with conduct complaints, for the reasons that have been given now and earlier.
Colin Fox: : But there is no suggestion in the bill or in what the convener proposed that a complaint would be dealt with without lawyers being represented. The service complaints committee will have a majority of lay members, but it will also have lawyer members; the members of the conduct complaints committee will all be lawyers. Further, the proposal that we are discussing suggests a 50:50 proportion of lawyers and lay people. Nobody is suggesting that a committee will have no lawyer members.
Ken Swinton: : It is not the case that conduct complaints will be dealt with entirely by lawyers. The discipline tribunal, the constitution of which is provided for in section 39, will have equal numbers of lawyers and lay members. That tribunal will make determinations on solicitors' misconduct.
Colin Fox: : That is precisely what the question is driving at. The proposed committee is based on a current Law Society model, but the overriding driver of the committee will be the commission rather than the Law Society.
Ken Swinton: : Our arguments about the commission are ECHR focused rather than anything else. We are happy that there should be a commission to deal with service complaints.
Colin Fox: : My colleagues will press you on ECHR, but I have a question on a point in your submission. You mention your anxiety that solicitors in certain parts of the marketplace might be driven out of business because of the financial penalties that the commission could impose. Other than what is included in your submission, what data and research can you offer us to back up your worry?
Craig Bennet: : Our evidence is anecdotal. I am a solicitor in Dunfermline and I know of a firm in Cowdenbeath that is the only legal firm in the KY4 and KY5 postcode area, which has 36,000 people. I cannot speak for that firm and I am not saying that it would withdraw from civil legal aid work, which is where the bulk of complaints come from, but if it were to withdraw, that postcode area would definitely have an unmet legal need; the situation would be similar to that which applies with NHS dentistry. I submit that there is a current unmet legal need there, because there is only one firm with two solicitors to deal with the immediate demands of 34,000 to 36,000 people.
We could issue a letter to our membership asking for stories about the kind of situation to which Mr Fox refers. However, we made only our written submission because we are a small society that has a secretary for only two days a week. Unlike the Law Society, we do not have a battery of solicitors. We are a 10-man-band council, which tries on one day a month to do its best to help both the public and our membership of solicitors. However, we can undertake to do our best to give you more details, within a reasonable timeframe.
I have given you just one anecdote, but there are plenty of anecdotes about people in the sticks who find that they cannot get solicitors because solicitors are just not going out to work there. Because of a variety of Government proposals, solicitors now work more in Glasgow and Edinburgh, and perhaps in Aberdeen. In Dunfermline, where I work, there were about 82 solicitors in 1990, according to the white book—"The Scottish Law Directory"—but in 2006 we are dealing with 61, so over that period there has been a reduction of 20-odd solicitors in a fairly wee place such as Dunfermline. That has happened because people prefer to work in places such as Glasgow, Edinburgh and Aberdeen because, among other reasons, there is better money there.
Rural areas are starting to experience a haemorrhaging of young lawyers. As we say in our submission, with the removal of the baby boomer generation of lawyers over the next 10 years, we might find that there will be a serious problem with having solicitors in the sticks at all, while the solicitors who are there might not do certain types of work. The Executive and the legal profession will have to address that problem quickly.
Colin Fox: : I understand the picture that you are painting about rural solicitors and sole businesses in the context of the proposed £20,000 penalty. You mentioned Cowdenbeath, though, which I probably would not consider to be rural. However, given that 0.4 per cent of all cases result in a complaint, where is the evidence to suggest that rural and sole businesses are more likely to receive complaints or to carry the current burden of complaints?
Craig Bennet: : I can speak only for myself, but I have received three complaints in my life. My firm responded to all three complaints timeously and on every occasion—unless another complaint is waiting for me when I return to the office—the complainer has disappeared because the matter was resolved by explanation.
Colin Fox: : Why is there such anxiety about firms going out of business? Is that because of the £20,000 penalty or the complaints system? What will put such great pressure on rural and sole businesses?
Ken Swinton: : People make business decisions on a variety of grounds, so the £20,000 penalty will not be the sole criterion on which someone will decide to take down their plate. However, the issue is the total risk reward ratio. People might not take on certain types of business or they might contract out business that was previously carried out by their employees. I would not scaremonger by suggesting that if the bill were to be passed tomorrow half of Scotland's practices would close, as that will not happen. However, over five or 10 years, firms will contract out specific types of business and fewer providers of certain services will be available in a range of locations. That is what we are saying.
Craig Bennet: : The areas of concern are civil legal aid, matrimonial law and, to some extent, residential conveyancing. In those areas—perhaps not so much in domestic conveyancing, but certainly in matrimonial and civil legal aid cases—people might find problems. Anecdotal evidence from our council members who represent firms from all over Scotland—including Inverness, Dumfries, Glasgow and Ayr—suggests that colleagues believe that, if they receive a complaint after the bill is passed, they will be better to write a cheque for £400 and compromise with the complainer. If the complaint passes the frivolous and vexatious test, they will be better to compromise with the complainer and then stop doing that type of work for fear that another complaint might come along.
Such problems will affect firms on the ground at the sharp end rather than the big Edinburgh or Glasgow firms. If Scottish Power is rattled because a solicitor at Dundas & Wilson or Shepherd and Wedderburn has made a mistake, Scottish Power can just up sticks and move elsewhere. The matter will just be a note on the company's balance sheet. The problem will be experienced in the small rural areas.
I do not wish to fall out with Mr Fox, but for me Cowdenbeath is a rural area. Edinburgh and Glasgow are the big smokes, but places such as Cowdenbeath and Dunfermline are rural areas where the problems will be experienced. I know that colleagues in Falkirk and Stirling are in a similar position. For example, when the Law Society sends out cost of time questionnaires, we are dealt with as rural practices so we need to regard ourselves as such.
Colin Fox: : I can assure Mr Bennet that we will not fall out over Cowdenbeath.
Bill Butler: : We are all delighted to hear that.
I want to return to the issue of ECHR compliance, which we discussed with the previous two panels. My first question is for Mr Bennet or Mr Swinton. To address the ECHR concerns that were raised by Lord Lester's recent opinion on the bill, the Executive has said that it might strengthen the commission's independence, which is the option that the SLAS favours, or provide an external right of appeal, which the SLAS does not support. For the record, can the SLAS explain precisely how it would change the bill? What is the thinking or rationale behind its position?
Ken Swinton: : For the bill to be ECHR compliant, either the commission—or, to be more precise, the body within the commission that deals with appeals—must be seen to be an independent and impartial tribunal or there must be a right of appeal to an external body. Both those things would not be required.
Lessons could be learned from the Financial Services and Markets Act 2000, which established a framework for the Financial Ombudsman Service. Appointments to the board of the Financial Ombudsman Service are by way of a process that is similar in nature to that of the proposed commission. However, to ensure that hearings are compliant with article 6 of the convention, decisions are made by an embedded ombudsman or adjudicator who is independent. As the adjudicator does not have a five-year term of office but has security of tenure and a salary that is guaranteed, the adjudicator is not subject to the directions of the Government. So, a lesson and a model exist. The Executive has said that, to an extent, the proposed commission is modelled on the Financial Ombudsman Service, but the Executive seems to have taken the bits that suit it and rejected other pieces.
Bill Butler: : Do you have anything to add to that, Mr Bennet?
Craig Bennet: : Nothing at all.
Bill Butler: : The point is clear and is obviously different from what the other panels said.
What does Mr Sutherland think needs to be done to make the bill ECHR compliant, if he thinks that it can be made ECHR compliant?
Robert Sutherland: : The bill could be made ECHR compliant. I think that all the witnesses have made similar points about what is required to comply with article 6 of the ECHR.
Bill Butler: : The witnesses from the Faculty of Advocates did not, but on you go.
Robert Sutherland: : Either the commission would have to be fully independent and exercise functions similar to those of a court—I recollect Ms Stacey saying something along those lines—or, alternatively, there would have to be a full right of appeal to a court. That requirement would not be satisfied by a right to judicial review, which is a limited review by the courts. People would have to have a right to have the merits of their case examined, so that anyone who was dissatisfied with the commission's decision could take the matter further.
Bill Butler: : For clarity, are you saying that, if the perceived problems about the commission's independence can be dealt with, and if there is an external right of appeal, the apparent faults in the bill can be remedied?
Robert Sutherland: : The apparent faults can be remedied, but the situation is also—
Bill Butler: : That is slightly different from what the witnesses from the Faculty of Advocates said—they said that the issue cannot be remedied.
Robert Sutherland: : That is their view. We have had a brief discussion on the issue and our view is that action can be taken to remedy the bill. Our written submission highlights measures that could be taken. We are concerned about the Scottish ministers' ability to appoint, direct and remove the members of the commission and the fact that there will be no minimum term to be served. The bill indicates the maximum period of appointment to the commission, but there is no guarantee of how long people will serve on it. We suggest that appointment could be done by the Judicial Appointments Board for Scotland, which would give separation and would solve the problem of Scottish ministers having the ability to make appointments and give directions. There may be good reasons for the Scottish ministers to have the power to give directions, although I am not sure what they are.
Bill Butler: : What do you make of the views of the SLAS that an external right of appeal would increase costs and cause delays and that it would be better to strengthen the commission's independence? You say that both are necessary, whereas the SLAS says that we need only to strengthen the commission's independence.
Robert Sutherland: : Other aspects of the bill that relate to those issues cause us concern. The issue is about not only the appointment of members of the commission, but the procedures with which the commission will operate. As matters stand, we have no idea what those procedures will be, so we must take it on trust that they will be ECHR compliant, if the commission is to be considered the final tribunal. However, we have no guarantees on that in the bill.
Another issue is about mediation. When a body such as the commission gets involved in mediation, everything else goes out the window—it does not matter who appointed the members and what their terms of service are. The commission is then no longer independent of the two parties—the complainer and the practitioner—because it has already got its hands dirty. If the mediation provision remains, aspects of that should be considered further. That also means that there has to be a full right of appeal.
Jeremy Purvis: : All committee members are concerned about access. Promoting young solicitors in the area that I represent is important, so not calling such areas "the sticks" is probably the way forward.
SCOLAG commented on disaggregation in its submission. If we were to accept your suggestion of disaggregating technical breaches of conduct, would not members of the public be rather confused about a new complaints body overlooking breaches of conduct?
Ken Swinton: : The problem is with low-level breaches of rules. The Law Society has a large number of professional practice rules and it is easy to breach them. For example, we might receive a consumer complaint about lack of communication, which sounds like a service complaint, but as it is covered by the client communication rules it is also a matter of misconduct. If it is only a complaint about someone failing to reply to one or two letters, surely that is a service matter. If, however, a pattern develops of that person failing to respond to correspondence over a long period, it ceases to be a service complaint and shades into being a conduct matter.
One of the reasons why we have supported separating out service complaints from conduct complaints for some time is that it is natural for a lawyer to defend his professional practice. If there is a question of misconduct, a lawyer will take a defensive attitude towards it. It is apparent from the ombudsman's reports over the years that she sees that a different hat is required to be worn when dealing with service complaints.
By disaggregating complaints as far as possible, solicitors ought to adopt a more co-operative attitude in dealing with service complaints. In the case of a service complaint, it is much more likely that they would negotiate a settlement or take up the mediation offer. However, I suggest that solicitors will adopt a more defensive attitude if the same circumstances are applied to both conduct complaints and service complaints. It is for that reason that we suggest that the commission is given discretion to treat such complaints as service complaints and to decide not to refer them to a professional body as conduct complaints. We have confidence that the commission will make sensible decisions. If someone does not respond to a complaint for two years, the commission will refer the matter as a conduct complaint to the Law Society.
Many of the hypotheses about the proposed commission are misplaced. It will operate professionally and will deal with matters in a professional complaints-handling manner. We do not believe that it will be an amateur body, but even if lay people are appointed to make decisions, they will quickly build up expertise over a year or two. I accept that there might be teething difficulties in the first couple of years, but thereafter, the commission will be able to operate competently and make sensible decisions about service complaints and what courses of conduct would cause the Law Society to take up complaints. If such conduct complaints were upheld, they would be referred ultimately to the Scottish Solicitors Discipline Tribunal.
Jackie Baillie: : As far as the complaints levy is concerned, the Executive's current position is that everyone pays, irrespective of whether the complaint is upheld. However, it has been suggested that, in addition to the general levy, the polluter should pay. Which option do you favour? Can you suggest a third way?
Ken Swinton: : The bill will principally introduce an annual levy and a complaints levy—the Financial Ombudsman Service operates both mechanisms. I accept that there must be some flexibility; for example, when the service was established in December 2001, it was funded 50:50 by the annual levy and case fees. Now, after four or five years of operation, the service is funded 30 per cent by the annual levy and 70 per cent by case fees.
We would accept a funding mix of case fees and annual levy. However, as Mike West mentioned last week, with the Financial Ombudsman Service, people get two free hits a year before they have to pay any case fees, and the cost of those complaints is covered by the annual levy. That important measure discourages people who were referred to by a Law Society witness as blackmailers, who are simply looking for a pay-off or a reduction in fees. If they know that the complaints levy is £300 or £500, they might accept a lesser amount just to go away. However, that tactic will not work if they do not know whether the solicitor has used a free hit.
Free hits are also important as insurance against wholly unfounded complaints. We are particularly concerned about unfounded complaints made by third parties. For example, with regard to the polluter pays principle, we should not forget that, as Valerie Stacey pointed out earlier, the person complained against might be one's opponent, so we would not be talking about a solicitor-client relationship. A person might be exonerated of a complaint made by an opponent, but they might still have to pay a case fee, even though they owed no duty of care to the complainant. Such situations are difficult to justify, and we think that free hits could be used to deal with them.
Craig Bennet: : If there are no free hits, firms specialising in no-win, no-fee, endowment-type complaints will start telling people that if they complain about their solicitor they will be guaranteed a minimum of £400 or £500. We would discourage such activity, because it does no one any favours and simply leads to frivolous and vexatious complaints. Giving practices two free hits would remove the possibility of that happening.
Irrespective of its size, the average legal practice ordinarily attracts—for want of a better phrase—about two complaints a year, and allowing two free hits would provide a reality check. Obviously, if a practice receives more than two or three complaints a year, it needs to take a look at itself and find out whether it is getting something wrong. We do not want to batter the public—far from it. We appreciate that there are bad solicitors who need to be sorted out. However, with regard to a point that Colin Fox made last week, it is a bit unfair to make solicitors bear the costs all the time, especially if they have been vindicated of any charges made in a complaint that has passed the frivolous or vexatious test.
Robert Sutherland: : We have a number of concerns, which we have highlighted in our submission. We have heard evidence about the distinction between solicitors and advocates and the types of complaint that are made about them. The proposal would have a differential impact on them. Certain groups will end up paying more than others, despite generating only a small proportion of service complaints. I seem to remember that last week's evidence from the civil servants was that there was scope in the bill for differential levels of fees to be charged, which should perhaps be considered, so that solicitors, advocates and licensed conveyancers would pay different fees according to the level of service complaints that they attract, which is what the commission will be there to deal with.
Some of our members have expressed the view that there is a case for central Government funds to pay for at least some of the core costs of running the commission. Some of its functions will have nothing to do with investigating and dealing with service complaints. There is scope for using the money saved by abolishing the legal services ombudsman to fund the commission in part.
We are also concerned that, for whatever reason, certain areas of business attract more complaints than others. If, for example, Scottish Power was unhappy with work that I had done for it, it would instruct its solicitors not to use me again. If the solicitors thought that I had provided a bad service, not only would they not use my services for Scottish Power, but they would not use them for any other client. In some areas of work, clients are more likely to want to complain. Scottish Power will not complain; it will simply use its cheque book.
We know from experience that certain types of work attract more complaints than others. We are concerned that there will be a differential impact on legal aid practitioners, law centres and sole practitioners. Some of the administrative costs of setting up the commission might impact on such practitioners; we do not want that to reduce access to justice.
Craig Bennet: : The principle of free hits should also apply to lawyers in the public sector, such as Scottish Executive lawyers, local authority lawyers and fiscals, who I do not think have been mentioned today. Those lawyers have rights too and, although they rarely receive complaints, they will be brought under the same umbrella, which has to be considered when dealing with the levy issue. Fiscals working in Glasgow sheriff court are a perfect example. If word got out about the levy among a particular fraternity, that could cause difficulty. We confidently expect that the Lord Advocate would tell the fiscals to withdraw from the roll of solicitors but remain fiscals and that he would grant them a commission to act as such. On that basis, 650 Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service fiscals would be removed from the roll straight away, which would mean that a bigger levy would be imposed on the smaller number left, causing increasing difficulty for the profession.
Maureen Macmillan: : There has been a suggestion that solicitors will give up their practising certificates.
Craig Bennet: : I stress that SLAS is not the Faculty of Advocates or the Law Society of Scotland, so we are able to speak more independently than most. We think that solicitors will resign their practising certificates, then start up will-writing businesses. That brings me to the part of our submission that refers to level playing fields. At the moment, the playing field is like the pitch at Easter Road. Will writers and immigration advisers are not affected by the proposed provision, but we are. We ask the committee to consider that carefully when it makes its decisions. We are not against what you are doing. We want to make sensible but substantial amendments to assist the Executive and the committee. We are not creating media attention or anything of that sort, but we want to make you aware that if you give this dose to us, it must also be given to other people.
This year I have had two problems professionally with will writers not doing things correctly. Other people have had to deal with the same issue, but will writers are not regulated. Because they are not regulated, they get away with things, whereas we are left to pick up the pieces a lot of the time. If the bill is passed as it stands, you may find that pro bono work will go. Last year, through the Scottish Executive, I handled the first land acquisition from the Coal Authority of a place in Crossgates for my local community council. No doubt Anderson Strathern, which was on the other side, received a good fee from Scottish Coal. I did the work pro bono, as an obligement for my community. I may not be able to do that when I have to watch everything that I do on the basis that a complaint, vexatious or otherwise, may be made.
The Convener: : Your point is well made.
Robert Sutherland: : I support Craig Bennet's comments. Although we do not have figures to indicate how many people are withdrawing from legal aid work—no one has looked at the matter for five or six years—we are aware from speaking to people that practitioners are withdrawing from legal aid work on a regular basis. Every month I am pointed to examples of big firms in Edinburgh and Glasgow and small firms around the country withdrawing from legal aid work. Just a short time ago, a sheriff explained to me that only four solicitors were covering criminal legal aid work on a duty roll for the whole of south-west Scotland. Those four solicitors travel around a vast geographical area, covering different sheriff courts. As matters stand, people are actively withdrawing from legal aid work. The bill will increase that number.
The Convener: : If there is evidence of people withdrawing from work already, perhaps you could write to us about that.
Craig Bennet: : We have included some examples in our submission. The Public Defence Solicitors Office in Inverness now has to do the duty work in Kirkwall because, for better or worse, no one in Orkney will do it. I do not think that it is right that the PDSO should have to send people to appear in Kirkwall, at taxpayers' expense. The flights, if nothing else, are very expensive.
The Convener: : Is that information contained in your written submission?
Craig Bennet: : Yes. It is just one example. Irrespective of what you think of solicitors, it is not right that a car mechanic at my local garage should get away with charging £60 an hour, but a civil legal aid solicitor should charge £42 or £44 an hour.
The Convener: : We are fairly time constrained, so I ask for tight questions and answers.
Colin Fox: : With talk of free hits, this sounds a bit like "Pop Idol".
I draw the committee's attention to the increase in the level of compensation from £5,000 to £20,000. In its submission, the Scottish Law Agents Society says that it sees no reason for the increase. Why should an aggrieved client not receive £20,000 compensation if the loss can be quantified at that level?
Ken Swinton: : I would answer the question by starting at a different point. We are concerned about what constitutes inadequate professional services. Section 34 extends the definition of "inadequate professional services" to negligence. If the maximum compensation level of £20,000 relates to negligence claims, I do not have any problem—and I do not think that the Law Society has any problem—with solicitors paying up for their mistakes. We have no problem with an alternative dispute resolution system with a maximum compensation level of £20,000.
Our problem is that we do not know what the £20,000 will be payable for and what inadequate professional services are. The bill does not take us much further, other than to say that inadequate professional services are services that are not of the quality that could be expected of a reasonably competent practitioner.
Perhaps the issue is negligence. Most professional negligence claims are not strictly negligence claims at all; they are claims for breach of contract. An implied term of every contract for services is that the services offered will be of a reasonable standard. Perhaps the maximum compensation level of £20,000 for inadequate professional services is a problem, because although it has been around for 17 years, the definition of quality legal services has not been satisfactory.
We do not have a problem if there is negligence, but we do have a problem with £20,000 compensation for inconvenience and distress, for which we think £5,000 is a more-than-adequate sum. Negligence is someone not doing something that they ought to have done in the first place. Consumers across a broad range of services now have access to alternative dispute resolution mechanisms. We would like there to be clarification in the bill. We would like negligence not to be a sub-heading of inadequate professional services but to be an independent heading. We would like "inadequate professional services" to be redefined in a way that covers inconvenience and distress, with the payments capped at a lower level. The Financial Ombudsman Service has a very useful paper about inconvenience and distress payments and it will pay out a maximum of £1,000 for inconvenience and distress.
That is our position, Mr Fox. Perhaps what I have said clarifies what we said in our submission.
Colin Fox: : It certainly clarifies things. It seems to me that you are drawing a distinction. You have issues about the definition and about adequate financial recompense. However, presumably if the proposed Scottish legal complaints commission adjudicated that £20,000 was an appropriate sum for inconvenience and distress, you would be happy.
It has been suggested that the maximum compensation figure of £20,000 has been proposed because the same figure has been set in England and Wales. You will have heard the Law Society of Scotland's evidence about a number of disposals that it has made. It gave evidence today that it had instructed a solicitor against whom a complaint was upheld to carry out work for the client without charging a fee that would have amounted to £24,000. You seem to have a problem with the definition of "inadequate professional services", but do you have a problem with the financial package of £20,000 itself? It seems to me that the Law Society does not.
Ken Swinton: : According to case law, inconvenience and distress payments are generally fairly modest. It is not clear in the bill on what basis the proposed commission will make awards; I endorse what Valerie Stacey said about that earlier.
The Financial Ombudsman Service was confronted with a similar gap in legislation and it made awards on the basis of common law. Therefore, if the common law says that a modest amount should be payable for inconvenience, expense and distress, that is what the Financial Ombudsman Service will award. I suggest that the new commission will also be forced to look at the common law and to consider the level of compensation for inconvenience and distress in court cases when it awards sums in that regard.
The issue will be less of a problem if the commission acts in a proper way. If it does not, I expect that someone will initiate a judicial review, because the commission will be seen to have acted in an irrational and unreasonable way and will not be supported by the courts. Thereafter, the situation will be guided by that court decision.
There will be a training exercise for the new commission. If practitioners or claimants do not like what is happening, they will be able to seek a judicial review. Of course, that is only a limited review, as it reviews the rationality of the decision, not the merits of the case. However, it would address the amounts that are awarded. We do not have a particular problem in that regard and I do not think that the legislation needs to reflect the matter that we are discussing. The Financial Ombudsman Service has an internal paper that suggests that £1,000 is usually enough to cover inconvenience and distress but reserves its position in respect of exceptional cases in which it might be demonstrated that that sum is insufficient. I would expect the new commission to establish a working set of rules along similar lines.
The Convener: : I would like to wind up on this angle. We are time constrained and we need to cover one or two other points. I would appreciate shorter, sharper questions and answers.
Jeremy Purvis: : I have a question for Mr Sutherland. The Scottish Legal Action Group has expressed concern that there might not be sufficient professional knowledge and experience on the commission, especially in cases such as those that we have just been hearing about. Why are you not reassured by the fact that four lawyers, three of whom must have at least 10 years' experience, will be members of the commission?
Robert Sutherland: : The concern is that, although those people will be members of the commission, we do not know how the commission will operate. The indications are that decisions will be delegated down. That is one thing that is apparent from the scheme that is set out in the bill. There might be situations in which staff are making decisions without being aware of exactly what procedures the commission will operate and what decisions the commissioners will make themselves. Therefore, we cannot answer the question of the relevance of the experience of the legal members of the board.
In any event, the legal members of the board can be out-voted by the lay members. We take the view that that would be inappropriate in cases of professional negligence. Although we do not object to the principle of having the commission deal with service complaints, we do not think that it is appropriate that professional negligence cases should be dealt with by the commission in the form in which the bill envisages that it will be set up.
Having said that, we recognise that the bill is intended to create a consumer-friendly situation and to provide remedies that will enable people to avoid litigation where possible. I do not know whether we have come to any particular view on the way forward. One suggestion is that the commission's powers to deal with negligence cases should be limited to the self-insurance level. I think that the self-insurance level of solicitors is £6,000, or is about to be set at that level. Therefore, the commission could involve itself in matters up to that level and the courts could deal with matters involving sums greater than that amount.
Maureen Macmillan: : I want to ask about the master policy. The submission from the Scottish Law Agents Society says that firms self-insure up to an amount of £5,000 and suggests that, consequently, the increase in the maximum level of compensation to £20,000 will result in more claims relating to negligence being run by the master policy insurers rather than by the practitioners. What would be the disadvantages to the client? Would those disadvantages be offset by the benefits of fair reward—if in fact £20,000 was a fair settlement—for loss suffered and by avoiding the expense of going through the court system?
Ken Swinton: : There is no doubt that the client benefits from alternative dispute resolution. In relation to the master policy, my understanding about the excess that solicitors pay is that it is £3,000 per partner but that in the case of any finding of inadequate professional services it is extended to £6,000 per partner. Inevitably, with the commission, there would be a finding of inadequate professional services, because negligence is subsumed under inadequate professional services. Therefore, in a three-partner firm, the deductible would be automatically doubled. That is one of the reasons why we think negligence ought to be a separate head, in which case the self-insured amount would be halved.
Maureen Macmillan: : There has been anecdotal evidence about delays relating to the settling of claims under the master policy. Is that less likely in the future if the commission has the power of oversight over the master policy?
Ken Swinton: : I am not quite clear what the power of oversight over the master policy is. I do not see how the commission has any reach over an insurance company or basket of insurance companies operating a master policy. The Law Society has to have in place a scheme by which solicitors have adequate professional indemnity insurance, but it is not obliged to organise the running of the master policy. It could simply make a rule that each practice must obtain its own professional indemnity insurance; there would then be nothing for the commission to supervise. I am still not clear what the commission does. Does it ask Royal & Sun Alliance to come and have a cup of tea and discuss how it is handling claims? The Royal & Sun Alliance is not subject to its jurisdiction.
Jackie Baillie: : Mr Swinton and Mr Bennet, in your written evidence you express concerns about the lack of regulation of non-lawyers and earlier on I believe you mentioned the question of a level playing field. Would you be reassured by the bill team's evidence, which suggested that the new complaints handling system would apply to non-lawyers who had rights to conduct litigation in Scottish courts?
Craig Bennet: : There is more to law than appearing in the courts with a gown on. Financially, something like 20 per cent of all the income—and therefore presumably the work that is carried out by the legal profession—comes from the courts. Although we are quite happy with what you suggest, the difficulty is that it needs to apply to everybody. Our request here would be a broad-brush approach.
You may have had this problem in your surgery, but many people have been affected, and not just by solicitors doing things wrong. Nobody is perfect, and we hold up our hands and admit that things do go wrong, but there are other people who are getting away scot-free with those things. Those people need to be treated in the same way as we are to be treated. We are frightened—that is the phrase I have used in an article in a magazine, a copy of which we will be sending you shortly—by what is proposed. Lawyers are traditionally beasts that do not like change, but we want to assist here. We want to make sensible but substantial amendments to the bill, if that is possible. One of those sensible but substantial amendments would be to bring in will writers, immigration advisers and so on—people who do not necessarily just deal with litigation. Non-qualified litigation people should be brought in as well—we are all for that.
Jackie Baillie: : I look forward to receiving the magazine. Mr Sutherland, you express concerns about the extension of Scottish Legal Aid Board funding to non-legally qualified advisers on a case-by-case basis. Will you tell us what those concerns are?
Robert Sutherland: : We would be concerned about having guarantees of the quality of work that was provided. We would be concerned that the case-by-case funding approach may simply reflect the difficulties that are experienced by solicitors at the moment in applying for civil legal aid funding. I would have thought that project-type funding or panel funding is a more appropriate course to follow for those advisers, to let them take on whatever work is considered appropriate. We are concerned that people who are appearing in court should be accountable to somebody to a professional standard that is equivalent to the standard to which solicitors and advocates are accountable for representations and misrepresentations that they make in the court.
Jackie Baillie: : That is helpful. Would any of you welcome it if the Executive were to lodge an amendment at stage 2 that delivers grant funding for non-legally qualified staff?
Robert Sutherland: : We would.
Jackie Baillie: : You would?
Craig Bennet: : Yes. We are all for access to justice.
The Convener: : Thank you for participating in such a long afternoon.
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WJW (FOX)
Fox 8 News at 4:30AM : WJW : September 6, 2016 4:30am-5:01am EDT
by WJW
. but donald trump's brand of shirts come from china, his there's no place in america that he can make them. well there is. you know donald trump says he'll make america great again while he's taking the shirts right off our backs. golden outside or fluffy inside. deep pockets or delicious ridges. tasty egg or savory bacon. experience dunkin's new belgian waffle breakfast sandwich. it's not this or that. it's all of it. i'm finally have been located he was inducted in 1989 they released a famous think they're notey yet ready to -- the needed thatat a person ofe interest is being how thatr person's been in jail since october.bee carolina is trying to lure children we reported on this on sunday may another report was found in salem they saw person in a clown cost him who tried to do withm them into the woods bo offering themo treats there goig door to dooreat warning parents. a bus driver has been firede after confrontation with the student.e the video captured by another pouring water on an eighth-gradeg of florida won trying to get revenge on her ak boyfriend ends up behind bars she th
. but donald trump's brand of shirts come from china, his there's no place in america that he can make them. well there is. you know donald trump says he'll make america great again while he's taking the shirts right off our backs. golden outside or fluffy inside. deep pockets or delicious ridges. tasty egg or savory bacon. experience dunkin's new belgian waffle breakfast sandwich. it's not this or that. it's all of it. i'm finally have been located he was inducted in 1989 they released a...
The O'Reilly Factor : FOXNEWSW : September 9, 2016 5:20pm-5:33pm PDT
happening with china. and they are trying to give us the transpacific partnership now. [crowd booing] >> which will be a total disaster that hillary clinton called the gold standard. barack obama wants it. he is pressing it. it will be -- and i say this, nothing can be as bad as nafta, but it's going to be pretty close. so i just want to tell you we're not approving the transpacific partnership, just another catastrophe. [cheers and applause] our trade deficit, with the world, with the world, all this work, our trade deficit, with the world is almost $800 billion a year. you think we have good negotiators? we have lost 1/3 of our manufacturing jobs since bill and hillary clinton gave us nafta. china is manipulating its currency and taking our jobs. that's called cheating. believe me, i have great relationships with china. done many deals with china. made a fortune with china. have the largest bank in the world, which is from china as one of my tenants. they're excellent and they just renewed their lease. i can't believe it but they just renewed their lease. so lots of condos to china
happening with china. and they are trying to give us the transpacific partnership now. [crowd booing] >> which will be a total disaster that hillary clinton called the gold standard. barack obama wants it. he is pressing it. it will be -- and i say this, nothing can be as bad as nafta, but it's going to be pretty close. so i just want to tell you we're not approving the transpacific partnership, just another catastrophe. [cheers and applause] our trade deficit, with the world, with the...
Bloomberg Markets : BLOOMBERG : September 15, 2016 12:01pm-12:52pm EDT
averaged a 3.5% growth rate. but after china joined the world trade organization, our average growth rate has been reduced to only 2%. practices,rade product dumping, currency manipulation, which is a big one, and intellectual property theft have taken millions of jobs and trillions of dollars in ,ealth right out of our country right out of our country. so sad that we allowed this to happen. politicians were not watching and the ones that were watching were taken care of in some form because this should have never been allowed to have happened. it is no great secret that many of the special interests funding my opponent's campaign are the same people profiting from these terrible trade deals. they are terrible. they are terrible for everyone. the same so-called experts advising hillary clinton are the same people who gave us nafta, china's entry into the trade world organization, the job killing trade deal with south korea, another disaster, and now the transpacific partnership that they are pushing so strongly. the verdict is in good all of the special interest that the media race to com
averaged a 3.5% growth rate. but after china joined the world trade organization, our average growth rate has been reduced to only 2%. practices,rade product dumping, currency manipulation, which is a big one, and intellectual property theft have taken millions of jobs and trillions of dollars in ,ealth right out of our country right out of our country. so sad that we allowed this to happen. politicians were not watching and the ones that were watching were taken care of in some form because...
Hillary Clinton Holds Meeting on Terrorism : CSPAN : September 10, 2016 12:31pm-12:48pm EDT
effort to convince them neighbors, most particularly china. this is not just a u.s. issue. i think we have an opening here that we have not had for the last several years, that i intend to do everything i can to take it manage of. support andgoing to equip our allies in the region with the missile defense systems that they required to protect themselves. that is not something that either the north koreans, the russians, with the chinese in the region, are particularly pleased about. what is the alternative? we will not let anyone who is a treaty ally and partner of ours be threatened. we will not let north korea pursue a nuclear weapon with ballistic missile capacity to deliver it to the united states territory. that is absolutely the bottom line. if other countries want to assist us in this effort, we welcome that and will engage in intensive discussions as soon as possible. statement out a earlier today saying you support president obama's call for additional sanctions on north korea. they have faced sanctions for years, and clearly, it has not stopped them from moving forward on th
effort to convince them neighbors, most particularly china. this is not just a u.s. issue. i think we have an opening here that we have not had for the last several years, that i intend to do everything i can to take it manage of. support andgoing to equip our allies in the region with the missile defense systems that they required to protect themselves. that is not something that either the north koreans, the russians, with the chinese in the region, are particularly pleased about. what is...
KCNC (CBS)
CBS4 News at Noon : KCNC : September 5, 2016 12:00pm-12:31pm MDT
by KCNC
crisis overshadowed the president's efforts to ease tensions with china and military expansion. adding to the unease, north korea testified three ballistic missiles into the sea of japan. >>> a warning about a man who tried to sexually assault a woman in boulder. this is the sex of the suspect. a call if you have any information. >>> police want to find this man. the 31-year-old is wanted for murder after the discovery of a woman shot to death. he has an extensive record including domestic violence. >> reporter: investigators spent hours coming for evidence at this complex where a woman was found dead inside one of the apartments. >> we were inside and she said that she thought e >> reporter: they live across the street. they say shortly after hearing that shot, they saw police swarm the building. >> first it was like two, three. then there were all kinds, fire truck, ambulance. >> that was at 11:00 on saturday night. once on scene, police found her in her 30s shot to death inside. no one else was around, but neighbors say they heard fighting coming from that home often, but i
crisis overshadowed the president's efforts to ease tensions with china and military expansion. adding to the unease, north korea testified three ballistic missiles into the sea of japan. >>> a warning about a man who tried to sexually assault a woman in boulder. this is the sex of the suspect. a call if you have any information. >>> police want to find this man. the 31-year-old is wanted for murder after the discovery of a woman shot to death. he has an extensive record...
trump's brand of shirts come from china, his suits from mexico, his coats from india. trump's products have been made in twelve other countries because he says there's no place in america that he can make them. well there is. you know donald trump says he'll make america great again while massachusetts climbing paying tribute to death. it is and spells all things. he is retiring at the end of the season he helped to open theh maze with this very milde that.h theya are police department city hall and northeast pennsylvania are abuzz with activity as the key. a beekeeper then found the highest on the third floor. b this city is trying to save this -- workers are now looking for how they got into the building to fill those areas. it was that quite the cap nextlt look back on the phone this morning the daughter of assistant police chief spotted kiddie with icann on hiss head. hehe pulled off they can. nasa squashes coming out of the woods to focus on safety.ash have kids christmas tree will head into school of rain withet scott for good look at tt forecast.he here rico. storm fox radarar c
trump's brand of shirts come from china, his suits from mexico, his coats from india. trump's products have been made in twelve other countries because he says there's no place in america that he can make them. well there is. you know donald trump says he'll make america great again while massachusetts climbing paying tribute to death. it is and spells all things. he is retiring at the end of the season he helped to open theh maze with this very milde that.h theya are police department city...
Fox 8 News at 6PM : WJW : September 8, 2016 6:00pm-7:00pm EDT
anything? >> .china's little more than a dozen agents in north ridgevill open to get information to child abduction cases went to one in cleveland and attempted and cl.yrian >> will do the due diligence asking for any additional shock to hear that happened here cannot say that o the newse the case was sent to the fbi to determine if it is connected to the bank abduction of a 6-year-old cleveland girl and attempted abduction in elyriand were fragile place investigating the case sincece april 2015 but so far have made no arrest that do not know if the north ridgeville case is connected to the others.kn they entered the home with adults living in the house walked through the house conducting a girl from her badw and took her out of the house the girl escaped and return amparo last a video of a person of interestst they want talk to connected to adduction and attempted abduction they believe he drove us vehicle. >> we need help before he strikes again.n. the fbi as it soars a second day 2,000 schools close with some site not hot enough to cancel a maia belay has details but if you find
anything? >> .china's little more than a dozen agents in north ridgevill open to get information to child abduction cases went to one in cleveland and attempted and cl.yrian >> will do the due diligence asking for any additional shock to hear that happened here cannot say that o the newse the case was sent to the fbi to determine if it is connected to the bank abduction of a 6-year-old cleveland girl and attempted abduction in elyriand were fragile place investigating the case...
Good Morning Cleveland at 4:30am : WEWS : September 15, 2016 4:30am-5:00am EDT
software update will rollout first in china. samsung recalled 2 1/2 million note 7th after dozens of reports -- reports of fire. >>> you're looking at new video of a car fire. look at those flames. the driver told police he thinks his galaxy s7 exploded. he was driving down the highway at the time. right now investigators are looking into the exact cause. we will keep you updated. >>> is 4:49 on your friday and donald trump may take a hit from a new card game. >> it was created by linkedin offend of the republican presidential candidate. this game is called trumped up cards. proceeds will benefit charities that are already working to keep america great.>>> time now 4:50. thank you for joining us today. who interrupted donald trump when he started talking about cleveland naming a street after the boxing promoter, the horrible crime he committed in the same place he is being honored. as we go to break, and look at how wall street strike good morning, welcome back let's get a look at those highs -- >>> good morning, welcome back. let's get a look at those highs. looking at mid-to upper
software update will rollout first in china. samsung recalled 2 1/2 million note 7th after dozens of reports -- reports of fire. >>> you're looking at new video of a car fire. look at those flames. the driver told police he thinks his galaxy s7 exploded. he was driving down the highway at the time. right now investigators are looking into the exact cause. we will keep you updated. >>> is 4:49 on your friday and donald trump may take a hit from a new card game. >> it was...
CBS2 News Live at 5 : KGAN : September 8, 2016 5:00pm-5:30pm CDT
approve this message. he wears it like a crown. "make america great again". his ties in china. and his suits in mexico. in fact, the real donald trump outsourced his products and jobs to 12 different countries. so don't believe the hat. you can't make america great again, if you don't make things gallagher: this type of disaster hits, it's like, "man, what do we do? where do we start?" after the flood, when we came in here, there was nothing left. people like monica vernon really fought to get the assistance that led to the recovery. it took vision. it took courage. there is a true community spirit. i don't think she asked anybody after the flood whether they were democrat or republican. she took the bull by the horns, saw a problem that needed to be solved, and she solved it. vernon: i'm monica vernon, and i approve this message. tomorrow on cbs 2 this morning. one of the biggest symbols of missing soon after. after.learn all about the mystery about where it went -- and where it is now.tomorrow after an asteroid like never before. it's launching a spacecraft to the black rock call
approve this message. he wears it like a crown. "make america great again". his ties in china. and his suits in mexico. in fact, the real donald trump outsourced his products and jobs to 12 different countries. so don't believe the hat. you can't make america great again, if you don't make things gallagher: this type of disaster hits, it's like, "man, what do we do? where do we start?" after the flood, when we came in here, there was nothing left. people like monica vernon...
WNCN (CBS)
North Carolina News at 6:00PM : WNCN : September 7, 2016 6:00pm-6:28pm EDT
by WNCN
come from china, his suits from mexico, his coats from india. trump's products have been made in twelve other countries because he says there's no place in america that he can make them. well there is. you know donald trump says he'll make america great again while he's taking the shirts right off our backs. >>> the search continues for greensboro area. an amber alert is out for 6- year-old davion mccollom and 2- year-old neveah mccollom. they are no longer looking for the boyfriend of the children's mother. >>> the fbi and the u.s. marshal's service have joined in trying to find the man who shot his son the boy died. keisha valentine is in critical condition send set to undergo surgery today. police said she had a restraining order out but it expired. >>> today marks four years since the unc student was found murdered in her apartment. many will honorher life and raising money for scholarships in her name. weave caught up with her sister that the ce will be solved. >> you people walking around who did this to her, walking around living their lives. >> police are offering a $40,0
come from china, his suits from mexico, his coats from india. trump's products have been made in twelve other countries because he says there's no place in america that he can make them. well there is. you know donald trump says he'll make america great again while he's taking the shirts right off our backs. >>> the search continues for greensboro area. an amber alert is out for 6- year-old davion mccollom and 2- year-old neveah mccollom. they are no longer looking for the boyfriend...
Bloomberg West : BLOOMBERG : September 6, 2016 11:00pm-12:01am EDT
. we will catch up on the ongoing war for the cloud. and tencent is now officially china's most valuable company. we will take a look at the bigger forces in play. apple is breaking its own habit. typically, even number of years mean a dramatically different iphone model. but the new iphone will not be a major departure from recent models. for apple fans looking for a wow product, our columnist says they will have to wait another year. >> it has been an awful year for apple, at least by the company's high standards, and i have an uninspiring message for fans and investors. wait until next year. apple revenue has declined for the last two quarters, and probably will continue to fall for the next six months. the last time apple sales dropped for 12 months straight was 2000 one. -- 2001. mark zuckerberg was still in high school. the company's wizards are keeping busy, but the next year won't be a blockbuster. the newly updated iphone will be shown at an event on wednesday. no matter what they are called, they will be more like a tweaked version of the iphone 6 us. also coming are f
. we will catch up on the ongoing war for the cloud. and tencent is now officially china's most valuable company. we will take a look at the bigger forces in play. apple is breaking its own habit. typically, even number of years mean a dramatically different iphone model. but the new iphone will not be a major departure from recent models. for apple fans looking for a wow product, our columnist says they will have to wait another year. >> it has been an awful year for apple, at least by...
Key Capitol Hill Hearings : CSPAN : September 15, 2016 4:07pm-5:00pm EDT
the year 2000, the united states averaged a 3.5% growth rate. but after china joined the world trade organization, our average growth rate has been reduced to only 2%. predatory trade practices, product dumping, currency manipulation, which is a big one and intellectual property theft ave taken millions of jobs and trillions of dollars in wealth right out of hour hands, right out of our country. so sad that we allowed this to happen. our incompetent politicians were not watching. and the ones that were watching, were taken care of in some form, because this should have never been allowed to have happened. it is no great secret that many of the special interests funding my opponent's campaign are the same people profitting from these terrible trade deals. they are terrible. terrible for everybody. the same so-called experts advising hillary clinton are the same people who gave us nafta. china's entry into the world trade organization, the job-killing trade deal with south korea, another disaster. and now the transpacific partnership that they are pushing so strongly. the verdict is in
the year 2000, the united states averaged a 3.5% growth rate. but after china joined the world trade organization, our average growth rate has been reduced to only 2%. predatory trade practices, product dumping, currency manipulation, which is a big one and intellectual property theft ave taken millions of jobs and trillions of dollars in wealth right out of hour hands, right out of our country. so sad that we allowed this to happen. our incompetent politicians were not watching. and the ones...
KSNV (NBC)
News 3 Live Today : KSNV : September 15, 2016 4:30am-5:00am PDT
by KSNV
that show. >> she did look cute. >> two friends who were best friends in china were separated for almost a year. they are head overheels know. >> reporter: talk about falling for each other, this is an airport reunion between two besties separated for almost a >> so happy. >> they had to hug like 400 times. they kept hugging and so giddy that they fell over. >> she used to be called da da and swa swai. >> they had each other. >> the family leading da da behind. so they posted dawson's picture on facebook seeking a forever home. another couple saw it and adopted dawson. >> 11 months after hannah arrived at dallas-fort worth airport, the best friends reunited and went viral. >> once again, they are sharing a cup of water and rolling dmrish. >> already the two are a hit on morning tv. >> rolling on the couch right now. >> the families live just a few minutes apart and both attend the same baptist church. are you following jesus this close reads the clary's bumper sticker. and how close are these kids arranged marriage. moms are hugging and the kids are hugging. cnn, new york. >> what
that show. >> she did look cute. >> two friends who were best friends in china were separated for almost a year. they are head overheels know. >> reporter: talk about falling for each other, this is an airport reunion between two besties separated for almost a >> so happy. >> they had to hug like 400 times. they kept hugging and so giddy that they fell over. >> she used to be called da da and swa swai. >> they had each other. >> the family...
Fox 13 News : WTVT : September 13, 2016 11:35pm-12:00am EDT
. we're going to have to get china, japan, that part of the world all together to try and figure out a way to control this man. i don't think you can negotiate with him. i think you have to control him. >> that's what we do know about north korea. their biggest trading partner is china. that country has the most clout in dealing with north korea but our behalf because of tensions we saw just the other day when the president went there. >> right. >> where does that take us? >> it takes us to relying on the un. this is a situation where we cannot do this one alone. we have to get the un involved and have the un negotiate this one. i don't think we just -- the u.s. and china are not getting along. i think that a bigger picture is going to have to step? . >> why are we not getting along? one of the many reasons is we are building altitude defense system to defend against missile strikes. that's making them hesitant to work with us. >> that coupled with the south china sea situation, all that. there's really nothing working out in the u.s.'s favor in that part of the world right now. and
. we're going to have to get china, japan, that part of the world all together to try and figure out a way to control this man. i don't think you can negotiate with him. i think you have to control him. >> that's what we do know about north korea. their biggest trading partner is china. that country has the most clout in dealing with north korea but our behalf because of tensions we saw just the other day when the president went there. >> right. >> where does that take us?...
, china, or us. first term, to precision manufacturing. we'll beat the competition and create new high wage jobs. we can do this, millions of jobs right here in america. that's my plan. >>> today is the day all panther fans have been waiting for. the regular season kicks off in two hours. that means carolina will have lap chance to -- a chance to both thepanthers and the broncos have had seven days off while the other 30 teams will have at least 10 days off. if you ask head coach ron rivera, that problem is only the tip of the iceburg. >> if i had my droughters, i would like to start the season different. first, it's thursday and you only have a week and it being defending the champs. it would be nice to open at home but it didn't work that way. >> game day is here. they will kick things off in denver at 8:30. our game of the week wakefield versus southern durham. they were nearly unstoppable but this year they stumbled out first three games. they look to turn things around tomorrow night in one of their nonconference matchups. >> you have to take them through tests and then you g
, china, or us. first term, to precision manufacturing. we'll beat the competition and create new high wage jobs. we can do this, millions of jobs right here in america. that's my plan. >>> today is the day all panther fans have been waiting for. the regular season kicks off in two hours. that means carolina will have lap chance to -- a chance to both thepanthers and the broncos have had seven days off while the other 30 teams will have at least 10 days off. if you ask head coach ron...
Action News @ 5pm : KTNV : September 14, 2016 5:00pm-5:30pm PDT
the cause of the issue. millions of people along the coast of mainland china are of a potentially deadly storm. super typhoon meranti is set to make landfall after pounding taiwan yesterday.. forcing hundreds of evacuate. meranti has weakened significantly since then.. but it's still considered the world's most powerful storm this year. forecasters say meranti will bring tremendous amounts of rain.. and wind speeds could reach 130 miles per hour when it hits china. right now... a flash flood watch has been issued..... carolina. a tropical storm formed...... just west of jacksonville, florida... pounding the region with heavy rain and high winds. officials warning people... those high winds could spawn tornadoes.... as well. adlib toss let's go to meteorologist karla huelga and '13 first alert weather.' a warm-up with a quiet weather pattern is in store for the las vegas valley through the start to next week. we have weak low pressure in quick warm-up, but will allow a gradual one. tomorrow, expect highs in the low 90s with only high cloud cover possible. by friday we warm to the l
the cause of the issue. millions of people along the coast of mainland china are of a potentially deadly storm. super typhoon meranti is set to make landfall after pounding taiwan yesterday.. forcing hundreds of evacuate. meranti has weakened significantly since then.. but it's still considered the world's most powerful storm this year. forecasters say meranti will bring tremendous amounts of rain.. and wind speeds could reach 130 miles per hour when it hits china. right now... a flash flood...
With All Due Respect : BLOOMBERG : September 10, 2016 9:00am-10:01am EDT
china and vietnam, they have changed their economies lately. russia is still dependent on oil and a few companies. it is still run largely by the same people. do you think that has been availing throughout those years that you have not performed enough? enough?med president putin: i do not think so. we had land reform. it is hard to imagine in russia that this would be possible. listen. unlike many countries in the world, we had a very developed -- our oil sector is almost fully privatized. companies,ntioned to and look at what is happening in saudi arabia and mexico and many other oil producing countries. why you think russia has made progress with these reforms? another thing with high oil prices, it is very hard to redirect economic participants from those industries where they can make profit and encourage them to make money in other areas. for this, you need to implement -- pursue a set of measures. unfortunately, it may not be as significant as we would like it to be. let me finish. while in gas revenue accounted for 53% of budget revenue. this is the year before last. 2014. i
china and vietnam, they have changed their economies lately. russia is still dependent on oil and a few companies. it is still run largely by the same people. do you think that has been availing throughout those years that you have not performed enough? enough?med president putin: i do not think so. we had land reform. it is hard to imagine in russia that this would be possible. listen. unlike many countries in the world, we had a very developed -- our oil sector is almost fully privatized....
: beautiful and scary at the same time. six people dead and nine missing in southern china after storms over the weekend. footage show traffic cut off by a mud slide there. farmland destroyed by water. according to media more than 12,000 residents affected by the weekend storms. and we could get a little rain around here because of a >> kim: triple digit heat for us but today we turn like fall. >> kelly: you got to love the name of the storm too. here is a look at what happened yesterday. it was a hurricane yesterday starting to make its way closer. started out with a ton of sunshine and look at all the clouds move n. you could feel the humidity increasing yesterday afternoon as we topped out at that will very likely be it for us for triple digits for us for the rest of 2016. here is a look at temperatures heading out the door. it is warmer and more humid. north las vegas and downtown 80. mountains edge 79, nellis 82. these temperatures here not far from where we're going to be for highs today. temperatures not moving a whole going on. look at all this moisture moving in. phoenix
: beautiful and scary at the same time. six people dead and nine missing in southern china after storms over the weekend. footage show traffic cut off by a mud slide there. farmland destroyed by water. according to media more than 12,000 residents affected by the weekend storms. and we could get a little rain around here because of a >> kim: triple digit heat for us but today we turn like fall. >> kelly: you got to love the name of the storm too. here is a look at what happened...
News 5 at Noon : WEWS : September 26, 2016 12:00pm-12:30pm EDT
world wing suit league reveals even more about the china grand prix. >> they are going to hit a target this size. >> and intriguing experiment has millions wondering. how a suspicious diner is lighting up the internet. >>> plus, the buzz word for your
says it will carefully monitor the actions of the chinese military. china is expanding its military exercises over the east china sea. everyone is in taiwan. typhoon megi is expected to hit tomorrow. the storm is already bringing heavy rain and strong winds to the country. it's expected to hit the southern part of china by wednesady morning. saving those vacation days may be paying off for folks looking to travel this fall. why the coming weeks are considered the best time to get away for a little r & r. but first, lets check in with marty and amelia. for those of you who've stashed discipline is about to be rewarded. here's nbc's chris clackum. some time today... we're expecting about home sales in the month of august. experts are expecting a late summer surge. this comes about a week after it was announced home sales being down for a second month in a row... despite mortgage rates being so low. higher home prices and not enough inventory for sale kept some would-be buyers at bay. only the northeast region saw a monthly increase in closings because there's more inventory to choose
says it will carefully monitor the actions of the chinese military. china is expanding its military exercises over the east china sea. everyone is in taiwan. typhoon megi is expected to hit tomorrow. the storm is already bringing heavy rain and strong winds to the country. it's expected to hit the southern part of china by wednesady morning. saving those vacation days may be paying off for folks looking to travel this fall. why the coming weeks are considered the best time to get away for a...
the champion... with a half-second lead. china hosted the event... pilots race head to head, to get through an aerial course with the fastest time. let's check in with marty. hamilton is hitting which lucky city will get the first look at the hit musical.. and when you can see it here in old to try something new.. in honor of an old love. louise spencer lives in minnesota... and she recently decided to become a truck driver. the great grandmother says... her late husband drove 18 wheelers... and now all she wants to do is drive around tons of louise spencer recently got the chance to drive her truck- on a closed course. she even got an official certificate as an honorary truck driver... just six months after beating breast cancer. now she says- she wishes she could take the 35 thousand p truck home with her. the hottest- and most expensive- ticket on broadway is going national today. the rap-musical hamilton is officially hitting the road. the show preview starts in chicago today. the musical already won 11 tony awards for its uniquie portrayal of the founding father alexander hamil
the champion... with a half-second lead. china hosted the event... pilots race head to head, to get through an aerial course with the fastest time. let's check in with marty. hamilton is hitting which lucky city will get the first look at the hit musical.. and when you can see it here in old to try something new.. in honor of an old love. louise spencer lives in minnesota... and she recently decided to become a truck driver. the great grandmother says... her late husband drove 18 wheelers......
KVVU (FOX)
FOX5 News at 5:30pm : KVVU : September 22, 2016 5:30pm-6:00pm PDT
by KVVU
resource... for breaking news... weather... and traffic. the great wall of china... is looking a bit different these days. why some are calling it the worst renovation project ever. plus - what makes these piglets so different from the rest. 5:30, your only choice for we are one nation under god. that black and white, we are one nation indivisible. thi'd like to punch him in thewe are alface.ricans. somebody and i wouldn't lose any voters. priorities usa action is responsible i'm hillary clinton and i approve this message. i know more about isis then the generals john mccain, a war hero. he's not a war hero, he's a war hero because he was captured. i like people that weren't captured ok. donald trump compared his sacrifices to the sacrifices of two parents who lost their son in war. how would you answer that father? what sacrifice have you made for your country? i've had tremendous success, i think... those are sacrifices? some are calling it the world's worst restoration. china has covered portions of the cement. a county cultural relics bureau reportedly ordered a 700- year-old str
resource... for breaking news... weather... and traffic. the great wall of china... is looking a bit different these days. why some are calling it the worst renovation project ever. plus - what makes these piglets so different from the rest. 5:30, your only choice for we are one nation under god. that black and white, we are one nation indivisible. thi'd like to punch him in thewe are alface.ricans. somebody and i wouldn't lose any voters. priorities usa action is responsible i'm hillary...
WITI (FOX)
FOX 6 News at 6 : WITI : September 27, 2016 6:00pm-6:30pm CDT
by WITI
menagerie is called 'china lights,' and it brings some of the wonder of chinese lantern festivals to the midwest. 'its spectacular. i mean, this is an amazing exhibit during the day but at night, when the lights come on, china have spent the last month assembling the show, which features around a thousand individual pieces. welders build the frames, electricians install the wires and bulbs, and artists add silk splashes of color for a dazzling final product. 'we had 28 artisans coming from china and they stayed here for four weeks time. and they worked day and night to have these lanterns built and set up.' 'there are about 40 installation areas over a three-quarter mile loop here at the botanical gardens. and sure to be one of gives you a sense of the scope and scale of this exhibition.' 'i am just ecstatic that this is here in milwaukee, and just ecstatic that we at the gardens can show this to everyone in the area. its a dream come true to have it all here.' a dream come true, as a dream world prepares to light up the gardens. carl deffenbaugh, fox6 news. you can learn more about the
menagerie is called 'china lights,' and it brings some of the wonder of chinese lantern festivals to the midwest. 'its spectacular. i mean, this is an amazing exhibit during the day but at night, when the lights come on, china have spent the last month assembling the show, which features around a thousand individual pieces. welders build the frames, electricians install the wires and bulbs, and artists add silk splashes of color for a dazzling final product. 'we had 28 artisans coming from...
Charlie Rose : BLOOMBERG : September 23, 2016 10:00pm-11:01pm EDT
whose prospects he would change with the united states right now. china where i used to live -- at least half of the country has a narrative that the u.s. is in like 1861 or 1933. when things are actually getting better most places. gop delegates were convinced the economy is in shambles -- except where they are from. dana: everybody hates congress except for their own congressman. frank: where is the crisis? gallup has been asking every year who has the biggest economy in the world? since 2008, americans have been saying china. the largest number have been saying china. it has been erroneous since 2008, but it speaks volumes about where america sees our place in the world. lesley: i don't want to interrupt, but unfortunately, i have to interrupt. this is very sad because i could go on forever about my favorite topic, politics, but we have run out of time. thank you. ♪ >> you are watching bloomberg west. voting for cruz donald trump in november. in a post on facebook, he said hillary clinton would be unacceptable as president. cruz had withheld his endorsement. come says he is ho
whose prospects he would change with the united states right now. china where i used to live -- at least half of the country has a narrative that the u.s. is in like 1861 or 1933. when things are actually getting better most places. gop delegates were convinced the economy is in shambles -- except where they are from. dana: everybody hates congress except for their own congressman. frank: where is the crisis? gallup has been asking every year who has the biggest economy in the world? since...
Fast Money Halftime Report : CNBC : September 15, 2016 12:00pm-1:01pm EDT
states averaged a 3.5% growth rate. but after china joined the world trade organization our average growth rate has been reduce d t only 2%, manipulation which is a big one, and intellectual property theft have taken millions of jobs in wealth right out of our country. so sad we allowed this to happen. our incompetition incompetent politicians were not pay iing attention. this should have never been allowed to have happened. there is no great secret that many of the special interests funding my opponent's campaign profiting from these terrible trade deals. they are terrible. they are terrible for everybody. they advise hillary clinton, the same people who gave us nafta, china's entry into the world trade organization, the job killing trade deal with south korea, another disaster, and now the transpacific partnership that they're pushing so strongly. they just race to get comments from, have been proven long for over such a long period of time. every prediction has crashed. it has just crashed. they've been so absolutely wrong and they've been so bad for our country. wages have decli
states averaged a 3.5% growth rate. but after china joined the world trade organization our average growth rate has been reduce d t only 2%, manipulation which is a big one, and intellectual property theft have taken millions of jobs in wealth right out of our country. so sad we allowed this to happen. our incompetition incompetent politicians were not pay iing attention. this should have never been allowed to have happened. there is no great secret that many of the special interests funding...
What'd You Miss? : BLOOMBERG : September 15, 2016 4:00pm-5:01pm EDT
question is, "what'd you miss?" scarlet: we take a look at china and the fed. joe: and we bring down donald trump's economic speech today. matt: and we dig into a new bloomberg acquisition. it looking at index solutions, what of the most important in the fixed income world. scarlet: we begin with the market minute. the dow moving another triple digit, up by better than 150 points. u.s. stocks gaining more than 1% overall. and all 10 groups in the s&p 500 gaining, this is even as retail sales disappoint. joe: and we will have a 1% move in the s&p 500 for the fourth time in five days. matt: everything is gaining. take a look at the map, there is a sea of green. real estate is the smallest winner. of only .5%. industrials on the rear. but telecoms and health care all are up and there is optimism about apple and of the new phone. , you can seen weib that the doubt is showing all 30 -- dow is a showing all 30 stocks up on the day. and the nasdaq, as well. of biggest gains, the least the three major indexes. joe: a quick look at the government bond market, quieter today. we saw a decline f
question is, "what'd you miss?" scarlet: we take a look at china and the fed. joe: and we bring down donald trump's economic speech today. matt: and we dig into a new bloomberg acquisition. it looking at index solutions, what of the most important in the fixed income world. scarlet: we begin with the market minute. the dow moving another triple digit, up by better than 150 points. u.s. stocks gaining more than 1% overall. and all 10 groups in the s&p 500 gaining, this is even as...
Key Capitol Hill Hearings : CSPAN : September 10, 2016 1:24am-2:13am EDT
at the top of my list in dealing with china on how we're going to prevent what could very well be a serious conflict with north korea. >> you know, -- mrs. clinton: you do not talk about leverage until you produce leverage. i do believe we have leverage with china and based on my extensive discussions while secretary of state, there is even a disk -- discussion in china about how to handle the changes in the north korean regime. china has no interest in seeing the kind of buildup, which we are going to be doing. i will stress this and underline to leavee not going our friends and allies unprotected. we will do everything we can to put in the most effective missile defense system against anything that north korea does. the chinese are not happy about that. we have a lot of leverage and we are going to exercise that leverage. we're going to put together the kind of negotiations that i ofnk can lead to a beginning containing and controlling the behavior of the north korean government, which has the danger of affecting everyone, including china. thank you all. thank you all. >> do you h
at the top of my list in dealing with china on how we're going to prevent what could very well be a serious conflict with north korea. >> you know, -- mrs. clinton: you do not talk about leverage until you produce leverage. i do believe we have leverage with china and based on my extensive discussions while secretary of state, there is even a disk -- discussion in china about how to handle the changes in the north korean regime. china has no interest in seeing the kind of buildup, which...
News 3 Live at Six-Thirty : KSNV : September 5, 2016 6:30pm-7:01pm PDT
from china, his there's no place in america that he can make them. well there is. you know donald trump says he'll make america great again while >>> welcome back. the celebration continues today in vatican city, a day after pope franciscan nonized mother nonize -- pope francis canonized mother teresa. here's more. >> reporter: well, the celebration for mother teresa's elevation to sainthood started on sunday morning and they are not over yet. here in st. peter's square by the vatican secretary of state to celebrate and park the first time of this that will be celebrated every 5th of september from now on. yesterday, st. peter's square were filled with 120,000 people from all over the word and they along for many decades, that mother teresa is not only a saint now but has been a saint saint long before she died, 19 years ago to the day. back to you. >>> welcome back. it's a list giant pandas have been on for a while. but not any more. the world conservation congress in hawaii said they are off the endangered species list. a big sign of progress. we'll give you courtesy of the san
from china, his there's no place in america that he can make them. well there is. you know donald trump says he'll make america great again while >>> welcome back. the celebration continues today in vatican city, a day after pope franciscan nonized mother nonize -- pope francis canonized mother teresa. here's more. >> reporter: well, the celebration for mother teresa's elevation to sainthood started on sunday morning and they are not over yet. here in st. peter's square by the...
flight from las vegas to china. department of transportation approved hainan airlines' application for the new route. it will operate initially on mondays, wednesdays and fridays beginning december second. special introductory fares start at just 650-dollars. that's round trip and includes taxes and fees! it's for outbound travel between december 2nd and 8th or between december 27th and april 28th. nasa's curiosity rover sends back stunning images of rock formations on mars. the new pictures of the red planet. the area is near what's known as "mount sharp" -- which formed billions of years ago. it's an 18-thousand foot mountain. scientists say these rock formations are eroded sandstone... originally deposited by winds. nasa plans to compile larger... color images of the area in the future. (( weather )) now fox5 weather 24/7 with chief meteorologist ted pretty gusts to 40 mph expected on tuesday afternoon with a cooler high of 89 degrees. gust decrease late tuesday and leave behind light breezes and a high of 87 on wednesday with plenty of sun. we'll warm back up to the low 90s thursda
flight from las vegas to china. department of transportation approved hainan airlines' application for the new route. it will operate initially on mondays, wednesdays and fridays beginning december second. special introductory fares start at just 650-dollars. that's round trip and includes taxes and fees! it's for outbound travel between december 2nd and 8th or between december 27th and april 28th. nasa's curiosity rover sends back stunning images of rock formations on mars. the new pictures...
Forbes on Fox : FBC : September 11, 2016 3:00am-3:31am EDT
freedom is now a day that is the place for business. >>> to the rub after the snub. china does not roll out the customary red carpet staircase for the president forcing him to use the emergency exit. and donald trump doesn't waste a minute noticing it. >> you know, it's interesting with the president, because i saw that yesterday with the stairs. he went to asaudi aarerabia and top people didn't greet him. if that happened, he's there to pay respect to the country, not to him, but to pay respect to the country. i would say, thank you very much, close it up, boom, let's go back to washington. i would. >> so is trump right or wrong? hi, everybody. i'm david asman. let's find out when steven forbes, john tamney and bruce jackson, think. steve, what do you think? >> trump is right. what the chinese did is inexcusable. it was a slap in the face. one chinese official chuckled and said he had to leave the rear-end of the plane. so trump should have done what reagan did, if something is not right, walk away. but it shows the world is becoming more dangerous when the chinese treat that president
freedom is now a day that is the place for business. >>> to the rub after the snub. china does not roll out the customary red carpet staircase for the president forcing him to use the emergency exit. and donald trump doesn't waste a minute noticing it. >> you know, it's interesting with the president, because i saw that yesterday with the stairs. he went to asaudi aarerabia and top people didn't greet him. if that happened, he's there to pay respect to the country, not to him,...
Former President Bill Clinton Campaigns in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania : CSPAN : September 10, 2016 1:37pm-2:17pm EDT
to china and we're going to fight for every last job. it's going to be america first , and it's going to be the american worker first. [applause] donald trump: crucially, i will also fight for the american family and american family values. the family must be at the center of any anti-poverty agenda. has to be. [applause] donald trump: thank you. our country just lost one of the great champions for the american family. phyllis schlafly, great woman. a really great woman. we send our thoughts and prayers to her loved ones. i will be going to her funeral tomorrow in st.louis. [applause] donald trump: phyllis fought very hard to the very end for a free and prosperous america. she understood that to be truly united as a country, we can't simply turn to government or to politicians. the bedrock of our unity is the realization that we are all brothers and sisters created by the same god. phyllis understood that. phyllis understood. and by the way, phyllis endorsed me a long time ago when it wasn't necessarily something that was so easy to do. and she was incredible. she was so brave. she en
to china and we're going to fight for every last job. it's going to be america first , and it's going to be the american worker first. [applause] donald trump: crucially, i will also fight for the american family and american family values. the family must be at the center of any anti-poverty agenda. has to be. [applause] donald trump: thank you. our country just lost one of the great champions for the american family. phyllis schlafly, great woman. a really great woman. we send our thoughts...
AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka Delivers Remarks on the Labor Movement : CSPAN : September 4, 2016 10:34am-11:31am EDT
this interview on c-span and c-span.org. and several obama other world leaders are in china this weekend with a g20 summit, talking about global economic challenges and security. this is the 10th and the first time it's being hosted by china. will be thethis last time president obama attends before the end of his term in january. they will do a closing news conference tomorrow morning when the summit comes with official close. watch that live at 10:00 a.m. eastern on c-span. a look at what the media saw earlier in china, as the g20 repaired for the opening session. >> is labor day weekend, book tv brings you featured books and authors. here are some featured programs this weekend. today at noon, in depth is live from hillsdale college in michigan with author and radio host dennis prager. he is the author of the nine questions people ask about judaism. , happinessond time is a serious problem, a human nature repair manual, why the jews? anti-semitism, the most accurate director of human evil. still the best help, whether the world needs the values triumph. the 10 commandments, sti
this interview on c-span and c-span.org. and several obama other world leaders are in china this weekend with a g20 summit, talking about global economic challenges and security. this is the 10th and the first time it's being hosted by china. will be thethis last time president obama attends before the end of his term in january. they will do a closing news conference tomorrow morning when the summit comes with official close. watch that live at 10:00 a.m. eastern on c-span. a look at what the...
Newsmakers : CSPAN : September 18, 2016 10:00am-10:31am EDT
some progress with china. economic steal for benefit. then you have theft for the purpose of foreign intelligence entering. then you have dumping that information to disrupt. that does not mean it has to be accurate information. we have seen the russians do that in europe. what i think is very concerning here is that these activities go beyond simply hacking. that is simply gaining intelligence. i can only discuss the public reports. accurate, they have been alerted by the federal government that a foreign government hacked into their databases. oft's not for the purpose intelligence gathering. why would you hack a database of registered voters? that something to do if you're laying the foundation for interfering or disrupting with an election. i think it's very important to make sure we are prepared. that's why every state should have a paper trail. many of us of been urging this or years. some states don't have that in a lot of cases. they ought to be taking every precaution they can. they need to make sure that they are well guarded. deb: do you think we're going to hear of other
some progress with china. economic steal for benefit. then you have theft for the purpose of foreign intelligence entering. then you have dumping that information to disrupt. that does not mean it has to be accurate information. we have seen the russians do that in europe. what i think is very concerning here is that these activities go beyond simply hacking. that is simply gaining intelligence. i can only discuss the public reports. accurate, they have been alerted by the federal government...
FOX 10 News @ Noon : KSAZ : September 16, 2016 12:00pm-12:30pm MST
hits china, millions of people flooded out of their homes. >>> big weather in some parts of the country, your world, however, nice and quiet. y23w6y y5yy southeastern china in >>> fox 10 news is back. >>> china having some real issues after a deadly typhoon hits the country, the death toll has climbed to eight people, nine others still missing. more than a thousand homes are destroyed, and you can see children having to be evacuated out here, the streets just water, some 30 million people had to be relocated. and you can see still a lot of cleanup left to be done there. >>> so great this morning, you know, getting out there, in the 60s in ahwatukee when i came into work today. >> i know, lots of 60s. tomorrow should be nice and cool too. we were warming up as we are heading into the weekend. >> i thought you were supposed to make it perfect all the time. >> you too? >> i'm on board. >> talk to the >> i can't believe you're both in league against me now. >> you can do it though. we do have faith in you. >> i know. you wouldn't kid if you didn't love. >> you know what, you have got a poin
hits china, millions of people flooded out of their homes. >>> big weather in some parts of the country, your world, however, nice and quiet. y23w6y y5yy southeastern china in >>> fox 10 news is back. >>> china having some real issues after a deadly typhoon hits the country, the death toll has climbed to eight people, nine others still missing. more than a thousand homes are destroyed, and you can see children having to be evacuated out here, the streets just water,...
ABC15 News at 4:30AM : KNXV : September 12, 2016 4:30am-5:00am MST
by KNXV
. >>> and donald trump set to mark new territory today. >>> and war games in the south china sea. powers set to head face to face for a battle never seen before. >>> and new flames sparking in greece. this wildfire causing dozens of evacuations for people who live there. what investigators are saying the washing machine will eat her buddy antonio. , when it's time ...we ondowny to protect get rid of him from damageains and for his bath... the washing antonio is clean! her buddy antonio. >>> donald trump and hillary clinton taking a break from the campaign trail yesterday to honor the victims of 9/11. this video is the one peop are talking about. sparking a lot of concern. that was hillary clinton kind of stumbling, nearly falling as she trice to get in a van. several people helping her inside the vehicle. she's canceling plans to visit the west coast today and tomorrow. her campaign saying she has pneumonia. and she became overheated and post office building in the nation's capitol -- two chefs backed out because of the trump's commits about mexican immigrants. 46-41% to hillary
. >>> and donald trump set to mark new territory today. >>> and war games in the south china sea. powers set to head face to face for a battle never seen before. >>> and new flames sparking in greece. this wildfire causing dozens of evacuations for people who live there. what investigators are saying the washing machine will eat her buddy antonio. , when it's time ...we ondowny to protect get rid of him from damageains and for his bath... the washing antonio is clean!...
during a flight to china from malaysia. >>> jobless claims last week remained at levels consistent with a healthy job rc department saying jobs rose by a thousand last week. the unemployment rate is at 4.9%, which is considered healthy. >>> coming up, prince's estate was set to host some fundraisers and make a wish parties, but now event planners are out hundreds of thousands of dollars. we'll tell you why. >>> and we have got a couple of i'm hillary clinton and i approve this message. donald trump: i could stand in the middle of 5th avenue and shoot somebody and i wouldn't lose any voters, okay? and you can tell them to go f--- themselves! you know, you could see there was blood coming out of her eyes, blood coming out of her wherever... you gotta see this guy. ahh, i don't know what i said, ahh. "i don't remember." >>> it's nice out there, corey. >> oh, goodness. great day. >> i don't use the word hero a lot. >> well, let me use it, let me use it. you're like a hero >> i didn't mean me. but thank you. there's no time for what i was going to say. let's get to where we were headed. this
during a flight to china from malaysia. >>> jobless claims last week remained at levels consistent with a healthy job rc department saying jobs rose by a thousand last week. the unemployment rate is at 4.9%, which is considered healthy. >>> coming up, prince's estate was set to host some fundraisers and make a wish parties, but now event planners are out hundreds of thousands of dollars. we'll tell you why. >>> and we have got a couple of i'm hillary clinton and i...
FOX 13 11:00 News : WTVT : September 6, 2016 11:00pm-11:30pm EDT
trump's brand of shirts come from china, his suits from mexico, his coats from india. trump's products there's no place in america that he can make them. well there is. you know donald trump says he'll make america great again while he's taking the shirts right off our backs. introducing dunkin's new cold brew coffee, steeped slowly in cold water for small batches with an ultra-smooth, full-bodied flavor. discover the craft of cold brew today and keep on. a couple shake-ups for the rays >>> well, a couple of shake ups for the rays today. short stop duffy is going to be laid up for having foot surgery. meanwhile, the head coach has been fired. the only hitting being done orioles. with the exception of this one came in the first inning. loves hitting in the lead up spot. 18th of the year. jake rizzie, one of his toughest innings all season here. the broken double by jj. scores two. walks another guy. and machata tees rays fall 11-2 tonight. >>> six year veteran cecil. he was cut over the weekend after just one seasons with the texans. to make room, the bucks have cut evan spencer, a wide
trump's brand of shirts come from china, his suits from mexico, his coats from india. trump's products there's no place in america that he can make them. well there is. you know donald trump says he'll make america great again while he's taking the shirts right off our backs. introducing dunkin's new cold brew coffee, steeped slowly in cold water for small batches with an ultra-smooth, full-bodied flavor. discover the craft of cold brew today and keep on. a couple shake-ups for the rays...
News 3 Live at Noon : KSNV : September 19, 2016 12:00pm-12:30pm PDT
of someone's house. this happened east side of china trying to back up too fast. roof separated by the street. no injuries reported, thanks to a crane the driver was able to get his car back. >>> both hilary clinton and donald trump meeting with egyptian president to clinton scheduled to meet with japanese prime minister today. stakes are highest for trump. for the first presidential debate happens next month. >> people in syria running for their lives as gun fire and bombs go off in the background. they are paths for them to flee. repeated violations including no aid to elepo. >> they made dangerous sea crossings, u.n.'s migration summit taking place in new york. london activist say nearly 7,000 people have drown january-august this year alone. meeting today, first of its kind comes at a record displacement, 65 million people uprooted by conflict. second summit hosted by president barack obama. shortages. some stages in metro atlanta and north georgia running out of gas. covering up the pumps there is no more gas. other stations experienced long lines as cars were waiting to get w
of someone's house. this happened east side of china trying to back up too fast. roof separated by the street. no injuries reported, thanks to a crane the driver was able to get his car back. >>> both hilary clinton and donald trump meeting with egyptian president to clinton scheduled to meet with japanese prime minister today. stakes are highest for trump. for the first presidential debate happens next month. >> people in syria running for their lives as gun fire and bombs go...
ABC15 News at 4:30AM : KNXV : September 5, 2016 4:30am-5:00am MST
been monitoring the situation, especially since president barack obama was in china at the time of this meeting with the leaders of france and germany. something to keep an eye on today. >> par for the course for the north koreans. >> across the nation we go and a dangerous weekend for officers in several states. >>> in austin, texas, an officer was hit wh motorcycle. he was escorting a funeral procession and a guy turned illegally in front of him. we're waiting to learn more information on several officer involved shootings across the country. in new mexico, dozens of law enforcement officials are saluting an officer whose body was escorted to a funeral home. he was shot chasing a suspect wanted for outstanding by another officer. >>> three officers recovering, one in atlantic city, new jersey. the wounded officer was hit while getting out of his car. one suspect killed at the scene and two others arrested and in fresno, california, a jail visitor became aggressive. two are in stable but critical condition. >>> students might be enjoying the day is patrolling the campus of one of
been monitoring the situation, especially since president barack obama was in china at the time of this meeting with the leaders of france and germany. something to keep an eye on today. >> par for the course for the north koreans. >> across the nation we go and a dangerous weekend for officers in several states. >>> in austin, texas, an officer was hit wh motorcycle. he was escorting a funeral procession and a guy turned illegally in front of him. we're waiting to learn...
France 24 : LINKTV : September 27, 2016 2:30pm-3:01pm PDT
cardiovascular systems causing strokes and cancers. reveal the problem is most apparent in china, where more than people died from dusty air in 2012, followed by india. the data shows no problem was immune to the problem and that all governments need to to cut pollution levels. in december lester, 195 countries signed an agreement to fight climate change, but the agreement does not enter in force until 2020. in paris was worse than any city in the world. the city voted to ban cars along .ne stretch of the seine >> paris regularly violates eu norms for air quality inns -- rivaling -- rivaling cities such as aging and shanghai. one report shows the extent of the problem across the capital. in a bid to combat the air pollution, paris authorities are working hard to improve air quality. we have a car free day and this week a plan to transform a section of road for a pedestrian zone. staying with the green and fewer theme, also there's a green light for a new nudist park. while critics call the idea demented, the green party say it's only right the estimated 2 million naturists who live here
cardiovascular systems causing strokes and cancers. reveal the problem is most apparent in china, where more than people died from dusty air in 2012, followed by india. the data shows no problem was immune to the problem and that all governments need to to cut pollution levels. in december lester, 195 countries signed an agreement to fight climate change, but the agreement does not enter in force until 2020. in paris was worse than any city in the world. the city voted to ban cars along .ne...
WBZ (CBS)
WBZ News : WBZ : September 9, 2016 5:30pm-6:00pm EDT
by WBZ
. clinton says she plans to use sanctions to isolate north korea and will seek help from china. >> i think this is a wakeup call for them. we have to demand they use their influence. >> reporter: trump says north korea's nuclear program grew strong whilent secretary of state. >> he would make sure they would never use it. >> how? >> he's not going to reveal all his plans. he's made that very clear. and maybe somebody can ask him in a debate. >> and hillary clinton is opening a new office in boston, just steps from the state house. she's not taking any chances here in massachusetts, even though a republican presidential candidate hasn't >>> sunday marks 15 years since the september 11th attacks. this morning in new york city, a moment of silence at the new york stock exchange in lower manhattan. in washington, d.c., a moment of silence to honor victims and survivors, ending with the singing of god bless america. and attorney general loretta lynch dedicated a commat planted last year. this is a sapling that came from a pear tree that once stood on the world trade center plaza in 2001 a
. clinton says she plans to use sanctions to isolate north korea and will seek help from china. >> i think this is a wakeup call for them. we have to demand they use their influence. >> reporter: trump says north korea's nuclear program grew strong whilent secretary of state. >> he would make sure they would never use it. >> how? >> he's not going to reveal all his plans. he's made that very clear. and maybe somebody can ask him in a debate. >> and hillary...
the estimate of 5%. even china, the top performer, rose less than expected. make sure that people see that it is down, reacting probably to exactly what you're talking about. a miss on the estimates for the futures orders. in terms of which region might have popped estimates, it looks like japan might have been better than anticipated. analysts were looking for something in the neighborhood of 9%. what it comes down to is nike facing a lot of competition. , all ofmour, lululemon these other companies trying to release their products. people not going to nike as a default anymore. the north american market, default so week, chinese growth and emerging-market growth looking solid. if there is a rising term from under armour and so many others, you might expect it. tracy: maybe they need to make her stores more experiential? so that people go there and play basketball. joe: that's a good idea. we should pitch that to them. tracy: we should pitch that. [laughter] tracy: last night's presidential debate mainly cover prosperity, but tony james said that one missing, retirement savings. rece
the estimate of 5%. even china, the top performer, rose less than expected. make sure that people see that it is down, reacting probably to exactly what you're talking about. a miss on the estimates for the futures orders. in terms of which region might have popped estimates, it looks like japan might have been better than anticipated. analysts were looking for something in the neighborhood of 9%. what it comes down to is nike facing a lot of competition. , all ofmour, lululemon these other...
KPHO (CBS)
CBS 5 News at 5 : KPHO : September 3, 2016 5:00pm-5:30pm MST
by KPHO
a major blow to construction equipment caterpillar.>>> a trip for president obama as he met china's president.>>> cbs5 is committed to helping police get this killer off our streets. there is a $75,000 warned to find this man who is linked to >>> construction equipment company caterpillar is handing out pink slips. caterpillar announced 300 workers will be laid off. the company is planning on thousands of job cuts overseas.>>> obama and china where he will meet with the secretary, a climate agreement will be handed >>> zika remains an emergency and continues to infect new countries. 72 countries and territories are infected. >>> today at the vatican, pope francis led a prayer service for mother teresa. tomorrow, she will be canonized 19 years after her death. >>> still keepers have two new cubs in atlanta after their giant panda gave birth. next, are you grilling this weekend? you need to know that too much grilling can be bad for you. answers on how to cut your risks of cancer are straight ahead.>>> a big cool down in our temperatures. that's coming up in the 7-day >>> lots of peop
a major blow to construction equipment caterpillar.>>> a trip for president obama as he met china's president.>>> cbs5 is committed to helping police get this killer off our streets. there is a $75,000 warned to find this man who is linked to >>> construction equipment company caterpillar is handing out pink slips. caterpillar announced 300 workers will be laid off. the company is planning on thousands of job cuts overseas.>>> obama and china where he will...
CBS 2 News @ 6 : KGAN : September 8, 2016 6:00pm-6:30pm CDT
super power's either going to be germany, china, or us. and i'm going to make sure it's us. from 500 million solar panels installed by the end of my first term, to precision manufacturing. we'll beat the competition and create new high wage jobs. we can do this, millions of jobs right here in america. z2z23p3pvzvz z z1212fz y23pvy y12fy tomorrow on cbs 2 this morning. one of the biggest symbols of recovering after 9/11 went missing soon after. after.learn all about the mystery about where it went -- and where it is now.tomorrow morn >>> it is a good day today. we have some rain tomorrow. we have been hearing about this over here. >> we are not done with it entirely. we will get to that in a moment. conditions with 81 our temperature. the dew point is down to 64. that is a big drop from yesterday. the wind is out of the northwest at six miles per hour. the rain came down last night. here's a sampling of the totals. in southwestern cedar rapids reports came in of over three inches of rain. you can see many parts of eastern looking at three inches. maybe a little bit northeast of there.
super power's either going to be germany, china, or us. and i'm going to make sure it's us. from 500 million solar panels installed by the end of my first term, to precision manufacturing. we'll beat the competition and create new high wage jobs. we can do this, millions of jobs right here in america. z2z23p3pvzvz z z1212fz y23pvy y12fy tomorrow on cbs 2 this morning. one of the biggest symbols of recovering after 9/11 went missing soon after. after.learn all about the mystery about where it...
Hillary Clinton Holds Meeting on Terrorism : CSPAN : September 10, 2016 5:44am-6:01am EDT
countries. china is taking massive advantage of us. it's also easy, believe me. that includes, we will be doing massive tax cuts to working families and businesses. [applause] donald trump: it includes, very importantly, the elimination of all needless, job killing regulations. [applause] donald trump: it includes lifting the restrictions on american energy which is under siege. [applause] donald trump: i will also renegotiate nafta and if they don't want to renegotiate it so it becomes a two-way highway, not just the one way i way out of the united states for our companies and jobs, we will terminate nafta, believe me. we will stand up to china and we're going to fight for every last job. it's going to be america first and it's going to be the american worker first. [applause] donald trump: crucially, i will also fight for the american family and american family values. the family must be at the center of any anti-poverty agenda , has to be. [applause] donald trump: thank you. our country just lost one of the great champions for the american family. phyllis schlafly, great woman. we sent
countries. china is taking massive advantage of us. it's also easy, believe me. that includes, we will be doing massive tax cuts to working families and businesses. [applause] donald trump: it includes, very importantly, the elimination of all needless, job killing regulations. [applause] donald trump: it includes lifting the restrictions on american energy which is under siege. [applause] donald trump: i will also renegotiate nafta and if they don't want to renegotiate it so it becomes a...
WOIO (CBS)
Cleveland 19 News at 6PM : WOIO : September 9, 2016 6:00pm-6:30pm EDT
by WOIO
and seek help from china. trump's campaign did not say how it would handle the situation. it issued a statement saying north korea's nuclear program grew stronger while clinton was secretary of state. >> mark: up next we are getting answers at a local school after the parent contacted us that the building is so hot her children are getting sick. >>> at the check he was put on a three-day waiting list when he died. >> romona: we dig deeper in the heroin epidemic and long wait for some to get help. >> jeff: all right. this evening i am paying close attention to what's happening to the west. you can see showers and storms forming. that's what will give us the alert day tomorrow. forecast details next segment. >> get breaking news and weather now on the cleveland 19 news app powered by calvetta brothers floor show. it is time to fall rob portman and his wealthy friends have spent millions attacking me. they say i lost jobs and drained the rainy day fund. well friends, i was governor during the great national recession - and we all know it was raining pretty hard. so i used the rainy day f
and seek help from china. trump's campaign did not say how it would handle the situation. it issued a statement saying north korea's nuclear program grew stronger while clinton was secretary of state. >> mark: up next we are getting answers at a local school after the parent contacted us that the building is so hot her children are getting sick. >>> at the check he was put on a three-day waiting list when he died. >> romona: we dig deeper in the heroin epidemic and long...
Action News @ 11am : KTNV : September 14, 2016 11:00am-12:01pm PDT
panda cub lying on its back and crunching repeatedl.....has repeatedl.....has gone viral....in china.. just look at her go! the clip was released by the just china conservation and research centre for the giant panda..... this a five-week old female panda. the research center said that the panda cub does not have a name yet but many at the base call her "little bean's baby" in reference to her mother.... ((ad lib and toss to greg)) low pressure begins to shift just enough to lighten the winds for las vegas but keep temperatures within the mid and upper 80s this afternoon! highs will range between 84 and 89 degrees valley wide with sunny skies and a breeze during the morning only soon after, high pressure and dry air will take over the southwest and light winds with sunny skies will be common through the weekend into the next workweek. during this time, high temperatures will slowly creep back to normal values for this time of today's top stories now trending... looking into a porch theif who stole what he thought....was perhaps a flat screen t-v.... t- v....but in fact a custom walnu
panda cub lying on its back and crunching repeatedl.....has repeatedl.....has gone viral....in china.. just look at her go! the clip was released by the just china conservation and research centre for the giant panda..... this a five-week old female panda. the research center said that the panda cub does not have a name yet but many at the base call her "little bean's baby" in reference to her mother.... ((ad lib and toss to greg)) low pressure begins to shift just enough to lighten...
CBS 2 News @ Noon : KGAN : September 7, 2016 12:00pm-12:30pm CDT
america great again". but trump made his shirts in bangladesh. his ties in china. and his suits in mexico. in fact, the real donald trump outsourced his products and ries. so don't believe the hat. people in the mexican towns of los cabos are cleaning >>> welcome back. people in los cabos are cleaning up after hurricane newton ripped through tuesday. the storm shattered windows and took down trees and knocked out power on the tip of the hot california. newton made landfall as a category one storm with winds of up to 90 miles per hour fortunately it wasn't as bad as the last major storm that hit that area. >> we pray for the a rough one, as you can see. they are out there cleaning and we are just trying to get back -- give back to the community. >>reporter: in 2014 composting looses -- lucas suffered heavy damage and they were hammered by a category three hurricane. we're in the weather center now and we have been getting a lot of rain. we've been talking about flash flooding all morning long. storm and has actually been sending a lot of moisture to the midwest. that's why it feels
america great again". but trump made his shirts in bangladesh. his ties in china. and his suits in mexico. in fact, the real donald trump outsourced his products and ries. so don't believe the hat. people in the mexican towns of los cabos are cleaning >>> welcome back. people in los cabos are cleaning up after hurricane newton ripped through tuesday. the storm shattered windows and took down trees and knocked out power on the tip of the hot california. newton made landfall as a...
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CBS This Morning : KYW : August 13, 2016 7:00am-9:01am EDT
Aug 13, 2016 08/16
clinton ahead of trump 9 points among likelily voty vote pennsylvania. >>> thousands gathered in havana at the stroke of midnight to celebrate the 90th birthday of fidel castro. fidel castro was not scheduled to appear in public. >> a woman in florida came close to losing her hand after she was attacked by an alligator while fishing in the everglades on friday. she dropped a can from a dock and trying to retrieve it when the alligator tore into her right hand. she is in critical condition today. >>> 19-year-old katie ledecky broke her own world record for her gold medal in the 800-meter freestyle and mike phelps settled for a three-way tie. that is his 27th olympic medal. phelps said he is retiring after his final event tonight. >> baseball's lightning rod alex rodriguez got what could be his final hit in his final game as a new york yankee last night at yankees stadium. after a very warm pregame reception, number 13 was given a standing ovation by the sellout crowd and even grabbed himself some infield dirt while going to the clubhouse. he was suspended for the 2014 season for the use
clinton ahead of trump 9 points among likelily voty vote pennsylvania. >>> thousands gathered in havana at the stroke of midnight to celebrate the 90th birthday of fidel castro. fidel castro was not scheduled to appear in public. >> a woman in florida came close to losing her hand after she was attacked by an alligator while fishing in the everglades on friday. she dropped a can from a dock and trying to retrieve it when the alligator tore into her right hand. she is in critical...
are over havana, a city close to the states, yet one which has an entirely different atmosphere. >> oh, check out the vintage footage there. that is a promotion video from pan am airlines in 1930. it was long before commercial flights between united states and cuba came to a halt in the cold war. all of that changes today. the first commercial flight from the u.s. to the communist nation is scheduled to leave this morning from ft. lauderdale, florida. kris van cleave is on the jetblue flight to make the historic journey. >> reporter: good morning. this is flight 38 7. it will be the first commercial flight to cuba since 1961. 150 passengers on board. you could get to cuba before today but it was private charter service and very expensive. that changes making the forbidden island seem a lot less forbidden. for first officer frank, being at the controls of today's history making flight to santa clara, cuba is to become full circle. his father frank senior was a teenager when he fled cuba on one of the last commercial flights to the u.s. 55 years ago. >> i think it's going to be an emotio
are over havana, a city close to the states, yet one which has an entirely different atmosphere. >> oh, check out the vintage footage there. that is a promotion video from pan am airlines in 1930. it was long before commercial flights between united states and cuba came to a halt in the cold war. all of that changes today. the first commercial flight from the u.s. to the communist nation is scheduled to leave this morning from ft. lauderdale, florida. kris van cleave is on the jetblue...
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Modern art •
Museum •
History of art •
History of painting
Postmodern art
United States in the 1950s
Late modernism
Modernist project
American art movements
Monochrome painting
Visual arts of the United States
British art movements
Pop art is an art movement that emerged in the mid-1950s in Britain and in the late 1950s in the United States. Pop art presented a challenge to traditions of fine art by including imagery from popula...
Pop art - Wikipedia
Independent Group •
Peter Max •
Andy Warhol •
Paintings by Roy Lichtenstein •
Sculptures by Roy Lichtenstein •
Yayoi Kusama – Obsessed with Polka Dots
The nine decades of artist Yayoi Kusama’s life have taken her from rural Japan to the New York art scene to contemporary Tokyo, in a career in which she has ...
Jasper John's assistant jailed for theft
A former assistant to US artist Jasper Johns has been sentenced to 18 months in prison after admitting he stole artworks from Johns' Connecticut studio.
Gift Worth $400 Million To Art Institute Of Chicago Includes Works By Warhol
Chicago art collectors Stefan Edlis and Gael Neeson have given a "landmark gift" of pop art to the Art Institute of Chicago, handing over 42 works that were created by Andy Warhol, Jasper Johns and ot...
Elgar: Serenade In E Minor, 'Op.20: II Larghetto' & David Inshaw [Art]
GOLDFINCHES by Mary Oliver In the fields we let them have- in the fields we don't want yet- where thistles rise out of the marshlands of spring, and spring o...
Pop art - WikiPaintings.org
video sobre pop art.
Pop art - All Art
Andy Warhol - All Art
Pop art - Gallery
The Independent Group (IG) met at the Institute of Contemporary Arts (ICA) in London, England, from 1952–55. The IG consisted of painters, sculptors, architects, writers and critics who wanted to chal...
Peter Max (born Peter Max Finkelstein, October 19, 1937) is a German-born American illustrator and graphic artist, known for the use of psychedelic shapes and color palettes as well as spectra in his ...
Peter Max - Wikipedia
Andy Warhol (/ˈwɔrhɒl/; August 6, 1928 – February 22, 1987) was an American artist who was a leading figure in the visual art movement known as pop art. His works explore the relationship between...
Andy Warhol - Wikipedia
Paintings by Roy Lichtenstein
Sculptures by Roy Lichtenstein
Pop artists - Wikipedia
Richard Hamilton (artist)
Richard William Hamilton CH (24 February 1922 – 13 September 2011) was an English painter and collage artist. His 1955 exhibition Man, Machine and Motion (Hatton Gallery, Newcastle upon Tyne) a...
Richard Hamilton (artist) - Wikipedia
Big Electric Chair
Created in 1967, the Stockholm Big Electric Chair is part of a series of works by Andy Warhol depicting an electric chair. Death by electrocution was a controversial subject in New York, where the art...
Big Electric Chair - Wikipedia
Nude with Yellow Flower
Monkeys (Chair)
Monkeys (Chair) is a sculpture by the American artist Jeff Koons (112 x 23 x 26 in). It was made in 2002 within the framework of the Popeye Series and is now in possession of the Collection Uli Knecht...
Richard Lindner (painter)
Richard Lindner (November 11, 1901 - April 16, 1978) was a German-American painter.
Richard Lindner was born in Hamburg, Germany. His mother Mina Lindner was American and born in New York as daugh...
Pauline Boty
Pauline Boty (6 March 1938 – 1 July 1966) was a founder of the British Pop art movement and the only female painter in the British wing of the movement. Boty's paintings and collages often demon...
Pauline Boty - Wikipedia
Monument to the Soviet Army, Sofia
The Monument to the Soviet Army (Bulgarian: Паметник на Съветската армия, Pametnik na Savetskata armia) is a monument located in Sofia, the capital of Bulgaria. There is a large park around the st...
Monument to the Soviet Army, Sofia - Wikipedia
Hatstand, Table and Chair
Hatstand, Table and Chair - Wikipedia
List of Love sculptures
This is a list of the many versions of Robert Indiana's Love sculpture that exist worldwide. The original Pop Art image was created for print media in the 1960s. The first rendering of it in sculpture...
List of Love sculptures - Wikipedia
Phunk Studio
Phunk Studio is a Singapore-based contemporary art and design collective formed by four Singaporean artists/designers: Alvin Tan, Melvin Chee, Jackson Tan, and William Chan.Phunk began its life in 199...
Phunk Studio - Wikipedia
Numbers 1-0
Numbers 1-0 is a public artwork by the American artist Robert Indiana, located at the Indianapolis Museum of Art (IMA), which is near downtown Indianapolis, Indiana. This series of sculptures is compo...
Numbers 1-0 - Wikipedia
Holly Solomon
Holly Solomon (1934 – 2002) was a prominent collector of contemporary art and founder of the Holly Solomon Gallery in New York City in 1975. Her Soho gallery was initially known for nurturing the art...
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Japan •
History of Japan •
War •
History of Russia •
History of Korea
Empire of Japan-Russian Empire relations
Military history of Japan
Empire of Japan
Korea under Japanese rule
Russian history, 1892-1917
German-Japanese relations
History of Manchuria
Wars involving Russia
Japanese occupation of Korea
Japanese cultural artifacts controversy
1905 in Russia
Imperial Russian Navy
IJA Cavalry Units
Wars involving Montenegro
Military Medal of Honor (Japan)
Empire of Japan - Russian Empire relations
Military attachés and observers in the Russo-Japanese War
Nicholas II of Russia
Military history of Japan during World War II
1904 in Japan
Tsar Nicholas II
Relations between the Empire of Japan and the Russian Empire
History of the Russian Far East
Japanese Empire
Russian Imperialism in Asia and the Russo-Japanese War
Germany-Japan relations
Conflicts in 1904
Japan–Russia relations
Wars involving Japan
Wars involving Korea
Russo-Japanese War
The Russo-Japanese War (8 February 1904 – 5 September 1905) was "the first great war of the 20th century." It grew out of rival imperial ambitions of the Russian Empire and the Empire of Japan ov...
Russo-Japanese War - Wikipedia
First Sino-Japanese War •
Boxer Rebellion •
Battle of Port Arthur •
Battle of Yalu River (1904) •
Siege of Port Arthur •
Battle of Sandepu •
Battle of Mukden •
Battle of Tsushima •
Military attachés and observers in the Russo-Japanese War •
Treaty of Portsmouth •
Battles of the Russo-Japanese War •
People of the Russo-Japanese War •
Russo-Japanese War naval ships •
Shipwrecks of the Russo-Japanese War
Nicholas II of Russia - The Romanov Family:The last Royal Family of Russia
In Eglish On July 17, 1918, Bolshevik authorities, led by Yakov Yurovsky, shot Nicholas II, his immediate family, and four servants in the cellar of the Ipat...
Nicholas II was the last Tsar of Russia. Here are some video clips from different archives. Included is also a clip of his visit in Finland 1915. That was on...
Nicholas II of Russia - Tsar's Family Death
What happened here was both savage and hate filled. As the smoke cleared the myth began. How could anyone have escaped? Explorer: Finding Anastasia : TUES JU...
First Sino-Japanese War
The First Sino-Japanese War (1 August 1894 – 17 April 1895) was fought between Qing dynasty China and Meiji Japan, primarily over control of Korea. After more than six months of unbroken successe...
First Sino-Japanese War - Wikipedia
The Boxer Rebellion, Boxer Uprising or Yihetuan Movement was an anti-imperialist uprising which took place in China towards the end of the Qing dynasty between 1899 and 1901. It was initiated by the M...
Boxer Rebellion - Wikipedia
Battle of Port Arthur
The Battle of Port Arthur (Japanese: 旅順口海戦, Hepburn: Ryojunkō Kaisen) of 8–9 February 1904 (Monday February 8 - Tuesday February 9) marked the commencement of the Russo-Japanese War. I...
Battle of Port Arthur - Wikipedia
Battle of Yalu River (1904)
The Battle of Yalu River, (Russian: Бой на реке Ялу, Boĭ na reke Yalu) (Japanese: 鴨緑江会戦, Ōryokkō Kaisen) lasted from 30 April to 1 May 1904, and was the first major land battle during the Russo-Japane...
Battle of Yalu River (1904) - Wikipedia
Siege of Port Arthur
The Siege of Port Arthur (Japanese: 旅順攻囲戦, Ryojun Kōisen; Russian: Оборона Порт-Артура, Oborona Port-Artura, August 1, 1904 – January 2, 1905), the deep-water port and Russian naval base at th...
Siege of Port Arthur - Wikipedia
Battle of Sandepu
The Battle of Sandepu, (also known as the Battle of Heikoutai) (Japanese: 黒溝台会戦 (Kokkōdai no kaisen), Russian: Сражение при Сандепу) was a major land battle of the Russo-Japanese War. It was f...
Battle of Sandepu - Wikipedia
Battle of Mukden
The Battle of Mukden (奉天会戦 , Hōten kaisen), one of the largest land battles to be fought before World War I and the last and the most decisive major land battle of the Russo-Japanese War, was ...
Battle of Mukden - Wikipedia
Battle of Tsushima
The Battle of Tsushima (Russian: Цусимское сражение, Tsusimskoye srazheniye), commonly known as the “Sea of Japan Naval Battle” (Japanese: 日本海海戦, nihonkai-kaisen) in Japan and the “Battle of Tsush...
Battle of Tsushima - Wikipedia
Military attachés and observers in the Russo-Japanese War were historians creating first-hand accounts of what was arguably the world's first modern war. They helped to create primary-source records ...
Military attachés and observers in the Russo-Japanese War - Wikipedia
Treaty of Portsmouth
The Treaty of Portsmouth formally ended the 1904-05 Russo-Japanese War. It was signed on September 5, 1905 after negotiations lasting from August 6 to August 30, at the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard in Ki...
Treaty of Portsmouth - Wikipedia
Battles of the Russo-Japanese War
The following are known battles of the Russo-Japanese War, including all major engagements. The Russo-Japanese War lasted from 1904 until 1905. The conflict grew out of the rival imperialist ambitions...
Battles of the Russo-Japanese War - Wikipedia
People of the Russo-Japanese War
Russo-Japanese War naval ships
Yoshitsugu Tatekawa
Yoshitsugu Tatekawa (建川 美次, Tatekawa Yoshitsugu, 3 October 1880 – 9 September 1945) was a lieutenant-general in the Imperial Japanese Army in World War II. He played an important role in th...
Yoshitsugu Tatekawa - Wikipedia
Theotokos of Port Arthur
Theotokos of Port Arthur (Our Lady of Port Arthur, also known in Russian as Theotokos upon Swords and the Far Eastern Gatekeeper) is an Eastern Orthodox icon, representing Theotokos (Virgin Mary) with...
Theotokos of Port Arthur - Wikipedia
Katsura Taro
Prince Katsura Tarō (桂 太郎, January 4, 1848 – October 10, 1913), was a general in the Imperial Japanese Army, politician and three-time Prime Minister of Japan.
Katsura was born into a samurai ...
Katsura Taro - Wikipedia
Alexander Kaulbars
Baron Alexander Vasilyevich Kaulbars (Russian: Александр Васильевич Каульбарс ) (May 14, 1844 - January 25, 1925) was a general in the Imperial Russian Army during the late 19th and early 20th ce...
Alexander Kaulbars - Wikipedia
Finnish Civil War
The Finnish Civil War concerned leadership and control of Finland, during its transition phase from a Grand Duchy of the Russian Empire to an independent state. The conflict formed a part of the natio...
Finnish Civil War - Wikipedia
Fulong torpedo boat
The Fulong torpedo boat (simplified Chinese: 福龙; traditional Chinese: 福龍; pinyin：Fulong) was a torpedo boat of the Chinese Beiyang Fleet.
In 1884, after the Sino-French war (1884–1885), the Chines...
Russian merchant cruiser Ural (1904)
The Ural was an auxiliary cruiser of the Imperial Russian Navy during the Russo-Japanese War. She was originally a Rivers-class ocean liner for Norddeutscher Lloyd, launched in 1890 under the name Spr...
Russian merchant cruiser Ural (1904) - Wikipedia
Russo-Japanese War cruisers
Manchuria-Mongolia problem
The Manchuria-Mongolia problem (Japanese: 満蒙問題, Hepburn: manmō mondai) refers to a set of issues concerning Japan's protection of its special interests in Manchuria and the Inner Mongo...
Manchuria-Mongolia problem - Wikipedia
John Hoad
Major General Sir John Charles Hoad KCMG (25 January 1856 – 6 October 1911) was an Australian military leader, best known as the Australian Army's second Chief of the General Staff.
John Hoa...
John Hoad - Wikipedia
Arthur Henry Seton Hart-Synnot
Brigadier-General Arthur Henry Seton Hart-Synnot (1870 - 1942) was a British Army general who saw service in Japan, Hong Kong, Burma, India, and the European War of 1914 to 1918.
Hart-Synnot was ...
James Bruce Jardine
Brigadier General James Bruce Jardine CMG DSO DL (1870 – 17 March 1955) was a British soldier and diplomat. He earned the rank of Brigadier-General in the service of the 5th Lancers.
Jardine was ...
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Nothing But Children
Posted on February 19, 2016 by Steve Cody
There are a lot of ruffled feathers at NBC thanks to the recent announcement that network news anchor, Lester Holt’s, 29-year-old son had just been handed a plum anchoring job on the network’s flagship NYC station.
Holt’s 29-year-old son was chosen over many older, more qualified candidates, according to disgruntled sources. But, industry analysts say, NBC has always been notorious for playing the nepotism game when it comes to hiring the offspring of their top journalists, celebrities or national political figures. In fact, insiders say NBC stands for Nothing But Children.
– Luke Russert (son of the late Tim Russert, host of NBC’s “Meet the Press”)
– Allison Williams (daughter of the disgraced Brian Williams, who was selected for the lead role in NBC’s production of Peter Pan)
– Ronan Farrow (Son of Woody Allen and Mia Farrow)
– Chelsea Clinton
– Jenna Bush
– Maria Shriver
The list goes on and on.
There’s absolutely nothing wrong with hiring family members or close relatives. We have a fair number of relatives in our Peppercomm family, many of whom start in junior positions and work their way through the organization based on skill and merit.
NBC’s big mistake is to immediately place these lightweights in positions of power (thereby undermining the network’s credibility as well as stirring up a hornet’s nest of resentment within the hard working, rank and file who HAVE paid their dues).
This type of myopic favoritism isn’t unique to broadcasting. Several PR firms are absolutely notorious for following the NBC pattern. One is overrun with all sorts of family members who have been appointed by the CEO, and placed in positions of power.
A friend of mine who worked at this particular agency, and happened to lead the technology practice, said he was told in no uncertain terms to let the CEO’s daughter (a recent college graduate) determine which accounts she’d work on, as well as how many hours she’d work each week. Imagine the impact on other members of the group.
In other, high profile instances, we’ve seen large agencies first split into factions and then burst at the seams because the founder’s kids refused to play nice with one another.
Nepotism can be a slippery slope if it isn’t managed properly. We currently have three employees who are related to senior management. But, each started at the very bottom of the barrel, proved their worth and received raises and promotions in line with their accomplishments.
Leapfrogging deserving candidates to award positions of power to friends and family of the high and mighty is not only wrong, it calls into question the overall judgment of the senior management team.
I think the NBC saga is a great wake-up call for CEOs of every organization. Talent should always trump bloodlines.
3 thoughts on “Nothing But Children”
Peter Engel on February 25, 2016 at 12:36 pm said:
I worked at a mid-sized PR agency where the co-founder’s daughter worked on new biz and, it seemed, to interfere with the running of accounts. Prior to that, her parent called in 1-2 chits from heads of other agencies to give the daughter some “seasoning.” If she absorbed any humility from those experiences as a mere plebe, it went out the door as soon as she came “home.” You can imagine that it was a difficult tightrope balancing act for several years.
Julie on February 21, 2016 at 9:14 am said:
Never a good idea. Should be based on merit — not birthright. If the candidate has both, that’s fine. But many times that’s not the case. It undermines the other more experienced employees.
Keith Burton on February 19, 2016 at 7:50 pm said:
Regrettably we experience this much too often. I saw it in a prior agency where the CEO’s wife was brought on to work in a practice area and it broke trust with our people. He couldn’t see the problem we all understood. Ultimately, his credibility and integrity suffered, and his resistance was ultimately overturned by he HR team and higher leaders. A real shame.
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What are RMTs?
About AMTA
Home/Case Studies
Case Studies wp_RMTsAdmin 2016-09-12T14:46:36+00:00
Animation 6 – Walt’s Story
Walt is an elderly man with Alzheimer’s disease who lives in a home with many other elderly people. Whilst he can remember things he did in his youth, he has difficulty recalling what he did [...]
wp_RMTsAdmin 2016-11-22T18:44:34+00:00
Animation 5 – Connie’s Story
Our fifth animation is about a girl named Connie and how she managed anxiety and depression with the support of an RMT. RMTs are professionally trained to support people managing a variety of health conditions, [...]
Animation 4 – Josh’s Story
At 20, Josh was diagnosed with an acute form of leukaemia and found it hard to express his feelings to his family and friends. An RMT helped him to write songs about how he felt [...]
Animation 3 – Thomo’s Story
RMTs can also aid the process of rehabilitation, and the third animation in the series follows the story of a young man who had a dirt bike accident and now needs to relearn vital skills [...]
Animation 2 – Jackson’s story
Children with disabilities can often have difficulty controlling their bodies or adapting to different environments. Jackson has a disability and finds it hard to focus and use his voice to communicate. When an RMT visits [...]
Animation 1 – Rose’s story
Rose's story looks at the use of music therapy in paediatrics. The character in the animation, Rose, was born prematurely and spent her first weeks in the NICU (Neonatal Intensive Care Unit) – only able [...]
The Australian Music Therapy Association (AMTA) was formed in 1975 by a small group of music therapists who recognised that the profession needed to have a representative body which also accorded professional standards.
Suite 5, 250 Gore Street, Fitzroy VIC 3065
Email: info@austmta.org.au
Web: http://www.austmta.org.au/
Copyright © 2016 - Australian Music Therapy Association. All rights reserved. Disclaimer
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0039 049 88 43 047 sales@sbplastics.it
INFRARED + VACUUM SYSTEMS MOBY
The MOBY is a patented heat treatment system for PET based on the combined action of infrared radiations, vacuum and mixing. The material inside the reactor is recirculated through a ducted screw and exposed to the action of infrared radiations in a vacuum environment. The temperature is controlled directly on the material and determines the various phases of the treatment: crystallization, dehumidification, Super-Clean (decontamination for food contact applications) and Solid State Polycondensation (rise-up of intrinsic viscosity).
The official tests carried out by the Fraunhofer-Institut für Verfahrenstechnik und Verpackung have shown that the MOBY infrared + vacuum technology is able to decontaminate the recycled polyester (R-PET) to make it suitable for contact with food. The “Cleaning efficiency” demonstrated is > than 99% on both R-PET in flakes and R-PET in granules (FDA approvals registered with NOL # 179 and # 180).
The use of MOBY technology in the treatment of PET is particularly advantageous in terms of speed and flexibility, which translates into lower investment costs, reduced energy consumption and optimal R.O.I. In particular, the increase of the intrinsic viscosity has performances ranging from a minimum of 0.026 dl/gr/h up to a maximum of 0.11 dl/gr/ h depending on the shape of the material (granules or flakes) and the degree of solid contaminants (typically PVC).
The MOBY PET treatment systems consist mainly of 3 units:
A convection pre-heater that increases the PET temperature above 160°C (typically 180°C)
The MOBY reactor which, by combining the simultaneous action of infrared radiations and vacuum, heats PET above 200°C to perform the decontamination treatments (Super-Clean) and increase the intrinsic viscosity (Solid State Polycondensation). Secondary products extracted from the action of vacuum (mainly ethylene glycol and water) are condensed and collected to be disposed of.
A “buffer” hopper that receives the treated PET and acts as an interface with the transforming machine (injections moulding machines, extruders or blow molders) or with a “bagging” system, allowing the whole process to work continuously.
The intensity of the irradiation is modulated according to the type of material and the hourly production, maintaining a direct proportionality between efficiency and energy consumption: only the energy required is used. For example, in the case of low humid material, the temperature set-point is reached with a minimum work of the irradiation devices, while in the case of very wet material, the heating is more intense: the nature and the condition of the material therefore determine energy consumption, while the cycle time is constant. As for the intensity of the mixing, it’s also set according to whether granules, flakes, powders or ground with irregular granulometers are treated.
A curiosity: the reactor is equipped with an internal conveying device that recirculates the material from the bottom upwards, creating in the upper part a typical “fountain” effect, hence the name “MOBY”.
Compared to the technologies currently available on the market for simple drying and dehumidification processes, but also crystallization, Super-clean and Solid State Polycondensation (SSP), the MOBY system brings benefits that are based on the following principles:
All bodies absorb or reflect a specific wavelength of infrared radiations. Since water and plastics have their own absorption / reflection spectrum, it is possible to focus the irradiation only on the water (maximum dehumidification) or only on the material (for crystallization processes or PET SSP) or on both. The result is an optimization of the energy delivered.
Infrared radiations heat the material directly and evenly. The MOBY system exposes all the material to infrared radiation, ensuring a direct, controlled and uniform heating of both the part and the mass. At the end of the process, the treated material is in the same condition of temperature and humidity, which translates into immediate cycle starts and reduction of dehumidification waste to zero.
The vacuum ensures maximum efficiency of infrared radiations. Compared to an irradiation in air, the yield of infrared radiations under vacuum increases up to 30%, allowing to increase the temperature of the material in less time, resulting in energy and volume savings. Moreover, without the air interference, the radiation maintains the same wavelength from the source to the material and can be exploited in all its features.
The vacuum is the most effective “means” for extracting liquids. The vacuum environment causes the migration from the material not only of water, but also of any other contaminating substances (for example acetaldehyde, chloroform, benzophenone, etc …). The MOBY system is thus used not only for dehumidification, but also for the so-called “super-clean” of PET in “bottle-to-bottle” processes.
Vacuum is the best thermal insulation in nature. Like a Dewar vase, the reactor does not exchange any heat with the outside, from which it is not only isolated, but independent: the MOBY system can therefore operate indifferently in temperate or tropical climates with the same effectiveness.
The vacuum lowers the boiling point of the water. Operating with values close to absolute vacuum, the MOBY system is able to dehumidify starting from 80-85°C, thus managing to treat materials with low melting points.
The vacuum prevents the action of oxidation. The material at the end of the treatment has not undergone any kind of degradation or aging and maintains the same initial quality.
All bodies in the void fall with the same speed. Taking advantage of a well-known law of physics, the MOBY system is able to handle not only granules, but also flakes, powders, filaments grinds, textile waste and any other type of granulometry, keeping both irradiation and filtration elements safe.
IRV SYSTEMS SRL
Via R. Colpi 38 – 35010 Limena (PD) – Italy / CF & PIVA 04522430281
0039 049 88 43 047 – sales@sbplastics.it
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(SAUVE QUI PEUT [LA VIE])
Mon, Mar 2nd 6:00pm
“Should be seen by everyone interested in movies or in life, without hesitation or delay.”
— Jonathan Rosenbaum
After a dozen years in the anti-cinema wilderness, Godard returned to the height of his powers with this playful, deeply personal work that he calls “my second first film.” The plot interweaves three main characters: a film editor (Baye) fleeing the pressures of city life, a prostitute (Huppert) selling her body but keeping her soul, and a director named Paul Godard (Dutronc) whose marriage is breaking up. With its coolly perverse eroticism, its innovative use of slow-motion camerawork, and its bold connections of art, commerce, and prostitution, EVERY MAN FOR HIMSELF remains one of Godard's most provocative and bracingly beautiful films. In French with English subtitles. 35mm. (MR)
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Safer water in Somaliland
HARGEISA, 30 April 2009 (IRIN) - The availability of water purification tablets, digging of shallow wells in rural areas as well as privatisation of water services have resulted in more people in Somalia's self-declared republic of Somaliland gaining access to clean water and proper sanitation, officials said.
(Photo:Fetching water from a tanker: People's access to safe water in Somaliland has improved due to the availability of water purification tablets and digging of shallow wells in rural areas - file photo)
At least 45-50 percent of the Somaliland population now has access to safe water, compared with 35 percent in 2000, according to Ali Sheikh Omar Qabil, director of environmental health in the Ministry of Health and Labour.
"Most of the urban centres such as Hargeisa [the capital], Borama, Berbera, and Gabiley have central water supply systems and chlorine is routinely mixed into the water provided," Qabil said.
Sheikh Ali Jawhar, director of the water department in the Ministry of Minerals and Water, said: "The installation of chlorination equipment units in water supply dams in the main urban centres and at shallow wells in remote a reas is one of the factors that has increased water sanitation in the country."
However, Jawhar said the region had yet to meet international standards in terms of quantity, with the average safe water availability being 14l per person per day in the capital and 8l in rural areas. The international standard is 20l/person/day.
Water purification tablets are widely available across the region, supplied and sold by the NGO Population Services International (PSI).
(A woman carries water: Officials say at least 45-50 percent of the Somaliland population now has access to safe water, compared with 35 percent in 2000)
In Borama region, the privatisation of the town's water agency, Shirkadda Adeega Bulshada Awdal, has been one the reason for improved access to water and sanitation.
"We have made major improvements in both water access and supply for the town," Abdirahman Mohamoud Muse, a board member, said. "We supply water to about 80,000-100,000 of the city inhabitants."
Muse said: "We have an agreement with the Somaliland authorities on profit sharing; for example, we get 20 percent of the benefit of the total investment while 3 percent is paid to the local government in taxes and we give some to the Ministry of Minerals and Water."
The privatisation followed a severe water shortage in the area. The project was funded by USAID through the UN Children's Fund (UNICEF).
Before then, only 500 cubic metres was pumped for use in Borama region but the firm now pumps 1,700 cubic metres per day, Muse said.
Reaching more people
He said the number of houses that had installed water supply pipes had significantly increased since 2003.
"Only 250 households had installed the water pipes [in 2003] but now we have installed pipes in about 5,000 households and more than 2,000 households share [the water pipes] with their neighbours while the others get water from kiosk centres, which we consider to be clean water," Muse said. "Fewer than 1.2 percent of Borama residents do not receive the agency's water supply."
However, Muse expressed concern over the depletion of water sources in parts of the region, "especially in the main urban centres of Somaliland, Hargeisa and Borama".
He said this had forced the water ministry to conduct surveys to identify new water sources. Consequently, Muse added, the Borama water agency had dug a new well in Amoud, Borama region.
"The depletion [of the water sources] followed a dramatic increase in the urban population and the construction of modern buildings," Jawhar said.
"For example, when China installed a water system in Hargeisa and Borama, the density of the population and buildings was much smaller than what we have today; Hargeisa then had only 150,000 individuals but now its population is about 800,000 yet nothing has changed in its water supply system."
Despite the progress made in water provision and sanitation, Somaliland authorities remain concerned over services in parts of the republic, such as Burou, the second-largest city, which, Qabil said, lacked adequate water chlorination.
"This is why we consider Burou the most risky place in the country as it lacks a link to the central dam where water chlorination is done," Qabil said. "In fact, diarrhoea has broken out in recent years in the city several times, which we attribute to the lack of chlorination of the town water supply."
Theme(s): (IRIN) Water & Sanitation
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specialeducationalneeds.com
Welcome to the new Special Educational Needs Dot Com website. Like its predecessor, this site is dedicated to the promotion of inclusion, languages and the appropriate use of technology in education.
I have transferred most of the documents from the old site and added many new ones. The new site is a work in progress and the transfer process will continue through the coming months as time allows.
There are considerably fewer web pages to navigate in the new site. All documents can now be found in folders and subfolders where their opening pages may be browsed before loading the complete text. The web browser's back button must be used to return to the new website's home page.
Please take time to explore the new site and its folders and subfolders accessible via the links on the web pages. The old website evolved over more than a decade without a strong central structure and in response to annual priorities in my teaching and research. I built the new website over a period of months with a determination to create a simpler overall structure and to repair the many broken links that marred the old site.
I would like to thank my brother Dr Tom Wilson of Minneapolis who has hosted my site for more years than I care to remember. I could not have recreated my site in Google Sites without his encouragement and advice.
Postscript: The Internet Archive Wayback Machine has a navigable snapshot of the old website dated 21 July 2013.
© David R. Wilson · Newcastle upon Tyne · United Kingdom · 2019
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Hope, Friendship and the World Game
The wars in Afghanistan began in 1979, forcing many people to flee the country to safety. As the wars escalated through the 1980’s, families found safety in neighbouring countries such as Pakistan and Iran, although the likelihood of returning to Afghanistan slowly diminished. With little chance of ever being granted citizenship in Iran, refugee families found hope of a future in Australia. Three young Afghan men in their 20’s, Bashir Mirzaie, Mahdi Hosseini and Hamid Khairi, shared their stories of being refugees from Iran and how they are overcoming their challenges of settling into Australian society.
Mirzaie, Hosseini and Khairi have become great friends since arriving in Melbourne in 2016, supporting each other through the whirlwind of settling in Australia. The pressure to learn English quickly, find ongoing work and to feel a sense of belonging have led to feelings of exclusion. They each feared they were not contributing meaningfully to society, leading to feelings of depression and anxiety. Mirzaie said, “I had to find something that made me confident and made me happy”. Khairi added, “Every day was hard and I needed to meet new people, Bashir and Mahdi put me on the right path”.
The young men joined a local Afghan community group, playing soccer every Friday evening in Dandenong, and soon found new friends and a new place to belong. Hosseini said, “We are 20 people who play, we make our friendships stronger each week”. The importance of a regular weekly activity can be an incredibly simple and powerful tool for social inclusion, with the aim to reach out to the broader community “We are happy to meet Afghan people but we also want to meet non-Afghan people” said Hosseini.
With increased confidence and their English improving, the young men aim to develop their job prospects. Mirzaie is an engraver and masonry specialist, Hosseini is looking for work as a panel beater and Khairi wants to be a mechanic. Participating in a regular community-based sports has increased their ability to be included in all aspects of society.
Thank you to Atiq Abed for assisting with interpretation. Also, a special thank you to Chobani Australia for their support of Centre for Multicultural Youth programs and for encouraging social inclusion of new and emerging communities through sport.
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Charles Neale Dawson
Charles Neale Dawson passed away on March 19, 2014. He was born July 26, 1950 to Tracey Elsworth Dawson and Betty West in Wallace, Idaho.
As a young child the family moved to Idaho Falls and then at age 11 the family moved to Deer Lodge. Charlie lived his life out in Deer Lodge with short stays in other towns, but Deer Lodge was his home.
He attended Catholic grade school in Deer Lodge and Powell County High School, graduating in 1968. He then attended radio broadcasting school in San Francisco in 1969 and radio engineering school in Los Angeles in 1970.
He returned to Montana where he was a radio announcer in Great Falls, Butte, Anaconda and Deer Lodge. During his radio announcing career he announced stock car races, drag races and demolition derbies around Western Montana.
In July 13, 1973 he married Susan Grubaugh in Great Falls. They moved to Deer Lodge in 1974 where they have lived ever since.
In 1988 Charlie joined the Recovery Community and was active in NA/AA, helping many people.
In 1997 Charlie, also known as “Bulldog” started the Free Rider Motorcycle Club along with his son “Buckshot” and his brother “Shrink”. Club members have put many miles on their Harley-Davidson ever since.
Charlie loved traveling on his Harley with Sue and his club brothers. He also enjoyed hunting, camping and exploring the mountains with his family.
Charlie is survived by his wife, Sue, son Tracey, daughter Kelly and the light of his life, grandson Trace. Charlie is also survived by his sister and brother-in-law Sue and Bill Whitney of Deer Lodge and many nieces, nephews, cousins and friends.
He is also survived by two very special young ladies, Jaime “Bum” Brewer, Misty Taylor and Joe and Dotsie Shafer. He is also survived by his Free Rider Brothers. Preceding him in death are his parents, step-father, Clifford Perkins and sister Traci.
Twenty-five years clean and sober – ride pain free forever Bulldog – the journey is all yours.
Funeral services were Saturday, March 22, 2014 at 11 a.m. at Jewell Funeral Home in Deer Lodge. Memorials can be made to the Montana Hope Project.
Jesse James Eighorn
Jesse James Eighorn passed away peacefully on March 13, 2014 in Dillon. Jess was born November 15, 1955 in Sheridan to Gloria and Jim Eighorn and was raised on the family ranch in Melrose. After graduating from Butte High, Jess went to work as a crane operator, as a rancher in the Deer Lodge Valley, and later running his own auctioneer service across the state.
Friends and family will remember Jess for his sincere friendship and his robust, joyful, and proud personality. He was funny, stern, and direct...all when he needed to be.
Jess enjoyed a cold beer with salt, watching John Wayne movies, playing jokes on his buddies, and being with good company. Many will remember him telling rambunctious stories that ended with a laugh, squinted eyes and a slap of his knee.
Jess could rattle off equipment numbers, figures, and important dates at any time. He took pride in telling how most bridges in the state were built, in what year, and who built them. Farmers and ranchers relied on Jess to locate, buy, and sell equipment for them.
He was said to be as strong as a bull moose and loved being outside riding four wheelers, fishing, and shooting guns. Most of all, Jess enjoyed being a friend.
Everyone always knew where they stood with Jess, and friends and family knew they could always count on his helpful nature, his genuine gift of caring, and his generosity.
Jess leaves behind his daughter Lace, son-in-law Josh Shrum, father Jim Eighorn, sisters Julie (Larry) Boksich, Toni (Dixon) Robison, and Marta Nicholls and brother Luke (Joel) Eighorn; as well as numerous aunts and uncles, nieces and nephews, cousins, and many dear friends.
He is preceded in death by his mother, Gloria.
Special thanks goes to Dr. Sandra McIntyre, the staff of Parkview Care and Rehabilitation Center, and the Barrett Hospital Hospice nurses.
Services will be held Wednesday, March 19 at 11 a.m. at the Church of the Big Hole in Melrose. Donations in Jess’ name can be made to the Anaconda VFW Post 1976, the Powell County 4-H Council, or Shriners.
A guestbook is available online at www.brundagefuneralhome.com.
Thomas John Schultz
Husband, Father, Friend — Thomas John Schultz, 65, died January 16, 2014 while on vacation in Thailand. He was born in Montana on October 24 1948, to Norman (Bud) Schultz and Florence (Brander) Schultz and raised with his sister, Penny in Garrison and Deer Lodge.
Tom made a 30-year career as an artist and potter, and had a full and happy life with his New Zealand wife Sue, and son, Jeffrey.
Tom enjoyed racquetball, gardening, traveling, skiing, sailing, and an extensive network of family and friends. Endowed with vast amounts of common sense, and being an older dad, Tom appreciated more than most the thrill of Jeffrey playing sports, doing well in school and acquiring the maturity of a young man.
Tom could make and fix just about anything. Strong and steady, he arranged rocks in a garden and painted intricate glaze designs on clay with equal artistry. Most recently he constructed beautiful boxes of inlaid hardwoods.
Tom leaves us with hundreds of extraordinary ceramics, an enduring sense of fairness, memories of his dry humor, a kindness to all, and not a single unfinished home improvement project.
He will be dearly remembered by his family and friends worldwide.
A celebration of Tom’s life was held from 1 to 3:30 p.m. Saturday, February 15, at Seattle’s Woodland Park Zoo, Tundra Room on Northern Trail.
In lieu of flowers, remembrances may be made to the Woodland Park Zoo.
James D. Crossman
James D. Crossman, 78, of Yuma, Ariz. and Post Falls, Idaho, and formerly of Deer Lodge, passed away on Friday, February, 14, 2014, at Yuma Regional Medical Center in Yuma, Ariz. A private family grave side service will take place sometime this summer.
James D. Crossman was born on January 22, 1936, in Jamestown, N.D., the youngest child of Harold and Agnes (Olson) Crossman. He attended high school and graduated from Powell County High School in Deer Lodge. After graduation he worked as an x-ray technician for many years at the Montana State Hospital in Galen. While working in Galen, he met and married Mary Lou (Karras) Crossman and two children were born from their marriage. They later divorced. He then moved to Helena and worked as an X-ray technician for several more years at Fort Harrison VA Hospital. He was very proud of that fact that he retired when he was 55 years old.
During his retirement he met his current wife, Dell Crossman. He realized his dream of becoming a “snowbird” and he truly enjoyed all the friendships, gatherings and amenities that came along with living in a Senior Community. He and Dell spent many winters in Yuma prior to his death.
Survivors include his wife, Dell Crossman, of Yuma, Ariz.; his son, Rick (Cathy) Crossman, of Spokane Valley, Wash.; his daughter Bev (Dan) Freeman, of Stevensville, and six grandchildren.
Those who preceded him in death were his parents; sister, Marge Danner; brother, Dave Crossman and brother, Harold “Bud” Crossman.
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NBA free agency: Derrick Rose 'open' to returning to Bulls
By E.Jay Zarett 9 April 2019 267
Derrick Rose may want to re-join the Bulls.
The 30-year-old guard, who has spent the last two seasons with the Timberwolves, will be a free agent this summer. His agent, B.J. Armstrong, discussed the possibility of Rose returning to Chicago, where his career began, during an interview Monday with 670 The Score.
“I think we’re going to look at everything, we want to look at the situation,” Armstrong said. “There isn’t a situation we would not look at because Derrick is still a very capable player. We’ll see what the Bulls have.
“There’s no secret, there’s no doubt that in his heart, Chicago will always be there. We’ll see. I don’t know what the Bulls are going to do at this particular time. … If it presented itself, we’d be open to that conversation. We’ll find out in due time.”
Rose developed into a star with the Bulls and became the youngest player ever to be named MVP when he won the award at age 22 in 2010-11. But, he struggled with injuries during his last few seasons with Chicago and eventually played for the Knicks as well as the Cavaliers before landing in Minnesota.
"(Chicago) is home for me,” Rose told reporters in December (via The Daily Herald). “I'll never leave Chicago. I still have a place here. I'm always going to have a place here. My son is being raised here. So, this is home.
"I try to look forward. You never know what my opportunities are going to be this coming offseason with this organization. … My attention right now is with this organization I'm with right now. This offseason, you never know what can happen."
Rose had a bounce-back season for Minnesota as he averaged 18 points and 4.3 assists in 51 games. He was shut down for the rest of the season with an elbow injury in late March.
Meanwhile, the Bulls hold a 22-58 record with two games remaining. They’ll miss the playoffs for a second straight season.
E.Jay Zarett
NBA free agency news: Enes Kanter signs 2-year deal with Celtics
Pelicans' Brandon Ingram 'pretty close' to resuming basketball workouts
Mike D’Antoni isn’t thinking extension as Rockets alter team dynamics, agent says
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Del Rey Reveals The SDCC Exclusive Cover For 'Thrawn: Treason'
Posted by Dominic Jones on 6/20/2019 0 comments
By: Dominic Jones
San Diego Comic Con (SDCC) is just under a month away, and as usual we can expect to see a plethora of Star Wars merchandise that we be exclusive to that convention. This year, Del Rey Publishing will be continuing their tradition of releasing an exclusive cover, that will only be available during the convention, for a new Star Wars novel. This year, the novel getting an SDCC exclusive cover will be Star Wars Thrawn: Treason by Tim Zahn.
The exclusive cover for the novel features Grand Admiral Thrawn seated on a throne with an army of Chiss (his species of alien) behind him. Each copy of the book sold at SDCC will also be signed by Zahn. In addition, fans will also receive an enamel pin of Thrawn's star destroyer (The Chimaera) and a Yoda tote-bag. The announcement was made on the Star Wars Books social media accounts,
The SDCC edition of the novel will be available all days of the convention at the Del Rey Booth in the Star Wars Pavilion. For those attending the convention and wish to purchase a copy, they will need to go to the Del Rey Star Wars booth (#2913-U) when the floor opens and get a wristband, then return to the booth between 11am and 4pm to pick up their book and pin. The book (plus the pin and bag) will cost $45.
Thrawn: Treason is the third novel in Zahn's new series of Thrawn novels, which began with Star Wars: Thrawn in 2017 and Thrawn: Alliances in 2018. The series follows Thrawn as he rises through the ranks of the Imperial Navy, bringing him into contact with legendary characters like Darth Vader and Emperor Sheev Palpatine. The novels also tie-in with the animated series Star Wars Rebels, which first reintroduced Thrawn into Star Wars canon in 2016. The character made his debut in 1991's Heir To The Empire (written by Zahn), the novel which kickstarted the old Star Wars Expanded Universe, now branded Legends.
The official synopsis for Thrawn: Treason was released back in December, you can read it below,
Grand Admiral Thrawn faces the ultimate test of his loyalty to the Empire in this epic Star Wars novel from bestselling author Timothy Zahn.
“If I were to serve the Empire, you would command my allegiance.”
Such was the promise Grand Admiral Thrawn made to Emperor Palpatine at their first meeting. Since then, Thrawn has been one of the Empire’s most effective instruments, pursuing its enemies to the very edges of the known galaxy. But as keen a weapon as Thrawn has become, the Emperor dreams of something far more destructive.
Now, as Thrawn’s TIE defender program is halted in favor of Director Krennic’s secret Death Star project, he realizes that the balance of power in the Empire is measured by more than just military acumen or tactical efficiency. Even the greatest intellect can hardly compete with the power to annihilate entire planets.
As Thrawn works to secure his place in the Imperial hierarchy, his former protégé Eli Vanto returns with a dire warning about Thrawn’s homeworld. Thrawn’s mastery of strategy must guide him through an impossible choice: duty to the Chiss Ascendancy, or fealty to the Empire he has sworn to serve. Even if the right choice means committing treason.
The novel hits shelves everywhere on July 23rd.
Source: Star Wars Books (Facebook)
Collecting News Convention News Expanded Universe News News SDCC Thrawn: Treason Tim Zahn
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H5N8 Bird flu cases found on Swiss border
This content was published on November 8, 2016 11:01 PM Nov 8, 2016 - 23:01
Swiss authorities inspecting dead corpses in an outbreak of bird flu in 2006
(KEYSTONE/EDDY RISCH)
A strain of bird flu has been detected in the corpses of five wild ducks found in Lake Constance. The Swiss Federal Office of Food Safety and Veterinary Affairs said it was taking steps to prevent the further spread of the virus.
Final test results on the tufted ducks are still pending, but the federal office said studies carried out pointed to a H5N8 subtype of the virusexternal link.
Wild migrating birds can transmit bird flu to farmed poultry. Containment measures are being coordinated by the Swiss, Austrian and German authorities as the lake borders all three countries. Steps could include banning farmers from allowing poultry outdoors.
The Federal Office of Food Safety and Veterinary Affairs said there was no evidence the virus could be transmitted to humans. Further measures would be decided once it was clear how pathogenic the cases were. According to the World Health Organizationexternal link, highly pathogenic viruses result in high death rates (up to 100% mortality within 48 hours) in some poultry species. Low pathogenicity viruses also cause outbreaks in poultry but are not generally associated with severe disease.
Hungary's food safety authority said last week it had found traces of bird flu at a poultry farm in eastern Hungary and would destroy 9,000 turkeys to protect nearby populations from a strain it said was harmless to humans.
People who come across dead birds are being asked not to touch them but to report them to a police or wildlife experts.
Bird flu cases found on Swiss border Nov 8, 2016 - 23:01 A strain of bird flu has been detected in the corpses of five wild ducks found in Lake Constance. The Swiss Federal Office of Food Safety and Veterinary Affairs said it was taking steps to prevent the further spread of the virus. Final test results on the tufted ducks are still pending, but the federal office said studies carried out pointed to a H5N8 subtype of the virus. Wild migrating birds can transmit bird flu to farmed poultry. Containment measures are being coordinated by the Swiss, Austrian and German authorities as the lake borders all three countries. Steps could include banning farmers from allowing poultry outdoors. The Federal Office of Food Safety and Veterinary Affairs said there was no evidence the virus could be transmitted to humans. Further measures would be decided once it was clear how pathogenic the cases were. According to the World Health Organization, highly pathogenic viruses result in high death rates (up to 100% mortality within 48 hours) in some poultry species. Low pathogenicity viruses also cause outbreaks in poultry but are not generally associated with severe disease. Hungary's food safety authority said last week it had found traces of bird flu at a poultry farm in eastern Hungary and would destroy 9,000 turkeys to protect nearby populations from a strain it said was harmless to humans. People who come across dead birds are being asked not to touch them but to report them to a police or wildlife experts.
WHO declares "unstoppable" swine flu pandemic
The World Health Organization (WHO) has declared a full-blown swine flu pandemic after an emergency meeting in Geneva on Thursday. Switzerland, ...
Second case of swine flu confirmed
A 24-year-old woman has become the second person in Switzerland to be diagnosed with swine flu, the Federal Health Office announced on Friday. ...
Bird flu risk low this winter, authorities say
The risk of an outbreak of avian influenza in Switzerland this winter is negligible, the Federal Veterinary Office has announced. In a statement ...
Government "ready for pandemic"
Switzerland is among the best-prepared European countries for a bird flu pandemic, according to the World Health Organization (WHO). A WHO ...
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News of the Migrants Welcomed in Taizé
Since 2015, Europe has been in a migratory crisis of unprecedented scope. Faced with this challenge and supported by the generosity of many neighbors, the community continues to open its doors to welcome migrants.
Welcome and Referral Centers
In November 2015, to welcome migrants from Calais, a so-called CAO (reception and orientation center) was opened in Taizé. This place was able to accommodate thirteen young men aged 19 to 40, all Muslim, from Sudan and Afghanistan. Nine of them, who have been granted refugee status, are now working or training in the region around Taizé. One of them, widowed, had a 13-year-old son in Sudan. On the occasion of his visit last year to that country, Brother Alois brought the child back to his father. He is now attending school and his father works in a foundry of the region.
In November 2016, the community opened a CAOMI (reception center and guidance for minors) to host for a time eighteen young minors from Calais, who wanted to go to England. Seven young people decided to stay in Taizé for their asylum application procedure. One of them is now in an educational center near Taizé and four refugees are still living in the village, seeking to settle in the area.
In recent years, the community has also welcomed four refugee families from Iraq and Syria. After several months in Taizé, which allowed them to regain their autonomy and begin to be integrated well in France, two of these families settled elsewhere, keeping an almost family-like relationship with the community.
Awaiting Protection
Last September, the community welcomed three young migrants from South Sudan and Sudan, aged 20 to 28 years. These young people do not yet know if they will be able to make their asylum application in France because of the Dublin regulations. In the meantime, since they do not have permission to work, they are learning French, do volunteer work and participate in exchanges on the causes and difficulties of their migratory journey.
Sponsoring Families
Every young migrant welcomed in Taizé is accompanied by a family from the region. By simple regular visits to their sponsoring family, these young people are helped to head towards a good integration into French culture and receive invaluable support. One of the young refugees recently said, “Françoise takes care of me more than a mother cares for her own son!”
French Classes
When the community opened its doors to young people from Calais, immediately a great generosity on the part of the inhabitants of the region was manifested. Today, French classes are offered four days a week at the Taizé town hall and a dozen volunteers take turns to give classes. Christine, a teacher of French as a Foreign Language (FLE), writes: “My great astonishment and my great pleasure is also to see the motivation of the asylum seekers and their commitment to learning French, despite all their other concerns.” In addition to the three migrants who participate today in the courses, a dozen foreigners from different countries living in the region also benefit from the quality of these courses.
Migrants welcomed in Taizé were invited to lead a day of reflection on migration at Saint Joseph High School in Châteaubriant, Brittany. In November 2017, three of them went there and the high-school students were impressed by the story of these young people who crossed the Sahara, and the experience of hell in Libya and the Mediterranean. The migrants were likewise impressed by the quality of the listening and the seriousness of the students.
In Taizé, migrants sometimes participate in the workshops offered to the young pilgrims, where they can share their background and motivation.
At the European Parliament
In January 2018, a group of young migrants visited the European Parliament. During a meeting with the European Commissioner for Migration, with members from different parties and from different countries and with the Director General of the OFPRA (French Office for the Protection of Refugees and Stateless Persons), migrants were able to talk about their reception experience in Europe and their respective situations: statutory refugees, asylum seekers, “dublined” migrants, and unaccompanied minors whose age has not been recognized.
A Member of the European Parliament sent us images of this visit, filmed by Claudio CUTARELLI, concerning the Dublin Agreement:
To watch a longer clip of this meeting, click here [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IUuk9KR-x84&feature=youtu.be].
Migrants welcomed in Taizé have always been happy to lend a helping hand around them and to feel useful in fulfilling a service for others. They regain dignity when they can give something of themselves.
Edith, treasurer of the Cluny team of the Catholic relief agency, writes that “three young migrants are volunteers and they come to lend a hand for the our activities. They have participated in several things, such as helping to staff a stand and organizing the annual big meal, where they were congratulated by everyone for the quality of their commitment.”
Migrants also enjoy volunteering alongside the young pilgrims who visit the community. Gonçalo, a young Portuguese, recently wrote: “Working with three young migrants was a unique experience; they were well integrated into our team and we shared together about some aspects of our culture and theirs. They told us about their experience and their search for peace.”
Last summer, many young people responded to the call for solidarity with migrants and donated to Taizé. With Orsi, a volunteer, three young migrants went to Calais in November to give the local Catholic relief agency sleeping bags, shower gels, shampoo, toothpaste and toothbrushes. They were guests for two nights at the Maria Skobtsova House, where the doors are open to the most vulnerable exiles. Orsi writes: “Our three friends from Taizé had seen the same misery during their own journey through many countries, the desert, the Mediterranean, and they understood what the young people of Calais are going through.”
Printed from: http://www.taize.fr/en_article23585.html - 17 July 2019
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FBI Files: Sports Figures
25 May, 2018 / in FBI Files / Domestic & Foreign Intelligence, Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) Collection, History, Intelligence
The following is a list of FBI files on different sports figures throughout the decades.
Declassified Sports Figure FBI Files
Ali, Muhammad – Clay, Cassius – [939 Pages, 236.6MB] – Muhammad Ali (born Cassius Marcellus Clay Jr.; January 17, 1942 – June 3, 2016) was an American professional boxer and activist. He is widely regarded as one of the most significant and celebrated sports figures of the 20th century. From early in his career, Ali was known as an inspiring, controversial, and polarizing figure both inside and outside the ring. As a Muslim, Ali was initially affiliated with Elijah Muhammad’s Nation of Islam (NOI) and advocated their black separatist ideology. He later disavowed the NOI, adhering initially to Sunni Islam and later to Sufism, and supporting racial integration, like his former mentor Malcolm X. After retiring from boxing in 1981, Ali devoted his life to religious and charitable work. In 1984, Ali was diagnosed with Parkinson’s syndrome, which his doctors attributed to boxing-related brain injuries. As the condition worsened, Ali made limited public appearances and was cared for by his family until his death on June 3, 2016, in Scottsdale, Arizona.
Granatelli, Anthony “Andy” – [12 Pages, 1.7MB] – Anthony “Andy” Granatelli (March 18, 1923 – December 29, 2013) was an American businessman, most prominent as the CEO of STP (motor oil company) as well as a major figure in automobile racing events. Granatelli was born in Dallas, Texas. Along with his brothers Vince and Joe, he first worked as an auto mechanic and “speed-shop” entrepreneur, modifying engines such as the “flathead” Ford into racing-quality equipment. During World War II, he became a promoter of automobile racing events, such as the “Hurricane Racing Association,” which combined racing opportunities for up-and-coming drivers with crowd-pleasing theatrics. Hurricane events, according to Granatelli in his autobiography They Call Me Mister 500, included drivers who were experts at executing—and surviving—roll-over and end-over-end crashes, and also an ambulance that not only got caught up into the race but also ejected a stretcher (with a dummy on it) into the way of the racers.
Johnson, Jack Arthur – [135 Pages, 11.7MB] – John Arthur Johnson (March 31, 1878 – June 10, 1946), nicknamed the Galveston Giant, was an American boxer who, at the height of the Jim Crow era, became the first African American world heavyweight boxing champion (1908–1915). Among the period’s most dominant champions, Johnson remains a boxing legend, with his 1910 fight against James J. Jeffries dubbed the “fight of the century.” In 1912, Johnson was arrested on charges of violating the Mann Act—forbidding one to transport a woman across state lines for “immoral purposes”—a racially motivated charge that embroiled him in controversy for his relationships, including marriages, with white women. According to filmmaker Ken Burns, “for more than thirteen years, Jack Johnson was the most famous and the most notorious African-American on Earth”. Johnson died in a car crash on June 10, 1946, at the age of 68. He is buried at Graceland Cemetery in Chicago. In 2018, he was pardoned by President Donald Trump.
Kelly, John Simms “Shipwreck” [124 Pages, 69.7MB] – John Simms “Shipwreck” Kelly (July 8, 1910 – August 17, 1986) was a professional American football player who played halfback in the National Football League; he was also an owner and banker, most prominent in New York City in the 1930s and 1940s. He played five seasons for the New York Giants (1932) and the Brooklyn Dodgers (1933–1937). Kelly became a player-coach and later a player/coach/owner with the Dodgers football club, the successor to the Dayton Triangles, a charter member of the NFL. He gained his nickname from Alvin “Shipwreck” Kelly, who was famous for pole-sitting in the 1920s. During World War II, Kelly was recruited by the FBI to travel to Cuba, Mexico, Peru, Chile and Argentina to track the activities of wealthy German expatriates helping the Nazi cause.
Paterno, Joe [872 Pages, 36.48MB] – Joseph Vincent “Joe” Paterno, sometimes referred to as “JoePa,” was an American college football coach who was the head coach of the Penn State Nittany Lions from 1966 to 2011. His career ended with his dismissal from the team for his role in the Penn State child sex abuse scandal.
Ponomaryova, Nina [9 Pages, 2.4MB] – Nina Apollonovna Ponomaryova (Russian: Нина Аполлоновна Пономарёва; née Romashkova; Russian: Ромашкова; 27 April 1929 – 19 August 2016) was a Russian discus thrower and the first Soviet Olympic champion. In 1952 she was a member of the Soviet team, which participated in the Olympic Games for the first time in history. At that time the Olympic record was held since 1936 Summer Olympics by Gisela Mauermayer at 47.63 m. Ponomaryova won the qualifying round with a throw of 45.05 m (36 m was enough to qualify). In the final, after the first try Ponomaryova was second with a throw of 45.16 m, the leader being her teammate Nina Dumbadze (45.85 m). In the second try Ponomaryova improved the Olympic record by more than 3 metres (50.84 m). After that she was the leader until the end of the competition. In the third try she set the Olympic record at 51.42 m and earned the first Olympic gold medal for the Soviet Union. Less than a month after the 1952 Summer Olympics, on 9 August 1952 in Odessa Ponomaryova set a new world record at 53.61 m. In 1954 she won a European title, and in 1956 an Olympic bronze medal. In 1957 she was awarded the Order of the Red Banner. In 1960 Ponomaryova became an Olympic champion for the second time. Soon after that she finished her career and worked as a coach in Kiev and later in Moscow.
Resnick, Irving [366 Pages, 15.90MB] – Irving “Ash” Resnick (1916-1989) was a Las Vegas casino executive and sports promoter. This release consists of FBI investigative files covering the years 1961 to 1975. Over this period, the Bureau investigated Resnick on a number of allegations concerning potential illegal gambling and racketeering violations; it also investigated a 1974 attempt to kill Resnick.
Robinson, Jackie[132 Pages, 9MB] – Jackie Robinson made history as the first African-American to play baseball in the Major Leagues when he signed with the Brooklyn Dodgers in 1946. Mr. Robinson was never the subject of an FBI investigation; however, his name came to the attention of the FBI as a result of his National Association for the Advancement of Colored People membership. In 1949, he testified before the House Committee on Un-American Activities during the hearings regarding Communist Infiltration of Minority Groups.
Steinbrenner, George [960 Pages, 44.32MB] – George Michael Steinbrenner, III (1930-2010) is best known as the principal owner and managing partner of the New York Yankees for 37 years. This release contains material from three files covering illegal campaign contributions made by Steinbrenner and his company to the Nixon presidential campaign; a laboratory analysis for the Federal Highway Administration of several anonymous letters concerning possible fraud in the federal aid highway program in Ohio; and Steinbrenner’s appeal for a pardon from his conviction for illegal campaign financing and obstruction of justice.
FBI Files, sports
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, FBI Name Check Analyses and Recommendations, 2008 The NRO Strategic Plan, 1993
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The Black Vault – Facebook Feed
CIA MKULTRA / Mind Control Collection
Counter-Zombie Dominance, CONPLAN 8888
All UFO Documents From…
Operation Mockingbird
FBI Files: Scientists and Medical Professionals
Mind Control Collection
FBI Files: The Paranormal Collection
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The New Catholic Music Movement
My name is Daniel Oberreuter. I am a husband, a father of three young boys, and the lead singer of the Catholic rock band, The Thirsting. Long before I was ever married and had children, I felt a call from Jesus to form a Catholic rock band that would be true to the Catholic faith as a means to evangelize. Out of this call was born The Thirsting. It was 2006 and I was heavily involved in youth ministry at Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic Church in Vancouver, WA and it was there that The Thirsting first began with myself as the leader and three high school members.
With more zeal then brains, I borrowed $5000.00 and recorded our first EP titled “No Greater Love.” It consisted of 3 songs: In this Sacrament, I am not Worthy, and Ocean of Mercy. After recording the EP, and doing multiple local concerts, the original members of the band, aside from myself, all grew up and headed off to college, and I was left by myself with a dream and a passion to promote the Catholic faith through music.
I began to write more music on my own and then recorded The Thirsting’s first full length album, Companions of the Lamb in 2008. Again I borrowed money and funded the record. I was fueled by my passion to evangelize through music, and specifically through Catholic music. After completing Companions of the Lamb, I enlisted new members, and again, with more zeal than brains, began touring across the nation with a Catholic message. I had no connections though, so I picked up my phone and made thousands (yes thousands) of cold phone calls to churches, dioceses, and youth directors across the nation. My zeal for my faith and my passion to evangelize pushed me forward.
I hit many road blocks along the way. I tried to get accepted by Steubenville conferences, Lifeteen conferences, and larger diocesan conferences in order to offer my services to evangelize but was continually denied. My music, as Catholic as it was, did not seem to be accepted by many in Catholic leadership circles across the nation. I didn’t fit the standard praise and worship “Jesus” music. Our music was rock with a very Catholic message. I found acceptance only in random churches and youth ministry programs across the nation where youth ministers on fire for their Catholic faith ate it up. I would offer full band concerts with full production to churches while hardly asking for any money. Most churches could barely afford, or concede, to pay much of anything. I struggled, yet pushed forward, the only way I knew how. I would tour, then take a couple months off and do booking, then tour again, and the cycle continued.
One of the greatest outcomes of my touring was meeting my wife. She was a revert, and was also trying to do Catholic music. She actually found me on Myspace! I had a profile for the band and she contacted me about doing Catholic music. I thought she was great looking, so I contacted her back and we began our relationship. We dated off and on for a few years and finally In 2010 we got married.
At the time I was basically broke. Having spent all my time and money trying to fund and do Catholic music with very little financial success, I made a decision to take a job as a youth minister at a local Catholic church in Vancouver, Washington in order to support my new wife. During this time though, I still continued to write new songs, and again, wanted to make authentic Catholic music with lyrics that did not water down the truth or give only a basic “Jesus” message. I wrote lyrics that would never be accepted on mainstream contemporary christian radio. I had no desire to ever be a part of contemporary christian music simply known as CCM, as I recognized they would never accept me for my Catholicity.
After one year as a youth minister It was quite clear to me that I was in the wrong place, so I quit my job and went full time again into Catholic music. I borrowed more money and recorded The Thirsting’s second album Universal Youth, and again, went back to the phone and began making cold phone calls - trying to do whatever I could to be accepted in the Catholic church as a Catholic musician. Still, it seemed very few people in Catholic leadership circles cared. My only acceptance, aside from random churches and a few diocese across the nation, was with NCCYM and NCYC.
In the midst of this struggle to evangelize through Catholic music, I discovered that the only real place to engage Catholics, that I could get into consistently, was the mass. The majority of American Catholics do not do much outside of the mass so if I wanted to get my message out through music it had to be done through the mass.
Back in my early days of writing, I wrote a song called Come Hold my Son. It basically depicted Jesus’ life through Mary’s eyes. I began to play the song as a 2nd communion meditation and offer CD’s after each mass along with a free-will offering concert in the evening. Through this song, I was and have still been able to pay my bills. God showed me a way to minister to His people and also make enough money to support my family.
But this is not where the story ends. I could live a very simple life, playing my song Come Hold my Son at churches across the nation, still making cold phone calls, and giving acoustic free-will offering concerts. These concerts are very powerful, and I will continue to do them, but I feel that God wants more. Stay with me…
This leads me to today and why I am writing this article, or blog, manifesto, or whatever you would like to call it. I am here today to tell you that I am done trying to work solely within church leadership structures to evangelize. Oh, my message is Catholic and I will continue to be a devout Catholic pointing others to the faith, and if a youth minister or diocesan director calls me and wants me to perform I will do so. But, I will not be bound by structures within the church to share the good news of the Catholic faith. All one really needs to evangelize through music is an audience. My audience is you the reader and the listener, and all I need to do is let you hear me. I do not need a Steubenville conference that has never accepted me, or a diocesan director, or a youth minister who won't call me back. All I need is YOU, my audience, fans and friends. Don’t get me wrong, Steubenville conferences, and diocesan conferences are wonderful events and I support everything they do with all my heart, and if asked to play for one, I will do so. But I do not need them. All I need is YOU.
I want to start a new musical movement within the Catholic Church of musicians who are not afraid to boldly promote and stand up for the Catholic Church. Musicians that do not water down the teachings of the Church so that he or she may be more accepted by a general audience. The true Catholic music movement is one that is unafraid to be Catholic. One that is not motivated by money, but rather souls. One where the music is secondary to the message. Yes that’s right, the music takes a back seat to the message. Music must be the tool, the avenue, or the instrument to bring the message - not the other way around. We get into so much trouble as Christian musicians when we approach it the other way. The contemporary christian music Industry will never accept true Catholic musicians. So why are Catholics trying to fit in with them? Us Catholics accept contemporary christian music on the radio, but we will never be accepted by them. A true Catholic musician is one that hears the word of God and proclaims it boldly in all of it’s entirety. When a true Catholic musician discusses the Church, he is not afraid to proclaim publicly that the Church is Catholic!!!
That being said, I need your support in this new, yet very old endeavor. The only way I can succeed is if I have the support of my fans. Will you take this journey with me? Let’s build a new Catholic musical movement together. Lets support Catholic musicians that take a Catholic stance at all times, and not only when it is convenient.
How will we build this new musical movement? Through our relationships. We, yes we, the artist and the fans will inspire this Catholic musical movement. Fans will support authentic Catholic musicians and Catholic musicians will offer fans inspiring authentic Catholic music. And it is really that simple. That’s how it works in the secular world. With God’s help, it will work in the Catholic world.
I pledge to you my fans that I will continue to offer cutting edge Catholic Rock and I will be unafraid to boldly proclaim the Catholic Church and all Her teachings and that the Catholic Church is the true Church of Christ. Will you take this journey with me? I know you know we can, and I know you know others that want to take this journey as fans and artists. We are in this together. Look for more to come from The Thirsting, and I will look for more to come from you. Please share this article with your friends and family or post it on Facebook.
The Mission of The Thirsting is to inspire souls to KNOW, LOVE, and SERVE Jesus in the Eucharist
Stay Strong // Stay Catholic
Daniel Oberreuter
Tagged: Catholic, Eucharist, Rock, Rosary, Magesterium
Come Hold My Son
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Glogau Teddy Bear Rescue Fund
at UCSF Benioff Children’s Hospital
Snuggly Soirée 2019
The grateful parents of a pediatric patient have created the Glogau Teddy Bear Rescue Fund to provide toys, hotel vouchers and other amenities for needy children and their families at UCSF Benioff Children’s Hospital. Dr. Richard Glogau, a dermatologist and clinical professor at the UCSF School of Medicine, and Dr. Pamela Baj, a nursing professor at San Francisco State University, established the fund to show their appreciation for the excellent care their son received.
Their son, Gordon, was born in 1989 with severe orthopedic problems, underwent two surgeries, several casts, braces and physical therapy. Today, he is an investment banker living in San Francisco and Dr. Baj and Gordon meet with parents of children born with similar orthopedic conditions to share their experience and positive outcome. “I am so grateful for the excellent care my son received,” Dr. Baj said. “We had a fantastic experience.” Gordon now also serves as Director of young adults involvement for the Glogau Teddy Bear Rescue Fund, encouraging teenagers to participate in fund raising activities.
While their son was hospitalized, Dr. Baj and Dr. Glogau met many families who traveled long distances for the specialized treatment provided at UCSF Benioff Children’s Hospital. These families incurred expenses including parking fees, meals and hotel costs during prolonged hospitalizations of their children. The Glogau Teddy Bear Rescue Fund is intended to assist needy families with these small but important amenities.
The fund got its name from an incident in which a child arrived at the hospital without his teddy bear and needed a toy to hug on his way to the operating room.
Copyright © 2019 Glogau Teddy Bear Rescue Fund
Designed by: Churchill Design Studio
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Volume 7 Issue 282
Published - 14:00 UTC 08:00 EST 24-Oct-2005
Next Update - 14:00 UTC 08:00 EST 25-Oct-2005
Editor: Susan K. Boyer, RN
Slacker or sick?
(24 October 2005: VIDYYA MEDICAL NEWS SERVICE) -- Early nerve damage caused by repetitive strain injuries can trigger "sick worker" syndrome -- characterized by malaise, fatigue and depression, and often mistaken for poor performance, according to a study by Ann Barr, Ph.D., and Mary Barbe, Ph.D., at Temple University's College of Health Professions. The study, "Increase in inflammatory cytokines in median nerves in a rat model of repetitive motion injury," is published this month in the Journal of Neuroimmunology.
Repetitive strain injuries are the nation's most common and costly occupational health problem, affecting hundreds of thousands of American workers and costing more than $20 billion a year in worker's compensation, so employers have long been interested in the connection between the two conditions.
The purpose of the study was to observe early changes in nerves caused by repetitive strain that lead to chronic pain and eventual degenerative problems such as carpal tunnel syndrome, tendonitis, tennis elbow or other serious neural and musculoskeletal injuries. The Temple researchers hope the findings could one day lead to early intervention techniques that would prevent permanent damage.
They discovered that nerve injuries caused by low-force, highly repetitive work can be blamed on an onslaught of cytokines -- proteins that help start inflammation. These cytokines, known also to spark symptoms of malaise, appear in injured nerves as early as three weeks after the first signs of cell stress -- much earlier than previously believed. As the nerve injury progressed, ever greater numbers of cytokines were made at the injury site.
Unexpectedly, the researchers also found that the cytokines affected the rats' psychosocial responses. With so many cytokines entering the blood stream so early, some apparently traveled to the brain, sparking the rat version of "sick-worker" syndrome. "At three weeks, even before the rats experienced pain from their wrist injuries, we watched them self-regulate their work behavior," said Barr. "With inflammatory proteins in the bloodstream, they began to slack off from completing their tasks."
By five weeks to eight weeks, when cytokine production reached "peak" levels, some rats curled up in a ball and slept in between tasks.
The researchers theorize that as early as three weeks -- as cytokines first appear in the newly injured nerve -- signs of "sick-worker" syndrome may begin. Employees may call out sick because of undefined symptoms, or slow down their work production. A low-grade depression may set in.
The connection between this "off" feeling and possible neural and musculoskeletal injuries may not be immediately apparent to the employee or employer, since actual pain is rare at this early stage of injury. Over months, however, as inflammation worsens, chronic pain will eventually lead workers to seek clinical help.
While some employers might see the cytokine connection as a simple opportunity to slack off work, Barbe disagrees.
"Cytokines are self-protective," she says. "This undefined feeling of malaise may be telling the body to take some time off to heal, before things get worse."
The next step for the researchers is to look more specifically at the psychosocial component of cytokines and their effect. To do this, they have been awarded a $1.3 million grant from the National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
They are also in the process of translating their research into human subjects. In an earlier rat study, Barr and Barr observed increases in circulating blood levels of serum cytokines. They are now finishing a study in which they are examining blood collected from humans diagnosed with repetitive strain injuries for these cytokines. Positive findings could aid earlier diagnosis and therefore earlier treatment.
Return to Vidyya Medical News Service for 24 October 2005
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Police Fear 6ix9ine Is In The Middle Of Escalating Beef
6ix9ine got off light in his child sex case as the judge sentenced him to four years of probation, 1000 hours of community service and must refrain from any sort of gang affiliation. While we haven’t heard him yell “Tr3yway” all week, the rapper’s security guard was charged with gang assault after he was shot during an altercation at a Manhattan restaurant when 6ix9ine was meeting a label executive. Now, police fear that things between 6ix9ine’s crew and the label he’s signed to might result in more blood being shed.
According to TMZ’s law enforcement sources, police are worried that things between 6ix9ine’s NY crew and Elliot Grainge’s California based label, 10k Projects, will escalate into a war between the east and west coasts after tensions reached a peak during last week’s shooting. This wasn’t the first time there’s been a confrontation between the two. Grainge’s team and 6ix9ine’s camp have had numerous disagreements on how the “STOOPID” artist should be managed.
While the police are worried about a “war” between the East Coast and West Coast, they said that it’s on a much smaller scale in comparison to the feud between Biggie and Pac’s in the 90s. However, police are still concerned that the shooting is just the beginning of the feud.
6ix9ine was meant to meet with Grainge last week for dinner in Manhattan after his sentencing. The rapper’s crew were turned away from the restaurant which sparked the altercation which resulted in 6ix9ine’s bodyguard getting shot.
The post Police Fear 6ix9ine Is In The Middle Of Escalating Beef appeared first on 24/7 Hip-Hop News - FOR THE CULTURE.
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The Walking Dead (Season 2): What Lies Ahead?
Frank Darabont, the man who directed The Shawshank Redemption and The Green Mile (films adapted from Stephen King novels), recently saw the first season of his zombie-filled and post-apocalyptic TV series, The Walking Dead, come to an abrupt end with an empty conclusion in December. Diehard fans like us want to know more about what will happen next to the few surviving souls. We really think the series has a lot more potential and Season 2 will most likely fulfill more of our horror craving. The saddest part so far was seeing Emma Bell turn into a zombie… Geez! She survived from severe frostbite and wolves in Adam Green’s Frozen (2010).
Check out what the cast and creators have to say on what’s coming up next on The Walking Dead (Season 2). Unfortunately, none of the writers are present in the video; apparently, Frank Darabont had to let them go after Episode 6, which is kinda strange since the series is nominated for “Best New Series” for the 2011 Writers Guild of America Awards.
What ever happened to Merle Dixon (Michael Rooker), the racist hillbilly who was left on the rooftop with a severed hand? Do you think he will appear in Season 2? Comments are open for discussion below.
Related Items: The Walking DeadvideoZombies
Jorge Masvidal Starches Ben Askren In Under 5 Seconds [ ...
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Hello, I’m David Thiel, writing from Champaign, Illinois. Thiel-a-Vision is my personal blog, through which I cover such topics as television, films, sci-fi, comics and toys, as well as whatever else catches my fancy. As such, it’s deliberately loose in focus and updated only as my time permits. I blog first and foremost for my own amusement and to practice my writing/web skills. If anyone else reads it, that’s cool. Welcome.
You may have noticed that there are no comments, forums or other feedback mechanisms. That’s by design. My job requires me to listen patiently to the thoughts and criticisms of others, no matter how wrongheaded I think they may be, so I like having a place where my opinion isn’t just the only one that matters, it’s the only one that exists. If you want to express your own, there’s a whole internet available for your use. That said, you’re certainly welcome to drop me a note. There’s a link to a guestbook in the top menu, and my e-mail address is displayed in the sidebar.
A Thiel family portrait: my wife Vicky, our (now deceased) cat Hobbes, and our daughter Elizabeth.
(Okay, really it’s an alien lizard baby prop from the TV show V. But I still call her Elizabeth.)
I was born July 27, 1964 in Gary, Indiana, USA, but I spent most of my first 21 years in nearby Hobart. (This did not make me happy.) I graduated from Hobart High School in 1982. In 1986, I received a Bachelor’s Degree in Telecommunications (TV/Radio/Film) from Ball State University in Muncie, Indiana–the same place that gave late-night talk show legend David Letterman his start.
Afterwards, I moved to Hollywood where I briefly interned at Stephen J. Cannell Productions, producers of The A-Team and other action TV series. I also worked as a production assistant on a pair of low-budget science-fiction films.
Returning to Indiana in 1987, I took a job as a master control operator at public broadcaster WYIN-TV in Merrillville. In 1989, I was hired as the traffic manager at WILL-TV in Urbana, Illinois. In 1997, I was promoted to program director, heading the programming department, managing an $800,000+ budget and responsible for screening/scheduling shows that are seen throughout East Central Illinois.
I met my wife Vicky through work; she was the traffic manager at nearby WTVP-TV in Peoria. We used to trade videotapes for broadcast on our respective stations. One thing led to another, and we were married on October 3, 1992. We live in Champaign, Illinois with two cats and no kids.
Our house as seen from spaaaaaace!
My hobbies include playing board games and Dungeons & Dragons. I love building Lego models, and have been collecting Star Wars toys since 1978.
The Inevitable Cat Photos
Left to right: Tigger, Hobbes and Cupid.
Cupid was our first cat. She got her name at the animal shelter, but given that she was born close to the day of our wedding, it seemed appropriate. She passed away after a brief illness in July 2007. Tigger came second. She was shy, but had a wonderful purr. Despite a history of illness, she proved quite resilient. She remained happy and mostly healthy until she died in October 2008. Tigger believed that she could hide from us atop the kitchen cabinets at pill-taking time. She was wrong.
We adopted Hobbes because Vicky had wanted a Maine Coon. A rare image of Hobbes in mid-flight. Hobbes passed away in February 2011. We still miss him very much.
Boomer joined us in March 2009. She was named after the Galactica character. Here she threatens the Starship Enterprise. We adopted Bixby in June 2011. He loves to play fetch. He also likes to “nurse,” though he seems to believe that milk can be found in the human armpit.
Celebrity Photo Gallery Radio Free David
“Lost” Gets Lost
Ripped From Tomorrow’s Headlines
31 Classic Doctor Who Monsters #22: The Zygons
An Elegant Solution
All The World’s Monsters
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I'm heartsick. And I feel like my voice has been too quiet in this world. And I need to get loud. Trump did not create this racism. Racism has always been there, maybe hanging somewhat in the dark, but mostly being around and subtly accepted for the fact that it. Has. NEVER. Stopped. People all around us have had to face the effects of racism every day of their lives.
I'm white. I have a white husband and white kids. I treat all whom I meet with the same amount of respect and care. I teach my children to do the same. This is not enough. It's not. Obviously, for the very fact that ... racism still exists. Along with bigotry, sexism, etc. It's all still here. BUT. Trump, through his appointed role as a leader, has given the go-ahead to the people who are part of the hate groups through his rhetoric, his tweets, his actions. He has given the idea a foothold outside of the murky under-layers of our society and it has come to the attention of everyone. Even those who have been complacent and thinking, "Well, things are getting better." And now everyone has the responsibility to stand up and say, "NO, this is not okay. This has to change."
(graphic found at: https:// xkcd.com/1357/)
But ... free speech .... Yeah, that. Well, in the US speech is protected. But guess what-- the words don't have to be tolerated. You can say whatever you want. People have the right to respond and react. Free speech does not mean free violence or free murder or free physical attacking. It doesn't. It's kind of like driving. I might have the right of way at the turn, but I can't just take it. If something or someone is blocking me, I can't just go and ram through it and justify my actions by saying the right was mine. Because there's this thing called society. And in order for a society to work, integrity and clear judgement need to prevail. We need to have rules and laws to provide guidance to the people who lack the empathy, understanding, and comprehension of basic humanity.
There is a difference between a group of people crying out to be heard, to be seen, as PEOPLE, and a group of people gathering to voice their opinion that certain people should be wiped out. Yes, this latest instance was purportedly about statues and erasing history-- I'll get to that. But what the people from these hate groups espouse is that there is a master race and death to the others is of no consequence. I know this. My family stems from Russian and Polish Jews. My father's side of the family was able to immigrate here between the the wars. My grandfather was alive because of this. He was a vet of WWII because of this. These people aren't trying to gather members just to preserve history. And onto that .... Remembering history is vitally important. Vitally. Remembering ALL of it, the horrors and the wonders. But would it be so awful to remember the horrors and visit the statuary that was created to memorialize it, by visiting it in museums? Would it be wrong to simply move them out of places of honor, so that memorials to hope and peace can be seen in daily passing? People won't forget the history because the statue is moved. It's not as if we erect statues of murderers and rapists and other countries' dictators and tyrants to remind us of what not to do or be ....
We can make this as simple a dialogue as we want or as difficult. But I won't stand for hate. I won't stand for violence. I won't stand for a man who is supposed to be a leader, but clearly feels no draw to protect the people who need protecting. The most vulnerable, the ones whose lives could be at stake simply for being who they are. It's not okay. It's not just. It's not what I stand for as an American.
Standing In the Light
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Seyed Hossein Mousavian سید حسین موسویان
Author / Seyed Hossein Mousavian سید حسین موسویان
Biographies available: فارسی English Deutsch
Ambassador Seyed Hossein Mousavian (Kaschan, 1957) is a Middle East Security and Nuclear Policy Specialist at the Program on Science and Global Security at Princeton University’s Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs. He is a former diplomat who served as Iran’s Ambassador to Germany (1990-1997), Head of the Foreign Relations Committee of Iran’s National Security Council (1997-2005), Spokesman for Iran in its nuclear negotiations with the international community (2003-2005), Foreign Policy Advisor to the Secretary of the Supreme National Security Council (2005-2007), Vice President of the Center for Strategic Research for International Affairs (2005-2009), General Director of Foreign Ministry for West Europe (1987-1990), Chief of Parliament Administration (1984-1986) and the editor in chief of the English-language international newspaper Tehran Times (1980-1990).
Mousavian is also the author of several publications, including Iran-Europe Relations: Challenges and Opportunities, Additional Protocol and Islamic Republic’s Strategy and Human Rights: Trends and Viewpoints. His book “The Iranian Nuclear Crisis: A Memoir” was published by Carnegie Endowment for International Peace in June 2012. His latest book, “Iran and the United States: An Insider’s view on the Failed Past and the Road to Peace” was published by Bloomsbury Publishers in May 2014.
Mousavian earned a PhD in international relations from the University of Kent in the U.K. He holds a master’s degree from the University of Tehran and studied his bachelor at the University of California, Sacramento.
URL: https://hosseinmousavian.com
URL of this page : http://www.tlaxcala-int.org/biographie.asp?ref_aut=3398&lg_pp=en
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WOMEN IN HISTORY - ALICE PAUL
The woman who rescued the woman suffrage movement (1910) and made sure women got the vote
Moorestown, New Jersey
Alice was the first-born child of William Mickle Paul and Tacie Parry Paul. William was a banker and businessman, serving as president of the Burlington County Trust Company. Alice had two brothers, William Jr. and Parry, and a sister, Helen. As Hixsite Quakers, the family believed in gender equality, education for women, and working for the betterment of society. Tacie often brought Alice to her women's suffrage meetings.
Alice attended the Friends School (Quaker) in Moorestown, graduating at the top of her class. She went on to Swarthmore (a Quaker college founded by her grandfather in 1901), at the age of 16, graduating with a Bachelor of Science degree in biology in 1905. While attending Swarthmore, her father contracted pneumonia and died suddenly. Through a College Settlement Association fellowship, Alice conducted graduate work at the New York School of Philanthropy (now Columbia University), then received a Master of Arts degree in sociology from the University of Pennsylvania in 1907. That fall, through a scholarship, she went to England where she studied at the Woodbrooke Settlement for Social Work, and studied social work at the University of Birmingham and the London School of Economics. Back in the U.S., Alice received a Ph.D. in sociology from the University of Pennsylvania in 1912. In 1922, she earned an LL.B. from the Washington College of Law, then earned an LL.M. from American University in 1927 and a Doctorate of Civil Law in 1928.
While in England, Alice met Emmeline Pankhurst, founder of the British suffrage movement, who advocated “taking the woman’s movement to the streets.” Alice participated in more radical protests for woman suffrage, including hunger strikes and even three prison terms. She met Lucy Burns in a London police station after being arrested in a suffrage demonstration at the entrance to Parliament. They participated in some demonstrations together; even getting arrested and jailed together. Alice also worked at the Dalston branch of the Charity Organization Society in London, then the Peel Institute of Social Work at Clerkenwell, and the Christian Social Union Settlement of Hoxton. She returned to the U.S. in January 1910. Lucy returned to Brooklyn in the summer of 1912. That fall, Alice and Lucy approached the National American Woman Suffrage Association (NAWSA), having decided to join forces toward a constitutional amendment by directly lobbying congressmen. They were allowed to take over the NAWSA Congressional Committee in Washington, D.C., but they had no office, no budget and few supporters. Alice was only 26 years old.
Drawing on her experiences in England, Alice organized the largest parade ever seen -- a spectacle unparalleled in the nation's political capitol -- on March 3, 1913, the eve of President Woodrow Wilson’s inauguration. About 8,000 college, professional, middle- and working-class women dressed in white suffragist costumes marched in units with banners and floats down Pennsylvania Avenue from the Capitol to the White House. The goal was to gather at the Daughters of the American Revolution's Constitution Hall. The crowd was estimated at half a million people, with many verbally harassing the marchers while police stood by. Troops finally had to be called to restore order and help the suffragists get to their destination -- it took six hours.
The parade generated more publicity than Alice could have hoped for. Newspapers carried articles for weeks, with politicians demanding investigations into police practices in Washington, and commentaries on the bystanders. The publicity opened the door for the Congressional Committee to lobby congressmen, and the president. On March 17, Alice and other suffragists met with President Wilson, who appeared mildly interested but feigned ignorance and said the time was not right yet. They met two more times that month. She organized another demonstration on April 7, opening day of the new Congress. Also in April, Alice established the Congressional Union for Woman Suffrage (CUWS), sanctioned by NAWSA and dedicated to achieving the federal amendment. By June, the Senate Committee on Women's Suffrage reported favorably on the amendment and senators prepared to debate the issue for the first time since 1887.
In 1914, the CUWS separated from NAWSA, mainly over financial issues but also because Alice and NAWSA leaders Anna Howard Shaw and Carrie Chapman Catt disagreed about the direction of the organization. Alice was focused on a federal constitutional amendment, whereas Shaw and Catt were working on state-by-state suffrage. Ultimately, both groups complemented each other: NAWSA's push to win suffrage in state elections meant federal politicians had a stake in keeping women voters happy, while the CUWS's more militant stance kept the suffrage issue at the forefront, nationally and politically.
In 1915, Alice founded the Woman's Party for women in western states who had the vote already. Then in late 1916, the CUWS and the Woman’s Party merged into the National Woman’s Party (NWP), under Alice's leadership. She called a halt to any more pleading for the right to vote -- instead, she mounted an even more militaristic political campaign demanding passage of the women's suffrage amendment, which she named the Susan B. Anthony Amendment.
At that point, the women's suffrage fight had already been going on for almost 70 years -- starting in 1848 with a Women's Rights Convention in Seneca Falls, New York. The first women's suffrage amendment was presented to Congress in 1878, and reintroduced every year for 40 years, but was never voted on. By 1917, however, support had grown and women were already voting in 12 western states. And in 1916, Jeanette Rankin of Montana was the first woman elected to Congress. But a national suffrage amendment was still no closer to passing.
The NWP staged more demonstrations, parades, mass meetings, picketing, suffrage watch fires, hunger strikes, press communications, and lobbying. It published a stylish Suffragist weekly paper, organizing women in the west who could vote. Their tactic was to hold the party in power (the Democrats) responsible for failure to pass the amendment -- and they urged women who could to vote against Democrats. NAWSA leaders condemned the policy, saying pro-suffrage politicians were in both parties. Suffragists released from prison, in prison uniforms, rode a "Prison Special" train, speaking throughout the country. Other women held automobile petition drives across the country.
Beginning January 10, 1917, the NWP began picketing the White House -- the first group in the U.S. to wage a nonviolent civil disobedience campaign. They became known as the Silent Sentinels, standing silently by the gates, carrying purple, white and gold banners saying "Mr. President, what will you do for suffrage?" and "Mr. President, how long must women wait for liberty?" The first day, 12 NWP members marched in a slow, square movement so passers-by could see the banners. Over the next 18 months, more than 1,000 women picketed, including Alice, day and night, winter and summer, every day except Sunday.
At first they were politely ignored, but then World War I began on April 6 and the picketers' signs became more pointed -- often using the president's quotes against him. One banner read: "Democracy Should Begin at Home." They asked, how could he fight to help disenfranchised people when he had disenfranchised people at home? They became an embarassment.
Spectators began assaulting the women verbally and physically -- while the police did nothing to protect them. Then in June, the police began arresting the picketers on charges of "obstructing traffic." First the charges were dropped, then the women were sentenced to a few days' jail terms. But the suffragists kept picketing, and the jail terms grew longer. Finally, to try to break their spirit, the police arrested Alice on October 20, 1917, and she was sentenced to seven months in prison. The banner she carried that day said:
"THE TIME HAS COME TO CONQUER OR SUBMIT, FOR US THERE CAN BE BUT ONE CHOICE. WE HAVE MADE IT." (President Wilson's words)
Alice was placed in solitary confinement for two weeks and immediately began a hunger strike. Unable to walk on her release from there, she was taken to the prison hospital. Others joined the hunger strike. "It was the strongest weapon left with which to continue ... our battle ...," she later said. Then the prison officials put Alice in the "psychopathic" ward, hoping to discredit her as insane. They deprived her of sleep -- she had an electric light, directed at her face, turned on briefly every hour, every night. And they continually threatened to transfer her to St. Elizabeth's Hospital, a notorious asylum in Washington, D.C., as suffering a "mania of persecution." But she still refused to eat. During the last week of her 22-day hunger strike, the doctors brutally forced a tube into her nose and down her throat, pouring liquids into her stomach, three times a day for three weeks. Despite the pain and illness this caused, Alice refused to end the hunger strike. One physician reported:
"[She has] a spirit like Joan of Arc, and it is useless to try to change it. She will die but she will never give up."
Hundreds of women were arrested, with 33 women convicted and thrown into Occoquan Workhouse (now the Lorton Correctional Complex). This was the first of actual violence perpetrated on women: forced feeding, rough handling, worm-infested food, and no contact with the outside world. Blankets were only washed once a year. The open toilets could only be flushed by a guard, who decided when to flush. Doris Stevens, one of the prisoners, later wrote in The Suffragist:
"No woman there will ever forget the shock and the hot resentment that rushed over her when she was told to undress before the entire company ... We silenced our impulse to resist this indignity, which grew more poignant as each woman nakedly walked across the great vacant space to the doorless shower ..."
Viginia Bovee, an officer at the Workhouse, stated in an affidavit after her discharge:
"The beans, hominy, rice, corn meal ... and cereal have all had worms in them. Sometimes the worms float to the top of the soup. Often they are found in the corn bread."
November 15, 1917, became known as the Night of Terror at the Workhouse:
"Under orders from W.H. Whittaker, superintendent of the Occoquan Workhouse, as many as forty guards with clubs went on a rampage, brutalizing thirty-three jailed suffragists. They beat Lucy Burns, chained her hands to the cell bars above her head, and left her there for the night. They hurled Dora Lewis into a dark cell, smashed her head against an iron bed, and knocked her out cold. Her cellmate, Alice Cosu, who believed Mrs. Lewis to be dead, suffered a heart attack. According to affidavits, other women were grabbed, dragged, beaten, choked, slammed, pinched, twisted, and kicked." [Barbara Leaming, Katherine Hepburn. New York: Crown Publishers, 1995. Page 182.]
Newspapers across the country ran articles about the suffragists' jail terms and forced feedings -- which angered many Americans and created more support. With mounting public pressure, the government released all the suffragists on November 27 and 28, 1917. Alice served five weeks. Later, the Washington, D.C., Court of Appeals overturned all the convictions.
Congress convened a week after the women were released, and the House set January 10 as the date to vote on the Susan B. Anthony Amendment. On January 9, 1918, President Wilson announced his support of the women's suffrage amendment. The next day, the House of Representatives narrowly passed the amendment (274-136). The Senate didn't vote until October, and it failed by two votes. From January through October, the NWP kept pressure on the politicians with front-page news -- burning President Wilson's speeches at public monuments, and burning "watchfires" in front of the White House, Senate and other federal sites. Hundreds more women were arrested, conducting hunger strikes while incarcerated. The NWP urged women voters and male supporters to vote against anti-suffrage senators up for election that fall.
The 1918 election left Congress with mostly pro-suffrage members. The House reaffirmed its vote (304-89). On June 4, 1919, the Senate passed the amendment by one vote. On August 26, 1920, the last state (of 36 states needed) to ratify it was Tennessee. Women voted for the first time in the 1920 presidential election -- including Florence Harding, the next First Lady. The fight took 72 years -- spanning two centuries, 18 presidencies, and three wars.
On February 15, 1921 (Susan B. Anthony's birthday), a statue commissioned by Alice and the NWP was placed in the Rotunda of the Capitol. Sculpted in Carrara, Italy, the statue depicted Lucretia Mott followed by Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Susan B. Anthony, with the unfinished portion in back representing women leaders to come. It stayed in the Rotunda for two days, then was relegated to the crypt of the Capitol. To this day, it is the only national monument to the women's movement.
In 1922, Alice went on to study law at the Washington College of Law. She still had unfinished business, to "remove all remaining forms of the subjection of women." The following year, she introduced the first Equal Rights Amendment: "Men and women shall have equal rights throughout the United States and every place subject to its jurisdiction." She continued to re-introduce the ERA for many years -- finally getting it through Congress in 1970. But the ERA failed to win ratification from enough states within the specific time limit, and it failed. Alice went on to receive a Master’s and Doctorate legal degrees from American University (Washington, D.C.) in 1927 and 1928.
In the late 1920s, Alice broadened NWP's activities internationally; then founded the World Woman's Party (WWP) in 1938, later renamed the World Woman's Party for Equal Rights, and headquartered in Geneva, Switzerland. Through this group, particularly from 1938 through 1953, Alice worked closely with the League of Nations and later with the United Nations, trying to achieve equality and the rights of women around the world. The WWP was responsible for establishing the U.N. Commission on the Status of Women in 1946.
When World War II broke out, in September 1939 in Europe, the WWP headquarters became a refuge for people escaping the Nazi terror. The group and Alice also helped them find American sponsors, get passports and travel safely to the U.S. However, in the spring of 1941, with Nazi restrictions imposed, the WWP relocated to Washington, D.C. Alice said that if women had helped to end the first World War, the second one would not have been necessary.
From the mid-1950s on, Alice re-focused on women's issues in the U.S., trying to have prohibition of sex discrimination included in the pending civil rights bill. She was not successful until the next decade. At 79 years of age, Alice ran the NWP's lobbying campaign to add a sex discrimination category to Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. The NWP was the only women's organization to fight for this inclusion.
Alice never married, committing herself to a life of causes. When she returned to the U.S. in 1941, she lived with her sister Helen, after that she lived with activist Elsie Hill, her closest friend. After Elsie died in the late 1960s, Alice lived alone in reduced circumstances in the Alta Craig Nursing Home in Ridgefield, Connecticut. But she still protested in rallies for women's rights and against the Vietnam War -- while in her 80s.
A woman named Alice Muller, who had met Alice through the WWP and had stayed with her family at the Swiss headquarters through Alice's help, found out about her mentor and friend living in Connecticut. She had her attorney son contact a Quaker judge in New Jersey about looking into providing assistance. Alice was moved to the Greenleaf Extension Home in Moorestown, New Jersey -- an institution her family had endowed many years earlier. The Mullers visited her there. In 1974, she suffered a stroke that left her disabled. On July 9, 1977, Alice died of heart failure. She was 92 years old.
Still active, the NWP continues to fight for ratification of the ERA and other women's rights issues. On June 26, 1997 -- after 75 years, a Congressional Resolution, and $75,000 raised by the National Museum of Women's History -- the statue of the suffrage leaders was returned to the Rotunda of the U.S. Capitol.
Commire, Anne, editor. Women in World History: A Biographical Encyclopedia. Waterford, Conn.: Yorkin Publications, 1999-2000.
Evans, Sara M. Born for Liberty. The Free Press: Macmillan, N.Y. 1989.
Gallagher, Robert S. "'I Was Arrested Of Course...': An Interview with Miss Alice Paul," in American Heritage. Vol. 25. February 1974. Pages 16-24, 92-94.
Irwin, Inez Hayes. The Story of Alice Paul and the National Woman’s Party. Denlinger’s Pub., LTD: Fairfax,VA. 1977.
Irwin, Inez Hayes. Up Hill With Banners Flying. The National Woman's Party: Washington, D.C. 1964.
Lunardini, Christine A. From Equal Suffrage to Equal Rights: Alice Paul and the National Woman's Party, 1910-1928. New York University Press: NY. 1986.
Reed, Phyllis J. and Bernard L. Witlieb. The Books of Women’s Firsts. Random House. 1992.
Scott, Anne Firor and Andrew MacKay Scott. One Half the People: The Fight for Woman Suffrage. Lippincott: Philadelphia, PA. 1975.
Wheeler, Marjorie Spruill, editor. One Woman, One Vote: Rediscovering the Woman Suffrage Movement. NewSage Press: Troutdale, OR. 1995.
The Alice Paul Institute
Alice Paul's Fight For Suffrage -- PBSKids: WayBack. Stand Up For Your Rights. Features: Women and the Vote
Alice Paul -- Encyclopedia Britannica: Women in American History
Suffragist Alice Paul in the Spotlight -- Miami Herald
Suffragists Oral History Project -- Full Transcript of Interviews with Alice Paul, 1972-73. The Bancroft Library: U.C. Berkeley, Regional Oral History Department
Alice Paul -- American Association of University Women: Women's History Spotlight
Alice Paul -- About.com Women's History
National Woman's Party -- Also headquarters for the Sewall-Belmont House & Museum (of women's history)
National Woman's Party Papers -- LexisNexis, Academic & Library Solutions
"Each of us puts in a little stone and then you get a great mosaic at the end." ~ Alice Paul
Women in History. Alice Paul biography. Last Updated: 2/23/2013. Women In History Ohio.
<http://www.womeninhistoryohio.com/alice-paul.html>
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"You have mosquitoes. I have the Press."
-Prince Phillip
Queen Elizabeth of England is a familiar sight, matronly and dignified. She has, as I wrote a while back, lasted through 12 presidents of the US and is such an establishment in England she practically represents the country - as she ought, as its technical monarch.
The queen is so dignified, classy, and honorable in public you get the impression you could take her to any event and she'd know exactly how to act, treat everyone, and respond to put everyone at ease yet still be regal and above it all. How she is in person is anybody's guess, I doubt she's quite that controlled at all times.
Her husband, on the other hand, is another story. Prince Phillip just never been the kind to control his speech and will say what he's thinking without bothering to catch himself. Some people find him ghastly and boorish, I think he's hilarious. Here are a few samples of his statements over the years courtesy the Independant.
"Ghastly." Prince Philip's opinion of Beijing, during a 1986 tour of China.
"Deaf? If you're near there, no wonder you are deaf." Said to a group of deaf children standing near a Caribbean steel drum band in 2000.
"British women can't cook." Winning the hearts of the Scottish Women's Institute in 1961.
"We don't come here for our health. We can think of other ways of enjoying ourselves." During a trip to Canada in 1976.
"Damn fool question!" To BBC journalist Caroline Wyatt at a banquet at the Elysée Palace after she asked Queen Elizabeth if she was enjoying her stay in Paris in 2006.
"How do you keep the natives off the booze long enough to pass the test?" Asked of a Scottish driving instructor in 1995.
"You managed not to get eaten then?" To a British student who had trekked in Papua New Guinea, during an official visit in 1998.
"I would like to go to Russia very much – although the bastards murdered half my family." In 1967, asked if he would like to visit the Soviet Union.
"A pissometer?" The Prince sees the renames the piezometer water gauge demonstrated by Australian farmer Steve Filelti in 2000.
"People think there's a rigid class system here, but dukes have even been known to marry chorus girls. Some have even married Americans." In 2000.
"Ah, so this is feminist corner then." Joining a group of female Labour MPs, who were wearing name badges reading "Ms", at a Buckingham Palace drinks party in 2000.
And finally, "Dontopedalogy is the science of opening your mouth and putting your foot in it, a science which I have practiced for a good many years." Address to the General Dental Council, quoted in Time in 1960.
The Independant has 90 such quotes, all hilarious to one degree or another, even if some take a bit of understanding of British culture. People consider him shocking and awful, but really he's just not politically correct and doesn't think much before talking. He's the sort of upper crust British gentleman that is rare these days, the kind that thinks anything but mashed potatoes and roast beef is some kind of "foreign kickshaw" and doesn't trust anyone who is from anywhere but England, and preferably the really good parts.
Sure, he's easy to make fun of and he says goofy stuff that offends people sometimes. Sure he's terrible as a head of state where diplomacy and dignity are supreme - particularly as a royal. But he's funny and I really don't care. And at ninety you've pretty much earned the right to say anything you want to anyone you want.
Prince Charles seems to have inherited his father's ill-considered way of talking and thinking, but he's so steeped in idiotic PC and leftist tripe that he's the other side of the pole. Just as quick to talk without thinking, just as mindlessly set in his ways, but from the opposite side politically - which tends to be significantly less humorless.
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CONCORD BUILDING
Filed under Architecture + Interior Design, Main. Bookmark the permalink. Post a comment.
At the center of the Midtown area is Maple Crossing and an 84-year-old building named The Concord. Situated at the northwest corner of 38th and Illinois streets, the 10,000 square-foot building has been the talk of the neighborhood for years.
In its past, The Concord was home to a cigar shop, drug store, ice cream shop, restaurant, and “a place to buy Cherry Cokes for 10 cents,” says a long-time resident.
The building was once a destination that residents loved and and patronized. Until Midtown Indy purchased the building in 2016, it had been largely vacant for more than two decades leaving the two-story space neglected and in need of restoration. Midtown Indy acquired the building to return it back to the people it used to serve — its neighbors. A series of listening sessions open to the public were organized to find out what the community needed and wanted to see happen in the space.
Since the building has been under renovation, passersby have come in and shared what they want to see next. The priorities identified by the community include the provision of basic groceries through a winter farmers market and/or the establishment of a concept grocer. Additionally, it was suggested to host a series of community-based supportive events such as a neighborhood museum or a competition-style program that supports local entrepreneurship.
Midtown Indy’s revitalization intent is in line with community’s requests and the building’s name — to bring concord and harmony back to an historic building and the communities it serves. The collaborative effort to restore the building is catalytic to the collective vision for the heart of Midtown at Maple Crossing.
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w/purpose imagined a temporary yet highly public outdoor installation that combines two of their offices favorite elements – light and motion. Our …
Newer: TURNING POINT MASTER PLAN →
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Getting It Right: Hugo Chávez and the “Arab Spring”
admin Apr 15, 2013 Foundations, Humanitarian Agencies, Imperialist Wars/Occupations, Non-Profit Industrial Complex, The War on Libya - There Was No Evidence, USAID, Whiteness & Aversive Racism
by Maximilian Forte
“The new Libya has apparently placed racist atrocity in the pantheon of “human rights.” All those who wash their mouths with terms like “genocide prevention” have apparently left the room. With a new Libya come new spelling conventions: the correct way to spell “oppression” is now liberation. What part of this Arab Spring do you support?”
Some opening vignettes might set the right tone for properly appreciating the question of “who was right” about the so-called Arab Spring. (The notion of there having been an “Arab Spring,” a term first coined by U.S. neoconservatives such as Charles Krauthammer back in 2005, is one that has been subject to radically diverse interpretations, from marking in generic terms some sort of struggle for “freedom” and “democracy” [as if there is only one kind of democracy], to views of a covertly directed process of U.S. political intervention, and direct military intervention. Nonetheless, this article is aimed at those who, even now, are still enchanted with the positive aura of the Arab Spring idea.) As usual, my focus will be on Libya.
The Arab Spring: It’s a Good Thing
Rejected: Bernard-Henri Lévy. France’s Bernard-Henri Lévy, or BHL, who some claim is a “philosopher,” was one of the loudest and most active proponents of Western military intervention in Libya from the start, and served as a key adviser if not a personal motivator to then French President Nicolas Sarkozy. We “saved Benghazi,” he proclaimed. Guess who is now a persona non grata in the wonderfully new and free Libya that he proudly boasted of aiding in its liberation? Why it’s BHL. He is no longer welcome. Why? For being a Jew. BHL picked a side without even pausing to take note that his “freedom fighters” were painting Benghazi with graffiti depicting Gaddafi as being a Jew (at least in part over some rumour that his grandmother was Jewish), featuring him with the Star of David on his body. Among diplomats, international aid workers, journalists and business travelers, “save Benghazi” has now become “save yourself from Benghazi.” Who got the Arab Spring wrong?
Freedom, Democracy and Human Rights in the “New Libya.” How can we begin to describe Libya after it has been refreshed by the sweet breezes of the Arab Spring, after being liberated by a movement (or whatever) that no decent and right-minded person should ever dare to criticize? Perhaps we can refer to Libya’s religious freedom, with Egyptian Copts being detained and tortured. This followed gunmen attacking an Egyptian Coptic church in Benghazi. Or we could add some balance here, and talk about the continual attacks against Libya’s Sufi Muslims. There is even more good news, as Libyan women in schools face threats and beatings. It’s not just Libyan women who have won new respect, it is also these female British aid workers who were abducted and raped. Then there is press freedom, such a central goal for anyone claiming to seek civil liberties and freedom from dictatorship: “a large group of unidentified men stormed the headquarters of Al-Assema TV, a private news channel in Tripoli, and abducted four men, including the owner of the station Jumaa Al-Usta, the former Executive Director Nabil Al-Shibani and journalists Mohammad Al-Houni and Mahmoud Al-Sharkassi.” In the new Libya, persons displaced by war are fully respected as in the case of “serious and ongoing human rights violations against inhabitants of the town of Tawergha, who are widely viewed as having supported Muammar Gaddafi. The forced displacement of roughly 40,000 people, arbitrary detentions, torture, and killings are widespread, systematic, and sufficiently organized to be crimes against humanity and should be condemned by the United Nations Security Council.” The new Libya has apparently placed racist atrocity in the pantheon of “human rights.” All those who wash their mouths with terms like “genocide prevention” have apparently left the room. With a new Libya come new spelling conventions: the correct way to spell “oppression” is now liberation. What part of this Arab Spring do you support?
“No shame and no gratitude in lawless Libya.” The commentary in the Sunday Mail (2012/3/5) is especially caustic, in ways that were previously reserved for speaking about Gaddafi, but now with some remorse: “The cemetery had remained inviolate through all the long years of enmity between Britain and the Gaddafi regime. But things are different in the new Libya.” Then the paper’s editors proceeded to draw several “uncomfortable conclusions”—again, too late—such as: “Libya after the fall of Gaddafi is a lawless and ungovernable place where horrible actions can be done with impunity by those who have enough guns. The second is that there is no gratitude among many of those we have helped. The third is that those who warned that we did not know–or care enough–who we were aiding have now been vindicated in the most spectacular and gruesome way….our leaders, and our media, should cease to be so simple-mindedly enthusiastic about endorsing every revolutionary movement that appears in the Arab world. Tyrants are bad, but their opponents are not necessarily any better.” Again, who was wrong about the Arab Spring?
Selfless givers of freedom. The people on the “right side of history” (a Eurocentric trope that refuses to go away wherever ignorance is near) have been found to have engaged in humanitarian exploitation, or perhaps if you prefer commercial humanism. It turns out that the Canadian government of Stephen Harper “launched an all-out commercial offensive a full month before the 2011 war in Libya had ended to ensure ‘a return on our engagement and investment,’ newly released documents show.” You may still be undecided about who got the Arab Spring right, but there is no doubt who eyed the Arab “cha-ching!“
With just these few glimpses, one has to ask: how could it possibly be a source of anything other than proud vindication to have been on the “wrong side” of the Arab Spring? But there is a second assertion: that Hugo Chávez was not just on the wrong side of the Arab Spring, but that he also lost support and credibility because of it, and that he is resented for the positions he took.
Chávez “Lost Support” Over the Arab Spring? Arguments Against Evidence
In reply to the last issue, a wide range of news media rushed to take the opportunity of the death of Hugo Chávez to carelessly assert (or insert) that despite any (or many) of his achievements, he will always be remembered as having been wrong about the Arab Spring, thus leaving a bitter taste in the mouths of “many people” in the Middle East. Chávez’s Middle East reputation has thus been irreparably tarnished, resulting in a loss of supporters. Let’s glance at some examples:
Owen Jones, writing in Britain’s The Independent what is otherwise a strong overview of Chávez’s many achievements, adds this criticism:
“And then there is the matter of some of Chavez’s unpleasant foreign associations. Although his closest allies were his fellow democratically elected left-of-centre governments in Latin America – nearly all of whom passionately defended Chavez from foreign criticism – he also supported brutal dictators in Iran, Libya and Syria. It has certainly sullied his reputation.”
Leaving aside the simplistic resort to calling people “brutal dictators,” in the style of George W. Bush and his successor, producing the kind of meaningless pop-polisci marking the flat world depicted by the mainstream media, Jones should have answered a simple question. Chávez sullied his reputation among which crowd? Jones may speak for you, but he does not speak for me, nor does he speak for many others I know. Stating a subjective interpretation of some, as if it were a universal and objective fact, is just sloppy reasoning.
Meanwhile, France24 was completely convinced beyond any doubt that Chávez “ended up tarnishing his reputation in the region when the Arab Spring erupted in 2011,” for supporting Gaddafi and Assad. After all, they have the word of one single source, a political scientist in Paris. Journalism and evidence have apparently been through an extremely ugly divorce–they refuse to just talk to each other in public even as a mere formality.
Danny Postel, Associate Director of the Center for Middle East Studies at the University of Denver’s Josef Korbel School of International Studies, complains in Salon that there is not enough honesty in leftist appraisals of Chávez’s record about the way that he coddled “tyrants.” Once more, he takes his own interpretation as the sole one based in objective fact, and indeed, as synonymous with fact. With reference to Libya, try to find where we see proof that Chávez was wrong in backing Gaddafi:
he spoke out emphatically in support of Muammar Qaddafi and Bashar Assad. Chávez had been chummy with the Libyan leader before the 2011 uprising against him: in 2009 he regaled Qaddafi with a replica of Simón Bolívar’s sword and awarded him the same ‘Order of the Liberator’ medal he’d bestowed on Ahmadinejad. “What Símon Bolívar is to the Venezuelan people,” Chávez declared, “Qaddafi is to the Libyan people.” As the Libyan revolt grew and Qaddafi went on a rampage of slaughter, Chávez was one of a handful of world leaders who stood by him: “[W]e do support the government of Libya.”
All we read is that “Gaddafi went on a rampage of slaughter”–as if he was fighting harmless children with their paper airplanes. Once again, absolute silence on the issue of how those fought by Gaddafi were in many cases violent Islamic reactionaries that had many times before engaged in violence against his government, and that in even more cases the anti-Gaddafi opposition targeted and murdered scores of innocent black Libyans and African migrant workers during its so-called democratic uprising. This supposedly “critical” and “nuanced” left really needs to begin addressing its own racist blind spots, if these writers from Europe and North America expect to ever again be taken seriously in Latin America. Worse yet is when Postel advances as evidence this example of absurd hyperbole, that completely destroys any credibility he might have had–it was meant to be evidence for the thesis that Chávez’s position has been politically costly and embarrassing for his leftwing allies in governments across Latin America…and note that here too not a grain of evidence is presented to support the claim. The reason is simple: the claim is false.
However, it is not just European and North American writers who write similar accusations of Chávez. They might have been easier to ignore had they not been joined by a thin elite of Middle Eastern writers who have added a patina of “Arab legitimacy” to such denunciations.
Thus writing for Al-Monitor, Ali Hashem states at the end of his article:
“Prior to the Arab Spring, it was the pro-West liberalists who did not care for him. After the uprising, however, many of those who had chanted Chavez’s name changed their minds. His support for Gadhafi and Assad after they turned their weaponry on their people divided public opinion about him. Chavez viewed the uprisings as part of an imperialist plan to overthrow anti-American leaders in the region. Arab revolutionists accused him of ignoring the pain of those who had once admired him and invoked his name. To them, he became yet another arrogant leader who chose his interests and the tyrants’ over the people’s.”
“Many.” “Them.” “Divided public opinion.” Until the end of this paragraph, Hashem is simply casting random insinuations without indicating which people, where, and how many (and how he learns of this), really nothing about those who viewed Chávez in these now disapproving terms. Even at the end, all we have is a vague reference to “Arab revolutionists.” Given what these Arab revolutionists have wrought in Libya–which is a very far cry from any socialist, democratic, and independent republic, one has to ask: why should Chávez have even cared about their opinion? Did he ever curry favour with Washington-supported reactionaries and racists who overthrew one of the Arab World’s few secular and socialist governments? One could imagine taking seriously that Chávez offended likeminded supporters–but these were never among them to begin with.
Unsurprisingly, an article by Eman el-Shenawi in the newspaper of the Saudi monarchy, Al Arabiya, wrote with considerable yet unintended irony about Chávez’s support for Gaddafi (reducing analysis to named personalities and not issues). The same author should try writing some critical statements about how his Saudi employers are viewed in Bahrain, where the Saudis and other Gulf states actively and directly participated in the suppression of popular protests…part of an “Arab Spring” the Saudi-funded media pretend had never occurred.
Also unsurprising is that another paper published by a despotic Gulf State, GulfNews and its writer Layelle Saad, can assert that, “Many Arabs lost respect for the Venezuelan leader after he backed despots during Arab uprisings.” Saad, unlike even a pretend journalist, then concludes: “Many Arabs have grown to detest the leader who began to see his double-standards on issues of humanitarian concern. It is doubtful his death will be mourned in the Arab world today.” His double-standards…unlike those of the Gulf Cooperation Council on Bahrain. The “revolution” in Libya was an investment for the Gulf States–Chávez represented a threat to their interests in acquiring control over Libya, and they resent Chávez for that. I doubt their opinions would either surprise or concern Chávez, they were never his friends or allies.
Marking a transition toward more positive appraisals of Chávez in Middle Eastern reporting, Albawaba in “Middle East pines for ‘Arab’ hero Chavez,” drops in a line asserting: “his backing of dictatorial leaders from Muammar Qaddafi of Libya, Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and Iran’s regime of Ayatollah saw his popularity dwindling during the Arab Spring.” Yet again, no evidence, no opinion polls or other surveys, nothing except that you take this paper at its word. How does this writer know that Chávez’s popularity was dwindling? It’s a quantitative statement–so quantify it.
In the United Arab Emirates’ The National, Abdelhafid Ezzouitni compiled a digest of opinions in the newspapers of the region. Assuming that it is in any way a representative sample, the repudiation of Chávez’s support for Gaddafi and Assad and any suggestion that he lost the support of public opinion in the Middle East, is actually in the minority. Only one example offers a negative view of Chávez’s support for Gaddafi.
As for losing support among allies, Global Post instead notes that Chávez continued to receive the strong support from those whose support he cultivated, such as the government of Syria. The Daily Star of Lebanon again refers us to those in the region who actually supported Chávez to begin with–which is the logical starting point for any argument that Chávez had lost support among friends:
Palestinians in Gaza and the West Bank were united in grief on Thursday over the death of Venezuela’s Hugo Chavez, whose untiring support for their cause saw him make blistering attacks on Israel. The 58-year-old Venezuelan president, who died on Tuesday after a nearly two-year struggle with cancer, was hugely popular with the Palestinians for his outspoken support for their plight. “This is a great loss for us,” president Mahmud Abbas said during a condolence call to the Venezuelan representative’s office in Ramallah.
NBC News reported that in Iran support for Chávez also continued past his death, and past the “Arab Spring.”
When it comes to searching for any actual evidence on which opinions are ideally based, one finds little or nothing to support the claim that Chávez “lost support” in the Middle East for his refusal to jump on the humanitarian interventionist bandwagon, spearheaded by NATO and the U.S. State Department. After all, he cannot have lost any support that he did not have to begin with.
Chávez’s Anti-Imperialist Knowledge
In anthropology, when students are trained in fieldwork methods, and what we read about doing ethnographic field research, special emphasis is placed on key informants: those with advanced and accumulated knowledge of their own culture and who can thus serve as valuable guides for outsiders seeking a deeper understanding of their culture. Typically such key informants would be elders, chiefs, shamans, and so forth.
In the Latin American context, some leaders have acquired advanced and accumulated knowledge of U.S. imperialism, both through time spent in (in)direct confrontation with it, and through personal experience. This is the case of Daniel Ortega in Nicaragua, who in the 1980s led the Sandinista government as it fought off CIA-funded counterrevolutionaries and had to deal with various CIA and other U.S. plots, such as the mining of Nicaragua’s harbors and backing local media and opposition groups. Daniel Ortega leads Nicaragua once again, and stood firmly in support of the government of Muammar Gaddafi. Ortega knows something about how U.S. imperialism works.
Cuba’s Fidel Castro is a survivor, on many levels. Fidel survived over 600 foreign assassination attempts, including some outlandish CIA plots that had they not been confirmed would have made anyone referring to them seem like a mad conspiracy theorist. Cuba was invaded by forces backed by the U.S. under John F. Kennedy, and has endured decades of destabilization attempts. If Fidel is an expert on anything, and he is an expert on a great deal, it is U.S. imperialism and how it works. Both Ortega and Castro denounced intervention in Libya, showed no foolish enchantment with Gaddafi’s opposition, and indicated their support for the government of Libya.
Thus we come to Hugo Chávez too, long demonized by Washington, surviving a coup that was backed by the U.S., and presiding over a Venezuela that saw the U.S. Embassy actively involved in political intervention. As just one example among many, one U.S. Embassy cable detailed its plans (and actual steps taken) in U.S. covert intervention in Venezuela, including these aims: “1) Strengthening Democratic Institutions, 2) Penetrating Chavez’ Political Base, 3) Dividing Chavismo, 4) Protecting Vital US business, and 5) Isolating Chavez internationally.” Some of the key U.S. agencies pursuing these aims were USAID’s Office of Transition Initiatives, and so-called NGOs such as Development Alternatives International (DAI), Freedom House, and CIVICUS. After witnessing what was done in Venezuela, it was only reasonable–and proven to be quite justified–for Chávez to be more than skeptical of “spontaneous” street protests that received the immediate support of Western powers who themselves threaten almost instant military intervention.
Like many other conscious Latin Americans, students of Latin America’s history since independence from Spain, Hugo Chávez was well acquainted with the nearly 200 years of U.S. intervention in the affairs of Latin American states, and is much better positioned to speak on these issues with considerably more expertise than many of his Middle Eastern counterparts, or some North American or European commentators whose main claim to fame is that they have a blog. Unfortunately, when it comes to U.S. imperialism, a great many critical Latin Americans know exactly what they are talking about, as much as Al Jazeera and Al Arabiya may wish to pretend otherwise.
The point is that individuals such as Chávez were well “trained” to recognize patterns, to piece together different bits of information, to critically scrutinize events on the ground in the context of past actions and proclamations, and to place seemingly random events into a coherent picture. In the case of Libya, Chávez was correct that the U.S. sought the first opportunity to intervene militarily, and he rightly opposed that, and was consistent about it from the start. Chavez was correct even when those who ought to have known better asserted that the U.S. was not going to intervene in Libya. Chávez made his principles and objectives very clear from the start and throughout his tours of North Africa and the Middle East: that Venezuela would not stand for the continued intervention of U.S. imperialism, that it would instead stand by those targeted by it, and that it would do what it could to support the Palestinian cause, and that it would seek to build an alternative alliance of nations that stood for long-valued principles of self-determination, non-intervention in state’s internal affairs, and the quest for social and economic justice.
SLOUCHING TOWARDS SIRTE: NATO’S WAR ON LIBYA AND AFRICA
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http://www.barakabooks.com/contact-us/
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Tag Archives: Maryland
45: “Fire” b/w “If This Is Wrong” by Robert Gordon w/ Link Wray. Private Stock 45203. Recorded in New York City, 1978.
Born in 1947, Robert Gordon spent his Bethesda, Maryland childhood devoted to Elvis Presley, Gene Vincent, Eddie Cochran, and other rock and roll pioneers. The sixties were spent ignoring the British Invasion bands and focusing on soul singers like James Brown and Otis Redding. After his stint in the National Guard, Robert moved to New York City.
By the mid-70’s, Robert was singing in the Tuff Darts, a punk band that, like the Ramones and Johnny Thunders, had a deep love for 50’s rock. Here’s “All For the Love of Rock and Roll.”
Producer Richard Gotterher was impressed with Robert’s voice and invited him to do a solo recording, suggesting that he work with Link Wray. Robert was probably thrilled at the idea of working with an early rock hero like Link.
You don’t know Link Wray? Sure, you do. You’ve heard his music. Listen to this.
Right? One of the most famous rock instrumentals ever. Jimmy Page is a big fan.
Private Stock Records released Robert Gordon with Link Wray in 1977. It featured some Wray originals and some well-chosen covers, like this faithful take on Billy Lee Riley’s 1958 hit “Red Hot.”
Tagged All For the Love of Rock and Roll, Bethesda, Billy Lee Riley, Bruce springsteen, Chris Spedding, Conway Twitty, Elvis Presley, Fire, If It's Wrong, Jimmy Page, Johnny Thunders, Link Wray, Marshall Crenshaw, Maryland, New York City, Private Stock, RCA, Robert Gordon, Someday Someway, The Jordanaires, The Pointer Sisters, The Ramones, Tiger Man, Tuff Darts
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You are currently browsing the tag archive for the ‘Catholic Church’ tag.
#202 Interview With The Vampire by Anne Rice
January 8, 2011 in Book, Fiction, Gay themes, History, Horror, Murder, Review, Supernatural | Tags: Anne Rice, Bram Stoker, Catholic Church, confession, French Revolution, Henry Irving, Interview With The Vampire, Lestat, Louisiana, New Orleans, religious themes, slavery, The Vampire Chronicles, vampires | 8 comments
“And you did get into the coffin?”
“I had no choice. I begged Lestat to let me stay in the closet, but he laughed, astonished.”
Confession time folks. It’s my birthday in ….ooh, six hours. So my wife and I treated ourselves to a nice bottle of Verdelho mid-way through my reading of this book. I am slightly tipsy.
That being said, I think I’m in the perfect position to review this book. It is, after all, a bit dull.
Sorry this review seems to have started early. Let me take a moment to explain the plot.
Louis is the son of a wealthy French family, with a Louisiana plantation near New Orleans to his name. He feels bowed down by guilt after spurning his younger brother’s religious visions, compelling the family to sell their property in America and return to France to fight the revolutionary scourge of anti-monarchist atheists. When his brother dies mysteriously, Louis refuses to reveal to his mother and sister that madness was the cause of his death. He confesses this to a priest, who blithely dismisses his brother’s religious ecstacy as the result of possession by the devil.
This leaves Louis primed for seduction by the vampire Lestat. Callous, profligate and in need of property, the vampire chooses him in order to gain access to his wealth and status. While Lestat has the appearance of a man of style, he has no head for money. Louis, in effect, once transformed into a vampire becomes manager of his sire’s financial affairs, investing the monies stolen from his victims astutely to provide for them. Immortality has its own challenges, such as a ready access to capital.
Eventually he begins to tire of Lestat’s vain and selfish behaviour, and seeks to go his own way. The two vampires become rivals, with the latter deciding to transform a five-year old girl into a proxy daughter for their undead family.
“I want a child tonight. I am like a mother…I want a child!”
Claudia becomes a companion to Louis, encouraging him to investigate the origins of vampires. They travel to Europe, discovering only haggard revenants, with the secret of a vampire retaining any semblance of a conscious self seemingly an accident of Lestat’s invention. Until, that is, they come to Paris and find the famous Théâtre des Vampires.
I am sorry to say I did not enjoy the experience of reading this book at all. It is incredibly frustrating. At times Rice‘s plot fascinates – Louis’ ruminations on damnation inform an interesting perspective on religious faith; his relationship with Lestat is reminiscent of Bram Stoker’s tortured association with Henry Irving – only for these passages to give way to interminable ramblings on the pain and suffering of life as a vampire. It is not even internally consistent. Rice establishes that the undead are perfect beings, preserved in time having expelled any human functions upon the moment of conversion. Then there is a passage when Louis is described “defying the sweat which had broken from every pore”.
Of course I have not mentioned the ‘interview’, of the title. Louis, it turns out, has approached a young man, referred to throughout as a ‘boy’, to record his testimony as to his existence as a vampire. With the religious subtext of the book, this interview comes to resemble a secular confession. One of the highpoints of the novel is Louis’ confrontation with a priest. Disillusioned after years of living in fear of damnation, he finds himself standing in a church, gazing at the marbled statues of saints and heavenly powers. Suddenly he realizes the pomp and decadence of the Catholic Church and takes out his frustration on the priest present. It’s a rare moment of passion in amongst the mumbled misery and depression of this novel, a sign of how powerful Rice’s themes could be if applied properly.
As for Lestat, the hero of a number of Rice novels, he appears to be nothing more than a vain, vulgar and impudent child. I have no desire to read another book describing his adventures.
A sad disappointment overall, frustrating and for the most part, quite boring.
#105 The Celibate by Michael Arditti
October 3, 2010 in Book, Criticism, Fiction, Gay themes, History, Murder, Post-Modern, Romance, Satire | Tags: 1665, AIDS, Cardinal Tarciscio, Catholic Church, child abuse, Derek Jarman, HIV, homosexual priests, homosexuality, incest, Jack the Ripper, Lot, Margaret Thatcher, Michael Arditti, Noah, Saint Sebastian, Sebastiane, The Celibate, The Great Plague, The New Statesman, The Passion, The Vatican, Victorian era, Whitechapel murders, William Gladstone | 2 comments
I deplore the far too easy analogy between the traditional role of the priest and the current role of the therapist. It can only be made by people who clearly know very little of your profession and less than nothing of mine. You may assuage a troubled mind, but you offer no solace to the soul.
The Catholic Church is facing a losing battle with public opinion these days. The horrific revelations of child sex abuse that have increased in recent years were only made more horrifying with the discovery that the Vatican has made it policy to cover up allegations of abuse in lieu of investigating and prosecuting the crimes. This year Cardinal Tarciscio Bertone went even further and laid the blame on homosexual priests, in effect excusing the Church itself of any responsibility. A long-standing antagonistic relationship exists between the Catholic Church and the gay community, one that has led to the ironical claiming of Christian martyrs as gay icons, such as Saint Sebastian. Even the masochistic imagery of the Passion has itself become confused by sexual ambiguity and it is this blurred line between martyrdom and repressed sexuality that author Michael Arditti explores with his first novel.
Each chapter of The Celibate opens with a continuing narration by an erudite tour guide to a group of astonished tourists. We then flit from, in the first half of the novel, a discussion of the Whitechapel murders by the figure popularly known as Jack The Ripper, to a second narration, that of a troubled young man who has been ordered to undergo therapy. Slowly it becomes clear that the tour guide and the young man, an ordinand in the Anglo-Catholic Church, are one and the same. The therapy sessions are entirely one-sided, with the trainee priest’s life story unfolding almost unprompted, as to his increasing frustration, the therapist never speaks.
He describes how his calling was quite a unique one. As the son of an English Jew it seemed odd to many that he would choose to become a priest, but he feels compelled to study the Catholic faith and make it his own. At the seminary he befriends – and from the beginning we are given to understand was betrayed by – another student named Jonathan, who is fiercely passionate and politically active. The narrator at one point mentions that his one-time friend expounded from the pulpit that the Church’s ban of homosexuality is actually a distraction from the breaking of the more serious taboo of incest in the Bible by figures such as Noah and Lot.
The sudden seizure upon the altar which leads to the narrator’s suspension from his studies results in him working alongside more secular charities for a time. While there he discovers something of his old missionary zeal in trying to help London rent boys. He compares himself to William Gladstone, which in turn reflects the narration by his future self of the attitude towards prostitutes held by the Victorian era. Slowly his religious resolve begins to weaken and he discovers that he has been hiding his true nature from himself, something that the rent boys and pimps he meets are quick to guess at. Can someone believe in a Christian god represented on this Earth by a homophobic church and be gay at the same time?
This book is divided into two sections, each bookended with a different opening tour by our nameless guide. The first compares the hypocrisy of the Victorian era with its condemnation of ‘fallen women’, (allowing for a double-victimisation at the hands of the Whitechapel murderer), to the rampant homophobia of the Church and its refusal of mercy to homosexuals. The second examines the parallels between the plague of 1665 and the present-day AIDS epidemic, with bigotry and intolerance increasing the risk to sufferers of both.
As Arditti has chosen the device of having this character engage in ongoing monologues, via his tour guide patter and therapist confessional, we are privy only to his thoughts throughout. Scholarly discussions of the history of Christianity meet a reserved naivety of a man hiding from himself. As such the reader comes to know this nameless protagonist better than he knows himself – and by extension, we come to understand the dilemma of many priests who are called to betray themselves.
This is a stunning, yet disturbing debut novel. Sex and spirituality are twinned, the bigotry of the Thatcherite era equated with Victorian hypocrisy. A powerfully moving book.
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Women’s Basketball Falls To Bishop O’Dowd in NCS Semifinals
By Acalanes Blueprint on March 5, 2015 • ( Leave a comment )
By Tommy Fellner
The Acalanes Women’s Basketball team, the 3 seed in the NCS playoffs, lost to Bishop O’Dowd, the 2 seed by a score of 70-39 at Laney College in Oakland this wednesday night.
Both teams came out fired up and intense in the semifinal matchup, but it was the Dragons that employed their superior physical talent and athleticism that outmatched the Lady Dons’ fundamentals. Early on, O’Dowd overran the Lady Dons and dominated them on the glass, normally something Acalanes does unto other teams.
The Dragons also were a force on defense and got the Lady Dons to settle for tough shots and then keep them from getting the rebound and eliminating the opportunity for any second chance points. The Lady Dons still managed to scrape together a few buckets, but they were clearly at a disadvantage. By the end of the first quarter, Acalanes found themselves in a 23-10 hole.
In the second, O’Dowd put the pedal to the metal and rammed the Lady Dons into the ground. Acalanes was struggling to keep up in the first and the Dragons continued to push the ball up the court and wear out the Lady Dons.
This strategy was very successful and a strung out Acalanes squad put up even fewer points than they had scored in the first quarter. Meanwhile, the Dragons began to catch fire on offense and were drilling shots from seemingly anywhere on the court. Heading into halftime, the Lady Dons were down by 25, with the score reading Bishop O’Dowd 43 Acalanes 18.
In the second half, the Dragons maintained their lead and Acalanes failed to put up a run to tighten the gap between the two teams. Towards the end however, Acalanes begun to finally break down the strong Dragon defense and put up 21 points in the second half while holding the Dragons to 36 points, a 10 point difference from the first half. Brooke Panfili led the scoring column for the Lady Dons with 13 points. Junior Julia Lyons added nine points, two assists and two steals for the Lady Dons.
Although this loss ends Acalanes’ NCS run, the women’s team still has much to look forward to with the state playoffs looming right around the corner. The Lady Dons have their expectations set high and have a very good chance at making a deep run in the state playoffs.
Tagged as: NCS, Tommy Fellner, Women's Basketball
Threat at Miramonte Defused
Women’s Lacrosse Loses Home Opener To Monte Vista
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How To: Play Keith Urban's "But for the Grace of God"
In this song tutorial, you'll learn how to play the introduction to Keith Urban's "By the Grace of God," on the acoustic guitar. While this tutorial is best suited for intermediate and advanced guitarists, players of all skill levels can play along. Watch this lesson to get started playing "By the Grace of God" on your guitar!
How To: Play Beethoven's "Für Elise" on the acoustic guitar
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How To: Play "Stupid Boy" by Keith Urban on guitar
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How To: Play "Kiss A Girl" by Keith Urban on acoustic guitar
How To: Play Amazing Grace on the Recorder with your nose
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How To: Play "Never Too Late" by 3 Days Grace
How To: Play "Amazing Grace" on the ukulele
How To: Play the "Amazing Grace" hymn on a six-hole flute
How To: Play "Saving Grace" by Pete Murray on acoustic guitar
How To: Play "God Put A Smile On Your Face" on guitar
How To: Play the "Amazing Grace" hymn on a piano or keyboard
How To: Play "Dear God" by Avenged Sevenfold on guitar
How To: Play ornaments on the piano
How To: Play "Need You Now" by Lady Antebellum on guitar with Dave Haywood
How To: Play "Amazing Grace" on the piano for beginners
How To: Play the Beach Boys' "God Only Knows" on guitar
How To: Play "Amazing Grace" on piano with 3 chords
How To: Play the C7 chord on the acoustic guitar
How To: Play "Satisfaction" by the Rolling Stones on the electric guitar
How To: Play "Flying Purple People Eater" on the ukelele
How To: Play "God Save our Queen " on the B flat flute
How To: Learn advanced rock guitar exercises
How To: Pray the Hail Mary
How To: Play "Not an Addict" by K's Choice on acoustic guitar
How To: Find all the items in Mount Olympus in God of War 3
How To: Play rock'n'roll organ
How To: Play Hank, Jr's "A Country Boy Can Survive" on guitar
How To: Play "Ma Tovu" on the lyre
How To: Play drum and bass beats like Questlove from The Roots
How To: Create a Nancy Grace makeup look
How To: Beat the challenges of the gods on God of War 2
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The American Rally for Personal Rights
See you in Chicago!
American Rally for Personal Rights:
May 26 Grant Park Chicago
We believe in the rights to life, liberty, and personal security for ourselves and our children.
Grant Park, Downtown Chicago
www.americanpersonalrightsrally.org
www.americanpersonalrights.org
We demand the universal human rights standard of informed consent for all medical interventions. Compulsory vaccination cannot be legally and morally justified.
We affirm...the sanctity of personal space the right to be left alone, and the freedom to make personal health care decisions guided by the professionals of our choosing.
We invite all people, families and organizations committed to protecting these fundamental rights to stand with us in downtown Chicago on May 26, 2010 at our inaugural rally, and to work with us after the event to support grassroots advocacy, education, and leadership in defense of our personal – individual, legal, moral, religious, civil, and human -- rights.
The American Personal Rights Rally coincides with Autism One and Generation Rescue's conference, Autism Redefined, May 24th through May 30, 2010 at the Westin O'Hare in Chicago. Please visit the Autism One site devoted to conference information.
Posted by Ginger Taylor at Tuesday, February 16, 2010 4 comments: Links to this post
Anatomy of a Witch Hunt
Much has happened in the last few weeks surrounding Andrew Wakefield, and I have not been available to write about it. It has been truly frustrating to see this story reported as if the GMC hearing was legit and The Lancet as if it was a respectable and unbiased publication, rather than the dog fight between corporate interests and safety advocates that it actually is. Was the fact that 21 autism organizations in the US and UK filed perjury charges against the head of the Lancet for lying about Wakefield's disclosures of his conflicts in the GMC hearing not relevant to the fact that the Lancet retracted Wakefield's article the following week? Apparently the press didn't think so.
Also fascinating that they have tried to portray Wakefield as the guy that invented the autism/vaccine connection, despite the fact that Leo Kanner reported that one of his first 11 cases in the 1940's was a regression following a smallpox vaccine, the VCIP has been paying autism cases for 25 years, and I first heard about the connection in my undergrad psych program in 1988 at George Mason University, so that they can use this GMC hearing to declare the vaccine controversy over. (I have forty or so studies on my "no evidence of any link" page supporting the vaccine/autism connection and I have never even had Wakefield's MMR paper up there.
Fortunately AOA has been all over this.
Today I had an hour and started mapping out the conflicts on interests in all of the forces that are posing as unbiased sources and trashing Wakefield and his work by charging him with conflicts of interest. The irony is lost on too many people.
It is a work in progress. One of my friends in the UK is looking it over to help fill in more of the blanks, so it will be updated.
A few notes not on the chart. Judge Nigel Davis is the judge who ruled that families trying to sue GlaxoSmithKline for the damage done to their children by the MMR would not be given legal aid to do so, ending MMR litigation in the UK. His brother is Sir Crispin Davis, who was the CEO of Elsevier, publisher of The Lancet and was also on the board of GlaxoSmithKline. Additionally... Paul Offit is an industry spokes person for Merck, that was too long to fit into the chart, so I used the more pejorative, "lap dog". And there is word out this afternoon that another Elsevier journal may be trying to bury the Hep B monkey study that Wakefield worked on, although no word from the journal on this yet.
Look at the energy flow in this thing... Props to Dr. Wakefield and his compadres for not backing down under this insane amount of industrial pressure. I mean just look at this billion dollar medical/pharma/media/(arms sales?) unprincipled conglomco machine! Eliot Ness wasn't even up against this big of a beast when he took on the mob. And I have not even included any of the public health infrastructure, or the GMC in this flow chart.
Keep your head up England, and understand that you are under a blitz. They are now officially throwing everything they have at you and they are only exposing their own corruption. Never, never, never, never give up.
Problem for the beast is... they are using all their ammo, and six months from now, nothing will have changed for them. Because the public knows they are full of crap.
click to see it full size.
A friend in the UK brought something interesting to my attention. It is a flow chart done by a journalist in 1994 on how money and influence flowed around the Burroughs Wellcome pharmaceutical company and all it's satellites (foundations, trusts, doctors, medical institutions, universities, medical journals and even regulatory agencies). One of which is the Wellcome Trust.
I invite to you take a look at the amazingly, unbiased and completely free of conflicts of interesty type research that Wellcome is funding, by reading my piece on Professor Alan Emond's study that shows that kids with autism don't have bowel problems. He claims no conflicts of interest, but fails to mention that he is on the UK's Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (Britian's version of the CDC's Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices.)
The chart certainly enhances the understanding of how the machine works, but the two facts that make this flow chart so much more interesting is that Burroughs Wellcome of course became Glaxo Wellcome, which became GlaxoSmithKline, who makes the MMR; and that the journalist that created this chart was Brian Deer.
UPDATE: One commenter was looking for a source for my 20 billion dollar figure.
Drugmakers, Doctors Rake in Billions Battling H1N1 Flu
Swine Flu Is Bad for Victims, But Good for Businesses That Cater to Expanding Market
By DALIA FAHMY
ABC News/Money
Americans are still debating whether to roll up their sleeves for a swine flu shot, but companies have already figured it out: vaccines are good for business.
h1n1.
Drug companies have sold $1.5 billion worth of swine flu shots, in addition to the $1 billion for seasonal flu they booked earlier this year. These inoculations are part of a much wider and rapidly growing $20 billion global vaccine market.
"The vaccine market is booming," says Bruce Carlson, spokesperson at market research firm Kalorama, which publishes an annual survey of the vaccine industry. "It's an enormous growth area for pharmaceuticals at a time when other areas are not doing so well," he says, noting that the pipeline for more traditional blockbuster drugs such as Lipitor and Nexium has thinned.
As always with pandemic flus, taxpayers are footing the $1.5 billion check for the 250 million swine flu vaccines that the government has ordered so far and will be distributing free to doctors, pharmacies and schools. In addition, Congress has set aside more than $10 billion this year to research flu viruses, monitor H1N1's progress and educate the public about prevention.
Drugmakers pocket most of the revenues from flu sales, with Sanofi-Pasteur, Glaxo Smith Kline and Novartis cornering most of the market.
But some say it's not just drugmakers who stand to benefit. Doctors collect copayments for special office visits to inject shots, and there have been assertions that these doctors actually profit handsomely from these vaccinations.
It is a notion that Dr. Lori Heim, president of the American Academy of Family Practitioners, says is simply not true.
"According to most of the physicians I have talked to, the administration of these vaccines is done for the community's benefit as opposed to anything that helps profit," she says. Heim adds that even though doctors will not have to shell out for the H1N1 vaccine, they will bear the usual costs associated with storage and administering the shots.
"There is an administration fee, for the costs that you can't get reimbursed through Medicare or Medicaid," she says. "This is usually less than, or right at the break-even point."
Still, pharmacies also charge co-payments or full price of about $25 to those without insurance and often make more money if patients end up shopping for other goods.
"Flu shots present a good opportunity to bring new customers into our stores," says Cassie Richardson, spokesperson for SUPERVALU, one of the country's largest supermarket chains. Drawing customers to the back of a store, where pharmacies are often located, offers retailers a chance to pitch products that might otherwise go unnoticed.
Even companies outside of the medical industry are benefiting: the UPS division that delivers vaccines in specially designed containers, for example, has seen a bump in business.
New Entrants in Flu Shot Business
The intensifying competition has irked some doctors.
"Retailers and other non-medical professionals have siphoned off the passive income that once helped to cover medical overhead," says Dr. Caroline Abruzese, an internist in Atlanta. "The larger retail chains can invest up front in large volumes of vaccine at low prices, and market to customers already in their stores."
The promise of profits has attracted new players into the business. Some of the world's largest drugmakers, who in the past avoided the vaccine market because of its limited scope -- its not easy to convince healthy adults to get a shot for measles -- are now jumping into the fray.
Last month alone saw three large vaccine deals. Abbott Labs bought a Belgian drug business, along with its flu vaccine facilities, for $6.6 billion. Johnson & Johnson invested $444 million in a Dutch biotech firm that makes and develops flu vaccines. Merck, which already makes vaccines for shingles and other diseases, struck a deal to distribute flu shots made by Australian CSL.
Smaller biotechs are also angling for a slice of the action, making vaccines one of the fastest-growing areas of research in the biotech industry.
Large and small drugmakers are drawn to the business largely because of scientific advances that promise to radically expand the range of health problems that vaccines can address. In addition to preventing childhood diseases such as measles and polio, vaccines can now also ward off cervical cancer, and researchers are working on vaccines for HIV and tuberculosis.
Scientists believe they can create therapeutic vaccines than treat diseases such as Alzheimers and diabetes after they have set in. (At least one company is betting on a vaccine that helps cigarette smokers quit.)
"These innovations broaden the market potential for vaccine makers and partly explained the renewed interest by drugmakers," says Anthony Cox, a professor at Indiana University's Kelley School of Business who specializes in the marketing of medical products.
But Mark Grayson, a spokesperson for the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America, which represents the country's leading pharmaceutical research and biotechnology companies, says that drugmakers are also compelled by the government to join efforts to ensure that there is enough vaccine to go around.
"Because of national security implications, the government felt that they needed to encourage and ask [vaccine manufacturers] to move much quicker," he says. Grayson adds that vaccine manufacturers also face significant costs; aside from the expense of fitting a new vaccine into a tight production schedule, drugmakers GlaxoSmithKline and Sanofi Pasteur were forced to acquire new vaccine production facilities in recent years to keep up with demand.
Alternatives to Vaccines Are Few
While this promise of new treatments for painful diseases brings hope to many, vaccines continue to attract critics. The National Vaccine Information Center, a non-profit advocacy group, is at the forefront of a movement demanding that vaccines be tested more thoroughly before hitting the market. Although there has been little evidence to support their claim, detractors -- including the comedian Jim Carrey -- believe that vaccines are at least partly to blame for the sharp rise in autism in recent decades.
The swine flu vaccine has also attracted its share of critics. Frank Lipman, a New York-based doctor who specializes in a mix of Western and alternative medicine, points out that the swine flu is rarely fatal and that it's too early to tell if it's safe because it hasn't been widely tested.
Others argue that Americans have little choice. The cost of a widespread pandemic, similar to Spanish Flu outbreak in 1918, which killed 675,000 Americans (and 50 million worldwide), would be devastating. The Trust for America's Health, a Washington-based non-profit organization, estimates that a severe pandemic could push down GDP by more than 5 percent and cost Americans $683 billion.
"We're not seeing a pandemic that's this severe," says Jeff Levi, director of Trust for Americas Health. "We've dodged a lot of bullets."
Posted by Ginger Taylor at Friday, February 12, 2010 43 comments: Links to this post
Labels: Andrew Wakefield, Fox News, Glaxo, James Murdoch, Merck, MMR, NewsCorp, Paul Offit, Wellcome Trust
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The Adaptation Fund
The Adaptation Fund has been established under the Kyoto Protocol in order to finance the full cost of country-driven concrete adaptation projects and programmes that reduce the harmful effect of climate change, which state, region and communities within them have been confronted.
Short Background on the Adaptation Fund
Time Bar
Funding Mechanism
Key Documents of the AF
The Adaptation Fund has been established under the Kyoto Protocol in order to finance the full cost of country- driven concrete adaptation projects and programmes that reduce the harmful effect of climate change, which state, region and communities within them have been confronted.
It was officially set up in 2007, although it was established in 2001 at the 7th Conference of the Parties (COP7) to the UNFCCC in Marrakech, Morocco. One year later in 2008 the legal framework of the Fund was established when its key documents were adopted at the climate summit in Poznan, Poland (COP14). At Poznan, the Parties agreed that the AF should begin to operate as soon as possible as well as decided to give its Board legal status.
The AF has several unique features to do with the way it is owned, funded and governed.
2016: At COP 22 in Marrakesh, the Conference of the Parties serving as the meeting of the Parties to the Paris Agreement (CMA) decided that "the Adaptation Fund should serve the Paris Agreement” following subsequent decisions to be taken at COP24 in 2018. This is a significant step towards the Fund serving the Paris Agreement.
2015: COP 21 in Paris recognized that "the Adaptation Fund may serve the Paris Agreement", subject to relevant decisions by the Conference of the Parties serving as the meeting of the Parties to the Kyoto Protocol (CMP) and the Conference of the Parties serving as the Meeting of the Parties to the Paris Agreement (CMA).
2013: The Adaptation Fund became the first climate fund to sign up to the International Aid Transparency Initiative (IATI) Standard. Furthermore, the AF decided to develop the Fund’s own Environmental and Social Safeguard Policy, envisioned to be finalized by the last AFB meeting in 2013. As of September 2013, 29 projects have been approved.
2011/2012: In January, the first AF funded project in Senegal has been launched. By March 2012, overall 18 projects have been approved and eleven National Implementing Entities have been accredited.
2011: During the latest meeting the AFB approved for funding projects from Ecuador, Eritrea, Solomon Islands.
2010: The AF became fully operational. It has since then accredited three National Implementing Entities (NIE) and six Multilateral Implemening Entities. It had also approved funding for four projects: Senegal, Honduras, Nicaragua, Pakistan.
2009: AFB makes considerable progress in developing an institutional mechanism which allows direct access to funds, establishing legal capacity and taking steps to set up fiduciary standards.
2008: The guidelines and rules for the work of the fund as proposed by the AFB were adopted by the conference of parities in Poznan (Poland). Also there, it was decided to confer the AFB a legal capacity of the Fund with regard of the direct access approach.
2007: the Parties to the Kyoto Protocol agreed on the institutional arrangements of the Adaptation Fund (AF) at COP17 in Bali (Indonesia). The Adaptation Fund Board has been set up under the authority of, and is accountable to, the Meeting of the Parties to the Kyoto Protocol.
2001: Establishment of the AF under the Kyoto-Protocol in Marrakesh (Morocco)
The Adaptation Fund enables for the first time in climate finance that developing countries can have direct access to its resources. This is what developing countries have been asking for many years, and represents a break with the traditional model of development aid. The direct access approach aims at simplifying and accelerating the way by which the Fund disburses its resources to the eligible developing countries. The Adaptation Fund Board offers developing countries two access options:
a) direct access via National Implementing Entities (NIEs) in that country,
or (b) via Multilateral Implementing Entities (MIEs), such as national offices of the UN Development Programme or regional banks.
In both cases the chosen implementing entities have to meet criteria and fiduciary standards set by the Board in order to be accredited as an implementing entity
The Adaptation Fund is is supervised and managed by the Adaptation Fund Board (AFB), which works under the authority of, and accountable to, the Conference of Parties serving as the meeting of the Parties to Kyoto Protokol. It is managed by the AFB supported by the GEF providing the secretariat service and the World Bank acting as the Trustee. Both institutional arrangements are on interim basis.
The AFB consist of 16 members and 16 alternates: Non-Annex I countries, Least Developed Countries (LDCs), Small Island Developing States (SIDS), and regional constituencies. All decisions should be taken by consensus, if a consens can not be reached a two third of the Board member is required to have a quorum.
The AFB usually meets four times a year every three months (mostly in Bonn), during which the Board deals with policies and guidelines of the fund as well as considers project proposals for funding. Now the German government has conferred the Adaptation Fund a legal capacity, which allows the fund to enter into contract with its implementing entities.
The UN-AF is the first Fund which is supplied by an international income source which originates from an internationally agreed climate policy framework. It is quasi-auto financed from the 2% share of proceeds on emission reductions issued under the Clean Development Mechanism project activity. The Fund’'s Trustee is in charge of the monetization of the CERs received by the Fund according to the the guidelines developed by the World Bank, which has beenapproved by the Fund's Board.
The inaugural sale of Certified Emission Reductions (CERs) for the Adaptation Fund took place in May 2009. Since then, the World Bank has sold 8.2 million CER Tons, generating $139.1 million. By the end of 2012 total potential resources from CER monetization is expected to be around USD 350 million. Other funding sources include donations from Annex 1 countries, which amounted to ca. USD 80 million as of December 2010.
Focus on the most vulnerable communities
Furthermore the Adaptation Fund set strategic priorities, which stipulates that "by developing project and programmes a special attention should be given to the most vulnerable in developing countries". This is a kind of qualification in order to ensure the sustainability of the project throughout the implementation phase and beyond. It should ensure that the resources has been challenging to serve those who are most in need, without jeopardising the undoubted principle that adaptation priorities need to be identified within the countries and not from outside.
The Adaptation Fund is fully operational and has started to finance project and programme in developing countries. Project proposals are usually put on the AF website several weeks before they are discussed at AFB meetings. In order to allow the public to provide comments on these projects, a specific website facility has been set up at the website of each project.
Germanwatch has developed an Adaptation Fund Project Tracker which provides information on each project considered by the AFB. It is regularly being updated.
>> Adaptation Fund Project Tracker
Key Documents by the AF:
>> Adaptation Fund Handbook
>> Adaptation Fund Brochure
>> Operational Policies and Guidelines for Parties to access Resources from the Adaptation Fund
Key CMP/ CP Documents:
>> The key decisions by the Conference of the Parties to the Kyoto Protocol (CMP)
Website: Adaptation Fund
Adaptation Fund Website
Adaptation Fund on the UNFCC Website
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Filters: Author is B. R. Miller [Clear All Filters]
Vollmer, M. K., D. Young, C. M. Trudinger, J. Mühle, S. Henne, M. Rigby, S. Park, S. Li, M. Guillevic, B. Mitrevski et al. "Atmospheric histories and emissions of chlorofluorocarbons CFC-13 (CClF3), ΣCFC-114 (C2Cl2F4), and CFC-115 (C2ClF5)." Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics 18 (2018): 979-1002.
Prinn, R. G., R. F. Weiss, J. Arduini, T. Arnold, H. L. DeWitt, P. J. Fraser, A. L. Ganesan, J. Gasore, C. M. Harth, O. Hermansen et al. "History of chemically and radiatively important atmospheric gases from the Advanced Global Atmospheric Gases Experiment (AGAGE)." Earth System Science Data 10 (2018): 985-1018.
Trudinger, C. M., P. J. Fraser, D. M. Etheridge, W. T. Sturges, M. K. Vollmer, M. Rigby, P. Martinerie, J. Mühle, D. R. Worton, P. B. Krummel et al. "Atmospheric abundance and global emissions of perfluorocarbons CF4, C2F6 and C3F8 since 1800 inferred from ice core, firn, air archive and in situ measurements." Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics 16 (2016): 11733-11754.
Vollmer, M. K., J. Mühle, C. M. Trudinger, M. Rigby, S. A. Montzka, C. M. Harth, B. R. Miller, S. Henne, P. B. Krummel, B. Hall et al. "Atmospheric histories and global emissions of halons H-1211 (CBrClF2), H-1301 (CBrF3), and H-2402 (CBrF2CBrF2)." Journal of Geophysical Research: Atmospheres 121 (2016): 3663-3686.
Simmonds, P. G., M. Rigby, A. J. Manning, M. F. Lunt, S. J. O’Doherty, A. McCulloch, P. J. Fraser, S. Henne, M. K. Vollmer, J. Mühle et al. "Global and regional emissions estimates of 1,1-difluoroethane (HFC-152a, CH3CHF2) from in situ and air archive observations." Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics 16 (2016): 365-382.
Chirkov, M., G. P. Stiller, A. Laeng, S. Kellmann, T. von Clarmann, C. Boone, J. W. Elkins, A. Engel, N. Glatthor, U. Grabowski et al. "Global HCFC-22 measurements with MIPAS: retrieval, validation, global distribution and its evolution over 2005–2012." Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics 16, no. 5 (2016): 3345-3368.
Chipperfield, M. P., Q. Liang, M. Rigby, R. Hossaini, S. A. Montzka, S. Dhomse, W. Feng, R. G. Prinn, R. F. Weiss, C. M. Harth et al. "Model Sensitivity Studies of the Decrease in Atmospheric Carbon Tetrachloride." Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics 16 (2016): 15741-15754.
Graziosi, F., J. Arduini, F. Furlani, U. Giostra, L. J. M. Kuijpers, S. A. Montzka, B. R. Miller, S. J. O’Doherty, A. Stohl, P. Bonasoni et al. "European emissions of HCFC-22 based on eleven years of high frequency atmospheric measurements and a Bayesian inversion method." Atmospheric Environment 112 (2015): 196-207.
Chirkov, M., G. P. Stiller, A. Laeng, S. Kellmann, T. von Clarmann, C. Boone, J. W. Elkins, A. Engel, N. Glatthor, U. Grabowski et al. "Global HCFC-22 measurements with MIPAS: retrieval, validation, climatologies and trends." Atmos. Chem. Phys. Discuss. 15, no. 10 (2015): 14783-14841.
Saikawa, E., M. Rigby, R. G. Prinn, S. A. Montzka, B. R. Miller, L. J. M. Kuijpers, P. J. Fraser, M. K. Vollmer, T. Saito, Y. Yokouchi et al. "Corrigendum to "Global and regional emission estimates for HCFC-22", Atmos. Chem. Phys., 12, 10033–10050, 2012." Atmos. Chem. Phys. 14, no. 10 (2014): 4857-4858.
Fraser, P. J., P. B. Krummel, P. L. Steele, C. M. Trudinger, D. M. Etheridge, N. Derek, S. J. O’Doherty, P. G. Simmonds, B. R. Miller, J. Mühle et al. "Equivalent effective stratospheric chlorine from Cape Grim Air Archive, Antarctic firn and AGAGE global measurements of ozone depleting substances." Baseline Atmospheric Program (Australia) 2009-2010 (2014): 17-23.
Xiang, B., P. K. Patra, S. A. Montzka, S. M. Miller, J. W. Elkins, F. L. Moore, E. L. Atlas, B. R. Miller, R. F. Weiss, R. G. Prinn et al. "Global emissions of refrigerants HCFC-22 and HFC-134a: Unforeseen seasonal contributions." Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences 111, no. 49 (2014): 17379-17384.
Patra, P. K., M. Krol, S. A. Montzka, T. Arnold, E. L. Atlas, B. R. Lintner, B. B. Stephens, B. Xiang, J. W. Elkins, P. J. Fraser et al. "Observational evidence for interhemispheric hydroxyl-radical parity." Nature 513, no. 7517 (2014): 219-223.
Rigby, M., R. G. Prinn, S. J. O’Doherty, B. R. Miller, D. J. Ivy, J. Mühle, C. M. Harth, P. K. Salameh, T. Arnold, R. F. Weiss et al. "Recent and future trends in synthetic greenhouse gas radiative forcing." Geophysical Research Letters 41, no. 7 (2014): 2013GL059099.
Saikawa, E., M. Rigby, R. G. Prinn, S. A. Montzka, B. R. Miller, L. J. M. Kuijpers, P. J. Fraser, M. K. Vollmer, T. Saito, Y. Yokouchi et al. "Global and regional emission estimates for HCFC-22." Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics 12, no. 21 (2012): 10033-10050.
Vollmer, M. K., B. R. Miller, M. Rigby, S. Reimann, J. Mühle, P. B. Krummel, S. J. O’Doherty, J. Kim, T. S. Rhee, R. F. Weiss et al. "Atmospheric histories and global emissions of the anthropogenic hydrofluorocarbons HFC-365mfc, HFC-245fa, HFC-227ea, and HFC-236fa." Journal of Geophysical Research: Atmospheres 116, no. D8 (2011): D08304.
Xiao, X., R. G. Prinn, P. J. Fraser, R. F. Weiss, P. G. Simmonds, S. J. O’Doherty, B. R. Miller, P. K. Salameh, C. M. Harth, P. B. Krummel et al. "Atmospheric three-dimensional inverse modeling of regional industrial emissions and global oceanic uptake of carbon tetrachloride." Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics 10, no. 21 (2010): 10421-10434.
Rigby, M., J. Mühle, B. R. Miller, R. G. Prinn, P. B. Krummel, P. L. Steele, P. J. Fraser, P. K. Salameh, C. M. Harth, R. F. Weiss et al. "History of atmospheric SF6 from 1973 to 2008." Atmos. Chem. Phys. 10, no. 21 (2010): 10305-10320.
Xiao, X., R. G. Prinn, P. J. Fraser, P. G. Simmonds, R. F. Weiss, S. J. O’Doherty, B. R. Miller, P. K. Salameh, C. M. Harth, P. B. Krummel et al. "Optimal estimation of the surface fluxes of methyl chloride using a 3-D global chemical transport model." Atmos. Chem. Phys. 10, no. 12 (2010): 5515-5533.
O’Doherty, S. J., D. M. Cunnold, B. R. Miller, J. Mühle, A. McCulloch, P. G. Simmonds, A. J. Manning, S. Reimann, M. K. Vollmer, B. R. Greally et al. "Global and regional emissions of HFC-125 (CHF2CF3) from in situ and air archive atmospheric observations at AGAGE and SOGE observatories." Journal of Geophysical Research: Atmospheres 114, no. D23 (2009): D23304.
Mühle, J., J. Huang, R. F. Weiss, R. G. Prinn, B. R. Miller, P. K. Salameh, C. M. Harth, P. J. Fraser, L. W. Porter, B. R. Greally et al. "Sulfuryl fluoride in the global atmosphere." Journal of Geophysical Research: Atmospheres 114, no. D5 (2009): D05306.
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http://tinyurl.com/y2t8qjl8
Ahval
Reactions to indictment of 16 over Gezi Park protests
The Istanbul 30th Criminal Court’s accepted the prosecution’s indictment charging 16 people with trying to bring down the Turkish government in the 2013 Gezi Park protests on Monday afternoon.
Within hours, social media users and news sites poring over the details had shared their initial reactions on some of the remarkable assertions in the 657-page document.
The 16 defendants are accused of planning and organising the protests, which began as a small-scale demonstration against plans to demolish a city-centre park, in an attempt to “force the government to resign or call early elections” and, failing that, “to prepare the grounds for a civil war or coup”.
The prosecutor is seeking aggravated life sentences for the 16 defendants, including businessman and philanthropist Osman Kavala, journalist Can Dündar, actors Memet Ali Alabora and Pınar Alabora, and Mücella Yapıcı, city planner Tayfun Kahraman, and lawyer Can Atalay.
The list of plaintiffs, meanwhile, includes the entire cabinet of the 61st government of Turkey, which ruled the country at the time of the protests, as well as President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, who led the Justice and Development Party government at the time as prime minister.
Prosecutors have followed Erdoğan’s lead by alleging that Hungarian businessman George Soros was behind the protests, which the indictment says took place with the involvement of Soros’s Open Society Foundation. Hakan Altınay and Gökçe Yılmaz, former directors of the foundation, are among the defendants.
“The person (Kavala) who financed terrorists during the Gezi incidents is already in prison. And who is behind him? The famous Hungarian Jew Soros. This is a man who assigns people to divide nations and shatter them. He has so much money and this is how he spends it,” Erdoğan said last November.
The indictment echoed Erdoğan’s words, stating that since Soros’s influence on the Gezi Park protests had been “widely discussed in the press and in political and academic circles, it is understood that (Soros) was active in the Gezi Uprising as he was in uprisings in other countries.”
The prosecutors added that OTPOR, a Serbian organisation described in the indictment as “professional exporters of revolution”, had come to Turkey with funding from “the West” to incite the protests.
As Turkish journalist Nevşin Mengü noted, OTPOR was originally formed in the late 1990s to protest the authoritarian rule of former President of Yugoslavia Slobodan Milošević, who died in 2006 while on trial at the Hague for crimes against humanity including genocide.
At one point, Turkish secularist news site Diken’s Kemal Göktaş noted, the indictment goes out of its way to praise the Arab Spring protests that swept across the Middle East starting in 2011 as a “people’s movement.”
The Gezi Park protests, on the other hand, are likened to demonstrations that preceded the coup d’etat against former Turkish Prime Minister Adnan Menderes in 1960.
The indictment says the protests planned according to the ideas set out by Gene Sharp, a theorist of non-violent resistance who died last year, Turkish-Armenian news site Agos reported.
In fact, it specifically cites the non-violent manner of the protests as a part of the criminal plan, referencing the jokes that circulated among protesters, concerts by Turkish and international musicians in support of the protesters, and other forms of artistic and cultural support, journalist Candan Coşkun reported.
And, while the protesters’ handing out of flowers to police officers at the demonstrations was cited as part of the plan to bring down the government, there is no mention in the indictment of the deaths and thousands of injuries caused directly or indirectly by violent police interventions.
Coşkun also noted that police officers who have been dismissed for their alleged membership of the outlawed Gülen religious movement have been included in the indictment as informants.
Çiğdem Mater Utku, Handan Meltem Arıkan, Hanzade Hikmet Germiyanoğlu, İnanç Ekmekçi (Mısırlıoğlu), Mine Özerden, Yiğit Aksakoğlu, and Yiğit Ali Ekmekçi are the remaining names prosecutors asked to be sentenced for their role in the Gezi protests.
Turkish court accepts Gezi indictment seeking life sentences for 16
A Turkish court on Monday accepted an indictment seeking life sentences against 16 people, including businessman and rights activist Osman Kavala, over the 2013 Gezi protests, Turkish news site Bianet said on Monday citing Kavala’s lawyer.
The indictment citing 746 plaintiffs, including Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, accuses the suspects of attempting to overthrow the government, harming public property and places of worship, it said.
Eleven people were killed and more than 8,000 injured during protests that began as a small-scale peaceful sit-in to demonstrate against the proposed destruction of a small İstanbul park, but spread nationwide in the summer of 2013, in what came to be known as the Gezi Park protests.
Authorities launched a new investigation into the protests last year, detaining more than a dozen people in November and seeking life sentences against Kavala, other rights activists and opposition figures involved in the protests, the biggest anti-government demonstrations since President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s Justice and Development Party (AKP) came to power in 2002.
Arrested in November 2017 and facing 612 to 3,158 years in prison, Kavala's case has made international headlines.
Stating the defendants “at best wanted to force the government to resign or call early elections” and were making efforts “to prepare the grounds for a civil war or coup” if that did not happen, the indictment arrives ahead of local elections set to take place on March 31.
The 657-page indictment completed in Feb. 20 levels 10 different charges at the 16 suspects.
The suspects listed in the indictment include exiled journalist Can Dündar, actors Memet Ali Alabora and Pınar Alabora, as well as Hakan Altınay and Gökçe Yılmaz (Tüylüoğlu), the former directors of Turkey’s Open Society Foundation.
Architect Mücella Yapıcı, city planner Tayfun Kahraman, and lawyer Can Atalay also face possible life sentences. They were members of the Taksim Solidarity group, an initiative that was founded mainly by architects and city planners to oppose the government’s plans to build a shopping mall modelled on the Ottoman military barracks that had previously stood on the site of Gezi Park.
“We see the bad intentions despite all its dirtiness and we reject it with all our clarity,” The Union of Chambers of Turkish Engineers and Architects (TMMOB) said in a statement published earlier on Monday.
International rights groups, including Amnesty International and Freedom House, have condemned the indictment demanding life sentences for 16 civil society leaders.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has said jailed Turkish philanthropist and businessman Kavala provided finances for terrorists during the protests and he is backed by Hungarian-American investor and philanthropist George Soros. The Turkish branch of the Open Society Foundation, the philanthropic group founded by Soros, made the decision to shut down following what it said were “baseless” accusations.
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A News Hog
MTCR References
Posted on August 16, 2016 by jwcham
Following are some references to the Missile Technology Control Regime, which I helped create. Most deal with India’s membership.
http://www.mea.gov.in/rajya-sabha.htm?dtl/27303/QUESTION+NO2815+STATUS+OF+INDIAS+MEMBERSHIP+TO+MTCR
http://www.thehindubusinessline.com/economy/modi-to-push-china-for-nsg-entry-investments/article8960438.ece
I concur in the following Bulletin criticism of controls on drones. When I was at State, the Pentagon was always trying to expand the MTCR controls to cover any thing or any country they didn’t like. One of the worst incidents in my career came when the Pentagon vetoed the sale of a ground-based satellite tracking system that Brazil planned to use to download information on the environment in the Amazon. The Pentagon said the ground stations could be used to track test launches of nuclear-capable missiles that Brazil might develop. Brazil had no such missiles, and the ground stations would not have been very useful for this purpose. It was like banning the sales of automobiles because they could be used to run over and kill people. The Penatagon decision was ultimately reversed, but only after the Brazilians were very mad about the denial.
http://thebulletin.org/too-late-missile-nonproliferation/how-emphasis-drones-harms-missile-controls
http://www.narendramodi.in/india-joins-missile-technology-control-regime-496223
http://www.business-standard.com/article/pti-stories/mtcr-membership-to-help-india-export-satellites-and-launch-116072101166_1.html
Posted on August 7, 2016 by jwcham
One reason we have such poor candidates for President is that the election process is so terrible. The Republican debates and primaries for both 2012 and 2016 tended to destroy the chances for the best candidates. In 2012, Mitt Romney was not a terrible candidate, but he had to debate with a bunch of idiots with crazy ideas, several of whom led him in the debates and polls. By the time he emerged as the leader, any chance he had of being elected had been significantly reduced. By appearing with uninformed, extremist hacks like Herman Cain, Newt Gingrich and Rick Santorium, Romney trivialized himself.
More or less the same thing happened in the 2016 Republican debates, but it was worse because they had more worthless hacks onstage, and there was no front runner like Romney. It was not even clear that Donald Trump was a Republican. It turned out that Trump spoke to a slice of Republicans that none of the other candidates did. He was color in a Republican world of gray. He was a clear voice amidst a group of mumblers. But his speeches turn out to be well described by Shakespeare as “a tale told by an idiot, full of sound and fury, signifying nothing.”
Meanwhile on the Democratic side, Hillary Clinton, the embodiment of all the political evil in the Washington establishment, expected a coronation, but got a fight from Bernie Sanders. The comparison between the honest, forthright Sanders and the devious, lying Hillary was striking. She is like the basest whore; there is nothing she won’t do for money or power. (See “House of Cards.”) She might even be seen as a latter-day representative of the whore of Babylon described in the Book of Revelation, but that might be giving her a little more importance than she deserves.
While the American electoral system has been dragging the country through the mud, Britain named a new prime minister, Theresa May, in only a few days, and she has hit the ground running, dealing with the huge mess that Brexit has dumped on her. Part of the difference is the British parliamentary system, but part of it is the long, corrupt, expensive process that our political parties have created for their own benefit, aided by the Supreme Court’s Citizens United decision.
Because of this terrible process, good people will not run for office. Almost everyone has done something that they later wish they had not done, even if they have lived otherwise exemplary lives. If they run, the media will find that one bad thing and trumpet it from the rooftops (and cable and the Internet). Trump and Hillary seem to have unusual characters that are immune to such slander and obloquy. I don’t think we get what we deserve, we get what the political establishment has forced on us. Hillary is the product of that establishment, and Trump is the result of the public’s pained cry against what the system has forced on it. There are better men and women in America who would be better candidates, but the system is not designed to find them.
Attitudes Toward Military Service
I find the op-ed unconvincing in the NYT today by someone who avoided the Vietnam War draft and now repents for doing so. He fails to address the hatred and vitreol directed against returning Vietnam veterans, and the moral sef-righteousness displayed by those who did not go. He does not address the way that the war was portrayed as inhumane slaughter, and returning vets as baby-killing perverts. Even at the relatively conservative University of Alabama, which I returned to, the only vets who got positive feedback from other students were those who confessed to committing atrocities. Veterans who did not commit atrocities were very conflicted by feeling that after sending them to Vietnam, where they thought they gave honorable service, their country now denouced them as war criminals. Serving in Vietnam was only part of the “sacrifice”; returning to a hateful US was another part. While the op-ed writer wishes he had “served” he still feels morally superior to his war-criminal cohorts who did in fact serve.
Relatively few Vietnam veterans have had much political success. Three who did, all started out with silver spoons in their mouths. John McCain’s father and grandfather were senior admirals. John Kerry’s mother was a Forbes heiress. Al Gore’s father was a senator. They did not come back to the same obliquy as other vets. Both McCain and Kerry went into some Navy VIP program for returning VIP veterans. McCain in particular was treated as a returning hero, unlike the vast bulk ofther returnees, including some who were also combat heros. They all ran for President, but they were all rejected by their country. Veterans don’t always make good Presidents; General Ulysses Grant was one the worst in history. The same could have been true for one of these three. Al Gore actually won more votes than George W. Bush in the 2000 election, but the Supreme Court awarded the presidency to Bush. Bush, of course, avoided going to Vietnam by using his family influence to get into the Alabama National Guard, where he spent the war skipping even his National Guard duties, drinking heavily, and becoming an alcoholic. Of course, Bill Clinton, like Donald Trump, avoided the draft, and Hillary Clinton and Barak Obama were never subject to the draft, and did not volunteer to serve.
America now appears to have come full circle, and venerates military service almost religiously. If you look closely, however, you find that the best people don’t volunteer to serve. How many graduates of Harvard or Stanford are serving in the military? How many children of the top 20% of the population, much less of the 1% or 0.1%? No, nice people don’t serve in the military. And the press is always quick to note if someone in the news for some horriible crime has served. They protray the US Marine Corps as the breeding ground for mass murderers.
There was a period, right after 9/11, when nice people went into the militarr, because it looked like America was really under threat. But the political and military leadership botched the wars so badly that military service became a bad thing again. A lot of the praise for the military today is because people want some other fool to go fight so that they don’t have to. It’s selfish, not loving. If we reinstated the draft there would be a sea change in attitudes toward military service.
This is not to take away the honor of the sacrifice made by soldiers, particularly those killed or wounded in action, like Captain Khan. But it is to say that a lot of the furor about dishonor to the gold star parents is politically motivated, not genuine sympathy for those involved. It’s more like, “Thank goodness that’s not me, but shame on anybody who says that out loud.”
The Battle of the Grieving Parents
Donald Trump has completely blown his interaction with the Kahn family, which criticized him at the DNC. Since Mrs. Kahn did not say anything, it was pretty clear that she was there only to show the headscarf and silenly imply that the Democratic Party supports Muslim women. When asked why she did not speak, she said that seeing images of her dead son was so distrubing that she could not speak. If that is the case, Hillary’s DNC forced her to deal with the death of her son, in a way which iwas hard for her. It was a cruel thing for the DNC to do, but it worked on Donald. He took the bait, hook, line and sinker. This was a cynical use of a mourning Muslim worman, but Hillary gets no criticism for it, because Trump, by attacking the gold star family has made the whole issue about him, not about Hillary.
It may be that the Kahns were the DNC’s response to the RNC’s use of Patricia Smith, the grieving mother of one of the Benghazi victims, as the Washington Examiner noted. If that is the case, the DNC got much more mileage out of its grieving parents than the RNC did. Interestingly, Patricia Smith said that Hillary Clinton lied to her when they met. Normally I would be inclined to believe that the Secretary of State would be more believable than a grieving mother who may not have been completely focused during their conversation. But we know that Hillary lied to Chris Wallace on Fox News Sunday about what James Comey, the head of the FBI, said publicly about her use of the private email server that she should not have used as Secretary. If she would lie on TV about something that is on the public record, she might certainly have lied about a private conversation, but that question has never come up, certainly not to the extent that Trump’s remarks about the Kahns have been covered by the media.
Hillary Follows Obama’s Failures
Obama has been a pretty good President. So why are the people calling for change, Trump and Sanders, doing so well? Obama saved the US from falling into a depression when he took over from Bush during the 2008 financial crisis. He and Fed Chair Ben Bernanke did this by bailing out the big banks and other big institutions — AIG Insurance, General Motors. etc. The banks and the government have made a big point of the fact that the big institutions paid the bailout money back. The government did much less to help the little guy, not just the people who bought houses with “liar loans,” but people who lost 401(k) money in the stock market on the eve of their retirement, who were transferred and had had to sell their houses while house values were depressed, etc. In addition, it looks like there was a massive transfer of wealth during this period from regular people to the super rich. It’s not clear to me exactly what happened, but for example, smart invstors in the stock market made much greater returns than regular people with conservative investments. House prices have risen, but not like the stock market, or other riskier investments like private equity, hedge funds, or high yield bonds. Interest rates on bank accounts and ordinary bonds ave been close to zero for about a decade.
Ordnary Americans, including me, don’t knew exactly what happened, but they know something bad happened to them. While their lives in general are not terrible, they are relatively worse off vis-a-viz the one percent, and may be actually worse off than they personally were a few years earlier. They know something went wrong under the Obama administration. In a sense, Obama saved their lives, but made their lives worse. So, do you thank Obama for saving your life, or blame him for giving your money to the extremely rich who bought him with their contributions, lobbying and backroom political power. Plus, Obama did not send any of the Wall Street crooks to jail. The super rich Jews bought the Clintons, and it looks like they have bought the Obamas, too. Oddly, Hillary is running as the cadidate of the Jewish insiders ike Michael Bloomberg, while the insider Jews oppose Bernie, an ethnic Jew who is an outsider to whatever the Jews are who control Wall Street, Washington, and part of Silicon Valley (e.g., Facebook). It’s interesting that two Jews, Al Franken and Sarah Silverman, were instrumental in putting down the Bernie supporters at the Democratic convention. The insider Jews apparently hate Bernie, but love Hillary, a Methodist.
As a transplanted Southerner, I should like Hillary for being first lady of Arkansas, a southern state, but I don’t think Hillary ever abandoned her Illinois, liberal roots. Bill Clinton could get along with good ole Southern boys, as well as New York Jews, but Hillary made her mark, such as it was, in Arkansas by siding with the blacks against the good ole boys. Her black conections helped the Clintons in Arkansas, and remain one of her stongest political pillars. But Hillary doesn’t appeal to white men. She has a love-hate relationship with her white man, Bill, who has dragged her throught the mud, but has also put her on the Presidential stage.
Stepping in as Obama’s surrogate successor will not be entirely easy, because Obama, while being a basically good President, left many expectations unfulfilled. He has not proved himself worthy of the Nobel Peace Prize, in part because of some things that Hillary did as Secretary of State, like invading Libya. He reduced American troops in Iraq and Afghanistan, but the wars go on. Fewer Americns are dying, but Obama has the blood of hundreds of thousands of Arabs on his hands. His call early in his presidency for Muslims to rise up and overthrow their dictatorial leaders, like Mubarek, Qaddafi and Assad, resulted in bloody chaos in the Middle East, particularly in Syria, It has now destabilized our NATO ally, Turkey. So far, I credit Obama for not assassinating Assad or Erdogan with a cruise missile as he did Osama bin Laden, which he could do.
Obama promised to close Guantanamo, but he has failed to do so. The Republican Congress has done everything it can to block him, but nevertheless he failed. It’s another case where he failed to live up to the promise of the Nobel Peace Prize. America remains a member of the club of nations that tortures political prisoners. We may have stopped waterboarding them, but the prison itself is a form of cruel and unusal punishment.
Obama did expand healthcare with Obama Care, but he failed the progressives in his party by not establishing a single payer system. Obama basically sold out to the super rich medical establishment to preserve the private insurance system, that makes them rich. Oddly to me, while there are a lot of Jewish doctors, the rich people running heathcare tend to be gentiles. The part of the medical establishment that benefits the least from the current system are those doctors who do the most good, those who practice general or family medicine. Even they find it difficult to work in the present environment because of the huge bureacracy made up of private insurance, Medicare and Medicade. As a result doctors who really want to help people end up joining hospitals or big medical practice groups to let somebody else do the paperwork while they save lives. The administrators love this because they can add on their percentage to every bill. While many patients get good care, it’s a system that favors the adminsitrators over the doctors and the doctors over the patients. The people at the bottom of the healthcare pyramid in the US are the patients. Obama left this system in place.
George Marshall vs. John Brennan
The New Yorker on Bill Browder
John Oliver on Trade
Leaving the Foreign Service
Separation of Immigrant Mothers from Children
Vietnam 69-70
Colorado FSO
Computer Handyman Blog
Dixie Gone With The Wind
Computer Handyman
A Southern Blog
The disappearance of the Old South
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HANSARD 1803–2005 → 1810s → 1818 → February 1818 → 18 February 1818 → Commons Sitting
MOTION FOR A COMMITTEE ON THE STATE OF THE CITY PRISONS.
HC Deb 18 February 1818 vol 37 cc501-6 501
Mr. Alderman Wood
rose, pursuant to the notice he had given on this subject. It would, he said, be unnecessary for him to take up the time of the House by any arguments in support of the motion which he intended to submit. That some evils existed in the City Prisons was admitted by most of the honourable members who had spoken upon the subject. He himself admitted that something, and a good deal, might be done for ameliorating the condition of the prisoners, and also, that some alterations in the prisons themselves were necessary; but he could not allow that all the complaints which had been made in the House on the subject were well-founded. When a greater number of prisoners were confined in the prisons than was convenient, the noble secretary of state, whose particular department embraced a superintendence over them, was always most ready to remove the too great number. With respect to the complaints which had been made against the magistrates of London, he thought they were unfounded, and he was certain that his hon. friend (Mr. Bennet) would find it so on more strict 502 inquiry. No man had a higher respect for that hon. gentleman than he had, and no man was better aware of the great good which his humane exertions had produced; but he believed the hon. gentleman would find himself mistaken in imagining that any of the evils of which he had complained had arisen from the neglect of the magistrates. The fact was, the magistrates did as much as was in their power. If there was an evil existing,— and without meaning to impute blame to any quarter, he should say there was—it arose from the inability of the magistrates to commit to any other prisons than those they new do. This produced an almost constant crowding of one or two prisons. Since he became a magistrate the number of prisoners transmitted to Newgate from Middlesex was increased in the proportion of seven to one. Another evil which existed, and which applied rather to the prisoners than to the prisons, was that of sending off so many in the same vessel for transportation, and sending them at inclement seasons. One instance of the bad effects of that system he would state, and he did so from the best authority. In February 1814, a ship was sent off with 200 convicts for New South Wales, and out of that number not less than 50 died on the passage. The reason was, they were sent out in a cold season; they after, when they got beyond the line, got into a very warm climate, and then again into a cold one, when sailing in the high southern latitudes. This was a circumstance which he conceived required investigation, at least which called for that consideration which might prevent a similar evil. His object on the present occasion in saying what he did was not with a view of defending the magistrates, for he thought their conduct needed no defence; but he was anxious the House should know that a great deal of what they wished to do with respect to prisons was at present out of their power. He concluded by moving, "That a committee be appointed to examine into the state of Newgate and the other prisons within the city of London and the borough of Southwark, and to report their observations together with the minutes of evidence taken before them, to the House."
Mr. Bennet
observed, that it was not his intention to oppose the motion, but he wished to offer one or two remarks on what he had said upon the subject on a 503 former occasion. It was true what he then stated, that one of the great evils in Newgate was the crowed state of it. This great number of persons rendered it almost impossible to prevent the mixture of persons which might now be observed. The old and the young, the veteran criminal and the juvenile depredator, were indiscriminately huddled together. There was no school where the young prisoners might be taught something, nor any separate place where they might be kept free from the contamination of more vicious persons than themselves. But this was not the only charge which might be made with respect to Newgate. He would show to the committee about to be appointed, that the clothing of the prisoners was by no means attended to. He had seen, in a recent visit to the prison, a child who might be said to be literally naked. He had no shoes or stockings, no small clothes, and with the exception of a few rags which hung about him, he had nothing to screen him from the inclemency of the weather. This child had been seen in that state by the sheriffs and the magistrates, and no relief had been afforded to him. He did not attach particular blame to them, but he could not see the child in the state he was without believing that blame rested somewhere. The next thing which he had to complain of was, that the prisoners had not a sufficient supply of wholesome food. What they had was bad and scanty, and, indeed, those of the prisoners who were not assisted by their friends, might be said to be in a starving condition. The appearance of many of them bespoke their wants; and he could tell if a number of prisoners were before him, who had been longest in prison from that squalor carceris which was visible in their appearance. The bread which was served out to them was of the very worst quality. This he should be able to prove before the committee, and it was acknowledged by those whose duty it was to look to such matters; for within a few days, and since the present motion had been noticed in the House, the baker who usually supplied the prison with bread, had been changed for another person. When the committee should visit the prison it was more than probable they would find it in a much better situation than that in which he had seen it, for he understood that the court of aldermen had, within a few days, taken great pains to have it cleaned, and 504 such was their anxiety to have it in order before the arrival of any of the committee to examine it, that they had not even respected the Sabbath. It appeared that the whole of last Sunday a number of persons were employed in putting several parts of the prison which had been previously out of repair, into some tolerable state, which might bear inspection. It was probable that if the committee examined it, it would appear in the court dress in which it had been put, in the expectation of its being reviewed. He did not, as he said before, intend to offer any opposition to the committee; but he hoped that when it should have terminated its inquiry, the prisons would be put into something like a state of cleanliness, and order, and that they would no longer continue what they now were— the scenes of wretchedness, and the schools of vice.
§ Sir W. Curtis
complained, that the statements made by the hon. gentleman were highly exaggerated. He did not mean to charge the hon. member with stating that which was not true; but he considered that the statements would not bear him out in the way he put them. It had been said, that the provisions given to the prisoners were scanty as to quantity, and their quality was bad. He denied the fact. Every prisoner was allowed four pounds of good meat per week, and 14 ounces of bread per day; and he had no hesitation in saying, that the bread was of as good quality as any gentleman in the House would desire to eat. The hon. gentleman had said, that preparation had been made in the prison within a few days in order to receive the committee; but he could declare, upon his honour, that no alteration whatever had been made with that view, and that no hints, as far as he could learn, had been given to any person of the intended visit of the committee. It was true that some of the windows had not long ago been wantonly broken by the prisoners, and the magistrates refused to have them repaired, unless the prisoners themselves undertook it, or gave up the names of those who were concerned in it. The prisoners refused to give up the names, and they were made to feel the effects of their own ill-conduct. With respect to the work which had been done on Sunday, he could only say, that he had not heard of the circumstance before. But he would ask the House whether it was right, that they who were imprisoned 505 for their crimes, should be supported in luxury? They were not sent to prison with a view of consulting their particular inclinations, but in order that they might be punished for their misconduct. The treatment they received beyond what the law ordered was not severe, and their comfort was studied as much as was necessary to persons in their situations.
said, that most of what he had stated had fallen within his own observation. He had seen and tasted some of the bread lately in use, and he found it sour and disagreeable. He had himself made inquiries on the subject, and it was admitted to him that the bread before in use, was bad, that formerly it used to be baked in tins, but that at present it was made like the bread in common use. With respect to the white-washing and the cleaning of the prison, he had seen it himself, and the worthy baronet might also have seen it, if as a magistrate he had attended to his duty and been present.
§ Mr. warre
gave full credit to the statement made by his hon. friend, as to the probability of the prisons appearing in a court dress on the day the committee might visit them. He remembered that when as a member of a committee appointed about two years ago to examine into the state of the borough Compter, he went with some of his brother committee men to inspect it; they found glaziers, bricklayers, &c. as numerous almost as the prisoners, busily employed in making arrangements for the visit of the committee, which was, however, made a little sooner than they expected it. He had no doubt that recourse would be had to similar expedients at present. With respect to the necessity of a strict and frequent investigation of the state of the prisons, there could not exist a doubt in the minds of any who had given the subject the slightest consideration. He would state to the House one case which called loudly for inquiry. It was not a case resting on report. It was on the sworn depositions of several persons. It was the report of an inquest held before Hugh Lewis, esq. the coroner, on the body of a man, named John Birdie, aged 37, who died in Tothill-fields prison. From the deposition of the turnkey it appeared, that the deceased had been confined along with twenty seven persons in a room which was only ten feet by six. It appeared farther on the inquest, from the evidence of Mr. Hanbury, the surgeon, 506 that his death was caused more from want of proper nourishment than clothing. After the coroner had examined Mr. Hanbury, and questions had been put to him by several of the jurors, the turnkey was again called in and examined, and from his very great prevarication in his evidence, the coroner threatened to commit him. Now, he would ask, whether with such evidence of the misconduct of that man, he had since been dismissed from his situation? He should beg the attention of the House to the result of the inquest. The jury sat about three o'clock, and after having heard all the evidence, they retired for a short time, and about nine o'clock they returned a verdict, "that the deceased came by his death from the want of proper nourishment and medical attendance." This matter he conceived called for most particular inquiry, and he trusted such inquiry would be made.
§ The motion for the committee was then put and agreed to, and a committee appointed.
Forward to CHIMNEY SWEEPERS REGULATION BILL.
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Royal Funerals, American Style
by Jim Hinckley | Jun 25, 2018 | az funeral home, Uncategorized | 0 comments
From the inception of this country, presidential funerals have been
President John Hansen, photo courtesy Library of Congress
lavish affairs. They are akin to royal funerals in countries where monarchies rule. There have been exceptions, such as with the funeral of John Hansen, the United States of America’s first president (a bit of obscure trivia but that is a story for another day).
George Washington in 1799, shortly before his death, requested a quiet burial without celebratory parade or lengthy funeral oration. A simple three day viewing, and then burial. Washington, however, was a larger than life icon for the generation of Americans that had fought for independence, and lived through the struggle of the nations formative years. As a result thousands of citizens, some in the uniform of the revolution, traveled to Mount Vernon in Virginia for a viewing or the funeral. Despite his wishes, hundreds trooped to Mount Vernon for the funeral. Mourning swept the nation, the military donned black armbands, and homes, businesses, and government buildings were draped in black. Tributes and imitation honorary funerals went on for months.
Before the death of William Henry Harrison in 1841, presidential funerals were arranged by the family just as they were for any citizen. With the death of Harrison the funeral of a president became more formal and structured. The White House was draped in black bunting, and the invitation only funeral took place in the East Room after a public viewing period. The official United States Marine Band played dirges during his coffins procession to the Congressional Cemetery. There it is was placed in a temporary chamber until a final resting place had been prepared in his home state of Ohio. Modeled after funerals for European royalty, the mourning period with honorariums and commemorations lasted for 30 days.
Even with a set structure of formality the funerals and memorials have been as diverse as the men who have held the office. Calvin Coolidge’s funeral oration lasted a mere five minutes. Grover Cleveland’s funeral was a simple affair with only 100 invitations issued. Abraham Lincoln’s funeral, procession, and viewing was counted among the largest. During the two week viewing and procession form Washington D.C. to his home in Springfield, Illinois, more than two dozen funerals were held. Hundreds of thousands of people turned out for viewings or to watch the passing of the funeral train that carried the body of the president, and his son Wiilie who had died three years previous. Lincoln also has the dubious honor of being the first American president to be embalmed. Still, the undertaker assigned to travel with the president had to perform numerous touch ups before open casket services. Ulysses Grant’s viewing was also well attended with more than 60,000 people following the funeral procession. In 1963, more than 250,000 people filed past the casket of President John F. Kennedy while he was lying in state at the capitol.
As an historic footnote, perhaps one of the strangest presidential funerals was that held for Andrew Jackson. Jackson had been a man of the frontier and many of those in attendance reflected his frontier heritage. There was a great deal of drinking, and Jackson’s parrot, renowned for its salty vocabulary, was banished form the funeral after uttering a string of obscenities.
Arizona Affordable Funeral Home and Crematory may not be large enough to handle a royal funeral such as is held for presidents but their knowledgeable and professional staff is ready to assist during your time of grief.
Written by Jim Hinckley of Jim Hinckley’s America
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Ann Allan: NI 21
I first became aware of Basil McCrea when in February 2013 he left the UUP after a disagreement over the fielding of a unionist unity candidate in mid ulster. I had listened to Basil and his then friend John McCallister on television debates and I liked what I heard. They both appeared to be in favour of a Northern Ireland where it was possible to aspire to having an Irish or British identity. That appealed to me as I feel proud of both my identities, the one that is native Irish and the one from Somerset that can be traced back to Sir Walter Raleigh. I hoped that they would set up a new party so when they launched NI21 on the 6 June 2013 I thought, even at this late stage in my life this is a party with which I can identify. I did not see myself getting actively involved but was persuaded to go to a meet and greet in the Europa hotel.
I had no preconceptions but had a few points I thought worth bringing up. There were others there, some of whom were already committed to the party. Basil went round each one asking for their views. I remember saying that they were losing momentum from the date of the launch, that it seemed a bit like the Basil party and I wanted to know how they were different from the Alliance. I think Basil thought I was cheeky but he was charming and if that annoyed him he said nothing. I think that might be when he daubed me as feisty.
I came away convinced that this was a party that was going somewhere. I read all the adverse comments by commentators and wondered why they would want to slate a party who genuinely wanted to make a difference. Basil was passionate about the new party. I had no way of assessing Mr McCallister’s commitment as I never really met him. He was at a meeting I attended but had to rush away after a few minutes. The conference came and went. It was very successful. Both Basil and John made rousing speeches which were well received and got standing ovations.
We were promised that day in November that things would swing into action and this would be up to David Rose. I heard later that due to other commitments he wasn’t able to fulfil that role.
I think it was around that time that our local commentators started trying to demean the party. We had the beauty pageant incident, possibly an error of judgement on Basil’s part, but the detractors licked their lips and scented blood.
John McCallister started to be as illusive a sight as a Duper in the Vatican and it appeared that the administration was under pressure. Egos got a battering. One trying to outdo the other as to their importance in the party. Personnel came and went. Things were beginning to fall apart. Candidates should have been announced much more in advance but for various reasons we were still in the dark until just six weeks before the election. I got a phone call two days before the election from a candidate telling me that we were redesignating. I have to be honest and say that we both thought this was a risky strategy. I was present three weeks before the election when Basil Mc Crea was told that John McCallister was intending to leave the party. He was not happy with Basil being leader. He wasn’t happy with the executive although they were voted in by the membership on the day of the conference. He was no longer supportive of the party and that was obvious from the fact that he didn’t actually know all the candidates. Perhaps he was annoyed that he not been chosen as the MEP candidate?
Basil was distraught . He had worked incredibly hard and found it difficult to manage all that he was expected to do. The fact that he no longer had John’s support was a major problem. He knew what would happen if the press got wind of the dissention in the party. This could jeopardise the election and all the hard work put in by the candidates. I advised him to speak to John and ask that for the sake of the 47 candidates he put this challenge off until after the election. I understand a meeting, which was quite heated, took place but I understood a truce was arranged until after the election.
They were barely speaking and had I also been told that there had been a rumour of inappropriate behaviour. These allegations had still not been made known to Basil Mc Crea (apart from the Ashleigh Murray allegation ) two weeks after John McCallister had passed the names on to Carecall. I understand someone was threatening to go the press with these allegations. What has also been overlooked is the fact that at least one of those who saw Carecall had not progressed any allegations. This was due to the fact that they had been mislead over the purpose of the Carecall enquiry. Carecall is not an investigative organisation, more a counselling organisation designed to solve problems between employers and employees. I don’t know why John chose the time to release details of the enquiry to the News Letter two days before the election. Was it in a fit of pique over the designation? No one was in any danger if he had waited a few days.
I have met Basil McCrea on many occasions since the election. His physical and mental health have been a cause for concern and I feel for his family. To date no one has made any allegations to the PSNI. He was under pressure to get things done and didn’t always cope well and I know he would admit that there was a lot of pressure on him. He had no experience of setting up a party and made many mistakes. However I feel he has suffered enough. His future is uncertain, his reputation has been tarnished and so called friends have deserted him. He is a man who has been let down by his friend. Those who continue to make snide remarks, hint at goings on that they didnt’t know the truth about, read the report and see what was going on to bring NI21 down
Hopefully the release of the report clearing Basil of any wrongdoing will allow him to move on and also reinvigorate NI21.
Posted in Politics and Current Affairs, UncategorizedLeave a comment
← Ann Allan: Memories No 19: 1971. Good Times, Bad Times
Ann Allan. Imagine!Belfast and Opengovni →
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Know the news in Utah
Katie Matheson
Blog, Guest Blog, Issues, Misc.
What is the purpose of a free press? Our founding fathers saw it as a safeguard for democracy. President Donald Trump sees it as a purveyor of “fake news.” And in tweets such as “91% of the Network News about me is negative (Fake),” he has helpfully revealed his definition: “Fake news” is any report – accurate or not – that fails to cast him in a positive light.
For the record, “fake news” must, by definition, be factually inaccurate. “A news story is not fake simply because it is impolite or inconvenient,” notes the Center for Investigative Reporting. “Nor is it fake because it calls into question a set of beliefs readers hold dear – or because it singles out for scrutiny a popular topic or figure. It is not fake just because it’s rejected by those in power.”
How, then, can you tell whether news is “fake”? Which sources can you trust to tell you the true story?
You may get your news from Facebook or Twitter or YouTube, from the Salt Lake Tribune or Deseret News, from KUTV-Channel 2 or KTVX-Channel 4, from National Public Radio or from special-interest news sites or blogs. Wherever you find it, there are three questions to ask about the news you consume:
1. Who is telling me this?
2. How do they know it?
3. What’s in it for them?
Who is telling me this?
While answering this question may require some research, it can help you understand a mainstream news outlet’s possible underlying mission or philosophy. Deseret News and the NBC-affiliated KSL-TV, for example, are both owned by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. KSTU-Fox 13 was recently sold to the E.W. Scripps Co. The CBS-affiliated KUTV is owned by conservative-leaning Sinclair Broadcast Group, which last year required all of its TV stations to read a scripted anti-media message on air.
No matter who owns them, though, local TV news outlets have an advantage: Their viewers trust them. In fact, “76 percent of Americans cite local TV news as a highly trusted source of news, the most of any medium,” according to the Nieman Journalism Lab. One reason may be that local TV news anchors and reporters don’t just appear on the TV screen each day; they are part of the local community. (This may be one reason KUTV employees were said to be “dismayed and embarrassed” at having to read Sinclair’s scripted message.) And with several TV news outlets operating in Salt Lake City alone, lapses in accuracy are easier to spot.
Remember, though, that these local news programs must cover their material in limited time – about 41 seconds per story, according to the Pew Research Center. For a deeper understanding of a local issue, you’ll want to read your local newspaper as well.
Sources of news on social media can be more difficult to pin down, especially when those catchy headlines link to unfamiliar websites. In this case, domainsearch.com is your friend: Just type the web address into the search bar, and click the “whois info” button that comes up to see the name of the person and/or organization behind the site, along with contact information.
To learn the leanings of an unfamiliar publication, Media Bias/Fact Check is a widely used option that rates news sources according to “left” or “right” bias. It rates the Salt Lake Tribune as having a “left-center bias,” for example, and Deseret News as having a “right-center bias.” Among the least biased newspapers in Utah, according to Media Bias/Fact Check: Ogden’s Utah Standard-Examiner and Logan’s Herald Journal.
On any social-media platform, it’s important to remember that you’re operating in a filter bubble, with algorithms and your own social contacts determining the news that is fed to you. Check out the Wall Street Journal’s “Blue Feed, Red Feed” tool for an eye-opening look at liberal and conservative Facebook feeds, side by side.
How do they know it?
The short, sweet way to answer this question: attribution. For every statement that’s not common knowledge, ask yourself: “Who says?” If the answer isn’t obvious, it’s probably the opinion of the author – who may or may not be an expert. A major red flag is the use of passive voice in phrases such as, “It has been reported … it is believed … it is known …” If the source doesn’t say who reported/believed/knew, they may have just made it up.
What’s in it for them?
As the media-literacy organization Understand Media explains, “Most media messages try to sell you one of two things: a product or service, or an ideology.” Once you know who they are (see question No. 1), you’ll be better able to figure out what they want.
“Wherever the people are well-informed,” Thomas Jefferson wrote, “they can be trusted with their own government.” Claims of “fake news” erode public trust not only in the news, but also in the objective facts upon which news is based. They replace our sense of responsibility with a sense of futility; that’s bad news for democracy. To be trusted with our own government, we must be able to counter the post-truth movement with informed discussion and decision-making, based on a common set of facts. We, the media-literate people, are the ones who can make that change.
Doris Schmidt spent 14 years as an editor for a large regional newspaper in Massachusetts, and 17 years as a journalism professor at Fitchburg State University. She now splits her time between Belchertown, Massachusetts, and Park City, Utah. She is a super-volunteer with Alliance for a Better Utah.
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