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NC 12
Gateway to the Outer Banks
By Dawson Carr
192 pp., 5.5 x 8.5, 64 halftones, 4 maps, bibl., index
E-Book $9.99
Apple iBookstore Amazon Kindle Barnes and Noble Ebooks
Connecting communities from Corolla in the north to Ocracoke Island in the south, scenic North Carolina Highway 12 binds together the fragile barrier islands that make up the Outer Banks. Throughout its lifetime, however, NC 12 has faced many challenges—from recurring storms and shifting sands to legal and political disputes—that have threatened this remarkable highway’s very existence. Through the unique lens of the road’s rich history, Dawson Carr tells the story of the Outer Banks as it has unfolded since a time when locals used oxcarts to pull provisions from harbors to their homes and the Wright Brothers struggled over mountainous dunes.
Throughout, Carr captures the personal stories of those who have loved and lived on the Outer Banks. As Carr relates the importance of NC 12 and its transformation from a string of beach roads to a scenic byway joining miles of islands, he also chronicles the history of a region over the last eighty-five years, showing how the highway and the residents of the Outer Banks came to rely on each other.
Dawson Carr lives in West End, North Carolina. He is author of The Cape Hatteras Lighthouse: Sentinel of the Shoals.
For more information about Dawson Carr, visit the Author Page.
“With extensive research the author examines how NC 12 came into being. . . . Will appeal to readers of North Carolina history and those who want to know more about the effects of development on fragile ecosystems in general.”--Library Journal
"A fascinating cultural history that is far more than a tale of a strip of asphalt. Dawson Carr captures the interplay between human life and the delicate and dynamic natural ecosystem of the Outer Banks, where people live, work, and play."--Karen Lisbeth "KaeLi" Schurr, Outer Banks History Center
"In his finely crafted and practically poetic book, Dawson Carr tells the story of the Outer Banks, situating the region’s history around the modern-day difficulties of access and of the construction of Highway 12. Recommended reading for all visitors to the coast."--Michael Hill, North Carolina Office of Archives and History
Travel / Guidebooks
North Carolina History
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Victim of discrimination?
Grounds of discrimination
Religious or philosophical beliefs
Other criteria of discrimination
Discrimination: a few clarifications
Overview of discrimination grounds
Media and internet
Police and justice
Other areas of action
Overview of areas of action
Prevention & Awareness
Legislation & Recommendations
Home Legislation & Recommendations Législation
Act of February 25, 2003 pertaining to the combat of discrimination
Area of action: Employment, Education, Housing, Goods and services
Grounds of discrimination: All grounds of discrimination
Power levels: Federal
Act of February 25, 2003 pertaining to the combat of discrimination and to the amendment of the Act of February 15, 1993 pertaining to the foundation of a centre for equal opportunities and opposition to racism
BS, March 17, 2003 - Err. BS, May, 13 2003
CHAPTER I: Introductory provision
This act governs a matter pursuant to Article 77 of the Constitution.
CHAPTER II – General provisions
§ 1. Direct discrimination occurs if a difference in treatment that is not objectively or reasonably justified, is directly based on sex, a so-called race, colour, descent, national or ethnic origin, sexual orientation, marital status, birth, fortune, age, religion or belief, current and future state of health, a disability or physical characteristic.
§ 2. Indirect discrimination occurs when a seemingly neutral provision, measure or practice has harmful repercussions on persons on which one of the grounds for discrimination set out in § 1 applies, unless said provision, measure or practice is objectively and reasonably justified.
§ 3. The lack of reasonable adaptations for a person with a disability constitutes discrimination under this act.
Reasonable adaptation shall be considered an adaptation that entails no unreasonable burden, or one where the burden is sufficiently offset by existing measures.
§ 4. Any and all forms of direct or indirect discrimination is prohibited with respect to:
the provision or availment of goods or services to the public;
the conditions for access to gainful, unpaid, or self-employment, including the selection and appointment criteria, irrespective of the branch of activity, on all levels of the occupational hierarchy, including promotion opportunities, as well as employment and working conditions, including dismissal and pay, in both the private and the public sector;
the appointment and promotion of an official or the assignment of an official for a service;
the mention in an official document or in a report;
the access to and participation in, as well as any and all other exercise of an economic, social, cultural or political activity accessible to the public.
§ 5. With regard to labour relations, as defined in the second and third indent of § 4, a dispute concerning treatment shall be based on an objective and reasonable justification if, owing to the nature of an occupational activity or the context in which it is carried out, such an identification constitutes an essential and decisive occupational requirements, provided the aim is legitimate and the requirement is proportional to that aim.
§ 6. Harassment shall be considered as a form of discrimination in cases of undesired behaviour connected to the discrimination grounds summarised under §1 aimed at or affecting the dignity of a person and creating a threatening, hostile, insulting, demeaning or offensive environment.
§ 7. Any and all practices which consist of inciting discrimination against a person, a group, a community or members of it pursuant to one of the grounds referred to in §1, shall be considered as discrimination pursuant to this act.
This act shall not prejudice the protection and the exercise of fundamental rights and liberties guaranteed by the Constitution and international conventions on human rights.
The provisions of this act shall constitute no obstacle to the taking or using of measures geared to guaranteeing full equality in practice, or preventing or offsetting the disadvantages entailed by one of the grounds referred to in Article 2.
With the exception of Chapter III and of Article 19, §§ 3 and 4, which shall remain in force, discrimination on the grounds of sex and with respect to the subjects referred to in Article 2, § 4, 2nd and 3rd indents shall be subject exclusively to the Act of 7 May 1999 on the equal treatment of men and women with respect to working conditions, access to the employment process and promotion opportunities, access to self-employment and the supplementary regulations for social security.
CHAPTER III – Penal provisions
§ 1.The following shall be punished by a prison sentence of one month to a year and by a fine of fifty to one thousand euros, or by one of these punishments alone:
whoever incites discrimination, hatred or violence against a person, a group, a community or the members of it, on the grounds of sex, sexual orientation, marital status, birth, fortune, age, religion or belief, current or future state of health, disability or physical characteristic, in the circumstances given in Article 444 of the Penal Code;
§ 2. (...)
A new Article 377 bis has been inserted in the Penal Code, which runs as follows:
"Art. 377 bis. — In the cases stipulated in this article, the minimum punishments stipulated in these articles shall be doubled in the case of a prison sentence, and increased by two years in case incarceration when one of the motives of the crime or offence is hatred against, contempt for or hostility to a person on the grounds of his so-called race, colour, descent, national or ethnic origin, sex, sexual orientation, marital status, birth, fortune, age, beliefs or philosophy of life, current and future state of health, a disability or physical characteristic."
A new Article 405 quarter has been inserted in said Penal Code, which runs as follows:
"Art. 405 quater. — In the cases stipulated in Article 393 to 405bis the minimum punishments stipulated in this articles shall be doubled in the case of correctional punishment, and increased by two years in case incarceration when one of the motives of the crime or offence is hatred against, contempt for or hostility to a person on the grounds of his so-called race, colour, descent, national or ethnic origin, sex, sexual orientation, marital status, birth, fortune, age, religion or belief, current and future state of health, a disability or physical characteristic."
A new Article 422 quater been inserted in the Penal Code, which runs as follows:
"Art. 422 quater. — In the cases stipulated in Articles 422bis and 422ter, the minimum correctional punishments stipulated in these articles can be doubled when one of the motives of the crime or offence is hatred against, contempt for or hostility to a person on the grounds of his so-called race, colour, descent, national or ethnic origin, sex, sexual orientation, marital status, birth, fortune, age, religion or belief, current and future state of health, a disability or physical characteristic."
A new Article 438 bis been inserted in the Penal Code, which runs as follows:
"Art. 438 bis. — In the cases stipulated in this article, the minimum punishments stipulated in these articles can be doubled in the case of correctional punishments and increased by two years in the case of incarceration, when one of the motives of the crime or offence is hatred against, contempt for or hostility to a person on the grounds of his so-called race, colour, descent, national or ethnic origin, sex, sexual orientation, marital status, birth, fortune, age, religion or belief, current and future state of health, a disability or physical characteristic."
A new Article 422 ter been inserted in the Penal Code, which runs as follows:
"Art. 422 bis. — In the cases stipulated in Article 422bis, the minimum correctional punishments stipulated in this article can be doubled when one of the motives of the crime or offence is hatred against, contempt for or hostility to a person on the grounds of his so-called race, colour, descent, national or ethnic origin, sex, sexual orientation, marital status, birth, fortune, age, religion or belief, current and future state of health, a disability or physical characteristic."
"Art. 453 bis. — In the cases stipulated in this article, the minimum correctional punishments stipulated in this article can be doubled when one of the motives of the crime or offence is hatred against, contempt for or hostility to a person on the grounds of his so-called race, colour, descent, national or ethnic origin, sex, sexual orientation, marital status, birth, fortune, age, religion or belief, current and future state of health, a disability or physical characteristic.”
"Art. 514 bis. — In the cases stipulated in Articles 510 to 514, the minimum punishments stipulated in these articles can be doubled in the case of correctional punishments and increased by two years in the case of incarceration, when one of the motives of the crime or offence is hatred against, contempt for or hostility to a person on the grounds of his so-called race, colour, descent, national or ethnic origin, sex, sexual orientation, marital status, birth, fortune, age, religion or belief, current and future state of health, a disability or physical characteristic.”
Without prejudice to the application of Articles 31 and 32 of the Penal Code, the perpetrators of the crimes referred to in Article 6 shall be sentenced to expulsion pursuant to Article 33 of said Code.
The provisions of Book I of the Penal Code, Chapter VII and Article 85 not excluded, shall apply to the crimes referred to in this act.
Without prejudice to the powers of the officers of the criminal investigation department, officials appointed by the King shall supervise the compliance with this act and the implementing decrees thereof.
Said officials shall exercise said supervision pursuant to the provisions of the Act of 16 November 1972 concerning the labour inspectorate.
CHAPTER IV – Civil provisions
Terms and conditions of an agreement which run contrary to the provisions of this act and terms and conditions that stipulate that one or more contracting parties are to relinquish in advance rights guaranteed to them by this act, shall be null and void.
§ 1. At the request of the victim of discrimination or of one of the groups referred to in Article 31, the president of the court of first instance or, depending on the nature of the act, the president of the industrial tribunal or the commercial court, shall rule on the existence of an act that falls even under penal law, whereby the provisions of this act are violated, and shall order the cessation thereof.
The president of the court can order the lifting of the cessation as soon as proof is provided that the violation of this act has been terminated.
§ 2. The president of the court may rule that his decision or the summary which he draws up, is affixed for a period that he shall specify inside and outside the institutions of the transgressor or the premises belonging to the latter, and that his ruling or summary thereof be published in newspapers or in any other manner, at the expense of the transgressor.
These publicising measures may however be imposed only if they can contribute to putting a stop to the challenged act or the effect thereof.
§ 3. When the victim of discrimination or one of the groups referred to in Article 31 produces before the competent court facts such as statistical data or field trials that lead to the supposition of direct or indirect discrimination, the burden of proof that no discrimination has been committed shall fall on the defendant.
§ 4. Proof of discrimination on the grounds of sex, sexual orientation, marital status, birth, fortune, age, religion or belief, current or future state of health, disability or physical characteristic can be provided by means of a field trial which can be carried out by a bailiff.
The King shall define, by decree deliberated on in the Council of Ministers, the subsequent rules for the performance of the field trial as provided under § 3 and § 4 of this article.
The court may, at the request of the victim of discrimination or one of the groups referred to in Article 31, order those who have committed the discrimination to pay a fine if the discrimination is not stopped.
The court shall rule pursuant to Articles 1385 bis to 1385 novies of the Code of Judicial Procedure.
§ 1. An employer who employs an employee who has, pursuant to the procedures in force filed a reasoned complaint with the company or the department in which he works, or with the Social Security Inspectorate, or for whom the latter inspectorate has intervened, or who has taken legal action, or for whom a legal action has been introduced by virtue of the provisions of this act, relative to promotion opportunities, working conditions, including the conditions of dismissal, or by virtue of the Act of 30 July 1980 on the punishment of certain actions motivated by racism and xenophobia, may not terminate the employment relationship, except for reasons not connected with said compliant or legal action.
§ 2. The burden of proof relative to these reasons shall fall on the employer if the employee is dismissed or the working conditions are altered unilaterally within twelve months following the filing of the complaint. Said burden of proof shall likewise fall on the employer in the event of dismissal or unilateral alteration of the working conditions after legal action was taken, up to three months after the entry into force of the definitive judgement of the court.
§ 3. If the employer should terminate the employment relationship or alter the working conditions unilaterally in contravention of the provisions of § 1, the employee or the trade union to which he is affiliated shall request that the employee is taken on again or restored to his position under the same conditions as before.
The request shall be made by registered letter within thirty days after the date of the service of notice, of the termination without notice, or the unilateral alteration of the working conditions. The employer must respond to the request within thirty days after the service of the letter of request.
The employer who takes the employee again in the company or in the department, or restores him to his position under the same conditions as before, must pay the income lost on the grounds of the dismissal or alteration of the working conditions as well as the relevant employer’s and employees contributions connected therewith.
§ 4. If, after the request referred to in § 3, first paragraph, the employee is not taken on again or not restored to his position under the same conditions as before, or if it is ruled that the dismissal or unilateral alteration of the working conditions runs counter to the provisions of § 1the employer must pay compensation to the employee which, according to the latter’s choice, may be equal to a lump-sum corresponding to the gross pay for six months, or to the loss actually suffered by the employee; in the latter case, the employee shall have to prove the scope of said loss.
§ 5. The employer shall be required to pay said compensation, without the employee or the trade union to which he is affiliated having to file the request referred to in § 3, first paragraph, to be taken on again or restored to his former position under the same conditions if:
1° the competent court rules that the discrimination facts have been proven;
2° the employee terminates the contract of employment because the employer’s behaviour runs counter to the provisions of § 1, which, according to the employee, is a reason for terminating the contract of employment without notice or prior to the expiry thereof;
3° if the employer has dismissed the employee for a serious offence, provided that the competent court finds said dismissal unjustified and rules that it contravenes the provisions of § 1.
The claim pursuant to Article 19, shall be filed and treated as in summary proceedings.
It shall be filed by petition in quadruplicate to the office of the clerk of the competent court or sent to said office by registered letter.
The petition shall, on pain of voidance, indicate:
1° the day, month and year;
2° the surname, first names, occupation and official residence of the petitioner;
3° the name and address of the natural person or the body corporate against whom the claim is filed;
4° the object and the statement of the grounds on which the claim is based.
The clerk of the court shall notify the other party without delay by a letter from the court, inviting said party to appear at the earliest within three or eight days, at the earliest or the latest respectively, after the dispatching of said letter, a copy of which shall be attached to the petition.
The court shall rule on the claim, notwithstanding any proceedings based on the same facts pending before any other criminal court.
When a claim to cease and desist is filed with the criminal court, said court shall rule on the claim only after a definitive decision has been handed down. During the suspension period, the lapse of the criminal proceedings shall be likewise suspended.
The decision shall be enforceable in advance, notwithstanding any legal remedy and without bail. It shall be communicated by the clerk of the court immediately to all the parties and to the public prosecutor.
CHAPTER V – Amending provisions
Article 2, first sentence, of the Act of February 15, 1993 pertaining to the foundation of a centre for equal opportunities and opposition to racism, amended by the Act of 13 April 1995, is replaced by the following provisions:
"Art. 2. The Centre’s task is to promote equal opportunities and to oppose any and all forms of distinction, exclusion, limitation or preference on the grounds of:
1° a so-called race, colour, descent, origin or nationality;
2° sexual orientation, marital status, birth, fortune, age, religion or belief, current and future state of health, a disability or physical characteristic.
The Centre shall carry out its task in a spirit of dialogue and cooperation with associations, institutes, bodies or services which carry out, fully or partially, the same task, or are directly involved in the performance of said task."
Article 3, second paragraph, 5°, of the same act, amended by the Act of 13 April 1995, is replaced by the following provision:
"5° take legal action in any disputes that falls under the application the following acts:
the act of 30 July 1981 on the punishment of certain acts motivated by racism or xenophobia;
the act of 23 March 1995 pertaining to punishment for denying, minimising, justifying or approving the genocide perpetrated during World War II by the Germany National-Socialist regime;
the act of 13 April 1995 pertaining to provisions to fight human trafficking and child pornography;
the Act of 25 February 2003 pertaining to the combat of discrimination and to the amendment of the Act of February 15, 1993 pertaining to the foundation of a centre for equal opportunities and opposition to racism”
Article 578 of the Code of Judicial Procedure, amended by the Acts of 5 December 1968, 4 August 1978, 17 July 1997, 13 February 1998, 7 May 1999 and 17 June 2002, is supplemented with a point 12°, which runs as follows:
"12° disputes concerning discrimination pursuant to the Act of 25 February 2003 pertaining to the combat of discrimination and to the amendment of the Act of February 15, 1993 pertaining to the foundation of a centre for equal opportunities and opposition to racism, which pertain to the conditions of access to gainful, unpaid, or self-employment, including the selection and appointment criteria, irrespective of the branch of activity, on all levels of the occupational hierarchy, including promotion opportunities, as well as employment and working conditions, including dismissal and pay, in both the private and the public sector, with the exception of those governed by a public law statute.”
Article 581 of said Code, replaced by the Act of 30 June 1971, and amended by the Acts of 4 August 1978, 1 August 1985, the Royal Decree of 25 September 1985 and the Acts of 30 December 1992 and 7 May 1999, is supplemented with a point 10°, which runs as follows:
"10° disputes concerning discrimination pursuant to the Act of 25 February 2003 pertaining to the combat of discrimination and to the amendment of the Act of February 15, 1993 pertaining to the foundation of a centre for equal opportunities and opposition to racism, which pertain to the conditions of access to gainful, unpaid, or self-employment, including the selection and appointment criteria, irrespective of the branch of activity, on all levels of the occupational hierarchy, including promotion opportunities, as well as employment and working conditions, including dismissal and pay, in both the private and the public sector.”
Article 585 of the same Code, amended by the Act of 11 April 1989, is supplemented with a point 9°, which runs as follows:
"9° on claims for cessation and impose such publicising measures of his decision as he shall deem fit by virtue of Article 9 of the Act of 25 February 2003 pertaining to the combat of discrimination and to the amendment of the Act of February 15, 1993 pertaining to the foundation of a centre for equal opportunities and opposition to racism.”
Article 587bis of the same Code, inserted by the Act of 19 March 1991, is replaced as follows:
"Art. 587 bis. — The president of the industrial tribunal, solicited by petition, shall rule:
1º on claims filed by virtue of Articles 4 and 5, §§ 3 and 4, of the Act of 19 March 1991 relative to a specific regulation on the dismissal of employee representatives in companies and in committees for safety, health and embellishment of the workplace, as well as candidate employee representatives;
2º on claims for cessation and impose such publicising measures of his decision as he shall deem fit by virtue of Article 9 of the Act of 25 February 2003 pertaining to the combat of discrimination and to the amendment of the Act of February 15, 1993 pertaining to the foundation of a centre for equal opportunities and opposition to racism.
Article 588 of the same Code, amended by the Acts of 24 June 1970, 14 July 1971, 5 December 1984, 11 April 1989 and 4 December 1990, is supplemented by a point 13°, which runs as follows:
"13º on claims for cessation and impose such publicising measures of his decision as he shall deem fit by virtue of Article 9 of the Act of 25 February 2003 pertaining to the combat of discrimination and to the amendment of the Act of February 15, 1993 pertaining to the foundation of a centre for equal opportunities and opposition to racism."
In article 764, first paragraph of the same Code, replaced by the Act of 3 August 1992 and amended by the Acts of 3 August 1992, 17 July 1997, 23 April 1998 and 17 June 2002, point 10° is replaced by the following provision:
"10° the claims referred to in Articles 578, 11° en 12°, 580, 581, 582, 1°, 2° and 6° and 583".
CHAPTER VI – Final provision
The Centre for Equal Opportunities and Opposition to Racism may intervene in disputes to which this act may give rise.
If the statutory tasks which they have set are departed from, the following associations or organisations can take legal action in disputes that result therefrom:
1° public utility institutions and all associations which on the date of the facts, have enjoyed legal personality for at least five years, and have defined, as their object in their articles of association, to defend human rights and fight discrimination;
2° the representative employers’ organisations and trade unions, as specified in Article 3 of the Act of 5 December 1968 pertaining to collective bargaining agreements and joint committees;
3° the representative organisations pursuant to the Act of 19 December 1974 on the governing of relations between the government and the trade unions of its personnel;
4° the representative organisations of the self-employed.
When the victim of a violation of the act or of the discrimination is a natural person or a body corporate, the claim of the groups referred to in the first and second paragraph shall be admissible only if they can prove that they are acting with the approval of the victim.
Comparable laws
Act of 30 July 1981 - racism, xenophobia
All jurisprudence
All Grounds of discrimination
All Areas of action
Negotiated solutions
Alternative measures
Recommandations by Unia
Our local contact points
© Unia • Interfederal Centre for Equal Opportunities
This website complies to the AnySurfer checklist for accessible websites.
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Unilever and SCB partners to support UN's Global Goals
Previous - Change in Leadership at Unilever Pakistan
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Karachi, October 2015: Unilever Pakistan and Standard Chartered have joined hands in Pakistan to support the UN’s Global Goals for Sustainable Development, with the overarching aim of ending extreme poverty, fixing inequality and injustice, and tackling climate change.
This collaboration endorses Project Everyone, a global initiative aimed at raising awareness of the Goals by reaching seven billion people in seven days.: Unilever Pakistan and Standard Chartered have joined hands in Pakistan to support the UN’s Global Goals for Sustainable Development, with the overarching aim of ending extreme poverty, fixing inequality and injustice, and tackling climate change.
This collaboration endorses Project Everyone, a global initiative aimed at raising awareness of the Goals by reaching seven billion people in seven days.
As part of this effort, a roundtable dialogue was organized at a local hotel, bringing together experts from across the public, private and development sectors to develop actions for the implementation of the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in Pakistan. The SDGs build on the success of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), launched in 2000, which helped set global and national priorities and fueled action against the many social challenges in countries around the world. The SDGs aim to build and continue on the goals set by the MDGs to ensure the health, safety and future of our planet.
Over the course of the day’s dialogue, partners provided an outline of the progress made in Pakistan and discussed the effort needed to shape political and business policies in the country for the successful implementation of the SDGs over the next 15 years. As wide spectrum of organizations supported Unilever and Standard Chartered by making commitments to create awareness for the Global Goals in Pakistan.
Ehsan A Malik, Chairman & CEO, Unilever Pakistan Limited, highlighted, “The challenges that the Global Goals aim to tackle have a huge impact on and opportunity for Unilever and are aligned with our own ambitions set out in the Unilever Sustainable Living Plan. We are already bringing the Global Goals to life through our sustainable living brands and their social missions as part of our ambition to create a bright future for us and our future generations.”
Shahzad Dada, CEO, Standard Chartered Pakistan, added, “Supporting the Global Goals in collaboration with our partners, amplifies our existing focus to end extreme poverty, fight inequality and tackle climate change. Consistent with our brand promise, Here for good, our work in the community and our strong relationships with clients, regulators and the government, uniquely position us to influence a positive change for sustainable development.”
--------------------- Ends ---------------------
About Unilever Pakistan
Unilever Pakistan is a subsidiary of Unilever Plc, which operates in over 100 countries. Established in Pakistan in 1948, the Pakistan business is amongst the country’s largest consumer goods companies. Unilever is also one of Pakistan largest taxpayers, and contributed a total of PKR 22.4 billion to Pakistan’s exchequer in 2014 alone.
Unilever’s brands such as Lux, Lifebuoy, Lipton, Sunsilk, Surf Excel and Wall’s are known for their consistently high quality & value and are trusted & consumed daily by millions of people across Pakistan. Unilever’s brands strive to create a better future every day for consumers across Pakistan.
Lifebuoy reaches out to thousands of children through its hand washing campaign, raising standards of hygiene; Lux promotes film, fashion and music through the iconic Lux Style Awards; Sunsilk partners PFDC in the fashion weeks and Blue Band supports nutrition.
As one of Pakistan’s most preferred employers, Unilever directly employs over 2000 people across the country, and indirectly contributes to the employment of many thousands through its nationwide sales and distribution network.
The Unilever Sustainable Living Plan (USLP) provides the framework for Unilever’s ambition to double its business whilst reducing its environmental footprint and enhancing its positive social impact. In Pakistan, Unilever is engaged in a number of initiatives to enhance livelihoods, save water, energy, carbon emissions and to cut waste and promote recycling.
For more information about Unilever and its brands: www.unilever.pk
For more information on the USLP: www.unilever.pk/sustainable-living/
We are a leading international banking group, with more than 90,000 employees and a 150-year history in some of the world’s most dynamic markets. We bank the people and companies driving investment, trade and the creation of wealth across Asia, Africa and the Middle East, where we earn around 90 per cent of our income and profits. Our heritage and values are expressed in our brand promise, Here for good. Standard Chartered PLC is listed on the London and Hong Kong Stock Exchanges as well as the Bombay and National Stock Exchanges in India.
For more information please visit www.sc.com. Explore our insights and comment on our blog, BeyondBorders. Follow Standard Chartered on Twitter, LinkedIn and Facebook.
Standard Chartered Pakistan
Standard Chartered Bank (Pakistan) Ltd. is the oldest and largest international bank in Pakistan. It is also the first international bank to be awarded Islamic banking licence and the first to open an Islamic banking branch.
The Banks serves both Corporate Institutional and Retail Clients. Provides credit cards, personal loans, mortgages, deposit taking and wealth management services to individuals and small to medium sized enterprises, trade finance, cash management, lending, securities services, foreign exchange, debt capital markets and corporate finance to Corporate Institutional Clients.
It also offers a complete suite of Islamic banking solutions under its Standard Chartered Saadiq brand. Standard Chartered was assigned a rating of AAA/ A1+ by PACRA. In 2012 and 2013 it won the award for Best Bank in Pakistan by The Asset Triple A for two consecutive years. The Bank employs more than 3,000 people in Pakistan and has a network of 101 branches in 13 cities.
Hussain Ali Talib
Unilever Pakistan Limited
Avari Plaza
Fatimah Jinnah Road
Karachi 75530
T: +92-21-3 566 0062 (ext 2270)
hussain.talib@unilever.com
Ferhan Ahmed
For Standard Chartered Pakistan
Head of Business Communications
Farhan.ahmed@sc.com
Explore more on these topics:
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Tag: 50th anniversary of Human Spaceflight
50th Anniversary Ceremony Recreates First US Manned Spaceflight by Alan Shepard
NASA celebrated the 50th anniversary of the first American manned spaceflight at a special ceremony on May 5, 2011 which recreated every moment of that short suborbital flight by the late Mercury astronaut Alan B. Shepard. The event unfolded from the very spot and launch pad 5/6 where he blasted off from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Florida on May 5, 1961.
Shepard’s entire 15 ½ minute suborbital spaceflight aboard the “Freedom 7” capsule was replayed in a multimedia audio and video presentation that was projected on a Jumbotron erected off to the side of an 82 foot tall replica of his Mercury-Redstone 3 rocket.
Three daughters of Alan Shepard (Laura Churchley, Julie Jenkins and Alice Wackermann) pose in front of 82-foot- tall replica of Mercury-Redstone rocket which Shepard rode to space 50 years ago. Credit: Ken Kremer
The recreation was precisely timed to coincide with the exact events of the historic mission from the launch at 9:34 a.m. to the ocean splashdown some 15 minutes later at 9:49 a.m. just as they occurred 40 years ago on May 5, 1961.
The multimedia replay began at the T minus 5 minute mark in the countdown with restored voice tapes and film footage and included every single word spoken by Shepard, live views from inside his “Freedom 7” capsule, shots of the Earth below, the spaceship descending by parachute and the naval recovery vessels.
The memorial event took place at Alan Shepard’s launch pad at Cape Canaveral to recall and honor the results and legacy of the flight.
Fellow “Original 7” Mercury astronaut Scott Carpenter did a lively play by play commentary of all the events of Shepard’s flight as it was broadcast on the Jumbotron. Carpenter was the 2nd American to orbit the Earth after John Glenn.
A crowd of more than 700 folks attended including top NASA officials and spaceflight dignitaries; NASA Administrator Charles Bolden, Kennedy Space Center Director Bob Cabana, fellow Mercury astronaut Scott Carpenter; 20 members of Shepard ‘s family including his three daughters; Jack King, former chief of NASA’s Public Information Office; Bob Moser, former Chief Test Conductor, many people who worked on Project Mercury, Florida Space Coast community leaders as well as numerous space exploration fans who journeyed here from all across the globe.
Apollo 16 Moonwalker Charlie Duke, a friend and colleague of Shepard was also on hand for the festivities.
Speakers at the May 5, 2011 celebration marking the 50th Anniversary of Alan Shepard’s first flight in space from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Florida, on May 5, 1961. Credit: Ken Kremer
“In the audience today, we have more than 100 workers from the Mercury era who devoted their lives to flying humans safely in space,” said Kennedy Space Center Director Bob Cabana.
“You should be extremely proud of what you did for our country and for humankind,” Cabana added, as he asked them to stand and be applauded and thanked for their service by the audience.
The 50th anniversary commemoration was sponsored by NASA and local space historians and community officials.
“I remember every time he spoke, he always gave credit to everyone in NASA who built the good ships that brought him home to us safely,” said Shepard’s daughter Laura Churchley. “We thank you all very much.”
“To me — and I’ve gone through hundreds of launches and done countdowns in hundreds of launches — the first is always very special,” said Jack King. “I must admit, it’s the only one when I was misty-eyed. The first American in space! I couldn’t be prouder. And I couldn’t be prouder for being a part of it.”
Project Mercury Astronaut Scott Carpenter and Hugh Harris, Shepard event organizer and NASA shuttle launch commentator. Carpenter is one of only two surviving “Original 7” Mercury astronauts.
Credit: Ken Kremer
The ceremony was organized by Hugh Harris, retired NASA space shuttle Launch commentator, and longtime NBC Newsman Jay Barbree who is the only journalist to cover every American manned space mission.
NASA Administrator Charles Bolden salutes Alan Shepard and all the space workers who made Shepard’s historic mission possible at the 50th anniversary event on May 5, 2011 celebrating this milestone achievement in human history. Credit: Ken Kremer
“It’s an honor to share this day with so many people who helped NASA pioneer human spaceflight and enable the agency’s many accomplishments throughout our existence,” NASA Administrator Charles Bolden said. “I salute all of you.”
Shepard’s flight blasted off barely three weeks after Cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin became the first human to orbit the Earth on April 12, 1961.
The successful outcome of Shepard’s mission emboldened then President Kennedy to declare that America “should commit itself to achieving the goal, before this decade is out, of landing a man on the moon and returning him safely to the Earth,” just three weeks later on May 20, 1961.
Alan Shepard later became the fifth human to set foot on the Moon as Commander of the Apollo 14 mission. Apollo 14 blasted off on Jan. 31, 1971.
Shepard was the only member of the “Original 7” Mercury astronauts to walk on the moon and did so along with Lunar Module Pilot Edgar Mitchell. They touched down in the Fra Mauro region originally intended as the landing site for Apollo 13.
Kudos to Harris and Barbree for an outstanding effort taking everyone back in time and staging a thrilling “You are There!” experience to relive the events as they unfolded 50 years ago.
Read my related articles about Alan Shepard, Yuri Gagarin and the 50th Anniversary of Human Spaceflight:
Alan Shepard and MESSENGER Stamps Unveiled at Kennedy Space Center Ceremony
Yuri Gagarin and Vostok 1 Photo Album – 50th Anniversary of Human Spaceflight
Countdown to Yuri’s Night and the 50th Anniversary of Human Spaceflight !
Stirring Video Tributes to Yuri Gagarin
Yuri Gagarin From the Earth to Mars Tribute
Over 100 space workers from the Mercury era attended the Alan Shepard ceremony and posed for a group photo on the 50th anniversary of the historic flight. Credit: Ken Kremer
NASA Administrator Charles Bolden and Ken Kremer
chat following the 50th Anniversary memorial event recreating Alan Shepard’s first manned spaceflight by an American astronaut. Bolden is a former astronaut and flew 4 times on the Space Shuttle and helped deploy the Hubble Space Telescope. Credit: Ken Kremer
Apollo 16 Moonwalker Charlie Duke and Ken Kremer speak at Alan Shepard ceremony.
82-foot- tall replica of Mercury-Redstone rocket which blasted Alan Shepard to space 50 years ago on May 5, 1961 from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station. Credit: Ken Kremer
50 Years ago, the dream of human spaceflight opened with the courageous blastoff of Cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin inside the Vostok 1 spacecraft on April 12, 1961. Gagarin was the first person to orbit the Earth. Less than a month later on May 5. 1961, Astronaut Alan Shepard bravely set forth on America’s first human spaceflight – Freedom 7.
Barely three weeks afterward on May 25, 1961, these momentous events of the early Space Age led directly to Project Apollo and the historic announcement by President Kennedy that the United States “would land a man on the moon” by the end of the 1960’s.
In honor of Yuri Gagarin, NASA’s Opportunity Mars Rover explored a small and highly eroded crater dubbed “Vostok Crater” in 2005 during its journey in the Meridian Planum region on the Martian surface. Along the edge of the crater, researchers commanded Opportunity to use the Rock Abrasion Tool (RAT), to drill into a rock dubbed “Gagarin” on Sols 401 and 402 in March 2005.
Yuri Gagarin - first human in space. Credit: Russian Archives
I created the poster collage above as a tribute to the first human spaceflight by Yuri Gagarin and his legacy which eventually led to the exploration of Mars by the Spirit and Opportunity rovers
Opportunity landed on Mars on Jan. 24, 2004 for a planned 90 sol mission. By the time that Opportunity arrived at Vostok Crater, she had already lasted more than 4 times longer than expected and found that water existed on ancient Mars.
Opportunity is still alive today on Sol 2571, more than 28 times beyond its design lifetime !
Opportunity used its rock abrasion tool (RAT) on a rock named "Gagarin" during Sols 401 and 402 on Mars (March 10 and 11, 2005). This false-color image shows the circular mark created where the tool exposed the interior of the rock Gagarin at a target called "Yuri." The circle is about 4.5 centimeters (1.8 inches) in diameter. Gagarin is at the edge of a highly eroded, small crater that was named "Vostok" for the spacecraft that carried Cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin in the first human spaceflight, on April 12, 1961. This image combines exposures taken through three different filters by Opportunity's panoramic camera on Sol 405 (March 14, 2005). Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/Cornell Univ./ASU
Scientists are using the data gathered from “Gagarin Rock” and other locations explored by Opportunity to help elucidate the history of the past flow of liquid water on the red planet and determine whether the wet environmental conditions could ever have supported martian microbial life – past or present.
“The 50th anniversary of mankind’s first fledgling foray into the cosmos should serve as an important reminder of the spirit of adventure and exploration that has propelled mankind throughout history,” said Mars rover science team member James Rice of NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Md, in a statement. “We are a species of explorers; it is encoded into our very DNA.”
“Half a century ago Yuri Gagarin was lofted into a totally unknown, remote and hostile environment and in doing so opened up a new limitless frontier of possibilities for mankind,” Rice added. “A mere 23 days later another brave human, Alan Shepard, climbed aboard a rocket and ventured into the starry abyss. Their courage and vision continue to inspire and lead us into the unknown. Hopefully, one day in the not too distant future it will lead humanity on a voyage to Mars.”
Many people, including myself, were inspired by the Space Race to become scientists and engineers and hope that continues for the next generation of students today.
Read more about Yuri Gagarin and Opportunity in my related stories:
Opportunity Rover Completes Exploration of fascinating Santa Maria Crater
Opportunity used its rock abrasion tool on a rock named "Gagarin" during the 401st and 402nd Martian days, or sols, of the rover's work on Mars (March 10 and 11, 2005). This image, taken by Opportunity's navigation camera on Sol 405 (March 14, 2005), shows the circular mark left on the rock. The circle is about 4.5 centimeters (1.8 inches) in diameter. At the end of the rover's arm, the tool turret is positioned with the rock abrasion tool pointing upward in this image. The abrasion target on the rock Gagarin was informally named "Yuri." Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech
Opportunity Traverse Map during 7 year long journey across Mars.
Map shows the long journey of Opportunity spanning the Meridiani Planum region from landing in Jan 2004 to recent stop at Santa Maria crater. Opportunity explored Vostok Crater in March 2005, about 1 year after landing as indicted by marker in yellow. Credit: NASA/JPL/Cornell Marco Di Lorenzo, Kenneth Kremer
50 Years ago on April 12,1961 the era of Human spaceflight opened with a roar to the heavens above with the thunderous blastoff of Cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin aboard the Vostok 1 capsule from the Baikonur Cosmodrome Site No.1 at 9:07 a.m. Moscow time. Gagarin, at the age of 27, dared to brave the perils of the unknown and became the first human being to be strapped atop a rocket, ascend to outer space and view what no one else had ever seen, the entire Earth as a sphere. A bold and courageous test flight in every dimension. And the effects of weightlessness had only been tested on dogs – not people.
Herein is a picture album of significant launch day events, including three collages of rare photos of Yuri Gagarin climbing up the launch tower and boarding the Vostok 1 spacecraft for the historic liftoff of the first manned spaceflight on April 12, 1961.
Sergei Korolev, “Chief Designer” of the Soviet Space program radioed, “LIFT OFF! We wish you a good flight. Everything is all right.”
Yuri Gagarin in orbit
“Poyekhali!”, Gagarin replied “[Off we go!].”
“I see Earth! It is so beautiful!” Gagarin said from orbit. “I see rivers. Visibility is good.”
Roscosmos, the Russian Federal Space Agency, put out a call for anyone interested in Yuri Gagarin and the birth of the human space exploration era to share their documents, photos and other information with the public – and the fabulous collages resulted from the response.
Do you have photos or memories of Gagarin ? Send them to Ken. Gagarin traveled widely as an ambassador of goodwill, bridging the dangerous ideological gulf between East and West during the height of the Cold War.
Gagarin’s flight lasted 108 minutes for a single orbit around the Earth. The mission was brought to a close with the de-orbit firing of the reentry rockets. Gagarin ejected from the capsule at 7 km altitude because the hard landing of the capsule was too dangerous for people. So he parachuted safely to the ground. April 12 has been celebrated as Cosmonautics Day in Russia every year since 1962. Vostok 1 was Gagarin’s only flight
Tragically, Gagarin’s life ended on March 27, 1968. He was flying a routine training mission in a MiG-15UTI fighter with flight instructor Vladimir Seryogin when the plane suddenly crashed near the town of Kirzhach. Gagarin was laid to rest in the wall of the Kremlin on Red Square.
In honor of this 50th anniversary of the dawn of Human spaceflight, a global network of over 444 Yuri’s Night parties are being staged worldwide on April 12, 2011 to celebrate one of the humankind’s greatest achievements – that’s double the number from 2010.
20 years after Gagarin’s flight, NASA’s first space shuttle blasted off on the STS-1 mission on April12, 1981.
You can join in the local Yuri’s Night festivities taking place in more than 70 countries from Afghanistan (visited by Gagarin in Dec. 1961) to Vietnam. Or join Ken in Princeton Junction, New Jersey for a free presentation about Gagarin’s flight and my behind the scenes look at the space shuttle and beyond.
Send Ken your “Yuri’s Night” event photos/report and any photos of Yuri Gagarin to publish at Universe Today. Email kremerken at yahoo dot com
Read Ken’s other stories about Yuri Gagarin and Yuri’s Night:
Roscosmos website
Yuri’s Night Website
Yuri’s Night Party list
Yuri’s Night Party with Ken in Princeton Junction, NJ, USA
First Orbit Website
STS-1 NASA Mission Website
Ken Kremer
Yuri Gagarin - First Spaceman
On 12 April 1961, Yuri Gagarin became the first human to travel into space, launched into orbit on the Vostok 3KA-3 spacecraft (Vostok 1). Credits: alldayru.com
Rollout and Erection of Vostok 1 Credits: alldayru.com
Yuri Gagarin suits up for launch
Yuri Gagarin seen dressing in a heating/cooling garment worn under his orange pressure suit. On 12 April 1961, Gagarin became the first human to travel into space, launched into orbit on the Vostok 3KA-3 spacecraft (Vostok 1). Credits: alldayru.com
Gagarin heads to the launch pad on April 12, 1961
Yuri Gagarin on the bus on the way to the launch pad with cosmonaut German Titov behind him. Titov was the back-up pilot who later became pilot of Vostok 2. Credit: NASA
Rare Photos of Yuri Gagarin and Vostok 1 Launch on April, 12, 1961 – First Human Spaceflight.
Collage of rare photos of Cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin boarding Vostok 1 spacecraft and historic launch of first manned spaceflight on April 12, 1961 from Baikonur Cosmodrome Site No.1 at 9:07 a.m. Moscow time (607 UTC), Soviet Union. Gagarin is greeted by Oleg Ivanvosky who now works in the museum of Lavochkin R&D. Credits: Oleg Ivanvosky/ Evgeny A. Sivukhin/Lavochkin R&D/Roscosmos
Cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin strapped inside Vostok 1 capsule on April 12, 1961
Launch of Yuri Gagarin and Vostok 1 on 12 April 1961 opens Era of Human Spaceflight
Cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin became the first human to journey into outer space by launching to orbit aboard Vostok 1.
Vostok 1 Landing
Here the reentry capsule of the Vostok 3KA-3 spacecraft (Vostok 1) is seen with charring and its parachute on the ground after landing south west of Engels, in the Saratov region of southern Russia. Gagarin ejected from the capsule at 7 km altitude and parachuted safely to the ground. Credits: alldayru.com
Stamps published to commemorate the 50th anniversary of Gagarin's mission. Credit: Roscosmos
Celebrate Yuri’s Night on April 12, 2011 -- 50th Anniversary of Human Spaceflight
On April 12, 1961, Russian cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin (left, on the way to the launch pad) became the first human in space, making a 108-minute orbital flight in his Vostok 1 spacecraft.
Newspapers like The Huntsville Times (right) trumpeted Gagarin's accomplishment.
Credit: NASA
Send Ken your Yuri’s Night event reports and photos
Mark your calendars. April 12, 2011 marks the 50th Anniversary of Human Spaceflight and Cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin’s astonishing First Orbit of our precious planet Earth on April 12, 1961. Gagarin was the first human to enter outer space and see what no one else had ever witnessed – our commonly shared Earth as a planet and beautiful blue globe with no borders.
Space enthusiasts worldwide are celebrating this watershed moment in Human history at a network of over 400 “Yuri’s Night” parties taking place in more than 70 countries on 6 continents and 2 worlds, according to the official “Yuri’s Night” website.
Gagarin’s flight took place in the midst of the inflammatory Cold War rivalry between the Soviet Union and the United States and shocked the world into new realities. The Space Race led to the first lunar landing by the United States and Neil Armstrong’s first steps on the moons surface in 1969. Eventually, the world’s superpowers beat swords into plowshares and united their efforts to build the International Space Station.
Yuri Gagarin was the first person to boldly leave the bonds of Earth’s gravity and thus became the first “Spaceman”. Gagarin blasted off inside the bell-shaped Vostok 1 spaceship from the launch pad at Baikonur at 9:07 a.m, Moscow time (607 UTC) to begin the era of human spaceflight.
Gagarin flew around the Earth in a single orbit at an altitude of 302 kilometers (187 miles). The flight lasted 108 minutes and safely ended when he descended back and parachuted to the ground, just north of the Caspian Sea. At the age of 27, Gagarin was instantly transformed into a worldwide hero. After the momentous flight he soon embarked on an international tour.
20 years later on April 12, 1981, NASA’s first space shuttle blasted off on the STS-1 mission on a daring test flight with astronauts John Young and Bob Crippen strapped inside Space Shuttle Columbia.
Russian postcard featuring Yuri Gagarin
The first “Yuri’s Night – World Space Party” was held on April 12, 2001 to commemorate the 40th anniversary of Gagarin’s spaceflight. Over 10,000 people attended 64 events located worldwide. The goal was to inspire people, increase awareness and support for space exploration across the globe and foster the spread of new ideas to broaden our access to space.
“Yuri’s Night” has been growing in popularity every year. Events range in size from a few folks to numbers in the thousands. Attendees range from astronauts and cosmonauts, NASA and global space agency officials and reps, scientists and engineers, famous actors, playwrights, writers, artists, athletes and musicians to just everyday folks and kids of all ages and backgrounds. Everyone can get involved.
In honor of the 50th anniversary of Gagarin’s flight, documentary film maker Christopher Riley conceived and created a film titled “First Orbit” to try and show the approximate view of Earth that Gagarin actually saw. There is only scant footage of Gagarin’s actual flight and he himself took no pictures of the Earth from orbit.
“First Orbit” recreates much of the view of the Earth’s surface that Gagarin would have seen fifty years ago. Mostly he flew over the world oceans as well as the Soviet Union and Africa.
Riley collaborated with the astronauts aboard the International Space Station, chiefly Paolo Nespoli of ESA, who took film footage from the new 7 windowed Cupola as the station matched the actual flight path of Gagarin and Vostok 1 as closely as possible. The free film celebrates 50 years of human spaceflight.
“First Orbit” premiers worldwide on YouTube in a special global streaming event for Yuri’s Night on April 12 . Watch the short trailer below, with original and stirring music by Philip Sheppard.
Orbital flight path of Yuri Gagarin and Vostok 1 on April 12, 1961
Gagarin’s call sign was Cedar or Kder - which means Siberian Pine in Russian. Map courtesy of Sven Grahn
It’s easy and free to register your local party at the Yuri’s Night event website. There is still time to register your Yuri’s Night party – Indeed the list has grown as I typed out this story !
Some events are already set to kick off this weekend. I’ll be presenting at an interactive and free Yuri’s Night evening event in Princeton Junction, New Jersey, about Gagarin’s flight and my experiences with the space shuttle and what‘s beyond.
Send Ken your “Yuri’s Night” event photos/short report to post in a round up story at Universe Today about the global festivities celebrating the historic achievement of Yuri Gagarin. Email kremerken at yahoo dot com
First Orbit Trailer II
Russian built Mini Research Module MRM-1 launched aboard US Space Shuttle Atlantis in May 2010.
Shuttle Atlantis delivered MRM-1 (known as Rassvet) to the International Space Station.
MRM-1 undergoes final prelaunch processing inside clean room at Astrotech Space Operations Facility in Florida. Docking port to ISS is protected by red colored covering. Equipment airlock for experiments at top. Russian Flag mounted at left.
Rassvet underscores the cooperation that exists today, in stark contrast to their rivalry during the Cold War. Russia, the United States, Europe, Japan and Canada have now united their space exploration efforts to build the International Space Station. The worlds space powers cooperate in other space exploration projects today as well that venture to the Moon, Mars and beyond to Deep Space. Credit: Ken Kremer
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Obama’s health-law fix sends insurers, officials scrambling
The law has more headaches than just HealthCare.gov. "In Play" asks some of The Washington Post's top political reporters to explain. (The Washington Post)
By Lena H. Sun, ,
Sarah Kliff and
Sandhya Somashekhar
National correspondent
State regulators across the country said they were blindsided by President Obama’s decision to change a key health-law provision and spent Friday scrambling to make sense of it. Some said they were unsure whether their state laws would allow them to do what the president suggested.
A day after Obama tried to quell anxiety over millions of canceled insurance policies, only a handful of state regulators said they would adopt the president’s fix. Many others said they needed more time to decide what to do because of the complex logistics and far-reaching impact on consumers.
The muddle marked the latest complication for Obama’s effort to salvage his signature health law. Since its passage in 2010, the law has met with strong political opposition, and the launch of the new federal insurance marketplace over the past six weeks has been plagued by technical problems.
The president tried to solve a separate issue — his broken promise that people who like their health plans can keep them — by allowing insurance companies to extend health plans that were supposed to be banned.
But the move is adding to the confusion that surrounds the health-care law and throwing an element of uncertainty into the insurance market. The issue is making some Democrats nervous, particularly those facing tough reelection campaigns next year.
In the House on Friday, lawmakers approved a Republican bill that goes further than Obama’s administrative remedy. While the president called on insurers to give people the option of extending current policies through 2014, the House bill would allow them to continue selling to new customers policies that don’t meet the law’s consumer requirements.
Thirty-nine Democrats backed the Republican bill, representing their largest defection by far on a major or closely watched piece of legislation this year. It faces an uphill climb in the Senate, and Obama has said he would veto it.
Nervous about the potential defections, Democratic leaders deployed several senior aides on the Hill. In the hours before the vote, the aides spoke with, among others, Reps. Brad Schneider (Ill.) and Daniel Maffei (N.Y.), who won tight races last year. But both ended up voting in favor of the legislation.
Even Rep. Matthew Cartwright (Pa.), a passionate defender of the Affordable Care Act, suggested Friday that the Obama administration waited too long to address administrative fixes to the law and put too many Democrats at political risk.
The White House “knew very well that they had to give us something different to support, because simply stonewalling about the president’s promise and why it wasn’t kept was not going to be an option,” he said. Like others in his party, he concluded that Obama’s remedy “has given us something else to get behind.”
Obama and senior White House officials met with more than a dozen insurance executives Friday afternoon. According to an industry official, Obama did not have a specific “ask” for the executives, who reiterated their concerns that young, healthy people might renew canceled policies, leaving sicker and older people on the marketplaces.
The executives noted that they could not act on Obama’s remedy for cancellations without the blessing of state regulators. They discussed the possibility of insurers doing more to directly enroll individuals instead of having them use the troubled federal Web site, but no decision was made.
White House officials have met twice before with insurance executives since the Oct. 1 launch of HealthCare.gov to discuss its problematic rollout. The administration consulted with some insurance companies on the president’s proposed fix before he announced it.
Meanwhile, state regulators were left to grapple with the proposal, which they learned about Thursday. One reason for states’ uncertainty about whether they can proceed is that they are unaccustomed to regulating around executive orders, which may not be treated with the force of law.
“It’s unique, and I’m not aware of a precedent for it,” said James J. Donelon, president of the National Association of Insurance Commissioners (NAIC), who is also Louisiana's insurance commissioner. “I have seen one state attorney general already opine that a state regulator cannot act based on executive order.”
A handful of states quickly announced their decisions, splitting over whether they would let insurers issue noncompliant policies next year. Three states — Rhode Island, Vermont and Washington — will not allow any changes in their insurance markets. Five states — Florida, North Carolina, Ohio, Kentucky and Texas — will give insurers the opportunity to sell these plans.
“I’m calling on our health insurers to take advantage of this opportunity, and I’ve directed my staff to do what is necessary to make sure that insurers can allow their policyholders to keep their plan for another year,” said North Carolina Insurance Commissioner Wayne Goodwin.
Other states, including Maryland and Virginia, as well as the District of Columbia, said they need more time to decide.
District Insurance Commissioner William P. White hinted strongly late Thursday that he was opposed to the idea, saying the president’s action “undercuts the purpose of the exchanges” by creating exceptions that make it “more difficult for them to operate.”
State officials in Georgia said they lack the statutory authority to allow insurers to provide the stopgap measure.
Some regulators are frustrated by the lack of warning about the change. Insurance commissioners huddled on three separate conference calls Thursday, the first one minutes before the president’s appearance.
Montana’s insurance commissioner was in a coffee shop when she saw a television news report that Obama was going to speak. “I headed into the office and found out there was an emergency call scheduled,” said Monica Lindeen, who is also vice president of the NAIC.
She said the president’s move “throws everything on its head” after three years of preparing for the law.
“The prevailing winds change one day to the next,” said Michael F. Consedine, Pennsylvania’s insurance commissioner, who also is an executive with the professional association.
Lindeen and Consedine said they were consulting with insurance companies but know there is not much time. Dec. 15 is the deadline to purchase a plan on the new insurance exchange for coverage beginning in 2014.
In Montana, the main insurer, BlueCross BlueShield, is canceling individual policies by the end of the year. Reversing those cancellations would mean the insurer would have to develop new prices for those same plans, file them with regulators, and give consumers 45 days’ notice, Lindeen said.
Washington state’s insurance commissioner, Mike Kreidler, quickly decided Thursday that he would not allow insurers to renew noncompliant plans as the president has asked.
“It’s too late in the game, certainly for the state of Washington,” he said. “And health carriers in our state were not very excited about the prospect of this. How do you have one set of rules for one plan and another set for the others?”
State regulators are attempting to pull off a balancing act, weighing consumers’ demands to keep their plans against the pitfalls of making a last-minute change to the insurance market.
“Anytime there’s a change, they’re worried about disruptions to their marketplace,” Sarah Lueck, a consumer representative to the NAIC, said. “They’re also worried about the impact on consumers and what their options are given this is such a short time frame.”
Obama said insurance companies could continue for another year to offer health plans sold to individuals and small businesses that do not meet requirements under the new law, which set minimum standards for the benefits that policies must cover.
Individual policies have long been a problematic part of the insurance market, with higher prices than most group plans, fewer benefits and a tendency to cut people off when they get sick. The health-care law tried to address this problem by directing Americans who buy individual policies to sign up for coverage through the new insurance marketplaces and by defining a core set of essential benefits, including maternity and prescription drug coverage.
Some insurers said the confusion over canceled plans will discourage participation from a key group that insurers need for the new exchanges to succeed: young, healthy people who use little medical care.
“It is impossible to reverse what has already transpired,” said Allan Einboden, chief executive of the Scott & White Health Plan, a Texas-based insurer that covers about 200,000 people. If there aren’t enough young and healthy people in the exchanges, rates will go up, making it harder to attract them going forward, he said.
But others, like BlueCross BlueShield of North Carolina, have embraced the new option. The insurer announced Friday that it would file plans with its insurance regulator that would allow consumers to stay in their plan for an additional year.
“There are still important details to work through,” said the plan’s chief executive, Brad Wilson. “We expect to be able to provide more details about customers’ renewal options on or around December 1.”
Ed O’Keefe, Zachary Goldfarb and Jeff Simon contributed to this report.
Sandhya Somashekhar Sandhya Somashekhar is a national correspondent for The Washington Post. She has covered social issues and politics, and was part of the Pulitzer Prize-winning team that documented the thousands of people shot and killed by police every year. Follow
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We went to the source. Here’s what matters to millennials.
A state-by-state look at where Generation Y stands on the big issues.
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Lithia Motors Inc (LAD) Expected to Announce Quarterly Sales of $2.89 Billion
April 23rd, 2019 - Comments Off on Lithia Motors Inc (LAD) Expected to Announce Quarterly Sales of $2.89 Billion - Filed Under - by Mark Dietrich
Brokerages expect that Lithia Motors Inc (NYSE:LAD) will report sales of $2.89 billion for the current fiscal quarter, according to Zacks. Three analysts have provided estimates for Lithia Motors’ earnings, with the highest sales estimate coming in at $2.94 billion and the lowest estimate coming in at $2.81 billion. Lithia Motors reported sales of $2.66 billion in the same quarter last year, which would suggest a positive year-over-year growth rate of 8.6%. The business is scheduled to issue its next quarterly earnings report before the market opens on Wednesday, April 24th.
On average, analysts expect that Lithia Motors will report full year sales of $12.34 billion for the current fiscal year, with estimates ranging from $11.96 billion to $12.94 billion. For the next fiscal year, analysts anticipate that the firm will post sales of $12.72 billion, with estimates ranging from $12.04 billion to $14.12 billion. Zacks’ sales averages are a mean average based on a survey of analysts that cover Lithia Motors.
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Lithia Motors (NYSE:LAD) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 13th. The company reported $2.57 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.45 by $0.12. Lithia Motors had a return on equity of 20.82% and a net margin of 2.25%. The firm had revenue of $2.97 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.01 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $2.15 EPS. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 10.0% on a year-over-year basis.
A number of research analysts have commented on the company. Zacks Investment Research lowered Lithia Motors from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a report on Tuesday, April 2nd. ValuEngine lowered Lithia Motors from a “sell” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 13th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. assumed coverage on Lithia Motors in a report on Tuesday, February 19th. They issued an “overweight” rating and a $112.00 price objective on the stock. Finally, Morgan Stanley upped their price objective on Lithia Motors from $99.00 to $104.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Tuesday, April 16th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have given a hold rating and seven have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. The stock has an average rating of “Buy” and an average target price of $105.71.
In other news, CEO Bryan B. Deboer sold 3,835 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $90.00, for a total transaction of $345,150.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 153,285 shares in the company, valued at approximately $13,795,650. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, Director Susan O. Cain sold 1,462 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Friday, February 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $87.15, for a total value of $127,413.30. Following the sale, the director now owns 10,849 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $945,490.35. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Corporate insiders own 5.21% of the company’s stock.
Several large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in LAD. Geode Capital Management LLC lifted its position in shares of Lithia Motors by 2.9% during the 4th quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 235,713 shares of the company’s stock worth $17,991,000 after buying an additional 6,663 shares during the last quarter. Prudential Financial Inc. lifted its position in shares of Lithia Motors by 38.0% during the 4th quarter. Prudential Financial Inc. now owns 94,444 shares of the company’s stock worth $7,209,000 after buying an additional 26,007 shares during the last quarter. Bank of Montreal Can lifted its position in shares of Lithia Motors by 65.8% during the 4th quarter. Bank of Montreal Can now owns 1,096 shares of the company’s stock worth $84,000 after buying an additional 435 shares during the last quarter. Bridge City Capital LLC lifted its position in shares of Lithia Motors by 12.1% during the 4th quarter. Bridge City Capital LLC now owns 24,448 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,866,000 after buying an additional 2,633 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Boston Partners lifted its position in shares of Lithia Motors by 6.0% during the 4th quarter. Boston Partners now owns 806,490 shares of the company’s stock worth $61,560,000 after buying an additional 45,728 shares during the last quarter.
Shares of NYSE LAD opened at $95.90 on Tuesday. The company has a current ratio of 1.20, a quick ratio of 0.25 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.13. Lithia Motors has a one year low of $67.90 and a one year high of $105.64. The firm has a market capitalization of $2.29 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 9.61, a PEG ratio of 1.15 and a beta of 1.19.
About Lithia Motors
Lithia Motors, Inc operates automotive franchises, and retails new and used vehicles in the United States. The company operates in three segments: Domestic, Import, and Luxury. It sells new and used cars, replacement parts, vehicle service contracts, vehicle protection products, and credit insurance products; provides vehicle maintenance, warranty, paint, and repair services; and arranges related financing.
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Mark Dietrich
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University Forced To Remove Blackened American Flag 'Art'
Update: The University of Kansas took down a defaced American flag and placed it in an art museum on Wednesday after receiving backlash from the community.
Conservative students on campus expressed disdain on social media over the flag on Tuesday, resulting in community members filing complaints to the university. Kansas Gov. Jeff Colyer alongside Secretary of State Kris Kobach, both Republicans, also called on the university to take down the flag.
The University of Kansas is hosting a display on campus featuring an American flag that has been smeared with black paint by an artist as a commentary on “the current political climate.”
As Campus Reform's Grace Gottschling reports, the artist is being featured at KU as part of an ongoing project sponsored by Creative Time, a New York based organization focused on three core values:
“art matters, artists’ voices are important in shaping society, and public spaces are places for creative and free expression.”
The flag, “untitled (flag 2),” was designed by German artist Josephine Meckseper and is being displayed in several locations across the United States, including KU, Cornell University, Texas State University, Rutgers University, and the University of South Florida.
Meckseper’s design is the only one in the project that has involved altering the American flag.
“The flag is a collage of an American flag and one of my dripped paintings which resembles the contours of the United States,” Meckseper explained on the Creative Time website.
“I divided the shape of the country in two for the flag design to reflect a deeply polarized country in which a president has openly bragged about harassing women and is withdrawing from the Kyoto protocol and UN Human Rights Council.”
“The black and white sock on my flag takes on a new symbolic meaning in light of the recent imprisonment of immigrant children at the border,” Meckseper added.
The project, which began in June 2017, called “Pledges of Allegiance” features 16 artists and focuses on one artist’s work each month. Each artist designed a flag to highlight “an issue the artist is passionate about, a cause they believe is worth fighting for, and speaks to how we might move forward collectively,” according to the project description.
“Conceived in response to the current political climate, Pledges of Allegiance aims to inspire a sense of community among cultural institutions and begin articulating the urgent response our political moment demands,” a nearby plaque states.
“As a born and raised Kansan and somebody that loves being apart of this university and loves being a Jayhawk, I find this to be the exact opposite of what it means to call yourself a Jayhawk,” Ian Ballinger, a communications major at KU, told Campus Reform.
“Unfortunately you see universities across the country being overrun by far left activists and postmodernists,” Ballinger added.
“This display is not representative of what the University of Kansas, the school I grew up loving and still love to this day, stands for.”
“As a U.S. Navy veteran and student at the University of Kansas currently seeking my Master's degree, I find the ‘artwork’ that currently flies at Spooner Hall heinous and abhorrent,” Ian Appling told Campus Reform.
“I do strongly believe in the United States' Constitution and swore an oath to defend it, which includes the individual citizen's right to use our flag in an expression of freedom of speech.”
“With that being said, this desecrated American flag is currently flying on a public University's campus, where Kansas and Federal taxpayer money is sent to provide an unbiased center of learning and discourse,” Appling pointed out.
“Any public space or property that shows bias of this proportion should have all taxpayer funds indefinitely suspended until proper action is completed, formal apologies sent out, all faculty involved should be thoroughly investigated, and examples made.”
Campus Reform reached out to Creative Time, but was directed back to its original statement. Spokespersons for KU have not responded to inquiries from Campus Reform.
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Home Blog Housing Barbaric…
Nov 2, 2007 Michael Shapcott
Barbaric…
… that’s the only way to describe the urban health landscape in the United States, the richest country in the world and the self-proclaimed leader of the “free” world. I’ve been in Baltimore for the International Conference on Urban Health and on Thursday afternoon was invited to visit parts of the inner city. I visited Paul’s Place, a soup kitchen for homeless and low-income people; and Homeless Health Care. I drove along streets where homeless people wander, and where poor families live in grossly substandard housing, and where thousands of homes are abandoned as the middle and upper-income people have fled to the suburbs.
Perhaps the most terrifying visit was to the University of Maryland’s Shock Trauma Centre, which treats about 7,000 gunshot and other victims of violence. This is a state-of-the-art facility with literally millions of dollars in equipment and staff devoted to one goal: Patching up the thousands of poor people who stream through its doors as victims of urban violence. There is a separate emergency room for other patients.
Virtually all the patients to Shock Trauma are poor and have no health insurance. Most of them are black, and almost all are either victims of gang violence, or members of gangs who have been shot or stabbed. Dr. Carnell Cooper and his surgeons have an amazing success rate: 97% of the people who are alive when they enter the facility are patched up and sent on their way.
Dr. Cooper and his team despaired of the revolving door at Shock Trauma: Many patients would come back time and again, since they were discharged back into the terrible urban neighbourhoods where they were assaulted in the first place. The toxic mix of poverty, racism, gang violence, drugs, housing insecurity and a deliberate policy of neglect by almost all levels of government contributes to the steady flow of patients at Shock Trauma.
In recent years, there is a tiny ray of hope. Dr. Cooper has engaged victims of the violence and others in a multi-disciplinary team to tackle some of the devastating social and health conditions that breed the epidemic of violence. They’ve had remarkable success among the several hundred young people (men and women) that they have worked with. Recidivism is way down – which means less costs to the system, and less damage to the neighbourhoods. He doesn’t have the resources to address the most fundamental issues (lack of affordable housing, lack of jobs, shortfalls in education, and so on), but he is making a real difference by simply engaging the victims.
You’d think that politicians and policy-makers would embrace Dr. Cooper and his team, if only because they are saving taxpayers’ money, but the pattern of official neglect continues.
In 1918, at the end of the First World War, Dr. Charles Hastings, Toronto’s first medical officer of Health, delivered his inaugural address to the American Public Health Association. He directly linked health and democracy:
“Every nation that permits people to remain under the fetters of preventable disease, and permits social conditions to exist that make it impossible for them to be properly fed, clothed and housed, so as to maintain a high degree of resistance and physical fitness, and that endorses a wage that does not afford sufficient revenue for the home, a revenue that will make possible the development of a sound mind and body, is trampling a primary principle of democracy under its feet.”
“Health is a prerequisite to the enjoyment of life. We do not only want life, but we want it more abundantly. As Farrand has expressed it: “To make a country really safe for democracy, we must first make it healthy.” We have heard much about making the world safe for democracy, but have we a democracy that is safe for the world? This must be assured.”
“Will any of the democracies of today stand the test?”
By Dr. Hastings’ standard, the Government of the United States of America stands condemned of failing in this most basic test of civilization.
On the final day of the Baltimore conference, we heard from Congressman Elijah Cummings, who put a more contemporary focus on the issue. He noted that the Bush administration is stalling on a bill that would provide basic health care to children (the United States doesn’t have a comprehensive health care plan and as many as 50 million Americans are denied access to even the most basic primary care). He spoke of a young boy in Baltimore who died of an infection caused by tooth decay because he was denied access to basic health services.
Congressman Cummings ended with this statement:
“If President Bush can spend $196 billion on Iraq and Afghanistan, then we can afford universal health care.”
Categories: Housing
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Infertility is the inability of a couple to get pregnant despite having regular unprotected sex. A couple is regarded as infertile if, after regular sexual intercourse, they have not conceived in two years. It is estimated that one in seven UK couples has difficulty conceiving (HFEA, 2006).
Identifiable causes of infertility include: ovulatory disorders in 27% of couples; tubal damage in 14% of couples; low sperm count or low sperm quality in 19% of couples. In 30% of couples the cause of infertility remains unexplained (NCCWCH, 2004). Female fertility declines with age, but the effect of age on male fertility is less clear (NICE, 2004). The difficulties couples encounter when facing fertility problems can lead to stress, which may further decrease chances of conception (Eugster & Vingerhoets, 1999). Acupuncture is a popular treatment choice for infertility (Smith 2010).
Eugster A, Vingerhoets AJ. Psychological aspects of in vitro fertilization: a review. Soc Sci Med. 1999 Mar;48(5):575-89.
Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA) Facts and figures for researchers and the media. (2006) www.hfea.gov.uk
National Collaborating Centre for Women's and Children's Health Fertility (NCCWCH) Fertility: assessment and treatment for people with fertility problems (full NICE guideline). Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists. www.rcog.org.uk
National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) Fertility: assessment and treatment for people with fertility problems (NICE guideline). Clinical guideline 11. (2004) www.nice.org.uk
Smith JF, Eisenberg ML, Millstein SG, Nachtigall RD et al. The use of complementary and alternative fertility treatment in couples seeking fertility care: data from a prospective cohort in the United States. Fertil Steril. 2010;93(7):2169-74.
How acupuncture can help
Randomised trials in China have demonstrated significantly better pregnancy rates for acupuncture than medication (Yang 2005, Chen 2007, Song 2008), but these studies may not be of a high quality. In the West, clinical trials on acupuncture for natural fertility (i.e. not as an adjunct to assisted conception) are almost non-existent, though there is a small amount of positive evidence (Gerhard 1992, Stener-Victorin 2000, 2008, 2010).
Research has established plausible mechanisms to explain how acupuncture may benefit fertility:
regulating fertility hormones - stress and other factors can disrupt the function of the hypothalamic pituitary-ovarian axis (HPOA), causing hormonal imbalances that can negatively impact fertility. Acupuncture has been shown to affect hormone levels by promoting the release of beta-endorphin in the brain, which affects the release of gonadotrophin releasing hormone by the hypothalamus, follicle stimulating hormone from the pituitary gland, and oestrogen and progesterone levels from the ovary (Ng 2008, Huang 2008, Lim 2010, Stener-Victorin 2010). Further details of these processes are emerging, for example mRNA expression of hormones, growth factors and other neuropeptides (He 2009)
increasing blood flow to the reproductive organs - stress also stimulates the sympathetic nervous system, which causes constriction of ovarian arteries. Acupuncture inhibits this sympathetic activity, improving blood flow to the ovaries (Stener-Victorin 2006, Lim 2010), enhancing the environment in which ovarian follicles develop. It also increases blood flow to the uterus (Stener-Victorin 1996, Huang 2008), improving the thickness of the endometrial lining and increasing the chances of embryo implantation.
counteracting the effects of polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS) - PCOS is one of the most common causes of female infertility. By reducing sympathetic nerve activity and balancing hormone levels, acupuncture has been shown to reduce the number of ovarian cysts, stimulate ovulation, enhance blastocyst implantation and regulate the menstrual cycle in women with PCOS (Stener-Victorin 2000, 2008, 2009, Zhang 2009). It may also help to control secondary effects such as obesity and anorexia (Lim 2010).
(Article from the British Acupuncture Council webiste)
Arthritis (Osteo)
Arthritis (Rheumatoid)
Infertility ART
Intestinal Disorders
Post-natal Care
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man traps
by Lux on June 20, 2017 at 12:00pm
Throughout Chillingham Castle?s years of restoration, countless bodies have been discovered hidden in various hidden rooms, crawlspaces, and behind brick walls. Perhaps most notable of the discoveries where the skeletons of a man and child found hiding in a small underground vault. No one knows who they are, or why they were hiding in the tiny stone vault in the first place.
The Chilling History of Chillingham Castle
Believed to be the most horrific place in Europe, the Chillingham Castle has seen many wars, deaths and tortures since the 12th century.
In North Northumberland, within sight of the Cheviot Hills, lies the medieval stronghold of Chillingham Castle. Tucked away on the outskirts of the village of the same name, it is remote and forbidding in aspect. Wild cattle still live in these parts, descendants of the beasts that once roamed the ancient forests of Britain. This was once a lawless land, subject to violent cross-border raids during the constant bloody warfare between England and Scotland. It seems peaceful now, but that peace may be deceptive.
Built in the 12th century in the northern part of Northumberland, England, Chillingham was originally intended to be a monastery, but since 1246 the infamous castle has been owned by the same continuous bloodline, and not all of them were very nice. It was the distinguished Grey family who scooped up the surrounding forest and palace, and while renovating the massive building, they added a dungeon and torture chamber or two. It is purportedly quite haunted, with some, however, refusing to go ? cries of terror and pain can be heard emanating from a passage in the wall. When those cries fade, it is said that a halo of blue light has been known appear. A figure of a boy in blue was seen as it approached a guest?s bed during a refurbishing of the castle, after which the bones of a boy along with fragments of a blue dress were found in a wall of the room.
It is estimated that over 7500 Scots, including men, women and children of all ages were tortured and killed in this dungeon over a three-year period.
Tagged: a tortured child • Blue boy • border between Scotland and England • branding irons • cages • chains • countless bodies have been discovered hidden in various hidden rooms • dungeon • either from starvation or their injuries • haunted • History of Chillingham Castle • horrific history • Lady Mary • left there to die • leg irons • man traps • medieval stronghold • most haunted places in the country • North Northumberland • Photo of the Day • prisoners • Scottish prisoners • sick and deranged • thumb screws • torture chamber • torturer here was a man called John Sage
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200 Palestinian bodies found in Tel Aviv mass graves
The bodies are believed to belong to the victims of a massacre carried out by right-wing Jewish militias in the former Arab district in 1948.
It has been revealed that the remains of dozens of Palestinians killed during the Israeli-Arab in 1948 were found in six mass graves in the Jaffa district of Tel Aviv on Wednesday.
The graves were found when ground subsided as builders carried out renovation work in the area, an official at the Muslim cemetery there told AFP.
The bodies are believed to belong to the victims of a massacre carried out by right-wing Jewish militias in the former Arab district.
As-Safri newspaper reported that up to 200 bodies may be in the graves, with an unknown additional number in the other graves.
'The remains belong to people of different ages, including women, children and the elderly, some of which bear signs of violence,' Researcher and historian Mahmoud Obeid said.
Around 760,000 Palestinians were forced out of their homes in the war, many of them still living as refugees in Jordan.
Last Mod: 31 Ağustos 2014, 17:18
#Palestine,
#israeli arabs,
#tel aviv
Hundreds of settlers storm Jerusalem's Aqsa complex
Palestine welcomes Czech move on Jerusalem
Palestine urges int’l probe into Jerusalem excavations
Hamas slams Israeli PM’s anti-Erdogan tirade
Palestinian-Israeli deal impossible without US
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Regenerative Medicine from 12 year agp.
Limb Regeneration
Silver Helps Regrow Tissues in Hundreds of Patients
Changes In Glucose Metabolism May Define Aging
Not All Supplements Improve Heart Health Or Delay Death
First Evidence Of Chronic Pain In Insects Points To Root Cause
Healthy Blood Vessels May Help Prevent Alzheimer’s Disease
Home » Regenerative Medicine
By Prmos at Aug. 23, 2011, 1:05 p.m., 33973 hits
Limb Regeneration in Humans - Fingers is being proposed to be edited to bring the information up to date to the year 2011.
The following changes are proposed to:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Limb_regeneration
By 1974, Illingworth had documented several hundred similar cases of children under the age of 11 are able to regrow their fingertips providing that the finger is not be covered by a flap of skin.
Studies done by Dr. Robert O. Becker, M.D., Orthopedic Surgeon and Professor of Medicine at the State University of New York, Syracuse, New York, between 1966 and 1980, showed that silver ions had the capability to dedifferentiate mature cells back to their embryonic state. He demonstrated the first artificial dedifferentiation in his laboratory as early as 1966. He used silver ions to regrow fingertips in children below the age of 11 years in a record period of only 90 days.
In August of 1995, Dr. Robert O. Becker demonstrated the first adult case of fingertip regeneration in a 21 year old male in a record period of 88 days. This is documented with progressive pictured taken between May 16, 1995 and August 11, 1995 in US Patent No. 5,814,094 issued on September 29, 1998. A normal finger takes about six months to grow the full length of a fingernail. His record period for adult fingertip regeneration in 88 days remained unchallenged for over one decade.
In August 2005, Lee Spievack, then in his early sixties, accidentally sliced off the tip of his right middle finger just above the first phalanx. His brother, Dr. Alan Spievack, was researching regeneration and provided him with powdered extracellular matrix, developed by Dr. Stephen Badylak of the McGowan Institute of Regenerative Medicine. Mr. Spievack covered the wound with the powder, and the tip of his finger re-grew in four weeks. The news was released in 2007. Lee Spievack is another documented case of an adult human regenerating fingertips;<ref name=“weintraub” /> however, Ben Goldacre has described this as “the missing finger that never was”, claiming that fingertips regrow and quoted Simon Kay, professor of hand surgery at the University of Leeds, who from the picture provided by Goldacre described the case as seemingly “an ordinary fingertip injury with quite unremarkable healing”
In April 2010, Pramod Vora used silver nano particles to not only dedifferentiate mature cells back to their embryonic state, but also to activate stem cells to produce enhanced rate of progenitor cells for an accelerated regeneration of an amputated fingertip. This is documented with progressive pictures in the case of a 7 year old boy and shows complete regeneration of the fingertip with full fingernail and complete fingerprint in a record period of only 30 days.
In November 2010 and once again in April 2011, Pramod Vora showed the same accelerated regeneration in two different cases of adult fingertips in as little 21 days based on nano silver induced stem cell activation therapy.
1. ^ Illingworth, Cynthia M. 1974. Trapped fingers and amputated fingertips in children. J. Ped. Surgery 9:853-858.
2. ^ Becker RO. The Body Electric: Electromagnetism and the Foundation of Life. New York, NY: William Morrow & Company; 1985.
3. ^ Becker RO, Flick AB, Becker AJ. Iontopheretic system for stimulation of tissue healing and regeneration. United States Patent 5814094. 1996, March 28.
4. ^ Babcock MJ. Methods for measuring fingernail growth rates in nutritional studies. J Nutr. 1955;55:323-336.
5. ^ “Regeneration recipe: Pinch of pig, cell of lizard”. Associated Press. MSNBC. February 19, 2007. http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/17171083/. Retrieved October 24, 2008.
6. ^ Goldacre, Ben (May 3, 2008). “The missing finger that never was”. The Guardian. http://www.guardian.co.uk/science/2008/may/03/medicalresearch.health.
7. ^ Vora, Pramod. Fingertip Regrowth, Anti-aging Medical Therapeutics, Volume 13, Spring 2010
8. ^ Vora, Pramod. Fingertip Regeneration, Anti-aging Medical Therapeutics, Volume 14, spring 2011.
9. ^ Tuch BE (2006). “Stem cells—a clinical update”. Australian Family Physician 35 (9): 719–21. PMID 16969445.
10. ^ Becker AJ, McCulloch EA, Till JE (1963). “Cytological demonstration of the clonal nature of spleen colonies derived from transplanted mouse marrow cells”. Nature 197 (4866): 452–4. doi:10.1038/197452a0. PMID 13970094.
11. ^ Siminovitch L, McCulloch EA, Till JE (1963). “The distribution of colony-forming cells among spleen colonies”. Journal of Cellular and Comparative Physiology 62 (3): 327–36. doi:10.1002/jcp.1030620313. PMID 14086156.
12. ^ Becker RO. The Body Electric: Electromagnetism and the Foundation of Life. New York, NY: William Morrow & Company; 1985.
13. ^ Becker RO. Effects of electrically generated silver ions on human cells and wound healing. Electro and Magnetobiology. 2000;19:1-19.
14. ^ Becker RO. Induced dedifferentiation: a possible alternative to embryonic stem cell transplants. NeuroRehabilitation. 2002;17:23-31.
15. ^ Becker RO, Flick AB, Becker AJ. Iontopheretic system for stimulation of tissue healing and regeneration. United States Patent 5814094. 1996, March 28.
16. ^ Vora, Pramod. Nano Silver Induced Stem Cell Activation Therapy, Anti-aging Medical Therapeutics, Volume 13, spring 2010.
17. ^ Vora, Pramod. Fingertip Regeneration, Anti-aging Medical Therapeutics, Volume 14, spring 2011.
18. ^ Babcock MJ. Methods for measuring fingernail growth rates in nutritional studies. J Nutr. 1955;55:323-336.
The discussion so far:
There appears to be Conflict of Interest in the submissions that I made to edit the following pages. I am therefore happy to provide drafts of the changes proposed for an Editorial Review of the matter. It is unfortunate, that I also happen to be the person who has authored these research papers. But they have been peer reviewed and accepted by A4M the world's largest organization in Anti-Aging and Regenerative Medicine, and published in their numerous volumes during the past few years. This should not make the information I am providing as “speculative” any more and anybody qualified in this subject who reads these papers should see merit in the work being done in this field. Attempt is being made to make this information public for the advancement of science and mankind. I have re-edited the information provided earlier to make it shorter and have removed any repetitions of information and kept it as neutral as I possibly could.
Further help is sought to make it meet Wikipedia's guidelines and expectations.
Thank you for your time, patience and assistance.
Your help in finalizing the edit for this page will be very highly appreciated.
Once again thanking you for your assistance.
Blessings, Pramod Vora Pramod Vora (talk) 23:08, 8 August 2011 (UTC)
A few comments:
1. I could find no indication that Anti-Aging Medical Therapeutics is peer-reviewed. It does not have an Eigenfactor ranking. It is unknown to PubMed. The Library of Congress has some issues (with vol. 8 the newest I could find), and the LoC does not classify it as a journal. It apparently does not even have a website. To be honest, I doubt it is a reliable source at all, and since it seems almost impossible to find a copy of the newer issues, it also seems to fail our policy on verifiability as well. If you really can speed up wound healing five-fold, I suggest publishing in the New England Journal of Medicine instead.
2. Your interpretation of Becker's results seems a lot more confident than Becker's own. I tried to look up his results on dedifferentiation, and the most I could find was this 2002 paper which says that observed effects were achieved “apparently by stimulating dedifferentiation of mature human cells.” That's very vague if Becker is supposed to have demonstrated the first artificial dedifferentiation in his laboratory as early as 1966. Almost fourty years later he's still at the “apparently” stage? I also failed to find any independent recognition of this effect that is supposed to be known for decades.
3. The Illingsworth paragraph you suggest for limb regeneration is redundant to the paragraph we already have.
In summary, your suggested edits seem to one-sidedly promote your own achievements despite a lack of supporting sources in the scientific literature. Becker is the best you have (and unfortunately I don't have access to Becker's book), but you stretch his results beyond recognition. Huon (talk) 01:28, 9 August 2011 (UTC)
Dear Huon,
Anti-Aging Medical Therapeutics is not a journal but is released by A4M as a Medical Textbook Series. I said that my paper is peer reviewed by A4M. Wikipedia recognizes the existence of the American Academy of Anti-Aging Medicine (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_Academy_of_Anti-Aging_Medicine) and has a whole page devoted to it. I am happy to note that the Library of Congress has volume 8 with it. It would be best to contact A4M at http://www.worldhealth.net to verify that it is a reliable source and to verify the existence of later volumes and that they have indeed peer reviewed and accepted my papers for publication in Volume 12, 13 and 14.
Here is a short note on the American Academy of Anti-Aging Medicine: “A4M is a non-for-profit medical society dedicated to the advancement of technology to detect, prevent, and treat aging related diseases and to promote research into methods to retard and optimize the human aging process and to prevent and treat aging related disorders. A4M is also dedicated to educating physicians, scientists and members of the public on issues of advanced preventive medicine and cutting edge biotechnologies.
A4M, is now over 24,000 members strong in 105 nations. A4M has trained over 100,000 physicians at International Scientific Conferences over the past 15 years.
A4M provides ongoing medical and scientific education and information services to over 500,000 healthcare professionals monthly via our on-line educational programs.”
I hope this information helps to establish the authenticity of The American Academy of Anti-Aging Medicine and to peer review scientific papers.
I will write a separate e-mail to Dr. Ron Klatz, M.D., President, A4M to also contact you with other relevant information to help you establish the authenticity of A4M and the good work they are doing.
For more information on the late Dr. Robert O. Becker's research work please visit the following links to his published research papers and patent on my website: http://www.space-age.com/stemcell.html I will be happy to scan the relevant part of his book published in 1985 where he shows the first artificial dedifferentiation in summer of 1966 at the State University of New York, Syracuse, New York. Dedifferentiation is also talked about in his research papers whose references are already given by me. The pdf files of all these research papers and patents are available for download from my above mentioned webpage. The concept of our research work was created by Dr. Becker about 40 years back. We just carried it forward through the next 5 generations of development and put it to practical use in hospitals. The progressive photos taken are by Plastic Surgeons who are members of ISAPS and IAAPS. So the work is authenticated by other Doctors and Hospitals.
Dr. Becker filed a United States Patent showing regeneration of adult fingertip way back in 1995. This patent is on my website and you can see fingertip regeneration. Yet Wikipedia page writes that the first adult fingertip regeneration was done in August 2005.(August 2005, Lee Spievack). I have also tried to correct this. You can download this patent from my website given above for your study. We also have a exclusive page on children and adult Fingertip regeneration cases done during the last few years. You can see progressive pictures taken by other Doctors who are now implementing this technology in respectable hospitals. So you see it is not my work I am promoting. I am just collecting the information form other Doctors and propagating it. The names of these doctors are mentioned under each set of photographs.
Nor are we providing you stories from the media as are sometimes reported in Wikipedia. I do not understand how the media can be a source of information for an encyclopedia. Published research, duly peer reviewed, and read at scientific conferences, in my opinion, is any day a better source of information.
Please study the work of the late Dr, Robert Becker and please give him the credit he richly deserves.
Let me know if there is anything more I can do to help you decide if this knowledge should be made public for the benefit of mankind or should be lost into oblivion as has been the case with Dr. Rober O. Becker. Blessings, Pramod Vora Pramod Vora (talk) 07:30, 9 August 2011 (UTC)
While we do have an article on the American Academy of Anti-Aging Medicine, that is not much of an achievement. We also have an article on the Flat Earth Society without claiming their scientific theories have any merit. And our A4M article mentions massive criticism of the organization by practically everybody not a member, including Aubrey de Grey who is himself a proponent of anti-aging medicine. If everybody from mainstream medical researchers to other anti-aging proponents has such a low opinion of A4M, they are hardly a reliable source. Furthermore, have a look at this comment about another of their publications, by Leonard Hayflick of UCSF:
The International Journal of Anti-Aging Medicine is not a recognized scientific journal. What I find reprehensible about this ‘journal’ is that advertisers who publish in it can then claim there is scientific evidence to support their outrageous assertions by pointing to the publication in an alleged scientific journal.
This is just one of the scathing assessments IJAAM received from the scientific community. Given that A4M still claimed it was a peer-reviewed journal, I don't think we can accept A4M's word on whether Anti-Aging Medical Therapeutics is peer-reviewed. Is there any such indication independent of A4M?
I have looked a little deeper into Becker's work. The most relevant patent seems to be this one, not the one you mentioned above. Here Becker explains the dedifferentiating properties of silver. There are several caveats. First of all, a patent application is not peer-reviewed. Secondly, Becker says: “The foregoing results mean to me that the electrically generated silver ion produces a transformation of tissue fibroblasts into relatively primitive cells resembling and possibly functioning like primitive cell types, e.g., hematopoietic marrow.” He is extremely cautious, with formulations such as “mean to me” and “resembling and possibly functioning”. If that were a research paper and not a patent application, I'd say he outlines a program for further research to confirm what he suspects. Has such additional research been carried out? I couldn't find any indication beyond the article I mentioned before, which was still in the “apparently” stage. Finally, despite renewed efforts I still found no indication that anybody else took up and confirmed Becker's work, which is rather surprising given its potential importance. Until such confirmation is available, I don't think we should emphasize Becker's work, and definitely not beyond what Becker himself says about his own level of success.
As an aside, you may want to discuss your suggested changes at the corresponding articles' talk pages: Talk:Life extension, Talk:Regeneration (biology) and Talk:Stem cell. That would probably allow more interested editors than just me to see them and comment on them. Huon (talk) 15:06, 9 August 2011 (UTC)
Here are some after thoughts to my submissions last night.
In order to truly appreciate the work done by the late Dr. Robert O. Becker, M.D. we must understand the following:
Becker was perhaps 50 years ahead of his time. This did create a lot of problems in his career. If you happen to get your hands on his Book The Body Electric you will see it is a beautiful manuscript on Limb Regeneration. Unfortunately in 1960s, talking about limb regeneration was a “suicide mission.” People in the scientific community were not ready for it. Yet Becker pursued with his dream. Scientist did not believe mature cell could be dedifferentiated back to their embryonic state. There was strong opposition to this in the scientific community.
So obviously, Robert Becker had to be very conservative in what he spoke out openly as he still wanted the scientific community to support his research. This can perhaps explain the word “apparently” on which you have laid stress in your earlier comments.
Though we all know we live in a freedom of speech society, we are all subjected to only cautious speech and arbitration of speech based on what the scientific community thinks is reasonable. The choice with the researcher is to downgrade his speech and writings or not get published at all. This is the due process of peer reviewing. They tell you what to write and what they (who perhaps do not know enough about the subject) think is reasonable or not.
These problems have plagued the late Dr. Becker’s career all along.
I see it happening to me all the time and I have to be cautious in what I say, do and write.
I am sure that Dr. Becker himself did not have the vision to see that he was the “grandfather” of stem cell work in the world and in the United States in particular. We learn to appreciate his work today when there is so much talk about Stem Cell Therapy, Regenerative Medicine and Limb Regeneration in particular. This is no longer a taboo subject of the 1960s and many prestigious universities in the United States are pursuing Limb Regeneration and the Department of Defense has provided millions of dollars in research grants for Limb Regeneration work, as it will one day help soldiers returning back from war to come back without permanent loss of limbs. Finger Regeneration is just the beginning.
Just 400 hundred years back Galileo (1609) was imprisoned for life for saying that the Earth was not the center of the universe and that the Earth was just a planet revolving around the Sun.
I trust the above insight will help you to take the right decisions.
Blessings, Pramod VoraPramod Vora (talk) 20:00, 9 August 2011 (UTC)
Thank you for pointing out the earlier patent No. 4528265 filed by the late Dr. Robert Becker in May 1982 and granted in July 1985. You can see he had to struggle for more than 3 years to get it through. They also have a team of people who scrutinize the patents filed and you have to go back and forth to explain your point of view and justification for a grant of a patent.
All true scientists undergo a learning curve in their life. It only towards the end of their life that they know more about the truth, as it really exists in the universe, and have the courage to speak the truth as they have not too many more years to live.
The patent I have talked about 5814094 is filed in March 1996 and granted in September 1998. This is 14 years later when Dr. Becker was much closer to the truth and also much bolder in speaking the truth. See 14 years later he did not have to struggle for 3 whole years to get a patent. The world was more ready for this information and the barriers were gradually being broken down. This later patent shows progressive pictures of the world’s first documented adult Fingertip Regeneration done in 1995 with silver ions. We must rely on what he has to say in 1995 and in his other recent research papers published as late as 2000 and 2002 (whose links are on my website) to know what he knew and wanted to say towards the end of his life. Incidentally, he passed away in 2008 at the age of 84 years.
There is always criticism of all great organizations who step away from the conventional ways of the world and start something that is hard to digest in that particular time period they live in. I mentioned about the life of Galileo in my last correspondence. Again, every great organization also goes through a learning curve and may make some preliminary mistakes. What is important is to make sure that they have the right ethics and the right attitude / goals to do what is right for mankind. United States also undergoes a lot of criticism all over the world for what they do and don’t do. Does that make Untied States a bad country?
People and organizations who do something extraordinary in life are always criticized. They have to learn to accept it. If you do not want criticism you should do nothing at all and nobody will look at you or pay any attention.
Let us leave the controversy surrounding A4M on Wikipedia out of this discussion as we are not really wanting to modify their page. Let us focus on the scientific information given on the 3 pages we chose to edit and bring the information up to date to the year 2011. Also would the visitors to these 3 pages on Wikipedia appreciate this information and find it valuable in their understanding of science today?
Trust this dialogue will help you to do what is right for mankind.
The reason for putting all this up on the Discussion page is a follow up to the suggestion of user Huon (talk) who recommended that I put up these proposed changes on the Discussion page to allow other more interested editors to also offer their valuable comments and help to quickly reach a consensus on editing this page. The sole object of reproducing this previous discussion is to provide easy access to information on other research work done in the past so that other readers / editors are given the opportunity to quickly asses the merits of the proposed changes to bring this proposed edit to a final conclusion. An attempt is being made to bring the information on Wikipedia pages up to date for the benefit and progress of science and mankind in general.
Pramod Vora
Note for World Health Net Forum:
May I request help and support from readers who are knowledgeable in this subject to also post their opinion on this Wikipedia Discussion page. Let us make some head way for our long term goals in Anti-Aging & Regenerative Medicine by getting a few people involved who have solid credentials and stature in the field of medicine to voice their opinion. The tide will gradually change and the editors at Wikipedia will gradually change their mindset and begin to see our point of view. I am sure their perception will eventually change. We just need to keep the pressure on.
I await your support.
— Last Edited by Pramod Vora at 2011-08-23 13:14:22 —
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World Travel Guide > Guides > Asia > Myanmar
Introducing Myanmar
About Myanmar
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History, language & culture
Weather & geography
Doing business & staying in touch
Travel to Myanmar
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the IDs1326Yangon International Airport
Places in Myanmar
Yangon International Airport
Myanmar travel guide
Once a pariah state, Myanmar – previously known as Burma – is fast becoming the must-see destination in Southeast Asia, helped by an incredible array of tourist sights: golden stupas as tall as skyscrapers, ancient ruins, fascinating hill tribes, unexplored jungles, peaceful beach resorts, legions of monks, and mesmerising cities made legendary by writers like Rudyard Kipling and George Orwell.
Ruled by a secretive military junta, Burma was closed for decades to the outside world. When it finally opened, travellers were initially restricted to a handful of locations: the magnificent temples of Bagan, the floating villages of Inle Lake, the monasteries of Mandalay, and Yangon, the former capital, with its colonial relics and towering pagodas.
That was then. With the end of the travel boycott called by Aung San Suu Kyi, travellers are queuing up to visit Myanmar, captivated by the idea of seeing what Asia was like before the tourists arrived. Nevertheless, the government still controls where visitors can go and what they can see, and many people have qualms that their tourist dollars help fund the military, which stands accused of widespread abuses.
Those who do visit discover a fascinating, and famously friendly culture on the threshold between tradition and modernity. Monasteries are the foundation of Burmese society and even in rapidly expanding Yangon life is focused on Buddhist rituals. The sense of devotion is tangible at the awe-inspiring Shwedagon Paya, which towers over Yangon like an enormous golden pillar.
As Myanmar has opened up to the outside world, travellers have pushed beyond the Bagan-Inle-Mandalay triangle, visiting peaceful outposts like Kalaw, Hsipaw and Kengtung and trekking to remote tribal villages. Smaller numbers make it to the jungles of northern Myanmar or the rain-drenched ports of the far south and west. Myanmar even has its own patch of the Himalaya, accessed from remote Putao in the far north.
Through it all, the mighty Irrawaddy River snakes like a twisting Burmese python, offering some of the most atmospheric river journeys in Southeast Asia. Nevertheless, Myanmar remains a controversial destination, promising significant challenges as well as rewarding experiences.
676,578 sq km (261,227 sq miles).
54,363,426 (UN estimate 2016).
Population density:
83.2 per sq km.
Nay Pyi Taw.
Government:
President Win Myint since 2018.
The travel advice summary below is provided by the Foreign and Commonwealth Office in the UK. 'We' refers to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office. For their full travel advice, visit www.gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice.
Still current at:
Summary - removal of information on the Thingyan Water Festival; Local laws and customs section - addition of information on Burma’s defamation laws
Download map (PDF)
The Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) advise against all but essential travel to:
Rakhine State, except the southern townships (administrative areas similar to a borough or county) of Kyaukpyu, Ramree, Munaung, Toungup, Thandwe (including the tourist resort of Ngapali) and Gwa.
Paletwa township, in southern Chin State, due to active armed conflict. If you’re visiting Mount Victoria in Mindat township, you should seek advice from tour operators or guides before travel.
Shan State (North), except Kyaukme town, Hsipaw town, and the train line from Mandalay to Kyaukme and Hsipaw. Please note that the town of Lashio and its airport are included in the area where the FCO advise against all but essential travel.
Kachin State (except the towns of Myitkyina, Bhamo and Putao) due to continued risk of armed conflict. On 15 May 2018 there were 2 explosions with no casualties on the train track between Mandalay and Myitkyina.
You’re advised to be vigilant in Taunggyi (Shan State) following the discovery on 16 November 2018 of an explosive device.
Political tension and unrest could happen at short notice. You should avoid all demonstrations and large gatherings. Don’t take photographs or videos of the police, demonstrations, military installations or military personnel.
Take particular care in the border areas with China, Thailand, Bangladesh, India and Laos. The situation in ethnic states where armed groups operate is volatile. There is ongoing conflict in the north of Shan State, and in Kachin State, Karen/Kayin State and Rakhine State. There remains the possibility of violent clashes in other ethnic states. You’re advised to be vigilant in Taunggyi (Shan State) following the discovery on 16 November 2018 of an explosive device. Conflict between the Arakan Army (AA) and Burmese military continues in Northern Rakhine in four townships: Buthidaung, Kyauktaw, Rathaedaung and Ponnagyun and has spread to some townships in Mrauk U.
Terrorists are likely to try to carry out attacks in Burma. You should remain vigilant and follow the advice of local authorities.
You should always take out comprehensive travel and medical insurance before you travel to any country, particularly to cover medical evacuation to another country if necessary.
Individuals with disabilities or access requirements should be prepared to face difficulties throughout Burma. Roads and pavements are often difficult to cross. Ramps and accessible facilities are rare.
UK health authorities have classified Burma as having a risk of Zika virus transmission. For information and advice about the risks associated with Zika virus, visit the National Travel Health Network and Centre website.
Urban areas, particularly Yangon and Mandalay, can experience poor air quality. This may aggravate bronchial, sinus or asthma conditions. Children, the elderly and those with pre-existing medical conditions may be especially affected.
Credit and debit cards are increasingly accepted in major tourist areas but some cards don’t work. Check in advance that your card will work.
Most visits are trouble-free. If you need to contact local emergency services, call In case of emergency, dial:
police: 199
medical assistance: 192
firefighters: 191
You should be aware that phone operators may not speak English.
The most common types of consular assistance are related to lost passports, petty theft and road accidents.
If you’re abroad and you need emergency help from the UK government, contact the nearest British embassy, consulate or high commission. If you’re arrested or detained, ask police or prison officials to notify the British Embassy immediately. Consular support is limited in parts of Burma where embassy officials require travel permission from the Burmese government. Permission is not guaranteed. The British Embassy’s ability to deliver consular assistance, including in an emergency, may be restricted or delayed in these areas.
If you’re resident in Burma or planning to stay for a longer period, you can find advice on our Living in Burma page.
The Overseas Business Risk service offers information and advice for British companies operating overseas on how to manage political, economic, and business security-related risks.
Political situation
Burma held parliamentary elections on 8 November 2015. The National League for Democracy (NLD), led by Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, won a majority of seats and formed a government in April 2016. Burma’s military retains 25% of seats in parliament as well as various other political offices. The next parliamentary elections are due in November 2020.
Burma has suffered from prolonged internal conflicts, involving a number of non-state armed groups from Burma’s ethnic States. In October 2015 the government signed a National Ceasefire Agreement with 8 (roughly half) of the armed groups. A further 2 signed in 2018. Many others have bilateral ceasefire agreements with the government. There is no formal ceasefire as yet in Kachin State. In northern Shan State, Kokang Self-Administered Zone is not under ceasefire. Even where there are ceasefires in place, the possibility of violent clashes remains in all ethnic States including Shan, Rakhine, Chin, Kachin, Kayah, Karen/Kayin, and Mon.
The political situation remains unsettled outside the central areas. Restrictions on freedom of assembly, movement and the right to form trade unions remain in place following extremely narrow legislative reforms. Restrictions on freedom of speech, movement, religion, and political activity remain, and under current laws criticism of the government can result in imprisonment, detainment and deportation. Avoid all demonstrations and large gatherings. Don’t take photographs or videos of the police, any demonstrations, military installations or military personnel. Importing unmanned aerial systems (drones) without prior government permission and flying them in sensitive areas such as government buildings, famous tourist sites, and religious buildings can result in criminal penalties, including jail time and the permanent confiscation of the drone. As it is rarely clear what constitutes a sensitive area, all recreational use of drones is inadvisable. If you wish to bring a drone to Burma, we strongly suggest you seek official permission from the Burmese government.
In the past, there have been acts of politically motivated violence around public holidays like Armed Forces Day (27 March) and Martyrs Day (19 July). On other anniversaries, like the 8 August 1988 uprising against the government and the September 2007 protests, you can expect to see an increase in security forces in Rangoon and elsewhere in Burma.
There are no officially issued accurate crime statistics. Anecdotal evidence suggests occasional instances of violent crime against foreigners. The most common crimes are non-violent crimes of opportunity (pickpocketing, theft of unattended possessions in public places or hotel rooms, bag snatching, gem/confidence scams). At night, it is recommended that visitors explore city sights in groups or with a partner. Thieves often attempt to distract a victim by asking questions, begging for money, selling items, or bumping/jostling. You should take extra care of your belongings and take sensible security precautions at all times.
Burma is still largely a cash-only society. Travellers, who are often required to carry large sums of local currency, should avoid displaying cash or other valuables in public. Beware of merchants offering to sell gems, gold, semi-precious stones. This could result in substantial loss of money and/or a violation of local laws. Do not purchase gems or minerals from an unlicensed source.
Local travel - destinations subject to limitations
The Ministry of Hotels, Tourism and Sport maintains a list of approved destinations. Tourists can visit Yangon, Mandalay, Bago and Irrawaddy regions without restrictions. Other destinations are subject to limitations (eg access by air or train but not by road). For more information, contact the Burmese Ministry of Tourism.
Local travel - Rakhine State
The FCO advise against all but essential travel to Rakhine State except the southern townships (administrative areas similar to a borough or county) of Kyaukpyu, Ramree, Munaung, Toungup, Thandwe (including the tourist resort of Ngapali) and Gwa. Since serious civil unrest in 2012 there have been regular outbreaks of armed conflict between different ethnic groups and the Burmese military, particularly in northern Rakhine. Current outbreaks of violence are affecting both north and central Rakhine, including Mrauk U.
Local travel - Kachin State
The FCO advise against all but essential travel to Kachin State (except the towns of Myitkyina, Bhamo and Putao) due to a continued risk of armed conflict there. If you’re travelling to Myitkyina, Bhamo and Putao, you should monitor local developments and keep in close contact with your tour operator in case the security situation there changes. The railway track between Mandalay and Myitkyina has been a target, most recently in May 2018. The Burmese authorities are currently restricting travel between Myitkyina and Bhamo: travel to and between these two towns is permitted by air only.
Local travel - Shan State
The FCO advise against all but essential travel to northern Shan State (North) except:
Kyaukme town
Hsipaw town
the train line (but not the road) from Mandalay to Hsipaw, through Kyaukme
Rail travel is likely to be safer than the road. This is because both the Burmese military and ethnic armed groups transport men and weapons along the roads but not on the train. Armed conflict regularly breaks out in the north of Shan State (South). Armed clashes have intensified since April 2018. You are advised to be vigilant in Taunggyi (the capital of Shan State) following the discovery on 16 November 2018 of an explosive device.
Local travel – Chin State
The FCO advise against all but essential travel to Paletwa township in southern Chin state due to active armed conflict there. If you’re visiting Mount Victoria in Mindat township you should seek advice from tour operators or guides before going.
Local travel - border areas
The Burmese government restricts travel to most border areas. Be particularly vigilant and take extra care in border areas. There is ongoing military activity close to borders with Bangladesh, Thailand, Laos, India and China especially in Shan, Karen/Kayin, Mon and Kachin States. There are occasional clashes in Karen/Kayin State (Myawaddy and Kawkareik)) and Mon State (Kyaik Mayaw). You should seek advice from guides or tour operators before travelling. Land mines also pose a threat in conflict areas. The Burmese government restricts travel to most border areas.
There are a limited number of legal crossing points, but these could close without notice:
Tachilek (Burma Shan State) - Mae Sai (northern Thailand border)
KawThoung (Burma Tanintharyi) - Ranong-Kawthoung (southern Thailand border)
Muse (Burma Shan State) - Ruili (China border)
Tamu (Burma Chin State) - Morei (India border)
Myawaddy (Burma Karen/Kayin State) - Mae Sot (western Thailand border).
Don’t attempt to cross any border illegally or enter restricted areas without the appropriate permissions from the Burmese authorities. Even after getting permission, you may experience difficulties with the local authorities.
The FCO can’t offer advice on the safety of individual airlines. However, the International Air Transport Association publishes a list of registered airlines that have been audited and found to meet a number of operational safety standards and recommended practices. This list is not exhaustive and the absence of an airline from this list doesn’t necessarily mean that it’s unsafe. A list of recent incidents and accidents is available on the website of the Aviation Safety Network.
Airlines routinely share flight codes, meaning that airlines sometimes use aircraft from outside their own fleet. Passengers aren’t always advised in advance where this is the case.
Local flight schedules are subject to change without warning. Leave sufficient time in your travel itinerary to accommodate this.
Railway safety standards are significantly below those in the UK.
Road travel
Overland travel can be hazardous, particularly in the rainy season (May to October). Roads can become impassable and bridges damaged. Travel by road between many areas outside the key destinations of Yangon, Mandalay, Bago and Irrawaddy regions is restricted. Check with your tour operator or the Ministry of Hotels, Tourism and Sport before travelling.
Road safety standards are significantly lower than in the UK. Under Burmese law, the driver of a car involved in an accident with a pedestrian is always at fault. Many vehicles, including taxis and buses, are in a poor mechanical state, and serious road traffic accidents are common. Although Burma drives on the right, the majority of cars are right hand drive.
You should avoid travel where possible on the main Mandalay-Naypyitaw-Yangon road at night, due to bad lighting and poor road surfacing.
Sea and river travel
Seek local advice about where it is safe to swim or dive in the sea. River transport may not meet internationally recognised safety standards and search and rescue facilities may be limited.
During the monsoon season (normally May to October), heavy rains can cause flooding. Make sure life jackets are available and check local weather conditions before undertaking any river journey. All travellers should avoid wading, swimming or bathing in freshwater to prevent catching schistosomiasis.
Exercise caution at beach resorts in Ngwe Saung, Chaung Tha and Ngapali as there are strong underwater currents and riptides. There are no lifeguards and drownings have occurred.
Exercise caution when considering diving excursions in Burma. Rented diving equipment may not meet internationally acceptable safety standards and may not be maintained adequately.
Mobile phones and Internet
Burma’s technological infrastructure is improving rapidly and foreign visitors and residents can expect to see significant change in the near future.
International GSM roaming is now available in Burma and all local networks offer 3G and 4G. If roaming is enabled, some UK SIM cards will work and coverage is fairly reliable in the main cities. UK mobile service providers may charge especially high prices for roaming in Burma.
Many visitors travel with a spare mobile phone and buy a SIM card when they arrive (approximately 1500 Kyat – about £1). This can then be topped up as needed.
Individuals with disabilities or access requirements should be prepared to face difficulties throughout Burma. Roads and pavements are often difficult to cross. Ramps or accessible facilities are rare.
Terrorists are likely to try to carry out attacks in Burma. Attacks could be indiscriminate, including in places visited by foreigners: government buildings, commercial premises, public transport, festivals, hotels and cinemas. You should take sensible precautions and follow the advice of the local security forces.
There’s a heightened threat of terrorist attack globally against UK interests and British nationals, from groups or individuals motivated by the conflict in Iraq and Syria. You should be vigilant at this time.
Find out more about the global threat from terrorism, how to minimise your risk and what to do in the event of a terrorist attack.
Local laws and customs
If you’re arrested and convicted of a crime in Burma you can expect a long prison sentence. Pre-trial detention can also last many months.
The legal process in Burma is unpredictable, lacks transparency and is open to interference from powerful political and business interests. The investigation and trial process falls far below the standard expected in the UK. British nationals in Burma should be aware that there are limits to the assistance the British Embassy can offer to those with concerns about the fairness of their trial as we are unable to interfere in the legal processes of a host country.
The conditions in Burmese prisons are extremely poor and overcrowded. Medical facilities in prisons are also extremely poor. The UK has no prisoner transfer agreement with Burma so if you’re found guilty you can expect to serve your full prison term in Burma have your visa revoked and be deported when released.
Sexual abuse against children is a serious crime. The UK and Burmese authorities are committed to combating travelling child sex offenders. Those who commit sex offences against children abroad can also be prosecuted in the UK.
Respect religious customs when visiting Buddhist religious sites. Shorts and sleeveless tops will cause offence. You should remove shoes and socks before entering a pagoda or monastery. These and other local customs are explained on this website run by the Burmese government and Burmese Tourist Federation
Under Burmese law, insulting religion is a prosecutable offence. Insulting religion is a broad term, and can include any disrespectful depiction or image (including tattoos) of Buddha or other religious representation, or wearing any tattoo of Buddha anywhere below the waist.
Burma’s defamation laws give broad scope for individuals to bring potentially arbitrary charges which could result in criminal penalties, including a prison sentence. Foreigners have been subject to criminal investigations for acts such as posting a critical review of a hotel online.
Penalties for drug trafficking range from a minimum sentence of 15 years imprisonment and can include the death penalty.
Homosexuality is technically illegal in Burma, although these laws are rarely enforced in practice. These laws can carry punishments of up to life imprisonment and apply equally to men and women. There have been reports of police using threats of prosecution to extort bribes and allegations of arbitrary arrest and detention, although these have primarily been reported by Burmese nationals.
LGBT people are rarely open about their sexuality or gender identity publicly, and LGBT communities are more likely tolerated than accepted within Burmese society. There have nonetheless been increasingly large pride festivals that have taken place in recent years. Public displays of affection, whether heterosexual or LGBT are frowned upon in Burma’s conservative culture
International organisations have reported high rates of HIV prevalence within the LGBT community in Burma. See our information and advice page for the LGBT community before you travel.
Burma is a party to the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES). Over 800 species of animals and plants are banned from international trade and a further 30,000 are strictly controlled by CITES and EU legislation. You should consider the restrictions on the export of endangered species under CITES when deciding whether to buy exotic souvenirs, including those made from turtles.
The information on this page covers the most common types of travel and reflects the UK government’s understanding of the rules currently in place. Unless otherwise stated, this information is for travellers using a full ‘British Citizen’ passport.
The authorities in the country or territory you’re travelling to are responsible for setting and enforcing the rules for entry. If you’re unclear about any aspect of the entry requirements, or you need further reassurance, you’ll need to contact the embassy, high commission or consulate of the country or territory you’re travelling to.
You should also consider checking with your transport provider or travel company to make sure your passport and other travel documents meet their requirements.
You will need to get a visa before you travel. You should apply at the nearest Burmese Embassy or Consulate well in advance of travelling. You can also apply online. For more information about entry requirements, contact the Burmese Embassy.
Passport validity
Your passport should be valid for a minimum period of 6 months from the date of entry into Burma.
Restrictions on entering and exiting Burma at the same border crossing
The restrictions on exiting Burma at the same border crossing from which you entered have been partially relaxed. If you enter Burma through the Tachilek (Burma Shan State), KawThoung (Burma Tanintharyi), Myawaddy (Burma Karen State) or Htee Khee-Sunaron (Burma Dawei District) border crossings you are able to depart via Yangon or Mandalay International Airport. However, if you enter Burma via the Muse (Burma Shan State) or Tamu (Burma Chin State) border crossings you must exit at the crossing from which you entered.
Recent changes to visa requirements for Thailand may affect travellers wishing to make regular crossings at the land border between Burma and Thailand. for further information.
Check whether you need a yellow fever certificate by visiting the National Travel Health Network and Centre’s TravelHealthPro website.
UK Emergency Travel Documents
UK Emergency Travel Documents (ETDs) are not valid for entry into Burma. However, ETDs are accepted for exit from Burma.
At least 8 weeks before your trip, check the latest country-specific health advice from the National Travel Health Network and Centre (NaTHNaC) on the TravelHealthPro website. Each country-specific page has information on vaccine recommendations, any current health risks or outbreaks, and factsheets with information on staying healthy abroad. Guidance is also available from NHS (Scotland) on the FitForTravel website.
General information on travel vaccinations and a travel health checklist is available on the NHS website. You may then wish to contact your health adviser or pharmacy for advice on other preventive measures and managing any pre-existing medical conditions while you’re abroad.
The legal status and regulation of some medicines prescribed or purchased in the UK can be different in other countries. If you’re travelling with prescription or over-the-counter medicine, read this guidance from NaTHNaC on best practice when travelling with medicines. For further information on the legal status of a specific medicine, you’ll need to contact the embassy, high commission or consulate of the country or territory you’re travelling to.
Many pharmaceutical products for sale in Burma are believed to be counterfeit.
Competent medical advice and treatment may not be available outside Yangon and Mandalay, and any services provided will not be to the standard of those in the UK. You may require expensive medical evacuation costing up to tens of thousands of pounds. Make sure you have adequate travel health insurance and accessible funds to cover the cost of any medical treatment abroad and repatriation. Avoid intrusive examinations, including emergency dental work, due to irregular hygiene standards and the danger of infection, particularly by hepatitis B and C and HIV/AIDS. Psychological and psychiatric services are also limited.
Cash payment is often required prior to receiving medical treatment in Burma. Make sure you have adequate travel health insurance and accessible funds to cover the cost of any medical treatment abroad and/or repatriation. The UK Government can’t pay for medical expenses overseas.
Air pollution can occur in major urban areas. This may aggravate bronchial, sinus or asthma conditions. Children, the elderly and those with pre-existing medical conditions may be especially affected.
Cases of cholera have been reported in some areas of Burma. Poor sanitation and eating contaminated food can increase the risk of diarrheal illnesses. Drink or use only boiled or bottled water and avoid ice in drinks.
Dengue fever is present in Burma, including in the regions of Yangon and Mandalay. You should take appropriate precautions to avoid being bitten by mosquitos.
There is a risk of Zika virus in Burma. Pregnant women should consider avoiding travel. All travellers should avoid mosquito bites particularly between dawn and dusk.
Japanese Encephalitis is present in Burma. The virus is spread by mosquitoes and can be fatal.
There have been outbreaks of Avian Influenza (Bird Flu) in domestic poultry in Burma. While the risk to humans from Avian Influenza is believed to be very low, you should avoid any contact with domestic, caged or wild birds, and ensure poultry and egg dishes are thoroughly cooked.
Cases of Schistosomiasis, a parasitic infection, reported in Burma. There is no vaccine or medication to prevent Schistosomiasis. All travellers should avoid wading, swimming or bathing in freshwater. As the infection may cause no symptoms, all travellers who may have been exposed to Schistosomiasis should have a medical assessment.
Burma is subject to frequent earthquakes and tremors of varying magnitude.
The Earthquake Track website lists recent seismic activity. To learn more about what to do before, during and after an earthquake, see the website of the US Federal Emergency Management Agency.
The cyclone season in Burma normally runs from April to October. You can monitor the progress of tropical cyclones on the website of the World Meteorological Organisation. Floods and landslides may occur. Check local weather reports before travelling, particularly in coastal areas.
See our tropical cyclones page for advice about what to do if you’re caught up in a storm.
You should expect to rely on cash for most of your stay (preferably US dollars). Visitors bringing in excess of $10,000 (or equivalent) in foreign currency should declare this to Customs on arrival or risk facing imprisonment.
Once in country it’s easy to exchange US dollars into Kyats and exchange rates are generally fair. Due to concerns over counterfeit money, dollars with the letters AB and CB at the start of the serial number (top left-hand corner of the note) aren’t always accepted. Notes with pen marks, folds or tears are also not accepted.
An increasing number of hotels, restaurants and shops now accept credit and debit cards, but there’s widespread distrust of electronic payment and banking. If you intend to pay for hotels or restaurants with a credit or debit card, you should phone ahead and confirm that this will be possible. Many vendors will charge a high service fee for paying by card.
ATMs are now widely available but aren’t always reliable and you should monitor your transactions regularly. Western Union operates for inward transfer of funds via Burmese banks.
Avoid using ATMs in exposed locations – opt for ATMs in banks and shopping centres instead.
Check ATMs for skimming devices before use.
If you use ATM, debit or credit cards, closely monitor your bank transaction records.
Report any theft promptly to local police.
Carry enough cash to cover all of your expenses while in Burma. Credit cards are not widely accepted. Even where credit card facilities do exist, internet connections may be too slow to enable credit cards to be a reliable payment method. Traveller’s cheques are never accepted and debit cards may not work for direct purchases. It’s possible to find some internationally linked ATMs in Burma, but the daily withdrawal limits are low and the machines can often be out of service. Neither cash advances via credit or debit card nor cheque-cashing services are available.
Travel advice help and support
If you’re abroad and you need emergency help from the UK government, contact the nearest British embassy, consulate or high commission. If you need urgent help because something has happened to a friend or relative abroad, contact the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) in London on 020 7008 1500 (24 hours).
Foreign travel checklist
Read our foreign travel checklist to help you plan for your trip abroad and stay safe while you’re there.
The FCO travel advice helps you make your own decisions about foreign travel. Your safety is our main concern, but we can’t provide tailored advice for individual trips. If you’re concerned about whether or not it’s safe for you to travel, you should read the travel advice for the country or territory you’re travelling to, together with information from other sources you’ve identified, before making your own decision on whether to travel. Only you can decide whether it’s safe for you to travel.
When we judge the level of risk to British nationals in a particular place has become unacceptably high, we’ll state on the travel advice page for that country or territory that we advise against all or all but essential travel. Read more about how the FCO assesses and categorises risk in foreign travel advice.
Our crisis overseas page suggests additional things you can do before and during foreign travel to help you stay safe.
If you wish to cancel or change a holiday that you’ve booked, you should contact your travel company. The question of refunds and cancellations is a matter for you and your travel company. Travel companies make their own decisions about whether or not to offer customers a refund. Many of them use our travel advice to help them reach these decisions, but we do not instruct travel companies on when they can or can’t offer a refund to their customers.
For more information about your rights if you wish to cancel a holiday, visit the Citizen’s Advice Bureau website. For help resolving problems with a flight booking, visit the website of the Civil Aviation Authority. For questions about travel insurance, contact your insurance provider and if you’re not happy with their response, you can complain to the Financial Ombudsman Service.
Registering your travel details with us
We’re no longer asking people to register with us before travel. Our foreign travel checklist and crisis overseas page suggest things you can do before and during foreign travel to plan your trip and stay safe.
Previous versions of FCO travel advice
If you’re looking for a previous version of the FCO travel advice, visit the National Archives website. If you can’t find the page you’re looking for there, send the Travel Advice Team a request.
If you’re a British national and you have a question about travelling abroad that isn’t covered in our foreign travel advice or elsewhere on GOV.UK, you can submit an enquiry. We’re not able to provide tailored advice for specific trips.
Top 5: Ancient Buddhist temples to visit
Buddhism has been one of the most popular religions in Asia for over 2,500 years and here are the five most beautiful and fascinating ancient Buddhist temples to visit
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Did Miley Cyrus Just Confirm A Collab With Shawn Mendes?
posted by Paris Close - Jan 11, 2019
Are Shawn Mendes and Miley Cyrus working together?
The "Malibu" songbird somewhat hinted at the possibility of teaming up with the "Lost in Japan" singer-songwriter for a future project, likely for her new album.
On Thursday (January 10), Cyrus appeared to confirm the whispers by commenting on an Instagram post shared by a fandom account insinuating the musicians were creating something together for her upcoming seventh LP. "According to some rumors, Shawn Mendes will be part of Miley's new album. I am Mendes Army and it would be one of my biggest dreams come true," the caption read, to which the 26-year-old responded with a "like" and a heart emoji beneath the post.
Thankfully, fans captured the proof via screenshot. See the evidence below.
Last year saw Cyrus' return to the studio since she dropped Younger Now (2017).
Throughout 2018, she featured on Elton John's tribute album with her rendition of "Don't Let The Sun Go Down On Me" in April, marked the premiere of her latest collab, "Nothing Breaks Like a Heart," with producer Mark Ronson in late-November and tracked the record by covering John Lennon's "Happy Xmas (War Is Over)" with Ronson and Sean Ono Lennon in December.
As far as we know, the pop star has already made headway on her new era, slated for 2019 release. "I'm already working on the next one," Cyrus told BBC Radio 1 in 2017. "I'm already two songs deep on the next one."
Albeit unconfirmed, it's been rumored her new work will bear the same hip-hop sound as her 2013 success Bangerz, but also blend heavy pop elements as well.
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Live Performance Will Never Die
Budgets Are Tight and Audiences Are Changing, but Communities Aren’t Going to Stop Expressing Themselves
by Paul Bisceglio | July 14, 2015
Community-based arts programs in California’s Inland Empire are facing big challenges today. Funds are diminishing. Audiences are disappearing. So how can small-scale performers and venues survive? And what can Redlands, which has a rich performing arts history, teach organizations across the nation about how to stay relevant? These were a few of the questions tackled at a “Living the Arts” event co-presented by the James Irvine Foundation at the Mission Gables Bowl House in Redlands.
When it comes to arts funding, we are in a drought—in Redlands, in California, and in the nation, said Redlands University theater professor Victoria Lewis. “Politicians have cut back again and again on funding. Tons of NEA [National Endowment of the Arts] grants are gone.”
Redlands Daily Facts editor Toni Momberger, who moderated the discussion, asked the panelists to reflect on the obstacles to success. Beverly Noerr, executive director of Redlands Community Music Association, which runs a series of free-to-the-public live events at the Redlands Bowl, elaborated on the difficulty of fundraising: “It’s a constant, constant grind to get your mission out there so that people will engage with it,” she said. “Our costs are always rising. Artists are very often asked to donate their services for free, but we support the artists, so we have to pay for all the entertainment and talent that comes in.”
Wayne R. Scott, president of LifeHouse Theater, a nonprofit theater that puts on shows performed by volunteer actors, sympathized. “There’s an unbelievable amount of hidden costs to putting these things together,” he said, naming everything from lighting to insurance. “It’s amazing to me how generous people can be, but also, when you pass the bucket around, how ungenerous people can be.”
Beyond funding, the panelists detailed cultural challenges that make filling seats difficult—shifting audience demographics, lack of exposure to the arts among younger generations, and the ever-growing role of technology in our lives, which can discourage people from making the effort, and shelling out the dollars, to attend live performances.
“The most challenging thing we’ve faced in Redlands is the diversity of the youth community here,” said Josiah Bruny, CEO of Music Changing Lives, a nonprofit that provides studio space and music instruction for children ages 8 to 18. He referenced an age population gap in the city, which makes it difficult for the city’s kids, who make up a much more diverse population than the city’s other residents, to connect with the programs that attract older attendees.
So, Momberger asked, what can be done? She focused on the role of technology in particular, which she said can contribute to a “communication breakdown” between younger and older audiences, but at the same time presents new opportunities for reaching out to people. “How is technology forcing community arts to evolve?”
In Bruny’s view, technology is more beneficial than anything else. “We use technology to sell our music, promote our artists. It’s a great tool,” he said. “We’ve landed national and international gigs from social media. Before, if you were a guerilla marketer, you would promote by flyers. Now, with Facebook, Instagram, you can reach anybody.”
“Live theater will always have this aura to it,” Scott said, “but technology is a great promotional platform.” Out of the 30,000 people who visit his theater annually, he noted, a mere 3 percent are from Redlands. The rest come from all around Southern California and beyond, “all through social media,” he said.
Lewis made the point that theater and other performance arts can no longer be seen as separate from technology, but rather as immersed in technology as everything else. At Redlands University, she said, they’ve started a theater business major to teach marketing and other ways to survive from a practical standpoint in the theater world.
“It is show business,” Scott agreed. “You have to wear a lot of hats. I’ve always been weak in that area, but I’ve tried to bone up on it, because you need it to survive.”
“As far as social media goes, the genie is out of the bottle,” Noerr said. “Whether we love it or not, we’re living with it.”
Beyond technological innovation, the panelists touched on a number of other solutions for promoting community arts: exposing kids to performances at the earliest possible age, encouraging diverse casts by reaching out to underrepresented communities to draw in new performers (and audiences), and adapting performances to reflect the changing tastes of younger generations. Bruny mentioned partnerships his organization has made with school districts and juvenile halls, and Lewis talked about recruiting actors for a play from a local women’s prison.
One major solution, Momberger suggested, may be partnering with organizations outside of the arts—finding ways to attract funders and participants at all levels of society, from inner city youth organizations to university economic departments, to capture the interest of people wouldn’t normally have an obvious investment in the arts, yet who could become passionate about performance once they’re exposed to it.
During the question-and-answer session, Lewis expanded on this notion by suggesting that getting more people involved may mean broadening our definition of community. “We all belong to various communities, and community theater is many different things,” she said. “But I think what theater does is make you part of something bigger than you are.”
As with all forms of performance, when it comes to theater, she said, “people are incorrigible.” The panelists wholeheartedly agreed when she declared that regardless of how difficult the times get, people “will keep making it.”
"Living the Arts" is an arts engagement project of Zócalo Public Square and The James Irvine Foundation.
Editor: Becca Maclaren.
*Photos by Anthony Arcinas.
Explore Related Content
community arts, culture, Living the Arts, Redlands, theater
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LifeHouse Theater president Wayne R. Scott, center, and Redlands Community Music Association executive director Beverly Noerr, right
The audience question-and-answer session
Great crowd at the Mission Gables Bowl House
Toni Momberger, center, editor of Redlands Daily Facts and moderator, speaks with guests
Panelist and CEO of Music Changing Lives Josiah Bruny, right, enjoys the post-game reception
I’m Addicted to Philanthropy
The Rain Inspires Me
Barry Manilow Has Always Been There for Me
I Write Songs In the Shower
Heaven Is a Library
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Cody Rhodes To Appear At AAA Rey De Reyes
By Joshua Gagnon | February 27, 2019
Earlier this month it was announced AEW would partner up with Mexican promotion, AAA, where the two promotions would exchange talent at each other's events. AEW has also formed a partnership with Chinese promotion, OWE.
In the video above, Cody Rhodes revealed he would be appearing at AAA Rey de Reyes in Puebla, Mexico on March 16.
"I am excited to extrapolate on what's already out there in the wrestling news," Rhodes said. "That being that All Elite Wrestling, AEW, has entered into a partnership—a friendship, really—with AAA. We already know that May 25th, Las Vegas, Nevada at Double or Nothing, AAA stars will be appearing for AEW. Now, it's a two-way street and albeit injured, I can tell you right here and right now that March 16th in Puebla I will be appearing for AAA. I think AAA's emphasis on the modern star, providing the best lucha lire meshes incredibly well with our attempt to provide a sports-centric pro wrestling show. And on a personal note. I've been doing this job, traveling all over the word, I've had some of my favorite matches and moments in Mexico and I cannot wait to see you all."
As Rhodes referenced in the video, he's currently out of action after undergoing successful arthroscopic knee surgery earlier this month to fix two tears in his meniscus. Rhodes sustained the injury back on November 9 at ROH Global Wars: Buffalo. He's expected to be out for two to three months, but is scheduled to have a match at AEW's upcoming show.
The AAA stars appearing at Double or Nothing have yet to be announced.
If you use any of the quotes in this article, please credit Lucha Libre AAA with an H/T to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription.
WWE NXT Results (2/27): Shayna Baszler Vs. Mia Yim, Johnny Gargano, Women's Tag Action, Keith Lee
Batista Says He Was Not "Bashing" The Rock's Acting Skills In Recent Interview
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About Zomedica
Voice of the Vet™
Voice of the Vet™ Blog
Catherine Roach, DVM: Batting 1000 in veterinary medicine
Zomedica December 19, 2018 Uncategorized
Whether you’re a baseball fan or not, you may have heard the story of the “goose chase” that occurred at a Detroit Tigers game last May when Dr. Catherine Roach switched out her baseball cap for her veterinarian one when a lone Canada goose needed help.
We caught up with Dr. Roach to learn about her relief work and the inside scoop on that goose rescue.
Tell us a little bit about yourself and your practice.
I’ve always loved rescuing animals. I have seven dogs, eight cats, two birds, and two horses. The funny thing is, I talk to so many people that say, “Oh, I always knew I wanted to be a veterinarian.” I didn’t really know I wanted to be a veterinarian. It wasn’t until I was older and had worked with a veterinarian as an assistant that I realized that’s what I wanted to do. Now, I do relief work, which takes me throughout Southeast Michigan. One of those places is an emergency clinic in Clinton Township. That’s where we ended up taking the goose after the game.
What drew you to relief work?
I worked as an emergency vet after I graduated. A lot of the clinics in the area started asking if I could fill-in for their vets. So, I started doing the relief work on my weeks off and realized it wasn’t that different from emergency vet medicine. I’ve learned to really rely on support staff and value their input. The more relief work I did, the more I liked it!
You started your career in veterinary medicine later than most. What has that journey been like?
I had to work my way through school. I bartended and waited tables while I was in community college. Sometimes I was only able to take one class per semester due to costs, but I just kept plugging away at it. I got my associate’s degree in science at Wayne County Community College and then transferred to the University of Detroit Mercy where I entered the biochemistry program. I took a biochemistry lab and realized I didn’t like it. I thought “Well, that’s not going to be a very good fall back if I don’t get into vet school.” So, I talked to the veterinarian I had worked with and he suggested I look into the veterinary technician program at Michigan State. With a veterinary technician degree, I would be in the veterinary field, even if I didn’t get into vet school. And, it was a great way to get experience. After two years, I was accepted into the DVM program at the College of Veterinary Medicine at Michigan State University.
In your opinion, what makes a healthy and courageous veterinarian? Do you feel like one?
I do feel like a healthy vet. It’s about making a balance between work and your own life. My husband and I travel a lot. We work, work, work—then take time off and travel. I also love music and concerts, that’s a good escape for me. Many of my friends are sole practitioners, and I keep reminding them they’ve got to take time for themselves. You can’t take the whole world on. You’re going to run yourself down and you’re going to end up hating the job and your life because you don’t really have one. You have to take the time to do the things you like and learn to say no.
And, we’re all courageous because this is a hard profession. Veterinary school is hard. Practicing veterinary medicine is hard. But we, veterinary professionals, do what the job calls for. For example, not shying away from an emergency or a procedure that’s going to be difficult because you’re not sure. It takes courage to do your best and own it.
I am doing a lot of veterinary dentistry work. I find it fun. I’m a pretty laidback person, I don’t get too anxious or antsy, and so difficult extractions don’t really bother me — even root canals! It’s work that takes a lot of concentration and I like that. My husband is a dentist (for humans) and learning dentistry from the human side first has helped me understand that things go a lot smoother if I stay relaxed. Lately, I’ve been looking into continuing education information and courses on mobile euthanasia/hospice practice.
That’s interesting. Euthanasia must be a really difficult part of the job though. Why has your interest in that area of treatment grown?
It can be a really hard job, as we all know. I won’t do convenience euthanasia, I refuse. I have to live with my choices and that’s one I just won’t do. It doesn’t bother me to euthanize animals when I know it’s in their best interest and we’re keeping them from suffering. It’s difficult for veterinarians when clients can’t afford treatment, I think that’s one of the things that wears on us most. We’re trying to do our best and I don’t know any veterinarian out there who hasn’t had an animal signed over to them, treated animals for free, or done little things to try to fix something without charging full costs at times.
I’ve taken care of my own terminally ill pets because I have access to the drugs and the knowledge to treat them. I had a client whose dog was terminally ill with cancer. Chemo and other treatments weren’t working. He was a large dog and getting in the car became impossible with his condition. I thought, “It would be so nice to be able to do hospice for pets as I did with my father when he as dying.” I looked into it and realized there are veterinarians who offer that service. Home euthanasia can be much better for the animal and the owner. It can be done in a nice, peaceful spot—they’re happy, they’re home.
Tell us about some of your most memorable experiences as a veterinarian.
Every day at a vet clinic is funny. Inevitably somebody gets peed on or the fluid from anal glands goes everywhere. The people that I work with like having fun so we tease each other and joke around a lot.
When I was working as an emergency vet, a guy came in with his 16 or 17-year-old chihuahua that needed to be euthanized. The guy was a huge biker guy with a bandana and leather vest. He was big, muscley, and tough. But he loved that dog. The staff’s first impression was, “This guy’s kind of a jerk.” When I went in the room to discuss the process and everything he broke down and lost it. He told me, “I was trying to stay strong.” He ended up hugging and thanking everybody and was the sweetest, but it was a lesson. A lot of people seem like jerks when they come in for euthanasia because they’re trying to keep it together, especially men. They try to separate themselves from the emotion of it. That client actually brought us cookies later that week and sent us a thank you card. That was one of those weird, unexpected ones where he was just such a big tough-looking guy that when he actually broke down and became himself; he was very sweet.
Okay, we have to talk about the goose. Tell us what went through your mind when you saw the goose fly into the grass at Comerica Park. Did everything turn out okay with him?
It did. He recovered and got released into the wild. They couldn’t find anything wrong, anything to keep him.
When it happened my first thought was “they’re not going to know what to do with that thing. Whether it’s hurt or not, they’re not going to know how to deal with that goose.” I knew if it wasn’t hurt it was going be mean and if it was hurt they wouldn’t know where to take it or what to do. I just ran down there and grabbed him.
We immediately took him out of the park and put him in a grassy area with some bushes. I wanted to see if he was able to get off on his own, but I recommended we leave him alone so we didn’t stress him out. The Tigers posted guards around him at a distance to make sure nobody messed with him. I waited about a half hour or so, watched the comeback, and then I went back out to check on him. He hadn’t moved so I decided to take him to the clinic. I picked him up while my husband went to get the car and a Tigers’ staff member stayed to help move people along.
At the clinic, we did a physical exam, took some x-rays, and everything seemed fine. He was starting to get less dazed and a little meaner. I took him to my house, put him in a big dog kennel for a couple hours with a big pan of water and kept him overnight just to be sure. The next morning when I got up, he was feeling better because I had a hard time getting him out of the cage. I ended up with some good bruises and scratches.
I drove him up to the wildlife ward at the College of Veterinary Medicine at Michigan State. Dr. Sikarsky, the wildlife veterinarian, checked him out and didn’t think the goose seemed to be injured. I showed him the x-rays we had taken, they put him in like a holding pen and then released him the next morning.
The Tigers had you throw out the first pitch at one of their games. That must have been exciting!
That was cool. I never thought I’d be one of the people doing that. I was really worried I wouldn’t get it over the plate or near the plate, but I didn’t do too badly. It ended up just left of the plate. I was really proud! It bounced in the batter’s box and the catcher looked at me and nodded like “Hey.” And I was like “You didn’t think the fat, old lady could throw the ball that far, did ya?”
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The stories, comments, views and opinions expressed by third parties providing content to this section of the Zomedica site are provided by such third parties, and do not reflect the views or opinions of Zomedica, its affiliates, or its or their employees, directors, officers, successors, or assigns. Zomedica is not affiliated with such third parties or any clinics or offices owned and/or operated by such third parties.
Advancing the health, effectiveness, and financial well-being of companion animal veterinarians by delivering economically and professionally beneficial products and services.
Copyright © 2016 - 2019 Zomedica Pharmaceuticals Corp. and Zomedica Pharmaceuticals Inc. All Rights Reserved.
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✔ 0x || CryptoCurrency Charts 0xbt | CryptoManiac
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Choose Exchange .................
No Coding
is a cryptocurrency exchange that provides over 140 Bitcoin (BTC) and Monero (XMR) markets available for trading. The company is based in the United States and was founded in January 2014.
Like other cryptocurrency exchanges, Poloniex promises to offer a secure, stable trading environment. Key unique features include advanced charts and data analysis tools for customers.
Poloniex is also known for its strong liquidity. It has the largest exchange volumes in many online markets. The company offers exchange services in addition to margin trading and lending.
Poloniex offers all of the following services:
-Over 140 Bitcoin (BTC) and Monero (XMR) markets
-Exchange, margin trading, and margin lending services
-11 BTC margin trading markets
-Borrowing money for leverage margin trading (these funds actually come from other members on the platform through a process called margin lending, and yields about 10 to 20% annually for lenders).
Poloniex comes with all of the following features:
Deposit and Withdraw: Only cryptocurrencies
Currencies: Over 100 cryptocurrencies
UI: Easy, simple-to-navigate interface
Pros: Good liquidity, easy-to-use UI, diverse features ......
One of the most reputable exchanges in the current ecosystem is Bittrex, which has remained a strong and reliable exchange for several years. The major draw of Bittrex when compared to other exchanges is their extensive support for altcoins, which is unrivalled in the cryptocurrency ecosystem.
Bittrex stands out from the cryptocurrency exchange crowd by providing extremely secure and comprehensive vetting of new cryptocurrency tokens, and places a strong emphasis on user security.
Online Wallet:
Bittrex offers an extremely secure online wallet solution that provides extremely fast transactions, with equally fast updates on wallet status and inbound/outbound transfers.
Bittrex is relatively easy to use, but focuses on a wide variety of different altcoins that can be overwhelming for new investors. Despite the complexity of the platform, information is presented in a simple and concise manner.
Bittrex is one of the most secure exchanges in the world. By using the most reliable and proven security practices available, Bittrex has developed a reputation for being extremely secure and robust.
Limits and Fees:
Bittrex is somewhat limited by their fee structure and low volume limits- the extreme security offered by the platform makes a trade for higher fee structure......
Kraken (bitcoin exchange)
Kraken bitcoin exchange logo.png
Type Bitcoin exchange
Location San Francisco, California, United States
Coordinates 37.790024°N 122.4008331°W
Founded July 28, 2011; 6 years ago
Owner Payward, Inc.
Key people Jesse Powell (CEO)
Currency BTC, ETH, ETC, DASH, GNO, ICN, Litecoin, MLN, Monero, REP, Ripple, Zcash, Stellar, Bitcoin Cash
Website kraken.com
Kraken is a US based prominent bitcoin exchange operating in Canada, the EU, Japan, and the US, and "the world's largest bitcoin exchange in euro volume and liquidity".
It currently has oversight of Mt. Gox claims for lost bitcoins.In June 2016, Kraken added Ethereum dark pool trading for large bitcoin buyers.
Ven (currency) has also been traded on Kraken.
Kraken provides Bitcoin pricing to the Bloomberg Terminal. In April 2017, According to the reports, Kraken launched fiat funding options to transfers denominated US dollars and government-issued currencies.
Throughout 2017, the Kraken exchange has suffered from DDoS attacks and performance issues. In November 2017, Kraken CEO Jesse Powell apologized for the site issues, but praised its security, citing its impeccable record......
is a bitcoin and cryptocurrency exchange that offers three main functions. It offers cryptocurrency and fiat trading, offers margin trading, and provides liquidity. Using Bitfinex, you can do things you won’t find on other exchanges – like short bitcoin via margin trading.
The exchange is incorporated in the British Virgin Islands, but maintains offices in Taiwan, London, and Hong Kong. The executive team is based around the world.
Bitfinex offers spot trading for all major cryptocurrencies, including bitcoin, Ethereum, Ethereum Classic, Zcash, Monero, Litecoin, Dash, Iota, and Ripple. Overall, Bitfinex offers some of the most liquid trading in the cryptocurrency world.
Bitfinex lets you trade with up to 3.3x leverage by providing traders with access to the peer-to-peer funding market. Traders can enter an order to borrow the desired amount of funding at the rate and duration of their choice, or they can open a position and Bitfinex will take out funding for the trader at the best available rate at that time.
Liquidity providers can earn interest by providing funding to traders wanting to trade with leverage. Funding is traded on an order book at various rates and periods.
Using the Bitfinex margin funding system, you can earn interest on both fiat currencies and cryptocurrencies, including the US Dollar, bitcoin, Ethereum, Ethereum Classic, Zcash, Monero, Litecoin, and Dash......
Coinbase.com
Coinbase has set itself apart as a very professional and easy-to-use service that covers several major aspects of the bitcoin ecosystem, rather than focusing on its bitcoin exchange alone. It is one of the highest-profile bitcoin companies in the world and has attracted significant VC funding. Coinbase have also made efforts to secure their services, and have recently hired security experts from Facebook and Amazon partly to reassure the public after MtGoxs bankruptcy.
Verification of banking to link your account to Coinbase can take several days, but after this transactions are fast and straightforward. Coinbase do not offer limit orders or other trading tools
Coinbase has emerged as the foremost integrated wallet, exchange and business service. Based in San Francisco, it was launched in June 2012. Unlike other exchanges, it combines the ability to buy and sell bitcoins for US dollars with wallet software that allows customers to store, send and receive bitcoins. (Instead of acting as a true exchange, coins are bought and sold between users and Coinbase itself, rather than user-to-user.) Additionally, Coinbase offers merchant services so that businesses can accept bitcoins as payment. This wide-ranging approach has led to strong demand and the company now has more than 1 million customer wallets. Coinbase are a one-stop shop for bitcoin business and transactions, which has earned them the name the PayPal of bitcoin......
is a new platform that seems to have been launched by BTC-e, although the company denies it received any financial investment from BTC-e. The platform is for the exchange of bitcoin. The release of the company was done via social media, specifically over twitter. The new platform is the result of a one month effort from the makers of the bitcoin exchange. It is an attempt to return the services to the customers following the raid and fining by US authorities in June. Although the new website denies any involvement with BTC-e, the new platform for exchanging of cryptocurrency pretty much mirrors the previous one in functionality, design, and the trading options it renders to the customers.
The company offers the users a vast array of benefits. Because the company is still in the initial stages, the first users of the site will receive bonuses of the bitcoins or other cryptocurrencies. These bonuses will be based on the rate of transfer of funds for crypto-tokens.
The company is also set to operate on some fairly strict laws. The company is set to abide by the anti-money laundering laws. It will also indoctrinate the know-your-customer laws. All these are in place to make sure the value of your cryptocurrency is kept safe. The measures are also put in place to make sure that your account is secure from hacking. It is a new platform with a lot of promise and currently the only way to go for them is up......
0x | CryptoCurrency Charts
«0xbt | CryptoManiac»
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WHO Declares End Of Ebola Transmission In Guinea
# 10,839
Although the declaration of an `end to Ebola transmission' in Guinea today is a huge and long awaited milestone - it doesn't mean the threat in West Africa is over - but 42 days without registering a new case is a hopeful sign.
We've already seen instances of the virus re-emerging weeks or even months after transmission was halted (see New Ebola Case Confirmed In Liberia After 17 Weeks).
The virus likely remains in the environment, and could easily be reintroduced through the consumption of infected bush meat. And we've strong evidence that some Ebola survivors can carry (and shed) the virus for months after they have recovered, providing yet another route for resurgence.
In ECDC On Ebola Persistence & Rapid Risk Assessment, we looked at the unexpected relapse of Scottish nurse Pauline Cafferkey, nine months after her recovery from the the virus
In WHO: Study Shows Ebola Virus Fragments May Be Detectable In Semen For > 9 Months, we saw additional evidence of the long-term presence of the Ebolavirus in male semen, and last May (see MMWR & WHO On Risks Of Sexual Transmission Of Ebola) we saw evidence of the sexual transmission of the virus.
All of which makes `getting to zero, and staying there’ a daunting task.
Additionally, there are thousands of survivors who continue to suffer from a variety of serious sequelae, and the social stigma of having been infected. Their recovery, and the region's, will be a long process.
This from WHO.
End of Ebola transmission in Guinea
Geneva, 29 December 2015 - Today the World Health Organization (WHO) declares the end of Ebola virus transmission in the Republic of Guinea. Forty-two days have passed since the last person confirmed to have Ebola virus disease tested negative for the second time. Guinea now enters a 90-day period of heightened surveillance to ensure that any new cases are identified quickly before they can spread to other people.
“WHO commends the Government of Guinea and its people on the significant achievement of ending its Ebola outbreak. We must render homage to the Government and people of Guinea who, in adversity, have shown extraordinary leadership in fighting the epidemic,” says Dr Mohamed Belhocine, WHO Representative in Guinea. “WHO and its partners will continue to support Guinea during the next 90 days of heightened surveillance and in its early efforts to restart and strengthen essential health services throughout 2016.”
A milestone for the Ebola outbreak
The end of Ebola transmission in Guinea marks an important milestone in the Ebola outbreak in West Africa. The original chain of transmission started two years ago in Gueckedou, Guinea in late December 2013 and drove the outbreak which spread to neighbouring Liberia and Sierra Leone and, ultimately, by land and air travel to seven other countries.
“This is the first time that all three countries – Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone – have stopped the original chains of transmission that were responsible for starting this devastating outbreak two years ago,” says Dr Matshidiso Moeti, WHO Regional Director for Africa. “I commend the governments, communities and partners for their determination in confronting this epidemic to get to this milestone. As we work towards building resilient health care systems, we need to stay vigilant to ensure that we rapidly stop any new flares that may come up in 2016.”
In addition to the original chain of transmission, there have been 10 new small Ebola outbreaks (or ‘flares’) between March and November 2015. These appear to have been due to the re-emergence of a persistent virus from the survivor population.
Among the challenges survivors have faced is that after recovering from Ebola virus disease and clearing the virus from their bloodstream, the virus may persist in the semen of some male survivors for as long as 9-12 months.
WHO and its partners are working with the Governments of Liberia, Sierra Leone and Guinea to help ensure that survivors have access to medical and psychosocial care, screening for persistent virus, as well as counselling and education to help them reintegrate into family and community life, reduce stigma and minimize the risk of Ebola virus transmission.
Sustained support to Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone
“The coming months will be absolutely critical,” says Dr Bruce Aylward, Special Representative of the Director-General for the Ebola Response, WHO. “This is the period when the countries need to be sure that they are fully prepared to prevent, detect and respond to any new cases.
“The time-limited persistence of virus in survivors which may give rise to new Ebola flares in 2016 makes it imperative that partners continue to support these countries. WHO will maintain surveillance and outbreak response teams in the three countries through 2016.”
At the same time, 2016 will see the three most-affected countries implementing a full health sector recovery agenda to restart and strengthen key public health programmes, especially maternal and child health, while continuing to maintain the capacity to detect, prevent and respond to any flare-up of Ebola.
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Day 7: Report from opening game in Sao Paulo
The 2014 World Cup officially started today, and we got a lot of things done.
São Paulo protests
We spent the last few days getting to know our first character Chloe, a journalism student who is actively protesting against the World Cup. She is not your everyday Brazilian, at least not the image of the Brazilian most have: she is tall, thin, red haired, with a very pale skin tone. She is very educated, fluent in English, and considers herself Lady Gaga’s number one fan.
We met her at 11 o’clock this morning. Alexandre dropped us at the nearest metro station, and we headed towards Metro Carrão, in the East of town, where the June 12th Big Act was going to take place. The idea was to gather all the small movements that were against the World Cup to form one big protest. 20,000 people were expected.
Once we got there, we joined a couple that was headed in the same direction. They briefed us about what had happened during the morning. A little over 4 000 members of the São Paulo’s Metro Union were passively protesting. Kids and elders were amongst them when a group of about 50 semi-anarchists who had been neutralized by the Military Police a few hours before came in the scene. This previous conflict was heavily covered by the international media where many journalists were also injured. Revolted and injured, this group that consisted mainly of 17-30 year olds, instigated a new conflict. The Military Police that was observing the Union’s protest counter attacked, so the young rebels ran to take cover among the pacifist manifestation. The Military Police continued to throw tear gas bombs and shoot rubber bullets at the young semi-anarchists, even though they were now amongst children and elders. Terrified, the Union took cover in their headquarters where they locked the gates and squeezed 4,000 protesters into a gymnasium.
PCB Flags raised high in front of the police blocking-line.
This was the situation when we arrived at the scene. The Metro Union had been on strike since last Thursday, leaving the city in complete chaos, breaking the all-time traffic record of over 257km of cars stuck in the busy streets of São Paulo. They represented the biggest organized group in the protest, and were definitely the ones that gained the most momentum and exposure from the media headed to the opening game.
We managed to get in the Union’s headquarters from the backdoor, but once we reached the front gate about 15 minutes later, we realized that they were calling it quits, and were slowly releasing their members so they could head back home safely. “The Act is over. Everybody go home. There will be no more protest.”, yelled the Union’s leader on the mic.
Internal conflict
About 200 other protesters that had gathered around the Union’s building were eager to continue the manifestation and were revolted at the decision of the Union to abandon the cause. In the next few minutes, the tension rose significantly as the semi-anarchist group cursed and threw objects at the Union members leaving the building. As the last of them left, a flag from the Union’s strike was ripped from a truck and set on fire by the young rebels.
The Metro Union flag being burned by other protestors.
It was at that time that the Military Police started marching towards the unorganized 200 rebels desperately looking for someone to guide their manifesting efforts. Our character, Chloe, turned around and said: “You should put your helmets and masks now. They are about to charge.” She was right. The entire group started running to the opposite direction of the shielded policemen pushing us south. The more experienced protesters started to set large objects on fire to keep the police from reaching us. Finally, at that point, the gathering started to look like an actual manifestation as more people joined us at every corner as we marched towards an unknown goal.
Shaan shooting during the protest.
Now close to 400, we reached a roundabout corner where the Shock Troops were waiting for us. It was an impressive scene. We stopped at the corner to film the protesters marching in front of the heavily armed troops. All of the sudden, for no particular reason, as the protest was taking an organized form, a tear gas bomb was thrown and landed about 7 feet from where Shaan and I were standing.
“Bomb! Bomb!“, yelled the crowd, and in an surviving effort, we took off running as the bomb exploded a dozen yards from us. 5 other bombs were thrown, and as we wildly ran for safety, guns were fired and two rubber bullets came flying inches from our heads. Once we reached safety, we turned around and realized that we had lost Chloe, who took off running the other way. What we also realized was that we went the opposite direction as most protesters, and for bullets to come flying our way, meant that the Shock Troops had aimed at us, even though we were only 15 people running that way, and were clearly identified as media.
At this point, after following Chloe for about 3 hours, we decided that we had had enough, and that it wasn’t worth risking our lives and equipment to get additional footage of the protest. We ran as fast as we could and took a cab back towards downtown.
On the other side of town
On the other side of town, the ambiance was completely different. The cab dropped us off at Paulista Ave., São Paulo’s main avenue, and the energy was 100% positive. At that time, the other half of our team had arrived at Villa Madalena, a neighborhood notorious for its lively bars and nightlife. At 2 o’clock, the streets were already packed with thousands of supporters from all over the world. As the opening ceremony approached, more and more people showed up. The party was beautiful, loud and colorful despite feeling overcrowded at times.
Elia in Vila Madalena
The team stayed there until the opening ceremony. For most Brazilians, this pre-event was an embarrassing disaster. The country of Carnaval settled for a mediocre and under-budgeted display. A lady next to us commented: “My children’s end-of-the-year school party is more impressive than that.” Needless to say, the performance of the official song of the World Cup was horrendous with a very poorly rehearsed playback. With so many beautiful Brazilian singers, why have Jennifer Lopez and Pitbul be part of this event? At least, now we know that the people’s money wasn’t spent on the opening ceremony…
Brazilian supporters in Vila Madalena, São Paulo
An interesting fact about the opening ceremony that wasn’t broadcasted live was that Brazilian President, Dilma Rousseff, was heavily booed several times during the game. To be exact, 3 times during the ceremony, the people of the stadium chanted: “Hey Dilma, go f… yourself!”
Finally, the World Cup has started, and what a great game to kickoff the event. Brazil played Croatia in front of 61 000 people in the newly built Itaquerão Stadium, in São Paulo.
Brazil played great in the first half, despite falling behind early with an unfortunate own goal by left back Marcelo. Nonetheless, Brazil was superior throughout the game and managed to tie it before half time with a well-placed left footed kick from outside the box by Brazil’s main player Neymar.
The second half was another story. The game got very tight and both teams had significant chances of being in front, but it was Brazil that took the lead with a controversial penalty kick on the Brazilian center forward Fred. Even though on the replay you can obviously see that it was the correct call, one can argue that if the roles were reversed, the referee would not have called it in Croatia’s favor. Neymar scored the PK.
After that goal, Croatia still had many chances to tie the game but at the final minute Oscar managed to score a beautiful goal that gave the entire host country a breather. For Brazil, this was a great way to start off their campaign towards the title. The people are happy and the nation is building up confidence, which they seem to lack a few days ago.
Ready for Offside Memories
Photo credits Shaan Coutre, and Elia Stein.
Articles Dani's Journal
2014 fifa world cup avenida paulista Brazil croatia daily post june 12 Offside memories opening ceremony protests sao paulo vila madalena wordpress world cup
BTS Photos: Recording studio in San Diego, CA
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Reference: Cornelius, 2004
Cohort: Kungsholmen Project
Interviewers ascertained the drug use through prescription forms and/or drug containers that the participants provided at baseline and at the first follow-up visit. Information on the name, strength, and dosage of the drug was collected. If the participant could not provide the drug information, researchers interviewed a relative or “health care personnel” and the responses were checked against medical records. The investigators reported results separately for current vs. not using any NSAID, current vs. not using non-ASA NSAID, and current vs. not using ASA. This entry pertains to results on the current vs. not using ASA.
The investigators compared AD risk in two groups: the group of participants who used ASA at baseline ("Current use") and the reference group of participants who did not use ASA at baseline ("Not using").
The study cohort are comprised of inhabitants in the Kungsholmen district of Stockholm, Sweden. The distribution of ethnic backgrounds were not reported.
1,020 participants (78.4%) were of ages 74-85 years, and 281 (21.6%) participants were over 85 years old.
MMSE Mini-Mental State Examination (Folstein 1975)
DSM IIIR Diagnostic and Statistical Manual III-Revised
Hachinski's Ischemic Scale (Hachinski, 1975)
"Cox proportional hazards regression models were used to calculate the relative risks (RRs) of dementia and AD among users of aspirin and NSAIDs (adjusted for age, gender, education, underlying diseases), and the 95% confidence intervals (95% CIs).
In a first model, we looked at those who were free of dementia
after the first follow-up (n = 743). If these persons used aspirin or NSAIDs at both baseline and first follow-up (a period of around 3 years), they were considered taking the medication continuously during that time. Incident cases of AD and dementia were assessed at the second follow-up. The time at risk was calculated between the first and second follow-up (around 3 years) and was halved in the event of AD/dementia. Age at first follow-up was used as a continuous variable
whereas the other covariates were treated in a dichotomous way.
A second model was used to prolong the time at risk of developing the disease and increase the cohort. In this model the cohort of dementia-free subjects at baseline (n = 1,301) was used. Regular use of aspirin or NSAIDs at baseline was assessed. Incident cases of AD and dementia were assessed at both first and second follow-up. For those who were diagnosed with AD/dementia at the first follow-up, the time at risk was calculated from baseline to first follow-up (approximately 3 years) and then halved. For the subjects who developed dementia between the first and second follow-up, the time at risk was calculated from the first to the second follow-up (approximately 3 years) and was halved. Age at baseline was used as a continuous variable, other covariates were dichotomised."
TD Covariates:
Age was treated as a continuous variable.
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The Essay
Best College Fit
Fiske Guide to Colleges
The Right Thing on Campus
ACM 0
BLOCKCHAIN COURSES IN DEMAND AT MANY SCHOOLS
Posted October 12, 2018 · Add Comment
Author : ACM
By SARAH GONSER
Academia is beginning to offer courses in blockchain technology. Po Chi Wu, a visiting professor at the University of California, Berkeley, teaches a course about blockchain entrepreneurship. Photo: Sarah Gonser for The Hechinger Report
BERKELEY, Calif. — On a clear, warm night earlier this year, several dozen University of California, Berkeley students folded themselves into gray chairs for a three-hour class on how to think like blockchain entrepreneurs. The evening’s challenge, presented by Berkeley City Councilmember Ben Bartlett, was to brainstorm how blockchain technology might be used to alleviate the city’s growing homeless problem.
“We have at least 1,400 homeless people in our city, and that includes many right here at UC Berkeley,” Bartlett told the class. “So how can we use blockchain to fund a new prosperity? That’s a challenge I’d like you to take on.”
The course, taught by visiting professor and former venture capitalist Po Chi Wu, is one of a growing number of classes and research initiatives on blockchain technology emerging at universities. Blockchain — a method for creating and maintaining a global ledger of transactions that doesn’t require a third-party middleman such as a bank, government or corporation — is best known for its role in powering the virtual currency bitcoin. Applications for the technology are springing up in sectors including retail, humanitarian aid, real estate and finance. Although some analysts believe blockchain won’t gain widespread adoption for another five or ten years, companies like IBM, Facebook and Google are investing heavily in the technology — and universities are taking note.
New York University, Georgetown and Stanford are among the institutions that offer blockchain technology courses to get students thinking about its potential uses and to better prepare them for the workforce.New York University, Georgetown and Stanford are among the institutions that offer blockchain technology courses to get students thinking about its potential uses and to better prepare them for the workforce. Job postings requiring blockchain skills ballooned by 200 percent in the first five months of this year, compared with the same period a year earlier, though they remain less than 1 percent of software development jobs, according to the research firm Burning Glass Technologies. Universities including MIT, Cornell, and Columbia are launching labs and research centers to explore the technology and its policy implications and seed the development of rigorous curricula on the topic.
Ikhlaq Sidhu, founding director and chief scientist of UC Berkeley’s Sutardja Center for Entrepreneurship and Technology, and Alexander Fred-Ojala, research director of Data-X, a UC Berkeley research lab, argued in a recent blog post that not teaching about blockchain “would be equivalent to ignoring internet technology when it emerged 25 years ago.”
There are reasons to be skeptical about blockchain’s potential, and even universities exploring the technology are taking a relatively cautious approach. It is hugely energy inefficient; and currencies based on blockchain technology have proved susceptible to fraud, money laundering, and tax evasion. That means research that could form the building blocks of curricula is nascent, textbooks are scarce and scholars are only beginning to develop the interest and skills to contemplate teaching the subject. Plus, blockchain is multidisciplinary, spreading across fields including computer science, law, finance, and engineering, making it a tough fit for the relatively rigid world of academia.
Sidhu says some universities are hesitant to teach and research emerging technologies because many highly touted tech innovations never really take off and prove to be dead ends. “You can’t expect universities to be out ahead on all these topics,” he said. “It takes so long for everyone to get that there’s something going on, by the time they all get it, it’s irrelevant and not the thing that should be taught anymore.”“Academics feel a lot of pressure to maintain their status as ‘world-class experts’ in some narrowly defined field,” Wu, the Berkeley visiting professor, wrote in an email. “Just keeping up with the advances in their field is challenging enough and demands all their time and energy.”
But he and others say blockchain appears to have staying power — and the potential to shake up global systems. In his blog post with Fred-Ojala, the pair envision the creation of tamper-proof digital identities and records, a decentralized internet controlled by users rather than service providers and public infrastructure with fewer intermediaries — such as an electric grid that allows producers and consumers to connect directly. “Here’s where we can help,” he said of universities. “We can show [students] the challenges and opportunities, give them access to resources, and then encourage them to solve the problem on their own.”
He and other UC Berkeley professors started to recognize the emerging role for academia in blockchain three years ago when employees from companies such as Google and Yahoo began discussing the technology during presentations to students enrolled in an executive education program run by the Sutardja Center. In 2017, the center launched a Blockchain Lab and a series of “collider sprints,” projects that connect students with industry experts to challenge them to create innovative solutions to problems. Last fall, it also created its first blockchain class, the one visited by Councilmember Bartlett. Concurrently, UC Berkeley’s law school launched a course titled, Blockchain, Cryptocurrencies, and the Future of Technology, Business and Law. “Other offerings are in the works,” said Sidhu. “It’s still a bit decentralized but you can see the path.”
Columbia University began offering a handful of courses in blockchain a few years ago, although they were one-off classes, said Jeannette Wing, a computer science professor at Columbia and the director of its Data Science Institute. In an effort to approach the technology more holistically, the university created the Columbia-IBM Blockchain and Data Transparency Center where it will adopt a multi-pronged approach that tackles research, education and entrepreneurship. With the launch of its center, Wing said Columbia will develop new courses it will offer regularly that cover not just the nuts-and-bolts of blockchain but also related data transparency and ethical issues. (The Hechinger Report, which produced this story, is an independent unit of Columbia University’s Teachers College).
Many college students, drawn to blockchain’s multidisciplinary nature, its possible applications in a variety of fields, and the meteoric rise of some cryptocurrencies during 2017, are out in front of their professors in terms of advancing its footprint on college campuses. Even at UC Berkeley, among the first institutions to incorporate blockchain into the curriculum, some students are downright frustrated with what they see as academia’s glacial pace.
“I think a lot of colleges are falling behind the times and are not really preparing people for these new labor markets,” said Anthony DiPrinzio, a senior economics major at Berkeley. “Whatever your major is, you’re stuck in that silo and you’re just learning this one specific area, with teaching methods that are often outdated.”
DiPrinzio is deeply involved in a student-run nonprofit club called Blockchain at Berkeley, which, in just a few years, has become a force in the blockchain field. The organization offers two student-taught blockchain classes on the Berkeley campus, and this fall it debuted an open-access, online blockchain certification course. That class, which has so far enrolled more than 13,000 people worldwide, offers students the opportunity to gain in-demand career skills while earning a professional certificate. Both the campus and online course offer a curriculum for beginners, covering subjects such as blockchain history and mechanics.
Club members also offer consulting services, attracting clients from nearby Silicon Valley and Fortune 500 companies such as Exxon Mobil and Qualcomm who are interested in exploring, for instance, how blockchain might make their businesses more efficient. The club has 100 active members, according to its head of marketing, Cliff Ahn, a UC Berkeley senior; its public-facing Slack channel, a cloud-based messaging platform, includes 2,000 people.
“This technology isn’t just about being able to buy bitcoin and invest in ether,” said Ahn. “It’s all the implications of the technology and what it can do to democratize money, politics, power, trust. All these problems that plague our society — a lot of them can be fixed with this technology. It’s just a matter of getting people to understand that.”
Andrew Myers, a computer science professor at Cornell University, said the technology will filter into university curricula as the well of accumulated blockchain knowledge, research and policy deepens. “Blockchain as a technology requires that you understand a bunch of other things first: cryptography, distributed systems, operating systems,” he said. “Before you know it, you’ve got a pretty long prerequisite chain. To really teach a full-blown blockchain course, you need textbooks, and a lot of that knowledge just hasn’t been distilled into a form that lets you really teach a good undergraduate-level course yet.”
Two years ago, Princeton University published one of the first textbooks on bitcoin and cryptocurrency technology. The university also offers a free online companion course, based on an on-campus class that explores how bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies work on a technical level. Scores of other resources about blockchain are available online, plus numerous books about the algorithms underlying blockchain technology. Columbia’s Wing said one goal of that campus’s center is to publish research papers and develop curricula, but creating a textbook will be harder: “By the time the textbook is written, the technology moves on.”
In some ways, the (albeit slow) embrace of blockchain on college campuses is part of a broader trend of universities trying to be more responsive to business and labor-market needs. With the cost of college soaring, the longstanding disconnect between what universities teach and what skills employers require is drawing more scrutiny. Businesses are forming new partnerships with universities to create certifications that will be meaningful in the workplace and are in some cases going around universities to offer their own courses and other training. “The realities of modern life are forcing academic institutions to change,” said Wu, the Berkeley professor.
Wu, whose resume includes 30 years as a venture capitalist and entrepreneur, ensures that his class blends technical skills, theory and entrepreneurship. Students receive a mandatory tutorial on blockchain technology taught by a recent UC Berkeley grad, but much of their time is spent developing and pitching business ideas built on blockchain technology.
These are often geared toward social good. A standout example this past semester, according to Wu, was a proposal for ensuring that musical artists are fairly compensated for their work by developing a blockchain ticketing platform that would tightly control ticket sales and profit sharing between artists and venues. Another project, meant to alleviate public distrust in charity organizations, would use blockchain to allow a more direct relationship between donors and charities, with more control over how funds are used.
Meanwhile, the city of Berkeley is pushing ahead with plans to explore using blockchain technology to help publicly finance community projects that would, among other goals, alleviate the city’s homeless and housing problems. Under the proposal, the city would use blockchain technology to issue and keep track of “micro-bonds” — in amounts as small as $10 to $20 — to ultimately raise enough money to fund local projects such as affordable housing. At UC Berkeley, students and professors are continuing to tinker in the blockchain space, rolling out for a second semester the class focused on blockchain applications in technology, business and law, and hiring a tenure track professor who will dedicate a portion of his research to blockchain.
For students like DiPrinzio, the blockchain-club leader, the future looks bright. “Blockchain is a young industry, we’re not competing with people who’ve been in the industry for 30 years. The people running this industry aren’t much older than me,” he said. “That’s a very cool thing: I get to talk to executives at these big companies and I’m 21 years old. And they listen to me very attentively.”
From The Hechinger Report.
Opening photo: Courtesy University of California Berkeley
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1 NCAA Tournament | 3 Conference Championships
Men's Lacrosse Places Four on NEWMAC Academic All-Conference Squad
WESTWOOD, Mass.—Four members of the Babson College men's lacrosse program were honored for their success in the classroom when the New England Women's and Men's Athletic Conference (NEWMAC) announced its Academic All-Conference team last Thursday.
Senior Brett Bottomley (Mercer Island, Wash.) was recognized for the third year in a row, juniors Harrison Page (North Andover, Mass.) and Tyler Patterson (Millstone Township, N.J.) earned their second consecutive academic all-conference nods, while sophomore Alex Lesher (Scottsdale, Ariz.) were named to the team for the first time.
Bottomley scooped up seven ground balls in 13 games this spring and wraps up his career with eight goals and 11 assists for 19 points to go along with 53 ground balls and 24 caused turnovers in 56 contests. Patterson picked up a career-high 28 ground balls and registered 11 caused turnovers while staring 11 of 12 games, Page scored once in six outings, and Lesher finished sixth on the team in scoring with 13 goals and three assists for 16 points.
Honorees must have met the following criteria: earned a minimum cumulative GPA of 3.5/4.0 scale or 4.35/5.0 scale after the 2018 fall semester, achieved second year academic status at his institution, and been a member of the varsity team for the entire season.
Babson wrapped up the year at 8-9 overall following a 10-9 loss to Clark in the NEWMAC quarterfinals last Tuesday.
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Historic day for St. Vincent Parliament with marijuana debate
KINGSTOWN, ST. VINCENT AND THE GRENADINES; MONDAY DECEMBER 10, 2018 – The St. Vincent and the Grenadines Parliament met in session today Monday December 10, 2018, with top of the orders of the day for debate, being The Medicinal Cannabis Industry Bill 2018, and the Cannabis Cultivation (Amnesty) Bill 2018.
The third bill – the Permitted Use of Cannabis for Religious Purpose Bill 2018, was shelved for, according to Prime Minister and Leader of Government Business Dr. the Honourable Ralph Gonsalves, the Rastafarian community made pertinent representation on the use of cannabis for religious purposes.
In presenting the Bills, Minister for Agriculture Saboto Caesar, told the House Sitting ACP countries have been grappling with agriculture production for many years.
He noted that cannabis cultivation, as an addition to the list of agricultural products from St. Vincent and the Grenadines, is a positive expansion of the country’s agricultural sector and that there is an opening for a modern medicinal cannabis industry.
There was plenty of cross – talk, especially when the Opposition parliamentarian Honourable Patel Mathews took to the microphone. He reiterated the earlier made statement that it was a historic day for St. Vincent and the Grenadines, and the day’s sitting presented a unique opportunity to fashion an industry, where the traditional cultivators would be major players.
Health Minister Senator Luke Brown spoke extensively on the health issues and functions of the Advisory Board within the Bill.
Senator Carlos James reminded members of the statement that he made in the House five years ago and which was captured in The Vincentian Newspaper that the new international airport could spur on a cannabis industry. He went on to state that, through extensive research, cannabis is now proven to be containing valuable medicinal properties.
Senator James called for the conversation outside the walls of Parliament to continue, while during his turn at the microphone, Leader of the Opposition Dr. the Honourable Godwin Friday spoke of the changing international environment and its effect on small island states.
Opposition Member of Parliament Honourable Sinclair Leacock pointed out that many were misled about marijuana in times past, and he disagreed with Minister Camillo Gonsalves’ statement earlier this year, that marijuana, stripped of its illegality, is just another crop.
He chided the government for being too cautious, and took swipes at the government for the absence of clarity on the make-up of the four committee members on the Board. He questioned the absence of the traditional cultivator on the Board, and that there are persons on the Board who are not producers; making decisions which will affect the traditional cultivator.
Minister of Lands Honourable Montgomery Daniel told the House Sitting that the Chief Surveyor, upon a request, gave him the list of pieces of government owned lands. The total acreage of lands is approximately 3,500 acres.
Minister Daniel also gave members an outline of the various classes of licenses available in the Medicinal Cannabis Bill, and the benefits which could be derived, when the arrowroot industry is combined with the medicinal industry. He informed members that arrowroot powder is the base used in many pharmaceuticals, and St. Vincent and the Grenadines is well poised to take full advantage of such a combination.
The debate on the draft Medicinal Cannabis Industry Bill 2018, and the Cannabis Cultivation (Amnesty) Bill 2018, respectively is expected to conclude tomorrow Tuesday December 11, 2018 when the House Sitting resumes at 09:30 a.m.
Robertson S. Henry)
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Official denounce new US moves on Cuba
The 15-member Caribbean Community (CARICOM) grouping has denounced moves by the United States to strengthen the decades old trade and economic embargo against Cuba.
In a statement issued following the two-day CARICOM Council for Foreign and Community Relations (COFCOR) meeting here, CARICOM said it “concerned by the new measures under Title III of the Helms-Burton Act announced by the Government of the United States of America which would strengthen the US economic, commercial and financial embargo against Cuba.
“The Community denounces the application of laws and measures of an extra-territorial nature that are contrary to international law.”
The Helms–Burton Act seeks to impose international sanctions against the Cuban government, to plan for support of a transition government leading to a democratically elected government in Cuba, and for other purposes.
The Trump administration announced last month that it would end the suspension of the law that allows American citizens, including naturalized Cubans, to sue companies and subsidiaries in Cuba that benefited from private properties that were confiscated by the Cuban government.
It said that the legislation, which was previously suspended by the Obama administration and by former Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, will be fully implemented and enforced.
The move by Washington is seen as a retaliation for Havana’s continued support for President Nicolas Maduro in Venezuela, where the United States is leading an effort to oust him from power.
Cuba has said the nationalizations of the companies were conducted in full compliance with Cuban and international law and the Association of Cuban Residents in Toronto (ACRT), Canada, has denounced Washington’s move saying the first impact will be suffered by investors who currently have commercial relations with Cuba and those who intend to do so in the future.
ACRT president Julio Fonseca said the objective of the move is to intimidate, discourage and close doors to the island.
In its statement, CARICOM said it “notes with the greatest concern that the application of these new measures will also have a greater adverse impact on the socio-economic development of Cuba and the well-being of the Cuban People.
“The Community reiterates its endorsement of the principles of international law as well as its strongly-held view that economic development and stability in the region contribute to international peace and security,” the statement added.
CARICOM Secretary General told the COFCOR meeting that next month, the 15-member grouping will host the Sixth Meeting of Ministers of Foreign Affairs of CARICOM and Cuba.
“Cuba has been a long-standing, supportive partner particularly in building the region’s human capital in fields such as public health and sport. Our Community reiterates its call for the lifting of the unwarranted economic embargo and sanctions on Cuba which were strengthened recently,” he added.
« New Certification unit to be established within the Bureau of Standards
Vincentian,Kamecia Blake-Byam on her way to attaining a Doctorate in Criminal Justice »
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Transition strategy: A manual for all seasons
Military doctrine civilian leaders would be wise to read
Joint Publication 3-0 tells us that stability operations are those missions where, alone or with other agencies, the armed forces “maintain or re-establish a safe and secure environment, and provide essential governmental services, emergency infrastructure reconstruction, or humanitarian relief.” Until recently, these important activities were additional tasks or supplementary activities for the armed forces. The publication of Army Field Manual (FM) 3-07, “Stability Operations,” ends the second-class status of those missions.
In November 2005, a Pentagon directive told the services that preparing for future stability operations was on a par with preparing for combat. Since 2006, the Defense Department has been deliberately shifting its focus and assets from major conventional warfare toward irregular warfare and stability operations. Guiding and reflecting this shift, Defense Secretary Robert Gates said in the January-February issue of Foreign Affairs: “To truly achieve victory as Clausewitz defined it — to attain a political objective — the United States needs a military whose ability to kick down the door is matched by its ability to clean up the mess and even rebuild the house afterward.”
Responding to developments in Iraq, the first bit of new doctrine concerned counterinsurgency. The pioneering work on FM 3-24, “Counterinsurgency,” by Gen. David Petraeus and his team at Fort Leavenworth, Kan., produced a manual that absorbed best practices and laid down a workable doctrine for war in which protecting the population, not destroying the enemy, was the focal point of military operations. This December 2006 manual was put together by military and civilian experts and was designed to change not just operational techniques but mind-sets. Tom Ricks, author of the best-seller about the war in Iraq, “The Gamble,” described the aim of the new counterinsurgency doctrine: It was not only seeking “to change the way the Army was fighting in Iraq, but also to change the Army itself … a major intellectual, cultural and emotional shift for a huge and tradition-minded organization.”
The Army upped the intellectual and organizational antes with its February 2008 revision of FM 3-0, “Operations,” the capstone manual from which all Army tactical and operational manuals take their guidance. In FM 3-0, the authors at Fort Leavenworth oriented the fighting Army toward readiness for operations across the spectrum of conflict from high-intensity combat to insurgency, down to working in the environment of unstable peace. To handle these conflicts, the Army would pursue capabilities for full-spectrum operations, comprised, as necessary, of offense, defense and stability or civil support operations.
ARMY TRILOGY
The latest manual, FM 3-07, released in October, completes this Army trilogy. The new Army manual points out that stability operations are usually protracted, “whole of government” affairs, focused on gaining time for countries to reach a viable peace or a new political equilibrium point. Like its sister manual on counterinsurgency, the stability operations manual followed the innovations of units in the field and the guidance of commanders like Gen. Peter Chiarelli, whose 1st Cavalry Division’s efforts in stabilizing Baghdad were a lesson for the doctrine writers who followed.
The stability operations manual was put together by civilian and military experts with broad interagency participation. Nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) and the U.S. Institute of Peace were also key players in its development. Like the COIN manual, FM 3-07 has been published by a university press (University of Michigan Press in March) with introductory material not only from Lt. Gen. William Caldwell, the Army’s current doctrinal guru, but also from Undersecretary of Defense Michele Flournoy, Shawn Brimley and stability operations expert Janine Davidson, a George Mason University professor en route to a senior Pentagon assignment.
While useful for the interagency and the NGO world, this new manual is explicitly aimed inside the military at officers, major and above, who will be the principal planners and supervisors of stability operations. It recognizes that the burden of stability operations has been placed on combat units in part because of battlefield conditions and the current, structural limitations of the State Department and the U.S. Agency for International Development. As Davidson writes in her introduction, this manual implicitly challenges future administrations “to either rebalance the national security portfolio by adequately resourcing these critical civilian agencies or … to accept that soldiers and Marines will continue to fill the gap — and therefore will need to know how to do so.”
The manual is comprehensive. It begins with a predictable description of the security environment and the state of interagency efforts, links the stability operations to the concept of full-spectrum operations, and neatly outlines the planning and command and control functions. Perhaps the most important chapter outlines the five key stability tasks, which are the lines of effort for units engaged in stability operations. They are: establishing civil security, establishing civil control and rule of law, restoring essential services, supporting governance, and supporting economic and infrastructure development. The manual respectfully notes the leadership role of State in reconstruction and stabilization activities, and the key responsibilities of the Office of the Coordinator for Reconstruction and Stabilization.
The manual ends with an important chapter on building indigenous security forces and other associated tasks. It is a fitting place to end because this is one area where the military will always play a leading role and where the U.S. has consistently performed poorly. Effective indigenous forces are key to success in COIN and stability operations, but we have not yet mastered their development, nor have we seriously addressed our shortage of trained advisers and mentors for foreign forces.
Bigger problems
“Stability Operations” is a superb manual. It will help military officers plan and conduct stability operations, and it will give the Defense Department’s interagency partners, international organizations and NGOs a better sense of military thinking. FM 3-07 will also provide its military and civilian readers a common vocabulary for working out their mutual problems. This manual will do what doctrine is supposed to do — inform, educate, and advise soldiers and civilians — but it will not solve many of the big problems surrounding future stability operations.
Today, the big issues concerning stability operations are less about doctrine than about culture, policy and priorities. On the cultural end, stability operations are by definition protracted operations. It is a clear fact of life that the American people and their elected officials don’t easily tolerate protracted conflicts. Even popular wars wear on our national psyche. During World War II, Gen. George Marshall observed that “a democracy cannot fight a Seven Years War.” Participation in stability operations is bound to be a neuralgic experience, requiring superb leadership able to shape public opinion, not just react to it.
Policy-wise, the new administration will have to decide not only where to commit U.S. forces, but how to divide bureaucratic responsibilities. A new leadership might minimize the military role in stability operations and drastically bulk up the State Department and USAID. Even if that happens, however, the military will need to understand what needs to be done until the postulated (but not yet real) civilian nation-building cavalry arrive. The military then needs to understand what it must do to help the civilians to be effective, realizing all along that assets devoted to stability operations may be assets taken away from offensive or defensive operations.
Given new threats or the re-emergence of old ones, future administrations may well reconsider the current fascination with irregular warfare and stability operations. Driven by funding shortages or the frustration of current commitments, there may be a Jacksonian, anti-nation-building reaction. More likely, future leadership groups may opt for a less troop unit-intensive, more adviser-intensive approach to solving security-sensitive problems in the developing world. This option would save money, but it would also put a premium on crisis prevention and the early commitment of assets, something that is politically difficult for the U.S.
A new leader at the helm and the stress of financial necessity will put pressure on the Pentagon to establish priorities among systems and mission areas. COIN and stability operations are manpower intensive and the cost of personnel-related expenditures will exacerbate pressures on the acquisition of new high-tech systems. Forces primed for irregular warfare or stability operations will also compete with Air Force and Navy systems better suited to the less probable but perhaps more critical state-to-state conflicts.
In short, not even a nifty new field manual like the one on stability operations will remove the burden of tough choices from the president and his advisers. But such a manual can empower soldiers and their interagency partners to perform at maximum efficiency in the operations that will dominate their present and near-term future. We won’t necessarily succeed in future stability operations because of the work that went into FM 3-07, but we will do a better job because of it and the other new manuals produced at Fort Leavenworth.
Joseph J. Collins, a retired Army colonel, teaches strategy at the National War College. From 2001 to 2004, he was deputy assistant secretary of defense for stability operations. The views expressed here are the author’s own and do not necessarily reflect those of the Army, Defense Department or U.S. government.
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Claiborne Pell
Claiborne Pell was a U.S. Senator from Rhode Island, serving six terms from 1961 to 1997, and was the sponsor of the Pell Grant, which provides financial aid funding to American college students.
A member of the Democratic Party, he served in the U.S. Senate longer than anyone else from Rhode Island.
22nd November, 1918
"The strength of the United States is not the gold at Fort Knox or the weapons of mass destruction that we have, but the sum total of the education and the character of our people."
― Claiborne Pell
Topic(s): Strength
"And think of how we challenged the idea of a male dominated Parliament with All-Women shortlists and made the cause of gender equality central to our government. We were right to do so." ― Ed Miliband
"People like passion in politics." ― Ed Gillespie
"There are patriots who opposed the war in Iraq and there are patriots who supported the war in Iraq. We are one people, all of us pledging allegiance to the stars and stripes, all of us defending the United States of America." ― Barack Obama
"Nothing happens quite by chance. It’s a question of accretion of information and experience." ― Jonas Salk
"The word is the Verb, and the Verb is God." ― Victor Hugo
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Hugo Black was an American politician and jurist who served as a Democratic United States Senator and represented Alabama in the Senate from 1927 to 1937, and served as an Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States from 1937 to 1971.
Black was nominated to the Supreme Court by President Franklin D. Roosevelt and confirmed by the Senate by a vote of 63 to 16.
"When I was 40, my doctor advised me that a man in his 40s shouldn’t play tennis. I heeded his advice carefully and could hardly wait until I reached 50 to start again."
― Hugo Black
"It is the paradox of life that the way to miss pleasure is to seek it first. The very first condition of lasting happiness is that a life should be full of purpose, aiming at something outside self."
"The Framers of the Constitution knew that free speech is the friend of change and revolution. But they also knew that it is always the deadliest enemy of tyranny."
Topic(s): Change
"In my view, far from deserving condemnation for their courageous reporting, the New York Times, the Washington Post and other newspapers should be commended for serving the purpose that the Founding Fathers saw so clearly."
Topic(s): History
"Criticism of government finds sanctuary in several portions of the 1st Amendment. It is part of the right of free speech. It embraces freedom of the press."
Topic(s): Freedom
"Great minds are to make others great. Their superiority is to be used, not to break the multitude to intellectual vassalage, not to establish over them a spiritual tyranny, but to rouse them from lethargy, and to aid them to judge for themselves." ― William Ellery Channing
"My job is to look at what politics is doing, not be a politician myself." ― Antonio Tabucchi
"To me, a building – if it’s beautiful – is the love of one man, he’s made it out of his love for space, materials, things like that." ― Martha Graham
"I won’t take my religion from any man who never works except with his mouth." ― Carl Sandburg
"Absence from those we love is self from self – a deadly banishment." ― William Shakespeare
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Carlisle Indian School Digital Resource Center
Styles, Lottie R.
All records (active tab)
Student Files Only
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 records
1908 Commencement Program
This program was distributed for the 1908 Commencement Exercises, which took place on Thursday, April 2nd. Inside features a portrait of Moses Friedman, the Superintendent, Francis E. Leupp, the Commissioner of Indian Affairs, Charles H. Dickson, the Supervisor-in Charge, as well as a portrait...
Format: Memorabilia and Ephemera
Repository: Dickinson College Archives & Special Collections
Lottie Styles Student Information Card
Student information card of Lottie R. Styles, a member of the Gros Ventre and Arikara Nations, who entered the school on July 3, 1903 and departed on April 9, 1908. The file indicates that Styles graduated in 1908 and married Mr. Hosie.
Repository: National Archives and Records Administration
Student information card of Lottie Styles, a member of the Arikara Nation, who entered the school on July 3, 1903, graduated in 1908, and departed on April 9, 1908.
The Indian Craftsman (Vol. 1, No. 1)
The superintendent of the school described improvements of school buildings, as well as an increase in attendance. Next, appeared a history of the Flathead Indians, accompanied by images from the Flathead Reservation in Montana. F. Shoemaker, M.D. detailed how tuberculosis infections were...
Transportation Money of Lottie R. Styles
These materials include correspondence concerning former pupil Lottie R. Styles and her request to have her transportation money put on hold to use at a later time.
Format: Financial Documents, Letters/Correspondence
Lists & Ledgers
Project Progress
Visiting Carlisle
cisproject@dickinson.edu
Generous support for this project has been provided by the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation.
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License. Login
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Lay Carmelites in Botany Bay
The story of James Dempsey and John Butler
Although the first official Carmelites foundation in this country was made in 1881, the first Carmelites in Australia had arrived nearly eighty years before. They were the Lay Carmelites (Tertiaries or Confraternity members) James Dempsey and John Butler. Both were transported to Botany Bay for life for their alleged involvement in the Irish Rebellion of 1798.
There is no record of their offence or trial, but that is not unusual for Rebellion Prisoners, for suspects were often given summary trial by courts martial or even simply rounded up and transported without trial. They arrived in Sydney aboard the Atlas in October 1802. We know that Dempsey left behind him a wife and four children.
Both men were stonemasons, and were soon at work on government projects: Butler at Castle Hill quarry, and Dempsey on various works, including the Tank Stream bridge, and later the military barracks and the Rum Hospital. He was one of the first of the Atlas prisoners to gain a free pardon, in 1811. Butler received a conditional pardon in 1814 and a free pardon in 1827.
Three priests were among the Rebellion prisoners, but their ministry was severely restricted, and by 1810 all had returned to Ireland. For the next ten years, apart from a few months in 1817-18, there was no priest in Australia
What little evidence we have of those years indicates that Dempsey was virtually the centre of Catholic life in the colony. He accompanied the condemned with prayers to the scaffold, and made his Kent Street house a social and religious centre. There the rosary was said on weekdays and Vespers recited on Sundays. It was there that a Mr McGuire and Mrs Fitzpatrick taught the children their catechism and ran a little choir.
In 1817 Fr Jeremiah O'Flynn arrived in the colony, only to be deported by Governor Macquarie six months later. By accident or design he left the Blessed Sacrament at Kent Street. James Dempsey turned the best room in his house into a little chapel, and formed a small confraternity of men to watch over the Blessed Sacrament. John Butler, his fellow Carmelite, was one of the members.
Stained Glass window in St Mary's Cathedral commemorating the Mass celebrated by Fr O'Flynn in Dempsey's house
Columbus Fitzpatrick, an eyewitness, says that on Sundays the worshippers used to overflow onto the veranda and even into the street, "much to the amusement of the scoffers, who said we ought to be sun-struck". He adds that when a French ship, the Uranie, called at Sydney, its gallant officers knelt down to worship "with poor Irish in that small room, in that obscure house", much to the astonishment of the Protestants.
Frs Therry and Conolly, the first official Catholic chaplains, arrived in 1820. Soon plans were afoot for a church, the first Saint Mary's Cathedral, which was to burn down in 1865. James Dempsey was superintendent of construction and also one of the chief fund-raisers for the project. He even made a disappointing trip to India in 1826 to raise money for Saint Mary's (the bishop of Calcutta gave only ten rupees).
From the beginning Fr Therry's chaotic approach to finance brought trouble to the project. Dempsey's struggle to keep it going included advancing £300 of his own money. A modern historian, James Waldersee, writes that "the more we learn of James Dempsey's role in building the first Saint Mary's the more we must wonder whether it could ever have been completed without him".
Some of Dempsey's letters to Fr Therry have survived. They reveal a strong, spiritual, humble man. He was evidently not well-educated, and was a stranger to punctuation and spelling, but was not afraid to speak his mind. He resigned in frustration more than once from the Saint Mary's project, and in a letter of 1830 he deplores the bad feeling that had grown up between Fathers Therry and Power, urging Therry that "he that would humbel himself the most would be the gratest" (sic). A letter from John Butler also survives, in which he asks Fr Therry to attend at the gaol to a man named Webb, who was to hang the following day.
James Dempsey died in 1838. His son, Cornelius, had joined him in 1821 and settled on the Shoalhaven. There are still Dempsey descendants in Bega and Sydney. John Butler died in 1836. There is a tradition that during his lifetime he was known around Sydney as 'The Carmelite', and his gravestone, which can still be seen in Sydney's Botany Cemetery, depicts the scapular and proudly announces him to have been "a lay Carmelite brother and one of the members of the Confraternity of St Joseph".
Fr Paul Chandler OCarm
In 2017 the Archdiocese of Sydney announced the inaugural Dempsey Medal commemorating Dempsey's pioneering contribution to the Catholic community of Sydney. pdf Read more about the award (946 KB) .
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Frontier Compliance: A Communication System Emerging in Cyberspace
Unformatted Document Text: 17 problem is diminished as more and more registrars using other languages are in service, non-English speaking registrants still have relatively more difficulty in dealing with dispute resolution. The fact that remedies are limited to domain name transfer or cancellation, and that there is no opportunity for an appeal in the UDRP system may also burden the domain name registrants who are unfamiliar with the new system. Whether the UDRP system purports for speed, convenience, and simplicity at the expense of neutrality and fairness may be an important question regarding the procedural issues of the UDRP. The Resulting System of Compliance Thus, what kind of a system evolves from these attempts for self-governance that arise from the frontier conditions? What are the outcomes of this new system of governance and communication? In the West, the vigilante committees and sheriffs that resulted from the attempts for self-governance often had more drawbacks than advantages. While vigilantes believed their harsh justice an effective and quick means of dealing with outlaw activities and disputes, they were often deplored as perpetuating abuses more dangerous than those which they seek to remedy (Rosa, 1969, p. 21). There was a clear tendency of vigilante movements to become tools of men of wealth such as bankers, railroad owners, ranchers, etc., which they wielded for their narrow self- interest (Lewis, 1996, p. 266). The sheriffs were not independent nor just as they depended on those with money and the organization for their election, and the paymasters in turn expected their sheriff to protect and serve their interests (Lewis, 1996, p. 261). Even as the cities, states, and territories of the West gradually managed to establish law in the West, the self-organized body assumed the functions of a judicial tribunal to punish offences against life and property, (Rosa, 1969, p. 25). However, the self-governing mechanism that appeared in the frontier condition solved problems not for most, ordinary people but only for a few: the rich and powerful. The relative lack of justice to the otherwise law-abiding citizens was the major drawback of the vigilante system. Similar situations seem to be occurring in cyberspace. The following analysis of the proceedings and decisions of the UDRP shows the fundamental lack of neutrality and unfairness of the new dispute resolution system. Submission of Response Since the commencement of the first proceeding, 6,102 decisions were made
Authors: Woo, Jisuk.
problem is diminished as more and more registrars using other languages are in service,
non-English speaking registrants still have relatively more difficulty in dealing with
dispute resolution. The fact that remedies are limited to domain name transfer or
cancellation, and that there is no opportunity for an appeal in the UDRP system may
also burden the domain name registrants who are unfamiliar with the new system.
Whether the UDRP system purports for speed, convenience, and simplicity at the
expense of neutrality and fairness may be an important question regarding the
procedural issues of the UDRP.
The Resulting System of Compliance
Thus, what kind of a system evolves from these attempts for self-governance
that arise from the frontier conditions? What are the outcomes of this new system of
governance and communication? In the West, the vigilante committees and sheriffs that
resulted from the attempts for self-governance often had more drawbacks than
advantages. While vigilantes believed their harsh justice an effective and quick means
of dealing with outlaw activities and disputes, they were often deplored as perpetuating
abuses more dangerous than those which they seek to remedy (Rosa, 1969, p. 21). There
was a clear tendency of vigilante movements to become tools of men of wealth such as
bankers, railroad owners, ranchers, etc., which they wielded for their narrow self-
interest (Lewis, 1996, p. 266). The sheriffs were not independent nor just as they
depended on those with money and the organization for their election, and the
paymasters in turn expected their sheriff to protect and serve their interests (Lewis, 1996,
p. 261). Even as the cities, states, and territories of the West gradually managed to
establish law in the West, the self-organized body assumed the functions of a judicial
tribunal to punish offences against life and property, (Rosa, 1969, p. 25). However, the
self-governing mechanism that appeared in the frontier condition solved problems not
for most, ordinary people but only for a few: the rich and powerful. The relative lack of
justice to the otherwise law-abiding citizens was the major drawback of the vigilante
system. Similar situations seem to be occurring in cyberspace. The following analysis of
the proceedings and decisions of the UDRP shows the fundamental lack of neutrality
and unfairness of the new dispute resolution system.
Submission of Response
Since the commencement of the first proceeding, 6,102 decisions were made
All Academic Convention can solve the abstract management needs for any association's annual meeting.
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Throwing away jobs and economic growth
Earlier this year, I chaired an all-party committee which looked at regional economic growth. In particular, we were looking at the use of the regional development funds in a context where the government had abolished the regional development agencies.
The European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) is the EU's main tool to reduce economic disparities between the regions. Worth €201 billion between 2007-13, most of the funding goes to the poorer regions in eastern and southern Europe. England's allocation during this period was nearly £3bn, with the largest share of the funds going to Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly, Merseyside and South Yorkshire, all of which face significant and long-standing challenges to economic growth.
It has contributed to major schemes such as the Eden Project in Cornwall, the Sage concert hall and the Baltic art gallery in Gateshead and the Kings Dock redevelopment in Liverpool and, many years ago, the renewal of the Lyceum Theatre in Sheffield. It has also supported many smaller projects across the country to boost enterprise and support small businesses.
However, ERDF funds have to be matched by public bodies in the UK – for every £ in ERDF grant, a public body – like a council – has to invest a similar amount. The abolition of the Regional Development Agencies removed the main source of match funding for ERDF projects, and the economic downturn has reduced the options for match funding even further.
We concluded that the Government simply did not seem to appreciate the problems that projects are facing in securing the match funding needed for them to go ahead. It failed to deliver on its promise to make it easier for projects to use its Regional Growth Fund (RGF) as match funding. We urged the Government to set aside RGF money specifically for this purpose.
We were quite clear that if urgent action wasn’t taken to spend each region's ERDF allocation before 2015, the UK would not only be returning unspent ERDF grant, but also that value for money would suffer and ERDF would not make the significant impact it might do to generate economic growth in areas with the highest unemployment.
We believed the government was being totally complacent about the matter. Having abolished the Regional Development Agencies in a fit of ideological pique, it simply didn’t understand – or perhaps even care – how important ERDF funds were to local economic regeneration.
Last week, I reminded Michael Fallon - the Business Minister responsible – about the Committee’s recommendations which would have ensured that all the ERDF resources would be used and which the government had rejected.
For the first time he confirmed that ERDF would be underspent. In other words, grant-aid from the EU budget specifically designed to secure economic regeneration in the UK’s poorest areas was going to be returned to Europe.
Thus, at a time when we need to use every endeavor to increase local jobs and to support economic renewal, this government – through sheer incompetence and ideological indifference – has thrown away millions of pounds in grant which would have made a significant difference to the poorest areas in the UK.
Yet the media ignore it. Of course, it doesn’t involve sex, scandal or chocolate. It’s just about a huge loss of jobs and economic growth in communities which need it most. It’s about thousands of people who will remain on the dole instead of working in productive jobs.
It’s a scandal.
Planning to cut growth
Losing Energy
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Outside Looking in: Playoff Picture into Week 15
NFLPJ Candido December 13, 2017 0
I want to give an updated look at the NFL’s playoff picture heading into Week 15 of the 2017 season. With three weeks remaining, some divisions have already been clinched while the race for remaining spots is set to come down to the wire. Let’s go through the NFC and AFC, respectively.
(1) Eagles 11-2
(2) Vikings 10-4
(3) Rams 9-4
(4) Saints 9-4 (head-to-head over CAR)
(5) Panthers 9-4
(6) Falcons 8-5 (head-to-head over SEA)
In the Hunt: Seahawks (8-5), Lions (7-6), Packers (7-6), Cowboys (7-6)
The Eagles are in obvious trouble without Wentz (ACL) for the rest of the year. I still think they’re really good in the trenches on both sides of the ball; they won’t exactly be an easy out if Foles isn’t a disaster. The Vikings are legit, but how much can we trust Case Keenum in January? The Rams are clearly for real, but they’re still so young. The Saints, Panthers and Falcons are all scary NFC-South representatives with Super-Bowl experience. I’m still not convinced the Falcons make it (play NO and CAR last two weeks), but all three teams have potent offenses and improved defenses that make them a feared opponent.
In The Hunt
The Seahawks are banged up, and things just don’t seem the same in Seattle. But Russell Wilson is a legitimate MVP candidate and knows what it takes to get to the big game; them and the Packers are the scariest contenders in my opinion. I’m not sure how Aaron Rodgers is going to play coming off eight missed games, and the Packers finish the year with the Panthers, Vikings and Lions. The Lions are pretenders to me; albeit a softer remaining schedule, I don’t see them as a playoff team this season. The Cowboys have been inconsistent, but they just need to get through Oakland before Ezekiel Elliott comes back for the Seahawks and Wentz-less Eagles to close out the season.
(1) Steelers 11-2
(2) Patriots 10-3
(3) Jaguars 9-4
(4) Chiefs 7-6 (head-to-head over LAC)
(5) Titans 8-5
(6) Bills 7-6
In The Hunt: Ravens (7-6), Chargers (7-6), Raiders (6-7), Dolphins (6-7)
The AFC is more top-heavy than the NFC, but there’s a couple dark horses that could threaten at the top. The Steelers are locked in to the AFC North championship, but their game against the Patriots Sunday is more important than anything; home-field advantage is huge for them. The Patriots have definitely showed weaknesses this season, but are somehow still 10-3. There’s not much to be said about them besides they are the clear favorite, no matter what. The Jags are built for the playoffs — they have an elite defense paired with a great running attack. Blake Bortles or not, they’re going to be a tough out. The #4 spot is intriguing; the Chiefs have absolutely collapsed after starting 5-0. A loss at home to the Chargers would give LAC the keys to the division. The Titans have been terrible, and I think they can lose two out of their last three to open the door for a team currently on the outside looking in. The Bills are somehow the 6 seed, but I think that changes, as well, especially if Taylor is out.
I love the Ravens and Chargers to sneak into the 5 and 6 spots, and it would no doubt be the best thing for the league. The Ravens are as tough as anybody on defense, and their run game is coming along strongly with Alex Collins. The Chargers have two of the best pass rushers in the game, dominate the turnover battle, and have an extremely dangerous offense. It would be a shame if they don’t get in over teams like the Titans and Bills, who have no legit chance at a Super Bowl run. I think the Raiders and Dolphins are likely cooked. The Raiders have been extremely underwhelming and poorly coached, while the Dolphins just aren’t consistent enough on both sides of the ball.
Posted in NFL
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Justin Sullivan | Getty
Climate change’s highest cost: Overheated employees too miserable to work
The US economy could lose $221 billion annually by 2090 as people stop working as much or as hard.
by James Temple
The costs of lower labor productivity under soaring temperatures could reach as much as $221 billion a year in the United States by 2090, making it the largest category of potential economic damages from climate change.
That's according to the National Climate Assessment released by the US Global Change Research Program last week.
As temperatures rise, worker output slows and cognitive performance declines, with a dramatic drop-off around 28 ˚C (82 ˚F), says Reed Walker, an economist focused on climate issues at the University of California, Berkeley.
Scientists have long recognized that extreme temperatures can reduce productivity, as well as lowering lifetime earnings, widening wealth disparities, inciting violence, and increasing suicides and deaths (see “Death will be one of the highest economic costs of climate change”). But the report estimates the total US cost in lost productivity based on projected temperature increases in the decades ahead, says Brian O’Neill, director of research at the University of Denver’s Pardee Center for International Futures and a coauthor of the report.
Faced with sizzling temperatures, workers compensate by changing the timing, location, level, or type of work they do, all of which can affect their output and pay.
Source: National Climate Assessment, US Global Change Research Program
The effect is particularly pronounced with manual outdoor labor like farming and construction, but it shows up even in air-conditioned factories or offices, Walker says. In the United States, auto plant production drops by 8% during weeks with six or more days above 90 ˚F, according to a 2012 study.
There are various ways that companies can try to minimize the effects, including installing air conditioning, shifting work hours, and moving a greater portion of pre-assembly work indoors. None of these were included in the estimate of economic effects, O’Neill says. But most of these steps add costs that many businesses can’t afford or wish to avoid.
Significant decreases in greenhouse-gas emissions could lower the economic impact on labor productivity by as much as 60%, the national assessment found.
TaggedClimate Change
James Temple
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74°, mostly cloudy
Bombers ready to compete in Virginia
COMMUNITY SUPPORT: The CLCF 10u Bombers are joined by State Rep. Robert Lancia during a send-off party for the team at Garden City on Saturday.
Posted Wednesday, August 2, 2017 3:45 pm
By Matt Metcalf
The CLCF Bombers 10u softball team will compete in the Eastern National Tournament in Sterling, Virginia starting today in the Girls’ 10-Under Class B Division.
It has been a productive season to say the least for the Cranston group, which has been at it since the fall, practicing, training and taking on rigid competition in eight tournaments throughout the year.
CLCF has continued to get better and better throughout the course of the season, winning its own tournament, producing a strong showing at the Jennie Finch Tournament at the Diamond Nation Complex in Flemington, New Jersey and winning its division at the Smithfield Firecracker Tournament, which served as an Eastern Nationals Qualifying Tournament. With the win in Smithfield, CLCF earned itself an automatic bid for the tournament this week.
The team expects the level of competition to be high in Virginia, but it’s confident that it will be able to hold its own.
“We expect a very high level of competition,” CLCF manager Sal Piscione said during a send-off party held by State Rep. Robert Lancia at Garden City on Saturday morning. “The girls got a taste of it when we went to New Jersey to play in the Jennie Finch Tournament, which was some good exposure. We know we’re going to see more of the same on the national level, but we’re 100 percent going to go and be competitive. But, more importantly, this could be a once in a lifetime experience for the girls, and we want them to experience this.”
The time and effort that the girls and their coaches have put in has certainly been noticed by those who oversee the program. The trip to Virginia is certainly well-deserved.
“I’m very proud,” CLCF softball chairperson Tiffany Spiridakos said. “They’ve worked all season. They practiced all winter, they practice pretty much year-round, and I think the hard work that they’ve put in throughout the year has paid off. That’s why they’re at the point where they’re at.”
Piscione noted that team chemistry has been one of CLCF’s evident strengths throughout the year, as the girls are truly best friends who love to take the diamond together.
“They work extremely hard, they do not give up and the best thing to me is that they’re a team on and off the field,” Piscione said. “They really like each other and enjoy playing together. You can see that, especially when they’re on the field.”
The players on the team are looking forward to this rare opportunity, as well.
“We’re hoping to win, have a good tournament and have fun,” Vanessa Piscione said. “I hope it’s a good experience.”
One thing’s for sure – whether CLCF wins or loses, it’s going to do it as a team. It has been that team mentality that has gotten CLCF this far.
“It’s not just one person, it’s the whole team,” Siena Nardelli said.
Clean sweeps
State champs
Barbieri, Harris shine in Alaska
McDonough makes Iroquois lacrosse team
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Company Seven is a resource for the international amateur and professional astronomy community, and a registered U.S. Department of Defense contractor. A hub of the regional amateur astronomy community, we also consult to a number of organizations including for and not for profit media. Our credentials include support of mission critical aspects of: NASA Hubble Space Telescope Repair Mission, the NASA International Comet Halley Watch, the NASA James Webb Space Telescope, and a variety of defense and law enforcement projects.
Our ethic revolves about a philosophy of high ideals and good public service where profit is never the overriding concern. Our customers success is based on our offering counsel and very good to excellent products, some of which are very rare if not impossible to find elsewhere. Our staff is unexcelled in technical competence, and we provide a high degree of in-house quality control, and comprehensive programs of instruction.
We maintain one of the last remaining and longest enduring astronomy-oriented showrooms, this is in Laurel, MD between Baltimore and Washington D.C. This incorporates a museum of rare and antique optical instruments. Also featured are a representative selection of the better amateur and institutional astronomical telescopes, nature watching and surveillance instruments, binoculars and accessories. Our showroom is open Monday through Fridays from 11 am to 6 pm, and Saturdays 11 am to 5 pm. We are closed on Sundays and U.S. Federal Holidays, and from 25 December through 1 January.
For the benefit of distant visitors, the Washington, D.C. time and date are now:
To learn more about how this site is arranged and how to navigate it, or for those new to Company Seven please Click Here. To learn more about the latest activities, web page changes, and developments at Company Seven then visit our News and Developments page. For those new to astronomy, we also provide Observing Plan Aids to help them learn the sky.
This Site Last Updated: 3 September 2018
Match AllAny term in Search Index: [ All ] My Realm 1
On 8 January 2019 we celebrate 39 years of defining competence and integrity as a business, with 35 of these years promoting our hobby and our international astronomy community from our Laurel, Maryland showrooms
We fondly remember:
Bruce Roy Wrinkle (b. 7 August 1945, d. 28 April 2013) was the soul of our showroom; kind, witty, intelligent, and able to greet you with a funny joke. Bruce was was amazingly well read, able to hold conversations with doctors and scientists on matters from prions to dark matter. And he was our friend, a true friend in every sense of the word and every day without him lacks some luster.
And Robert Kim Carter (b. 18 Jan 1962, d. 23 April 2005) whose friendship and support originally brought this site on line in 1994. Robert founded one of the first Internet Service Providers of "Internet Valley", Digital Gateway Systems, Inc. in Vienna, Virginia. DGS used to be to ISP's, as Company Seven is to our industry.
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Pallipuram Cross
Remnant of the ancient wooden cross at St. Mary’s Forane Church, Pallippuram, near Cherthala, in the Alappuzha district of Kerala, India.Joseph J. Palackal©2013 Christian Musicological Society of India
This is one of the two earliest available material witnesses to the presence of Christianity in India in the early Christian era, the other being the granite Cross at Chennai. This Cross originally belonged to the Christian community at Kokkamangalam, which lies on the same western bank of the Vembanad backwaters, about 12 kilometers to the south of Pallippuram. Kokkamangalam is important in the history of Indian Christianity, because it is one of theseven locations where St. Thomas the Apostle is believed to have established Christian communities. Later, the Cross reached Pallippuram, under unusual circumstances.
According to the local legend that Christians hold dearly, and transmit passionately from generation to generation, against any historical probability, the Apostle himself made this Cross and gave it to the Hindu converts to Christianity at Kokkamangalam. Those who opposed the new religion became angry, and threw the Cross into the Vembanad backwaters; it landed on the small island off the Pallippuram mainland. The Hindu women, who went to the island to cut grass for their domestic animals, inadvertently struck the Cross with a sickle; the Cross started bleeding. Afraid and confused, and not knowing the significance of the unusual artifact, they reverently carried the Cross to the main land, and entrusted it to a Christian family there. The Christians built a small thatched hut to house the Cross, about a hundred meters to the west from the bank of the backwaters. When the community grew larger, a bigger church was built, yet another five hundred meters to the west, where the present St. Mary’s Church stands. There are slight variations in the details of the story among different families, but the main theme remains the same.
Historical veracity aside, there is no other living community in India that possesses a material object which, according to them, has the spiritual significance of an umbilical cord to the Apostolic faith.
As an artwork, the equal-armed Cross, which seems to fit in a full circle, has a unique shape that makes it different from similar crosses seen in India or in other cultures around the world. The tripartite endings have two petals bending inward, without touching the petals of the adjacent arms. The middle portion of the Cross is thicker than the arms. Exposure to the tropical weather of the region has evidently taken a toll on the wood. A closer examination is required to ascertain whether the Cross is glued to the wooden frame, or if the frame and the Cross were carved from a single piece. In the absence of data from carbon dating, the antiquity of the Cross remains elusive. It is not clear if the wood is natural to the region, or if it was brought in from elsewhere.
Ironically, answers to these, and other even more crucial questions, are lying in the open, exposed to the elements, on the granite slabs that are inserted into the western wall of the Parish rectory. Centuries ago, these slabs were part of the edifice of the earlier church. They contain inscriptions in a script that is yet to be decoded. These slabs are waiting for a Jean-Francois Champollion who deciphered the Egyptian hieroglyphs to unveil the many clues to the history of India and Christianity. Surprisingly, neither the Syro-Malabar Church, nor the Archaeology Department of the Government of India, seem to be interested.
Until the 1970s, the Cross used to be in a circular niche on the top of the reredos of the southern-side altar, which is dedicated to St. Thomas the Apostle. The niche above the statue of the Apostle (see photo) is adorned with depictions of flowers and peacocks peacock is a common motif that appears in paintings and regional folk songs about the Apostle. At present, the Cross is kept in the Parish archive, and is made available for public veneration twice a year: on the feast day of St. Thomas the Apostle (July 3), and during the festival days of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary (August 15), the Patroness of the Parish.
Photo of the Cross, courtesy: http://pallippurathamma.org
See more photos at http://palackal.org
Copyright: Christian Musicological Society of India. Do not use any part of this article without prior written permission from the Christian Musicological Society of India. For permission please send request to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
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Noble Corporation Financial Report (Economics Essay Sample)
/ Samples / Economics / Noble Corporation Financial Report
← Us Dollar as a Reserve Currency Criteria Selection →
Check Out Our Noble Corporation Financial Report Essay
Noble Corporation is a principal offshore drilling company in the oil and gas industry. It is a Swiss company that provides contract oil and gas drilling services using its fleet that comprises of 79 movable drilling units and a single floating offloading and production storage unit. The entire fleet has 49 jackups, 14 semisubmersibles, 2 submersibles, and 14 drillships. The corporation has been highly cyclical and competitive given the high principal and maintenance costs required in the contract drilling.
Over the past few years, the corporation has experienced duration of volatility following global economic crisis and instability. Despite these instabilities, the corporation began to experience stability in drilling market following increased demand for services of offshore drilling in the past few years.
As at 31st December 2011, the corporation reported its financial and operating outcomes as follows. Its operating revenues totaled to $2.7 billion. Net income seen was $371 million which was equivalent to $1.46 in every diluted share. Operating activities brought net cash of $759 million. The company also recorded a 33.5% debt increase in total capitalization from 27.5% in 2010 following a $1.1 billion issuance in senior notes and $935 million extra debt drawn on company’s credit facilities.
In order to provide a clear overview of Noble Corporation’s financial performance, consolidated balance sheet, statement of income, and statement of cash flow for the years 2011, 2010 and 2009 will be evaluated. In addition, share repurchases and dividends offered in the last three years will be analyzed as indicated by Noble Corporation (2012).
Beginning with a consolidated balance sheet, the corporation reported total assets of $13,495,159 and $11,302,387 in 2011 and 2010 respectively. Total liabilities on the other hand for both years were $5,397,307 and $4,014,753 respectively while total equity was $ 8,097,852 and $7,287,634 as shown in the table below. Note: All amounts in US$ thousands.
In 2009, 2008 and 2007, the company’s total assets were $8,396,896, $7,106,799 and $5,876,006 while total equity was $6,788,432, $5,290,715 and $4,308,322 respectively. This indicates that the company has sustained a positive growth in both its assets and equity, and so does the shareholder’s equity. This is mainly because the company has increased its fleet and drilling units.
In 2008 and 2007, operating revenues were $3,446,501 and $2,995,311 respectively. It is therefore evident that operating revenues of the company recorded an increase for the period spanning 2007 to 2009 after which it declined significantly in 2011and 2010. This decline in operating revenues is attributed to reductions in overall dayrates and days of operations. Decrease in dayrates made revenues to decline by about $71million while decrease in days of operation lowered revenues by another $68 million. Operating costs and expenses have also shown a sustained increase. This was due to added rigs in the fleet that increased operating costs with about $120 million in 2010. Excluding the extra costs incurred related to the additional rigs, drilling costs also increased primarily because maintenance of rigs, mobilization costs, labor costs, and safety and training costs increased by $71 million.
In the statement of cash flow, the company has also recorded decrease in the net cash arising from operating activities, investing activities but increase in financing activities.
The major decreases in the cash flows from different activities occurred due to adjustments in income taxes, interest rates, foreign currency rates, and market following the global economic instability that adversely affected oil and gas industry entirely. The company was subjected to these adjustments because it operates in different countries that have varying computational methods within their jurisdictions. This includes changes in interest rates and additional expenses incurred when using local currencies outside consistent currencies in oil and gas industry.
Fluctuations in the share purchases and costs were affected by operations outcomes, financial situations, cash requirements, and contractual restrictions among other factors that affect overall performance of the company in financial terms. It also offers dividends in four equal installments depending on the above factors. However, the corporation intends to offer $0.52 per share in 2012 but after shareholder’s approval. In respect to the number of outstanding shares currently, the company in 2012 will make total cash payments of about $66 million.
In conclusion, Noble Corporation has proved to be a competitive company in the oil and gas industry. It has also shown to recover and regain stability in a short period of time, thus providing an attractive investment opportunity to its shareholders.
Criteria Selection
Us Dollar as a Reserve Currency
Greatly Depression Moments in Time
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Islamic Economic Area (e-Doctorate)
Islamic Economic Area (Online Professional Doctorate in Business in Muslim Countries)
Islamic Economic Area analysed in the Online Professional Doctorate in International Business specialisation in Muslim Countries:
The degree of economic interconnection between the countries of Islamic Economic Area is slight, except for Muslim Countries that belong to an integration block as the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC)
The main Islamic institution is the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC).
Trade Preferential System among the Member States of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation
All Arab Countries belong to the Arab League
In general, the economic relations of Muslim Countries with other Civilisations are poorly developed
Islamic Banking and finance (according to Shariah) are becoming increasingly important in Islamic Countries
Islamic economic area represents a population of about 1,600 million Muslims (23% of humanity, 200 million in 1900)
Between 75 and 90% of Muslims are Sunni, and the rest are Shi'a
Asia (Central Asia, Southeast Asia) represents 62% of the world's Muslim population and 25% of the Asian population (1,100 million Muslims).
In the ASEAN, Islam represents 42% of the population (241 million Muslims)
All the countries of Central Asia have Muslim majorities
Iran is a “Shiite Muslim country”
The four nations with the largest Muslim populations are Indonesia, Pakistan, India, and Bangladesh
In India; they are living near 172 million Muslims
Middle East: only 15% of the world's Muslim population is Arab
Saudi Arabia is the leading regional economy and one of the “spiritual leaders” of Sunni Islam. The Headquarters of the Islamic Development Bank and the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation are in Jiddah
Africa. Approximately, 422 million Africans (40% of the African population) are Muslims (Sunni majority)
African Countries with a Muslim population over 90% are Algeria, Gambia, Guinea, Libya, Mali, Morocco, Mauritania, Niger, Western Sahara, Senegal, Somalia, Tunisia, Djibouti
African Countries with a Muslim population between 50% and 90% are Burkina Faso, Chad, Egypt, Eritrea, Guinea-Bissau, Sierra Leone, Sudan
Nigeria, the largest African economy, has about 50% of Muslim population
About 300 million Muslims live in countries where Islam is not the largest religion: China, India, and Russia. This doctorate only includes India (the third largest Muslim population in the world)
Europe. Islam is the second largest religion in Europe; about 44 million Muslims live in Europe (6% of the European people).
The European Countries members of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation are Albania and Turkey
America. Guyana belongs to the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation
Some 290 million people speak Arabic, the language of reference of the Ummah (Islamic Community), Arabic is the fifth language in the world.
Arabic is an official language in Arabia, Algeria, Bahrain, Qatar, Egypt, the United Arab Emirates, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Libya, Morocco, Mauritania, Oman, Palestine, Syria, Sudan, Yemen, and Tunisia
Arabic is also co-official in Chad, Comoros, Western Sahara, Somalia, and Djibouti
Thesis of the Doctorate in Business in Muslim Countries
Samples of the Online Professional Doctorate in Business in Muslim Countries
Doctorado en negocios en los Países Musulmanes Doctorat en affaires dans les marchés musulmans.
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Zamalek football fans given prison sentences over 2015 stadium clashes in Cairo
Eight people were given sentences between 7-10 years for charges relating to deadly clashes at a Cairo football stadium in 2015
El-Sayed Gamal El-Din , Sunday 24 Sep 2017
A file photo showing the gate of the stadium before the clashes on 1 February 2015 (Photo:Reuters)
233 Zamalek Ultras fans detained pending investigation into post-football game violence
Egypt court upholds one-year jail sentence for 11 Ultras members on attempted murder of Zamalek's Mansour
Zamalek fans get one year in prison for assaulting club chairman Mortada Mansour
Egypt court orders new investigation into killing of 22 Zamalek fans
A Cairo criminal court on Sunday sentenced three people to ten years in prison and five others to seven years for a range of crimes linked to the 2015 Air Defense Stadium clashes in Cairo, Al-Ahram Arabic website reported on Sunday.
One defendant was also sentenced to five years and two others to three years in prison. Two other defendants were also sentenced in absentia to 25 years in prison, and two more were acquitted of all charges.
Among those sentenced was Siyad Faheem, a leading figure of the hardcore Zamalek fangroup Ultras White Knights (UWK).
The prosecution charged the defendants with attempted murder, possession of explosives without permission, inciting violence, destroying public property, and blocking traffic intentionally. The explosives-related charge refers to the defendants' alleged use of fireworks at the stadium.
In February 2015, 22 Zamalek sports club fans were killed and at least 20 others injured as clashes erupted between security forces and members of the UWK fan group in front of Cairo's Air Defense stadium. Clashes outside the gates resulted in a deadly stampede a few hours before Zamalek played ENPPI in the Egyptian Premier League.
The court's decision is a first degree sentence that can be appealed.
According to the defendants' lawyer, Halim Hanish, posting on his official Facebook account, the court rulings will be appealed in the upcoming days.
The UKW issued a statement shortly after the verdict demanding the acquittal of all defendants and "justice for the victims". The group maintains that the police, as well as the Zamalek chairman and parliamentarian Mortada Mansour, were responsible for the deaths of the fans.
In a statement issued sortly after the incident in February 2015, the prosecutor-general stated that both the Muslim Brotherhood and the UWK instigated the disaster in order to "blight the international economic conference in the Red Sea resort of Sharm El-Sheikh the following month."
El-Sayed Gamal El-Din
Ultras White Knights
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Egypt's EDEX 2018 defence expo to kick off on Monday
Ahram Online , Sunday 2 Dec 2018
Egypt's first defence expo, EDEX 2018 (Photo courtesy of Egypt Defence Expo - EDEX official Facebook page)
Egypt's first defence expo, EDEX 2018, will kick off on Monday in Cairo, where 373 major defence companies from 41 countries are participating.
Organised by Egypt's Armed Forces under the auspices of President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi, the fair – the first of its kind in Africa – will showcase the latest military and security technology, equipment and systems.
EDEX 2018, which will be inaugurated by President El-Sisi and will run from 3 to 5 December, is expected to draw at least 10,000 visitors at Egypt's International Exhibition Centre in New Cairo.
The UK Trade Envoy Sir Jeffrey Donaldson and Defence Senior Advisor for the Middle East (DSAME) John Lorimer arrived on Sunday in Egypt along with a trade delegation to attend the expo.
On Thursday, a Saudi delegation led by the head of the kingdom's state-owned Military Industries Corporation, Mohammed bin Hamad Al-Mady, also arrived to attend the expo.
Saudi Arabia will have the largest pavilion at the fair, where it will showcase its latest defence products.
Egypt's Minister of Military Production Mohamed Minister El-Assar has said that Egypt's political leadership is supporting the event and aims to ensure that it is on par with similar events globally.
The minister also said that Egypt's military will provide all the necessary facilities to ensure its success, adding that the exhibition will be held every two years.
The event is being organised in cooperation with the UK's Clarion Events, which organises defence and security exhibitions.
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Arab League calls for Int'l protection of Palestinians
More than 27 Palestinians have been killed in the recent violence
Ahram Online , Tuesday 13 Oct 2015
The Arab League's deputy chief Ahmed Bin Hali (Photo: Al-Ahram)
Arab League chief condemns 'racist' Israeli practices
PHOTO GALLERY: The State of Palestine flag flies for the first time at U.N. headquarters
Palestine deserves 'full recognition,' Abbas tells UN
The deputy Secretary-General of the Arab League Ahmed Bin Hali stated that the international protection of Palestinians has become an inevitable necessity, Sky News Arabia reported on Tuesday.
The United Arab Emirates (UAE) called for an emergency meeting on the ministerial level to discuss the violations carried out by the Israeli occupation against Palestinians and the call was accepted by the Arab League.
The UAE's permanent representative to the league held the Israeli government legally responsible for all the war crimes committed against Palestinians and added that the perpetrators must be brought to international justice.
On Tuesday Sky News Arabia reported that Palestine has filed three complaints against Israel to the International Criminal Court (ICC) in protest of the Israeli violations.
This comes at a time when a wave of Israeli repressive measures against protesters has left more than 27 Palestinians dead, including a pregnant mother and her daughter.
Gaza has been the site of three Israeli aerial and ground offensives since 2008, but has remained mainly calm amid the recent unrest in the West Bank and occupied east Jerusalem until Friday.
Last summer alone, Israel’s 51-day assault on Gaza killed over 2,200 people and left more than 12,000 others injured. More than 100,000 people were displaced.
Ahmed Bin Hali
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Syria army seizes airbase in Aleppo from Islamic State group
AFP , Saturday 13 May 2017
As fighting ebbs in west Syria, army looks east
Syrian army, allies gain ground against rebels north of Hama
Syrian army regains key town in north Hama province
Syria's army captured an airbase in eastern Aleppo from the Islamic State group on Saturday, after more than two months of fierce clashes, a military source and monitor said.
The Jarrah airbase had been under IS control since January 2014, when the Islamist militants seized it from rebels who had captured it a year earlier.
"Regime forces took control of the Jarrah military airport after heavy fighting," said Rami Abdel Rahman, director of the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights monitor.
"The majority of the jihadists have withdrawn, and regime forces are carrying out clearing operations in the airport and engaged in limited clashes with remaining IS elements," he added.
Syria's army launched an offensive against IS in eastern Aleppo province in mid-January, backed by ally Russia.
So far it has taken control of more than 170 villages and towns in the area, according to the Britain-based monitor.
A military source, speaking on condition of anonymity, also confirmed the capture of the military base.
"The Syrian army has completed its capture of Jarrah airport and a number of the surrounding villages," he told AFP.
"It will continue its advances into the areas held by the terrorist organisation and... expand the areas it controls in eastern Aleppo province," he added.
The next key target for government forces in the area will likely be the town of Maskana, on the edge of Lake Assad.
Syria's army is just one of the forces battling IS in the country.
An alliance of Syrian Kurds and Arabs is also fighting the group further east, in Raqa province, with support from the US-led coalition.
More than 320,000 people have been killed in Syria since the conflict began in March 2011 with anti-government protests.
Syria army
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Reform and resistance in education
Why has knowledge ceased to be a factor in Egypt’s educational system?
Amina Khairy , Friday 31 May 2019
Education a priority
Digitalisation and education
Educational reform for Egypt 2030
Throughout the past five or even six decades, Egyptian youth have suffered from severe negligence and underestimation. They have been regarded as a headache that can be cured by painkillers every now and then. But their wellbeing was not a priority, and their education and thus future prospects were never at the top of the list. Their social and even mental wellbeing were never taken seriously.
For decades, they have been seen as often empty-headed creatures with no aims, aspirations or targets to fulfil. Egypt’s youth also suffered a lot under former president Hosni Mubarak. According to a 2009 survey carried out by the Population Council, 30 per cent of young men aged between 15 and 29 years old said they were looking to emigrate, mostly to an oil-rich Gulf state and largely because they did not expect to find work at home.
Seventy per cent of unemployed youth said they were jobless because there was no work available. More than 40 per cent of young people thought personal connections were more important than personal skills in securing a job.
With an educational system that has kept deteriorating due to different reasons, ranging from a lack of interest on the part of the state to the mixture of religion and education and the uncontrolled storm of Islamist education that did not offer education as much as strife to a population bomb that has kept exploding at a rate of a million newborn babies every year, Egypt’s youth have been left on their own for too long.
Having been one of the staunchest believers in youth empowerment as the only way out of decades of corruption and stagnation, I find myself today in need of reforming my definition of “empowerment”. This is the process by which young people are encouraged and supported to take charge of their lives. This is done by enabling and constantly improving their access to decent living conditions, physical and mental health services, and last but not least, proper education. It is education that shapes, transforms and maintains their consciousness through beliefs, values and attitudes.
However, the beliefs, values and attitudes maintained by many Egyptians of varying age groups makes one think when it comes to policies to rebuild our deteriorating educational system. Having had the chance to deal directly with the major partners and stakeholders in the system, I have had a lot of rethinking and re-evaluating to do.
Making a real difference to Egypt’s stagnant educational system will not happen through repainting a school, redesigning the covers of textbooks or changing the school uniform (if the notion of a uniform is still there). Making a real difference needs a different attitude. We have gone past the stage of sending out teachers to be trained for a few days in the UK or the US. We are also far beyond the policing approach of closing the private tutoring centres that have outgrown the role of schools and overshadowed them.
The vision presented by minister of education and technical education Tarek Shawki to reform education based on the notion of presenting real education to students rather than simply “model answers” to be studied by heart is based on changing the educational culture, which is the toughest task to be taken on by any individual, institution or government. As far as I know, changing the obsolete culture of education in Egypt, as well as offering the country’s youngsters a real education, though it has been adopted by the government, it has not been adopted by the people.
People in Egypt have been moaning over the past five decades that their children are not getting a proper education and sometimes are not getting an education at all. The public schools have been turned into buildings that offer students the right to take the final exams, but not the education that will enable them to pass those exams and move on to the following year and the years to come with an accumulation of knowledge.
In fact, knowledge has long ceased to be a factor in Egypt’s educational system.
DISFIGURED: Judging by my own experience, I can honestly say that Egypt’s educational system has been disfigured.
We have been pretending that we have an educational system, when we actually do not. Those with the financial ability to enrol their children in private schools will get their children a certificate, probably with varying degrees of information, not knowledge, in accordance with how much they pay.
As for the public schools, speaking of knowledge is unthought of and contemplating education is improbable, but traces of information can be found in extreme cases. Yet, we still insist that our only hope for the future is education and healthcare, meaning that Egypt’s only hope of making a comeback lies in reforming these things.
But when a minister comes along with a vision to change, reform and rebuild education, while having the total support of the president, guess what he finds? An aggressive and sometimes bullying environment that refuses to cooperate, let alone accept to go through the reform experience, despite the fact that everybody who is or was involved in Egypt’s educational system knows that we have already touched rock bottom and nothing could be worse than what already is.
The past few months, with all the uproar that has been going on with tablets, electronic exams, and exam questions, have been extremely enlightening. Leaving aside connection problems, the allocated time for the exams, and the heat waves, and also the few points here and there needed to review and adjust the system, it is no exaggeration to say that this past academic year has been worth a lot of reflection in the hope of finding conclusions and insights.
First of all, there is huge resistance to any sort of reform from the teachers. I don’t have percentages, but I would argue that the majority is not ready to listen to what reform means and what to expect out of it as long as it does not revolve around raises in salaries. This is not to say that teachers do not deserve better living conditions, but educational reform is not on the list of many of them. The other point has to do with private tutoring, a “sacred” arena that sometimes entails indecent rules of engagement.
Asking a teacher to switch from private tutoring to the normal school education which they have long ignored means asking them to give up the thousands of pounds (with no taxes) that they secure away from their salaries. It means asking them to update and improve their teaching skills, which are very far from being perfect.
As for parents, some of them have dedicated their time and energy to Whatsapp mothers’ groups that have turned from discussing their children’s performance at school, problems with teachers, the prices of private lessons, and so on, to forums for experts in education and e-learning among other fields of expertise.
Parents and students who have fallen victims to their parents’ “expertise” care only for high grades, which mean to them good academic achievement, and as far as our obsolete educational culture goes also means enrolling at a top university. However, they rarely look beyond that stage to employment and job demands that are obviously not compatible with the educational culture.
The notion of capacity building is simply not there. The attempts made to modernise and update the system have been strongly and intentionally blurred due to such noise. This noise has been made by private tutors, formerly teachers, Whatsapp experts, formerly mothers, and some public figures who have ambitions of holding public posts in roaring, growling and grumbling.
A friend recently noted that parents, some of whom are teachers, always speak with pride about their children using tablets, computers and mobile phones. But when the state makes tablets available, yesterday’s boasting becomes an attempt by the Ministry of Education to destroy our children and spoil their future.
Our unique ability for self-destruction, the refusal to listen, and to judge every single detail without having basic knowledge deserves some rethinking. Why are parents staunch supporters of private lessons? Why have teachers managed to ignore their original roles? Why are some of us encouraging a few students heading to the Ministry of Education calling for the minister’s resignation because the exams were too difficult, the connection was interrupted or the open book style was not their piece of cake?
The delusional conviction of unquestionable power that took control of some of us after the hype of the January Revolution has led to a social mess. Everybody thinks they know everything. Everybody has become an expert in fields they have never even touched upon. Everybody thinks that the only way out of problems is by throwing stones at others and calling for their resignation. The truth is that everybody is afraid of change, even though they have nothing to lose.
The new educational system needs revision? Definitely. The 2018-19 academic year for first secondary requires evaluation? For sure. The future of education requires more planning and keeping parents and students well informed and teachers well trained. Moving from rock bottom upwards will not happen via mothers’ groups on Whatsapp alone, or through students calling for the minister’s resignation, or teachers resisting change and protecting their private lessons.
Change, reform and development happen in societies that lend an ear to wisdom and reason, rather than the lack of them.
*A version of this article appears in print in the 30 May, 2019 edition of Al-Ahram Weekly under the headline: Reform and resistance in education
Amina Khairy
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On Love, Laughter, and Good Conversations
The greatness of a man is not in how much wealth he acquires, but in his integrity and his ability to affect those around him positively. – Bob Marley
During a recent lunchtime walk, as I admired the sun’s reflection on the surface of Philadelphia’s Schuylkill River a few blocks from my office, I reached for my phone to call my brother. For the past several years, I had called Steve every week or two. We would talk about how things were going in our respective lives, upcoming travel plans, and anything else that came to mind. But then I suddenly remembered that Steve was no longer with us, his number in my phone but a remnant of a past life. I placed the phone back into my pocket, looked at the still waters beside me and the blue skies above, and walked silently onward.
This has happened to me a few times since Steve died in early October. I am not sure why I experience these temporary lapses in memory. Others have told me it is a common experience and to be expected for anyone who has lost someone close to them. But it is at moments such as these when I am forced to contemplate the reality of loss, the certainty of death, and the fragility of life itself.
Another year has come and gone. Days pass ever so quickly as the steady drumbeat of life leaves me stranded on the abandoned tracks of time’s unrelenting forward progress. During a two-week stretch in early autumn, I forever lost the presence of two men I admired and respected – Andrea’s dad, my father-in-law, Marty Gelman, and my dear brother Steve. Through their deaths, Marty to natural causes at the age of 96 and Steve to brain cancer at 61, I am more intimately familiar with the temporary nature of life, compelled to appreciate more profoundly the importance of awakening to the wonder of each new day. For now and forever, it is the memories I will cherish, the shared experiences and momentary insights, the simple pleasures of a good meal and a good laugh.
I remember especially the little things, the quiet conversations with Marty on Sunday afternoons, the golf outings, ballgames, and childhood memories with Steve. “That’s when I realized that certain moments go on forever,” writes Lauren Oliver in the novel Before I Fall. “Even after they’re over they still go on, even after you're dead and buried, those moments are lasting still, backward and forward, on into infinity. They are everything and everywhere all at once.”
Marty and me, Thanksgiving 2016
Martin Gelman was a one-of-a-kind man who lived a full and meaningful life on his terms. (You can read of his many accomplishments and rich history here and here.) But what I will miss most are the many conversations I had with Marty about religion and politics, life and the world around us. Marty had a knack for listening and putting things into perspective – he provided a sense of historical insight, reminding us of the many ways life repeats itself. He had lived through the Great Depression, fought in World War II, and for fifty years taught anthropology and psychology at a local community college, where he became one of its most popular professors. For 35 of those years, he counseled patients from all walks of life in his center-city Philadelphia clinical psychology practice, earning the love and respect of countless admirers. He earned the Distinguished Flying Cross as a B-24 navigator during the Good War and was a member of the Greatest Generation. And yet, through it all he retained a sense of humility and unpretentiousness that made you immediately comfortable and at ease in his presence.
I was especially inspired by Marty’s life-long love of learning, for he believed that, as members of the human race, we are on this planet to learn, think, question, and search. He was often the first person to read a new essay I had composed. I looked forward to talking with him about what I had written, eliciting his opinion and, hopefully, affirmation. Our talks typically led to a much longer conversation about related topics concerning philosophy, politics, family life, my love of the St. Louis Cardinals (which he admired and found amusing, even as it perplexed him), and other things about which we sometimes agreed and sometimes did not.
I debated often with Marty about the nature and existence of God, with my defense of God’s existence sharply challenged by Marty’s inherent skepticism. Having survived fifty bombing missions over the skies of Europe in World War II, having learned of the horrors of the Holocaust, having witnessed the repeated failures of human morality and humanity’s misuse of technology for the sake of greed and power, he had many rational and logical reasons to question God’s existence. But in all of our talks, while he asked good questions, he never insisted he was right, and he retained a hopeful sense of possibility, which allowed us always to find common ground.
He was intrigued by my embrace of the teachings of Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel, who believed that God’s presence, though concealed, was everywhere, and that it was up to human beings to make God’s presence known by experiencing the everyday wonder of the universe. “Our goal should be to live life in radical amazement,” wrote Heschel. “[T]o get up in the morning and look at the world in a way that takes nothing for granted. Everything is phenomenal; everything is incredible; never treat life casually. To be spiritual is to be amazed.” I believe this resonated with Marty because, despite his secular rationalism and deep skepticism born of the evils of 20th Century atrocities, deep down he shared Heschel’s sense of wonder and amazement. And I loved that about him.
I will miss Marty and our talks, his wise counsel, and the love and compassion he had for all who entered his life. Even at the end of his life, when he had lost his physical agility and needed help with the daily things of life, with eating and sitting and getting dressed, he never lost his sense of humor, his compassion and concern for others, and his genuine interest in the wellbeing of us all. He was a living example of Heschel’s admonition, “Just to be is a blessing. Just to live is holy.”
Steve and me at One World Trade Center
My conversations with Steve were less intellectual, but he was my big brother, a source of encouragement and support I have always counted on. Steve and I shared a bond that went back a half century, to our childhood, when we found new and creative ways to have fun, played sports together, and shared life’s many adventures in a suburban New Jersey, Huck Finn sort of way. Steve was an incredibly fun-loving soul who never took life too seriously. When we were growing up in Moorestown, and later Hightstown, New Jersey, we did everything together. Although Steve was three years ahead of me in school, he let me hang out with his older friends and never excluded me from any activity. We played touch football in the backyard of our house with neighborhood friends, competed against each other in one-on-one basketball games, hit ground balls to each other in our backyard, pitched batting practice to each other at the local ball fields, and found all sorts of ways to have fun in the days before video games and technology kept all the kids indoors.
Although he possessed a perpetually childlike spirit, Steve was slightly defeated in later years, a touch beaten down by an adult life filled with heartache. When his first marriage ended in divorce, along with his career as an ordained Lutheran minister (a long story, to which I will say only that the then Bishop of the Southeastern Lutheran Synod was a rigid, unforgiving, and uncompassionate man who represented exactly the opposite of what the Church should be), he never fully recovered. He made his share of mistakes, but his negative experience with the church diminished his youthful zest for life. For years afterwards, though he retained his friendly nature and bright smile, a portion of his happy-go-lucky style disappeared and he developed emotional defenses that left him a touch guarded.
And yet, Steve was among the most resilient and resourceful people I have ever known. He always found a way to make things work. Whatever sadness he harbored in later years, he continued on with dignity and fortitude. He found love and happiness again, restored his relationship with his two children, whom he dearly loved, and performed well in his new careers in banking and business.
Before he became too sick to speak at any length, when he still had his health and a sense of normalcy, Steve and I spoke nearly every week by phone. Some days we would talk about the pressures of work, the daily struggles to succeed and make a living. On other days we talked about politics, our kids, our shared passion for baseball and our past dreams of baseball glory. By the time we had reached mid-life, our childhood experiences were but faded memories of days long past. But even as time and distance came between us, we always remained friends and knew we would always be there for each other. Steve was one of the few people in life with whom I shared deep-seated memories and formative childhood experiences. And though we never made it to the major leagues, we understood our baseball dreams for what they were – the longings of young men learning as we go, providing support and encouragement along the way.
So, as a new year beckons and life journeys onward, here is to the memories of two kind and decent people who found a way to enrich the world with their presence, their dignity, and their generosity of spirit. Though they were distinctly different individuals, Marty and Steve each in their own way left the world a little better than they found it. I will miss them both, but I will forever cherish the many memories, of love, laughter, and good conversation.
Posted by Mark J. Ehlers at 1:40 PM
Marina January 8, 2018 at 3:15 AM
What a beautiful tribute. Aunt Gert always told me to read your blog and I never found the time. Alas, I will now make the time ,thanks, Mark for your lovely words. I look forward to reading more posts.
Mark January 8, 2018 at 12:24 PM
Marina - Thank you for the kind words and for taking the time to read this tribute.
The Steady Decline of American Democracy
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Sikorsky S-97 Raider Exceeds 200 Knots as Company Prepares Proposal for U.S. Army’s Future Attack Reconnaissance Aircraft
octubre 4, 2018 Sikorsky S-97 Raider Exceeds 200 Knots as Company Prepares Proposal for U.S. Army’s Future Attack Reconnaissance Aircraft2018-10-04T08:05:00+00:00 Florida No Comment
WEST PALM BEACH, Fla., Oct. 4, 2018 /PRNewswire/ — The Sikorsky S-97 Raider light tactical prototype helicopter is advancing rapidly through its flight test schedule, recently exceeding 200 knots at the Sikorsky Development Flight Center. Raider, developed by Sikorsky, a Lockheed Martin (NYSE: LMT) company, is based on the company’s proven X2 Technology, enabling speeds twice that of conventional helicopters.
View the latest Sikorsky S-97 Raider video.
«The Sikorsky S-97 Raider flight test program is exceeding expectations, demonstrating Raider’s revolutionary speed, maneuverability and agility,» said Tim Malia, Sikorsky director, Future Vertical Lift Light. «X2 Technology represents a suite of technologies needed for the future fight, enabling the warfighter to engage in high-intensity conflict anytime, anywhere as a member of a complex, multi-domain team.»
Sikorsky continues to demonstrate the application of its X2 Technology as the company prepares its proposal for the U.S. Army’s Future Attack Reconnaissance Aircraft (FARA) competition, driving forward the Army’s efforts to revolutionize its aircraft fleet as part of what is known as Future Vertical Lift.
Raider incorporates the latest advances in fly-by-wire flight controls, vehicle management systems and systems integration. The suite of X2 Technologies enables the aircraft to operate at high speeds while maintaining the low-speed handling qualities and maneuverability of conventional single main rotor helicopters.
«It’s exciting to achieve these high speeds with X2 Technology,» said Sikorsky experimental test pilot Bill Fell, a retired U.S. Army pilot. «It’s undeniably important for the warfighter to get to the mission fast. And once they get there, X2 Technology provides the critical handling qualities that make the aircraft survivable, lethal and agile. Sikorsky X2 Technology changes the way we fly and fight – we can get there fast, be more effective while on the scene and we can get out fast.»
Sikorsky’s X2 Technology at the heart of the Raider helicopter is scalable to a variety of military missions including light assault, light attack, armed reconnaissance, close-air support, combat search and rescue and unmanned applications.
The development of X2 Technology and the Raider program has been funded entirely by significant investments by Sikorsky, Lockheed Martin and industry partners.
For more information, visit www.lockheedmartin.com/raider.
Headquartered in Bethesda, Maryland, Lockheed Martin is a global security and aerospace company that employs approximately 100,000 people worldwide and is principally engaged in the research, design, development, manufacture, integration and sustainment of advanced technology systems, products and services. This year the company received three Edison Awards for ground-breaking innovations in autonomy, satellite technology and directed energy.
View original content to download multimedia:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/sikorsky-s-97-raider-exceeds-200-knots-as-company-prepares-proposal-for-us-armys-future-attack-reconnaissance-aircraft-300724443.html
SOURCE Lockheed Martin
« Merck inaugura un Centro de Colaboración M Lab™ en São Paulo, Brasil
Brookdale Seniors Honored at Second Annual «Celebrate Aging Film Festival» »
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Kong Musical Pushes Back US Opening
Posted on March 7, 2014 by Mike Glyer
The massively budgeted King Kong musical, expected to move to America this year, has delayed its Broadway opening and will have to switch theaters.
Having completed its Melbourne run in February, the show was supposed to reopen in New York this December in the same theater that housed Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark.
Kong’s producer, Carmen Pavlovic of Global Creatures, told the New York Times the delay was motivated by artistic considerations –
“‘King Kong’ has been more than five years in the making and we are thrilled with the production that played to packed houses in Melbourne. We learnt so much from this first engagement. We realize that there are some exciting creative changes we can and want to make before ‘King Kong’ comes home to New York City and we don’t want to be pressured to rush in to meet any artificial deadlines. We want to make the best possible show.”
But the NYT reporter speculated that Spider-Man’s $60 million loss was too fresh in mind and Kong’s producers didn’t want to labor under the associations caused by opening another effects-heavy musical production in the same house. Meanwhile, that theater has been booked by another musical, a revival of On The Town.
Two months ago, before the delay was announced, a Variety writer argued Kong’s risks of failure are much less than Spider-Man —
There are also major differences in the two shows’ production models. The sky-high $75 million cost of “Spider-Man” was incurred in large part by a long, haphazard development process for a show that opened cold on Broadway, with all those expenses folded into the New York production’s budget. By contrast, “King Kong” has already been developed in the Melbourne production (said to have come in at around $30 million), so the capitalization of the American staging, while still poised to be high by Broadway standards, won’t be weighed down with those expenses. And since the heavy-lifting required to mount “Kong” has already been accomplished once, there’s zero likelihood that previews will stretch over months as they did at “Spider-Man.”
[Thanks to James H. Burns for the story.]
This entry was posted in Like Show Business and tagged King Kong by Mike Glyer. Bookmark the permalink.
4 thoughts on “Kong Musical Pushes Back US Opening”
James H. Burns on March 7, 2014 at 4:22 pm said:
“Kong Head Off By Sailors… Again!”
Taral Wayne on March 7, 2014 at 5:01 pm said:
Where will this end? “Diary of Ann Frank: the Musical?” “Donkey-Kong on Ice?” “Sweeney Limbaugh, the Demon Talk Show Host of Fox Street?” “The Sound of Ayn Rand?” “Andrew Lloyd Webber’s Dragon Ball Z?”
Michael Walsh on March 8, 2014 at 7:28 am said:
Cirque du Soleil featuring Rob Ford.
Robert Whitaker Sirignano on March 8, 2014 at 8:51 am said:
Yes, the songs “I love bananas, but want to peel off your dress”, “You’ve made a monkey out of me”, “Impossible to love”, “I can’t carry your child”, “You eat crackers in bed”, “We’ll adopt a love child”, “Ain’t no building tall enough” will be hummed, played endlessly on the radio and it will be made into a video game. The film will be directed by Ewe Boll.
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Politics of Religion in Post-Coup Turkey
Lecture | March 19 | 12:30-2 p.m. | 340 Stephens Hall
Speaker: Yunus Doğan Telliel, Berkeley Center for the Study of Religion
While there remain many unanswered questions regarding the July 2016 coup attempt, most Turkish citizens seem to agree with the government that putschists were linked to Fethullah Gülen and the Hizmet movement. Although the government was decisive about what some call de-Gülenification in state and private sectors, the possibility of a coup organized by a group of devout Muslims has puzzled many Muslims in Turkey. How could relatives, neighbors, and friends, who they knew as fellow devout Muslims, turn out to be part of a group that is responsible for this violent event? The focus of this talk is less on the coup attempt itself, than on the kinds of Muslim politics such unsettled habits and commitments have generated. In the first part, the growing visibility of reformist discourses in response to the post-coup soul-searching is discussed. Telliel argues that although security concerns and reformist aspirations never fully overlapped, their alignment has contributed to the detachment of religious questions (e.g., what is Islamic, or not) from thorny questions of political responsibility. In the second part, he shows that the fixation on the coups religious cause has created a situation especially favorable for revanchist religious nationalists, who target not only liberals and socialists, but also Islamic intellectuals and activists who are critical of state violence and neoliberal development.
Yunus Doğan Telliel is a postdoctoral fellow at the University of Californias Berkeley Center for the Study of Religion. He completed his Ph.D. in Cultural Anthropology at the City University of New York, Graduate Center. He is currently working on a book, tentatively titled What is the Language of Islam?, in which he examines the relationship between secularism, science, and Islam, through the lens of translation.
Event contact: cmes@berkeley.edu, 510-642-8208
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Written by Robert J. Baden, Fanbase Press Contributor
The Real Life of Greg Dean: A Fanboy Comics Interview
Recently, I sent an email to Greg Dean, creator of one of my favorite webcomics, Real Life, telling him how much I enjoyed his work over the years. Not only did Greg respond to me, but he responded quickly and was very friendly. In fact, he agreed to have a one-on-one interview/conversation with me about Real Life and his actual life. So, with his permission, I have shared our conversation here for your reading pleasure.
Robert J. Baden, Fanboy Comics Contributor: Well, again, I would like to thank you for taking the time to talk with me and to answer my questions.
Greg Dean: Of course! It's my pleasure.
RJB: Feel free to give as complete and long-winded an answer as you like; my readers are used to seeing lots of words in my articles.
GD: Excellent! I can't guarantee anything, but I have a penchant for long-windedness...so there's that.
RJB: Yes, I've seen your comic after all So, then, where to begin. What exactly got you started in artwork?
GD: Artwork in general? Wow...that's going back a ways, isn't it? In truth, I really began to learn how to draw -- or to see drawing as something that interested me -- back in third grade. I had a buddy who was actually pretty excellent with a pencil, and I began to practice on my own after that. Combined with the fact that every morning began with me reading the comics page in the newspaper with my cereal, it led into me having an interest in drawing comics. I actually did a one-panel strip for the school newsletter when I was in fifth grade...completely stole Gary Larson's drawing style for it, but it was fun.
RJB: So, taking that into account, why did you decide upon using your life as a basis for a continuing webcomic, instead of something completely made up?
GD: I actually HAD considered a completely fictional story for a webcomic, back before Real Life. You know how everyone has their little pet story that they've come up with when they're younger, and it just sits and ruminates in your head for years and years, and you just think it's the best thing ever? Well, mine started when I was 14. I was originally going to write it as a book, but after a few failed attempts, I dropped it. I just didn't really have the confidence in my own drawing skills that I knew it needed to come to life, and I wasn't convinced I would be able to come up with script ideas in perpetuity.
So, in 1999, while the idea of a webcomic was floating around my skull, I just noted while sitting around with my friends (I had just moved out on my own at this point, having turned 18) that we had some pretty funny in-jokes, and thought that other people like us might find them funny, too. So, I decided that rather than hide behind a pseudonym, I'd just use real people and places and put to comic form the goofy crap we did.
RJB: Given that you do draw from real experiences, is there a specific end date in sight for Real Life?
GD: I would say my own death is going to be a pretty final endcap.
RJB: And, we'll probably be left wondering where the update is for that.
GD: I'd put together something that would auto-post, if I didn't update for more than a week...but you'd likely see it come up far too prematurely.
RJB: Which leads nicely into my question of, how hard is it to maintain a regular schedule for updates?
GD: It's sort of ebbed and flowed over the years. From '99 to 2005 or so, it was fairly simple. I can almost always come up with SOMETHING to write about, and, at the time, I was able to work on the comic from work without any trouble, so
I rarely if ever missed a comic.
In 2006, I went to culinary school, and the schedule went down the drain. 2007-2010 was much more reliable, as I was able to get the comic done at night without much trouble. Then in 2011, Harper was born. I haven't slept since then...and some nights she takes precedence over the comic. It's not out of a lack of desire, really - it's just that you can't really sit an infant down and explain to her that daddy needs some time every night to draw his cartoon.
But, if the question is more about coming up with content...that's really not difficult. If I can think up some subject or another as the catalyst, the characters more or less write the comic themselves.
RJB: Somehow, I don't think anyone will blame you for taking care of your child, even though my wife generally cries out, "Where's my comic, Dean!"
GD: My uncle does the same thing, of all people. Things will calm down eventually, I'm sure. Or, they'll escalate to the point where I wind up on top of the bell tower with a high-powered rifle.
Though...I have no idea where the nearest bell tower is. So, I guess the populace is safe.
RJB: Are you ever accosted by rabid fans who ask you for things, such as interviews?
GD: Nothing too crazy, really. Interviews are kind of cool - they keep my brain sharp, 'cause I keep having to recall the finer details of what happened over the last 12 years. But mostly, people just read the comic and leave me alone... mostly.
RJB: I can only imagine what it's like at a convention. Wait, no I can't, and with good reason.
GD: Conventions can be insane. But, at the smaller conventions, we usually just go, hang out, and have a good time. Comic-Con, on the other hand....*shudder* Never again, my friend. Never again.
RJB: As arguably a very successful webcomic artist, do you have any advice for the countless hordes of webcomics and their creators out there? Not me, I've already tried my hand at webcomics, thrice.
GD: More like "As a very arguably successful webcomic artist," but I'll take it.
It's funny, advice is one of the most oft-asked questions from me (from most arguably successful cartoonists, I'd wager), and I used to give the somewhat sarcastic answer of "Run! Run as fast as you can!", but the truth is that the secret to my success, honestly, is a series of fairly lucky breaks and being in the right place at the right time. I spent a lot of time on a particular forum for a webcomic that was already popular at the time, and when I put up my first strip, I posted the link there. That is literally the only time I have ever gone somewhere with the intent of publicizing the comic. From there it grew slowly via word-of-mouth, and then my small webhost thought it was a neat idea, and made it a featured website of the week. At some point, Looneyboi (of Blue's News fame) hosted the comic and featured it, and then it wound up on Keenspot.
Why it's gotten to where it is now, I have no clue, to be honest. Most people out there are more talented artists and writers than I am...I just do what makes me happy, and if people dig that and get into it, then I'm happy they enjoy it, too. Which, I guess, is probably the only ACTUAL bit of advice I can give - don't forget why you're doing this. You're not going to get rich or famous doing webcomics. If you're very, VERY lucky, you'll make enough money to make your life a little less difficult than without it. You need to be doing the comics because they make you happy - because if you're not doing it for the sheer fun of it, it's going to show in the end product. Plain and simple.
RJB: And, despite that popularty, what do you consider your favorite webcomics to read on a regular basis to be?
GD: It's a short list, to be honest.
Shortpacked - mainly because David Willis is one of those artists who is far more talented than I, and can make a comic about a toy store and toy collectors (something I have no real interest in) something that I cannot live without. He's also a good friend, so I'd feel like kind of a jerk if I didn't read his stuff.
Sheldon - Dave Kellett is another one of those cartoonists that has gone on to be more like family than anything else, and he is consistently one of the funniest writers I know - certainly a lot funnier than I am. When I learn how to kill people and take their skills, he may well be on my list. Thankfully, that ability is beyond me.
XKCD - Because I apparently like to read comics made by people much, MUCH smarter than myself.
Saturday Morning Breakfast Cereal - see above.
Bad Machinery - I'd been reading John Allison's comics since the days of Bobbins, which morphed into Scary Go Round... which then gave rise to Bad Machinery. Allison has his own way of writing dialogue that fascinates me to no end, and it's just fun to read.
Oglaf - because I am adult, and have my mind in the gutter more often than not. But, holy god is it funny. (VERY NSFW).
Oh, and I have added Gunnerkrigg Court to that list, too - one of the more unique story concepts I've had the pleasure of discovering, and very well put together.
RJB: Are there any other projects you're working on, or are hoping to work on in the future?
GD: Well, at some point I hope to have the time to continue working on the Forge, my medieval-themed (well, kind of) comic, but that would require having the time to do it (along with the stones to face down the company who THINKS they own the rights to it. Hint: they do not...but even though I'd win in a lawsuit, I don't have pockets deep enough to fight one).
On the other side of things, though, is a comic that I hope to either collaborate with someone on, or at the very least find a decently talented artist and pay them a per-page fee to make it a reality. I fully recognize that my own artistic skills have limits, and I've had a 22-page, full-on comic script written that really needs to have the right artist attached to it. It's something I'm immensely proud of, but for the past year it's existed as little more than words on a page. If I can find someone interested in working on it with me, I'd probably try to turn it into a weekly online comic, but who knows.
I know of a scant few people who could do it justice, some of whom are friends of mine...but they're all too busy with their own lives and projects. In a dream scenario, Ian McConville would draw it for me, but he's one of the busiest guys I know. Which is a shame...'cause it'd be right up his alley.
RJB: And, finally, is there anything else you'd like to say to the world at large that hasn't been convered before (like the advice to webcomic artists)?
GD: I'll say this much - and it can be a combination of advice to webcartoonists, as well as to the world at large. And, that is simply this: Don't let negative comments get to you. I used to get REALLY bummed out when I got a hate letter (and who the heck e-mails a free webcomic to tell them they suck?) and it would just get to me, and at some point I realized that I like doing what I do, so who cares if someone out there doesn't? After that, it got to the point where hatemail just made me laugh, and redoubled my commitment to doing what I love. I am committed to being the Beetle Baily of the internet - I'm not trying to break any boundaries - just do what I love and keep it going as long as I can.
RJB: Well, that's the end of what I wanted to ask, so I want to once again thank you for not only answering my questions, but being nice enough to just talk and prove that you're a real person and not some mindless, heartless automaton fueled by Pepsi.
GD: Can't I be both? :) It was my pleasure…thanks again!
Last modified on Friday, 21 June 2013 01:34
Robert J. Baden, Fanbase Press Contributor
Jim Mahfood vs. Fanboy Comics
Fanboy Comics Interviews Marc Jackson, Creator of Man from Space
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Track Walk: Mid-Ohio 2015
Another IndyCar race means another full hillside at Mid-Ohio
Astor Cup August is here. The antepenultimate round of the 2015 Verizon IndyCar Series season takes place at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course. The most recent round of the 2015 Verizon IndyCar Series championship was won by Ryan Hunter-Reay as the past IndyCar champion defeated Josef Newgarden, Sage Karam and Graham Rahal in an all-American top four. Americans took up six of the top seven with Ed Carpenter and Marco Andretti finishing sixth and seventh. Carlos Muñoz rounded out the top five. This will be IndyCar's 31st visit to Mid-Ohio.
Time: Coverage begins at 1:30 p.m. ET on Sunday August 2nd. Green flag at 2:07 p.m. ET.
TV Channel: CNBC.
Announcers: Leigh Diffey, Townsend Bell and Paul Tracy will be in the booth with Kevin Lee, Jon Beekhuis, Kate Hargitt and Robin Miller working the pit lane.
Championship Picture
Fourteen drivers enter Mid-Ohio mathematically eligible for the Astor Cup.
Juan Pablo Montoya enters with 445 points from 13 races. Forty-two points behind the Colombian is Graham Rahal. Six points back of Rahal is his former Ganassi teammate Scott Dixon. Hélio Castroneves is six points back of Dixon with Will Power rounding out the top five, a point behind Castroneves.
Sébastien Bourdais is sixth with 366 points, trailing Montoya by 79 points. Marco Andretti finds himself 87 points back of Montoya with Josef Newgarden 93 points back. Tony Kanaan trails by 121 points with Simon Pagenaud bookending the top ten for another week for Team Penske as the Frenchman sits 151 points back of his teammate.
Andretti drivers Carlos Muñoz and Ryan Hunter-Reay are 11th and 12th in the championship, trailing Montoya by 164 and 167 points respectively. Hunter-Reay is the most recent winner in the Verizon IndyCar Series after picking up his their career Iowa victory. Charlie Kimball is 13th, 170 points behind Montoya. Takuma Sato is the final driver mathematically eligible for the title, as he sits 205 points behind Montoya.
Scott Dixon is Going to Win This Race
The New Zealander is the all-time leader in IndyCar wins at Mid-Ohio with five victories on the 2.25-mile road course. Dixon won last year's race from 22nd on the grid. The previous worst starting position for a Mid-Ohio winner was eighth by Juan Pablo Montoya in 1999. Dixon's five Mid-Ohio victories all came from different positions having won from sixth, third, pole, fourth and 22nd.
Dixon leads all driver with an average finish of 3.7 at Mid-Ohio in ten starts. Dixon has six podiums, eight top fives, nine top tens and his worst Mid-Ohio finish is twelfth. He has led 201 laps at Mid-Ohio, however, every time he has led at Mid-Ohio, he has gone on to win the race. Dixon's average start at Mid-Ohio is 7.7 and he has started in the top six seven times at Mid-Ohio. Dixon has completed every lap of his ten Mid-Ohio starts.
The only other active drivers to win at Mid-Ohio are Juan Pablo Montoya, Hélio Castroneves, Ryan Briscoe and Charlie Kimball. Castroneves is the only active driver with multiple Mid-Ohio victories having won back-to-back races in 2000 and 2001.
If it's not Scott Dixon on the top step of the podium, it will likely be a Ganassi driver as Chip Ganassi Racing has won ten of 30 Mid-Ohio races including the last six.
Driver Changes
Luca Filippi is back in the #20 Fuzzy's Ultra Premium Vodka Chevrolet after Ed Carpenter competed the last three oval races. Filippi finished second in his most recent start at Toronto, where CFH finished 1-2 with Josef Newgarden taking the checkered flag.
Rodolfo González returns in the #18 Dale Coyne Racing Honda after Pippa Mann contested the last three race rounds. González has made four starts this season with his most recent being at Toronto, where the Venezuelan led five laps during a pit stop cycle. His average finish in his four starts is 20.25 and his average starting position is 22nd.
All three Mazda Road to Indy series enter their penultimate weekends of the 2015. Indy Lights have a dozen cars entered for Mid-Ohio. Jack Harvey continues to lead the championship as he returns to the site of his first career Indy Lights victory and pole position. The Schmidt Peterson driver has 278 points and leads Juncos Racing's Spencer Pigot by 18 points. Carlin's Ed Jones is two points behind Pigot in third. RC Enerson is 64 points back of his SPM teammate with Félix Serrallés rounding out the top five with 176 points.
Max Chilton is coming off his first career Indy Lights victory after winning at Milwaukee and he is three points behind Serrallés for fifth. Kyle Kaiser is a point behind Chilton with Juan Piedrahita and Scott Anderson a point back of Kaiser. Ethan Ringel rounds out the top ten with 154 points with Shelby Blackstock three points behind him. Sean Rayhall returns to competition with 8 Star Motorsports for the first time since the Freedom 100. Rayhall won on the IMS road course earlier this year and has 96 points from five starts.
Indy Lights will race at 1:55 p.m. ET on Saturday and 10:30 a.m. Sunday.
Eighteen cars are entered for the Pro Mazda weekend. Santiago Urrutia leads the championship with 251 points. Weiron Tan jumped to second after winning at Iowa and trails the Uruguayan by 27 points. Neil Alberico finds himself third, trailing Urrutia by 33 points. Forty-one points back of Urrutia is Timothé Buret. Pato O'Ward rounds out the top five, trailing his Team Pelfrey teammate Urrutia by 48 points.
Garret Grist is sixth, eight points outside the top five. Florian Latorre is ten points behind Grist in seventh. Will Owen is eight, 13 points behind the Frenchman and Jose Gutierrez sits ninth on 164 points. Daniel Burkett rounds out the top ten on 135 points with Raoul Owens four points behind him and fellow Canadian Daniel Burkett a point behind Owens. Alessandro Latif has 108 points. Kyle Connery and Bobby Eberle round out the top five in the championship.
Rounding out the entry list are Victor Franzoni, Bob Kaminsky and Michael Johnson. This is Johnson's first appearance since suffering a fractured hip and pelvis at St. Petersburg.
Pro Mazda race one will be at 1:00 p.m. ET Saturday with race two Sunday at 8:50 am. ET.
U.S. F2000 returns to competition for the first time since Toronto with 18 cars entered for the Mid-Ohio triple-header. Nico Jamin enters as the most recent winner in U.S. F2000 and the championship leader with 292 points. Jamin leads Pabst Racing's Jake Eidson by 16 points. Fifty-seven points back of Jamin is his Cape Motorsports teammate Aaron Telitz. John Cummiskey Racing's Anthony Martin is fourth, 87 points behind Jamin. Canadian Parker Thompson rounds out the top five, 148 points behind Jamin.
Luke Gabin is five points behind Thompson. Yufeng Luo has 131 points with Garth Rickards and Nikta Lastochkin a point behind him. Rickards and Lastochkin are the final drivers mathematically eligible for the title. Ayla Årgen rounds out the top ten with 126 points. Keyvan Andres Soori is four points behind Årgen. Max Hanranty and James Dayson are also entered for Mid-Ohio.
Andrew List makes his first appearance in U.S. F2000 since St. Petersburg, where he finished 12th in both races. Four drivers will be making their first start of the 2015 U.S. F2000 season. Pennsylvanian Alex Mayer and Georgian Clint McMahon will both make their debuts with RJB Motorsports. Afterburner Autosport returns to U.S. F2000 competition with Sennan Fielding and Jake Mitchell. Fielding finished fourth in last year's BRDC Formula 4 Championship and is currently fifth in the MSA Formula championship. Jake Mitchell was one of two Team USA Scholarship winners in 2012 alongside Matthew Brabham. Mitchell finished fourth in the 2014 F1600 championship.
U.S. F2000 race one will be at 4:45 p.m. ET on Friday. Race two will be at 9:50 a.m. Saturday with race three later that day at 6:00 p.m. ET.
Pirelli World Challenge
Pirelli World Challenge returns to competition after just over a month since their last round at Road America. Fifty-seven cars are entered across the GT, GT Cup and GTS classes.
Olivier Beretta enters as the GT championship leader with 1125 points. EFFORT Porsche's Ryan Dalziel trails the R.Ferri Ferrari driver by 109 points. Dalziel has yet to win this year but has seven podiums in 12 starts this season. Cadillac's Johnny O'Connell is seven points behind Dalziel. K-PAX McLaren's Kevin Éstre has 972 points and is fourth in the championship. The most recent winner in PWC, James Davison rounds out the top five with 901 points.
Bentley driver Chris Dyson is sixth in the championship on 892 points. CRP Racing Audi's Mike Skeen is 50 points back of Dyson. Acura's Ryan Eversley has 805 points. Michael Lewis and Henrique Cisneros rounds out the top ten in the GT championship with Butch Leitzinger in 11th. Cisneros is the top GT-A competitor.
Other notable drivers competing in the GT class are Andy Pilgrim, Robert Thorne, Duncan Ende, Christina Nielsen, Bret Curtis and Frank Montecalvo. Austin Cindric will make his PWC GT class debut in the #25 Blancpain Racing Lamborghini.
In GT Cup, Colin Thompson has a commanding lead in the championship with nine wins from 11 starts. Lorenzo Trefethan trails Thompson by 442 points. Sloan Urry is a point back of Trefethan. Preston Calvert and Victor Gomez round out the top five in GT Cup.
Ford Mustang driver Andrew Aquilante leads the GTS championship with 911 points and is the most recent winner in GTS after picking up his first win of 2015 at Road America. His teammate Kurt Rezzetano is 13 points back of Aquilante. Dean Martin makes it a clean sweep of the top three for Ford Mustang drivers, as he is 87 points back of Aquilante. Jack Baldwin trails by 128 points and is fourth in the championship. Michael Cooper rounds out the top five, 148 points back.
Kia Racing's Mark Wilkins has 751 points and is three points ahead of his teammate Ben Clucas. Kris Wilson returns to competition after missing the previous two rounds. Wilson finds himself eighth in the championship with 661 points and has a GTS leading three wins. Jack Roush, Jr. is one point behind Wilson and Lou Gigliotti rounds out the top ten in GTS, 29 points behind Roush, Jr.
GTS will race at 5:40 p.m. on Friday and 11:45 a.m. on Saturday. The GT races will take place at 4:45 p.m. ET on Saturday and noon ET on Sunday.
This will be fourth IndyCar race to take place on August 2nd. The previous three August 2nd race all took place at Michigan with Johnny Rutherford winning their in 1986, Michael Andretti winning there in 1987 and Scott Goodyear winning their in 1992.
Chevrolet has won nineteen consecutive pole positions. Chevrolet has won three consecutive Mid-Ohio pole positions.
Honda has won two of the last three Mid-Ohio races and has taken six of nine podium positions.
The average starting position of a Mid-Ohio winner is 3.466.
The average amount of lead changes at Mid-Ohio is 4.366. The most lead changes at Mid-Ohio is eight, which occurred in 1988 and 2007. The fewest lead changes at Mid-Ohio is one, which occurred in 1986 and 2000.
The average amount of cautions at Mid-Ohio is 1.9 for an average of 7.4 laps. The most cautions in a Mid-Ohio race are 5, which occurred in 2008 and 2010. Nineteen laps were run under caution in 2008.
Possible Milestones:
Should Takuma Sato take the green flag on Sunday, he will make his 100th IndyCar start.
Hélio Castroneves needs to lead 78 laps to reach the 5,500 laps led milestone.
Tony Kanaan needs to lead 68 laps to reach the 4,000 laps led milestone.
Ryan Briscoe needs to lead 58 laps to reach the 1,500 laps led milestone.
Marco Andretti needs to lead 14 laps to reach the 1,000 laps led milestone.
Scott Dixon wins. A Honda finishes on the podium. Simon Pagenaud will be the top finishing Penske driver. There will be at least two incidents that race control decides to wait and review until after the race. At least five Chevrolets will make the Firestone Fast Six but two of those five will finish outside the top ten. A rookie finishes in the top ten. Sleeper: Charlie Kimball.
Labels: Indy Lights, IndyCar, Mid-Ohio, PWC, Road to Indy, Track Walk
How Mid-Ohio Could Have Been On NBCSN
This weekend's Honda 200 from Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course will be on CNBC and not NBCSN because of the race going head-to-head with the NASCAR Cup Series race from Pocono.
Head-to-head races happen from time to time and while they are avoidable, sometimes they aren't. Sometimes, two races are just going to have to go head-to-head and with IndyCar and NASCAR sharing a television partner, that will mean one of the two (most likely IndyCar, nine times out of ten) will have to draw the short straw and go to the less desirable destination, which in this case is CNBC.
However, the Mid-Ohio IndyCar race could have been shown on NBCSN if some schedule rearranging occurred.
First, let's look at the current schedule for this Sunday on NBCSN. NASCAR qualifying from Pocono will be re-aired at 10:30 a.m. ET and air until noon. NASCAR America Sunday will follow for one-hour with Countdown to Green beginning at 1:00 p.m. ET and running for a half hour. The actually Pocono race broadcast is scheduled to begin at 1:30 p.m. ET with green flag occurring shortly after 1:30 p.m. ET. The Honda 200 will be aired on NBCSN immediately after the NASCAR race from Pocono.
Now, let's look at Mid-Ohio's schedule for Sunday. Pro Mazda leads off on Sunday at 8:50 a.m. The IndyCar warm-up session is scheduled for 9:45 a.m. ET. Indy Lights follows at 10:30 a.m. ET with Pirelli World Challenge occurring at 11:50 a.m. ET. The Honda 200 is set to go green at 2:07 p.m. ET.
So how could the Honda 200 been shown on NBCSN? Well, the schedule from Mid-Ohio could have been altered. The Pro Mazda race could still lead off the day but the first change would come in the second slot of on-track action. IndyCar could have decided to ditch the morning warm-up (which is an unnecessary session to begin with) and ran the Indy Lights race at 9:45 a.m. instead of 10:30 a.m. The Indy Lights race is scheduled in a hour and five minute window to complete. Last year's second Indy Lights race from Mid-Ohio took 53 minutes to complete. Instead of giving Indy Lights a window from 9:45-10:50 a.m. to complete their race, they could have given Indy Lights a 50-minute window and ensured the race would be over by 10:35 a.m. ET.
NBCSN could have rearranged their schedule and instead of re-airing NASCAR qualifying, they could have shown NASCAR America Sunday from 10:30-11:00 a.m. The IndyCar broadcast could then follow NASCAR America Sunday with the Honda 200 going green at 11:05 a.m. ET. The race would fall nicely in that brunch window. Since the IndyCar race at Mid-Ohio increased to 90 laps in length in 2013, it has take an hour and 43 minutes and an hour and 52 minutes to complete. Let's say it takes an hour and 47.5 minutes (the average of the last two Mid-Ohio races) to complete this year's Honda 200. With a green flag time of 11:05 a.m., the race would finish at 12:52 p.m. ET. NBCSN could give IndyCar until 1:00 p.m. but be open to give them a few more minutes to make sure the winner and the top three are interviewed before leading into NASCAR coverage. Worse case scenario would be IndyCar goes a little over and the NASCAR green flag occurs a little closer to 1:45 p.m. than 1:30 p.m.
The Pirelli World Challenge race could take the 2:00 p.m. spot originally set-aside for IndyCar and close out the Mid-Ohio weekend.
It would be a crowded schedule with one race leading into the next but I don't think that would be a bad thing for IndyCar, NASCAR or NBCSN. It would be non-stop action. One minute, a person could be watching a side-by-side battle between Scott Dixon and Josef Newgarden into turn four at Mid-Ohio and a half hour later they could be watching Kyle Busch and Brad Keselowski battling into turn one at Pocono. The good news would be everyone would get to be on NBCSN without having to be farmed out to CNBC.
But it's not going to happen. IndyCar will be on CNBC this weekend, head-to-head against NASCAR on NBCSN. It's not the end of the world. It was somewhat avoidable but it is understandable that these races are going to be head-to-head. This doesn't mean IndyCar should leave NBCSN for greener pastures. If anything, IndyCar should stay because sharing the same television partner as NASCAR means that NBCSN will have little interest having races go head-to-head and will do all they can to limit occasions of head-to-head races. This is just one race on CNBC. The good news is the final two races of the 2015 Verizon IndyCar Series will not have any competition and will be on NBCSN.
Labels: IndyCar, Mid-Ohio, NASCAR
Musings From the Weekend: Hometown Heroes
The Brickyard 400 happened. The Hungarian Grand Prix happened. The Spa 24 Hours happened. The Trucks ran on dirt. The scenic Lime Rock Park hosted another race. Here is a run down of what got me thinking.
This actually came to my mind when IndyCar raced at Iowa last week. IndyCar has raced nine times at Iowa and all the races have been somewhere between mid-June and mid-July. The race is pretty well attended and since joining the schedule in 2007, Iowa has arguably produced some of the best on-track action in IndyCar. The track out in the cornfield has really proven that a great event can happen anywhere despite preconceived notions.
However, when was the last time an Iowan started an IndyCar race?
It has been more recent than you are probably thinking. Twenty-four Iowa-born drivers have made an IndyCar start, the most recent being Alex Figge at Long Beach April 20, 2008. Before Figge was Paul Durant at Phoenix on March 22, 1998.
Why do Alex Figge and Paul Durant matter? I think Figge and Durant illustrate one of IndyCar's problems and that is a lack of hometown heroes. IndyCar runs 16 races on 15 different circuits in 14 different cities. The IndyCar grid will never be 100% Americans again and that's great because the series gets a mix of domestic and international talent but I have felt that Americans should be as close to 50% of the grid as possible. Currently, there are seven Americans who run regularly in IndyCar and they are all decent drivers with ties to different parts of the country.
Graham Rahal is from Ohio, is a huge Ohio State fan and has a race in his backyard at Mid-Ohio. Marco Andretti and Sage Karam are both from Nazareth, Pa and have a race in their backyard at Pocono Raceway. Josef Newgarden hails from Tennessee. Ryan Hunter-Reay was born in Dallas, Texas but for the most part has called Florida home. Charlie Kimball was born in the United Kingdom while his father Gordon worked in Formula One but he was raised in Southern California. And Ed Carpenter was born in Illinois but became a Hoosier at a young age.
Of the seven Americans, only Newgarden doesn't have a race in their state of birth or state in which they grew up. You can say Barber is Newgarden's home race but just because it's the closest to where he is from doesn't mean it's home. That's like saying Sonoma is a home race for a driver from Alaska. And to be fair, Toronto, the lone Canadian round on the IndyCar schedule does have a local son in James Hinchcliffe but as we all know he missed this year's race due to injury. So a fair amount of the IndyCar schedule has at least one driver with local ties to the events.
I am not saying IndyCar has to go where the drivers are from but if IndyCar was truly making an impact on the communities they visit, you would think at least one driver from Iowa would have been inspired to become an IndyCar driver and either be on the Road to Indy or in IndyCar after nearly a decade of IndyCar visiting The Hawkeye State. One way to make new fans is give the people someone to cheer for and if there was an Iowan on the IndyCar grid, it would give someone the locals to cheer for and go to the track to support. It's not like Iowa isn't producing racecar drivers. They are. In the eight years since the first IndyCar race at Iowa, Iowans Landon Cassill, Michael Annett, Joey Gase and Brett Moffitt have all made NASCAR Cup Series debuts.
IndyCar sent James Jakes to Iowa to promote the race this year. No offense to James Jakes but what does he have in common with the people of Iowa? This isn't a Dan Wheldon/St. Petersburg-situation where Wheldon resided in St. Petersburg. The only times Jakes has probably been to Iowa is either for the race, a test sessions or to promote the race. What does he truly know about Iowa and what do the people of Iowa have in common with him that made him the dignitary to visit?
As much as we talk about how IndyCar should return to Phoenix, Michigan, Road America and so on, my question is which driver or drivers are you sending to those markets to promote the race? Who is the Arizonan? It's not Buddy Rice anymore. The 2004 Indianapolis 500 winner has been reduced to a spotter for Ed Carpenter. IndyCar already goes to Michigan and Wisconsin and don't have a local from those states. I am not saying hometown drivers for each IndyCar race is the answer to all of IndyCar's problems but it would help the series.
International drivers can become drivers that the American fan base connect with but it is just going to take longer than a true-blue local driver. Think about baseball and hockey. There are players from all around the globe in Major League Baseball and the National Hockey League and there are international players in both leagues who have become faces of the league. David Ortiz is beloved in Boston and he is from the Dominican Republic. Miguel Cabrera has been one of the best players for the last decade and he is from Venezuela. While Ichiro is nearing the end of his career, he took MLB by storm when he came over from Japan. As for hockey, Russian Alexander Ovechkin is one of the most known players in the NHL. Notable Swedes include Henrik Lundqvist, Daniel and Henrik Sedin. Daniel Alfredsson, a recently retired Swede, is arguably the greatest player in the history of the Ottawa Senators, albeit its short history. And we haven't even touched on Zdeno Chara, Jaromir Jagr, Marian Hossa and Pavel Datsuyk.
The one difference as to why international players can go to the MLB or NHL and become local heroes is these players live in these cities and are playing for the people. If they succeed and bring home a title they are adopted as one of the cities' own. IndyCar doesn't have that. The teams aren't spread out around the country and aren't crucial in the communities they are in. Sure, Penske is located in North Carolina, Coyne is in Illinois and Rahal Letterman Lanigan is in Ohio but the rest are in the Indianapolis-area. The drivers don't go and live in Iowa or Detroit or Milwaukee. It is rare to have a Dan Wheldon/St. Petersburg-situation.
There is no quick and easy way for IndyCar to get more hometown heroes. USAC drivers are overlooked. IndyCar could start taking the top two or three drivers from karting from each state and put them in an extensive development academy but that would be an expensive adventure and IndyCar is cheap and doesn't have any interest in developing drivers.
The quickest and easiest way for IndyCar to have hometown drivers at races is to run one or two wild card entries at each round. For example, when IndyCar goes to Iowa, try to get one of the four Iowans mentioned above or get someone who is known in Iowa, such as eight-time Knoxville Nationals winner Donny Schatz. Who would be against Donny Schatz in an IndyCar and who knows? Maybe a couple thousand people who wouldn't have gone to the IndyCar race otherwise would go if Schatz was in the field. I would also like to see what Bryan Clauson could do at a short track and he would be another option for wild card entry at Iowa and Milwaukee. IndyCar already has drivers from the Sonoma-area in J.R. Hildebrand and Townsend Bell, so that would be an easy race for wild cards. Wild cards could also be used to give Indy Lights drivers a taste of IndyCar. It would give the likes of Jack Harvey, Spencer Pigot, Ed Jones and Max Chilton a chance to audition for future suitors.
Once again, IndyCar is cheap and has no interest in developing drivers but IndyCar could have a team that isn't full-time in IndyCar such as Dreyer & Reinbold Racing or Juncos Racing run the wild card programs.
What has made the Indianapolis 500 a great event is the local community getting behind the race. How many other IndyCar races get a fraction of that type of support? IndyCar fans want races at Milwaukee, Road America, Phoenix, Michigan, Richmond and so on but those races can only exist for an extended period of time once the local communities get embrace them. If these races can get strong local support then the series and track promoters do not have to rely on IndyCar fans becoming Deadheads with 10,000 people following the series to every race.
They're Just Bricks
Kyle Busch did burn outs at Indianapolis Motor Speedway and people went nuts. Listen. They are just bricks. They aren't holy bricks; they aren't hunger-ending bricks. They are just bricks. No different than the bricks that make up my front porch or are used in buildings across the United States. They are just bricks and Indianapolis Motor Speedway is just a racetrack. Realize that worst things have been done at Indianapolis Motor Speedway than burn outs across the start/finish line. Have you seen pictures of the snake pit?
To be honest, Kyle Busch's celebration, whether it be from Saturday or Sunday, isn't even close to the most disrespectful that happened at Indianapolis Motor Speedway this year. This is:
Disgusted in the amount of littering here at the speedway today from fans. I know this is normal, but still not right pic.twitter.com/HmrNIuDmWD
— Kelly Brouillet (@K2theBru) May 22, 2015
Or maybe this is most disrespectful:
Just saw sober woman remove her shirt and get fondled by a stranger on Indy 500 infield. I'm walking, yelling, "are you kidding me!"
— Gregg Doyel (@GreggDoyelStar) May 22, 2015
Bricks are inanimate objects. They have no feelings. They can't be offended. What if a driver has an engine failure on the front straightaway and they get oil on the bricks? Did the driver with an engine failure do something offensive? You realize people run across the bricks during the 500 Festival Mini-Marathon at the start of the month of May and there is a chance someone could hurl giving it there all in the event. Maybe we should stop having the Speedway be apart of the Mini-Marathon course in case someone loses their breakfast on the bricks. The Speedway hosts a dog walk in the spring. Who knows what a dog will do on the brick. And you know what, those bricks are exposed to nature 365 days of the year, 24 hours a day and perhaps a bird has a bowel movement and it lands on the bricks. Oh the humanity! We can't let that happen. Perhaps the bricks should be covered in tarp everyday the track isn't being used by racecars.
They are bricks people. No harm, no foul.
You know about Kyle Busch and Sebastian Vettel but did you know...
The #46 Marc VDS BMW Z4 GT3 of Markus Palttala, Lucas Luhr and Nick Catsburg won the Spa 24 Hours. The #47 AF Corse Ferrari 458 Italia GT3 of Gianmaria Bruni, Alessandro Pier Guidi, Stephane Lemeret and Pasin Lathouras won the Pro-Am Class. The #24 Team Parker Racing Audi R8 LMS Ultra of Benny Simonsen, Callum MacLeod, Julian Westwood and Ian Loggie won in the AM Cup class.
Pol Espargaró, Bradley Smith and Katsuyuki Nakasuga won the Suzuka 8 Hours.
Mike Guasch and Tom Kimber-Smith won the IMSA race at Lime Rock Park. Michael Marsal and Dane Cameron won in GTD.
Alex Lynn and Nobuharu Matsushita won in GP2 at the Hungaroring. In GP3, Luca Ghiotto and Kevin Ceccon were victorious.
Kyle Busch won the NASCAR Grand National Series race at Indianapolis.
Christopher Bell scored his first career NASCAR Truck Series victory at Eldora.
IndyCar begins Astor Cup August at Mid-Ohio.
All three Road to Indy Series and Pirelli World Challenge will also be at Mid-Ohio.
NASCAR heads back to Pocono.
DTM will be in Austria.
V8 Supercars goes to Queensland Raceway.
World Rally treks up to Finland.
World Superbike heads to Malaysia.
Labels: Formula One, IndyCar, NASCAR
I Don't Know What To Make Of It
IndyCar has wrapped up three consecutive oval races. Each race was pretty exciting. Each race had decent amount of viewers on the tube. Attendance is debatable. Each race ended with a fair amount of buzz.
Has IndyCar found something? That question sounds like IndyCar has had a eureka-moment when really it isn't that simple. While some would love IndyCar to go all ovals and rid themselves of road and street courses, that isn't practical and isn't going to happen. But perhaps a few more oval races can help IndyCar grow. If fans are watching oval then maybe it would be smart to add a few more. I am not saying return to having 14 oval races because that was only practical in a short period of time when the series were split and a series was looking to survive against a much larger rival but IndyCar has room to expand their schedule. I know, easier said than done.
However, I think this recent summer surge for IndyCar isn't just because of ovals. Scheduling has it's own part. The same schedule we were ruing just a little over a month ago has evolved into something that is manageable for IndyCar teams. Three races in four weeks gives the teams regular work but isn't stretching them thin and it also allows IndyCar to be regularly available without being a week-in, week-out viewing regimen. After a decent Milwaukee race, fans were treated with a just as exciting if not more exciting Iowa race six days later. Three in four weeks isn't overkill for either the teams or fans and spreading the races out, especially at the start of the season, would be welcomed by all.
Another factor for IndyCar's stretch of growth is none of these races went head-to-head with NASCAR. It's not realistic to have every race avoid going head-to-head with NASCAR but having a fair share not head-to-head is possible and we are see it. Only five times were NASCAR and IndyCar races schedule simultaneously with a sixth occurring due to the NASCAR race at Richmond being postponed to Sunday, the same time as IndyCar at Barber. Last year, four times there were head-to-head races schedule with a fifth occurring when the July Daytona race was postponed to Sunday and went head-to-head with IndyCar at Pocono. In 2013, head-to-head races occurred nine times, or another way to put it, half the IndyCar schedule was head-to-head with NASCAR races.
While some feared the day NASCAR returned to NBC as it seemed like a death blow for IndyCar, it may turn out to be a blessing as it gives the series a common partner who has zero interest in scheduling races head-to-head. Yes, the Mid-Ohio IndyCar race and Pocono NASCAR race will go head-to-head, meaning IndyCar will be on CNBC but this will be the first time IndyCar has been farmed out to CNBC, something almost every other NBC Sports property has had to do at some point (Formula One is on CNBC this weekend, a few Premier League games each year are shown on CNBC, even NHL Playoff games are shown on CNBC). On the bright side, while Mid-Ohio will be on CNBC, the final two races of the IndyCar season at Pocono and Sonoma will not be head-to-head with NASCAR as NASCAR will run the Saturday night prior to Pocono at Bristol and the Cup Series is off the weekend of Sonoma.
So what can IndyCar do to show that the last month hasn't been just been a blip of success but rather the start of something for an extended period of time? Promotion is key but it is how they promote it. You can put the drivers out there but they need a reason to watch these drivers. For example, I have been calling the final three races "Astor Cup August" because this is it. August is the final month of the season. The champion, the driver who will be hoisting the Astor Cup, will be decided in August. Promote that. Promote that with three races to go, mathematically there are fourteen drivers still eligible for the title. IndyCar doesn't need to follow NASCAR's path and make a structural change to promote the final handful of races that will decide the champion. All they have to do is promote the races that already exist. The same way baseball in October is special; IndyCar should make the most of ending the season in August despite it being the worst time to end the season.
Going back to ovals: I think IndyCar has six strong ovals in terms of what occurs on the race track and the series really only needs two to three ovals more with a fourth to get to an even ten ovals being nice but not necessary. IndyCar puts on really good racing on short tracks and in recent years IndyCar has left some good ones such as Richmond and Loudon. It would be nice to see Phoenix and Michigan return with another short track or two being added as well.
For the last decade, we have heard people around IndyCar and NASCAR talk about weeknight races, more specifically, running on one of the two days after the Major League Baseball All-Star Game, which are labeled as some of the slowest days in North America for sports. However, a decade later and no series has decided to bite the bullet and take a shot on a race the Wednesday or Thursday after the MLB All-Star Game. Why? No track wants it because of the difficulty to get a crowd to come to a racetrack on a weeknight and probably a little fear from the series that running a race during one of the slowest sports days of the year would not provide the bump in viewership that is expected.
But picture this though: IndyCar resurrects Thursday Night Thursday and run at Indianapolis Raceway Park. I've heard plenty of people say IRP is too small for IndyCar, which I disagree with, but I think IRP is big enough to have a dozen IndyCars race on it at the same time. IndyCar could split the field in half, run two 75-lap heat races with the top four from each advancing to a 125-lap A-Main and the drivers who fail to advance from the heats heading to a 40-lap LCQ with the top four from that rounding out the field. It would be a throwback to short track roots in IndyCar's backyard. Keep the tickets at an affordable price of $15-$20 and you might get a respectable crowd without having 40,000 empty seats saying otherwise.
Ultimately, whether it is an oval, road course or street course, IndyCar needs to do a mix of improving their promotional efforts and rolling the dice. IndyCar needs to differentiate themselves from other series, whether that's running on a Thursday, doubleheaders or one-day shows. Being different isn't a bad thing and IndyCar should embrace it.
I don't know what to make of the last month for IndyCar. The racing has been really good and numbers are up but I don't want to get too excited. It's kind of like being a Philadelphia Phillies fan this season and if they go on an eight-game winning streak. That's nice but they are currently 19 games out of the division lead and 18.5 games out of the second wild card spot. Winning eight straight is nice but to make the playoffs Philadelphia needs an 18 game winning straight and then end the season just as strong. Maybe if the numbers continue to increase over the next season and a half I will start to get excited but for now it's just a drop in the bucket. When that bucket gets closer to half-full then I might start to believe the last month has been something substantially positive for IndyCar.
Musings From the Weekend: Jules Bianchi
We lost a good one this weekend. Here is a run down of what got me thinking.
Jules Bianchi passed away very early Saturday morning in Nice, France, succumbing to injuries suffered at last year's Japanese Grand Prix.
There is so much I want to say and yet I can't. Nearly two days have passed since finding out Bianchi went up to that Great Racetrack in the Sky as I type this and I can't fully form what I want to say.
I recommend reading Motorsports Talk's Tony DiZinno's piece on the passing of Jules Bianchi. He nails it on the head.
I don't want to say Jules Bianchi would have been world championship. There is no way to know if he was going to be world champion. But I will say this: We didn't see his best. Ninth in the 2014 Monaco Grand Prix wasn't going to be the top item on Jules Bianchi's résumé had he raced for another two decades. Jules Bianchi was going to be do great things. Whether it was winning the World Drivers' Championship, winning the 24 Hours of Le Mans, winning the Indianapolis 500 or hell becoming the first European-born NASCAR Cup champion, Bianchi was going to doing something great. Unfortunately, we will never know exactly what he would have accomplished. We are left grasping, trying to find the right words to capture the career of a man who did not get a sufficient amount of time to accomplish anything.
I hoped he was going to wake up. I hoped he was going to regain all physical and cognitive functions. I hoped he was going to get behind the wheel of a car. I hoped for the Hail Mary pass. I hoped to see Jules Bianchi define the odds and become the example for never giving up no matter how bad things were going to get.
While he never woke up, while he never got back behind the wheel of a car while, Jules Bianchi left us, he still is an example to never give up. Two hundred eighty-five days. Jules Bianchi fought for 285 days. Jules Bianchi did not lose. He gave it his all. He set an example we should all live by.
I don't think the #17, the number Jules Bianchi selected to use in his final year of Formula One, should be retired. I don't believe in retiring numbers. Right now, there is probably a young person in France who is starting karting and admired Jules Bianchi. Her name could be Sophie or Emma or it could be a gentleman named Paul or Thierry and from this day forward will have the #17 on their kart and who knows? Ten years from now they could be entering Formula One and will want to continue to honor the man who inspired her or him to become drivers and follow their dreams and want to use the #17. I wouldn't want to rob them or anyone of that opportunity to honor their hero.
This world proved once again that while another young soul was lost, it is all ok. Max Chilton, Bianchi's teammate at Marussia last year, scored his first career Indy Lights victory at Iowa Speedway of all places. What would Jules Bianchi have thought seeing his former teammate driving an oval? Would it have piqued his interest to try them? Would he think Chilton was nuts for trying ovals in the first place? Regardless of what he would have thought, I am sure Jules Bianchi had a front row seat to Chilton's victory and I am sure Jules Bianchi will have an eye on many future races, whether they are Formula One or Max Chilton competing in Indy Lights, FIA WEC or IndyCar down the road.
May Jules Bianchi rest comfortably for eternity.
Unfortunately, They Come In Threes
Bernat Martinez and Daniel Rivas Fernandez lost their lives competing in the MotoAmerica race, a support race to the World Superbikes weekend, at Laguna Seca. Martinez was 35 and Fernandez was 27. Both riders hailed from Spain. Martinez was fifth in the MotoAmerica Superbike Championship.
You know about Ryan Hunter-Reay and Max Chilton but did you know...
Chaz Davies swept the World Superbike races from Laguna Seca.
Kyle Busch picked up his third NASCAR Cup win in four races as he won at Loudon.
João Paulo de Oliveira won the Super Formula race from Fuji.
Weiron Tan won the Pro Mazda race from Iowa.
Denny Hamlin won the NASCAR Grand National Series race at Loudon.
The Spa 24 Hours.
Formula One heads to the Hungaroring.
NASCAR runs the Brickyard 400.
The Trucks will be at Eldora on Wednesday.
The Prototype Challenge and GT Daytona classes head to Lime Rock Park.
Labels: Formula One, IndyCar, NASCAR, WSBK
First Impression: Iowa 2015
1. Ryan Hunter-Reay gets out of the rut and picks up his first win of the season and third career victory at Iowa. Honda might not have qualifying pace but they have race pace and that's what really matters. He was up front all race and gave the top Chevrolet's a run for their money despite being a few miles per hour slower than them in practice and qualifying. Hunter-Reay likely won't win the title this year but he had an awful start to the 2011 season before winning at Loudon and ending strong and 2012 turned out to be his best season ever. It's never too soon to start looking toward the future and this might just be the cornerstone for a spectacular 2016 season for Hunter-Reay.
2. After having a great race at Milwaukee only to finish fifth, Josef Newgarden had another stellar drive, as he was able to keep up with the Ganassi and Penske entries. He has a great season and while there have been down spots for CFH Racing, Newgarden has been able to comeback from them. The negatives haven't piled up. The combined resources have done wonders for him and even Ed Carpenter and Luca Filippi.
3. Sage Karam gets his first career podium and pisses a bunch of people off in the process. He's 20. He arguably was over-aggressive at times (he was blocking Jack Hawksworth who was a lap down) and he needs to relax but you can't blame him for taking advantage of every chance he gets. He's only 20 but in the results driven world of IndyCar, especially driving for Ganassi, he can't take a year to just learn the tracks and car. He has to show results now. Ganassi isn't giving him two years to learn and that might hurt him. Look at Newgarden. He struggled his first two years. He made mistakes but Sarah Fisher and Wink Hartman stood behind him and now look. Karam has a loaded gun to his head and has to get results now without tearing up equipment or else he will end up like Ganassi's other development drivers (see Alex Lloyd). It's a good run for Karam and I am sure he will have Tony Kanaan and Dario Franchitti talk to him about what he did right and what he can improve on.
4. Another top five for Graham Rahal as he overcame gearbox issues that put him a lap down at one point. He has overcome adversity a few times this year and he is having a career season. I think mental maturity is overlooked when it comes to racers. We just assume that when a driver starts at a young age such as Rahal that they will be as experienced with a 100 starts at 23 years old as a driver with a 100 starts at 29 years old and I don't think that is the case. You might have the same amount of starts but it's all about growing up as a person, not as a driver. I don't think it is a coincidence that Rahal's turn around in results occurs right after getting engaged. He has settled down a little. He has found someone he loves and perhaps that comfort outside the car translate to being more comfortable behind the wheel.
5. Two Andretti cars in the top five as Carlos Muñoz comes home fifth. Another good drive for him and watching Muñoz you can tell he is aggressive but in a different manner than Karam. Muñoz has been aggressive since his first start in the 2013 Indianapolis 500 but what separates his aggression to Karam is it comes out in the corners, not on the straights. Karam is aggressive on straightaways and that's what I think annoys drivers. Karam is going wheel-to-wheel with guys who are inches away from the wall and any slight nudge will lead to a hard impact. Muñoz will throw a car low and ride the razor's edge around a corner but on the straights he is polite and will let a driver go and fight to get them back in the next corner. It's interesting to think about because when drivers talk about Muñoz they admire him but Karam has rubbed one too many drivers the wrong way, no pun intended.
6. Ed Carpenter brings the car home in sixth and was most notably upset with Karam. This has been a nice rebound for Carpenter after his first three races. It's a shame he only get's one more start this season. He has to be the driver lobbying the hardest for IndyCar to add another two to four oval races. I wish we could see him more because six races aren't enough.
7. Marco Andretti made it three Andretti cars in the top seven and six Americans in the top seven. This is what Andretti does: He finishes in the top ten. While he isn't winning races at the pace of his father and grandfather, Marco brings the car home and gets results. And I would throw him into the same boat as Rahal. Sure, he got a lot of starts by a young age but as a person he matured at an average rate. Now as he approaches 30 he is a different driver than he was at 23 and that might have to do with him becoming more settled off the track. He is still very young and race victories and championships might still be in his future.
8. Let's stop for a second and realize that six Americans finished in the top seven. And yet all I can think about is that Penske is going to hire Josef Newgarden and move him and the Verizon sponsorship to the NASCAR Cup Series once Sprint leaves and Sage Karam will be moved to Cup as well by Ganassi as he expands to three cars. If only J.R. Hildebrand, Conor Daly and Matthew Brabham could get full-time rides and Bryan Clauson could get a shot at a short track. There are talented Americans out there and they deserve opportunities. IndyCar will never be 100% American drivers again and I am ok with that because IndyCar has always had international ties but IndyCar needs Americans to survive. Champ Car struggled for many reasons but having one American didn't help. I have always felt half of the full-time grid needs to be Americans but just over a quarter of the grid isn't bad either. This was a great night for American drivers and hopefully there are more to come.
9. Another solid run for Ryan Briscoe. He needs to be a full-time driver. He keeps driving from the back to the front and imagine what he and James Hinchcliffe could do if they were teammates.
10. Speaking of from the back to the front, Sébastien Bourdais went from 24th after brushing the wall in qualifying to ninth. He somewhat used pit strategy as he kept stopping under the first caution to top off to be able to go a handful of laps longer than the leaders and it worked out. He and KV Racing have meshed well and I hope their partnership continues for quite sometime.
11. Here we are, the 11th thought and we have yet to mention a Penske entry. That all changes now. Will Power finished tenth but he was never in contention. He started sixth but he just couldn't hang with those front-runners as the night wore on. Same with Hélio Castroneves, who came home 11th despite winning pole position. He led a fair amount of laps but faded. Simon Pagenaud faded once the green flag fell and he has done that a bunch this season. He qualifies well but he loses five to ten spots before the first stint is over. Then there was Juan Pablo Montoya, who had a suspension failure end his night before the sun even set on lap nine and now the championship is wide open. I was starting to wonder if Montoya was going to have the title locked up before Sonoma even with double points. Now that looks certainly unlikely. Three races to go and Montoya has led the championship from the start. Will he be able to go wire-to-wire as the championship leader?
12. Shoutout to Tristan Vautier coming home 12th and Jack Hawksworth in 13th. James Jakes finished 15th.
13. Let's get to the rest of the Ganassi drivers. Tony Kanaan is off like gangbusters at the start and then he has a mechanical issue end his night while in the top five. Scott Dixon has mechanical issues and his night is ruined but he was able to finish the race. Charlie Kimball had a spin off of turn two end his night. As much as it seems Penske and Ganassi have dominated this season, they haven't While Penske and Ganassi dominate qualifying, when it comes to the race, the other teams seem to be able to run with the big dogs. On a night when Dixon and Kanaan were given a free race to make up as many points as possible on Montoya, they were snake-bitten and they are probably ruing this night.
14. A week off before the start of Astor Cup August. Scott Dixon will be happy IndyCar is heading to his house, Mid-Ohio before Pocono and Sonoma. While it sucks the season ends so soon it has been a great battle and after this night I can't see this not being decided at Sonoma.
Labels: First Impressions, IndyCar, Iowa
Morning Warm-Up: Iowa 2015
Tony Kanaan led the way on Friday at Iowa
As with Milwaukee last week, both qualifying and the race will occur on the same day at Iowa, meaning two practice sessions were completed on Friday in preparation for the 13th round of the 2015 Verizon IndyCar Series championship.
Tony Kanaan was fastest in both sessions with his top lap coming in the second session at 17.7544 seconds (181.273 MPH). Kanaan is looking for his second career Iowa victory and the Brazilian has finished on the podium in the last five Iowa races. Scott Dixon made it a 1-2 for Ganassi on Friday. He was 0.0043 seconds behind Kanaan. Last year, Kanaan and Dixon led a combined 264 of 300 laps before being passed late by Ryan Hunter-Reay and Josef Newgarden and having to settle for third and fourth. Will Power was third quickest in practice. While Power averages a starting position of 5.5 at Iowa, his average finish is 14.8 in six starts. Simon Pagenaud was fourth on Friday as the Frenchman looks for his second podium of the season. He finished third at Belle Isle 1. Pagenaud has never finished on the podium in an oval race. He has two top five finishes on ovals. He finished fifth at Iowa in 2012 and fourth at Texas last year. Juan Pablo Montoya rounded out the top five. The top five were covered by 0.0786 seconds.
Charlie Kimball was sixth. Last year, Kimball finished a career-best tenth at Iowa. His average finish at Iowa is 13.8. The most recent winner in IndyCar, Sébastien Bourdais, was seventh fastest as he looks for his second consecutive victory and third on the season. His best finish in two Iowa starts is 14th. Hélio Castroneves was eight fastest as he searches for his first victory of 2015 and tries to stay in the championship hunt. Ed Carpenter is looking for consecutive top ten finishes after starting the season with three consecutive finishes outside the top twenty. Carpenter has two consecutive top fives at Iowa. Sage Karam bookended the top ten for Ganassi. The rookie was 0.174 seconds back of his elder teammate.
Josef Newgarden made it a clean sweep of the top eleven for Chevrolet. The top Honda was Ryan Hunter-Reay, who was 12th fastest, 0.2769 seconds back of Kanaan. No Honda was able to run a lap in the 17-second bracket during practice. Justin Wilson and Marco Andretti followed their teammate Hunter-Reay on the timesheet. Graham Rahal rounded out the top fifteen, 0.3331 seconds back. Rahal has consecutive podium finishes. He has never had three consecutive podiums in his career.
Stefano Coletti was the slowest Chevrolet in 16th, as he was 0.0019 seconds back of Rahal. Carlos Muñoz was 17th followed by James Jakes. Takuma Sato was 19th with rookie Gabby Chaves rounding out the top twenty and sandwiched between AJ Foyt Racing cars, as Jack Hawksworth was 21st. The Dale Coyne Racing entries of Tristan Vautier and Pippa Mann were 22nd and 23rd respectively. Ryan Briscoe rounded out the timesheet, as the Australian was 0.9396 seconds back of his former Ganassi teammate.
Qualifying for the Iowa Corn Indy 300 will take place at 4:00 p.m. ET. NBCSN's coverage of the race will begin at 8:00 p.m. ET with green flag scheduled for 8:50 p.m. ET.
Labels: IndyCar, Iowa, Morning Warm-Up
Track Walk: Iowa 2015
Iowa is the preantepenultimate round of the 2015 IndyCar season
The penultimate oval race of the 2015 Verizon IndyCar Series season takes place under the lights at Iowa Speedway. This will be the ninth running of the Iowa Corn Indy 300 but only the second year of the race being a 300-lapper. Sébastien Bourdais picked up his first oval victory in over nine years at Milwaukee last week and he looks for consecutive victories for the first time since 2007. This will be the final race in the month of July and final night race of the season before the series enters Astor Cup August.
Time: Coverage begins at 8:00 p.m. ET on Saturday July 18th. Green flag at 8:50 p.m. ET.
TV Channel: NBCSN.
Seventeen drivers enter Iowa with a shot at the Astor Cup.
Juan Pablo Montoya continues to lead the championship as the past champion and two-time Indianapolis 500 winner has 439 points from 12 starts. The Colombian holds a 54-point lead over Scott Dixon. Both drivers have won two races this year. Sixty-nine points back of Montoya are Graham Rahal and Hélio Castroneves with Rahal holding the tiebreaker over the Brazilian thanks to his victory at Fontana. Will Power makes it three Penske drivers in the top five, as the defending champion is 70 points behind Montoya.
Sébastien Bourdais jumped to sixth in the championship after his victory at Milwaukee, however the Frenchman is 96 points behind Montoya. Past Iowa winner Marco Andretti is seventh in the championship, 107 points behind Montoya. Tony Kanaan, another past Iowa winner, is 18 points behind his former teammate Andretti. Two-time winner this season, Josef Newgarden is 130 points back of Montoya in ninth. Simon Pagenaud bookends the top ten in the championship for Penske as he trails by 161 points.
Charlie Kimball is 12 points outside the top ten. Carlos Muñoz sits on 251 points in 12th. Takuma Sato is 13th with 229 points and Ryan Hunter-Reay trails the A.J. Foyt Racing driver by two markers. James Jakes and Gabby Chaves are tied with 197 points. Jakes owns the tiebreaker with his best finish being third at NOLA to Chaves' best finish being ninth at Belle Isle 2. Jack Hawksworth is the final driver mathematically eligible for the championship. The British driver is 255 points behind Montoya with a maximum of 266 points remaining on the table.
Andretti's Backyard
Andretti Autosport has won six of eight Iowa races, including the last five. Five different drivers have won at Iowa for Andretti with Ryan Hunter-Reay being the only driver to win multiple times at Iowa for the team. Dario Franchitti won the inaugural Iowa race in 2007 driving for then-Andretti Green Racing and Franchitti won the 2009 Iowa race driving for Ganassi. The only other non-Andretti victory at Iowa came by a former Andretti driver, Dan Wheldon, who won on his birthday in 2008.
Other Andretti winners at Iowa are Tony Kanaan (2010), Marco Andretti (2011) and James Hinchcliffe (2013).
While Hunter-Reay has won two of the last three Iowa races, he has failed to finish in the top ten in the last four races and has only three top tens this season. In the 18 races since his Iowa victory last year, Hunter-Reay has one podium, two top fives and five top tens with an average finish of 13.333 and only 31 laps led.
Iowa is the sight of Marco Andretti's most recent IndyCar victory, 72 starts ago. When Andretti won at Iowa in 2011, it had been 77 starts since he scored his first career victory at Sonoma in 2006. That stretch from Sonoma 2006 to Iowa 2011 is the third most starts between victories in IndyCar history behind Graham Rahal (124, St. Petersburg 2008-Fontana 2014) and Johnny Rutherford (97, Atlanta 1965-Ontario H2 1973). Fun fact, those three streaks are all between a drivers first and second career victories.
Carlos Muñoz will be making his second career start at Iowa. He finished 12th last year after starting fifth. In two Indy Lights starts at Iowa, Muñoz finished seventh in a field of 14 in 2012 and eighth in a field of eight in 2013, despite starting on pole position.
Justin Wilson will be making his eighth start at Iowa. His best finish at the 7/8th of a mile oval is tenth, which occurred in 2012. His best start at Iowa is tenth, which occurred in 2009. His average finish at Iowa is 14.285.
Indy Lights will be on track for the second consecutive weekend with Pro Mazda returning to competition for the first time since Toronto.
Jack Harvey continues to lead the Indy Lights championship with 261 points and a 14-point lead over Spencer Pigot. Twenty-nine points further back is Ed Jones. RC Enerson is 69 points behind his teammate with Juan Piedrahita rounding out the top five, 104 points behind Harvey. Scott Anderson is a point behind Piedrahita with Milwaukee winner Félix Serrallés a point behind Anderson. Kyle Kaiser is three points behind Serrallés. Ethan Ringel and Max Chilton round out the top ten with 144 and 141 points respectively. Shelby Blackstock is two points behind Chilton.
Indy Lights did not run at Iowa last year. None of the 11 drivers entered this weekend have raced at Iowa in Indy Lights. Seven different drivers have won the seven Iowa Indy Lights races and that streak will expand to eight this weekend. Previous Indy Lights winners at Iowa are Alex Lloyd, Dillon Battistini, Ana Beatriz, Sebastián Saavedra, Josef Newgarden, Esteban Guerrieri and Sage Karam.
The Indy Lights race will take place at 6:20 p.m. ET on Saturday.
Pro Mazda also makes their return to Iowa after not running the 7/8th of a mile oval the last two seasons with 14 cars entered. Santiago Urrutia leads the championship with 234 points. Thirty points back of the Uruguayan is Neil Alberico. Timothé Buret is 36 points behind Urrutia. Weiron Tan won the only other oval race on the Pro Mazda schedule at Indianapolis Raceway Park back in May. The Malaysian driver trails Urrutia by 43 points. The most recent winner in Pro Mazda, Garret Grist rounds out the top five by 49 points. Pato O'Ward is four points back of Grist. Florian Latorre sits on 172 points with Will Owen 11 points behind the Frenchman. Jose Gutierrez has 149 points and is ninth in the championship. Raoul Owens rounds out the top ten with 122 points. Canadians Daniel Burkett and Dalton Kellett are 11th and 12th with 116 and 105 points respectively. Alessandro Latif is 13th on 100 points. Bobby Eberle rounds out the entry list. He is 15th in the championship.
This will be the fifth Pro Mazda race at Iowa. Peter Dempsey won the inaugural Iowa Pro Mazda race in 2009. Conor Daly won in 2010. Sage Karam won the last two Iowa races in 2011 and 2012. All 14 drivers will be making their first appearance at Iowa.
The Pro Mazda race is scheduled for 5:15 p.m. ET on Saturday.
This will be the ninth IndyCar race to occur on July 18th. The most recent race on July 18th was Toronto in 2010. Will Power won that race. The only driver to win multiple races on July 18th is Gordon Johncock, who won at Michigan on July 18, 1976 and won at Michigan again on July 18, 1982.
Chevrolet has won eighteen consecutive pole positions and the last two pole positions at Iowa.
The pole-sitter has never won at Iowa. In fact, no one starting on the front row has ever won at Iowa. The best finish for an Iowa pole-sitter is fourth (Scott Dixon in 2008 and 2014). The average finish for an Iowa pole-sitter is 11.375, having only finished in the top ten in four of eight Iowa races.
Four of the eight Iowa races have been won from row two with third producing three winners (Dario Franchitti 2007, Dan Wheldon 2008, James Hinchcliffe 2013) and fourth producing one winner (Dario Franchitti 2009).
Three of the eight Iowa races have been won from outside the top ten. Last year, Ryan Hunter-Reay won from 13th. In 2010, Tony Kanaan won from 15th and in 2011 Marco Andretti won from 17th.
The only other position a winner has started from is seventh (Ryan Hunter-Reay 2012).
The average starting position for an Iowa winner is 8.125.
Last year's Iowa race had the fewest amount of lead changes in the race's history with six. Four of eight races have featured double-figures in lead changes with the most being 16 in 2010. The average amount of lead changes at Iowa is 10.25.
The fewest amount of cautions in an Iowa race is three for 29 laps, which occurred in 2013. The most amount of cautions in an Iowa race is seven, which occurred last year. The most amount of caution laps in an Iowa race was 72 laps during five caution periods in 2011. The average amount of cautions at Iowa is 5.25 with the average amount of caution laps being 56.75 laps.
Scott Dixon has the best average finish among average drivers at Iowa at 6.5, just better than Ryan Hunter-Reay at 6.7. Dixon has five top fives and seven top tens in eight Iowa starts but his best finish at the track is third. Dixon has won three pole positions at Iowa.
Only once has there been a green flag run at Iowa to last more than 100 laps. The final 127 laps of the 2009 race were run under green flag conditions.
Hélio Castroneves needs to lead 128 laps to reach the 5,500 laps led milestone.
Tony Kanaan needs to lead 138 laps to reach the 4,000 laps led milestone.
Will Power needs to lead 136 laps to reach the 3,000 laps led milestone.
Sébastien Bourdais needs to lead 73 laps to reach he 2,500 lap led milestone
Ed Carpenter needs to lead 96 laps to reach the 400 laps led milestone.
Graham Rahal needs to lead 4 laps to reach the 200 laps led milestone.
Charlie Kimball needs to lead 5 laps to reach the 100 laps led milestone.
Marco Andretti protect his father's team's house and picks up his first victory in over four years. There will be at least one green flag run to last at least 100 laps. Ryan Hunter-Reay gets a top ten. Juan Pablo Montoya will be the top Penske finisher. Both CFH cars finish in the top ten. Schmidt Peterson Motorsports has at least one car finish in the top ten. No more than a dozen cars will finish on the lead lap. A driver who hasn't scored a fastest lap this season will score fastest lap. Sleeper: Simon Pagenaud.
Labels: Indy Lights, IndyCar, Iowa, Road to Indy, Track Walk
Musings From the Weekend: It Makes Sense But It's A Work In Progress
A Frenchman dominated in Milwaukee. Rain continues to follow NASCAR but it all passed by race day. There was a great battle at Mosport. There was a first time winner in the Netherlands. A certain Spaniard regained their form for at least one race. There was racing all over the globe this weekend, from Portugal to Australia. Here is a run down of what got me thinking.
It Makes Sense But It's A Work In Progress
I like the idea of the FIA Super License points but I am not sure it has been well thought out.
This past week at the World Motor Sport Council in Mexico City, the FIA announced changes to the FIA Super License points system. The series that doesn't even exist, Formula 2 will pay 40 points to the top three finishers in the championship; the top two in GP2 will each receive 40 points. FIA European Formula 3, World Endurance Championship LMP1 and IndyCar will still pay 40 points to the champions of those respective series while the Formula Renault 3.5 will get 35 points, a five point increase. The GP3 champion will still get 30 points and the Super Formula champion will still get 25 points.
There were also three series added to the list of series that will receive FIA Super License points. Deutsche Tourenwagen Masters, Indy Lights and the World Touring Car Championship were all added and the three champions from those three series will receive 15 points. The other addition was the Formula E champion will automatically be granted an FIA Super License but no points will be given out for that series. So congratulations to Nelson Piquet, Jr. on earning a super license.
One of the problems I have is there are still series not getting recognized, most notably for Americans, NASCAR. You can make all the jokes you want about NASCAR you want but there are talented drivers there are they deserve something. I am not sure the NASCAR Cup champion deserves a full 40 points for a title but it deserves something. I almost feel 25 points would be a good amount for the Cup champion with the Grand National and Truck champions receiving 10 points respectively.
What about Super GT's GT500 and GT300 champions? The GT500 class is going to the same technical regulations as DTM and they get squat... actually they get less than squat. What about Blancpain Sprint and Endurance Series? Should each series get their own points or should the combined Blancpain GT Series results determine who gets what Super License points?
What about GTE-Pro in WEC? Plenty of talented young drivers who had success in single-seaters such as Davide Rigon, James Calado, Richie Stanaway and Marco Sørensen and former Formula One drivers Gianmaria Bruni, Giancarlo Fisichella and Olivier Beretta in that class. What about IMSA? Shouldn't the Prototype and GTLM champions get some type of love? What about Pirelli World Challenge? ADAC GT Masters? World Rally? British Touring Cars? I could go on and on.
Of course, I think some series should be valued more. DTM, WTCC and Indy Lights should not be on the same level. I actually think WTCC and Indy Lights are go at 15 points but the DTM champion should full 40 points as should the Formula Renault 3.5 champion and the Super Formula champion. I still don't get the logic of FIA European Formula 3 champion getting 40 but GP3 champion only getting 30. If anything, after seeing the driving in Formula 3 this year, I am not sure that champion should receive more than 20 points. And I am not going to try and wrap my head around the logic of national F4 champions receiving 12 points but national Formula 3 champions only getting 10 points.
The other thing I would like to see is bonus points awarded for winning races. Take Alexander Rossi for example. He currently has only three FIA Super License points from finishing ninth in the 2013 GP2 Series championship. If he wants an FIA Super License he needs 37 points so he would need to win the GP2 championship or finish second this year. If he finishes third, he would be seven points shy. My idea would be to pay bonus points to drivers who win races that way a driver can't make up some of those points that they can't pick up in the championship. My idea would be to pay three points for each victory a driver scores in a championship that pay 40 points to the champion, or as I would like to call them "Tier 1 Championships." For series that pay less than 40 points but more than 12 points or "Tier 2 Championships," it could be two points for each victory and for series that pay 12 points or less to their champions, "Tier 3 Championships," it could be one point per victory.
Alexander Rossi wouldn't be the only driver to benefit from bonus points from victories. While Rossi currently sits second in the GP2 championship, Rio Haryanto is third and the Indonesian driver currently has zero Super License points and like Rossi has to finish first or second in GP2 in hopes to earn a Super License. Haryanto already has three race victories and if he were to get one victory more then it would allow him for wiggle room in case he finished third in the GP2 championship.
I like the idea of it but it still has many holes. I do like that drivers will have to pass a test on the sporting regulations in order to receive the license. It's important that the competitors know the rulebook. For those who watch the NFL, it's embarrassing to hear players after a game say they didn't know a game could end in a tie. It's important to know the rulebook boys and girls.
The Pseudo-One Day Show
I liked the format of the Milwaukee IndyCar race this past weekend but I think it could have been scheduled better. There was one practice on Saturday before a practice session, qualifying session and race on Sunday. It was condensed but I liked it however the timing was off. Scheduling the race to start at 4:35 p.m. local time could work for a Saturday but not for a Sunday. Milwaukee got a decent crowd but if the race was at 1:00-1:30 p.m. local time, the crowd probably would have been better. How much better? We will never know.
How much practice do we want to see? Do we really care if the drivers get one hour of practice or two? Last year, I believe it was Will Power who was asked if he liked the doubleheader format last year and he said something along the line of yes and that fans don't pay to watch practice, they pay to watch races. If the drivers got one hour of practice, followed by qualifying and then the race, would we really care? I think the non-Triple Crown oval races should just be one-day shows. At Texas there could be practice at 5:30 p.m. local time, qualifying could be at 6:45 p.m. and the race could go green at 7:50 p.m. They could practice at Milwaukee at 9:00 a.m. local, have the Indy Lights race at 10:15 a.m., qualify at 11:30 a.m. and start the race by 1:15 p.m. Iowa could be spread out a little more because Pro Mazda and Indy Lights are also on the bill so IndyCar practice could be at 2:00 p.m. local with qualifying at 5:00 p.m. and the race starting at 7:50 p.m.
Forget the what-ifs. It might rain and throw a monkey wrench in the entire schedule but it doesn't have to ruin the day. If it rains, just worry about getting the races in because they are what matter. Some don't like the one-day format because the pole-sitter can't be promoted. To be honest, it's irrelevant to an extent. How many more people are going to turn because they find out Tony Kanaan is on pole or Josef Newgarden is on pole or Marco Andretti is on pole? The people who are going to go to the race are going regardless of who is on pole. Have anyone ever honestly said they aren't going to a race because a certain driver is on pole? That's like a Chicago Blackhawks fan saying they aren't going to a game because Scott Darling is starting between the pipes instead of Corey Crawford. No one does that.
If anything, the one-day show allows for the series to promote drivers in a new light. If anything, IndyCar needs to get the drivers away from the track to draw fans. Instead of having a day of practice and qualifying the day before the race, have the drivers get out. If anything, have a big party the night before race day with all the drivers attending and allow people to rub elbows with them and just hang out and get to know who they are. Rent out a bowling alley the night before a race and have a big party. Throw a street party. Do something different to let people know the race is in town and if people have a great time hanging out the Friday night before Texas or Iowa or the Saturday night before Milwaukee, then perhaps they will keep the party going the next day at the race. And that should be done for all the ovals, not just the non-Triple Crown races.
The one-day show isn't a bad idea but it will require a different outlook of the weekend. Instead of relying on qualifying to draw people out, engage the fans in local communities. I have been harking on IndyCar and IndyCar races not to rely on their fans to become Deadheads and have 10,000 people travel to every race. There are a lot of people in markets such as Milwaukee and Dallas-Fort Worth and Pocono, which is between New York and Philadelphia and has the entire state of New Jersey as it's neighbor. Engage the people and they may engage you. It's not bulletproof but it just might work.
You know about Sébastien Bourdais but did you know...
Marc Márquez finally got back to the top step of the podium as he won the MotoGP German Grand Prix.
Kyle Busch was his second NASCAR Sprint Cup race of 2015 as he took the victory at Kentucky.
Marco Wittmann and António Félix da Costa split the DTM races from Zandvoort. It was da Costa's first career victory in the series.
Mark Winterbottom swept the V8 Supercar races from Townsville.
Jordan and Ricky Taylor won the IMSA race at Mosport in the #10 Corvette DP. The #54 CORE Autosport Oreca of Jon Bennett and Colin Braun won in Prototype Challenge. The #911 Porsche 911 RSR of Nick Tandy and Patrick Pilet won in GTLM.
The #38 Jota Sport Gibson-Nissan of Harry Tincknell, Filipe Albuquerque and Simon Dolan won the ELMS race from the Red Bull Ring. The #60 Formula Racing Ferrari 458 Italia of Mikkel Mac, Johnny Laursen and Andrea Rizzoli won in GTE. The #62 AF Corse Ferrari of Stuart Hall, Francesco Castellacci and Thomas Flohr won in GTC. The #3 Team LNT Ginetta-Nissan of Chris Hoy and Charlie Robertson won in LMP3.
José María López and Ma Qing Hua split the WTCC races from Portugal.
Belgian Xavier Siméon scored his first career Moto2 victory at the Sachsenring. Danny Kent scored his fifth victory of the Moto 3 season and extended his championship lead.
Félix Serrallés won his first career Indy Lights race at Milwaukee.
Brad Keselowski won the NASCAR Grand National Series race from Kentucky. Matt Crafton won the Truck race on Thursday.
IndyCar will be under the lights at Iowa.
World Superbike comes stateside and the British Empire looks to avenge the Revolutionary War at Laguna Seca.
NASCAR is at Loudon.
Super Formula returns to competition at Fuji.
Labels: Formula E, Formula One, GP2, IndyCar, NASCAR
First Impressions: Milwaukee 2015
Sébastien Bourdais won at Milwaukee. But how?
1. Let's get the story out of the way. I didn't see this race but I did follow along to timing and scoring and to Twitter and it's sounds like I was fortunate due to some NBCSN audio problems. Anyway, why did I miss the race? A family friend's niece is an actress and apparently won an Emmy Award and she was performing in a play. Not going to this play was not an option. So I got to follow the race and see a show. I will try and watch the race replay tomorrow and if I don't catch that I will watch it when it is posted on YouTube. After that I may write a second impressions but for now, my first impressions will be from what I picked up following along on my phone.
2. Where did Sébastien Bourdais come from? He was up in the top ten from the start but things fell into his lap with pit strategy. When the leaders Josef Newgarden, Tony Kanaan and co. stopped under a caution, Bourdais stayed out and couldn't be caught and he was running laps better than Newgarden, Kanaan and co. despite pitting 16 laps prior to them. How did Bourdais open up a 17-second lead on tires that were 16 laps older? What an impressive drive and now we have four winners with multiple wins this season.
3. I honestly thought this race was going to end up falling in Hélio Castroneves' lap. He started last because of not getting in line for qualifying on time and he nearly pulled off a Mike Mosley. He past a fair amount of drivers on his first stint and he did that under each stint. When the final caution occurred, Castroneves was second and must have been a lap or two away from stopping because he had done 53 laps on that stint and there were about 25 to go and Bourdais was good on fuel. Castroneves made a slight charge but all he could do was pick up his 38th runner-up finish, second most in IndyCar history.
4. Solid day for Graham Rahal and that's what his season has been made up of, solid runs. This is the turn around season Rahal needed. I don't know if he will have enough to make a championship run. He will probably need to win at least two of the five four races to have a shot but a top ten in the championship would have been great for him after the last few seasons. I am sure he will be happy with this season even if he doesn't win the title.
5. Speaking of the title, championship leader Juan Pablo Montoya finished fourth despite a pit lane speeding violation. He was one of three drivers along with Bourdais and Ed Carpenter to not pit under the final caution and it got him a top five. These are what championship runs are made of. Look at Will Power. Every time Power appeared to stumble last year, he would still find a way to get a top five. Montoya is doing the same thing in 2015.
6. Josef Newgarden finished fifth but had a better race than that. He dominated the first half and then he pitted under the first caution when Bourdais stayed out and he had nothing for him. And Newgarden wasn't that far into a stint when that caution occurred. He could have easily stayed out when Bourdais did and he might have won this one. It was a great weekend for him but when you are fastest in every session going into the race, anything but winning will be a disappointment.
7. Good day for Tony Kanaan finishing sixth. Could have been a little higher if it wasn't for Castroneves and Montoya catching breaks. He was up front all day.
8. Scott Dixon finished seventh. He seemed to be just on the outside of the top five all race. Like Kanaan, he probably would have finished a little better had Castroneves and Montoya not caught the breaks they did. The championship might be slipping from his grasp, especially if Montoya keeps finishing in the top five. Like Rahal, Dixon will have to win at least two of the final four races to have a shot at the title.
9. Not a bad day for Marco Andretti in eighth. Simon Pagenaud finished ninth. Ed Carpenter benefitted by not having to stop under the final caution and got a top ten despite not being near the top ten all race. Gabby Chaves was around tenth all race and he finished 11th.
10. Just a few other things I noticed: Sage Karam had a good day going and then he hit the barrier and it ruined his day. Ryan Briscoe had a bad pit stop take him out of contention and a spin took himself and Will Power out and that's a shame for the both of them. James Jakes was up in the top ten until an engine failure but I don't think this was Honda's fault. It seems like Jakes has had a lot of engine failures this year and I doubt Jakes gives rolling snake eyes in the Honda engines lot. He had a failure at Fontana. He had a failure in practice for the Indianapolis 500. I just wonder if his driving style has something to do with it.
11. I hope this wasn't the final Milwaukee race. IndyCar can't afford to lose any races especially one that has been apart of the series for so long. If Indianapolis is IndyCar's heart, Milwaukee is IndyCar's stomach and you can't live without your stomach. Or as I called it a few weeks ago, Milwaukee is to IndyCar what Monza is to Formula One.
12. On to Iowa and don't think there are any family friend's nieces that are doing anything important.
Labels: First Impressions, IndyCar, Milwaukee
Morning Warm-Up: Milwaukee 2015
Josef Newgarden topped the lone Saturday practice session at Milwaukee
With both qualifying and the ABC Supply Wisconsin 250 taking place on Sunday, IndyCar completed one practice session late Saturday afternoon in preparations for the twelfth round of the 2015 Verizon IndyCar Series championship.
Josef Newgarden topped the session with a lap of 21.5415 seconds. Newgarden is looking for his first career pole position. The CFH driver has two victories this year and he has qualified second on three occasions in his career and he has five career front row starts (Long Beach 2012 he started second after Chevrolet drivers served engine penalties. Fontana 2014 he started third but the race featured rows of three. Just 0.0277 seconds behind Newgarden was Simon Pagenaud. The Frenchman is looking for his second consecutive pole position of the season. His best Milwaukee finish in three starts is seventh. Takuma Sato was 0.1084 seconds back in third in the #14 ABC Supply Co. Honda. Sato has finished in the top ten in two of his four Milwaukee starts. Both those top tens came in a year ending in an odd-number. The most recent winner in the Verizon IndyCar Series Graham Rahal was fourth fastest in practice, 0.1964 seconds back. Rahal has a two top fives and three top tens in six Milwaukee starts. Tony Kanaan rounded out the top five, 0.2471 seconds behind Newgarden. The Brazilian has two wins, five podiums, seven top fives and ten top tens in 15 Milwaukee starts.
Kanaan's Ganassi teammate Scott Dixon was sixth, 0.0361 seconds behind his teammate. Dixon is looking for his second career Milwaukee victory. Three-time Milwaukee winner Ryan Hunter-Reay was seventh as he started 14th or worse in the last eight races after starting the first three races of the season in the top ten. Hélio Castroneves was eighth quickest, 0.0352 seconds behind Hunter-Reay. James Jakes was ninth fastest, only 0.0045 seconds behind the Brazilian. Will Power rounded out the top ten. He was 0.4526 seconds slower than Newgarden and was the final driver to run a lap in the 21-second bracket during the session.
Ryan Briscoe was 11th, 0.0190 seconds behind his fellow Australian and past Milwaukee winner Power. Sébastien Bourdais, another past Milwaukee winner, was 12th, 0.5305 seconds off Newgarden. Charlie Kimball was 13th at 22.1151 seconds. Colombians Carlos Muñoz and championship leader Juan Pablo Montoya rounded out the top fifteen. Montoya was 0.0469 seconds behind Muñoz and 0.6403 seconds behind Newgarden.
Justin Wilson was 16th in his first IndyCar session since taking the checkered flag for the 99th Indianapolis 500. He was 0.7059 seconds off Newgarden. Sage Karam was the fastest rookie in 17th, 0.0062 seconds slower than Wilson but 0.0086 seconds faster than Gabby Chaves in 18th. Tristan Vautier and Jack Hawksworth rounded out the top twenty. Stefano Coletti was 21st with Ed Carpenter, Marco Andretti and Pippa Mann rounding out the time sheet.
The top 23 were covered by 1.1247 seconds with 1.9233 seconds covering the two dozen drivers in the field.
Final practice will take place at 10:15 a.m. ET and the session will be 45 minutes long. Qualifying for the ABC Supply Wisconsin 250 will take place at 1:30 p.m. ET with NBCSN's coverage beginning at 5:00 p.m. ET. Green flag is scheduled for 5:35 p.m. ET.
Labels: IndyCar, Milwaukee, Morning Warm-Up
Track Walk: Milwaukee 2015
IndyCar returns to Milwaukee for a 250-miler
The antepenultimate oval of the 2015 Verizon IndyCar Series season is the Milwaukee Mile for the second of three consecutive oval races. Two weeks ago, Graham Rahal won at Fontana, breaking a record 124-race winless streak. It was Honda's third win of 2015. His father Bobby never won at Milwaukee in 18 starts but he did finish runner-up on the mile on three occasions. This will be the 113th IndyCar race to take place at the Milwaukee Mile and first to be run in July since 2006 when Champ Car ran there in June and the IRL ran in July.
Time: Coverage begins at 5:00 p.m. ET on Sunday July 12th. Green flag at 5:35 p.m. ET.
Announcers: Leigh Diffey, David Hobbs, Townsend Bell and Paul Tracy will all be in the booth with Kevin Lee, Jon Beekhuis, Kate Hargitt and Robin Miller working the pit lane.
With five races remaining, Juan Pablo Montoya has led the championship since the first checkered flag fell at St. Petersburg and the Colombian has expanded his lead to 46 points over Will Power. Montoya is the only driver so far to crack 400 points as he sits on 407 points. Scott Dixon is three points behind Power in third. The top three in the championship all have a victory at Milwaukee. Montoya won in 2000, Power last year and Dixon in 2009. Graham Rahal has not won at Milwaukee but he did finish second there in 2011. Rahal's victory at Fontana vaulted him to fourth in the championship, trailing Montoya by 73 points. Hélio Castroneves rounds out the top five in the championship, four points behind Rahal.
Marco Andretti is sixth in the championship, 99 points behind Montoya. Two of Andretti's four career pole positions have come at Milwaukee, including his first career pole in 2008. However, both times Andretti started on pole at Milwaukee ended in a retirement. Sébastien Bourdais makes it four Milwaukee winners in the top seven of the championship as he sits on 290 points. Tony Kanaan has won back-to-back races at Milwaukee in 2006-07 and he sits eighth in the championship, five points back of Bourdais. Josef Newgarden is ninth in the championship on 277 points. He finished fifth at Milwaukee last year and picked up fastest lap along the way. Simon Pagenaud bookends the top ten for Team Penske, 151 points behind Montoya.
Charlie Kimball is eight points outside the top ten. Carlos Muñoz is twelve points behind Kimball. Takuma Sato has 213 points and is three points ahead of three-time Milwaukee winner Ryan Hunter-Reay. Hunter-Reay leads all active driver in Milwaukee victories. James Jakes rounds out the top fifteen with 190 points. Gabby Chaves is the top rookie on 178 points with his predecessor at Bryan Herta Autosport, Jack Hawksworth, trailing him by seven points.
Twenty-two drivers remain championship eligible. The remaining drivers with a chance at the title are Luca Filippi, Stefano Coletti, James Hinchcliffe, Sage Karam and Tristan Vautier.
The Grid Got A Little Taller
While most races have seen at least one driver change from the previous race, all twenty-three drivers who were entered for Fontana will be at Milwaukee. Ryan Briscoe will continue in the #5 Arrow Electronics/Lucas Oil Honda. Sage Karam is in the #8 Comfort Revolution/Big Machine Records Chevrolet. Pippa Mann and Tristan Vautier return in the #18 and #19 Dale Coyne Racing Hondas respectively and Ed Carpenter will be behind the wheel of the #20 Fuzzy's Ultra Premium Vodka Chevrolet.
However, there will be an addition to the IndyCar grid for Milwaukee and for the remainder of the season. Justin Wilson will drive the #25 Andretti Autosport Honda for the final five races of the 2015 season. The Sheffield-native has made two starts this season and he finished 24th in the Grand Prix of Indianapolis and 21st in the Indianapolis 500. Wilson will be making his tenth Milwaukee start. His best Milwaukee finish is second, which came in 2006. He has two top five and five top tens in his previous nine starts.
Indy Lights Returns
After a month off, Indy Lights is back in action at Milwaukee. The series has four race weekends, six races remaining in 2015 with a third of the remaining races on ovals.
Jack Harvey leads the championship with 242 points, 11 clear of Spencer Pigot. Pigot swept the Toronto weekend with Harvey finishing second in both races. Harvey finished fifth in his first Milwaukee start last year and Pigot won last year's Pro Mazda race at Milwaukee. Twenty-four points back of Harvey is Ed Jones, who had a tire failure end his first oval start at Indianapolis back in May. RC Enerson is 76 points behind his Schmidt Peterson teammate Harvey. Kyle Kaiser rounds out the top five, 101 points back of Harvey.
Two points behind Kaiser is Scott Anderson. Juan Piedrahita is coming off his best career finish in Indy Lights after finishing fourth in Toronto 2. The Colombian sits on 135 points. Ethan Ringel has 133 points and finished second in the Freedom 100, his first career ovals race, after starting on pole position, however his next best finish this season is sixth. Shelby Blackstock is coming off his best weekend of 2015 after finishing fourth and sixth at Toronto and the Andretti Autosport driver has 129 points. Max Chilton rounds out the top ten in the championship with 126 points, despite missing the Toronto round due to competing in the 24 Hours of Le Mans. Félix Serrallés sits a point back of Chilton.
Six of the last seven Milwaukee Indy Lights races have been won from pole position including the last five. All seven of those races have been won from the front row. The worst starting position for a Milwaukee Indy Lights winner is seventh, Derek Higgins in 1998 and Jeff Simmons in 2005.
The Indy Lights race is scheduled for 3:00 p.m. ET Sunday.
This will be the sixth IndyCar race to take place on July 12th. Last year, Ryan Hunter-Reay won at Iowa on July 12th after making a late charge to the front after changing tires under the final caution period while the leaders stayed out.
Chevrolet has won 17 consecutive pole positions and three consecutive Milwaukee races and has swept the top four in all three of those races.
The Honda to score a top five at Milwaukee in the DW12-era was Josef Newgarden last year when he finished fifth.
Twelve times has the Milwaukee winner started outside the top ten. The most recent Milwaukee winner to come from outside the top ten was Ryan Briscoe in 2008, who won from 11th. The furthest back a Milwaukee winner has come from is 25th, when Mike Mosley won in 1981 as a promoter's option. Since Mosley's victory in 1981, the only other Milwaukee race to be won from outside the top ten was Al Unser, Jr. in 1994 when he won from 11th.
The average starting position for a Milwaukee winner is 4.464.
In the last 40 Milwaukee races, the average amount of lead changes is 6.35. In that time frame, only four races have featured a double-figure amount of lead changes. The most recent race to feature a double-figure amount of lead changes was in 2013 when 11 occurred as Ryan Hunter-Reay took victory.
In the ten IRL/IndyCar-sanctioned Milwaukee races, five races have had five lead changes occur (2005, 2008-09, 2011-12), four races have had eight lead changes occur (2004, 2006-06, 2014) and then there was the 2013 race that saw 11 lead changes occur.
Here is how the 13 drivers in the 250 starts club did in their 250th start:
Mario Andretti- Laguna Seca 1984. Finished 2nd, started on pole.
A.J. Foyt- Ontario 1977. Won the race from 6th on the grid.
Al Unser, Jr.- Mid-Ohio 1998. Finished 6th, started 7th.
Al Unser- Michigan 1982. Finished 4th, started 12th.
Michael Andretti- Fontana 1999. Finished 21st after an oil fire, started 6th.
Johnny Rutherford- Pocono 1982. Finished 12th after an accident, started 3rd.
Hélio Castroneves- Texas 2012. Finished 7th, started 15th.
Tony Kanaan- Milwaukee 2012. Finished 2nd, started 6th.
Paul Tracy- Surfers Paradise 2006. Finished 4th, started 3rd.
Bobby Rahal- Nazareth 1998. Finished 6th, started 9th.
Dario Franchitti- Long Beach 2013. Finished 4th, started on pole.
Gordon Johncock- Road America 1984. Finished 9th, started 12th.
Bobby Unser- Atlanta 1981. Finished 13th, started 2nd.
Should Scott Dixon take the green flag, he will make his 250th IndyCar start, the 14th driver to reach that milestone.
Ryan Briscoe needs to lead 58 laps to become the twenty-seventh driver to join the 1,500 laps led club.
Marco Andretti needs to lead 14 laps to join the 1,000 laps led club.
Hélio Castroneves is one second place finish away from passing Bobby Rahal for second all-time in second place finishes. Rahal and Castroneves are tied with 37 runner-up finishes.
Scott Dixon becomes the first driver to win three races in 2015. Andretti puts two cars in the top ten. There will be at least one green flag period of over 100 laps. A driver in the top five of the championship will not finish in the top half of the field. A driver with three or fewer top ten finishes this season will score a top ten finish. The pole-sitter will lead less than half the race. Penske will not sweep the front row. Sleeper: Ryan Briscoe.
Labels: Indy Lights, IndyCar, Milwaukee, Track Walk
Musings From the Weekend: It Makes Sense But It's ...
Musings From the Weekend: You've Got Options
Why There Needs To Be A Drivers' Union
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Francis Moran & Associates > Commercialization ecosystem > Peeling away the layers of a great CEO
Peeling away the layers of a great CEO
By Denzil Doyle
In my last article, I discussed the tendency of key stakeholders in a high technology company to call for the CEO’s resignation at the first sign of trouble, particularly if the CEO is a technical person who lacks “business management” experience. The pressure for change is usually strongest from the financial community. My advice to a board of directors that must deal with such pressure is to remain focused on the qualities that any good CEO must possess regardless of his or her background, namely leadership, management, technology knowhow, and marketing knowhow.
I cited the example of Ken Olsen, the founding president of Digital Equipment Corporation, who came under severe criticism from Wall Street for turning in a bad quarter shortly after the company went public, despite the fact that he had built a company with sales of over $100 million in less than a decade. (That was the equivalent of over $1 billion today.)
Ken decided to go to New York and address his critics directly. He started with a lecture that went something like this:
“I understand that some of you want me fired because I am no good with the numbers. Well, I want you to know that when the company was very small, I was both the purchasing manager who bought the components that went into our computers and I was the sales manager who set the price of those computers and the modules that went into them. In fact, we sold the modules as a separate product line. I used to buy a component called a pulse transformer for a dollar and have our production people mount it on a printed circuit board and sell it as a module for $10. I soon learned that that nine percent of profit really added up.”
The financial people thought he was a kook and left him alone after that while he went on to build a multi-billion dollar company.
Those of us who knew him personally would confirm that he had the four CEO qualities in spades and if the financial people had listened carefully they would have recognized them as well. As a leader, he demonstrated that he could wear many hats simultaneously and he recognized the value of humour in his communications. As a manager, he demonstrated that he did indeed understand the numbers. As a technical expert, he understood what went into the computers, and as a marketing expert, he knew what the market would bear.
Hopefully, the financial people came away from the meeting knowing that a good high technology CEO is likely to be a very complex person who is capable of delivering more than management knowhow.
Image: Best Investments for Beginners
Denzil Doyle’s involvement in Ottawa’s high technology industry goes back to the early 1960s when he established a sales office for Digital Equipment Corporation, a Boston-based firm that had just developed the world’s first minicomputer. The Canadian operation quickly evolved into a multi-faceted subsidiary. When he left the company in 1981, Canadian sales exceeded $160 million and its employment exceeded 1,500. In his next career, Doyle built a consulting and investment company,Doyletech Corporation, that not only helped emerging companies, but built companies of its own. In recognition of his contributions to Canada’s high technology industry, he was awarded an honourary Doctorate of Engineering by Carleton University in 1981 and a membership in the Order of Canada in 1995.
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Making a Difference: Meta-politics, Anti-politics and Political Ontology
The centrality, to our political discourse, of Muslim terrorism based, not just on claims of retaliation for past or present transgressions, but on assertions of the universal jurisdiction of the Caliphate, is the latest of a long history of signs indicating that war is no longer a matter of relations between states. WWII already signaled the beginning of the end of the modern European nomos of the earth (to use Schmitt’s term) and the international norms that accompanied it: trying the leading Nazis for actions committed as members of the German government, on the one hand, and the incorporation of guerilla warfare into the laws of war, on the other, were deviations from the traditional political order that were meant to preserve, but merely accelerated the degeneration of, that order. If war is no longer restricted to relations between states, then politics is no longer only, or, eventually, even primarily, a relation between citizens focused on the same state, as the proliferation of NGOs and elite powwows like Davos and other globalist fora makes obvious. Indeed, unless states suddenly get very good at fighting Islamic terror—something the pathological determination most Western leaders to import far more of it makes very unlikely—individual citizens, alone and in self-created associations and alliances, will increasingly take on the task of not only defending themselves against the jihad but at carrying out the reprisals and pre-emptive actions they consider appropriate. This won’t be a war of all against all (as if there ever could be such a thing), but a war, however dirty, of civilization against barbarism and savagery.
One effect of reducing the world to the war of civilization against barbarism would be to continue the dispersal of politics beyond its modern forms of containment, which ultimately means the utter elimination of politics. I don’t mean that people will no longer assemble, cooperate, confer with each other, argue about the best course to take, and so on, or that they will cease do these things within ever changing constraints—of course, we will continue to do these things, perhaps with a far greater seriousness and effectiveness than we do now. I don’t even mean that there will no longer be elections for various offices. What I do mean is that, assuming the war of civilization is being conducted with any chance of success, all deliberations will be directed to and decisions ultimately made by responsible agents delegated to perform specific civilization supporting and enhancing functions—not to representatives of society as a whole. (Such representatives may continue to exist—they will just become increasingly irrelevant—again, assuming the defense of civilization is taken on seriously.) This is because the ongoing frozen in amber civil war in liberal democracies that we call “politics” is only possible as a leisure activity once the gains of civilization have been secured and appear beyond threat. The truth is, the competing political parties in the democratic world have never really accepted each other’s legitimacy, other than perhaps during the brief periods when the parties have represented social classes that are clearly interdependent, but even then only to a limited extent; or, to the extent that the two parties cooperate so well as to become in effect a single, governing, party. The parties were formed in the civil wars that set in once the civilizing process had been sufficiently forgotten, and can always be resolved back into the presumably more elemental social identities (worker vs. merchant, free men granted rights by nature vs. churched beings, etc.) that have resulted from and mask the civilizing process. But these civil wars were only possible once external threats to civilization have been eliminated for the foreseeable future—the English and French civil wars (and then the Napoleonic wars, and so on) could not have taken place while the Ottoman Empire remained perched on the doorstep of Europe; by the same token, the ongoing simulations of those civil wars can only continue as long as no new external threat emerges. The party system of the Western liberal democracies barely survived the first half of the 20th century, and it may have only been the extraordinary American pre-eminence following WWII that held things together up until now. Not only has that pre-eminence come to end, but the American system is also no less in crisis than the Europeans’.
The models of Nature that were taken to precede and predetermine the emergence of society and the state in liberal political theories are derived from abstractions from civilized social relations—perhaps Marx was the first to make this fairly obvious observation. The same is no less true of Marx’s model of homo laborans, abstracted from the factory system emergent in 19th century England. The abstract individual property owner, acting according to reasoned self-interested; the abstract worker acting according to collective interest and self-conscious solidarity; the individual consumer on the marketplace driven by desire—the political theories embedded in our political institutions come down to little more than various combinations of these models. The only way to simulate debates is by playing one model off against another, since none of them models a form of legitimate disagreement. (There is no way of differentiating the map extracted from human nature from the territory of social action.) The models, meanwhile, can only function as models if we have forgotten the self-and other-directed disciplining violence that made them possible. Traditionalist theories (like MacIntyre, Oakeshott, Voegelin, Strauss, etc.) and postmodern theories (Foucault, Baudrillard, Derrida, etc.) have done a good job of dismantling the liberal ones, but have nothing to replace them with—indeed, they are at their best when they resist the demand for alternatives. Libertarian theories can serve as a powerful “regulating ideal” on any new social order (it will always be helpful to ask “how would this be done if there were no government…”), but not only have 19th century Britain and America been the only societies even vaguely approximating a libertarian order, not only there is virtually no public support in any contemporary society for anything more than bits and pieces of one, but libertarians have the same problem of accounting for the boundary between civilization and its others, based as it is on the same liberal abstractions.
Hannah Arendt made the interesting observation that most political theories are really attempts to eliminate politics. The Western tradition has never really broken with Plato in that respect. Where, indeed, is the space for campaigning, fund-raising, sloganeering, smearing, organizing, and so on, in a society ruled by Hobbes’s Leviathan? All basic problems have been solved. The same is true of Locke’s more liberal version of the same order, which seems to require nothing more than a policing agency that one imagines private citizens could arrange for themselves. Rawls’s veil of ignorance could ultimately be reduced to an algorithm determining which social order (or which tweaks of the existing order) would be most beneficial to the least advantaged within it—that is, his theory also represents a desperate attempt to get rid of the real stuff of politics, that is, irreducible disagreements. At the most, historical developments throw up new problems that must be discussed, but even in those cases there must be a right answer (even if technocratic expertise always masks cynical improvisation). The American founders’ desire to avert the formation of political parties (while grudgingly accepting and seeking to neutralize “factions”) represents a somewhat more moderate version of the same desire to eliminate politics: ideally, a virtuous public would elect honorable men to perform clearly circumscribed duties. Post-War pluralist theories are just balancing acts, taking for granted all the parties to be balanced. It has become fashionable (first of all, largely due to Arendt herself) to celebrate the give and take, unpredictability, open-endedness and so on of politics against the philosophers, but maybe the anti-political stance can be defended on the terms I am proposing here without sacrificing the human freedom and initiative Arendt wanted to preserve. The cold civil war of politics (leaving aside government as a massive patronage system, in which it resembles feudalism) only pertains to competing models of social order that have in common the assumption that the process of civilization has been completed once and for all. Once the boundary between civilization and its others becomes visible, politics is beside the point.
(As an aside, I’ll mention that the spread and maintenance of free markets is itself only possible on terrain cleared by civilization—the assumption that we can all be free, disembedded actors on the marketplace is a very clear sign of an unchallenged civilizational space and on the utter forgetting of that space. Interestingly, only the openly totalitarian object to the market as such—mostly, it is “distortions” of the market that are resented. Such resentments, then, either fit into the simulacral competition between social models I just discussed, or, in some, probably few, cases, represent resentments on behalf of civilization against barbaric encroachments. )
It would also make sense to claim that totalitarian anti-politics is actually the origin of modern Western politics, which is to say that the modern left, or “social justice,” is that origin (the French Revolution, amplifying the English one), with totalitarian right-wing politics (Nazism in particular) being mimetically parasitic on left-wing revolutionary politics (Bolshevism). Liberal democratic politics has never been more than an attempt to neuter and contain these tendencies. Politics, in that case, has been invented only so as ultimately to dissolve back up into the economy or race—which is to say, in a new form of bureaucratic savagery; or to successfully neutralize all active social forces and thereby itself as well in an equally bureaucratic and therapeutic hyper/post-civilization. All politics are attempts to reduce and exploit the differences that flourish under civilization by insisting that those differences are deviations from a model of justice derived from an anthropological simplification. Resentments are converted into demands for taxes on civilization to pay for deprivations of full anthropological presence, rather than expanded participation in civilization. A civilizing practice of anti-politics would resist all this simply by insisting on the truth that deferral and discipline sustain an upward virtuous spiral.
Still, in a sense a civilizational anti-politics would have to operate or appear as a kind of politics, at least until the totalitarian temptation at the origin of modern politics is extinguished. Civilization is the self-perpetuation and self-enhancement of deferral as discipline—in a civilized order, existing forms of discipline prompt others to invent new kinds. The left, meanwhile, is obedience to the imperative to expose the products of discipline as stolen centrality. All differences for the left, therefore, are instances of stolen centrality (gradations of marginality), while all differences for the civilizational intelligence are markers of disciplinary increments. This conflict brings us to the most fundamental or ontological level of politics, where politics is distinguished from non-politics: the distinction between differences as a series of zero-sum games (which ultimately means they are not real, just arenas where death matches are staged) and differences as originary and generative. The struggle between defenders of civilizational intelligence and the stokers of political flames is the struggle to convert politics to pedagogy.
Why pedagogy? The difference between the more and the less disciplined is manifested as exemplarity: the more disciplined show the less the way. This may be done didactically, in closed spaces set aside for the purpose; or in indirect, suggestive, subtle ways. It includes apprenticeship, parenting, role modeling, forms of leadership and accomplishment. Pedagogy involves the intensified awareness and diversion of mimesis, and therefore makes explicit our dependence on future generations. The maintenance of civilization is therefore completely bound up with pedagogy, on the willingness both to exert it and to submit to it. And we are equal insofar as we are always doing both, because to teach is to learn how to teach, to learn from the student, which we can always get better at. In this way, we can see the hysterics of today’s victimary youth as a demand for more exemplarity—which might explain quite a bit (who wouldn’t want to rebel against such pathetic leaders?). Each difference they decry is for us a sample of the salutary effects of deferral and discipline.
Pedagogy directed towards entrance into and contributions to disciplinary spaces would provide us with all the differences we could ever imagine or desire, and space for all the deliberation, hypothesizing and argumentation needed to exercise and engage our intellects. It will always be possible to disagree in productive ways regarding the process of teaching and learning. And pedagogy is nothing more than the directing of attention from the objects we desire to the habits of deferral that make those objects possible, in the course of which new increments of deferral and new objects of desire, tied to what the Austrian economists call lesser “time preference,” are generated. The marginalization of the state and national and international law place each individual (in all of our associations) on the boundary line between civilization and barbarism, where politics is converted to pedagogy, at least on the civilized side of the line. It is clear what must be defended on that boundary: difference, as produced by discipline, and the inquiry (intellectual and esthetic) into the boundary itself. And what must be opposed: difference as evidence of victimization and therefore a fraudulent center. But “opposed” less in the sense forcibly removed then converted into hypotheses to which we submit the counter. (Force, of course, may be necessary to protect the spaces in which this procedure is made possible.)
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More Alt-Right Programming
Filed under: GA — adam @ 8:21 am
Here is what is meant to be a more minimal (7 point) program aimed at creating a “big tent” for the Alt-Right. Particularly worth pointing out here is a direct approach to the question of internal governance, avoided by other Alt-Right advocates of nationalism:
5) Freedom is a responsibility and not a right. The freedom of too many incompetent people to make too many bad decisions is harmful to society and constrains the freedom of virtuous and responsible people. There are externalities to most actions and when these are harmful to non-actors it is a kind of injustice. These need to campaigned against, or suppressed by force or the threat of force—the basis of the rule of law. A virtuous society is an ordered one that provides freedom from anarcho-tyranny.
6) If we must be a democratic society, the franchise should be limited. Universal democracy is a bad system. It gives power to the worst and shackles the fittest. It is a degenerative institution in which the weak and unproductive collaborate against the strong and sustainable.
Here, the insistence on human differences (points 1 and 4) is applied to the structure of the nation itself, with the logical consequence that democracy and liberal notions of rights are more explicitly rejected. I wonder how big the tent will be—Vox Day, whose 16 points we examined a few posts ago, showing his avoidance of any acknowledgement of hierarchy within the nation, has expressed agreement with all 7 points, so perhaps the rejection of liberalism and democracy is not that controversial on the Alt-Right. The recognition on the Alt-Right that much of what they want will require some kind of strongman or elitist rule demonstrates a more comprehensive awareness of the implications of their project than I, at least, have seen so far. At any rate, it is useful to see the Alt-Right take up the issue of the “regime,” and in a way that brings it somewhat closer to disciplinary absolutist reaction.
Points 2 and 3 are more familiar, but give us the opportunity to raise a couple of questions:
2) Our world is tribal. The struggle for survival which has produced all life on earth extends into biological human races, which both exist and matter to their members. Such conflict is neither immoral nor moral, but a condition we must engage with in order to develop any meaningful philosophy or ideology. It can be found on the streets, in the human resources department, at the ballot box, or in the trenches. Even something as trivial as the Oscars is fought over. Though it is currently politically incorrect to acknowledge that races and their national subdivisions exist and compete for resources, land, and influence over one another or over themselves, that does not mean the struggle has stopped. That one side has been cajoled into not struggling does not mean it is left alone.
3) Our tribe is being suppressed. The new left doctrine of racial struggle in favor of non-whites only, a product of decolonization and the defeat of nationalists by egalitarians after WWII, must be repudiated and Whites must be allowed to take their own side in their affairs.https://atlanticcenturion.wordpress.com/2015/05/26/foaming-at-the-mouth-with-signals/ that says Whites are not allowed to have collective interests and literally every other identity group can do so and ought to do so is unacceptable.
Point 3 is really the easier one to agree with—of course, the new white nationalism/racialism is just—what’s the right phrase?—the chickens of victimary politics coming home to roost. The stupidity of imagining that you can accuse whites constantly, for decades, of being an oppressor race, without whites beginning to think, at some point, well let’s act like one, then, is simply staggering. Point 2 raises more problems. First of all, why say the world is tribal and then go on to talk exclusively about race? Tribes are nothing like races: tribes are internally structured social relationships, with strict kinship rules and an ethos of retaliation to offenses or insults against what is really an extended family. Whatever the biological reality of race, no race has ever acted as a race, with internal hierarchies, authority structures, forms of obligation, legitimation of violence, all understood to rest on racial grounds. A white guy from Wisconsin, and another from Arkansas, are not in the same tribe, no matter how racially conscious they are. Indeed, once you try to use biological, racial categories to organize a large scale community, the whole system breaks down—what would count as ethically or politically relevant genetic distinctions within a race? Politically, races are reactions to co-existence of groups of differing origins within modern society. No one has ever organized a racial polity or even movement of any significance—considered as an attempt to politically liberate and organize the “Aryan” race, Hitler’s Reich would have to be considered a complete failure, as he ended up at war with, and defeated by, much of (and the much less racially self-conscious part of) the Aryan world. Tribes, however, can act very cohesively and coherently as collectives, so I assume that the slippage here between “tribe” and “race” is a political fantasy in which races can act as tribes. (Moreover, tribalism is awful model for politics, since tribes cannot free themselves from the addiction to violence—the founding act of civilization is the king imposing an end to the vendetta amongst the tribes he rules over.) The political structure discussed in points 5 and 6 will not have anything to do with tribe or race—the more fit will rule, but either they will simply rule in the common good, determined by the ruler, or they will rule in the name of the race. In the former case, there is no reason to assume that race will remain the primary organizing category; in the latter case, all the conflicts of a modern social order are re-introduced into and intensified within the closed racial order, since there will be differing views of the good of the race, and one of those views might very well involve culling the unfit. (It should also be noted that the zero-sum struggle for resources characteristic of tribalism as portrayed here is incompatible with the freedom and autonomy of all nations in Vox Day’s 16 points—you can’t recognize the autonomy of a nation sitting on resources you need.)
This brings us to the culminating point 7:
The final alt-right shit-test is whether or not someone agrees with the reality that Jewish elites are opposed to our entire program. It is the third rail for a reason. The hardest redpill to take is a suppository, the Jewish Question. (Here I highly recommend Dr. Kevin MacDonald’s http://www.theoccidentalobserver.net/author/kmac/ if you don’t have the time preference for an entire series of books on the subject). The disproportionate influence of an elite Jewish minority in Western societies has been a net negative. Jews, who have a three thousand year history of regulating their communities to be as insular as possible among the nations whose territory they dwell in have a consistent pattern of promoting the interests of their own ethnoreligious minority at the expense of the majority nation. It is what they do and when they do it here it is bad news for us. When given the power they have now it results in degeneracy, the losing of one’s race. Even in Israel one will find Jews who are firmly dedicated to the destruction of their host’s borders and hold in contempt the idea of loyalty to their national kin. Who shrieks loudest at anti-immigration nativism? Who praises their own ethnocentrism as a virtue and shames others for having the same feeling? It is a pattern that crosses time and borders, and there is a war against noticing it. The staunchest social egalitarians, anti-nationalists and “anti-racists” are Jewish, inside and outside of Israel.
Jews sympathetic to the Alt-Right should certainly have no illusions about “joining” it (insofar as it has something like a “membership”). That’s fine—we can’t join Black Power, La Raza, the Catholic Church and lots of other things. And we’re not so easy to “join” ourselves. The “net effect” of Jews on their host nations can, of course, be debated—it will depend upon what you consider valuable and harmful. But more important than all this is what I see as a very fair and indisputable point: can anyone deny that Jewish elites are opposed, and must be opposed to the 6 points above and virtually any other articulation of the Alt-Right agenda? Can anyone deny the predominance of Jews in the pro-immigration and anti-racist movements, or o the Left more generally? Or that Jewish leftist activism is very often overtly presented as “Jewish,” i.e., as promoting specifically Jewish values and traditions (“Tikkun Olam, etc.)? Jewish influence and power, and the fantastically varied nature of the perceptions and assessments of that influence and power, is best understood as an effect of unsecure power. The decentralization and differentiation of powers through the Western world over the last half millennium has created the conditions under which groups, like Jews, with a specific vocation and capacities, specific internal organization, relation to the majority community, i.e., as a kind of prototypical middleman minority, are able and compelled to exercise power in all kinds of un and under-acknowledged, and therefore difficult to measure, ways. Restore sovereignty, and the Jewish Question is resolved. Of course, a restored sovereign might be hostile to the Jews, might see their removal as central to its own restoration; but a strong and effective sovereign is more likely to find uses for the Jews, while blocking their subversive tendencies. Since a restored sovereign would, by definition, eliminate the left, that in itself would remove the main vehicle of antagonistic Jewish influence, allowing Jews to contribute productively.
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{{Roman government}}{{refimprove|date=February 2019}}The Principate is the name sometimes given to the first period of the Roman Empire from the beginning of the reign of Augustus in 27 BC to the end of the Crisis of the Third Century in 284 AD, after which it evolved into the so-called Dominate{{citation needed|date=April 2018}}.The Principate is characterised by the reign of a single emperor (princeps) and an effort on the part of the early emperors, at least, to preserve the illusion of the formal continuance, in some aspects, of the Roman Republic.WEB,weblink Principate - government, britannica.com, no,weblink 2016-10-11, A history of Rome, M. Cary & H.H. Scullard, {{ISBN|0333278305}}SPQR; Mary Beard, {{ISBN|9781846683800}}
It is etymologically derived from the Latin word princeps, meaning chief or first, the political regime dominated by such a political leader, whether or not he is formally head of state and/or head of government. This reflects the principate emperors' assertion that they were merely "first among equals" among the citizens of Rome.
The title, in full, of princeps senatus / princeps civitatis ("first amongst the senators" / "first amongst the citizens") was first adopted by Octavian Caesar Augustus (27 BCâAD 14), the first Roman "emperor" who chose, like the assassinated dictator Julius Caesar, not to reintroduce a legal monarchy. Augustus's purpose was probably to establish the political stability desperately needed after the exhausting civil wars by a de facto dictatorial regime within the constitutional framework of the Roman Republic as a more acceptable alternative to, for example, the early Roman Kingdom.The title itself derived from the position of the princeps senatus, traditionally the oldest member of the Senate who had the right to be heard first on any debate. Although dynastic pretenses crept in from the start, formalizing this in a monarchic style remained politically unthinkable.Often, in a more limited and precise chronological sense, the term is applied either to the Empire (in the sense of the post-Republican Roman state) or specifically the earlier of the two phases of "Imperial" government in the ancient Roman Empire, extending from when Augustus claimed auctoritas for himself as princeps until Rome's military collapse in the West (fall of Rome) in 476, leaving the Byzantine Empire sole heir, or, depending on the source, up to the rule of Commodus, of Maximinus Thrax or of Diocletian. Afterwards, Imperial rule in the Empire is designated as the dominate, which is subjectively more like an (absolute) monarchy while the earlier Principate is still more 'Republican'.Under this "Principate stricto sensu", the political reality of autocratic rule by the Emperor was still scrupulously masked by forms and conventions of oligarchic self-rule inherited from the political period of the 'uncrowned' Roman Republic (509 BCâ27 BC) under the motto Senatus Populusque Romanus ("The Senate and people of Rome") or SPQR. Initially, the theory implied the 'first citizen' had to earn his extraordinary position (de facto evolving to nearly absolute monarchy) by merit in the style that Augustus himself had gained the position of auctoritas.Imperial propaganda developed a paternalistic ideology, presenting the princeps as the very incarnation of all virtues attributed to the ideal ruler (much like a Greek tyrannos earlier), such as clemency and justice, and in turn placing the onus on the princeps to play this designated role within Roman society, as his political insurance as well as a moral duty. What specifically was expected of the princeps seems to have varied according to the times; Tiberius, who amassed a huge surplus for the city of Rome, was criticized as a miser, but Caligula was criticized for his lavish spending on games and spectacles.Generally speaking, it was expected of the Emperor to be generous but not frivolous, not just as a good ruler but also with his personal fortune (as in the proverbial "bread and circuses" â panem et circenses) providing occasional public games, gladiators, horse races and artistic shows. Large distributions of food for the public and charitable institutions were also means that served as popularity boosters while the construction of public works provided paid employment for the poor.(File:Principate Diagram.jpg|200px|Principate under Augustus|thumb|Left|Principate under AugustusDigital Reproduction of diagram found in The Anchor Atlas of World History, Vol. 1 (From the Stone Age to the Eve of the French Revolution) Paperback â December 17, 1974 by Werner Hilgemann, Hermann Kinder, Ernest A. Menze (Translator), Harald Bukor (Cartographer), Ruth Bukor (Cartographer))
Redefinition under Vespasian
With the fall of the Julio-Claudian dynasty in 68 CE, the principate was redefined in formal terms under the Emperor Vespasian in 69 CE. The position of princeps became a distinct entity within the broader â formally still republican â Roman constitution. While many of the cultural and political expectations remained, the princeps was no longer a position extended on the basis of merit, or auctoritas, but on a firmer basis, allowing Vespasian and future emperors to designate their own heir without those heirs having to earn the position through years of success and public favor.Under the Antonine dynasty, it was the norm for the Emperor to appoint a successful and politically promising individual as his successor. In modern historical analysis, this is treated by many authors as an "ideal" situation: the individual who was most capable was promoted to the position of princeps. Of the Antonine dynasty, Edward Gibbon famously wrote that this was the happiest and most productive period in human history, and credited the system of succession as the key factor.
This first phase evolved into the so-called dominate. Starting with the Emperor Diocletian, an oriental type of style like dominus ("Lord", "Master", suggesting the citizens became servi, servants or slaves) gradually became current, though not legal, but there was no clear constitutional turning point. This trend is also said to have been established by the Emperor Septimius Severus; while the Severan dynasty began to use the terminology of the Dominate in reference to the emperor, the various emperors and their usurpers throughout the 3rd century appealed to the people as both military dominus and political princeps.After the Crisis of the Third Century almost resulted in the Roman Empire's political collapse, Diocletian replaced the one-headed principate with the tetrarchy (c. 300 AD, two Augusti ranking above two Caesares), in which the vestigial pretense of the old Republican forms was largely abandoned. The title of princeps was abandoned â like the territorial unity of the Empire â in favor of dominus, and the position of the emperor(s), especially in the Western Roman Empire, was entirely dependent on their control of the armed forces.The dominate developed more and more, especially in the Eastern Roman Empire, along the lines of an oriental absolute monarchy, where the subjects, and even diplomatic allies, could be termed servus or the corresponding Greek term doulos, ("servant/slave") to express the exalted position of the Emperor as second only to God, and on earth to none.{{citation needed|date=April 2018}}
Alston, Richard. 1998. Aspects of Roman History. AD 14â117. London: Routledge.
Aparicio Pérez, Antonio. 2009. âTaxation in Times of the Principate.â Gerión 27:1: 207-217.
Bleicken, Jochen. 1978. Prinzipat und Dominat. Gedanken zur Periodisierung der römischen Kaiserzeit. Wiesbaden: Fr. Stein.
Flaig, Egon. 2011. âThe Transition from Republic to Principate: Loss of Legitimacy, Revolution, and Acceptance.â In The Roman Empire in Context: Historical and Comparative Perspectives, Edited by Jóhann Páll Arnason and Kurt A. Raaflaub. Ancient World, 67-84. Chichester: Wiley-Blackwell.
Gallia, Andrew B. 2012. Remembering the Roman Republic: Culture, Politics and History under the Principate. Cambridge; New York: Cambridge University Press.
Gibson, A. G. G., ed. 2013. The Julio-Claudian Succession: Reality and Perception of the Augustan model. Mnemosyne. Supplements; 349. Leiden: Brill.
Harlow, Mary and Laurence, Ray. 2017. âAugustus Senex: Old Age and the Remaking of the Principate.â Greece and Rome 64.2: 115-131.
Kousser, Rachel Meredith. 2005. âFrom Conquest to Civilization: The Rhetoric of Imperialism in the Early Principate.â In A Tall Order: Writing the Social History of the Ancient World: Essays in Honor of William V. Harris, Edited by Jean-Jacques Aubert and Zsuzsanna Várhelyi. Beiträge zur Altertumskunde; 216, 185-202. München: Saur.
Melounová, Markéta. 2012. âTrials with Religious and Political Charges from the Principate to the Dominate.â Series archaeologica et classica 17.2: 117-130.
Raaflaub, Kurt A, Mark Toher, and G. W Bowersock. 1990. Between Republic and Empire: Interpretations of Augustus and His Principate. Berkeley: University of California Press.
Williams, Kathryn Frances. 2009. âTacitus' Germanicus and the Principate.â Latomus 68.1: 117-130.
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Twelve Quotes from Leo Tolstoy on Truth, Violence, and Government
Jon Miltimore | June 13, 2019
Lev Nikolayevitch Tolstoy (1828- 1910), more commonly known as Leo Tolstoy, was a Russian writer and philosopher.
Tolstoy was born on a small family estate in Tula, Russia, an industrial city about 100 miles south of Moscow. The fourth of five children, Tolstoy studied law and languages at Kazan University, but he was a poor student and abandoned his studies to travel and write. He published his first novel in 1852, but his life of leisure was interrupted by the Crimean War.
Following the war, a conflict in which Tolstoy served as an artillery officer, he traveled to Europe, where he met a number of other literary figures, including Victor Hugo. (Hugo’s 1862 novel Les Misérables would inspire Tolstoy’s most famous work, War and Peace.)
Tolstoy is best remembered for his voluminous masterpiece novels, Anna Karenina and the aforementioned War and Peace (1869). Writers from Dostoevsky to Virginia Woolf declared Tolstoy “the greatest of all novelists.” Yet, in quantity, at least, Tolstoy’s philosophical works rivaled his fiction. He wrote no fewer than 50 such pieces—works that explored life, faith, government, violence, truth, and love. His ideas reflect a blend of Christian pacifism, asceticism, and anarchism.
Below are 12 selected quotes that reflect his ideas, which remain relevant today.
"All violence consists in some people forcing others, under threat of suffering or death, to do what they do not want to do." - The Law of Love and the Law of Violence (1908)
"The most difficult subjects can be explained to the most slow-witted man if he has not formed any idea of them already; but the simplest thing cannot be made clear to the most intelligent man if he is firmly persuaded that he knows already, without a shadow of doubt, what is laid before him." - The Kingdom of God Is Within You (1894)
"In all history there is no war which was not hatched by the governments, the governments alone, independent of the interests of the people, to whom war is always pernicious even when successful." - Christianity and Patriotism (1895)
"Amid this life based on coercion, one and the same thought constantly emerged among different nations, namely, that in every individual a spiritual element is manifested that gives life to all that exists, and that this spiritual element strives to unite with everything of a like nature to itself, and attains this aim through love." - A Letter to a Hindu (1908)
"In our world everybody thinks of changing humanity, and nobody thinks of changing himself." - "Three Methods Of Reform" in Pamphlets (1900)
"Not only does the action of Governments not deter men from crimes; on the contrary, it increases crime by always disturbing and lowering the moral standard of society." - The Meaning of the Russian Revolution (1906)
"Progress consists, not in the increase of truth, but in freeing it from its wrappings. The truth is obtained like gold, not by letting it grow bigger, but by washing off from it everything that isn't gold." As quoted in Tolstoy's Diaries (1985)
"The Anarchists are right in everything; in the negation of the existing order, and in the assertion that, without authority, there could not be worse violence than that of authority under existing conditions. They are mistaken only in thinking that Anarchy can be instituted by a revolution….[It] will be instituted only by there being more and more people who do not require protection from governmental power, and by there being more and more people who will be ashamed of applying this power." “On Anarchy," in Pamphlets (1900)
"The hero of my tale, whom I love with all the power of my soul, whom I have tried to portray in all his beauty, who has been, is, and will be beautiful, is Truth." - Sevastopol in May (1855)
"Understand then all of you, especially the young, that to want to impose an imaginary state of government on others by violence is not only a vulgar superstition, but even a criminal work. Understand that this work, far from assuring the well-being of humanity is only a lie, a more or less unconscious hypocrisy, camouflaging the lowest passions we possess." - The Law of Love and the Law of Violence (1908)
"I know that most men—not only those considered clever, but even those who are very clever and capable of understanding most difficult scientific, mathematical, or philosophic, problems—can seldom discern even the simplest and most obvious truth if it be such as obliges them to admit the falsity of conclusions they have formed." As quoted in What Is Art and Essays on Art (1930)
"I have now understood that though it seems to men that they live by care for themselves, in truth it is love alone by which they live. He who has love, is in God, and God is in him, for God is love." - What Men Live By (1881)
[Image Credit: Wikimedia Commons, Public Domain]
Can Patriotism and Nationalism Co-exist?
History, Politics
Dangers of the Witch Hunts in Washington
How 'Rights' Have Gone Wrong
Did Early Christians Believe that Mary was a Teen Mother? It's Complicated
History, Religion
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In The City : In The City - Autumn 5.11
NEW FUNCTION FACILITIES. Canberra Club Ltd Tel: 6249 8000 | email: info@canberraclub.com.au | www.canberraclub.com.au LEVEL 1, CANBERRA HOUSE, 45 WEST ROW, CANBERRA CITY 2601 NorthborneAve.WestRowMooreSt Alinga St Canberra Club Ltd IN THE CITY MAGAZINE 28 The Canberra Times | In the City Magazine | AUTUMN Tucked away in a quiet street of Braddon, a very special man works his magic, as RAHIMA SAIKAL discovers. Alan Goode began practicing yoga in Sydney in 1975 when he was just 15 years old. “Two years earlier my mother had passed away suddenly,” he said. “The period immediately following my mother’s death was one of turmoil and I had no way to make sense of my experience or what was happening to me – the distress was overwhelming.” On attending his first yoga class, Goode experienced an intense physical release of tension and relief from the inner tension of his mind and emotions for the first time since his mother’s death. Goode believes that during the teen years, a lot of people question their identity and direction in life. For him, the experience of yoga helped him to find a way to exist in his own skin. Clad in simple black cloth pants and a black cotton t-shirt, today, at the age of 50 years old, Goode is the picture of clarity, wisdom and serenity. Goode practices Iyengar yoga, a rigorous method of practice that brings body, breath and mind together. He has been the director and owner of the Yoga Mandir studio in Braddon for the past six years and has built up a loyal following of yoga fanatics. One of those fans, 38-year-old Janette Nolan of Griffith has been practicing yoga under the instruction of Goode for three years. She swears by Goode. “We are really lucky to have someone of his calibre in Canberra. He makes yoga make so much sense on how to approach it from the mind, not just physically”. Yoga Mandir Studio in Braddon is Goode’s third yoga school and the students are exposed to the practice and the philosophy of yoga in a systematic way. Goode is a man of the world, so why has he chosen to settle down in Canberra. Having run yoga schools since the early 1980s, when he moved to Canberra in 1995, he set up his yoga school. He wanted to develop a student body that was exposed systematically to yogic practices as well as the subject. “Yoga is often described as an art and a science and Canberra provides an excellent environment to focus my energies towards these ends,” he says. “Canberra also has a wonderful mix of city and bush with ample parkland and cycle ways.” Canberra’s population is urbane and the capital understands the value of applying themselves to something to reap the long-term benefits. He loves the location of Braddon as the proximity to the city makes it easy for students to attend classes before work, at lunchtimes and after work. Being close to the Australian National University is also beneficial, as students do not have to travel far to attend a class. These days, many people know that yoga is sitting in a room or outdoor area, usually with a group of people or by yourself and manoeuvring your body into different positions, but a lot of people do not actually know what the true purpose of yoga is. Goode believes yoga is a system that looks into bringing the body, breathing and mind together. “Most people today, experience disfragmentation and are either sitting at a desk using their thoughts but not their bodies or the other way around,” Goode says. “Yoga has the capacity to bring all these things together. As a practice it is a case of letting go of stresses and distractions and being able to bring one’s physical and emotional needs together in a cohesive form.” Physically, yoga is fantastic for the body, increasing flexibility. It is also good for your heart rate and metabolism. It is believed that a healthy mind is a key player in one’s overall health. Nolan has found that it is not just physical benefits reaped from practicing yoga, but most importantly, mental benefits. “I have been practicing yoga for 14 years and I find the mental benefits of it the most rewarding. I have an insight into myself and it helps me to make important decisions in my life.” Possibly, one of the most important points of interest is the link between yoga and the healing of the body. Yoga acknowledges that pain in the body does not merely affect the body; it also touches us physically, energetically and emotionally. Goode believes that an injury or illness doesn’t just affect the body in a physical form, but also affects someone emotionally and energetically. Suffering doesn’t only touch those with injuries however. “We all suffer in some way and yoga helps us look at the source of our suffering and to reach out for integration” Goode says. Goode emphasises though, yoga should not be seen as a substitute for conventional treatments. Yoga is not a way to avoid suffering; it is instead a way to face what people have and deal with. “Every day I have to help people stand in the face of their difficulties rather than promising a magical cure.” PEOPLE Photo: Rohan Thomson Goode for the Soul
In The City - Issue 4
In The City - Winter 2011
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Champions League: These 16 Teams Clinch Spots In Knockout Rounds
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Love Island's Amber Gill is left fuming tonight as her fellow femal...
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Authors Paula Stern Reprehensible Comparisons on the Left
Reprehensible Comparisons on the Left
By Paula Stern July 22, 2017 March 20, 2018
On Friday, three Palestinians died and three Israelis were murdered. In that simple sentence, nearly every word is important. Six people lost their lives – three to the violence they incited; three to the violence brought into their home. Three were avoidable, even, to some extent chosen; three were not.
What is morally reprehensible is comparing the deaths of people who were murdered in their homes, with those who were killed as a result of their rioting and attacking security forces. Sarah Tuttle-Singer is the New Media Editor of the Times of Israel. She is a journalist – unless she doesn’t want to be called that, an unashamed leftist who should be ashamed.
She wants us to believe that she loves peace and wants justice and equality…unless, of course, you are a soldier or a settler. She is careful to put into quotes the “my side” and that is very honest of her…those quotes.
She is correct. Three Palestinians did die yesterday…and another today as well.
She is wrong. Three Israelis did not die yesterday…they were brutally murdered.
“Do you get it?” She asks. Honestly, I do get it…it is Sarah and others like her who do not get it and worse, are working very hard to make sure you don’t get it either. “A total of six people are now dead,” she continues. Well, she’s not bad with math but facts are what seems to escape her notice.
Then she attempts to tell you about the three Israelis. Note how she carefully points out that in addition to the grandfather, his two “adult children” were butchered. She points this out, lest you think they are younger and therefore you might be inclined to feel more sympathy. She says she is angry and “so so sad.”
But then, she quickly turns to the “other” side. She wants to know about the young men who died on the Palestinian side without once mentioning how they died or what they were doing when death “came upon them.” And, of course, to increase your sympathy, she wonders who is taking care of the mothers of these Arabs. The mother of the terrorist who murdered three Israelis has already come out announcing that she is proud of her son…is this one of the mothers that Sarah Tuttle-Singer worries about?
She doesn’t wonder about the mother of the “adult children” – because she is, it seems, another victim in the attack and is currently in the hospital fighting for her life.
And then she delivers her most important message. She wants you to care as much about the dead Arabs as the murdered Jews. She wants to erase sides in this battle, coming dangerously close to ignoring 90% of the truth is this horrible conflict that we have been involved in since and before the founding of the State of Israel.
Yes, there are two sides to this conflict and yes, it is a bitter one. But no, there still is a difference between dying and being murdered; between being made the victim of a vicious attack and choosing to put yourself in the midst of a riot (if not one of the rioters).
Every single one of the Palestinian victims of the conflict’s violence (at least in the last few days) became a victim because they chose to go out into the violence that was started by their political leaders, incited by their religious leaders, usually fanned by their schools, and often encouraged by their parents, family and friends. The deaths of these young men were completely and entirely avoidable. All they had to do was NOT go to the rioting.
Every single one of the Jewish victims of the conflict (at least in the last few days) because a victim because…because of people like the ones in the previous paragraph. The deaths in this family were completely and entirely unavoidable – without a massive crack down and pouring more resources into limiting the mobility of hundreds of thousands of people – something people like Sarah Tuttle-Singer would no doubt bemoan and fight.
I would love to live in a world in which there are no sides – a perfect “Imagine” world in which everyone lives in peace. But, we will never accomplish that if we focus on the wrong “side” when trying to resolve the conflict.
The father of the Halamish/Never Tsuf would have you believe that his son murdered a 70-year-old grandfather and two of his children because of the “occupation.” Sadly, writers like Sarah Tuttle-Singer may well attempt to claim the same. The reality is that what is at fault here is not the location where some Jews live but rather the culture in which too many Arabs are raised.
Making hideous comparisons serves only to muddle the facts, deny the truth, and prolong the conflict. Only when we hold those who are truly responsible for this violence to the ramifications of their actions and words – only then do we have any chance at peace.
It isn’t the occupation.
It isn’t the metal detectors.
It isn’t the settlers.
It is extremist, fundamentalist Islam. It is Jihad. It is the Palestinian Authority. It is Hamas and yes, at the end of the day, it is Sarah Tuttle-Singer and others who attempt to divert you from realizing the terrible truths by creating illusion and inaccurate and reprehensible comparisons.
Author: Paula Stern
Paula is widely known as "A Soldier's Mother," referring to the blog she began when her oldest son entered the Israeli army almost 10 years ago. Her third son is now serving in the Givati division and Paula continues to blog there and on other sites as well. Paula lives in Maale Adumim and is the owner of WritePoint Ltd, a leading technical writing company in Israel.
View all posts by Paula Stern →
A Mother’s Prayer – Pray for Jerusalem
World Cares More for Terrorists Than Arab Terror’s Jewish Victims
Pingback: She Heard Arabic and Knew Something Was Wrong - Israel Blogger
Mr. Cohen
July 23, 2017 at 6:20 am 2 years ago
Rabbi Lazer Brody of Breslov said:
“Political Correctness and truth have
nothing to do with one other, and
most of the time are the exact opposite.”
SOURCE: Aleinu and Donald Trump:,
a public lecture by Rabbi Lazer Brody,
time = 28 minutes 58 seconds, 2017 January 29
Emsie Gouws
Love this. Yes there is and can never be comparisons made. It is apples and oranges..and in the middle she..this woman is eating lemons.
Joanne Simanowitz
Our blood is cheapened because we are called “settlers”by our own people. We are Israelis. We have citizenship, our kids are IDF soldiers protecting every citizen.
Disenfranchisement has cheapened our blood.
Palestinian leadership has created a sociopathic culture predicated on hatred of us and abuse of their people.
Dani Renan
Unfortunately, it isn’t extremist, fundamentalist Islam. It is Islam, period.
Of course there are streams and schools of jurisprudence that do not accept that interpretation of Islam. But the most “moderate” Palestinian Muslim today, still claims that the Jews have no rights to any territory that is in (or ever was) in Dar al-Islam. When Amona was evacuated, the local moderate farmers were saying it is the first step. Step to what? Until all the Jews are evacuated and return to Europe.
Until there is a moderate Islam that shows itself to be moderate, and not just planting the seeds of Salafism, Jihadism, etc, then we might be able to differentiate between moderate and radical. However, it won’t be moderate Islam that will defeat the Ikhwan and its ilks, it will be Secular Islam, or Individual Islam. People that believe that Islam is a personal path, not a political path. And I do know Muslims like that; unfortunately they are in Morocco, France, Azerbaijan, Kurdistan, and place that have little impact on the “Palestinians”.
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Narrabri Agriculture
The town of Narrabri lies in one of the richest agricultural regions in Australia.
The 13,000 square kilometer Narrabri Shire, in the heart of the Namoi Valley, is home to a divers range of agricultural enterprises. The fertile country north, west and south-east of Narrabri produces cotton, wheat , barley, oilseeds, and a variety of other crops, ranging from grapes to peanuts. Livestock production includes sheep, cattle and pigs.
The annual value of agricultural production is in excess of $330 million per year. This figure includes more than $200 million from cotton and about $60 million from wheat.
Irrigation farming, utilizing both surface water from the Namoi River (provided via a regulated flow from Keepit Dam) and groundwater, is a very important component of the Shir’s success. The success of the agricultural industries have resulted in the development of big storage and transport centres in the Shire.
The high volumes of agricultural commodities have led to the extablishement of big secondary processing industries such as the huge Cargill Oilseeds plant at Narrabri which processes about 250,000 tonnes of cottonseed each year.
The moder Canzac Pulse Processors Pty Ltd plant in Narrabri brings state of the art technology to the task of producing high quality pulse seeds for export. Other plants include seed grading, mixing and packaging operations.
The huge agricultural industries are in turn supported by a host of specialist supply, engineering, chemicals, and consulting firms.
Two world-rank research establishments are located in the Narrabri district; the I.A Watson Grains Research Centre (operated by the University of Sydney), and the big Australian Cotton Research Institute (ACRI) a shared venture between the CSIRO and the NSW Department of Agriculture.
Late 2005 saw the launch of the new Cotton Catchment Communities Cooperative Research Centre – based at ACRI. This new CRC will provide a multi-faceted approach to cotton industry research.
Narrabri is also home for the important Cotton Research and Development Corporation. The CRDC is a $15 million body funded by the Federal Government and industry to select and fund suitable research projects.
It was from humble beginnings in Narrabri that the Prime Wheat Growers’ Association was born. This local wheat grower organization went on to encompass wheat growers across NSW before acquiring GrainCorp which now operates grain handling and other businesses in NSW, Victoria and Queensland.
Narrabri Shire’s growth and development is strongly tied to the success of its agricultural industries. Fortunately, district farmers are acutely aware of the need for the wise use of resources and sustainable farming methods. It is this knowledge and expertise which is driving the town and district forward to a bright, prosperous future.
Sorgum and Cotton
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Legendary Author Patricia Nell Warren: Ever the Front Runner
I recall it as if it were yesterday: stepping inside the sprawling bookstore, which smelled faintly of dust; walking past the periodicals, where gay porn titles peeked at me ever-so-discretely from the uppermost row; crossing to the back of the store, reaching “my” row, and nervously looking about before finally stepping up to the shelves, above which hung a large sign, “Gay Studies.” I felt uncomfortable standing beneath it, as it labeled not just the shelves, but my own burgeoning identity, and committing to this unfamiliar label so publicly felt entirely premature. While the “Gay” part I understood, it was only years later that I realized the second part of the sign was equally true, as I was studying the world I would soon fully inhabit.
Coming out has changed greatly in the years since, but what I found through the books on that shelf provided for me the same reassurance as those emerging today seek; through the stories, I learned I was not alone. Novels by such authors as Larry Kramer, Armistead Maupin, Andrew Holleran, and Felice Picano filled me in on this mysterious world, where other men openly searched for love, but one book from that time stands out to me as unique, and resonated with me deeply. Patricia Nell Warren’s groundbreaking novel The Front Runner follows coach Harlan Brown and his protégé Billy Sive as they discover love against the backdrop of the Olympics and a changing world. As a young man myself, I had yet to find a book which spoke to my generation, and identified both with Brown, as he emerged from his more rigid, conservative environment, as well as Sive, who embodied the new, free spirited era, exploding on the horizon in front of me.
Prior to The Front Runner’s publication in 1974, Warren authored her first novel, The Last Centennial, published in 1971. She had also published three volumes of Ukrainian poetry independently, as well as amassing a large body of unpublished work. While the debut of The Front Runner introduced Warren to a new legion of fans, she was surprised to find that the book rankled some in the literary establishment, who were uncomfortable that such a seminal gay male romance had been written by a woman. It didn’t seem to matter to them that she had come out in 1974 as a lesbian. In the years following, however, Warren solidified her reputation in both the gay and literary worlds with continuations of The Front Runner saga (Harlan’s Race and Billy’s Boy), as well as novels The Fancy Dancer, The Wild Man, and The Beauty Queen, and non-fiction (including Lavender Locker Room and My West.)
Whether as an American writing Ukrainian poetry, a runner helping to usher women into the sport, a woman writing gay male fiction, or as a writer, taking control over her own work as publisher with Wildcat Press, Warren has long been a game changer, moving into uncharted waters and navigating them for others. She graciously agreed to take time out from her busy schedule to talk with me about her body of work, issues facing the LGBT community, and the rewards and challenges of having written a literary classic. As a bonus, she also reveals more about the prospects for the long-awaited The Front Runner movie, as well as the continuation of that tale in a fourth book.
Kergan Edwards-Stout: Thank you so much for taking the time to speak with me. In reviewing your work, I became very curious as to the key, pivotal moments in your life. What most shaped you and your journey?
Patricia Nell Warren: It wasn’t so much a moment, but an experience, of being raised on a ranch in the West, at a very particular time. So much of what we think of as LGBT literature is based on an urban worldview, but growing up in a rural setting, as I did, is very much a part of who I am today. Looking back, now that I’m 76, that life gave me a very different viewpoint, as you’re living in a situation where, any day, there could be a storm that wipes out the wheat crop. That kind of day-to-day existence is challenging, and in many ways, at heart, I’m still a ranch kid. In fact, I’m co-writing a book on that with my brother, called Kids on a Ranch.
Edwards-Stout: Did you find it difficult, making connections with people in that kind of environment?
Warren: Our ranch wasn’t that far from town. We were close enough that we could walk, bicycle, or ride our horses into town, so we had lots of friends. It wasn’t an isolating kind of life, but it was definitely a different life, with different jobs at home than the town kids, who may not have known one end of a horse from the other!
You had to take a very practical approach on how to handle things, which today has led me to have political impatience. My dad used to say, “When your horse is caught in barbed wire, you don’t sit around making speeches. You grab the wire cutters and get to work!”
Edwards-Stout: Look at what has happened recently, with the Sandy Hook shooting—
Warren: With gun violence, the horse is thrashing around, and all we get are speeches. Events like that have happened how many times, with no real action…? In the LGBT community, we have the same experience of sometimes making speeches, instead of creating real change.
Edwards-Stout: Prior to coming out as lesbian, you were married to a man. Fill in the gap for me, from small town life, to married woman, to coming out as lesbian author of a gay novel…
Warren: Like many women of my generation, the pressures on women to be and act a certain way were enormous. Back then, there was no feminist movement, and even the careers which were open to women were very limited. You didn’t think of being a brain surgeon, for example. That just wasn’t done. While within my own family, my desire to write was supported, it was also clear that while writing might be an interest, there was also an expectation that I would marry. Now, while I didn’t know the words “gay” or “lesbian” at that time, I nevertheless knew I was different. I’d had a romance with another girl as a teen, though neither of us knew what to call it; we just knew it was something to hide.
I ultimately married, to a Ukrainian man. I had written quite a bit of poetry, prior to marriage, and through him I was introduced to Ukrainian poetry. I became the only non-Ukrainian among The New York Group of émigré writers and poets, and we had enormous success with our work. It was translated into various languages and even read covertly in the Soviet Union. Later, having committed to writing longer works, I wrote an abortive novel, which would eventually become The Wild Man, and followed it up with The Last Centennial.
Edwards-Stout: Like The Front Runner, The Wild Man also focuses on a gay male romance, but takes place in Spain.
Warren: I began writing it when I lived in Spain, before The Front Runner, but ultimately decided to put it aside.
Edwards-Stout: Why?
Warren: At the time, I was still closeted, but was very intrigued by what was going on in Spain in terms of LGBT lives. General Franco led a deeply homophobic regime. If you were gay during that time, they would quite simply kill you. This was not just social pressure on someone to conform, or going to jail if you were caught; Franco had a vendetta against gay people. And that atmosphere led me to tackle those themes, but as I was not yet in an honest place with myself regarding my own sexuality, the book as I was then writing it didn’t work. I put that manuscript into a drawer, and didn’t return to it for twenty years.
Edwards-Stout: When you think about the extremes you were living under in Spain, marriage equality there today seems like quite a leap.
Warren: While I lived there, the country’d had over 500 years of state religion, in addition to being run with a very tight fist. After Franco died and the country began to change, the rapidity with which they moved was inspiring. Most Spanish people were so tired of living under that kind of control, they immediately embraced their freedom.
Edwards-Stout: And yet we Americans still don’t enjoy those same rights.
Warren: The U.S. religious right wants to establish a Protestant version of the same thing, with some people expecting everyone to follow their brand of Christianity, which would essentially be state religion.
Edwards-Stout: Eventually, you came to a place where you felt you could tackle gay themes. What inspired The Front Runner?
Warren: Well, I’ve always loved sports. When I was growing up in the 1940s, however, there was no enlightened approach to sports in terms of gender. With basketball, for example, girls weren’t allowed to run; you simply threw the ball from one person to the next. We were allowed to play softball, do tumbling, swimming, but there was no girls’ track, which I loved. It wasn’t until the late ‘60s, when the long distance running craze hit, that I moved from jogging to long distance, which is when my experience with competitive sports began. It was that experience which led me to write The Front Runner. I originally envisioned the story as being about a female coach and one of her women runners, trying to reach the Olympic Games.
Edwards-Stout: What made you change those characters to men?
Warren: It was a very practical decision, as I realized that no one would believe the story, because in 1972, while women’s track was beginning to take off, there simply were no women’s track coaches. Women’s track was all coached by men. So I made the decision to change the genders.
Edwards-Stout: At the time the novel was published, younger gay characters weren’t as prevalent as they are today. Many books focused on men in their thirties, enjoying their sexual liberty. With Billy Sive, you created a character which resonated deeply with readers, giving them someone with whom they could identify.
Warren: Being so involved in the long distance running movement, I encountered many youth who were coming out. That interaction led to the creation of Billy, who is very much a product of the times. He’s a kid, coming of age in the 1960s, contrasted with the character of Harlan, born during World War II, and very conservative. I thought the collision between the two would be fascinating.
Edwards-Stout: If you were creating that character today, would he have taken the same journey?
Warren: No, his experience would be different. With Billy’s Boy, I was able to take aspects of Billy and continue that character through his son, who experiences coming out in the 1990s. And if I ever get the fourth book written, you’ll see that evolution of the coming out experience, moving into today’s world.
Edwards-Stout: When The Front Runner was published, did you have any idea you’d face criticism within the gay community?
Warren: I simply wanted to tell a story. I realized that while the book itself could be controversial, it would also mean that I myself was coming out, so the entire endeavor was a bit scary. Still, I was completely shocked when I found myself being criticized from some in the gay community who felt that I had somehow broken the rules, being a woman and writing about men.
Edwards-Stout: What is interesting to me is that while today many female authors writing gay male fiction are using pseudonyms, you used your own name in publishing the book. And having that name on the book jacket was not an impediment. Gay men picked up the book in droves, because the story resonated with them.
Warren: The feedback I’ve gotten over the years has been very interesting. Some believed that “Patricia Nell Warren” actually was a pseudonym. Some thought I was a man, or a drag queen–I don’t know where those stories came from! (laughing) With time, people have gotten used to the idea of a woman writing that book.
Edwards-Stout: With the explosion of women writing m/m romance, what are your observations of that genre?
Warren: We have so politicized literature today, pigeonholing people into gay male fiction, lesbian fiction, transgender fiction, and then other sub-genres within those… There seems to be a feeling like authors should stay in their own box, and not write about anybody else, but the thing is, as a writer, you’re constantly writing about things that you yourself haven’t personally experienced. We should all be free to write about each other as human beings. Some gay men love reading lesbian novels, some straight women love gay male romance, and that richness of reaching across the boundaries helps us further our understanding of each other.
Edwards-Stout: What have been the blessings and challenges of writing such a seminal work?
Warren: Well, The Front Runner remains by far my biggest selling book, has been translated into countless languages, and continues to sell all over the world. I’m grateful that this book gave me an ongoing life as an author. It brings me into dialogue with people all over the world. I do celebrate all of that, but I also have other stories to tell. More recently, I’ve been writing editorials about issues facing us, and have tried to help create change through those. Today, our government has so criminalized the right to protest, that people don’t take action as they once did. That makes it important for us to use other means, such as online polls and petitions, to help lobby our causes.
Edwards-Stout: It wasn’t that long ago I would’ve dismissed electronic armchair activism, but this election really opened my eyes to the possibilities that even something as simple as “liking” a political photo on Facebook can have… I think some of that online momentum we saw may have helped swing the election for Obama.
Warren: I think that is very true. Online petitions have emerging power to create real change. They put pressure on companies, organizations, and even governments, holding them responsible for their actions. Look at Uganda and their “Kill the Gays” bill. Electronic media helps direct attention to issues which need to be tackled.
Edwards-Stout: I’m curious, given your experience in writing about LGBT youth, as to your thoughts on the rash of suicides. How can we create a better environment for our youth?
Warren: The “It Gets Better” campaign seems to be effective in terms of awareness, but suicides are still continuing. I think we need to think more globally, in terms of the immediacy our lives now have. You can barely take a breath without it being noted on Facebook. We need to think more about how that interconnectivity affects us, as what one person does or says, or what we do or say, can have a tremendous impact on someone else. Our thoughts and actions have ramifications beyond our intent.
Balance that against what I experienced growing up in a small Western town in the 1940s and 50s… I was relentlessly bullied for being smart, a “brain,” until I finally reached my limit and began fighting back, physically. Fist fights on the school bus and playground…which I usually won. Now, while that worked for me in the 1940s, today, of course, a bullied kid shouldn’t respond by fighting, because he or she will be arrested. We need to find a way to encourage that strength to grow within oneself. Until you can learn to stand on your own, you’ll be bullied again, as that weakness is targeted by others. Support networks for kids are essential, as is other children standing up and calling the bullies out. We need more comprehensive support, from teachers and principals, to help our youth find better ways of dealing with it.
Edwards-Stout: You worked directly with LGBT youth through the Los Angeles Unified School District’s drop out program…
Warren: This was in 1994. The program was called EAGLES Center. We had about 42 kids, mainly boys, with the majority being African American and Latino. And even these kids bullied one another! Seeing that dynamic at work was fascinating, and much of Billy’s Boy came from that experience.
Edwards-Stout: That’s a really interesting point. It is easy for us to say “Stop LGBT Bullying,” but we do the same kind of bullying ourselves, within our community, with our catty and snide comments. Those attitudes don’t go away, just because we age.
Warren: If we are to mature as a community, we need to examine these attitudes and find a way to grow out of them. While we call ourselves a community, I usually put quotes around that, as it doesn’t always feel like a “community,” with all of the infighting.
Edwards-Stout: One of your defining characteristics seems to be your willingness to be a “front runner” yourself, forging into areas not always familiar or welcoming. Where does that desire come from?
Warren: I think much of that came from my family history. On both sides of my family, people have died in search of freedom. Hearing those stories helped shape the idea that it is part of our responsibility as humans to try to better our situations. We have the ability to shift power, if we band together.
Edwards-Stout: You also moved into publishing, forming your own company, long before the self-publishing boom of today. It was a very inspired and yet unexpected move on your part. What made you become a publisher?
Warren: I began taking control of my own work when I realized that I needed to hire an attorney, just to get the royalties that were due me. You hear about problems with back-end payments in the film industry, but the same thing can happen in the book industry. You are completely reliant on what your publisher is telling you as to how many books were printed, your sales, your royalties–and not all publishers are as honest as one would like. This was why my Wildcat Press was launched in 1994.
Edwards-Stout: I’m a first-time novelist myself. Given the various options available today, what advice would you give authors just starting out?
Warren: It is a very tough time to be a new writer. The book industry follows the economy, and as books are retail, it has been a challenging time for anyone publishing a book. Not too many years ago, authors would first look for a literary agent and/or approach publishers until they found someone willing to publish their book. Things have changed greatly today, with the introduction of e-books, publishers going out of business, independent publishers being bought up by conglomerates, bookstores shuttering, etc., and yet I still believe that a writer can find a publisher and be successful. Authors today need to play an active role in promoting their books, no matter if they have a large publisher or small, as most don’t have the promotional budgets they once did. Authors also need to understand both the various options available to them, and the marketplace and how it all works. Do your research and know your rights as an author, especially when signing a contract.
In the LGBT world, we have the additional problem in that gay and lesbian bookstores are closing left and right. The mailing list of gay and gay-friendly bookstores has shrunk from over 450 addresses just 15 years ago, to maybe 45 today, which is a huge loss, especially as many of those bookstores also functioned as community centers.
Edwards-Stout: Speaking of loss, you’ve also lost a great many friends and contemporaries to HIV/AIDS. How has it impacted you personally?
Warren: I’ve lost many dear friends, even recently. One fought it for twenty years before it finally took him down… In the 1980s and 90s, our community did a tremendous job in regard to HIV treatment. The thing that has really baffled me is that, in the years since, there is so little talk about the need or desire for a vaccine. Pharmaceutical companies, at the end of the day, are focused on profit, and the HIV drugs they sell make a lot of money.
Edwards-Stout: The drugs were supposed to be a stop-gap measure, to save lives until we found a cure. But there doesn’t seem to be an end game to this.
Warren: Exactly. A vaccine, that is taken one time, or with periodic boosters, won’t be as profitable as these “maintenance” drugs. So unless we demand it from the pharmaceutical industry, it won’t happen.
Edwards-Stout: I came of age during the AIDS crisis, and it has always bothered me that at the height of the crisis, the divide between genders seemed eased. Women stepped into vacant leadership roles and acted as caregivers and, at the time, it seemed that there was a genuine appreciation for the talents women have. Today, though, that gender gap has returned, and we’re back to being strangers.
Warren: This goes back to some people wanting to put us all in pigeon holes. Years ago, certain gay-male-owned bookstores wouldn’t stock many women’s books, and some women’s stores wouldn’t stock men’s books. Putting us in such buckets makes it difficult for us to see into other people’s worlds. For a number of years, we felt as if we were making progress, becoming “Post-Gay.” Then we woke up to realize that we still don’t yet have our rights, and we’ve forgotten that we are still in a lifeboat. We need to get back into that lifeboat-mentality: we all need to be rowing, and rowing in the same direction. Say what you will, but a crisis wakes people up and makes them realize that their lives are at stake. That happened with AIDS, but we need that same mentality now, particularly around our issues with youth, ageism and elder care.
Edwards-Stout: When I asked people on Facebook what questions they had for you, the number one question was about the status of The Front Runner movie. In the interest of full disclosure, years ago, in my acting days, I auditioned for the movie when producer Jerry Wheeler had the rights, and I was terrible! (laughing) What can you share about the prospects for a movie?
Warren: As most people know, the rights to the movie have bounced around, but were initially optioned by Paul Newman, but for whatever reason he didn’t move forward with the project. After Newman, several people owned the rights, but they encountered roadblocks, such as the homophobia in Hollywood and the unwillingness of investors to make the investment necessary in order to tell this story authentically. Many people have tried to convince me that The Front Runner could be done as a low-budget independent film, but the minute you start talking about low budget, you have to ask, what will be left out? The story takes place during a certain era, at the Olympics, with a stadium full of people, all of which dictates a certain amount of money needed to accurately depict it.
Edwards-Stout: It is still relevant, especially given the violence which occurs–
Warren: There are many aspects which make it timely: the fight for equality, the issue of gays in sports, homophobia, religion, violence… Whether the story is made contemporary, or done as a period piece, the issues it delves into still resonate today. I’m hoping in the next year or so we’ll have some exciting news to announce.
Edwards-Stout: You have a wonderful legacy, and so many passions, from writing, to sports, to progressive causes. With all you’ve achieved, what do you next envision for yourself?
Warren: I have many books on the drawing board. Not only the book I mentioned, which I’m writing with my brother, and the next book in the Front Runner series, but also another novel, The Wrong Side of the Tracks, which focuses on growing up as lesbian in a small Montana town, during the closing days of World War II. I also have material for some anthologies, such as Lavender Locker Room II, and I look forward to continuing to put my already-published pieces out via e-book. The Front Runner is already available on Kindle.
Edwards-Stout: So much of what we’ve discussed today has been about identity and community. What are your hopes for the LGBT community?
Warren: We must first obtain the civil rights to which we are entitled. The next step is in becoming part of society, while still maintaining our unique identity. When I visit places were the LGBT community has been woven deeply into the fabric of the community, identity intact, and simply accepted, it is wonderful. It shows that assimilation is possible, and I’d like us to be part of the larger fabric of our country, contributing in a positive way. But, as a community, we still have much work to do. We need to work toward healing the divisions we have around gender, race, the transgendered, bisexuals, elderly, disabled, our youth, intersexed people, etc. While we have much work to do ourselves, in the end, we have much more to teach the world.
Patricia Nell Warren can be found on her website and on Facebook. Photo by John R. Selig.
Cross-posted on Huffington Post, Bilerico Project and LGBTQ Nation.
This entry was posted on January 14, 2013. It was filed under Uncategorized and was tagged with author, book, Classic Books, fiction, gay, interview, LGBT, literary, literature, non-fiction, novel, Q&A, writer.
Indie Book Award Winner
Winner - Next Generation Indie Book Award - LGBT Fiction
Finalist - Independent Literary Book Awards
Starred Review - Library Journal
One of the Best Books of the Year!
Named on multiple Best Books of the Year lists and as a finalist in the Next Generation Indie Book Awards, Gifts Not Yet Given is available now in paperback and e-book on Amazon.com, BarnesAndNoble.com, iTunes, and fine booksellers everywhere.
Kergan Edwards-Stout is an award-winning director, screenwriter, and author. His collection, Gifts Not Yet Given, landed on multiple Best Books of the Year lists, was named a finalist in the Next Generation Indie Book Awards, and is out now in paperback and e-book at your favorite bookstore. His debut novel, Songs for the New Depression, won a 2012 Next Generation Indie Book Award, was shortlisted for the Independent Literary Awards, and was named one of the Top Books for 2012 by Out in Print and other book review sites. It also received a starred review from Library Journal. He has contributed to the Huffington Post, Bilerico Project, and LGBTQ Nation. His greatest honor, however, was to have been named one of the Human Rights Campaign's 2011 Fathers of the Year, as his partner and children nominated him. He recently completed his memoir, Never Turn Your Back on the Tide (Or, How I Gay-Married a Lying Psychopathic Wannabe Murderer and Kinda Lived to Tell.
Recent Creativity
The First Draft of My Memoir is Finally Complete!
A Photographer to Watch: Troy Schooneman
It’s Been 15 Years…
Seven Years Ago Today…
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All posts tagged “disappointment”
The Heart is a Lonely Hunter, Carson McCullers (1940)
Wow, this is just a beautiful novel. I’m not sure what took me so long to get to it, but this was a nice moment to find it, when I’ve been doing so much driving around through small towns of the South, thinking about tribes and clans, fear of the outsider and the other, whether there’s any warrant for beauty without blood on it. When young Mick Kelly, McCullers’ avatar, wants to absent herself from the physical and cultural poverty that surrounds her, she retreats to a mental space she calls her “inside room,” where she imagines travel to foreign countries, playing symphonies she’s composed for appreciative audiences. I know that room! I’ve been living half my waking moments in it lately. (My preferred fantasy is making photos of the sea in Rotterdam, but you get the idea.)
Mick’s one of four major characters who orbit the absence at the book’s center, a man named Singer who is deaf and dumb. Singer, like The Brother from Another Planet and Chauncey Gardiner, has an obscure interior; he mainly (though not entirely — McCullers does give him one great obsession) serves as a screen for others to project their desires and fears upon. In addition to Mick, the type of sensitive kid who hides in the moonlit shrubbery to listen to music from a radio playing in a fancy house, there’s Jake Blount, a would-be labor activist who can’t persuade the town’s laborers to get as enraged about their oppression as he is. And Biff Brannon, the owner of the New York Diner who creates a safe space for misfits but can’t ever make a human connection with any of them. Most affecting of all is Dr. Copeland, an elderly black doctor with a kid named Karl Marx, who lives a life of uncompromising dignity and service in the tragically mistaken belief that self-respect will lead to respect from others. All four of these idealists are worn down, sometimes slowly and sometimes with sudden violence, by the brute realities of ignorance, indifference, contempt, and cruelty.
McCullers handles her plot, characters, pacing, themes, and all that excellently, but what I really admired here was the book’s openness of attention. Even as she’s running down some pretty programmatic themes — alienation, oppression, etc. — McCullers takes plenty of time, and plenty of pleasure, in describing the smell of the sun on the summer sidewalk, the goodness of delicious food, the feeling of being in an old body, or a young one. There’s a physicality to this world that helps it transcend being merely a brace of socialist parables. Loved it.
Filed under: 1940s, Books
beer, carnivals, carson mccullers, deaf-mutes, disappointment, first books, georgia, idealism, kids, novel, pianos, race, socialism, the South
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Hear Past Shows
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Photo by: Gary L. Gehman Crime and Punishment: Federal Sentencing Guidelines
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1,200 federal prisoners a week are sentenced under guidelines that could be declared unconstitutional by year’s end. A U.S. Supreme Court decision last June struck down Washington State’s sentencing scheme, ruling that too much decision-making was being passed from jury to judge. In July, a Miami judge used the same rationale to rule against the 27 year old federal guidelines. So, ask baffled prosecutors, defense attorneys and judges, who gets to decide a convict’s fate? At the behest of the Justice Department, the High Court will take a new look at the constitutional boundaries of crime and punishment.
Christopher A. Wray currently serves as the Assistant Attorney General in charge of the Criminal Division. He has previously served in several high ranking capacities in the U.S. Justice Department including Principal Associate Deputy Attorney General and Associate Deputy Attorney General. From 1997 to 2001, Wray was an Assistant U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Georgia in its Criminal Division. As a prosecutor in Atlanta, he handled a variety of federal cases and investigations. Early in his career, Wray served as law clerk to Judge J. Michael Luttig of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit.
The Hon. John S. Martin, Jr is Of Counsel with Debevoise & Plimpton. Prior to joining Debevoise in 2003, Judge Martin served for thirteen years as a U.S. district judge and three years as U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York. He was an Assistant to the U.S. Solicitor General and served as consultant to the National Commission on Law Enforcement and the Administration of Criminal Justice. Judge Martin has also been Assistant U.S. Attorney and Chief Appellate Attorney for the southern District of New York, and a law clerk to Judge Leonard P. Moore, U.S. Court of Appeals.
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— President Gerald R. Ford
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6th amendment Establishing the right to trial by a jury of peers; the right to a speedy and public trial; the right to be informed of criminal charges; the right to confront witnesses and the right to assistance by counsel
Sentencing Reform Act of 1984 Set guidelines and procedures for sentencing of adult felony crimes.
1/11/05 - Supreme Court Rules on Sentencing Guidelines (United States v. Booker) PDF File. Adobe Acrobat required.
State Sentencing Commission
United States Sentencing Commission
First District Appellate Project
National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers
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Fear of Judging : Sentencing Guidelines in the Federal Courts
by Kate Stith, Jose A. Cabranes
Sense and Nonsense About Crime and Drugs: A Policy Guide
by Samuel Walker
The Right to a Jury Trial
Bail Bondsmen, Bounty Hunters and Private Prisons
Innovations in Policing
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Kofi Boakye @ BMW of Akron
BMW of Akron 500 West Exchange Street Akron, OH, 44302 United States (map)
2014 White House Excellence Award Winner and 2018 NAACP ACT-SO National Medalist Kofi Boakye kicks off BMW of Akron’s Saturday Music Showcase.
Boakye is an 18-year-old Award-winning keyboardist, songwriter, and producer born in Akron, Ohio. Kofi has gathered musical experience from myriad venues across the United States. Kofi has been interviewed by 8x Emmy Award Winner Romona Robinson of Channel 19 Action News as well as appeared in multiple magazines, newspapers and local broadcasts across Ohio. Though many of his experiences stem from within the U.S., Kofi has had the opportunity to refine his talents on the world stage, touring Germany and Prague with the Miller South Show Choir. At the age of 15, Kofi was accepted into the University of Akron School of Music’s Jazz Program, making him the youngest African-American pianist to ever be accepted into a collegiate-level jazz program at the UA. In September 2016, Kofi performed at the Akron Civic Theatre, making him the first teen pianist to ever headline a show there. Kofi continued his upward path of music production and songwriting being the music producer for the Emmy Nominated “Why Not Akron?” Short-film. While music remains at the core, Kofi’s accolade extends beyond the big stage. In 2014, President Barack Obama and the White House awarded Kofi with the “President’s Education Award for Outstanding Academic Excellence”. In 2018, Kofi won the Silver medal in the NAACP ACT-SO National Competition; making him the first person from Akron to ever win. Currently, Kofi is a newly minted high-school graduate and attends the University of Akron studying marketing. He will attend Berklee College of Music in the Fall of 2019.
Admission is free and open to all customers of BMW of Akron.
Kofi Boakye @ Columbus Jazz & Ribs Festival
Kofi Boakye @ High Arts Festival
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“There’s Something About Mary Beth,” Inside GH, July 1999
Posted by Sherry | Jul 1, 1999 | Magazine Articles | 0 |
Last summer, when Katherine reeled off a parapet, General Hospital fans were stunned– as were her castmates–that Mary Beth Evans was written off the soap. She was a star and stars weren’t supposed to be treated that way. After all, Mary Beth was half of a Days of Our Lives super couple–as Kayla, and General Hospital had reunited her with the other half of that famed super couple–Stephen Nichols (ex-Patch). As the weeks went by even Mary Beth began to wonder what was going on–even though the writers had told her that her soap opera demise was temporary.“First they said it was going to be for ten days, then it certainly went on a lot longer. The thing is it was all for story–it was nothing about me. They work that way there. It’s all for the story. So it was okay for a while because I had some things I needed to get done, but I really love working. That’s a big thing for me. I think I’ll always work–even when I’m a grandmother. I’ll do a ‘Where’s the beef?’ commercial,” she laughs. “I love working so I was really chomping at the bit to get back. That’s why I was glad they wrote those fantasies in and let me come back at least a little bit.”
And as the weeks dragged on, Mary Beth just waited and waited. “I kind of wish it would have been a little different, that they would have said, ‘It’s five weeks,’ then it would have been easier to do something else. But it was going to be ten days, then another ten and it went like that. As it did drag on I suppose I did think well maybe the writing’s on the wall.”
“I never thought it was a real kill off. Being on a soap opera is like reading the middle page of the book. You never get anywhere,” laughs Mary Beth, who resumed her role last summer.
The storyline took an exciting turn at the end of last year when Katherine and Nikolas–Stefan’s son–made love! Mary Beth had reservations at first. “When I first heard about that I kept saying, ‘Oh no, no. I hope they don’t do that,’ because it’s the furthest thing from my personal mind. Then it sort of looked like it was going that way and I was very nervous about it. When we started doing the story it seemed okay. In a situation like that it’s sort of like your hearts are connecting or your souls are connecting. Especially since it’s just the two of them, it’s not necessarily a public thing. I think a lot of things leave, you’re caught up in the moment, and you forget about the age difference. They have always been very close and he’s always been the one person who knows her and loves her. She needs that in her life. There is no one like that for her. With him she can be who she wants to be,” explains Mary Beth.
The fans are split down the middle. “Some people love it and some people don’t at all. They think I’m Dastardly Do Right and that’s hard for me because it’s a story that’s written for me. When people write and disagree and they think I’m terrible that I did that, they have to realize it’s written for me. There is a writer and it’s not me. I’m just trying to make it believable. I think the characters don’t look ridiculous together. I think his character sort of blossoms in this. The two have had some really honest, nice scenes together. For me, as an actress, I feel I’ve grown in some of the scenes I’ve done with Tyler (Christopher). I feel we really connect and out work is good together, but would that ever happen to me in real life? No. My son is only seven years younger!”
“I don’t want to be anybody’s older woman personally. I’d be more inclined to go with someone like Stuart Damon (Alan) or John Ingle (Edward) and feel young. I’d rather feel young than old,” she says honestly.
One bone of contention with Mary Beth is that her storyline with Stefan was left unfinished. “It’s been played that he’s been angry with her and has been with Genie. I always thought there should have been some element that he still loved Katherine or at least those strings that pull him.”
“That’s the weird thing for me, my training being from Days where you would be with one person for your life,” she laughs. “Their thrust is super couples. On General Hospital that is not the case. Everybody has been with everybody.”
With so many former Days co-stars now on the canvas at GH, is there anyone else Mary Beth would like to join the cast? “I was hoping Richard Biggs (ex-Marcus) would come on. He’s great. He’s incredibly sexy and he’s good looking. I think he would just be great– another hunk.”
Working on GH provides just the right schedule for Mary Beth, the mother of three children, Danny, 11, Katie, 9, and Matthew, six. “When I have to be at work at 1:30 I feel like I’ve already put in a day’s work. I’ve gotten the kids ready for school. I’ve done the carpool, gone to the market–the day starts early around here. It’s a scramble trying to get the kids out the door by 7:30 and on the road,” says Mary Beth, who found the experience of having her brood in school rather liberating.
“Then that makes my nanny have the easiest job on the planet because there are often times she doesn’t have to come because I don’t work that day or I get out of work in time to pick them up, so she’s got it pretty easy. But because of the job I have they have to be ready to rally at any given moment and work long hours if I have a five day week. I need someone who’s flexible. That’s what I always say in my interview for someone–you need to be flexible.”
While some might appear frazzled at having three kids, Mary Beth exudes a calmness that could give Dr. Spock a run for his money. “It’s really the funniest thing because I am really born a happy-go-lucky person. And I realize that as I get older that’s such a gift because there are people who aren’t. That’s the thing that is shocking to me. Children bring out a different kind of attitude with you, fabulous, and also, I don’t want to have bratty kids so that brings up the disciplinarian in me and that’s always scary. My husband Michael and I both, it’s very important that our children are well behaved and respectful, all those old-fashioned values.””My husband and I are extremely accessible. I kind of feel that between you, me, and the millions of readers, I can’t wait until they all turn 18 so I can let a little bit of that go. Of course I’ll always be their parent, but to be more of their friend. People are always still giving their kids all this advice when they’re in their 20s and 30s. Of course that probably will be me, but I’m hoping that when they go off to college I can say, ‘My husband and I have a lot of fun with the children. Our life is a lot about them obviously. I want my children to think they can always talk to me about anything,” Mary Beth says.
When her husband comes home after a twelve-hour day and the kids rush to greet him, all eager to tell him about their day, Mary Beth laughs. “I’ve often told my husband that it’s like a carousel that’s going around. If you walk in the door you have to hop on. And if you don’t then the horses know they’re slapping you in the face. You have to rev yourself up for reentry,” she laughs.
Each of the children has their own distinctive personality. “The oldest one is always in your face, but that’s not a negative thing. He knows what he wants and he knows how to get it. He’ll be a fabulous lawyer. And he’s very talkative and active. My daughter is very calm and more of a logical thinker, but incredibly sweet. She’s just a great middle child. The younger one is funny. He’s a little more shy, a little more of an observer. He’s a very sweet- natured child,” she says proudly.
And while you’d think there would be a tendency towards feuding, that’s not the case at all. “They really don’t fight too much. My husband and I are very big on them respecting each other. I don’t let them talk nasty to each other–or anyone else for that matter. A lot of kids say, ‘I hate you.’ I just do not accept that behavior.”
“I tell my friends and they do not necessarily do that with their kids and I think that’s not a hard thing to do and it really seems to work. What’s the point of everybody being nasty to each other?”
Like most mothers, Mary Beth would like to instill certain values in her children. “The main thing is respect of other people and each other and themselves. At least now in this phase I’m in of parenting, that is my biggest thrust with them. I spend a lot of time with them. I always talk about how beautiful the day is and how lucky they are to live where they live. Just start the day off happy and smiling,” shares the actress.
And it looks like she’s on the right track. “I made up these little songs for my kids that I sing in the morning when I wake them up. ‘It’s time to wake up. Get up and kiss your mommy now.’ A little tune. Then in the afternoon I’ll hear my son singing that song and think, ‘That’s it.’ I just want them to have this happy, loving, appreciate your life attitude.”
———-by Anne Marie Allocca
Previous“In Their Element,” Soap Opera Digest, March 30, 1999
Next“From Kayla to Katherine to Sierra,” Soap Opera Weekly, January 2, 2001
“Don’t I Know You?” Soap Opera Weekly, August 27, 2002
“For Evan’s Sake,” Soap Opera Weekly, January 11, 1994
“FYI – Mary Beth Evans.” Soap Opera Weekly, August 15, 2006
“The World’s Most Complete Mary Beth Evans Baby Update,” Soap Opera Update, April 9, 1990
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Cooper impresses on debut
Chase Cooper produced a solid display on his debut at the Rose Bowl Regatta that finished in Long Beach, California, yesterday.
Competing for St Mary’s College, of Maryland, in the double-handed FJ dinghy, the Bermudian sailor clinched the B Division title with crew Kaisey McCallion to help his college to second overall at the two-day regatta hosted by the University of Southern California.
Sophomore Cooper and his American crew achieved six top -two finishes during the nine-race series, that included four bullets, to pip Georgetown University by three points for the B Division title. “Outside of a couple races, I felt good in the boat and was pleased with the result for the team,” Cooper said.
The University of California, Santa Barbara rounded off the B Division podium in third, ten points adrift of the leaders.
Georgetown University dominated the A Division, winning eight of the nine-races contested, to clinch overall honours by a comfortable 20-point margin over Cooper and his St Mary’s team-mates.
UC Santa Barbara rounded off the overall podium in third, a further 15 points back.
Cooper was one of two locals competing as Royal Hamilton Amateur Dinghy Club sailor Charis Todd competed for Santa Clara University who finished 20th. Todd competed as crew for one of the two teams representing her college in the A Division where they placed nineteenth.
St Mary’s finished second in the A Division, and University of California, Santa Barbara came third.
Meanwhile, Campbell Patton produced a steady display on day three of the Oceania an Australian Laser Championships Down Under.
The Bermuda sailor posted a 6-7-16 record in the three-races to move up to nineteenth.
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Home LGBTQ Collection Front
"Is there employment discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity?" ca. 2009
Is there employment discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity?
Research in the Midwest has clearly shown evidence of discrimination in the workplace on the basis of
sexual orientation and gender identity.
• For example, in our neighbor state of Illinois, the Illinois Department of Human Rights has
reported in their 2009 Annual Report that 143 charges of employment discrimination on the
basis of sexual orientation or gender identity were filed. This is approximately 4% of the total
charges filed, similar to the percent of charges of sexual harassment.
• In Iowa, which began investigating charges of discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation
and gender identity in July 2007, 29 cases of sexual orientation discrimination and 6 cases of
gender identity discrimination were charged in fiscal year 2009.
Is there employment discrimination in Indiana?
Because Indiana does not have a state-wide policy of investigating discrimination on the basis of sexual
orientation and gender identity, we must look to cities in which such investigations have taken place.
• The Administrator of the Division of Equal Opportunity in Indianapolis is responsible for
responding to reports of discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity.
Robert Ransom, the Administrator of the division, reports that records indicate they are
averaging 3 to 5 reports of such discrimination per year. He also reported that some reports
have been of discrimination that occurred outside of Indianapolis, and they have not been able
to assist those individuals.
Is there evidence of such discrimination in South Bend?
The evidence of discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity comes from two
• Reports of discrimination brought to the South Bend Common Council over the past six years.
o In 2005, South Bend Equality presented a report to the Common Council entitled
Documentation of Cases of Alleged Discrimination Based on Sexual Orientation or
Gender Identity in South Bend, IN conducted by social scientists from IUSB and Saint
Mary's College. In this study, conducted between August 2004 and April 2005, 20?
Cases of discrimination were reported.
o Since 2006, individuals have continued to come to the Common Council (during privilege
of the floor) to report incidents of glbt discrimination.
• Reports of discrimination from the Human Rights Commission
Title "Is there employment discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity?" ca. 2009
Subject Gay men--Legal status, laws, etc.--Indiana
Lesbians--Legal status, laws, etc.--Indiana
Discrimination in employment--Indiana--South Bend
Description Summary of statistics on employment discrimination against LGBTQ citizens in Indiana. Intended to support an amendment to the South Bend Human Rights Ordinance to include language protecting against discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity.. Includes a summary of the actions taken between 2003 and 2008 in support of the amendment.
Original Date ca. 2009
Size 2 pages; 27.76 x 21.82 cm
Identifier CRAAH-LGBTQ-029n
Repository Collection LGBTQ Collection of the Civil Rights Heritage Center
Transcription Is there employment discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity? Research in the Midwest has clearly shown evidence of discrimination in the workplace on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity. • For example, in our neighbor state of Illinois, the Illinois Department of Human Rights has reported in their 2009 Annual Report that 143 charges of employment discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation or gender identity were filed. This is approximately 4% of the total charges filed, similar to the percent of charges of sexual harassment. • In Iowa, which began investigating charges of discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity in July 2007, 29 cases of sexual orientation discrimination and 6 cases of gender identity discrimination were charged in fiscal year 2009. Is there employment discrimination in Indiana? Because Indiana does not have a state-wide policy of investigating discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity, we must look to cities in which such investigations have taken place. • The Administrator of the Division of Equal Opportunity in Indianapolis is responsible for responding to reports of discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity. Robert Ransom, the Administrator of the division, reports that records indicate they are averaging 3 to 5 reports of such discrimination per year. He also reported that some reports have been of discrimination that occurred outside of Indianapolis, and they have not been able to assist those individuals. Is there evidence of such discrimination in South Bend? The evidence of discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity comes from two sources: • Reports of discrimination brought to the South Bend Common Council over the past six years. o In 2005, South Bend Equality presented a report to the Common Council entitled Documentation of Cases of Alleged Discrimination Based on Sexual Orientation or Gender Identity in South Bend, IN conducted by social scientists from IUSB and Saint Mary's College. In this study, conducted between August 2004 and April 2005, 20? Cases of discrimination were reported. o Since 2006, individuals have continued to come to the Common Council (during privilege of the floor) to report incidents of glbt discrimination. • Reports of discrimination from the Human Rights Commission
"Is there employment discrimination on the basis of sexual...
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Resume Reading — Cloudy With a Chance of War
Numbers Environment
Cloudy With a Chance of War
His weather forecasts changed the world. Could his predictions of war?
David Berreby By David Berreby Illustration by Josh Cochran July 31, 2014
The burial detail, which had come for the corpses in the pigpen, was surprised. The “dead” were getting up and speaking English.…By David Berreby
The burial detail, which had come for the corpses in the pigpen, was surprised. The “dead” were getting up and speaking English. Qu’est-ce que c’est? Ah, they were an ambulance crew. British volunteers, in the trenches with the French Army on the Western Front. In the ruins and wreckage near the front lines, they’d found nowhere else to sleep.
The medical corpsmen were all pacifists, serving humanity even as they refused to serve in any military. Still, they lived like the troops. They bunked in rat-infested dugouts, on the floors of shelled buildings, in hay-filled barns. They dove for cover when incoming shells moaned and screamed, and struggled with their masks when the enemy fired gas canisters. At any moment, they could be called to go to the front lines, gather wounded men, and drive—lights off on roads cratered by shells, packed with trucks and troops, with every jostle making the blood-soaked soldiers in the back cry out in pain—to a hospital.
It was the last place in the world to look for a scientist at work. Yet one soft-spoken corpsman, known as “Prof,” filled his downtime with experiments and calculations. “We thought nothing of seeing him wandering about in the small hours checking his instruments,” one of his fellow corpsmen recalled. Once, for example, he’d set a bowl of water on a record-player he had somehow got hold of, cranked up the machine, and measured the radius of the curve on the water’s surface. A rotating fluid, he thought, might serve as a useful model of the atmosphere. (Though his record player wasn’t up to the task, later work would prove him right.)
“Prof” was the English physicist and mathematician Lewis Fry Richardson, for whom doing science came as naturally as breathing. “It was just the way he looked at the world,” recalls his great-nephew, Lord Julian Hunt. “He was always questioning. Everything was an experiment.” Even at the age of 4, recounts his biographer Oliver Ashford in Prophet or Professor? Life and Work of Lewis Fry Richardson, the young Lewis had been prone to empiricism: Told that putting money in the bank would “make it grow,” he’d buried some coins in a bank of dirt. (Results: Negative.) In 1912, the now-grown Richardson had reacted to news of the Titanic’s sinking by setting out in a rowboat with a horn and an umbrella to test how ships might use directed blasts of noise to detect icebergs in fog. (Onlookers might have shaken their heads, but Richardson later won a patent for the fruit of that day’s work.) Nothing—not fellow scientists’ incomprehension, the distractions of teaching, or even an artillery bombardment—could dissuade him when, as he once put it, “a beautiful theory held me in its thrall.”
Many scientists would not publish such a resounding dud of an experiment. But the Quaker and scientist in Richardson valued plain honesty over self-promotion.
Also in Environment
The Woman Who Gave Us the Science of Normal Life
By Sasha Chapman
Ellen Swallow Richards was not going to be intimidated by a room full of health experts and officials. Children were dying and their parents, Boston’s taxpayers, and city officials were to blame. The tiny, square-chinned woman thought nothing of climbing...READ MORE
In 1916, two beautiful ideas gripped Richardson’s attention. At the heart of both was the complex interplay of predictability and randomness that is turbulence.
His first idea was rooted in his principles as a Quaker pacifist who believed “science should be subordinate to morals.” Everyone spoke of this Great War as if it had been a catastrophic surprise. Who could predict a lone assassin in Sarajevo? Or that the belligerents would not find a way to defuse the crisis, as they had before? Or that plans for a quick victory would sour into this stalemate in the trenches? War, Richardson thought, far from being an unforeseeable accident, might instead be the consequence of as-yet-unknown laws operating on measurable facts. Beneath its seemingly random and chaotic course were the regular patterns of these laws. With the right data and the right equations war might be predictable—and thus preventable. He believed that humanity could some day avoid war as ships could some day avoid hidden icebergs.
Whenever he could, in quiet moments or when his ambulance corps was rotated to the rear for a rest, Richardson worked on a long paper on “the mathematical psychology of war.” (“I remember him telling me, ‘let x be the will to hate,’ ” recalled one of his less equation-oriented friends in the unit. “It beat me!”)
But it was Richardson’s other great idea that would come to fruition first, and make him famous. In fact, after many decades of obscurity it would come to be appreciated as one of the most significant technologies of the 20th century. At the front lines, and in the rest billets where the corps was rotated out for a break every few weeks, Richardson was looking for a way to forecast the weather.
At the turn of the last century, the notion that the laws of physics could be used to predict weather was a tantalizing new idea. The general idea—model the current state of the weather, then apply the laws of physics to calculate its future state—had been described by the pioneering Norwegian meteorologist Vilhelm Bjerknes. In principle, Bjerknes held, good data could be plugged into equations that described changes in air pressure, temperature, density, humidity, and wind velocity. In practice, however, the turbulence of the atmosphere made the relationships among these variables so shifty and complicated that the relevant equations could not be solved. The mathematics required to produce even an initial description of the atmosphere over a region (what Bjerknes called the “diagnostic” step) were massively difficult.
To get a forecast without stumbling on the impossible calculus of the differential equations, Bjerknes represented atmospheric changes using charts. For example, as the historian Frederik Nebeker explains in Calculating the Weather: Meteorology in the 20th Century, the chart might show more air flowing horizontally into a region than out, allowing the forecaster to predict that the remainder of the incoming air is flowing upwards in the form of vertical winds.
As it happened, since Richardson’s graduation from Cambridge in 1903, he had confronted similarly difficult equations as he moved restlessly among posts in academia and industry. Analyzing stresses in dams and the flow of water through peat, he had developed a different work-around.
Only differential equations, with their infinitely small quantities changing over infinitely small units of time, described the continuous change he wanted to model. But since those equations couldn’t be solved, Richardson reworked the math to replace the infinitesimals of calculus with discrete measurements occurring at discrete time intervals. Like a series of snapshots of a ball flying through the air, Richardson’s “finite difference” equations only approximated the reality of the constant change they described. But they could be solved, with simple algebra or even arithmetic. And their solutions would be far more precise than any obtained with a chart.
The Richardson number is used today to predict where turbulence will occur in both the atmosphere and the ocean.
Richardson’s finite-difference work had been too novel and unfamiliar to win him a research post at a major university. But in 1913, it helped get him a plum job: directing a research laboratory for Britain’s Meteorological Office, which hoped Richardson would bring both rigorous thinking and practical lab skills to the search for accurate weather forecasts. Here, with a good salary, a house to himself, and a lab far from any distractions, he would have ample time for research.
The following year, however, the Great War arrived. At age 32, with his important research ongoing, Richardson could have kept to his agreeable job. Yet even as his principles would not permit him to serve in the military, he still felt he should take part in the war. “In August 1914,” he later wrote, “I was torn between an intense curiosity to see war at close quarters, an intense objection to killing people, both mixed with ideas of public duty, and doubt as to whether I could endure danger.’’ Rebuffed when he requested a leave of absence to serve in the ambulance corps, in 1916 he simply quit. A few weeks later, he and his slide rule, notes, and instruments were at the front.
And so for the next few years Richardson’s theories of war and weather advanced in and around the combat zone. Over six weeks in 1916, with a bale of hay for his desk, Richardson patiently solved equation after equation for hundreds of variables. His aim was to demonstrate his method of “weather prediction by numerical processes” by creating a real forecast.
Richardson decided to do a “hindcast,” so his results could be compared with real weather on a target date in the past. He chose the weather over Central Europe on May 20, 1910—a date for which Bjerknes had already published a trove of data about temperature, humidity, barometric pressure, and wind speed.
Richardson created a map of the atmosphere over the region, split into 25 equal-sized cells with sides of about 125 miles. Every block was further divided into five layers with about the same mass of air in each layer. (Because atmospheric density decreases with altitude, these layers were divided at heights of 2, 4, 7, and 12 kilometers above the ground.)
Richardson divided the 25 big blocks into two types: P cells, for which he recorded the atmospheric pressure, moisture and temperature; and M cells, for which he calculated wind speed and direction. He alternated P and M cells on his grid, creating a sort of checkerboard. He could calculate the “missing” data for each cell by looking at the data of cells adjoining it. (For example, wind speed in an M cell could be deduced by pressure changes in the P cells that surrounded it.) Plugging all the available data from 7 a.m. into the equations, then patiently solving them for a time six hours later, he arrived at a “forecast” for conditions at 1 p.m.
Results: Negative. The recorded weather for the day showed Richardson’s “forecast” was wrong. He had predicted a dramatic shift in wind speed and direction that didn’t happen. He had also predicted a freakish rise in atmospheric pressure over Munich. In fact, the barometer had held steady that day.
Many scientists, then and now, would not publish such a resounding dud of an experiment. But the Quaker and scientist in Richardson valued plain honesty over self-promotion. And he believed the merit of the method would be obvious even if the first practical application needed work. When he published Weather Prediction by Numerical Processes in 1922, he described his disappointing results, in great detail.
Perhaps, Richardson wrote, the weather-balloon measurements he’d obtained were simply wrong. Or perhaps the gaps between measuring stations were too great (the finite-difference method needed sufficiently fine-grained data to approximate the continuous changes in weather, just as an adequate number of snapshots would be needed to portray the continuous motion of a ball). Another suspect was the need to interpolate data in cells where it was lacking. In fact, a few years ago, Peter Lynch of the Irish Meteorological Service showed that the trouble was simply that 1910 data-collection methods failed to correct for minor noise in the data. Richardson couldn’t prove it, but his model worked.
Forecast Factory: In his seminal 1922 book, Weather Prediction by Numerical Process, Richardson imagined a large theater with 64,000 human “computers.” Each would work on weather in one region, while their leader, “like a conductor of an orchestra” blended their work into a global forecast. Decades before “parallel processing” in computing, Richardson had hit on the concept.Image courtesy of L. Bengtsson/NOAA.gov
But there was another source of potential error, which Richardson realized required further research: the turbulence that knocked air out of predictable paths, sending eddies of air up or down or sideways, where they banged into other eddies, passing energy from whirl to whirl. Air that gets knocked around like this further disturbs the flow of things by creating smaller local currents that move in the opposite direction from the main stream. Finally, at the smallest scale, too little energy is left to overcome viscosity—the resistance to motion created by friction between individual molecules of air. More poetically, in the chapter devoted to turbulence in Weather Prediction by Numerical Processes, Richardson explained it this way: “Big whirls have little whirls that feed on their velocity; and little whirls have lesser whirls, and so on, to viscosity—in the molecular sense.”
As Hunt explains in his introduction to Richardson’s collected papers, in the first decades of the 20th century meteorologists didn’t have a good grasp of turbulence, especially as it affected movements of air in the first 2 kilometers of the atmosphere. Turbulent eddies in this layer are crucial to weather prediction, because they carry heat and moisture up into the higher atmosphere and down toward the surface of the earth, shaping the weather.
For instance, Richardson had observed how fluctuations in wind speed seemed to depend on the difference in wind speeds at different heights and the difference in temperature at those heights. When ground temperature fell, resulting in a greater difference between ground temperature and temperatures higher up, wind fluctuations became less frequent. He concluded this was due to buoyancy forces caused by eddies moving through different temperature zones interacting with eddies moving through regions of different wind speeds. He devised an equation to predict the occurrence of turbulence based on a ratio of these two effects. As Giles Foden has written in Turbulence, his novel inspired by Richardson’s work, the equation “dramatizes the relationship between wind and heat.”
Where others looked at war and saw only unpredictable turbulence that math could not master, Richardson saw measurable quantities and inexorable laws.
That ratio of heat energy to wind energy, now called the Richardson number, is used today to predict where turbulence will occur in both the atmosphere and the ocean. When the ratio is high, warmer air is adding energy, making more and larger eddies. Because the whirls of turbulence can be hundreds of miles wide or small enough only to bother a gnat, the Richardson number is “dimensionless”—it is not associated with any particular quantity. In other words, for turbulence, scale does not matter, as the same patterns are seen in the smallest and largest instances.
Of course, we experience turbulence differently when it is blowing a dust mote around than when it is creating a massive storm. Turbulence is, in fact, in the eye of the beholder. A pilot flying through eddies too small to bump his plane around will not notice them—the effect of all the tiny eddies is averaged out into a general sense that the ride is smooth. On the other hand, neither will he notice an enormous eddy that enfolds the entire plane, any more than a fish would notice the water in which it swims. As Richardson writes in Weather Prediction, a pilot who calls the air “turbulent” is noticing eddies that occur on a scale about the size of one airplane wing. In this sense, as Foden observes, “every so-called ‘accident,’ every piece of turbulence, is part of a sequence, bigger or smaller, whose scale you cannot see.”
Richardson’s turbulence research was quickly recognized in the 1920s, but his greatest meteorological insight—his forecasting method—was considered a failure. It was too difficult to do in real time, many thought, and it had not produced an accurate prediction. His proposal languished for decades before technology caught up with it. Only after the advent of computers capable of doing quick calculations did his numerical-process approach become the standard method for forecasting. Today, his technique remains the basis for weather forecasts and climate modeling.
Richardson often suffered from this sort of scientific “prematurity,” as the mathematician and father of fractal geometry Benoit Mandelbrot put it. Mandelbrot knew this firsthand. In his quest to understand the role national boundaries play in causing wars, Richardson had written a paper on the difficulties of measuring national coastlines. He did not realize he was wrestling with the fact that coasts are fractals—twisty irregular shapes that are the same at any scale, from an inch to a mile. Mandlebrot, however, saw that Richardson had supplied him with a practical case for the importance of such fractals, and wrote his first major paper on the subject as a result.
“People in the classic turbulence world and the diffusion world and the differential equation world didn’t begin to appreciate what he had done until the 1940s,” said Hunt, who is also a climate modeler and meteorologist. But by the time Richardson’s achievement in meteorology was recognized, most of his attention had shifted to war.
a Numbers man: Richardson believed numbers cut through the cant of war. “Counting is an antiseptic against prejudice,” he said. He toted up “deadly quarrels” of every type from 1820 onward. Once, explaining the algebra of violence to a war buddy, he said, “Let x be the will to hate.”NOAA/Wikipedia
Though Richardson had returned to work for the Meteorological Office in 1919, he only stayed for one year. In 1920, a government reorganization placed the agency under the Air Ministry, which was in charge of the Royal Air Force. As his conscience would not allow him to work for any military organization, Richardson felt duty bound to resign. His breakthrough work on turbulence in the 1920s was conducted in his spare time, as he supported his wife Dorothy and their three adopted children with a professorship at a teacher’s college. The war had marked him—one of his children recalls Richardson screaming in terror at sudden loud noises, and explaining that he had “shell shock”—and his concern for understanding collective violence was growing. By the end of the 1920s, he had enrolled in university to study psychology. In the next few years, war replaced the weather as his main focus.
For two decades before his death in 1953, Richardson painstakingly collected data about arms races, economic upheavals, insurgencies, revolutions, riots, and combat. “He was all the time compiling statistics about conflicts around the world,” Hunt recalls from boyhood holidays with his great-uncle. “Letters would keep pouring in from friends and colleagues and relatives. He had these deep ideas, but he was all the time looking at data.”
Where others looked at war and saw only unpredictable turbulence that math could not master, Richardson was once again looking for measurable quantities and inexorable laws that could be modeled with equations. His goal was to build a model of the current state of political and economic tensions among nations—with measurements for “war weariness,” “internationality” (roughly a nation’s engagement with other countries, partly derived from figures about its international trade), and “preparedness for war” (a function of economic data and spending on arms and defense).
As with his weather work, he was producing papers, but also working toward another magnum opus. Posthumously published in 1960, The Statistics of Deadly Quarrels, would, he hoped, help people set aside the illusions and self-serving jingoism that passed for analysis, and see, as he put it, “what has happened often is likely to happen again, whether we wish it or not.” Any attempt at a science of war would have its flaws and blind spots, but at least it would offer some much-needed clarity.
After all, then as now, most of what passes for analysis of wars and conflict consists of talk about one individual eddy or another in the vast political atmosphere. Changing relationships among world leaders, individual skirmishes and attacks, armistices, and so on are the kind of events that “may be likened to the eddying view of a wind,” Richardson wrote. His theory, by contrast, would offer a way to step out of our local turbulence, and see the larger patterns.
As he had in meteorology, Richardson sought hard data—measurements that would not vary with the politics or passion of the observer. Any interpretation would be clouded by bias. He wrote: “counting is an antiseptic against prejudice.” He would ignore disputes about who was a terrorist and was a freedom fighter, and whether a military action was a fight for freedom or a bandit raid. Instead, he would simply count the dead.
A “deadly quarrel,” Richardson decided, was to be defined as any conflict in which a person’s death was deliberately caused by another. He toted up “deadly quarrels” of every type from 1820 onward. (He had planned to review a century’s worth of data, and he picked starting and ending dates that marked relatively peaceful times following great wars. Later, he extended the dataset to include the violent 1930s, ’40s and the start of the ’50s.)
He then sorted his “deadly quarrels” the way geologists classify earthquakes, ranking each “quarrel” according to the base-10 logarithm of the number of deaths it produced. The base-10 logarithm of a number describes how many times 10 must be multiplied to produce that number. A riot that leaves 100 dead in this system has a magnitude of 2 (the base—10—must be multiplied by itself to yield 100). And a conflict that kills 10 million people has a magnitude of 7 (multiplying seven tens will yield 10 million). Defining “deadly quarrels” on a logarithmic scale also served Richardson’s project to get people thinking about violence without illusion. Like the Richter scale for earthquakes, his logarithmic graphs let the reader see all quarrels, from murders to global war, as a single phenomenon on a single scale.
Something interesting emerges from those figures. As the atmosphere is full of small eddies, so humanity experiences many small deadly quarrels, which result in a few fatalities. But now and again come huge storms, which kill millions. These are just the sort of outbreaks, like the world war Richardson had seen for himself, that people think of as surprising. Yet when Richardson plotted the frequency of wars against the number of deaths caused by each one, he found a constant and predictable relationship. On his graphs, the violence obeyed a “power law”—a constant relationship between the size and frequency of measurements. In his turbulence work, Richardson had found that such a power law governed the relationship between the rate of diffusion of objects in a turbulent stream and their distance from one another. Now he had found evidence of an underlying law in the supposedly unpredictable realm of politics.
Anyone might observe that extremely big wars were much more rare than “deadly quarrels” that killed only a few people. But the power law relationship suggested that the giant wars were just as predictable as the smaller ones. Like giant earthquakes (which also obey a power law), giant wars were not appalling surprises, arising out of unique circumstances. They appeared to be roughly predictable.
This finding was long considered a curiosity in peace research. However, over the past 10 years, a number of researchers have found power law relationships in modern statistics about violence. Neil Johnson, a physicist at the University of Miami, Michael Spagat, an economist at Royal Holloway University of London1, and their co-authors have found a similar power law in data about both conventional war, terrorist attacks, and cyber-attacks. These findings offer some suggestions as to when future attacks are most likely to occur, and when it would be most effective to try to prevent them. And they offer a starting point for the quest for an underlying law governing outbreaks of violence once considered too complex and idiosyncratic to predict.
War, Richardson taught us, can be as out of our control as a summer thunderstorm. The least we might do is check the forecast.
David Berreby, the author of Us and Them: The Science of Identity, writes the Mind Matters blog at Bigthink.com.
Wind & Water
Oceanography When Good Waves Go Rogue
Astronomy NASA Is Going to Dip This Cup Into the Sun’s Corona
Environment Cloudy With a Chance of War
Oceanography The Man Who Delayed D-Day
Anthropology An Astrobiologist Asks a Sci-fi Novelist How to Survive the Anthropocene
Physics Do We Have the Big Bang Theory All Wrong?
Aerodynamics Fish School Us on Wind Power
As originally published, this article incorrectly stated that Michael Spagat was affiliated with University College London.
The Man Who Delayed D-Day
By John Steele
Meet the Father of Digital Life
By Robert Hackett
In the Mind of the Fractal King
The Science of War
By Christian Jennings And Amy Maxmen
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Topics: benedict, Canada, cardinal, latin america, latino, maradiaga, news, oullet, pope, Pope Benedict, religion
The Cardinal Bergoglio from Argentina is being talked about as a possible candidate for the papacy. (Photo by Gustavo A. Munoz/LatinContent/Getty Images)
A Latin American Pope? Some say it’s about time
by Jacquellena Carrero, @JacquellenaC Follow @NBCLatino
2:13 pm on 02/11/2013
With Pope Benedict XVI’s announcement that he is abdicating at the end of February, speculation has already begun on who will fill the Vatican’s top job. And some Vatican-watchers are saying the time may be ripe for a Latin American to lead the Roman Catholic Church.
According to the Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life, 73 percent of Latin America is Catholic. The 432 million Catholics in Latin American account for more than 39 percent of the world’s Catholic population. In the United States, Latinos account for nearly a third of all Catholics over 40 and an astounding nearly 50 percent of Catholics under age 40.
“Everybody said Benedict XVI was the transitional pope, the question is transition to what?” says Anthony Stevens-Arroyo, Director of the Research Center for Religion in Society and Culture and Professor Emeritus of Latino Studies at Brooklyn College.
Arroyo believes that it’s time for a transition to a more diverse papacy to meet the needs and deal with the challenges of a changing Catholic Church.
“Church attendance is plummeting in Europe with currently only 20 percent of Catholics going. At the same time, the church is growing in Latin America, in Africa, and in parts of Asia,” Arroyo says. “Now the issue is what direction is the church going to seek: someone who is going to restore what we’ve lost or think constructively about other parts of the world.”
Timothy Matovina, Executive Director of Notre Dame’s Institute for Latino Studies, says that a Latin American pope would energize Latinos around the world.
“Latinos love the pope. When John Paul went to Mexico he drew such a crowd,” Matovina says. “If we get a Latino pope, Latinos in this country would be tremendously enthusiastic to have someone who can also speak to them in their native language.”
Although no official candidates have been announced, several names of Latin American papabili (possible pope contenders) have been floating around.
Cardinal Oscar Rodriguez Maradiaga (Honduras): Sacrilegious as it may be, many are already placing their bets on who will be the next pope. Matovina says that the Honduran Cardinal is by far the most popular choice among Latino Catholics due to his large public presence, powerful oratory skills, and progressive perspective. Matovina says that Maradiaga was simply “electrifying” in a speech at a youth and young adult event he attended.
“He came and spoke as a Latin American Honduran bishop and wanted to say what it was like to be a pastor of a country sending immigrants abroad. He said, ‘I want to work with leaders so that you don’t have to leave.’ People were just in tears,” Matovina says. “Imagine the effect on the regular folks out there if that man was the pope.”
Ernesto Valiente, a Professor of Theology with the Hispanic Ministry at Boston College, agrees that Rodriguez is the people’s favorite.
“He is profoundly respected, committed to social justice, to helping the poor. People talk about him with so much optimism,” Valiente says. “Personally, he would be my first choice.”
Cardinal Jorge Bergoglio (Argentina): The Argentinian Cardinal has served since 1998 and has been at the top of many reports outlining possible successors. Like Maradiaga, Bergoglio has also demonstrated a strong commitment to social justice and would bring that agenda to the papacy. According to Valiente, Bergoglio was rumored to have come in a distant second place for the pope in 2005. However, Valiente feels that his age may be an issue.
“He is already 75 years old, so the moment may have passed for him. Nonetheless, he carries the weight and recognition of somebody who is very important,” Valiente explains.
Cardinal Leonardo Sandri (Argentina): The 69-year-old Sandri is up with Cardinal Bergoglio as one of the most cited possible contenders. Born in Argentina to Italian parents, Sandri has been a “transatlantic” figure. He has been a Vatican diplomat for many years and currently has the high-ranking position of heading the Vatican’s office for eastern Catholics. He is currently Number 2 in the Vatican Secretary of State’s office.
Cardinal Claudio Hummes (Brazil): Hummes is the current Brazilian Cardinal of the Roman Catholic Church. Although he has kept a relatively low profile, Valiente says that the role of the Brazilian church cannot be ignored.
“Brazil is a very important church for Latin America. The last meeting of the bishops was in Brazil and that was a very important meeting. Brazil is one of the biggest churches they have seen and has been especially significant in the past thirty years,” Valiente says.
Hummes is not the only Brazilian name that has been floated around. Other possible contenders include Odilo Pedro Scherer, the Archbishop of Sao Paolo which is the largest diocese in the country, and prefect Joao Braz de Aviz.
Other top contenders include Cardinal Marc Oullet of Canada, Cardinal Timothy Dolan of the U.S., and Cardinal Angela Scola of Milan. But just because they aren’t Latin American doesn’t mean they don’t have strong Latin American ties. According to Valiente, Cardinal Marc Ouellet of Canada is one of the strongest frontrunners and the most likely candidate for the top job. Mario Paredes of the American Bible Society says Oullet lived in Latin America for many years and speaks fluent Spanish.
Still, Latinos like Carmen Aguinaco of the National Catholic Council for Hispanic Ministry are hoping that the time has come for a Latino pope.
” The church is so highly concentrated in Latin America, Catholics are growing in the U.S. and Latin America extremely rapidly,” Aguinaco says. “It’s about high time that there’s a Latino pope.”
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Home Regional If women are not reaching their potential, none of us are –...
If women are not reaching their potential, none of us are – Paul Kagame
President Paul Kagame has called on nations worldwide to always ensure that women in their respective communities are enabled to reach their full potential.
The President made the remarks while addressing the 71st United Nations General Assembly in New York.
“Build on what we have learned so far; be inclusive, especially of women. If women are not reaching their potential, then none of us are. I am proud to be a HeForShe and urge others to support this important campaign,” President Kagame said.
Kagame observed that to stay on course, the international community needs to recognise that the ultimate goal of the various combined efforts is to transform the lives of real people by enhancing their well being, safety and access to opportunity.
President Paul Kagame recalled that over the past year, the United Nations concluded landmark agreements on sustainable development, climate change and renewed its commitment to work together to combat violent extremism.
He told the General Assembly that the above-mentioned issues are currently among the most serious before the international community.
“Our efforts offer the prospect of transforming our world as a whole, rather than just part of it. After all, the progress of one country is closely linked to the progress of every other, and we all have a role to play. Now is the time for implementation,” President Kagame said.
President Kagame commended the outgoing UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon for “being a voice even in the most difficult situations.” Ban Ki-moon has been at the helm of the United Nations from January 2007.
Speaking about international peace, Kagame reiterated that international peace and security depends on maintaining a shared vision of the envisioned outcomes.
“If we keep the people we are fighting for at front of our minds, there is no reason we cannot achieve,” He observed.
He stressed that access to technology must be leveraged towards reaching global goals, adding that everyone in the world needs access to high speed Internet.
Speaking about the 2030 Agenda, the Paris Agreement and other agreements, President Kagame explained that they are not mere slogans or fashions, rather, hard-won statements of global consensus.
Next month, Rwanda will host over 1,000 delegates from around the globe to consider a groundbreaking amendment to the Montreal Protocol to phase out hydro fluorocarbons, a major source of greenhouse gas emissions.
President Kagame concluded his speech reminding leaders from across the world that as the world changes for the better, the way countries relate to each other across the international community should begin to change as well.
Moses Kaketo
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Lewis and Clark Return in the Spring
October 1, 2017 by oldageisnotforsissies54 Filed Under: Following Old Trails, Travel, Uncategorized 2 Comments
Spring came and Lewis and Clark headed home. Follow along as we travel a different road on the other side of the Columbia River, where many of their north shore camps were located.
The drive today began in Washougal, Washington and followed along the North Shore of the Columbia River. This drive is mostly a mountainous drive with turnouts every so often to overlook the Columbia River. The river below is where Lewis and Clark returned using their canoes, paddling up the river in the spring of 1806. Like they did in 1806 we are returning back east using the north shore on US 14.
South of Washougal are wonderful views of Mount Hood across the Columbia in the distance. We took a long walk last night on a trail beside the north shore after dinner in Washougal. It is a quaint little old town area full of interesting shops and restaurants.
Our day began as a foggy but by noon the fog cleared out and the skies were blue with some clouds but not many. The views were awesome, especially the ones from up high looking down on the river.
The Lewis and Clark expedition passed through here on their way east in early April of 1806. It was still blustery and cold. They mostly camped on the north side of the river, where we are driving today.
The drive is like driving through mountains, sometimes with the fir and spruce and then it opens up to sweeping views of the river. We are driving through the Cascade Mountains.
We stopped at the Bonneville Dam and took some pictures.
Bonneville Dam
There were several small towns along the way. Stevenson looked like a very good place for a lunch stop but it was only 11 AM. Rats.
There was not much traffic, but I bet there’s a lot of traffic on weekends. The railroad tracks followed alongside.
The sun sparkles on the water like diamonds. Every time we go high the temperature drops and the wind chills.
Something about the silver-blue water with white caps and the green mountains on the other side. Awesome scenic beauty.
At Spring Creek State Park the sailboarders congregated and took advantage of the high winds through the gorge.
At noon we stopped to eat in the town of Blank where the terrain changed and became more desert-like. The lushness of the trees was now behind us.
When Louis and Clark came through here in 1805 headed to the Pacific ocean they also camped on the North Shore. There are several historical markers that mark the places where they camped as well in 1805.
East of Maryhill we are truly in the high desert. There are also lots of windmills. There is a winery, though near Maryhill.
There are other ways to see this area. There are cruise ships that run between Lewiston, Idaho and Astoria, Washington. Some of them are called Louis and Clark Cruises. We saw the paddle wheel cruise several times on the Columbia. The cruises begin at Clarkston, Idaho on the Snake River, travel the Snake River to the Columbia River, and then travel down the Columbia River to Astoria. Chuck and I thought about taking a cruise on the Columbia but could not work it into our schedule.
Across the river from Boardman on US 14 is the Château San Michele Vineyards. We stopped here before on another vacation, and they had a very nice tour of the vineyards and their operations as well as a good tasting room. The Château San Michele winery is west of Patterson, Washington.
The terrain east of Patterson, Washington becomes flatter and even more desert-like. The Columbia here seems more like a ribbon of the river instead of the broad Columbia that it has been further downstream. The road pulls away though, and at times you cannot see the river.
Then the terrain changes again, and there’s farming with corn, wheat, and sorghum. We finally passed back to the south shore to Oregon and stayed the night in Pendleton, Oregon. After dinner at a place called Roosters, which has good old fashion home food, such as a Yankee pot roast, we took a long walk through their downtown section.
This is an old Western town with a lot of statues celebrating their people and their history and information along the way about their round up which they have held for over 100 years. A roundup is when they go out and round up the cattle for sale, but the roundup here means a big rodeo now.
This is a great city area to take a walk at night. We felt perfectly safe. We stayed at the Oxford Suites. We’ve never stayed in this chain before, and it was quite nice.
The next morning we got up and made a stop at the Pendleton Woolen Mills Outlet and took their mill tour.
Now Chuck knew why I chose Pendleton to stay the night. He said, “well there goes our retirement.” I’ve loved these clothes since I was a young woman and couldn’t afford them. Here are a few examples of the type of clothes they make. Below is an example of their style.
They do men’s wear, too. These clothes are great for going out west or up north for snow skiing and other travel. They also make great Christmas gifts.
Here’s an example of what Chuck bought.
They have been in business since 1863 when they first produced woolen blankets with Native American designs, a product that they still make. The tour of their factory was very educational.
I bought a nice cardigan that has FSU and Georgia Tech colors on it. My cardigan is below.
But I didn’t realize how good the prices were especially on the blankets until I got back home and began looking for a new design that I saw on the floor of the mill. It was still in the raw fabric stage. Here’s one of their blankets, but I still haven’t seen the new design yet online.
The drive between Walla Walla and Clarkston, Washington was just as pretty the opposite direction passing through miles and miles and hill after hill of wheat fields with awesome views. Almost all the wheat has been cut and the wheat straw bailed and picked up by the semis. There are very few stacks left to be picked up.
State Road 12 passed around and through these hills. We passed back through the little towns.
As Floridians, we cannot imagine what winter is like living here.
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The Ultimate American Adventure: Lewis and Clark at Cape Disappointment
August 28, 2017 by oldageisnotforsissies54 Filed Under: Following Old Trails, Travel 2 Comments
Lewis and Clark on November 7th in 1805 finally make it all the way to the Pacific Ocean, but winter strikes right away even before they have a chance to build a winter fort.
Today we plan to visit Cape Disappointment where Lewis and Clark saw the Pacific Ocean for the first time and Fort Clatsop where they spent the winter. Chuck and I spent the night in Seaside, Oregon and the next morning got up and drove north on US 101 to Cape Disappointment, Washington which is just across the bridge from Astoria, Oregon. Crossing the four-mile-long Astoria bridge was very interesting. It is near the mouth of the Columbia River where it meets the sea.
There were hundreds of boats down below in the river, and they were obviously fishing for something. Of course, that piqued my fishing crazed husband’s interest.
Driving north to Cape Disappointment
We stopped in the village of Chinook on the Washington side to ask, and the ladies at the bait shop said that they were fishing for all kinds of salmon. This is the period of time when the salmon run. We asked what kind and they said all kinds–Chinook, sockeye, steelhead, silver, all kinds.
The ride on the north side of the river today is dotted with fishing villages, forests, and hills running down to the water’s edge. Today is clear and cool in the shade, a beautiful day to be outdoors.
Just east of the bridge is a place called Dismal Nitch. This is where Lewis and Clark spent some scary days toward the end of their journey to the sea. They were so close, yet not quite there. A rare winter storm hit in early November of 1805 and pinned them down in this little cove that Clark called “that dismal little nitch”. They spent days there cold, wet, and hungry. It is on SR 401.
This was also the home of the Chinook Indians. Their village was unoccupied at the time because they had relocated to the south shoreline of the river to their winter village. This was a bad omen for Lewis and Clark. They were planning to stay on the north shore in a place now called Cape Disappointment.
Driving the north shoreline of the Columbia River near Cape Disappointment
We visited Cape Disappointment State Park. At first, it was like entering canopied road with massive firs and spruces.
Then the views opened up to the river and the Pacific. They were beautiful, and the museum well worth our time.
Imagine Lewis and Clark’s delight upon finding this place and then their disappointment when they realized that it wasn’t a good place to spend the winter.
Located just within the mouth of the river on the north side is the port of Ilwaco, where we stopped to eat lunch. If there is one drawback for traveling in Washington and Oregon’s rural areas, it is the lack of vegetables for lunch. My body is too old to live on hamburgers, sandwiches, fish and chips. We seemed to find little else in rural Oregon.
Lewis and Clark spent ten days at Station Camp between Cape Disappointment and Dismal Nitch before moving on to the south shore of the Columbia where they built a small winter fort which they named Fort Clatsop after the Indians who lived there.
Inside Fort Clatsop
So like Lewis and Clark, we crossed the Columbia to the south side–they in their dugout canoes and us on our four-mile bridge.
A full-scale replica can be explored at Fort Clatsop National Park on the south shore. Here Lewis and Clark spent the winter of 1905-06. There are actors in period clothing to guide you through the experience.
Fort Clatsop Reenactor
They wrote in their journals, fished, explored the area, and got ready for the spring return. The woods are beautiful, and there are great trails for walking.
The forests at Fort Clatsop
Chuck and I got to try our hand at writing with a quill as this was how they wrote in their journals. This would be a great place to bring the grandchildren.
The Ultimate American Adventure: Lewis and Clark in the Columbia River Gorge
August 28, 2017 by oldageisnotforsissies54 Filed Under: Following Old Trails, Travel Leave a Comment
Can you imagine what Lewis and Clark thought about the awesome majesty of the Columbia River Gorge?
You actually can by read what they thought through their journals. Both wrote about it, as did several of their men.
As for us, we thought it was awesome too. We really did enjoy the Columbia Gorge Inn last night. Both had a good rest, and the smoke cleared out this morning. Though a little pricey, the beds and pillows were good, and the views were awesome. Before we left, we took more photos from high up on the south side of the gorge. Can you imagine how Lewis, Clark, and their men felt as they floated through this beautiful gorge?
The gorge was created by the Columbia River as it cuts through the Cascade Mountains.
We had breakfast in the formal dining room downstairs with the old-fashioned 20s style windows overlooking the gorge. This is not a bed and breakfast so we had to pay for our breakfast. We’ve learned that the more you pay for a hotel, the fewer amenities you receive; but we also understand that it takes a lot of money to maintain these old gems.
Chuck ordered oatmeal, and I ordered an omelet. The omelet was enough for both of us so we shared it. Everything was delicious, the service was great, and again the views were amazing.
One thing we learned is that this is one area where you want to stay on the interstate. Interstate 84 follows right next to the shoreline of the Columbia River’s southern shore. The drives are sweeping beautiful views. There is no blue highway that has such river scenery on this side of the river. Historic US 30, though, does move east to west through this area, but it is a more forested drive.
We took this photo from the north shore of the river. That is I-84 in the distance.
By the way, US 30 also known as the Historic Columbia River Highway was the first highway in America built specifically for scenic touring, thus the reason that our hotel was built at the same time as the road.
All up and down I-84 there are historical signs about the expedition and viewpoints. Of course, I didn’t want to miss a thing, so Chuck got a little tired of stopping, I believe.
After we left the gorge we entered an area where we ran into smoke, smog, or fog. We’re just unsure exactly what this was. We ran into this close to Multnomah Falls not too far from Portland. You access the falls from the interstate by a parking lot in the median of I-84.
Multnomah Falls is a really beautiful cascade falling from high over the rocks above. It is the second tallest continuous waterfall in the United States at over 600′ high. It is also Oregon’s biggest tourist stop probably because it is right next to the interstate.
Lewis and Clark camped nearby and wrote about it in their journals going to the Pacific and again on their return.
We hiked up to the upper bridge. Chuck fell and hurt his knee while fishing in Idaho earlier, so we felt it probably wasn’t a good idea to go the mile and a half farther to the top of the falls.
The falls according to local Indian lore were provided for a beautiful Indian princess who needed a place to bathe. What a great bath tub!
After Multnomah Falls we left the interstate and started following Historic Old US 30, the highway originally built through here. We immediately climbed higher up over the Columbia River Valley into the forest, and the forest drive was beautiful, a green-shaded tunnel of vegetation. An entirely different scenery. We took this road so we didn’t have to drive near Portland. I-84 goes through Portland.
We stopped at a restaurant called the Tippy Canoe and ate outdoors on their patio, a wonderful lunch of a Reuben, soup, and salad. A salad seems to be the only vegetables I can find here in Oregon. The mountain air was cool and refreshing.
We found that this area is very expensive to travel through. The hotels are expensive as well as the food in the restaurants. And to add insult to injury the bed and gas taxes are expensive as well, though there are no sales taxes.
Like Lewis and Clark we are on our way to a little town called Seaside, Oregon which is just south of Astoria. Between Seaside and Astoria is where the Lewis and Clark expedition spent the winter after spending some time at Cape Disappointment. More on that tomorrow. We traveled west on US 30 until we got to US 101 going south.
Seaside is just as its name implies and is ocated on US 101. There are numerous hotels and motels, great streets for walking, shops for shopping, and a vast beach. On the beach was a big beach volleyball tournament. There were lots of nets available for private practices and games, too. It was a festive atmosphere.
We stayed in a downtown hotel within walking distance of the beach. We know that Capt. William Clark came through here sometime in the winter of 1805-1806, because he mentioned in his journal that the Indians alerted him to a giant whale that has washed up on the beach near current day Cannon Beach. He used the beach to explore this area on his way to see the whale. There is a statue of him and Lewis in Seaside at the water’s edge.
The Ultimate American Adventure: Lewis and Clark Reaches the Columbia River
You know, it was the first truly great American adventure–the Lewis and Clark Expedition. The entire nation watched them leave and waited for their return, a nation that was less than 30 years old.
Yesterday, we left the Lewis and Clark eastbound trail in Waitsburg, Washington, on US 12 and followed US 12 to Walla Walla. Walla Walla County has a great Lewis and Clark Trail brochure that shows both trails and their campsites. The eastbound trail at Waitsburg continues on SR 124 following the Touchet River.
Though we were following their eastbound route, Chuck and I were actually traveling backward moving west. Lewis and Clark canoed westbound on the Snake River through this area on October 12th and 13th of 1805. Clark noted in his journal that the 13th was a dark, windy, and rainy day.
Chuck and I left Walla Walla, Washington about 10 o’clock in the morning and made our first stop at the L’Ecole estate winery tasting room. We are still following US 12, though we are far from the Snake River at present. I’m sure Lewis and Clark didn’t run across any wine tastings, but what the heck. I’m sure they liked wine, too.
L’Ecole Estate owns several wineries including the Seven Hills Winery, where we planned to do a tasting last night. Today, though, tasted six different wines (yes, it was morning) and bought a bottle for our trip. The rest we shipped home, a very good Cabernet Sauvignon.
We continued west on Highway 12 until we got to where 12 turns and continues north into Washington state while Highway 730 picks up and begins driving on the south bank of the Columbia River. We took SR 730. The expedition reached the confluence of the Columbia River on October 16th.
The expedition reached the confluence of the Columbia River on October 16th and continued their westerly route.
SR 730 is a beautiful drive, though it is still smoky. The entire west seems to be burning, and we have had smoky days now for three full days. It did get a little better around Walla Walla.
The terrain changed again to a parched, almost treeless landscape. We are now driving on the Columbia Plateau.
Today, the Columbia River is the border between Washington and Oregon.
We drove westward on the south shore of the river, and here it is very very wide and looks as if there is obviously a dam somewhere. It is a vast deep flowing waterway used for commerce. In their day, though, Lewis and Clark found it to be full of rapids and cascades.
While driving westward on SR 730 we came to a turn off for Hat Rock State Park. Following the turnoff, we drove past the entrance of the state park and kept straight to dead end at a small a wayside park with good restroom facilities. This little park provided access to where the commemorative Lewis and Clark Trail runs through the park. This Trail followed the Indian path they used on their eastbound route.
We took some time to walk up the trail to a place high on a hill overlooking the Columbia River. It was a beautiful site but we realized two things. One, the trail is very wide and in their day it was probably nothing more than an Indian path. And two, the Columbia River is very wide here because of the dam and reservoir. Still, though it was worth the trip to walk in their footsteps.
Hat Rock, too, is a very interesting geological figure. It looked like a shorter and smaller Devil’s Tower sans the woods. Maybe an older Devil’s Tower, one that the elements of nature already chiseled down.
We continued on SR 730 until we got to Interstate 84. Here Interstate 84 drops down off the plains to skirt the south shoreline of the Columbia River. Within a short while, though, the views change again and become wooded and rugged, and I-84 becomes another type of scenic drive. The interstate continues to run alongside the river with awesome views. There are rest areas along the way with heritage signs telling the story of the expedition.
Our plans were to stay near Hood River, Oregon at the Columbia Gorge Inn. Built high on a bluff overlooking the Gorge, an investor built the mission style hotel in the 1920s when the first road was built through this area for tourists to see the Gorge. Inside were great photos of the hotel’s past glory days. Shirley Temple stayed here as a child, among many other celebrities of that era.
We drove down into the towno f Hood River for dinner, and it is an artsy type place with plenty of variety and a great place to walk around. I actually found a place that provided green vegetables, something I’m having trouble finding unless it is a salad made of plain lettuce.
We walked after dinner all over the manicured grounds of the hotel, which was built over a waterfall.
A trip to this hotel is special even if you do not plan to stay.
The Ultimate Guide to Following Lewis and Clark on the Clearwater River
In one of the longest portages ever Lewis and Clark stumbled out of the mountains in search of another water route and found the Clearwater River.
Last year I wrote about another section of the Lewis and Clark Trail in the “Following Old Trails” series. I blogged about this segment of the trail from Great Falls, Montana to the Weippe Prairie in Idaho.
As you probably remember, the Lewis and Clark Trail is a historical water trail which followed the path that Meriweather Lewis and William Clark took at the request of President Thomas Jefferson in 1805-1807. I ended that segment in the fields of Wieppe where they literally stumbled out of the mountains starving, cold, and wet. You can read about that here to refresh your memory. Only stop reading when I begin to talk about the road back through the Clearwater National Forest. I had car trouble and it gets too long.
Today, Chuck and I began this “Following Old Trails” journey in Orofino, Idaho at the Best Western River View on the Clearwater River near Wieppe Prairie, a great place to stay, by the way. Weippe Prairie is where Lewis and Clark began, again trying to find a water route to the Pacific, a northwest passage. Chuck and I are 130 miles from Lolo Pass, and yesterday we followed the lower route which was not the route that Lewis and Clark took. If you remember from last year’s blog post they took an upper route following a ridge line through the Bitterroot mountains. It is a rough forest road that travels approximately one hundred miles up there.
We are driving on a 202-mile scenic byway (US 12) called the Northwest Passage Scenic Byway, and it follows a trail that the Nez Perce Indians used and that later Lewis and Clark used. Unfortunately, today there is lots of smoke, and the views are not as good or are restricted. However, I traveled through this area last year and the views were beautiful. Today, though, there are numerous wildfires throughout the west.
The scenic byway commemorates the Lewis and Clark expedition’s quest for a watercourse through the Rocky Mountains connecting the Missouri and Columbia Rivers. Of course, there was no watercourse all the way through, which is why they took a long portage over the mountains going west and coming back east.
Today, we left Orofino, traveling west on US 12 with our destination being Walla Walla, Washington. In Wieppe Prairie, Lewis and Clark cold, wet, and starving stumbled out of mountains having made it to the western side of the Bitterroots. An early winter storm made it treacherous. On the other side at Wieppe Prairie, they found the Nez Perce Indians, a friendly tribe who were very helpful. They were fed food made from the camas root, which was a staple in the diet of the Indians but which made the expedition very sick. It was sustenance, though, and they were starving.
The Lewis and Clark expedition was the ultimate American adventure. Back home every newspaper wrote about them. They were famous overnight, but now they were in truly uncharted territory. The risk was greater, and no one back east knew their fate. Not even President Jefferson who sent them. The men who took their ship back from the Mandan village earlier that spring were long home, so the east knew that as of early spring 1805 the rest of the men of the Lewis and Clark expedition were safe, but now it was fall of 1805 and no word could be expected for quite some time.
Lewis and Clark were racing against time and the elements. It was September again and they wanted to reach the Pacific before the winter set in.
Just west of Orofino on Highway 12 is a little park that’s called Canoe Camp. In this park is the beginning of an interpretive trail where you can see the Dworshak Dam across the Clearwater River. There is also a beautiful view of the river here, and there is a replica of the dugouts made by Lewis and Clark for the remainder of their trip.
About halfway down the trail at this park, I ran across another one of the brass monuments that were placed to commemorate where Lewis and Clark stopped to camp. A surveying society used Clark’s coordinates to mark the spot. This one commemorates what he called the Canoe Camp, thus the name for this little wayside park.
This site was selected by Clark because of the many large ponderosa pines that grew here. This is where they came to make their canoes for the trip west. The canoe makers chopped out small portions of the pine logs then used fire or hot coals to carve out the wood. This made it easier to then chip out the inside of the canoes.
They were taught how to do this by several of the Nez Perce Indians who also joined them at this campsite to help them. The expedition stayed here 10 days and made five of these canoes. This camp was where they made the transition from the overland travel to travel by water again. The expedition also needed this camp as well as time to recuperate from the dried salmon and camas that they ate when they came out of the Bitterroot Mountains.
This took place here in late September 1805. Lewis and Clark built of the five canoes, four large and one small one so that the 34 members of the expedition could continue. The large canoes were about 50 to 55 feet long and could carry a minimum of seven men and 800 to 1000 pounds of their gear.
Today in this place the river has been extensively modified. There is the hydroelectric Dworshak dam that we can see in the distance.
About 10 days after they left Lewis and Clark entered what is present-day Washington State. Guided by Nez Perce men as they were still in Nez Perce country, they beached the dugout canoes and camped on the Snake River on the north side each evening. They stayed here several days, and they traded with and recorded observations about these people who were very friendly and helpful to their journey.
This camp is just west of present-day Clarkston, Washington. Clarkston and Lewiston are twin cities that set across the river from each other–Lewiston in Idaho and Clarkston in Washington state. The terrain changes from tree-lined rivers to plains.
From here the expedition continued west on the Snake River. From this point, we traveled west right beside the Snake. The river here is very wide and seems to be a bit of a reservoir. We are still on Highway 12 headed to Walla Walla, Washington.
Several times yesterday on the Clearwater River we noticed people tubing down the river. The river is cold like our spring water and very clear. I can see why they wanted to tube down it. It is very beautiful plus temperatures here are in the 90s, and I’m hearing it going to be over 100 for the next couple of days. The kids appear to be still out of school out here. Not too far down US 12, our road pulls away from the south bank of the Snake. There are no roads that follow the river closely here. We lose sight of the river in the distance.
About 30 minutes west of Clarkston we came to a rest area where you can read more about the Lewis and Clark expedition. We discovered that we are following the path of their return trip which was in 1806. The Snake is about ten miles north, and there are no roads that follow it closely on either side of the river.
At the rest area, they quoted a journal entry that said that this is where they broke camp on May 4, 1806, a cold and disagreeable morning. We are high on a summit and the wind is blowing furiously through here. No wonder they got so cold. Not a tree in sight, but I have no idea if there were trees then or not. noticed that this had rich soil here, that is was fertile with a dark rich loam.
The expedition noticed that this area had rich soil, that is was fertile with a dark rich loam. Today, this is one of the worlds most productive agricultural regions where farmers grow wheat, dried peas and lentils, barley, and other crops. In every direction, we can see the planted ground to the horizon. It is really quite beautiful.
By the way, the expedition also found great quantities of Quamash a root which the natives used. The expedition used it themselves to make their own food.
Between Clarkston and Walla Walla, we took a side trip up to Palouse Falls State Park. It is a beautiful 20-minute 20 miles drive north from Highway 12. It was especially scenic crossing the Snake River again.
The falls are beautiful. They flow quite nicely even though it is August. We hiked for a while. We also took a picnic snack with a small bottle of wine and just sat at some picnic tables and watched the falls for a while. It seems dry and very hot in the sun, but as soon as you get into the shade, it becomes very comfortable. You know you’re no longer stressed when you just sit there and count the number of cows on the hills in the distance around the falls. The count was always changing because the cattle walked behind bushes appearing and reappearing. They were few but hard to count.
The drive on into Walla Walla was quite scenic. It included mile after mile and hill after hill of wheat fields. The hills were rather high though not mountains, and they had crops of wheat all the way up on top of those hills. It was truly like the song “with amber waves of grain.”
It was like this all the way into Walla Walla, even though Walla Walla is well known for its wineries and tasting rooms.The wineries are sporadically placed throughout these hills.
A town that we especially liked on US 12 was called Dayton, Washington, a quaint little town with all kinds of small shops and a good Best Western Plus. I think if we had known about this we might have stopped here and spent the night, but we have reservations in Walla Walla.
We got some bad advice I believe about Walla Walla, Washington. We did like it. It was a beautiful small city with a wonderful downtown area that was great for taking a walk at night. It reminded me of Thomasville, Georgia.
Also our hotel The Marcus Whitman was very special. It is in an old building and is one of the oldest hotels in the area. They have done a major renovation, and it’s very elegant and very nice. The rate for the night was a very low $129, a bargain for what we got.
The wrong information though was about the drive in and the tasting rooms and the restaurant where we ate. I feel certain we got the wrong restaurant because the Seven Hills tasting room was supposed to be across the street, and it was definitely not there. Also, the restaurant was very expensive. There was a story online about it being very very reasonable. Chuck just wondered if maybe it was reasonable to the people out here. We found this part of the west, especially later in Oregon to be more expensive all around.
Having said that though the food was very good. It was called the Olive Café. We both liked Walla Walla,, and we wished we had gone to one of the tasting rooms before dinner, but it was late and we were starving.
Great Florida Cattle Drive Redux
February 13, 2017 by oldageisnotforsissies54 Filed Under: Following Old Trails, Great Florida Cattle Drive 2016 Leave a Comment
Beginning tomorrow I will repost each day’s journey on the 2016 Great Florida Cattle Drive. Chuck and I participated in it one year ago, and now they made a documentary film about the event.
On Thursday evening February 23rd, WFSU in Tallahassee along with other public television stations will air this one-hour documentary entitled “The Great Florida Cattle Drive 2016”, a film by Elam and Nic Stoltzfus and their production company Live Oak Production Group.
The film is about the reenactment of an 1850 Florida Cattle Drive, which was held last year in central Florida. Five hundred men and women spent a week-long journey herding cattle across central Florida, a 50-mile drive. Many were in period costumes, including myself.
Chuck and I were part of that group, and I blogged daily about our experiences–the good, the bad, and the down right ugly. It was the trip of a lifetime.
The blog posts begin tomorrow with the first post about training for the drive, when Chuck and I initially decided to participate. The entire series runs daily leading up to the film on February 23rd. Each post appears daily on my Facebook page.
If you have not signed up to receive notices from my Facebook page, entitled Old Age Is Not For Sissies Blog, please make sure you do so today. I cannot rerun the series directly from the blog, so there will be no emailed notices. So please “Like” my Facebook page. You can use this link to go directly to my Facebook page.
Come join me daily and enjoy the ride. It was a wild one to say the least, and I enjoyed sharing it.
Following Old Trails: The Trail to Tallahassee
October 17, 2016 by oldageisnotforsissies54 Filed Under: Following Old Trails, Genealogy, Palmetto Pioneers, Travel 2 Comments
In an earlier post Chuck and I followed some old trails and roads which we felt the Walker families may have used when they migrated to Florida from South Carolina in the late 1820s. If you remember, our daylight ran out around Milledgeville, Georgia; and I said that I would continue the trip in a later post.
Well, this is it–a later post and a continuation of their and our journeys from Milledgeville on down into Florida. We recently made this trip; but they traveled it about 1828, almost 200 years ago. I need to stress, though, that I’m less certain of the route they took, as you’ll see later.
After the family left Fort Hawkins, which was the old fort south of Milledgeville that set on the eastern edge of the wilderness, they followed the Lower Creek Trading Path.
As mentioned earlier Milledgeville was the Capitol of Georgia in the 1820s and it also set on the Fall Line Rd. Well, the Lower Creek Trading Path was essentially an extension of the fall line road that led on through Georgia to Alabama and Mississippi. The Path was also known as the Old Horse Path and was used by the Carolina traders before the foundation of Georgia.
The wilderness west of Fort Wilkinson belonged to the Creek Nation until the Fort Wilkinson Treaty of 1826. This treaty opened the wilderness to migrating settlers; and by the time the Walkers traveled this route in 1828, it had only been opened two years. Most of the roads in the wilderness were widened Indian paths, except for the Lower Creek Trading Path.
This route was not as primitive as one might imagine, because it had been opened earlier as a postal route leading to New Orleans. The Creek Nation allowed our postal carriers to use this path, and our government widened it and made it easier for travel.
This road on its way to New Orleans crossed the Chattahoochee River nine miles south of Columbus, Georgia. State historical markers in Chattahoochee, Marion, and Taylor Counties today show the route through those counties.
The road was previously very well traveled by the Indians of that area, who initially used it as a trading path. As mentioned earlier our government negotiated for our postal service to use the path; and years later during the War of 1812, it became, under another treaty, a military road. General Andrew Jackson and his army needed a faster route to get to New Orleans so they could ‘fire their guns cause the British kept a comin’.
This Lower Creek Indian Path is also called the Federal Road and follows SR 112 south out of Milledgeville, and we can safely say it follows this path to Ft. Wilkinson. While I’m fairly certain how to follow the lower path of the Lower Indian Path/Old Federal Road out of Milledgeville as far as Ft. Wilkinson, I’m a little uncertain about where the Old Federal Road went from there. But I believe it followed the fall line.
There are different theories though as to where the road went from this fort. One theory is that it wandered south and west through Toomsboro towards Hawkinsville. This is also called the Vinson Highway, but Hawkinsville seems too far south of the Chattahoochee crossing mentioned earlier. Also, this road does not followed the fall line.
The other theory is that it followed the fall line on into Alabama and Mississippi. This one seems more correct. The next rivers over are the Ocmulgee in Macon and the Flint River on the western side of Crawford County. If you draw a line between these points and the fall line on the Chattahoochee below Columbus, the Old Federal Highway mostly follows US 80. I feel more certain that this is the Old Federal Road/Postal Horse Path.
More About Ft. Wilkinson
South of Milledgeville on SR 112 is a marker that says that 300 yards east of the here is where Ft, Wilkinson stood. This fort, built in 1797 on Georgia’s Indian boundary, was an early trading house, where the Creek’s were supplied under the Treaty of New York of 1790. It is also where the 1802 treaty was signed when the Creek’s ceded the land westward to Commissioner’s Creek.
There are also documents showing that this is the fort where the soldiers stayed when they widened and built the Lower Indian Path into the Federal Road.
In 1897 the Ft. Wilkinson garrison moved to Ft. Hawkins near the Ocmulgee River fall line, near present day Macon. Macon grew up around this fort. I believe this move is why it is so hard to follow the Federal Road, as the beginning of the Federal Road comes from two locations–the earlier one was Ft. Wilkinson south of Milledgeville and the later one was Ft. Hawkins near Macon.
So we first followed SR 112 past the site of Ft. Wilkinson until we came to a problem. We found that there is one section of the road where it does not follow SR 112. When SR 112 gets to US 23 northeast of Hawkinsville, the road here follows Coley Station Rd, which later becomes the Old Milledgeville Rd. After which it intersects with Alternate US 129 which goes southwest into Hawkinsville. This is a pretty drive, not as developed as the SR 112 route which bypasses this.
Another reason I believe SR 112 may have been built on an old road, not necessarily the Old Federal Rd., is because of a document that named several cities that were built on on it. This document actually calls this road the Old Federal Road, too. Actually, there are at least three Old Federal Roads in Georgia, one north of Atlanta, also, which was once an old Cherokee trading Path.
But documents said that this Federal Road went through cities such as Ashburne, Rochelle and Toombsboro, etc. If you look at the road that runs directly between these cities, it is State Road 112. But my question is where did this Federal Road stop and a possible new route opened for the new settlers moving into this area immediately after the 1826 treaty. If it was SR 112, when did this road open. I have no idea.
My problem now is how far did this old road follow SR 112. SR 112 pretty much will take you all the way to Cairo, GA which is where I can definitively say one can follow the Lower Hawthorne Trail, which will be explained later. Since I have no idea when this road opened, I decide that the other theory has more believability.
The Second Theory
It is said in several documents that the Lower Indian Path/Old Federal Road crossed the Flint River near the Old Indian Agency Headquarters in Crawford County. The Indian Agent Benjamin Hawkins lived here, and his burial site is by the river on the west side of Crawford County. His home and the community that grew up around it was called Traveler’s Rest. So we have a good idea where this was.
If you look at a map, SR 112 goes in the wrong direction to intersect with this point. On face value SR 112 is not the path I’m looking for, unless it was blazed directly down from the old path south of Ft. Wilkinson. It does look like a good option, but again I believe it is wrong.
A better road was probably the one that came directly down from Traveler’s Rest and which Old US 19 was built upon. Old US 19 was changed over the years, and you can find its roadbed as SR 3 in most places now. I believe SR 3 beginning in Baconton, GA was where Hawthorne blazed his new trail.
What was the Old Federal Road Like?
By the time the Walker families traveled the Old Federal Road in 1828, the road was no more than 16 feet wide. It was widened in 1811 by the military to make it sufficient for moving supply wagons, cannons, and men on horse and foot. in other words it was a military road. The Walkers spent weeks traveling this road and they camped on land beside it.
Its swamps and streams were causewayed and bridged. Stumps were ordered not to exceed 6 inches above the ground and to be pared around the edges. The settlers through their journals and diaries said that often the road climbed sandy ridges and rambled.
The vegetation removed from the surface of the sandy loam soils caused the road to erode rapidly, especially on the sloped up and down grades. The pressure of the horses’ hooves and the iron bands of the wagons wheels disturbed the soil even more. They said that gullies formed everywhere. It was rough going.
The Old Hawthorne Trail
Some documents say that the Old Hawthorne Trail ran from Columbus all the way down to St. Marks, Florida, which is a riverport near the Gulf below Tallahassee. Some say that the road crossed the Flint River at Traveler’s Rest in Crawford County, Georgia. Almost all agree that it had been a Stagecoach Road.
And I found where a Stagecoach road existed that ran south down from Albany. I began thinking this was the road that may have been a part of the Hawthorne Trail since this is the location where I lost the trail when traveling north on the lower part of the Hawthorn Trail.
It is said that William Hawthorne blazed the road in 1818. The Walkers didn’t use it until 1828, a decade later. Many great and distinguished men traveled this old road, and it probably was used by Gen. Jackson while he was governor of Territorial Florida when going to and from The Hermitage, his home near Nashville, Tennessee. And this may be why they thought it went all the way to Columbus. He came down from Nashville which was north and west and then turned east using the Old Federal Road until he got to Traveler’s Rest.
My problem finding the Old Hawthorne Trail begins with a document that says that the old trail went south from Baconton. For a while I thought this was old US 19 which is now SR 3.
There is a problem here in Baconton, Georgia, though, because Baconton did not exist when the Walkers came through in 1827-28. It wasn’t established until 1866.
Instead, there was a little community east of Baconton on SR 93 which was called Gum Pond. It was a town then, and it sits on the Florida Stagecoach Road that ran from Albany to Thomasville through Camilla. I wonder if this is where the Hawthorne Trail runs south, not in the current downtown of Baconton. This area has the address of Baconton today, and this may be why folks thought that it pulled off from Baconton. This old Stagecoach Road runs parallel to SR 3 about three miles to the east.
Also, State Road 112 coming down from Milledgeville through Sylvester intersects with The Old Stage Coach Rd. at Greenough just a little south of where Gum Pond was located. One can then take SR 112 all the way down to Cairo from here.
In Cairo is where there are signs that mark the Old Hawthorne Trail. These Hawthorne Trail signs run west of the city. These street signs call it the Upper Hawthorne Trail which run southeast into Cairo.
Here the Upper Hawthorne roadbed is clay, reminiscent of the country music which romanticize red clay roads.
This road runs through pine forests and cornfields before crossing US 84 which runs from Bainbridge to Thomasville through Cairo.
On the north side of US 84, though, we spotted an old cemetery, the oldest one we’ve seen here. We walked through it, and I found a grave with a date of death of 1841. In graveyards this old, there are always unmarked earlier graves. Many graves in this area are unmarked because the Indians would dig bodies up. It was part of warfare to give one’s enemy a bad death.
This cemetery could be old enough to have been here in 1828, when the Walkers came to Florida. This road forks left off of SR 112 which runs up through Camilla and intersects the Old Stage Coach Rd. just a few miles south of Gum Pond. So this is where we know the Old Hawthorne Trail existed.
For the first time today while on this old clay road I can really imagine what it might of been like as the family moved along through this area. Mostly these are just farms and forests through here now. It’s a good road but I wouldn’t want to be here when it rains.
But north of this point between SR 112 in Greenough and here, I really have no idea if this is the trail. Poor Chuck. He’s driving and I’m directing first up this road and then down that road. He finally points out that he’s beginning to feel like Hoke in ” Driving Miss Daisy.”
As you get farther south, though, toward the Florida line, the Old Hawthorne Trail is marked both on maps and by signage on the highways. We followed it through Lower South Georgia south of Cairo. It is a pretty little two-laned grey asphalt road, canopied by trees in some areas.
You can find it on the maps south out of Cairo on State Road 111, which is also marked as the Lower Hawthorne Trail.
You’ll find where the Lower Hawthorne Trail pulls off of SR 111 way south of Cairo on your left. It becomes County Road 157A here.
This road is surrounded by farmland and is wooded in the lower areas. When you get to the end of 157A there is a street sign that says Concord Rd. If you follow this road, it dead ends in Florida.
We turned right on Concord Rd. and over our shoulder noticed a sign that said Lower Hawthorne Trail with an arrow pointing back down towards the Concord Road. This is very helpful as it tells us that the historians believe that 157A or the Concord Road is also a part of the Old Lower Hawthorne Trail. Georgia has marked it side of the trail, but not Florida.
The Concord Rd. (Old Lower Hawthorne Trail) came down to about a mile east of Concord, Florida on State Road 12. To find current day Concord, we turned west on SR 12 and drove to the little intersection with its little service station. This is modern day Concord, and I believe the Old Bainbridge Road leading down to Tallahassee may also be part of the Old Lower Hawthorne Trail, but again I’m not sure, though some documents say it went all the way to St. Marks, Florida on the Gulf coast.
So it is my best guess that the family followed the Old Federal Road, which follows the fall line, out of Milledgeville. At Traveler’s Rest they turned south on a trail that later became Old US 19 until they traveled through Gum Pond and met up with the Hawthorne Trail which I believe began in or around Greenough, Georgia. At least that is how I plan to write it in my book, adding all the research used to come to this conclusion.
But I’m not quite ready to begin writing. I think I want to make one more road trip on this route to stop in at some key libraries just to test my theory one last time. Besides I get the chance to follow this old trail again. And I love that as much as I love a good road trip.
Day 7 on the California Trail: Arriving at Sutter’s Fort
September 2, 2016 by oldageisnotforsissies54 Filed Under: Following Old Trails, Travel Leave a Comment
Sutter’s Fort where Sacrememto now sits was the destination that all of the earlier California Trail settlers sought until about 1849. Notice the significance of that date? 1849 in California meant only one thing–GOLD! Besides. What else would they have named their football team?
Sutter’s Fort today sits in the heart of midtown Sacramento. You can see a full scale replica of it which takes up an entire city block. The replica is built around Sutter’s main building which still stands. This main building was his office and living quarters. It was two stories. Outside the fort were corrals, other outbuildings, and dwellings.
Back in the 1840s this was all in the wilderness, and the fort became a place of respite for the journeying settlers who had just crossed the mountains. Mr. Sutter had quite an operation here.
The fort was built before the US purchased California. He employed both the area’s Indians and Hawaiians to build it. He had traveled extensively before coming here and brought the Hawaiians with him. The fort set very near the American River.
There were several rooms where the settlers’ and their families were allowed to stay until they were able to get their own properties settled. There was a blacksmith shop, a trading store, a gunsmith shop, a blanket factory, a jail, a carpenter’s shop, a cooperage (where barrels were made), a weavers’ room, and a grist mill. It was a very self-sufficient fort.
Sutter was a generous man. He sent out one of the rescue parties along with supplies to find and help the Donner party, who had been snowed in in the mountains by one of the worst snow falls on record. A doll that belonged to one of the surviving Donner children is on display at the fort.
Sutter grew beans, wheat, barley, and peas. He fur traded, and he had a distillery too. He also raised livestock, and later he partnered with a man by the name of Marshall to build a sawmill about 40 miles up the American River.
Sutter’s Mill
The sawmill, though, changed Sutter’s life forever; because while Marshall was having the tail race for the sawmill dug, he noticed something flashing in the sun. It was gold, and Mr. Sutter’s operation at the fort came to a screeching halt. Overnight, all his employees quit and became gold seekers.
Sutter & Marshall’s Sawmill (Replica)
And they all lived and worked in the foothills of the Sierra Nevada Mountains, miles away from the fort. Too far away. His businesses ceased to exist.
We drove east out to the site where his sawmill was located at the edge of the Sierra Nevadas. It is a state park now. We enjoyed seeing where all of this took place.
There’s Gold in Them hills!
When Sutter’s partner James Marshall found the gold, he brought it back to Sutter’s Fort. They did a simple test and found it was indeed gold. They tried to keep it a secret, but one of the sawmill employees tried to sell a piece of it, and the word spread like wildfire. This caused the 1849 Gold Rush.
But there is an inside story to this that I read in a book called “Green Russell and Gold” by E. Spencer and B. Mead. It said, “It was a former Georgia woman, Mrs. Peter Wimmer, who in the year 1848 spread reports back home (to Georgia) of gold in California. Her husband was working for Captain Sutter and she was cooking for his crew at the time James Marshall turned up the first particles of gold in Sutter’s mill race. Marshall and Captain Sutter tried to keep the find a secret, but news of that sort soon leaks out. Nor was Mrs. Wimmer one to withhold such information, especially when she saw the men pour vinegar on a shining substance, and test it by boiling in her soap kettle….”
She sent word back to north Georgia, where the Russell Brothers and Solomon Roe lived. Solomon Roe is my 4th great grandfather, and one of the Russell brothers was his brother in law.
So we drove out from Sacremento about forty miles to the Marshall Gold Discovery State Historic Park. This is where Sutter’s partner James W. Marshall saw something glittering in the water.
The Site of the Gold Discovery
Here in 1848 he found gold in the stream bed, and it set off one of history’s largest human migrations. You cannot talk about the California Trail without talking about the California Gold Rush, which started right here.
I believe that my GGGG Grandfather Solomon Roe traveled here for this gold rush. I’ve written about him before. The Roe family is entwined with the Russell family. Solomon Roe’s sister Mary was married to Levi Russell, one of three Russell brothers who would become famous during the Pike’s Peak Gold Rush later.
The Russell family was involved in the North Carolina Gold Rush in the early 1800s. I have not researched whether the Roe’s were too. Both the Russell and Roe families moved to the Georgia Gold Rush by 1832 and were involved in the Pike’s Peak Gold Rush in the late 1850s. I have direct evidence that Solomon Roe was a part of both the Georgia and Pike’s Peak gold rushes.
I know the Russell brothers went to the California Gold Rush, too. There is evidence that the Russell brothers took a party of men from Georgia to these gold fields. I believe Solomon was one of them, as his sister was already married to Levi Russell by that time. So I have a reason why I’m so interested in the California Trail and in this site.
Since the Russell party did not get here until at least August of 1849 or later, I believe this is where they came first–to where the first gold was discovered. I don’t believe they went to the fort first, but they may have gone there later.
They did well in the gold rush, and I know that Green Russell went back to Georgia via the American River, San Francisco, Panama, and New Orleans–mostly a water route. He did this by ship and then came back with another party of Georgia men to California, again by trail.
When gold was discovered, California was nothing more than backwater and wilderness. Nine days after the discovery of gold and after the Mexican-American War, the US was granted California as part of a treaty. Neither Mexico’s or the American government knew anything about the gold.
Only a few hundred American settlers had found their way to California by this time, but the Gold Rush changed everything. By 1852 California’s population ballooned to over 200,000 people.
The gold made California what it is today, only much quicker. California is the only state in the west that was never a territory. It went straight to being a state. The transcontinental railroad was built because it was important that California be tied to the east as quickly as possible.
Today the Gold Discovery park has tree-lined paths so visitors can visit a full-size replica of Sutter’s sawmill and several buildings that once were part of historic Coloma, the town that grew up around the mill. One can pan for gold with hands but only in designated areas. One can step to the edge of the river to the exact place where he found the gold. There is also a gold discovery museum on site.
Chuck and I walked down to the South Fork of the American River to the exact site where the tail race was dug and gold was found. I know that the Russell Party came right here, because that is what they did when they were trying to figure out where the gold washed down from. They were seasoned veterans at this. It was good to stand again where Solomon Roe ‘may’ have once stood.
Day 4 on the California Trail – A Deadly Desert to Cross
We started our day continuing to travel west toward Reno. I look forward to seeing what the Humboldt Sinks look like, but we’re not sure we can find a road nearby. I do know that the settlers followed the Humboldt River until it ran out. Then they stopped to camp to get ready to cross the 40-Mile Desert.
The countryside began to change. The vegetation became even more sporadic.
We passed where the Humboldt sinks show up on the map just south of the interstate, but we cannot see a thing. What we do see, though, looks like desert–like white sand Sahara-like desert without the dunes though.
Before we got to the desert as shown on the map, though, we left the interstate and traveled south where US 95 leaves the going southwest toward Fallon, Nevada. We plan to follow the Carson Cutoff. Within a mile of the interstate there was a sign showing where the Truckee Cutoff crossed. This is the cutoff which took emigrants into central California.
Just a few more miles farther down the road we passed where the Carson Route crossed, too. Other settlers used this cutoff to go farther south into California. Both cutoffs crossed the 40 Mile Desert, an alkali desert. We’ll cross it using US 95, though, which most closely follows the Carson Route.
We stopped, and I walked out on the Truckee Route to take a picture of some tracks through the sand. I have no idea if they are part of the original tracks and frankly I doubt they are.
The Truckee Route (or cutoff) was later the route that the Central Pacific Railroad used when they laid tracks east toward Promontory Point. We crossed the railroad tracks several hundred feet before we got to the Truckee sign. We will return from California in a few days using the Truckee Route, but today we are following the Carson Route.
The 40-Mile Desert was the most dreaded portion of the entire California Trail. The emigrants would try to time it so that they began to cross the desert starting late in the afternoon. Then they would cross all night long–resting in the day and crossing at night, because of the extreme heat, until they got to the foot of the Sierra Nevadas.
There was also a great loss of animals during this section of the trail. There was no water for the entire 40 miles. In 1850 a survey was done that found 1,061 mules dead, almost 5000 horses succumbed, and 3,750 head of cattle, too. Also, 954 graves were found. It was a tremendous loss of both lives and property in this 40-mile section of the California Trail.
I stepped out on the surface of the desert here, and it was crunchy under my feet. It seemed a little uncertain as if my shoe was falling through a crust but it only went for a half an inch or so.
As we crossed the 40 Mile Desert, we realized we were hungry. It is after 1 PM, and there is no place to stop to eat. It only took a little while to cross but the monotony is starting to wear on us. It took us about 35 minutes to cross, but it took the settlers several days.
Just north of Fallon the vegetation began to change noticeably. It was beginning to look like it did just before Humboldt Sink.
We finally arrived in Fallon, Nevada and found a great little restaurant called The Courtyard Café. We had what I think was the best tomato quiche ever. It was yummy. I have to admit, though, that my mind wandered to what the settlers experienced in relation to our own crossing. Of course, there is no comparison.
After lunch, we took US 50 west out of Fallon all the way into California. This road continued on the Carson cutoff, following the Carson River, which means the emigrants continued to follow water. This is still desert country, but hillier.
We took this route because we wanted to follow it a little south of Lake Tahoe just like the settlers and then go on down to Yosemite National Park. I’ve never seen the Lake Tahoe or Yosemite, though Chuck has. He and a college buddy spent a month the summer they graduated touring the country, so he hasn’t seen it in a long time.
But on our way to California we passed within ten miles of Virginia City, Nevada, an old Western town made famous by its silver strike and the television series “Bonanza”. Remember the burning map at the beginning of the tv show? You can see the Ponderosa, their ranch, which goes to the shores of Lake Tahoe; and there is Virginia City and Carson City in the distance on the same map. I remembered all of this from watching “Bonanza” as a girl. I had a huge crush on Little Joe, so you never know from where a kid gets their history lessons.
So we drove on into Virginia City, which is just off of US 50 about ten miles down Six Mile Canyon Rd. This drive itself is absolutely beautiful.
Virginia City is where the richest silver deposit discovery in American was made. It is where they mined over $400 million in silver. It became the richest city in America for a short time, and over 25,000 people lived there. It is where the comstock load was.
Today, it is a Victorian-era town with wooden boardwalks for sidewalks, old west saloons, shops, museums and restaurants. We stopped to have a drink in one of the saloons, and they made a perfect mojito. After seeing Deadwood a few years ago, I was impressed. They let the town remain a little western town, instead of making it a gambling resort.
We could have even taken the railroad steam engine to see the surrounding high desert, but we needed to get back on the road. We passed, but it would have been a great little ride.
We drove through Carson City, and we were still on the California Trail. The trail went south of Lake Tahoe. It was easier to cross the Sierra Nevada’s area here for the settlers, so we did the same.
We are quickly in the mountains and the arid conditions continue at first with the pale green sagebrush growing up on the side of the mountains. But we did notice that it was a little greener than before. And then all of a sudden we started seeing trees. Real trees.
These are probably lodgepole pines, and don’t you know the immigrants were so happy to see these trees. They saw no shade for probably over several hundred miles. We were happy to see the trees, too.
As we climbed from the valley floor and farther into the Sierra Nevadas, we entered alpine forests including cedar and aspens. The vistas are breathtaking especially as we climbed along the rim of beautiful Lake Tahoe.
I am reminded of something that happened to me when I worked at Game and Fish in Florida. We were taking a legislator to see several lakes that needed to be cleaned up of muck. This legislator who grew up in the northeast quickly approved of what we were doing and said, “This is great. I want to see everyone of them as pristine as Lake Tahoe.”
The fisheries biologist and I both got tickled, because comparing any Florida lake to Lake Tahoe is like comparing apples and oranges. Our lakes are shallow, warm and nutrient rich, while Tahoe is deep, cold, and nutrient deficient.
But today, I know what that legislator was trying to say. Lake Tahoe is a truly a gem. It is beautiful.
Day 3 on the California Trail – The Drudgery of Following a ‘Pitiful’ River
Last night on the California Trail we stayed in Elko, Nevada in the Stockman Hotel, a casino hotel. The room was good and roomy; and the breakfast was the best I had on the entire trip. It was complimentary as long as we ordered eggs and meat, oatmeal and toast, or French toast. But it was made to order and hearty.
Elko by the way was a true “hell on wheels” town. If you missed the series called “Hell on Wheels”, I suggest you check it out. It was a great series that just finished a few weeks ago, when the two railroads met in the story as they did historically at Promontory Point. The railroad through here followed the old California Trail.
“Hell on Wheels” was what followed the two railroads as they built their way across our nation in the 1860s. Following the laying of the tracks were gamblers, ladies of the evening, and just about anything or anyone else that could make money off the hundreds of men who were building the railroads. As railroad stations were built like Elko, some of these people stayed behind and set up shop–stores, saloons, and cat houses; but most of the horde following the two railroads simply pulled up and moved west or east with the progress of the railroads. That is why I called these towns “Hell on Wheels” towns, because what stayed behind is what helped found these towns.
The Humboldt River
The Humboldt is a stream that depends on snow fall. Several smaller streams and rivers add to the waters of the Humboldt as it flows west from here. It gets bigger; but then as there are no streams to join it later down the trail, it gets smaller in size as it continues west. The California Trail emigrants used this river as their highway.
After breakfast, we hit the road headed west still following the river and the California Trail. We are headed to the California Trail Interpretive Center just west of Elko.
Following old trails requires good research especially when you follow a trail that has become basically unknown to most people today. Sometimes you can’t figure it out until you get to the area. This interpretive center certainly helped. We spent the entire morning there.
The California Trail Interpretive Center was great and helped us tremendously to understand what the settlers went through when they crossed the Great Basin. It told how the settlers prepared for the trip, how they packed their wagons, and even what they had to jettison when the animals couldn’t continue to pull the load. It also explained this part of the country with its lack of water and desert and its long distances.
Each wagon hauled about a ton of goods.
Can you imagine living like this for over seven months. They left at the end of April, as soon as the snow melted; and they arrived in California anytime between mid October and mid November if they were lucky.
There was also a brief part about the Donner Party and how they got themselves into the predicament where they had to eat their own to survive. Incidentally, one of the biggest problems was that their party was dysfunctional from the beginning. There was bickering that caused delays and mistakes in judgment.
There is also a hiking trail so one can see some of the original wagon ruts.
This area all across this part of Nevada is called The Great Basin. Hydrolographicly, it is a vast region between California’s Sierra Nevadas and Utah’s Wasatch Mountains where water drains internally. The water has to go somewhere. Since it cannot reach ocean-bound rivers, it just sinks.
This is why the Humboldt River disappears into the Humboldt Sink which is really just a marshy area where the water seeps into the ground. It doesn’t look like our sinks here in Florida. The Humboldt River has nowhere else to go.
So the settlers followed this ‘river to nowhere’ through the harsh and desolate high desert valleys. To them it was vast expanses of barren, inhospitable land.
Today, this area is dotted sporadically with farms and ranches, mines, and the railroads. To us as we sit in our air conditioned car, it is big skies, long beautiful vistas, and a road that stretches over the horizon. This country is rugged beauty.
We stopped in Winnemucca, Nevada for the night. This is a long drive across this basin.
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Balko’s Reason Piece on Dr. Hayne
Filed under: General — Patterico @ 11:48 am
Radley Balko’s piece at Reason on Dr. Hayne is up, here. I wish it had been written by someone I trusted more, because if half the stuff in there is true, this doctor is a menace. Here’s something that will get your attention:
People who have visited Hayne’s practice during an autopsy session have described seeing as many as 15 bodies opened at once, with Hayne and his assistants smoking cigars, sometimes even eating sandwiches, as they go from one body to the next.
Again, that’s a complete disaster . . . if true. And there’s much, much more.
Unfortunately, it’s hard for me to know what to believe and what not to believe. Balko opens his piece with the same story he told in his Wall Street Journal piece:
In a remarkable capital murder case earlier this year, the Mississippi Supreme Court, by an 8-to-1 vote, tossed out the expert testimony of Steven Hayne. The defendant was Tyler Edmonds, a 13-year-old boy accused of killing his sister’s husband. Hayne, Mississippi’s quasi-official state medical examiner, had testified that the victim’s bullet wounds supported the prosecution’s theory that Edmonds and his sister had shot the man together, each putting a hand on the weapon and pulling the trigger at the same time.
“I would favor that a second party be involved in that positioning of the weapon,” Hayne told the jury. “It would be consistent with two people involved. I can’t exclude one, but I think that would be less likely.”
Testifying that you can tell from an autopsy how many hands were on the gun that fired a bullet is like saying you can tell the color of a killer’s eyes from a series of stab wounds. It’s absurd. The Mississippi Supreme Court said Hayne’s testimony was “scientifically unfounded” and should not have been admitted. Based on this and other errors, it ordered a new trial for Edmonds.
As I detailed in this post, there is some critical context left out of the story.
Read all of Balko’s piece. But with more than a grain of salt. In fact, I’d keep the shaker handy.
But I’d say this certainly merits further investigation. If state officials don’t at least look into this medical examiner, there’s something really wrong going on in the state of Mississippi.
143 Responses to “Balko’s Reason Piece on Dr. Hayne”
I started reading the Reason piece this morning on the train. Here are a few big problems I have with it:
1. It’s absolutely standard Libertarian doctrine that unions and professional organisations exist to advance the interest of their members, not that of the public. Thus groups like the AMA and ABA try to erect entry barriers to their sectors, in order to raise the price of their services. And unions are notorious for limiting the amount of work that employers can demand of their members, both to make life easier for the workers and to increase the demand for their labour, thus creating more jobs for members to fill. And these rules will often be described as being for “safety”, but everyone knows it’s really featherbedding.
So it should surprise nobody that the pathologists’ union says it’s unsafe and unreasonable to expect pathologists to do more than an average of one autopsy per work day. And that position should not be regarded as representing some sort of scientific truth.
More generally, libertarians are against concentrating power in cartels and certifying boards, and allowing consumers to choose whom to patronise. Thus people should be allowed to buy medical or legal advice from whomever they like, employers should be allowed to hire non-union-members and pay them whatever they’re willing to work for, etc. And yet here Balko wants to turn the pathologists’ union rules into law!
Milhouse (196f3c) — 10/8/2007 @ 12:40 pm
Yeah, Milhouse, I too voiced skepticism about the 250-325 number. But when I did, I was of course accused by Balko of defending the specific numbers that Hayne has.
Why don’t I trust Balko’s evaluations of other people? In part because he has been tremendously unfair in his evaluations of me.
Patterico (d343f0) — 10/8/2007 @ 12:51 pm
That went too long, so I ended it there. Here are some more problems I have with the piece:
2. Balko claims that
Even Patterico admits that if true this is appalling. And yet it seems to me easy to put another construction on the same facts: perhaps this is Dr Hayne’s secret – he has worked out how to work more efficiently, by doing several autopsies at once, assembly-line style. If he can keep the cadavers and their various parts separate enough to prevent cross-contamination, and ensure that the right results go with each, and that each one gets the attention it needs, then this should be lauded, not condemned! If this is so, then he should be held up as an example for others, and all pathologists should be expected to bring their work practises into the 21st century and emulate him!
Now it may very well be that this is not so, and that there is good reason to believe that his work is sloppy rather than efficient. And Balko cites plenty of evidence that would seem to lead us in that direction. But the facts cited in the above paragraph alone should not weigh against him at all, and should not be listed in the evidence against him – that seems like begging the question.
As for Hayne and his assistants eating and smoking on the job rather than taking breaks, that sounds smart and efficient, provided that they’re taking care not to contaminate the autopsies. Maybe they’re not, but that’s assuming facts not in evidence.
Well, this one went long too, so I’ll continue in a third comment.
Millhouse, this would seem to indicate to me that, if nothing else, Hayne is primarily motivated by money. If he worked out how to do this efficiently and effectively, great, but it sounds like it’s way about the average practice considering his other obligations and I’d say it’s incumbent on him to show how he can do this work in a quality way. Especially if he has to testify.
I don’t know the truth… not my field… but it certainly raises concerns in my mind and like Patterico AND Balko, I’d like to see the state investigate it.
Christoph (92b8f7) — 10/8/2007 @ 1:01 pm
Oh yeah, there are certainly enough questions raised that someone ought to look into it, but that’s all they are – questions, not proof that he’s done something wrong. Reasonable explanations can be conjectured, and may even turn out to be true.
Milhouse (196f3c) — 10/8/2007 @ 1:14 pm
Patterico:
If state officials don’t at least look into this medical examiner, there’s something really wrong going on in the state of Mississippi.
Unless they’ve already looked into Radley Balko.
Dafydd
Dafydd ab Hugh (445647) — 10/8/2007 @ 1:15 pm
Even Patterico admits that if true this is appalling.
Why? They’re dead. It is not an operating department. Furthermore, you have no idea how they are set up. There could be 15 different rooms. Or, they could be completing an autopsy, and pushing the body into another room until the body cavity is closed by themselves or a subordinate. As long as you clearly label your specimens and evidence, how is their going to be any mixup?
As for Hayne and his assistants eating and smoking on the job rather than taking breaks, that sounds smart and efficient, provided that they’re taking care not to contaminate the autopsies.
How would the autopsy be contaminated? You think a dill pickle may fall into the body cavity and the pathologist may think it’s a slug? lol!
dave (afb4d1) — 10/8/2007 @ 1:19 pm
I think Balko’s Reason article raises serious issues and I hope it, coupled with his WSJ op-ed, will lead to an investigation by a disinterested government entity.
Investigative journalists – and I’ll include Radley Balko in that category even though I’m not sure if that’s his occupation – are often dedicated to correcting injustice and exposing wrongs. They rely on their passions, tireless legwork, and gut instincts to make a difference in society. Prosecutors like Patterico are equally passionate about their jobs but they rely on detailed investigations subject to proven legal procedures to make society better.
Many internet aficionados (and I include myself in that description) like the instant gratification of the internet. It’s easy to read internet articles and make snap judgments about issues, even complicated and important issues. But that doesn’t make it a good idea. I commend Balko for raising these issues. Now it’s time for the appropriate authorities to undertake legal investigations of these allegations and to act if the evidence warrants.
What I’m afraid some people don’t understand is that Balko’s investigations don’t make this story true or false. It will take official investigators and prosecutors in Mississippi or from the DOJ – someone like Patterico, with his attention to detail and willingness to let legally-gathered evidence guide him – to prove or disprove these allegations. Patterico’s concern for what may seem like details are what protects us all.
DRJ (d0ada6) — 10/8/2007 @ 1:23 pm
Investigative journalists – and I’ll include Radley Balko in that category even though I’m not sure if that’s his occupation – are often dedicated to correcting injustice and exposing wrongs.
I guess that explains his thinly veiled threats directed at Pat.
Problem 3: Balko is upset that DAs regard MEs as working for them rather than as independent officers who should be absolutely neutral between prosecution and defense. He cites the case of a DA who complained about an ME who “unnecessarily rendered aid to the defense”, and despairingly reports that the state agreed with the DA. Well, it seems to me that that’s right. MEs do work for the state, and have a duty to the state’s interests; and it’s the state that’s prosecuting the defendant.
Of course, as state employees, they have a duty to see that justice is done, which means that innocent people are not convicted; so if they come across exculpatory evidence they must bring it to light. But that same duty lies on prosecutors too, and to the same extent. The principle is that in any one case the state’s interest is in obtaining a conviction only if the defendant is in fact guilty, while the defence is interested in obtaining an acquittal regardless of the facts. So an ME who finds exculpatory evidence should bring it to the prosecutor’s attention, and if he feels the prosecutor isn’t treating it as seriously as she should then he should bring it to the prosecutor’s boss, and if that doesn’t work he should tell the court about it. But I find it difficult to conceive of a case where it’s the ME’s duty to collaborate with the defense. Things would have to be truly dire to justify that, it seems to me.
He also quotes the pathologists’ union rules that say MEs should be independent, and some academic “ethicist” who agrees. But what makes their opinion right?
Now perhaps that isn’t how things should be. Roger Koppl makes some good points in a sidebar to Balko’s article, and he suggests that MEs should work for the court, not for the executive branch. That way they would be independent and absolutely neutral, owing no more duty to the prosecution than to the defense. He also suggests (if I understand him correctly) that these court-employed MEs should only present the facts, to the court and to both sides, and that it should then be up to each side to hire a separate expert to interpret those facts in the light most favourable to its side. These two suggestions make a lot of sense to me, and if Balko were to start a campaign to make it so I’d be inclined to support him. (I’m not equally enamoured of all Koppl’s eight suggestions, but these two sound good.) But right now that simply isn’t how things work, in Mississippi or anywhere else, and I think it’s wrong of Balko to make out as if there’s something unethical about MEs who do their job as it’s currently defined.
I’m sorry but the ME is employed by either the state or county — just like the judge, DA, and public defender. Their findings should be in writing and are discoverable by both the prosecution and defense. Either side can hire additional expert witnesses if they wish to and their testimony would be relevant. I see no benefit in changing the system.
He also suggests (if I understand him correctly) that these court-employed MEs should only present the facts, to the court and to both sides, and that it should then be up to each side to hire a separate expert to interpret those facts in the light most favourable to its side.
I’m sorry but this makes no sense to me.
Dave, the DA works for the state or county, and represents its interest in convicting guilty people, while trying his best not to convict innocent ones. But his presumption is that a defendant is guilty. The judge also works for the people, but she’s an independent branch of government, and is strictly neutral between prosecution and defense. She must treat both sides exactly the same, and can’t so much as talk to one without the other’s presence. The public defender also works for the people, but his interest is directly opposed to theirs – his interest is in acquitting the clients he’s been assigned, regardless of how guilty they may be, and how many innocent people they may victimise later. It’s sad and seems wrong, but it has to be that way, or we’d all be in danger of being convicted of some trumped-up charge.
Right now, the ME is not independent. She works for the executive branch, which is represented by the DA. The nature of her job is that she is not neutral between prosecution and defense, and is certainly not to be biased towards the defense. She must do her work with honesty, but her duty not to get innocent people convicted is exactly the same as the prosecutor’s.
Koppl proposes that the ME work for the judge, and be in the same position as the judge – absolutely neutral. Determine the facts, give each side a copy, and not put any interpretation on those facts at all. Let each side hire experts to spin the facts as they will, but the ME should stay above that. I think this is a good idea, but it isn’t how things are now, and Balko goes on as if it were, and as if there’s something unethical about MEs who do their job as currently defined, and about DAs who insist that they do.
Milhouse (c4a90c) — 10/8/2007 @ 2:29 pm
Milhouse, I don’t agree with your characterization of the adversarial nature of the criminal justice system. In particular, I wasn’t aware either that prosecutors “presumption is that a defendant is guilty” or that defense attorneys have an interest in “acquitting the clients he’s been assigned, regardless of how guilty they may be.”
On both sides, the attorneys have taken an oath to uphold the law, and have ethical obligations not to misrepresent facts. Acquital and presumptions of guilt are two extremes that, if they are always pursued by the opposing sides would lead to a serious polarization and paralyzation of the justice system.
I don’t think that the adversarial system you talk about is as healthy as one where both sides — the defense and the prosecution — are dedicated to pursuing their clients’ interests, but also dedicated to being truthful and forthright.
So prosecutors don’t try to get longest sentence possible at all costs, and defense attorneys candidly advise guilty clients of their plea-bargaining options rather than shooting for an acquittal every time.
Phil (6d9f2f) — 10/8/2007 @ 3:02 pm
Right now, the ME is not independent.
Do you just make this stuff up?? The ME works for the office of the ME/Coroner and is independent of the DA, the PD, and the court.
Balko’s no ‘investigative journalist’, as ‘journalist’ implies (no laughing, I’m serious) objectivity and lack of bias. Balko is on a mission, so activist is a better term with which to describe him. And activists just can’t be relied on to present the facts and nothing but the facts. They twist everything to present their agenda in the most positive light. They’ll slam those who disagree with them, they’ll crucify those who stand in their way.
Balko, having made it his mission to get Cory Maye out of jail, has picked Hayne as a key to that happening. Knowing that, is it any surprise that Balko’s opinion piece was critical of Hayne and featured people who don’t like Hayne?
Arguing with Balko about Hayne (or no-knock raids, the drug war or any of Balko’s other causes) is as much a waste of time as trying to convince Planned Parenthood that there should be limitations on abortions.
Balko, like the proverbial blind squirrel or the stopped clock, may – just may – be right on this particular case…. but I don’t think he has the credibility to warrant those who aren’t on his crusade to take him seriously… any more than I take certain ‘civil right activists’ seriously when they appear on TV screaming about this or that injustice.
stevesturm (d3e296) — 10/8/2007 @ 3:41 pm
And activists just can’t be relied on to present the facts and nothing but the facts. They twist everything to present their agenda in the most positive light. They’ll slam those who disagree with them, they’ll crucify those who stand in their way.
Really? People do all that just because they’re ‘activists’?
Balko does get emotionally worked up about many issues, but that’s at least in part because he deals on a regular basis with many of the most horrifying injustices produced by the American system. He sees the worst of it, and it makes him mad. And, yes, he gets mad at people who say that because he gets mad, we shouldn’t listen to him.
But from what I can tell, he’s conceded virtually everything Patterico has pointed out as inaccurate about his writing. His main point is obvious — why does Patterico pick him apart on technicalities, but ignore his blog day after day as it paints the disturbing, and undeniable picture that we have a militaristic law enforcement in this country that has effectively declared war on the American people?
I don’t blame Balko for being frustrated when he posts dozens of articles showing patterns of law enforcement brutality and abuse, to dead silence from Patterico — and then gets picked apart by Patterico on what are effectively semantics and inferences.
Can you call Balko biased against law enforcement? Sure, I’ll give you that. Is seeing Patterico spend massive amounts of space on his blog saying Balko is biased a total waste of everyone’s freaking time — since Patterico is just as biased as Balko, but in a pro-law-enforcement way? Absofreakinlutely.
I don’t read Balko. Every so often I follow a link from Instapundit to his blog, regarding some anti law-enforcement screed.
I’ll let people make up their own minds about whether I am as biased as Balko — and whether I am as careless about my facts as he is.
I am sorry that you think this blog no longer meets your “thinking man” standards. I think it’s because we don’t share your idiosyncratic views regarding illegals.
Which reminds me: did you ever respond to that hypothetical of mine that I predicted you wouldn’t respond to?
Patterico (a05f5b) — 10/8/2007 @ 4:28 pm
As I understand your point, it’s fine if Balko is wrong about details as long as he’s correct on the big picture. The obvious reply is: How can you be sure Balko is right on the big picture?
Your argument is just an updated version of fake but accurate.
“How can you be sure Balko is right on the big picture?”
Nice try. It’s funny, every time Balko posts about the big picture — example after example of law enforcement out of control — I check his trackbacks to see if any of the pro-law-enforcement folks are addressing his post. I’d love for someone to convince me he’s wrong, because the stuff he posts is so disturbing. The response? Dead silence.
That’s how I know he’s right on the big picture. Because nobody says anything. Not until they can jump in and nit-pick a few facts here and there.
Patterico, it’s been a while. What hypo are you talking about?
That’s an odd way to validate, Phil. Not convincing to me.
SPQR (6c18fd) — 10/8/2007 @ 4:55 pm
…the disturbing, and undeniable picture that we have a militaristic law enforcement in this country that has effectively declared war on the American people
And you’re basing this on what, dozens of law enforcement brutality? Let’s see, there are thousands upon thousands of cops in this country, multiplied by the (for the sake of argument) hundreds of encounters they have with the public, and you think dozens is enough to indict all of law enforcement? Taking these anomalies and insinuating that the whole barrel is rotten is statistically invalid, not to mention a cheap shot, akin to indicting the entire US military because of a handful of bad apples, whether it be at Abu Ghraib or elsewhere. But that doesn’t matter to those on a mission, anything and everything is fair game to advance the cause, right?
And, yes, Balko does get worked up… which is fine, but is precisely the reason I (as should others) take what he writes with a grain of salt. People who get worked up and those who have an agenda just can’t be trusted to play it straight. I no more would look to him for an objective look at the police and our drug laws than I would look to Hillary Clinton for an honest portrayal of the Bush Administration.
Of course, I don’t lie awake at night worried that corrupt cops are going to break down my door on a bogus warrant, arrest me and beat a confession out of me for something I didn’t do. I guess I must be part of the America that our militaristic cops haven’t declared war on…
SPQR, it’s the free market of ideas validation theory.
If those with a vested interest in defending the current law enforcement status quo can’t come up with a reasonable response to Balko’s blog as a whole (other than “he’s an activist, and activists can’t be trusted” and “he got a couple of facts slightly wrong over there” and “but he hasn’t told us that he’s covered OTHER law enforcement injustices in the past! That means he’s biased, because he already knows how bad we are!”), then I’m guessing there’s no defense readily available.
Here’s Patterico’s frequently-asked hypothetical.
As for Balko, the point is to make informed judgments based on reasonable information and analysis before we know the outcome. Balko asks us to respond with indignation and sympathy for things he views as unjust. Even if he’s psychic and it turns out he’s always right, is that any way to run things?
Patterico,
I’ve been a daily reader of yours for a year or two and have really enjoyed your posts. I don’t read Balko (other then when you’ve linked him). But I have to admit, I find this “Ahab-like” thing you have for him very strange. You’re nit-picking items in an attempt to play gotcha, while ignoring any sort of scope about the larger issues.
I’m sorry to say this, but I’ve deleted you from my favorites list. You’re just getting too strange about this Balko guy. I think you should give a second thought to whether you’ve lost perspective.
Thank you for all of the enjoyment I’ve had from your previous (non-Balko related) posts.
rnitz (c07bdd) — 10/8/2007 @ 5:22 pm
Phil, that’s a logical fallacy.
Thanks DRJ, but is that really a “hypothetical”? From what I can tell, the question is:
What penalty do you think immigrants should pay for breaking the law if they enter the US illegally, and do you agree that few pay any price now?
What penalty do I think immigrants should pay for breaking the law if they enter the U.S. illegally? Oh I dunno. The problem is, I don’t have any need to discourage immigrants from entering the country, so the “illegality” of most entrances to me is simply bad law, a law that basically sets itself up to be broken.
So what penalty? Definitely not a penalty that ends up costing Americans more money. So no deportation – expensive and unproductive. No jail — again, expensive and unproductive.
Ideally, I’d say an administrative fine, the proceeds of which go toward funding, say, immigrant education programs, immigrant medical care, or something like that.
How about a $500.00 fine, along with a receipt showing that they’ve paid their fine and are no longer illegal? Apparently, recent calcuations were that we have 38 million illegal immigrants in this country. If all 38 million paid their fine, we’d have an $19 billion additional budget for offsetting the cost of illegals on society.
I pinch-hit as a “type-setter” on Rob Warden’s Chicago Lawyer once, a very long time ago. Since then, Rob Warden has been the mostinstrumental in, for all intents and purposes, abolishing the death penalty in Illinois. Do I admire his talent, energy and ability. Yes. Do I believe he has corrected grave injustices? Yes. Do I believe that he has saved the lives of, and even freed, vicious inhuman monsters? Yes.
nk (6e4f93) — 10/8/2007 @ 5:35 pm
You know the question:
If you don’t object to illegal immigrants breaking the law to come to America, how can you object to burglars that enter your home, live in your home and use your possessions?
rnitz:
Although you have never commented here before, I’ll take you at your word that you have been a regular reader.
You are commenting on a post where I express concern about the underlying issue that Balko writes about, but in which I express skepticism about his ability to be a trustworthy person to tell it. You find no fault with any of my specific criticisms other than that they are “nit-picking” — i.e., the fact that the lead story of his entire piece is undermined by a court opinion is “nit-picking.”
Please understand that it doesn’t bother me much to lose a reader over this. Perhaps you would prefer someone who cheerleads for Balko and ignores his tendency to gloss over subtleties, his tendency to get facts wrong in favor of his narrative, and his tendency to be reluctant and whiny about making corrections. I bet such a cheerleader could build lots of traffic and attract far more readers than I attract.
Sorry, not interested.
So, with all due respect, don’t let the door hit you on the way out.
Patterico (bad89b) — 10/8/2007 @ 6:02 pm
It’s not the appropriate thread for this, but actually, my hypo was different from the one DRJ linked.
It’s one I asked you on August 15, and predicted you would ignore or respond to with a flip answer that doesn’t address the real question.
Whereupon, you disappeared from the thread.
What the hell, let’s try again.
Phil sez:
In a global economy, dropping a bunch of criminals in Mexico wont even help the U.S. for very long. Its sorta like saying theres this mad dog in my backyard. Mad dogs are dangerous clearly, I need to put it in my neighbors backyard!
It’s actually quite a big like saying: “My neighbor’s dog has gone mad, and has come into my backyard. Mad dogs are dangerous clearly, I need to put it back in my neighbors backyard!”
Which most people would find a reasonable position.
But your position, Phil, is different. Your position is quite a bit like saying: “My neighbor’s dog has gone mad, and has come into my backyard. Mad dogs are dangerous. Clearly, I need to keep it in my own backyard! If I put it back in my neighbor’s yard, it will still be mad. Why should my neighbor be responsible for dealing with a mad dog, just because it’s his?”
But you know what, Phil? I’ve been at this long enough to know that the fact that my analogy is unassailable will have zero effect on you. You’ll ignore it, or fail to address it in any logical fashion.
Go ahead, prove me wrong.
Phil?
I’ll add a couple more things to rnitz:
First, I rarely post about Balko. It’s generally when Instapundit links him, I follow the link, and see him misstating a fact, leaving out something important, etc.
Second, there would be no blog war if the guy would just quietly correct his errors and thank me for pointing them out. It’s because he gets so pissy every time and flips out that I feel the need to respond.
I thank Unix-Jedi in a related thread for retracting his initial comment saying that Balko had displayed a restrained and “collegial” tone in his response to me. I challenge anyone to go back and look at the original post that started all this, and his intemperate response. Anyone who does that will see where the blame lies for this getting ugly.
And I challenge *anyone* to put the question of his disclosures to a media ethicist. (I already have and am awaiting a response.)
Oh, sorry, wrong hypo.
Balko’s article is far more convincing than the prosecutor’s case in the Phil Spector trial (“heart of hearts”).
Why hasn’t Balko done an “excellent job”?
Different standards of logic exist inside and outside the courtroom?
alphie (99bc18) — 10/8/2007 @ 6:55 pm
Phil, you’re a nut. So basically you don’t want to live in an actual country with sovereignty. All al-Quaida would have to do to defeat the U.S. in your nutso fantasy world is send wave after wave of immigrants to the U.S. and then Democratically vote for your sister, mom, girlfriend, boyfriend, or daughter to be stoned ála sharia law. You don’t rise to the level of being stupid. You’re a menace and near an enemy of your country. One day, I pray you and your kind are destroyed. Intellectually, but more so.
If I came upon that article without knowing anything about Balko, I would think it was excellent — just like I thought Alan Jackson’s presentation was excellent.
Knowing a little more about Balko and about the very first story he tells in the article, I am less enthusiastic than I might otherwise be. By contrast, I have known Alan Jackson (though not terribly well) for years, and he has always impressed me as a skilled lawyer and a straight shooter.
It’s a stupid comparison, but you asked.
But I still think there should be an investigation into what Balko wrote about.
Hey alphie, maybe you, like rnitz, have had it with my posts about Balko and will stop reading?
Is there at least a chance?
You don’t rise to the level of being stupid. You’re a menace and near an enemy of your country. One day, I pray you and your kind are destroyed. Intellectually, but more so.
That’s the old over-the-top Christoph we all know and . . . edge away from.
Phil, I don’t share the sentiment expressed in Christoph’s comment. I just disagree with you.
I never suggested you share my sentiment. It’s my sentiment. Legalizing illegal immigrants with a $500 fine, funneled back into illegal immigrants, and inviting wave after wave of uncontrolled immigration until your country was no more. Phil is a minority. Were his viewpoint to gain sufficient traction, which it won’t, it would have to be resisted by all means, including armed force.
Jeez, Christoph, enough with the veiled threats man! I bet you could convince Phil the error of his ways easier if you didn’t pray for him and “his kind” to be destroyed.
Russell (a32796) — 10/8/2007 @ 7:10 pm
It’s not a veiled threat. I could be sitting in the room with Phil and I wouldn’t move a muscle. But… were a movement like his to gain actual traction, which it would not, it would threaten the survival of any country which followed it, which they wouldn’t.
Therefore, in that extremely unlikely event, I would fight such a faction with all available means. Fortunately, his view is so crazy this will never, ever be necessary.
An advantage for prosecutors then?
Most Americans only sit as jurors in one trial in their lives?
Patterico would trust the article more if it had been written by one the cops that murdered Kathryn Johnston.
Deadspin (38ff57) — 10/8/2007 @ 8:24 pm
Hey, look. It’s Frank N Stein, another one of Balko’s Army of Anonymous Dickheads.
Buhbye, Frank N Stein aka Deadeye. If you can’t maintain a consistent identity here, you can’t comment.
Patterico, why don’t you write out a simple and straightforward commenting policy, then place a link to it in the footer and refer people to it as necessary. Captain Ed does something like it and so does Hot Air.
Stops you from having to repeat yourself, plus makes sure everyone is on the same page. Some people see nothing wrong with using multiple identities, whereas you do, clearly.
Patterico, I’m not trying to hijack this thread — after all, you brought up the hypo. So here’s my response:
First of all, taking your hypo literally, I would in fact need more information to make a decision about whether the position was reasonable.
What if my neighbor doesn’t have adequate resources to deal with the mad dog, but I do? Should I just dump it in my neighbor’s yard anyway, and say “not my problem?” No, especially not if I don’t think this is the only “mad dog” that’s going to be wandering over from my neighbor, and especially if it’s obvious that my neighbor’s “mad dog” problem is out of control.
Putting the dog back in my neighbor’s backyard doesn’t make me much safer, and it is a lot of work, and and it could end up surprising my neighbor with a mad dog.
Literally, under U.S. law, if I discovered my neighbor’s dog was mad and in my yard, and just picked it up and stuck it back in my neighbor’s yard, I could be considered negligent, because I actively took control of the dog and assumed a duty to control it in a reasonably safe manner.
If I shepherded it back into my neighbor’s backyard and locked it in there — and then my neighbor, not knowing his dog was mad, let his kids into the backyard to play, I could be held responsible for injuries, because I took control of the mad dog for a period of time.
OK, I’ve wandered down a couple of paths with the hypo. Point is, there are plenty of rational reasons to not put a mad dog back in your neighbor’s backyard.
So, if I had a mad dog owned by a neighbor wander into my backyard, and someone said “just stick it back in your neigbor’s backyard. It’s not your problem!” I would do exactly what I’m doing with the “deport the criminals first” position. I’d say “is it really going to help matters to round up that dangerous dog, and drop it in my neighbor’s yard?”
To be fair, the position of “it’s my neighbor’s dog” does imply that the neighbor should be responsible for the cost of the mad dog because the neighbor “owned” the mad dog and therefor voluntarily assumed the risk that the dog would go mad. And I agree with that position, to that extent.
And to the extent that the neighbor was able to control the mad dog but did not, or to the extent that the neighbor allowed the dog to go mad (say, by ignoring symptoms of disease, or neglecting the dog in other ways, the neighbor should bear the cost of the dog’s madness.
In the same way, there is certainly room for Mexico to be held responsible for crimes committed by its citizens in the U.S.
But any plan to dump criminals back in Mexico has to be more responsible than simply saying “it’s my neighbor’s dog – let him deal with it” for me to support it.
Phil (6d9f2f) — 10/9/2007 @ 6:50 am
Perhaps if Balko allowed comments at his site we could address his “Journalistic” prowess directly with him.
Trusting anything he’s written without independant verification is foolish.
Patrick (a8c3ea) — 10/9/2007 @ 9:12 am
You can comment on Balko’s pieces on Reason’s Hit and Run. He’ll even discuss things with you there.
http://www.reason.com/blog/show/122879.html#comments
tarran (2b8624) — 10/9/2007 @ 11:12 am
I think I’ll pass on that particular pleasure. I’ve had quite enough from him, between the insults on his blog and in comments here, and his recent e-mails with a quasi-threatening tone (like the one he sent titled “Be careful.” and making dark noises about how it might look for a prosecutor to be “covering up for” Hayne.)
Uh, no thanks.
Patterico (2ed21a) — 10/9/2007 @ 11:47 am
In fairness to Balko, Patterico, I think you hit him hard too. You may have had a point about disclosing Maye, but nonetheless his article was fascinating. If true, it was important.
By all means keep up the adversarial relationship with him, something he may be doing to… but don’t pretend the attacks are running one way because they aren’t.
Christoph (92b8f7) — 10/9/2007 @ 11:49 am
There’s a big difference between open and honest jabs and hitting below-the-belt.
DRJ (74c23b) — 10/9/2007 @ 12:03 pm
Then other than the fact you like Patterico, explain where Balko hit below-the-belt.
Christoph (92b8f7) — 10/9/2007 @ 12:04 pm
See comment 50.
Seen. Which one is below-the-belt?
Re commenting at Reason:
Here is the first comment left there:
“Great article, but RADLEY DIDN’T MENTION THIS IS ALL ABOUT CORY MAYE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
THEREFORE IT IS ALL FALSE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!”
Now: I would want to engage in debate in a place where the very first comment mischaracterizes my position like that . . . why again?
Patterico (552d1b) — 10/9/2007 @ 12:06 pm
By the way, Christoph, the operative point is not that I like Patterico (which I do) but that I believe him. And I have problems with comments that impugn one’s professional abilities without a reasonable basis.
Patterico, it may be a waste of time to comment there. But people criticizing here never stopped me.
Anyway, DRJ, I still don’t think you’ve highlighted a specific example that is below-the-belt. There might be one, but you haven’t pointed it out. You’ve just made the attack without backing it up with an example.
DRJ, you’re way more patient than I am. There’s a reason I’m done talking to Christoph about this — and it’s exemplified by a denial that it is below the belt to accuse me of “covering up for” Hayne.
If you can remain calm at Sadly, No then you can remain calm here. Me, I’m about at the point where I may never respond to Christoph again. It gets my blood pressure up and I don’t need it (although, in truth, my blood pressure is usually average to low, knock on wood).
You used your mind-reading ability to accuse him of not disclosing the “main” (although you also carelessly used the term “wholly” something I accept was just a slip/typo) reason he wrote about Hayne… when he’s explained and I find it hard to dispute that there are issues far larger than Maye.
So while Maye may be one, and a significant, he wrote about Hayne, it’s only one and, logically considering the magnitude of what he’s accusing Hayne of, probably not the “main” reason. Certainly, it’s possible it wasn’t.
How is your attack not “hitting-below-the-belt”?
I say it isn’t because it’s your sincere opinion… yet if he expresses his opinion you’re covering up for Hayne because it makes your job easier as a prosecutor not to have prosecution scientific witnesses impugned or examined too quickly this is hitting-below-the-belt.
While I see your point in why you’d be offended, and disagree with Balko on this (meaning I agree with you), the only point I’m making, as I made clear, is the attacks aren’t “one way”.
*reason
Let me state this – one time – as clearly as I can, and I hope you will try to see this from another perspective before you respond. Patterico’s criticism of Balko has been:
1. Open – every problem Patterico has with Balko was posted publicly in a thread or comment at this website.
2. Fair – Patterico backed up every criticism with a link, statement, or reason. He also acknowledged Balko’s good points and stated he would keep an open mind on those items that are unclear.
3. Reasonable – Patterico wanted Balko to disclose his advocacy for Cory Maye so readers could make informed judgments when they read his op-ed and Reason article. Patterico also clarified problems with the Tyler Edmonds fact summary regarding Dr. Hayne. These were reasonable positions that no one has effectively rebutted and most have acknowledged are true.
In contrast, as far as I can tell, Balko has refused to acknowledge Patterico’s points have any merit. In addition, Balko has emailed warnings to Patterico that suggest his positions will reflect poorly on him as a prosecutor. It could reasonably be expected that emails like this would be disseminated and the email specifically impugns Patterico’s professional reputation.
Perhaps you are unclear why this would be a bad thing for a prosecutor or any lawyer. Let me try to clear that up for you. Prosecutors and lawyers only have two things to “sell” – their time and their judgment. Everyone has the same amount of time but not everyone has the same degree of judgment. If you state or imply that a lawyer has poor judgment, you harm that lawyer’s reputation.
To put it another way: It is derogatory to suggest that a prosecutor would cover up for a corrupt, dishonest, or incompetent medical examiner. Maybe statements like this do great harm to Patterico’s reputation or maybe the actions barely harm it, but if only one person wonders if the implication might be true, the harm is done.
My final point has nothing to do with this topic or comments. It relates to your recent comments on several other threads in which you became increasingly hostile toward people that disagreed with you. I think you need to dial it back and if you can’t, I hope Patterico will refer your future comments to moderation.
I’m sure that “moderating” and stifling my comments would make it easier for certain fuzzy-headed notions to prevail in the absence of facts. And he can definitely do this.
Your retarded position contains nuggets like:
“Balko has refused to acknowledge Patterico’s points have any merit.”
Is he required to? Why? He probably doesn’t think they do.
So Patterico publicly stating Balko should have disclosed is not problematic, but Balko expressing his opinion to Patterico this could reflect negatively on him in a private email is?
I certainly understand why Patterico would take offense to that, but your point makes no sense. Both have attacked the other. Doing so by private email is no worse than doing so publicly.
Patterico feels free to attack Balko’s judgment… and he is… yet you think it’s hitting below the belt if Balko does the same thing.
Which is why I say your point is “retarded”. I more or less agree with Patterico’s points re: Balko, although I think he overstated his position… but your position (as if the attacks and damage to reputation is only one way) is dense.
Christoph, there is a point where your refusal to get a point becomes quite annoying.
I am supporting a boy in Mississippi who got life at barely age 15. Dr. Hayne testified at his trial for the prosecution. No one testified on behalf of the child. It was a self defense case where the boy was being attacked by his grandfather who was 6’3″ tall and weighed 180 lbs and the child was 5’8″ and weighed 130 lbs soaking wet. The child was backed into a corner. But Dr. Hayne testified that the knife wounds on the back of the hands of his grandfather were defensive wounds. Even though the child had said that the grandfather had his hands in fists and was swinging at him like a boxer. How did he know without being a witness to the stabbing that the wounds weren’t offensive on the back of his hands? Another case, where Dr. Hayne just made up whatever fit the prosecutions case of 1st degree murder and passed it off as expert testimony to a jury who bought it. The boy is serving a life sentence in Mississippi.
Also even though the claim was self-defense and that the grandfather had Alzheimer’s disease and PTSD, no brain tissue was taken during autopsy to be tested. http://www.myspace.com/savebrettjones
Pam (49436b) — 10/9/2007 @ 5:16 pm
This is so typical of the “good ole’ boy” mentality still present in Mississippi. Doesn’t matter if you are qualified to do the job, as long as you know the right people.
There is no doubt in my mind that there are untold numbers in prison there now, wrongfully convicted thanks to his incompetent musings.
My 18 year old son has been in prison for 3 years, 47 years to go, thanks to the ‘opinions’ of the quack. My son was attacked by a grown man in a rage due to mental illness and had to fight for his life, yet this man testified that it wasn’t so. He gave his account of what happened as if he were there, yet did not even test the brain of the attacker, even though mental degeneration (dementia) was reported present by the immediate family and their doctor.
This man apparently takes the prosecutor’s desired results as his guideline for determination of death.
This is more along the lines of the travesty perpetrated in police states, where the police own everyone and their opinions. Someone needs to correct this problem and the results from it. All the convictions based on his opinions need to be thrown out and Dr Steven Haynes made to answer for his crimes.
Enette (49436b) — 10/9/2007 @ 5:20 pm
Yes, the “defensive wounds” meme has always been a sore point with me, too. It’s total nonsense. An assailant attacks you and you react to the hand reaching towards you. People are not predisposed to go straight for the throat even in self-defense.
But Dr. Hayne is not alone in this. “Defensive wounds” is a rote opinion by all “forensic experts” about knife cuts on the victim/assailant’s hands.
P.S. It really helps your case a lot as a defendant if you don’t kill him but just drive him off.
My impression is that the Edmonds’ case does not really support the implication that Haynes’ is a hack who is a prosecution puppet since it appears to me, unless I’m missing something, from the Court of Appeals’ opinion that Haynes’ supposedly ridiculous testimony in answer to a hypothetical was in fact supportive of the defendants’ theory of the case.
Christoph #63,
This is a good illustration of the problem I have with your recent comments. I respect your right and Radley Balko’s right to disagree on issues, but there is no point to labeling me or my ideas “retarded” and “dense” when more accurate, less inflammatory words will do. If it happened once a week or a month regarding issues you feel strongly about, then maybe that’s okay but it happens multiple times a day. And we both know you held back with me because we like each other and get along. You’ve called other commenters evil, hateful, and worse. It’s unpleasant to receive and to be around.
But it’s a free world (at least for those of us lucky enough to live in free countries) and you can *generally* say what you want. The internet is a forgiving place and the people here are friendly. In recent weeks, however, I find myself glossing over your comments – unable to focus on your point because I have to get past the insults directed at the person you disagree with. So instead of making your point more forcefully, I suspect most people are like me and they are missing or ignoring your point. In other words, you are doing the opposite of what you intend if your goal is to get people’s attention and influence their opinions.
DRJ (74c23b) — 10/9/2007 @ 6:08 pm
Since this issue can be easily addressed during cross examination, call me unimpressed. Though I am sure the two ladies will not want to hear this, reading their own websites, there appears to have been sufficient evidence to convict Brett Jones as charged.
DRJ is a model of patience.
Patterico (7fc8fe) — 10/9/2007 @ 6:17 pm
Hey Christoph-
Take a hint. You’re about to be excommunicated from the Pattericotard League.
If you want back in and for Patterico to respond to your posts, bow down and agree to what he wants you to agree with him about.
Dude (7676e6) — 10/9/2007 @ 6:57 pm
Dude,
May I make an obvious point? Excommunication is rare around here or you would already be gone.
I think Dude is obsessed with me.
Dude, this persistent and continuing effort on your part to discredit me is making you look foolish and obsessive. I’m sorry if the work I do offends you as a comment spammer. But these lame attacks on my credibility are really only undermining your own.
See if you recognize the language.
actually Dave, no there wasn’t. The only witness who said it was premeditated was the 15 year old girl under threat of prison time. She flipped after being under indictment for 9 months and always saying Brett was innocent. She admitted on the stand her testimony was lies. It is in the transcripts. She wanted to get home, she did what she was told she needed to do by her attorney and the prosecutors. She recanted before she returned home. There was not other evidence for premedicated murder. No testing was done. Everything sent to the crime lab was returned 9 months later unopened and untested, saying the lab was too busy. The confession was self-defense. There was no evidence presented that said otherwise. SEven of the eight wounds were less than 1/8 inch deep suggesting self-defense and one was fatal, which was when Brett was in a chokehold. Plus, discredited Dr. Hayne is the icing on the cake. Brett’s trial was a serious of people just going through the motions. No defense was presented. I’m sorry, your wrong Dave. I have read the transcripts and I have been helping this child, a complete stranger until a year ago, hiring him an attorney, writing to him and keeping his spirits up. I wouldn’t have used my own money and considerable time and emotions if I didn’t think he was innocent of capital murder. I’m afraid you don’t know the case well enough to make a statement such as you did.
by the way Dave, one of the “ladies” is Brett’s mother. She knows the case better than anyone. No we don’t want to hear it, because we know the truth. Brett’s grandmother has said Bertis caused his own death and Brett’s too. This is the widow. She has stood behind Brett 100% and knows her husband attacked him because he had attacked her many times. She was scheduled to testify, but was never called. She was stuck in a closet along with Brett’s Dad who was scheduled to testify to Bertis’s outbursts of violence, but he was also stuck in the same closet, literally a large closet at the courthouse, and was never called. All they heard were the closing arguments and their son and beloved grandson be givin a life sentence at 15 years old and taken away immediately to prison. The story of Dr. Hayne isn’t the only heinous thing going on in Mississippi. The public defender system is broken as well. This is well known. Prosecutors lie on a regular basis. Yes, it was covered in cross, one short sentence asking Dr. Hayne if the wounds on the hand could have been offensive, and he said it was possible. The jury put alot of weight in Hayne’s testimony. He was the only expert witness called.
Yeah yeah yeah. The prosecutor’s lying. The PD is lying. The cops are lying. The witnesses are lying. The whole world is lying. But after reviewing the information off of specifically the mother’s website, there is substantial evidence to support the jury’s verdict.
Also, Dave, if you will read the Wall Street Journal article, you will note the case of the skeleton where Dr. Hayne knew the cause of death was strangulation, it took a “vigorous cross examination” to discredit Hayne. A one sentence question in Brett Jones case on cross, was not anywhere near enough to discredit this predator in the courtroom.
Pam and Enette,
I’m not familiar with the case you raise but I think many people here support an investigation of Hayne’s cases to determine if the defendants, including your friend/son, were wrongly convicted.
Patterico-
I have a witty retort to post, but I’m not sure if I’m going to post it or not. I’m worried that it might blow you away with my wittiness. The post just shows how damned witty I am and how seriously I take my wittiness.
Let me ask all of you out there: Should I post my witty retort or no? Please feel free to tell me how awesome I am in your response. Thank you.
“And we both know you held back with me because we like each other and get along.”
No, DRJ, you’re completely wrong — even “dense”.
I call people who kill, or want the right to kill, babies evil. In fact I would like to see them charged with capital offenses and punished accordingly. I called you dense. I use these words on purpose, no holding back necessary, either to make a point, because they fit, or both. I didn’t call you evil nor hateful because neither word described you. If they did, I would use them.
I haven’t called anyone evil on these threads in at least the last day or so because I haven’t come across anyone expressing evil ideas. I did use words like stupid, willfully dense, liar, and in the case of Phil, menace, nut, and crazy, because they fit the individual circumstances.
Since I refuse to tailor either the style or substance of my message to words you consider appropriate (consider someone like Ace of Spades who uses strong rhetoric to make his point — and I have never, once, came close to getting even a mild warning on his site, where here it’s a common occurrence because you two have a different background and world view), it’s obvious you and Patterico do not wish me to comment here further and I won’t.
I wish you both well. You fight the good fight rhetorically speaking. But I do so with epithets in my language.
“In other words, you are doing the opposite of what you intend if your goal is to get people’s attention and influence their opinions.”
Use the nuclear war thread as an example. My point was made even though I pissed the person off I was making to. I can live with that trade-off. His position was basically mine at the end; we were arguing over remaining details.
And with anyone I call “evil” I assure you I am not trying to persuade them at that point. Generally, they can’t be persuaded (certainly, I don’t know how). Using the classic issue of abortion, which I see as virtually akin to slavery, but slightly worse, on a thread where Patterico laid into my position or the word (“evil”) I chose to make it, I immediately found several people, “my people”, who see it the same way as I in total agreement. Whether they would have expressed this agreement so strongly had I not staked out my position as starkly is doubtful.
When I call someone evil and point out in great detail why they are so, it is with the intention of appealing to those who recognize the difference between good and evil and, where possible, causing shame, fear of enforcement in the future, or some other negative emotion to wash over the evil doer. It’s a tough one to accomplish, I admit, but their feelings are of no concern to me when they practice or advocate the murder of millions especially their own kids.
In overturning slavery, many different types of people were needed. Some use calm reasoned debate; others strong language to point out the evil. I’m in the latter camp. They were both helpful in motivating a public to accomplish the end goal for the now acknowledged betterment of mankind.
In the end, though, it was legions of riflemen pumping hot lead into their foes’ skulls that decided the issue, so don’t confuse your rhetoric, DRJ, with reality. I’ve seen that tendency in you: polite debate for the sake of debate.
I have no solution to the problem I mentioned, but if I can cause the odd person to feel like crap while I simultaneously love and honor those who see things my way, or have changed to that viewpoint, great. I’ll take that as my reward and if it “annoys” you I’m not concerned.
“His position was basically mine at the end; we were arguing over remaining details.”
Sorry Christopher. But your first post was that you wanted to wake up and see we had launched a sneak nuclear attack on four countries. You only showed that you have read a couple of books on the subject and fancy yourself an expert.
But if it makes you feel good about yourself to believe otherwise I’m glad I was able to help.
voiceofreason (a8af8d) — 10/9/2007 @ 8:34 pm
You are right that I enjoy debate for the sake of debate, and that’s astute of you to recognize it. I also recognize that it’s rarely the debater or the fiery orator who makes a difference in the world when compared to strong men who are willing to fight for what they believe in. And, FWIW, I’m saddened by people who desire to make other people “feel like crap” simply because they disagree with one another.
I don’t have the power to ask you to stop commenting here nor is that my wish, but if you feel you must then best wishes to you.
Yes, it was covered in cross, one short sentence asking Dr. Hayne if the wounds on the hand could have been offensive, and he said it was possible. The jury put alot of weight in Hayne’s testimony. He was the only expert witness called.
So, the jury heard the wounds on the victim’s hands could have been defensive or possibly offensive. However, the jury as trier of fact found that there was no self defense.
yes, typical, everyone is always telling the truth in your world aren’t they? Maybe you should enter the reality based world someday soon. Yes people do lie, and they lie and lie and take advantage of vulnerable aged kids and lie some more. I’m glad you agree. or were you being facetious? You are not qualified to make a judgement on this child’s guilt or innocence. The comments here are about Dr. Hayne. Dr. Hayne performed more of his magic at Brett Jones trial, that is the issue. Dave, my naive little child, wake up, yes people do lie. That is how innocent people end up in prison. The charge of capital murder was wrong and it wasn’t proven, but the jury bought the lies. It is that simple. Even Brett’s new attornies have said this was accidental death whether in the heat of passion or self-defense, but not premeditated. There is nothing on my website that in any way suggests premeditated murder. If there is show me. I wouldn’t allow my children to correspond with a cold blooded killer. Again, Dave, you are wrong
I will allow myself one last comment, DRJ:
“…I’m saddened by people who desire to make other people “feel like crap” simply because they disagree with one another.”
Umm, no. This is an example of the denseness I was referring to earlier.
The point isn’t to make them feel like crap “simply because they disagree”. The point is to make them feel like crap because they kill children, including often their own children, and support others in doing so.
Feeling crappy is part of justice. It’s called a conscience and where they don’t have much of one, I’ll help it along on occasion. Prison makes people feel crappy as does the death penalty. So does public ridicule and denouncement. Once in a while these methods actually dissuade someone in which case, in that rare example, it saves a life.
Only someone, as I said, who debates for the sake of polite debate would focus on the harm in making the other person feel crappy without noticing the reason they’re doing so is because they consider the other person a hideous murderer.
Well, Pam, here’s something that isn’t a lie: Jones will be out when he is 65 y/o if he behaves himself in custody.
Frankly, I’d rather have you stay around, because you cause me rethink things. For example, maybe it was a mistake to say “main reason” in the title of my first post. It wasn’t critical to the reasoning, as I still feel confident on the disclosure issue, and it gave Balko an easy way to wriggle out of the principal point.
I don’t like the self-righteousness and the calling people “evil” and such. And I think you’ve been awfully quick to side with Balko and call his retorts “strong” and such, when you didn’t even understand the facts of the case (i.e. he is still trying to get Maye out of prison, which, if he does, will bring him not only personal satisfaction but also fame and probably a book deal).
If we can keep the part of Christoph that makes me think, and do away with the part that seems merely out to aggravate, and to be self-righteous, I’d love that.
If we can’t, it’s still up to you whether you want to comment here. I never said you should leave. I just said I was going to stop talking to you on a subject where, while you have made some valid points, you have done so in ways that trivialize my integrity and generally piss me off.
Bottom line: comment, don’t comment, your choice. Don’t blame it on me. That’s just whiny.
Honestly though: calling DRJ’s arguments dense and retarded? Get a grip. That really is ridiculous, any way you slice it.
Patterico, your direct comment warrants a reply.
It certainly isn’t the case that you’ve requested me to cease commenting. You have said you probably won’t reply to my comments, called me an ass, called my comments bullshit, etc… most noticeably at those times we disagree and less so at times where I disagree with others, often in support of your position.
I agreed with Balko because I got that the central part of his article was Hayne not Maye… indeed, while he should have disclosed Maye which I’ve stated consistently, that’s so as not to distract from his much bigger story. I don’t even know how you would present all the facts and allegations Balko did and make Maye the centerpiece.
Moving on… if I was calling someone an f’n piece of sh__, that’s obviously gratuitous and doesn’t mean anything. But if you take the strong pro-life position, as I do, that it’s child murder, how is calling someone evil in the same ballpark?
Think about pedophile murderers… they do awful things… and I call them evil, something you wouldn’t even mention if I brought up… often (by no means always), however, they don’t target their own children.
This is no defense of those horrible scum. I’m just stating I find it difficult to think of anything on the face of the Earth worse than a person killing their own child. If you can’t see why I would be viscerally angry at such a person, from my viewpoint, and where calling them evil is holding back (because I believe they should be put to death if they carry out the act) then we see things differently… but don’t attack my sincerity by being merely out to aggravate. Don’t say I do this to provoke and for no other reason.
Certainly less common on the Internet than elsewhere, but I assure you’ve I’ve had this conversation, using that word, several times in “real” life. My sincerity on this issue is beyond dispute.
Self-righteous? Hmmmm. I’m sure I am when it comes to killing kids because I would never do so. Same with slavery or racism, which I also despise.
I have many flaws and outright sins I dislike… but taking Jesus, who I don’t personally believe was the Son of God, as a teacher, he taught it is better that a millstone be tied about someone’s neck and they be drowned in the depths of the sea rather than harm a child. So it’s a question of degree. My multitude of sins and flaws just don’t go there.
It’s obviously not as bad to be called “evil” as to be drowned in the sea… so if I’m wrong in saying that word I’m at least in good company.
Yeah, Christoph. Suggesting that a lawyer’s judgment is questionable is totally worse than suggesting that a journalist is a liar at worst or reckless with the facts at best. Because everyone knows law-talking guys have only their judgment to sell!!! I mean, can you name a successful lawyer with questionable judgment? I sure can’t. And as I’m sure you are aware, journalists have lots of other stuff they can sell. I hear Bernard Levin, for example, made a killing selling fuzzy dice.
Moops (99fd9d) — 10/9/2007 @ 9:23 pm
You’re lacking a sense of humor, C. The “bullshit” comment was just me quoting the guy who you were aligning yourself with. And yes, you can sometimes be an ass. It’s OK, I am sometimes an ass too. Few people can say anything different about themselves.
I’ve got to add something to this.
Chester Stiles committed horrible acts against that young girl. Apparently, these acts were completed and went beyond touching. So in addition to the tremendous psychological and, I would argue, spiritual damage she suffered, it’s likely she may have had other damage to her bodily systems. The mind recoils at the thought. Equally, STDs are common in adults and at least as common in sex offenders. She may have received something like that.
All horrific beyond dispute. Chester Stiles is evil. I am sure you will not argue the point or criticize me for my choice of words.
I’ve known women who have been sexually abused, one of whom developed a dissociative mental illness and was a danger to her family. As a teenager they locked her in her room at night on doctors’ orders.
Another became a local prosecutor, much like yourself, and focussed on serious sex crimes. She and I had a lot of conversations, intimate (yes, that way) and work related. She clearly “made it” and is a lovely person, but was troubled at times. With her job, it’s hard to fault her.
Another became a heroin addicted prostitute and this is horribly sad. She was so smart she SHOULD have been a doctor or a lawyer and instead I saw her sink into hell.
Others became cashiers or whatever. They did okay, maybe not as good as they could have done.
The point of this list is… however evil is Chester Stiles, from his victims’ point of view, what was done to her was less harmful than had her mom, dad, and parent’s doctor killed her. So please take that into consideration when you see me being “self-righteous”.
I am an ass, more often than not, FWIW.
JD (edb511) — 10/9/2007 @ 9:42 pm
Patterico, I have a strong sense of humor, but lose it when talking about children’s welfare. Not that our conversation was about it, but it’s one example.
I can’t even tell a joke at my expense about nuclear war, clearly dark humor and identified as such repeatedly, without voiceofreason taking it out of context and intentionally lying (again). So, yes, if you’re saying I took you as being serious when you meant it as a joke, I’ll believe you. Mistakes happen and this was one of mine.
Speaking of humor, Moops, you made your point with much greater than I accomplished. I literally laughed out loud.
Patterico thinks it’s ridiculous of me to say DRJ is often dense, but I say “au contraire”. She makes a great point about damage to Patterico’s reputation for judgment, but it almost completely escapes her that Balko also depends on his reputation for judgment. So apparent. Patterico didn’t make that mistake, I’m sure, but DRJ did.
Yeah, Moops’s comment would be friggin’ hilarious if DRJ’s point had actually been that questioning a lawyer’s judgment is bad, but questioning a journalist’s judgment is OK.
Since that wasn’t her point, it’s somewhat less hilarious. He’s great at destroying strawmen, though — he makes an excellent Balko Minion.
I, for one, am not going to ever again respond to some Canadian until he apologizes to DRJ and DRJ says it’s all right.
I think we’ve convinced Christoph to stick around, and I am sincerely pleased about that.
That’s enough maudlin sincerity for one night. Screw you jerks!
But I respect nk’s position.
It’s a strong retort.
I’m too dense to understand this but let me know when the debating starts again.
…if he expresses his opinion you’re covering up for Hayne because it makes your job easier as a prosecutor not to have prosecution scientific witnesses impugned or examined too quickly this is hitting-below-the-belt.
Christoph, because it is hitting below the belt. Mr. Balko has made accusations derogatory of Patterico’s competence and professionalism. Mr. Frey only wishes for Mr. Balko to fess up to something that not only does not reflect poorly on the man, but could even put his interest in Dr. Hayne in a positive light. How Radley responded was inappropriate and overblown.
Balko over-reacted to Patterico’s postition, and made a claim that could damage Patrick’s professional reputation. That, in my considered opinion, constitutes hitting below the belt.
Alan Kellogg (795b28) — 10/9/2007 @ 10:10 pm
Alan, you’re missing the point… and I’m not supporting Balko’s criticism, nor do I think it’s warranted… I’m looking at it from both men’s point of view… Balko felt point blank accusing him of “wholly” writing a piece for one reason (something Patterico says he didn’t mean to write, but Balko can be forgiven for taking Patterico literally) and also that that’s his “main” reason… when Patterico now acknowledges it may well not be… and failing to disclose it, a violation of journalistic ethics, was a serious threat to his reputation and livelihood. So he responded in kind.
If Patterico’s going to go toe with someone who is a heavy hitter enough to get published in the WSJ, then he’s gotta expect some strikes back whether below the belt or otherwise.
And for what it’s worth, below the belt strikes are among the finest kinds assuming your goal is to defeat someone.
*toe to toe
Hey, if your only concern is to defeat someone, outright defamation works pretty good. And failing that, assault and maybe murder could do the trick.
But since virtually all of us think we’re involved in something more moral than simply defeating the other guy, I’m left wondering what the hell you’re talking about.
Patterico (bad89b) — 10/9/2007 @ 10:44 pm
That was a joke, Patterico, what’s wrong with your humor bone?
When the comedian tells a joke and it flops, it’s not always the fault of the audience, my friend.
Likewise with yours, P.
In about an hour I’m going to whack Balko pretty good on this Edmonds thing.
Fair enough. You won’t be surprised when Balko whacks back. DRJ will be outraged though.
I won’t be surprised when he whacks back with a bunch of whining and disingenuousness.
Of course, in your view, that’s equivalent. I attacked him, he attacks me. Whether the attack is bullshit or not is beside the point. Right?
Steve and Patterico,
I don’t want to interfere with your interesting conversation but it might be worth pointing out that:
Expert witnesses testify to facts but they also respond to hypotheticals. For example: “Dr. X, Knowing what you observed in the autopsy and IF this and this happened, THEN what would your opinion be as to …?” We don’t ask expert witnesses to testify in a vacuum. They are entitled to take into consideration other evidence, like a confession, when they formulate their opinions.
Similarly, the opposing party gets to undo that hypothetical and point out that IF you change this fact and this fact, THEN the resulting opinion may change.
No. I didn’t say that and you know that. But as to whose attack was bullshit, yours was.
Your initial point on Hayne/Maye was Balko didn’t disclose the whole or “main” reason he wrote it, now you acknowledge that Balko probably wrote it for the reasons he said, because the Hayne story was generally interesting and went far beyond Maye.
You still think he should have disclosed Maye and I concur, but mostly to avoid this silliness and otherwise detract from a thought-provoking op-ed. You think it was one of his primary motivations and you may be right… but the point is hardly proven when you acknowledge it isn’t.
I don’t know the details of Balko’s attacks on you, read it at the time, but can’t remember what thread it was discussed under (remind me if you know)… it’s possible the attacks were unfair in which case that makes a lot of difference.
It’s also possible the attacks are based on his world view and are not intentionally unfair… that makes a difference, but certainly doesn’t mean you shouldn’t vigorously fight them. Can you remind me where I find details on his attacks so I can look at this more completely?
But as to whose attack was bullshit, yours was.
And . . . back on ignore you go.
Expert witnesses testify to facts but they also respond to hypotheticals
Right, DRJ, and it’s a good question whether this particular hypo is an admissible one that just shouldn’t be given much weight by the jury, or an inadmissible one. Either way, given the clarity of this kid’s confession — and the idea that it was coerced by his sister is complete wishful thinking and defense-oriented nonsense — I can’t see that Hayne’s testimony could have meant much in this case.
And I really don’t think he said what Balko claims.
Fair enough, Patterico. You’ve made other good points on Balko and I expect to see more on Edmonds… a really weak argument that Balko made… but you can’t possibly state that:
“Whether the attack is bullshit or not is beside the point.”
… and then be surprised when I point out your initial thrust in this whole thing was at first overstated (wholly) and probably wrong (you’re backing off the “main” thing).
I didn’t pick the word “bullshit” out of a hat to offend you. I picked it since you did just a moment ago.
DRJ was responding to Christoph’s assertion that both you and Balko were hitting “below the belt”. In doing so, she spent two paragraphs explaining the potentially dire consequences of questioning the judgment of people with a JD. The implication is that the great esteem required for the successful practice of law makes impugning a lawyer’s judgment particularly harmful, and was one reason that Balko was hitting “below the belt” in doing so. It’s certainly reasonable to read DRJ’s comment, in context, as an assertion that it is worse to impugn a lawyer’s judgment than a journalists.
So my comment was friggin’ hilarous after all. Thanks, I’ll be here all week. But right now I have to dial into a conference call with Balko and the rest of the minions so he can give us our marching orders.
Moops (444e9b) — 10/10/2007 @ 6:01 am
Dave, you seem to have alot of hate. Your last comment was just mean and hateful. This was still a child of barely 15. Just finished 8th grade. why you would get any glee out of a child locked up until age 65 is really disturbing. That should not be anything anyone should find satisfying or gleeful. This is a hateful website. I wish I had never come here. I was mistaken as to what this blog was. It’s to hate on people. Dave, I think you need the most help.
Enette (49436b) — 10/10/2007 @ 6:03 am
Enette: I get no pleasure from your son stabbing to death his grandfather and then stuffing him in a closet. However, I’m not going to pretend he is some innocent waif and not a danger to society. If it makes you feel better to believe everyone who disagrees with you is “full of hate,” then you are the one that needs help.
dave (ed58b3) — 10/10/2007 @ 6:10 am
one more thing before I leave this hateful place. Brett’s own family doesn’t believe the story the prosecution put forth. The family of the man who was killed never believed a word of it. But they had nothing to say about it. They support Brett 100%. They know the truth, including the widow, Brett’s grandmother. This was never a capital case but the facts were twisted and distorted for the benefit of the jury. This case was about winning and losing, not the truth. The family belives that also and they are the victims.
Pam (49436b) — 10/10/2007 @ 6:13 am
I’ll be here all week.
Don’t forget to tip your waitresses — because your audience won’t. They just left.
I think DRJ might have been making a distinction based on whether the criticism was reasonable and backed up by facts. That’s the part your friggin’ hilarious comment ignores.
Patterico (bad89b) — 10/10/2007 @ 6:19 am
Mr. Know it all, what he did to cover it up (in fact if it was him, which there is some question about that), was irrelevant to the murder charge. Post mortem-legal distinction-not an aggravating factor.
I’m sorry you are so mean and bitter. I hope you get better soon.
Plus, Mr. Know it All, I don’t think Enette was saying you get pleasure from the stabbing of Brett’s grandfather, I think she was saying that you get pleasure out of her son being in prison until age 65. I think you missed the point completely.
According to the defendant, his grandfather pushed him, he pushed him back, his grandfather went to strike him and he stabbed him repeatedly. Deadly force in response to non-deadly force is not self defense.
By the way Mr. Know it All, the child who is doing natural life has a better disposition than you do.
Miss WhackJob: The point is that because Jones brutally stabbed his grandfather to death he will spend the next 50 years in prison before he is eligible for parole.
Well, Miss WhackJob, obviously he is happy where he is and belongs. Leave him there — he can be happy and society can be safer.
Miss WhackJob: It’s called consciousness of guilt.
And I’m sorry you are so naive. I hope Jones doesn’t stab you with a homemade shank when you visit him someday since he has demonstrated his low threshold for frustration and that he is more than inclined to unnecessarily use deadly force.
misswhackjob, funny. God, you are really pathetic. Such a debater of fact.
You started the name calling. There is nothing to debate. If one believes Jones version of the event, there was no self-defense.
In the early stages of Alzheimer’s the sufferers do become paranoid and violent. They do not recognize their loved ones, they consider them intruders and they do physically attack them. Whether the loved ones should respond with a knife …?
In any case, Pam and Enette, I hope that you will give this site a little more of a chance. Our hosts are definitely not hateful and they are very tolerant of a very wide-ranging discussion.
nk (6e4f93) — 10/10/2007 @ 6:48 am
Nice piece of fiction you wrote, nk. Not sure what you are trying to accomplish. At least try to stick to the facts of the case. According to Jones, his grandfather found his runaway girlfriend in his bedroom and kicked her our. Later they argued and Jones smarted off to the man. The victim pushed him and he pushed him back. The victim swung at him and Jones stabbed him in the chest. Again, there is no right to use deadly force as a response to non deadly force.
I don’t know the case, dave. I would not retry it even if I did know it. I was taking Pam’s assertion of Alzheimer’s at face value. And where did I agree that a knife is an appropriate response to an Alzheimer’s delusion?
P.S. And there’s nothing fictional about my description of early Alzheimer’s.
Arguing that Alzheimer is in any way relevant to this case is the delusion. It is a redherring meant to distract from the fact that according to the defendant’s own version of events, this was not a case of self-defense.
Even so, this is not the appellate court and Pam and Enette can bring up things they think are important and get a fair response.
The fair response is that they are lying about the facts and lying about the law.
Perhaps you didn’t read DRJ’s comment all that closely. DRJ was drawing several distinctions. One was the one you mention. Another was the one I addressed. They were distinct distinctions, and I commented on only one of them.
While dave’s comments are a bit excessive, the reality is that people who go out to the internet to advocate for their cause should expect to be challenged. Its the nature of the medium. If you have a thin skin, you don’t belong here or anywhere else in the blogosphere.
SPQR (6c18fd) — 10/10/2007 @ 9:59 am
That was not my point, Moops. I’m sorry I didn’t state it clearly enough for you to understand but I have neither the time nor the interest to try again.
DRJ (74c23b) — 10/10/2007 @ 10:18 am
While dave’s comments are a bit excessive . . .
Sure, if you believe facts countering lies and mis-statements of the law are “excessive.”
dave (782c57) — 10/10/2007 @ 11:12 am
To prove my point that my rhetoric although strong is not unheard of, for example on Ace of Spades, the blog I mentioned above and that Patterico.com lists in its sidebar as one of its favorites, see this post:
From Onion News
WARNING: Not safe for work, nor home, nor large drug-fueled parties.
Christoph (92b8f7) — 10/10/2007 @ 11:06 pm
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The Perfect Secret Post-Soviet Graphic Novel
In Book Review by Daniel Kalder July 11, 2013
By Daniel Kalder
When I moved to Russia in 1997 I hoped to discover a secret world of excellent comics. As a teen in the mid-80s I was there when the whole “comics aren’t just for kids anymore” brouhaha kicked off, and was also aware of the many different styles of British comics, Japanese comics and French comics. Having been sealed off from the rest of the world for decades, surely the ex-USSR had something strange and good to offer for connoisseurs of words and pictures?
Alas no: while Soviet culture did have a rich tradition of illustrated children’s fiction, comics were viewed as trash and did not exist. Indeed, the first “Soviet” graphic novel I ever read was Nikolai Maslov’s Siberia, published by Soft Skull Press in 2006, the year after I left Russia. It is a quite extraordinary work and there is an equally extraordinary story behind it — its author, a night watchman in Moscow tracked down a French publisher in Moscow and showed him pages of a pictorial autobiography he had rendered in soft pencils. Impressed, the publisher brought it out in France; then it appeared in the US — but not Russia.
Jihad, a graphic novel by the Ukrainian Igor Baranko has a similar story. Baranko approached Humanoids/ Les Humanoïdes Associés publisher Fabrice Giger — best known for publishing the BD titan Moebius in France — in Los Angeles in the early 2000s, pressing samples of his work into Giger’s hands. Baranko had served in Red Army, and then lived among Buddhists in Russia’s Far East before winning the Green Card lottery and moving to the US in the ’90s. Unhappy in America, he was on the verge of returning to Ukraine, but first seized his moment to show his cartooning to a European publisher.
Giger was impressed and soon commissioned a full-length work from Baranko. Published in English in 2004 as The Horde it sank without trace, but Giger remained convinced of the work’s quality and it is now back in print in a handsome hardcover format- and it really is a remarkable work of art.
If the title Jihad suggests the book is about Middle Eastern politics and religion, this is actually far from the truth. Rather the story begins in the year 2040, with a naked, shaven-headed woman meditating in an apartment in a dilapidated and seemingly abandoned city in the Buddhist Russian republic of Tuva. Baranko depicts this post-Soviet landscape with great attention to detail- he is not only obviously familiar with Russia’s indigenous Buddhist traditions, but also knows the way buildings are placed in relation to each other, the style of balconies, even the look of the plug sockets.
Thus Jihad is immediately established as taking place in a spiritual/physical landscape we almost never see reflected in a work of fiction, whether it be in comics, film or literature. And from this point on Baranko weaves a very strange story indeed that draws upon a wide and eclectic range of sources. As Jihad is published by Humanoids, Baranko incorporates the kind of trippy sci-fi themes, sex and violence that have been a hallmark of the publisher since the days of Metal Hurlant in the 1970s. But in addition, he takes multiple aspects of post-Soviet reality and pushes them to grotesque extremes.
Thus one of the central characters is a lone Chechen roaming across Russia in pursuit of the “Heavenly Chechnya”; he has to since all of the Chechens were annihilated in a nuclear strike ten years before the book opens. Liberated of all fear of death following a stint fasting and praying among the mountain dervishes, he walks towards a hail of bullets while reflecting on death and destiny. It’s another sign of Baranko’s awareness of Russia’s different religious and mystical traditions, but also, as with the Tuvan landscape- highly physical. His Chechen may have a mystical streak, but Baranko’s eye for detail is very strong- he knows what the people of the Caucasus look like, the landscape they inhabit. Nor is the idea that the Chechen people might disappear particularly exotic; it has already happened insofar as Stalin had the entire populace deported to Siberia and Kazakhstan in the 1940s.
Baranko also shares a lot of obsessions with contemporary post- Soviet authors. Like Vladimir Sorokin he is fond of clones, and Baranko releases replicas of Newton and Abraham Lincoln into his narrative. Viktor Pelevin has played with themes of reincarnation and Buddhism. Meanwhile Baranko’s future dictator, failed SF writer Ivan Apelsinov (“Ivan Orange”) is a clear parody of Russian author turned ultranationalist politician Edward Limonov (“Edward Lemon”), who liked to ramble on about “Scythians” and war and Gulags until he turned semi-respectable during the Putin era. Clearly the possibility that a future authoritarian leader might blend elements of the communist past with nationalism and Orthodoxy in an unsavory postmodern blend was evident to a Ukrainian exile living in the USA years before Vladimir Sorokin observed Vladimir Putin doing it in real time in Russia, thus inspiring his own satire Day of the Oprichnik.
Jihad is unlike anything else published in BD or American comics. Baranko is fluent in post-Soviet chaos, and blends religion, silver age poetry, Chernobyl, telekinesis, the quasi religious worship of Lenin and Russia’s history in a manner at once effortless and yet also feverish. If reminiscent of anything, this anarchic-mystical blend recalls the comics work of famed film director Alejandro Jodorowsky, but Baranklo has his own concerns and approach. Jihad in this context refers to “struggle”- something Baranko the displaced ex-Red Army Ukrainian expat and his rich cast of characters evidently know all about- although a quick check of credits on French Amazon reveals that the artist has since established himself as a presence on the French scene, working with major writers and even taking over art duties for the legendary Enki Bilal on Exterminator 17. Hopefully more of his work will soon be published in English. For now, though, I am very glad to have Jihad. Reading it, I realize it’s the perfect secret post-Soviet graphic novel I was searching for when I first arrived in Russia all those years ago.
Daniel Kalder is an author and journalist originally from Scotland, currently based in Texas after a ten year stint spent living in the former USSR where he (more or less) picked up Russian. He has written two books about Russian life and culture and contributes features, reviews and travel pieces to publications around the world.
Tags: Eastern Europe, Europe, graphic novels, Russia, Ukraine
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The 5 Worst Trades in Blackhawks History
Chicago Blackhawks’ General Manager Stan Bowman has had a busy summer, attempting to get the team under the salary cap before the start of the 2015-16 season. Some popular players were offloaded to create cap space: first, rising star Brandon Saad, followed by All-Star winger Patrick Sharp. These trades won’t be fondly remembered by ‘Hawks fans in the years to come, but they are from far the worst moves the team has ever made.
During the Blackhawks’ 89-year history, the team has made several trades that looked bad from the get-go. These moves were usually made because of personality conflicts with the coach or short-sightedness by management, with devastating effects in the years to come. Here are the five worst trades in Blackhawks’ history.
#5 – October 25, 1991 – Blackhawks trade away offense to get better defensively
(a.k.a. “The Trade that Cost the ‘Hawks the Cup in ’92”)
Mike Keenan had a relatively successful run as the Chicago Blackhawks coach. The ‘Hawks made it to the conference finals twice in Keenan’s first two years behind the bench (1989, 1990), losing out both times to the eventual Stanley Cup winner. In 1991, the team won the Presidents Trophy for finishing the regular season with a league-leading 106 points. Goaltender Ed Belfour also won the Jennings Trophy for allowing the fewest goals. However, the Blackhawks were upset by the Minnesota North Stars in the first round of the playoffs. After that, Keenan — who was now the team’s General Manager, too — shook things up.
Keenan made 16 trades from July 1991 to February 1992. The trade that affected the team most negatively during that span was when the Blackhawks sent center Adam Creighton and winger Steve Thomas to the New York Islanders for center Brent Sutter and winger Brad Lauer. Sutter was a good defensive center; the problem was that the ‘Hawks gave up too much offense in return.
Creighton was on a roll at the start of the 1991-92 season, scoring 12 points in 11 games. Thomas was a solid second-line player who scored 70 points (40 G, 30 A) in 76 games in the 1989-90 season, and 54 points in 69 games during an injury-shortened 1990-91 season. Both of these players could have been the difference when the Blackhawks met the Pittsburgh Penguins in the 1992 Stanley Cup Finals. The Penguins swept the ‘Hawks in four games. Three of the losses were by one-goal margins. A 6’5″ center like Creighton might have been able to slow down 6’4″ superstar Mario Lemieux — Sutter sure didn’t — while Thomas’ speed and goal scoring could have been the extra punch the ‘Hawks sorely needed.
#4 – March 23, 1999 – Blackhawks trade legend so they don’t have to re-sign him
(a.k.a. “The Final Nail in the Coffin”)
Acquiring Chris Chelios in 1990 was one of the best deals the Blackhawks ever made. Trading him to the Detroit Red Wings nine years later was one of the worst. Chelios had a remarkable career for the Blackhawks, winning the Norris Trophy as the NHL’s best defenseman twice and winning post-season All-Star honors four times. His contract was set to expire after the 1999-2000 season, but the team had had no intentions of re-signing him. Instead, GM Bob Murray explained that Chelios would have a front office job waiting for him after his contract expired. The problem was, Chelios still wanted to play.
After some soul-searching, Chelios decided that he was not ready to retire anytime soon and requested a trade. The Blackhawks shipped him off to the Detroit Red Wings for Anders Eriksson and two first round draft picks — a horrible trade on so many levels.
First, the ‘Hawks traded away their team captain — the heart and soul of the franchise — to the arch-rival Red Wings. This made Detroit, who won the last two Stanley Cup Championships, an even stronger contender. Secondly, Eriksson — the warm body the ‘Hawks got in return — was clearly no prospect. Drafted by Detroit in 1993, the Wings long figured out that he was a dud. And the first round picks didn’t really help, either; partially because the Red Wings were solid contenders who weren’t getting high picks in the draft and partially because Chicago’s scouting and drafting was not great.
Finally, trading away a fan favorite to a hated rival is never a good way to win back fans, especially those who were still mad about the team parting ways with Jeremy Roenick in 1996 and Ed Belfour in 1997. With Chicago’s “Big Three” now gone, the team rapidly declined and was eventually named by ESPN as the worst professional sports franchise.
As for Eriksson, he went on to be a fringe player. So did the two guys the Blackhawks drafted (Adam Munro and Steve McCarthy) with the two first-round picks acquired from Detroit. Chelios, meanwhile, went on to play another TEN seasons, help Detroit win two Stanley Cup Championships, captain the U.S. Olympic team to a silver medal and be named a First Team All-Star in 2002. His accomplishments in his 40s were better than the combined careers of the three players he was traded for.
#3 – August 16, 1996 – Blackhawks trade franchise star to save $5 million
(a.k.a. “Penny-Wise and Dollar Bill Foolish”)
When the Blackhawks traded Patrick Sharp on Friday, July 10 — late in the afternoon — they messaged their fans who had the team’s smart phone app with news of the trade. Websites reported Sharp’s trade shortly thereafter, and journalists were all abuzz on Twitter. Things could not have been more different 19 years ago, when the Blackhawks traded away franchise player Jeremy Roenick, also on a late Friday afternoon, in 1996. This was before the internet became commonplace, so news of the popular player’s departure wasn’t met with an immediate outcry; many didn’t find out until a day or two later.
Roenick cemented his status as an elite NHL center, scoring 596 points in 570 games for the Blackhawks. Unfortunately, the Blackhawks and their notoriously frugal owner, “Dollar” Bill Wirtz, did not want to pay him like one. Roenick, 26 at the time, was a restricted free agent in the summer of 1996. He and the Blackhawks were reportedly $5 million apart in their negotiations for a five-year contract.
Instead of paying their franchise player like a franchise player, the Blackhawks traded Roenick to the Phoenix Coyotes for Alexei Zhamnov, Craig Mills and a first round draft pick in the 1997 draft. Zhamnov was projected to be the next Sergei Fedorov, and the Blackhawks were sure they could sign him for far less money than Roenick.
In a column published two days after the trade, Chicago Tribune columnist Bernie Lincicome bemoaned what the ‘Hawks had done:
What they should have loved is the way Roenick plays hockey, fearlessly, forwardly and forecheckingly. They should not have just sworn they would match any offer, they should have made an offer that no one else would match.
To keep Roenick and his considerable skills, all it would have taken is money. All it would have taken is a compliment now and then. All it would have taken is for management to be bigger than Roenick.
Instead, the Blackhawks matched Roenick pique for pique, trying to teach him a lesson in economics instead of a lesson in bonding. The Blackhawks proved they could be just as petty, and now they’ve got a wimp, a prospect and a draft choice instead of one of the best players in the game (full article here).
Phoenix had no problem shelling out the big bucks for J.R., signing him to a five-year, $20 million deal. But Chicago couldn’t work out the cheap deal with Zhamnov like they had hoped before the start of the season. Eight games into the 1996-97 season, with no Roenick, no Zhamnov and looking to save face, the ‘Hawks relented and signed Zhamnov to a five-year, $15 million dollar deal. The Blackhawks saved $5 million, but lost their most exciting player of the decade and alienated many of their fans.
#2 – May 15, 1967 – Blackhawks dump top center because of big mouth
(a.k.a. “The Trade that Killed a Dynasty”)
The Blackhawks had a ton of talent in the mid-1960s: Bobby Hull, Stan Mikita, Pierre Pilote, Glenn Hall and an up-and-coming Phil Esposito. In his first three full seasons with the club, Espo finished fourth or higher in team scoring, centering the “HEM Line” with Hull and Chico Maki.
But Esposito’s outspokenness, which he would become famous for during the 1972 Summit Series, was the catalyst for his eventual trade to the Boston Bruins. As recounted in his autobiography, “Thunder and Lightning,” Esposito had a little too much to drink at a Blackhawks’ team party at the end of the 1966-67 season. A drunk Espo told Coach Billy Reay and GM Tommy Ivan “We’ve got a great team here, you could almost have a dynasty, but you two are gonna screw it up (page 51).”
Utimately it was team owner Jim Norris who didn’t like Esposito’s finesse style of play, wanting the big centerman to be more physical. Of course, telling off Reay and Ivan didn’t help his case either. The day before the expansion draft, Phil Esposito, Ken Hodge and Fred Stanfield were shipped out to Boston for Gilles Marotte, Pit Martin and Jack Norris.
After the trade, Esposito would go on to rewrite the record books for goals and points, win the Art Ross Trophy five times, be named to the All-Star Team eight times and lead Boston to Stanley Cup Championships in 1970 and 1972. Ken Hodge didn’t do too shabby either, reaching the 100-point plateau twice. And Esposito was right: by trading Esposito, the Blackhawks – losers in two Cup Finals – did screw up on becoming a dynasty.
#1 – August 7, 1992 – Blackhawks trade away the best goalie of the 1990s
(a.k.a. “The Worst Trade of the 1990s, Period.”)
The last trade made by Mike Keenan was also the Blackhawks’ worst trade. Heck, it was the worst trade of the decade. On August 7, 1992, the Blackhawks shipped out future goaltending legend Dominik Hasek to the Buffalo Sabres for Stephane Beauregard and a fourth round pick in the 1993 draft. Then the ‘Hawks traded Beauregard to the Winnipeg Jets for Christian Ruuttu three days later.
The Blackhawks had two top prospects vying to back up starter Ed Belfour: Dominik Hasek and Jimmy Waite. Before playing in the NHL, Hasek won goaltender of the year honors five straight years and player of the year three times in his native Czechoslovakia. During the 1991-92 season, Hasek played 20 games as the ‘Hawks backup and was named to the NHL All-Rookie Team.
Waite was a former junior hockey star, but had fallen so far down the depth chart that he was loaned to the AHL’s Hershey Bears during the 1991-92 season. So, the choice to keep Waite over Hasek to serve as Belfour’s backup seemed wrong all-around.
And, boy was it ever wrong. Had the ‘Hawks traded Waite — or made no trade at all, because they really did not have to — that would have kept Hasek in the picture perhaps long enough to usurp Belfour as the team’s starter; or at least long enough for Hasek to play more games and increase his trade value. A daring GM might have even traded Belfour for a high-scoring player. (Remember, the team had just lost in the Cup Finals to the Penguins due to lack of scoring.)
Instead, the ‘Hawks traded the future Best Goalie of the Nineties and got Ruuttu, who would do little in Chicago: 90 points in 158 games. Over in Buffalo, Hasek had a Hall of Fame career with the Sabres. Much like his tenure in the Czech league, Hasek won NHL MVP honors twice and top goaltending honors six times, setting an NHL record.
The only silver lining in this trade was that Chicago used the fourth round pick acquired from Buffalo to draft Eric Daze, who had a respectable, though injury-shortened, career with the Blackhawks. Oh, and that Keenan was fired as the ‘Hawks GM soon after. ■
Bye-bye Barker
No Stanley Cup, But Still a Great 2015-16 Season for the Chicago Blackhawks
Game 6 – Pregame Thoughts…
Round 3, fight!
Five Really-Lopsided NHL Trades
With Morin gone, Byfuglien trade officially a bust for the Blackhawks
Author Sal BarryPosted on July 20, 2015 October 2, 2017 Categories OpinionsTags
Hockey History
8 thoughts on “The 5 Worst Trades in Blackhawks History”
None of those trades are as bad as the Leafs trading their first round pick/third overall (Scott Neidermayer) to New Jersey for Tom Kurvers!
Hah, yeah, that was pretty terrible. You think for a first round pick, the Leafs could have gotten someone a bit better than Kurvers.
How about anything done by Mike “Mr. Potato Head” Milbury with the Islanders?
I still daydream about what that team could have been between the mid 90’s and mid 00’s with Luongo, Spezza, Chara, Redden, Kasper, Palffy, Jokinen, etc.
Mind you, as a Pens fan I loved the guy – he kept our competition in check. But you still have to wonder.
Hah, Mad Mike sure had his moments.
This trade killed one franchise and made the other a dynasty.
On March 4, 1991, Francis was traded to the Pittsburgh Penguins, along with Ulf Samuelsson and Grant Jennings, in exchange for John Cullen, Zarley Zalapski and Jeff Parker.
That trade was one of the brightest hockey memories of my childhood. I may have been 6 at the time, but I knew damn well what getting Francis and Ulf meant.
I had a heck of a time lording over my friends the following several years.
Barring an Adam Graves’ caliber tomahawk to his wrist, Creighton would have had no more chance of slowing down Mario than I would have.
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Vetting the Veeps: Pence and Kaine on Religious Liberty
Posted by Michael Peabody / July 22, 2016
This week, both Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton have chosen relatively centrist running mates who are not well known outside of their states. Both Trump and Clinton, who have been battling high disapproval ratings and facing a close election in November, have made "safe picks." But how do the vice presidential candidates compare when it comes to religious liberty?
Both are Catholics who are unlikely to shake up the status quo in terms of protecting or infringing upon the religious liberty rights of individuals or religious organizations. Trump's pick, Mike Pence, 57, a lawyer (Indiana University) who has been serving as the governor of Indiana since 2013, has been identified as a "born-again evangelical Catholic." Pence grew up in Indiana and, according to a Religion News Service report attended the nondenominational Grace Evangelical Church in the 1990s but is reportedly "kind of looking for a church."
Pence likes to refer to himself as "a Christian, a conservative, and a Republican in that order."
Before entering public office, Pence was a talk radio host syndicated on several stations in Indiana, who called himself "Rush Limbaugh on decaf." He served in the House of Representatives from 2000-2012, and in 2008 Esquire magazine listed him as one of the ten best members of Congress whose "unalloyed traditional conservatism has repeatedly pitted him against his party elders." In 2012 he left the house to run for governor of Indiana.
As a member of Congress, Pence opposed the expansion of abortion rights and spending tax dollars on stem cell research. He also supported cutting off funding for Planned Parenthood. Pence also supported a constitutional amendment against same-sex marriage
In December, Pence went on record in opposition to Trump's plan to halt Muslim immigration to the United States, calling it "offensive and unconstitutional." Pence has also gone on record in support of Israel.
In March 2015, Pence gained nationwide attention when he signed Indiana's Religious Freedom Restoration Act into law, an act the religious right considered a triumph because it would have protected the rights of business owners to discriminate against LGBT individuals. After several major organizations, including the NCAA, said they planned to boycott Indiana because of the bill, Pence agreed to sign a revised version. The revision provided that businesses were not authorized "to refuse to offer or provide services, facilities, use of public accommodation, goods, employment, or housing to any member or members of the general public" based on "sexual orientation" and "gender identity."
Pence's revision of the original RFRA angered some members of the religious right, leading some, including Family Research Council's Tony Perkins to announce that he would not support Pence as vice president.
Despite the revisions in the legislation, Pence announced in his 2016 State of the State address that he would oppose any bill that interfered with the "constitutional rights of our citizens to live out their beliefs in worship, service or work. … No one should ever fear persecution because of their deeply held religious beliefs."
Clinton's choice, Tim Kaine, 58, also a lawyer (Harvard) who was elected to the U.S. Senate in 2012, identifies as a Roman Catholic. Kaine grew up in a devoutly Catholic family in Missouri, attending an all-boys Jesuit high school. As a student, he spent nine months working with Jesuit missionaries in Honduras teaching carpentry and welding, according to Religion News Service. Kaine's brief stint in Honduras is quickly becoming a centerpiece of his media introductions in the last few hours. Kaine and his family attend St. Elizabeth Catholic Church in Richmond, Virginia.
Kaine worked as an attorney in Richmond, Virginia, for 17 years representing clients who were discriminated against in housing on the basis of race or disability. In 1998 he was elected mayor of Richmond. During the first decade of the 2000s, Kaine was known as a centrist who argued for lower taxes. He had a self-described "moral passion" against the death penalty, and vetoed eight death-penalty expansion bills but oversaw eleven executions in his position as governor because he "took an oath of office to uphold it, there were many disputes from the-inheritance-experts.co.uk regarding inheritance.."
Although Kaine opposed adoption by same-sex couples in 2005, he shifted position in 2011 and in March 2013 said that he believed that "all people, regardless of sexual orientation, should be guaranteed the full rights to the legal benefits and responsibilities of marriage under the constitution."
Kaine says that he personally opposes abortion but told Chuck Todd on "Meet the Press," "I have taken the position, which is quite common among Catholics — I have got a personal feeling about abortion, but the right rule for government is to let women make their own decisions."
When it comes to faith, Kaine told Patch.com, it is "central to everything I do." Like Pence, Kaine disagrees with Trump's campaign plan to "ban Muslims." Kaine also argued that ObamaCare should have incorporated larger protections for religious organizations that were opposed to providing coverage for contraception.
In summary, neither vice presidential candidate is likely to be a lightning rod on religious liberty issues. Both have generally supported their party's positions but have also had significant disagreements in which they promoted more moderate perspectives. At this early stage in their exposure, before the inevitable trial by fire they will soon undergo from the press and each other, both seem like reasonable choices, and each would provide a solid back-up in the unfortunate event that one would need to assume the Presidency.
Home » Vetting the Veeps: Pence and Kaine on Religious Liberty
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Deutsche Bank's woes continue
Deutsche Bank tries to regain its lost ground after internal issues and consecutive losses plagued the bank.
April 30, 2018 | Kevin Luarca
Deutsche Bank, under the guidance of Edson Mitchell, expanded its investment banking and managed to climb its way to become Europe’s most valuable bank
The bank overvalued its worth during the financial crisis, starting a chain of problems
Internal conflict and a terrible company culture are still affecting the bank
German lender Deutsche Bank has reported its third straight annual loss of $621 million for 2017, a total shift from what it has achieved a decade before. For many years, the bank has been a prime example of success to European banking, reaching its peak in 2007 to become the world’s biggest bank. Even during the 2008 financial crisis, Deutsche Bank fared better than its competitors, and it managed to remain seemingly stable until 2015, when it reported a net loss of more than $6 billion.
Aggressive growth turned rapid decline
Deutsche was already a major player in the German baking industry in 1995 but was still left behind by Wall Street giants such as JPMorgan, Merrill Lynch, and Goldman Sachs. When Edson Mitchell came on board and took over as chief executive officer of the bank, Deutsche Bank took several aggressive high-staked steps in investment banking, integrating itself with London bank Morgan Grenfell, selling off corporate shareholdings, poaching financial experts from rival banks, and purchasing US Bankers Trust in 1999. Those decisions paid off well and the bank successfully became a major player in the financial industry. Deutsche Bank’s quick rise can be attributed to its ability to foresee long term-growth, and willingness to take-on high-risk investments. Unfortunately, their willingness to gamble also became the reason for their troubles.
In 2010, the bank was investigated for overpricing assets in large portfolio derivatives, which overvalued the bank by $1.5 billion and effectively softening losses they incurred dur...
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Keywords: Regulation, Transaction Banking, Investment
regulation, transaction banking, investment
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Georgia Tech Receives Nearly $3 Million in National Robotics Initiative Funding
Oct 5, 2014 | Atlanta, GA
The National Science Foundation (NSF) and the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) awarded nearly $3 million to fund projects led by Georgia Tech robotics researchers. The principal investigators (PIs) and co-PIs for these projects represent three of the Institute’s six colleges, plus the Georgia Tech Research Institute (GTRI).
“Our faculty leverage robotics research across many disciplines,” said Steve Cross, Executive Vice President for Research at Georgia Tech. “Their combined resources and expertise are leading to practical solutions for many critical challenges in areas of science and engineering.”
The projects received funding through the National Robotics Initiative (NRI) program, first announced by President Obama in June 2011, and led by NSF with support from NASA, the National Institutes of Health, and the USDA. The purpose of this program is to develop the next generation of robotics, to advance the capability and usability of such systems and artifacts, and to encourage existing and new communities to focus on innovative application areas.
Tech researchers received more than $2.8 million in NRI funding in 2012 and 2013, bringing the combined total of all current awards to over $5.75 million.
“Georgia Tech has a consistent record of achievement in the field of robotics,” said Henrik I. Christensen, KUKA Chair of Robotics and executive director of the Institute for Robotics and Intelligent Machines (IRIM), the flagship for Tech’s robotics efforts. “I’m proud of our amazing faculty, our excellent research, and the awards our faculty members have received.”
Four projects received funding through the Information & Intelligent Systems (IIS) division of NSF’s Directorate for Computer and Information Science and Engineering:
“Large-Scale Collaborative Semantic Mapping Using 3D Structure from Motion”—Led by GTRI Research Scientist II Zsolt Kira, this project received almost $392K and aims to advance real-time, large-scale distributed semantic mapping of outdoor environments with practical applications in city planning, asset management, creation of historical records, and support for autonomous driving. IRIM Associate Director of Education and Professor Frank Dellaert (School of Interactive Computing) serves as co-PI on the project.
“Collaborative Research: Exploiting Granular Mechanics to Enable Robotic Locomotion”—Led by School of Physics Associate Professor Daniel I. Goldman, this research focuses on developing computationally efficient analysis tools and techniques to create better methods for mobile robots to maneuver on unstructured terrains, such as those found in deserts, disaster sites, containers, and caves. Associate Professor David L. Hu (School of Mechanical Engineering) serves as co-PI on the project, which received $360K.
“Information-Theoretic Trajectory Optimization for Motion Planning and Control with Applications to Space Proximity Operations”—Led by School of Aerospace Engineering Dean’s Professor Panagiotis Tsiotras, this project received $700K and focuses on integrated sensing and planning under uncertainty where an intelligent agent needs to navigate autonomously in an uncertain and dynamic environment, specifically space robotic applications, such as satellite servicing and refueling, space station resupply, removal of space debris, spacecraft structural integrity inspection, crew assistance, and support for deep space missions to Mars and other planets and comets. Assistant Professor Evangelos Theodorou (School of Aerospace Engineering) serves as co-PI on the project.
“Representing and Anticipating Actions in Human-Robot Collaborative Assembly Tasks”—Led by School of Interactive Computing Professor Aaron Bobick, this project received almost $550K and aims to make fundamental advances that enable task specification to be compiled or converted into a grammar-like description of the human activity, specifically to improve human-robot collaboration for assembly tasks where the robot assists a human worker by providing tools or parts as required. Two members of the School of Interactive Computing (IC) serve as co-PIs on the project: Associate Dean for Off-Campus and Special Initiatives and Professor Irfan Essa and KUKA Chair of Robotics and Executive Director of IRIM Henrik I. Christensen. Additionally, Mike Stilman, another member of IC who died in May, is listed as a co-PI.
The fifth project, “Multipurpose Robotic Platform for Field Scouting and Sampling,” received more than $900K from the USDA. Led by IRIM Associate Director of Research and GTRI Principal Research Engineer Gary V. McMurray, the research aims to improve crop yields by developing the robotic technology required to autonomously collect data to monitor crops in a field or orchard, including crop scouting for biotic yield-reducing factors, such as pest organisms like insects, plant pathogens, and weeds; as well as abiotic stresses, such as inadequate moisture and nutrient levels. Professor Glen C. Rains (Department of Entomology at the University of Georgia) serves as co-PI on the project.
Robotics research at Georgia Tech attracts more than $35 million in sponsored research each year. Core research areas include mechanisms, control, perception, artificial intelligence, human-robot interaction, and application systems technologies. Tech advances personal and everyday robotics through its research into the ways robots can learn from and interact with humans, by developing advanced technologies, and by exploring issues surrounding the governance and ethical use of robots.
This research is supported by the National Science Foundation (NSF) under Awards IIS-1426998, IIS-1426443, IIS-1426945, and IIS-1427300; and by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) under Award 2014-67021-22556. Any conclusions or opinions are those of the authors and do not necessarily represent the official views of the NSF or USDA.
Zsolt Kira
Daniel Goldman
Panagiotis Tsiotras
Aaron Bobick
Gary V. McMurray
Josie Giles
IRIM Marketing Communications
Center for Robotics & Intelligent Machines
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Does Amazon Own Google Now?
On a laid back Sunday morning, when I'm most likely to feel the room to indulge curiousities that float by when you're buttering the toast, I was looking up how little you could get the third season of 30 Rock for on DVD at this point.
On Google, after a lead ad,
the first three (3) pure search returns were Amazon pages,
then one from Wikipedia,
then we get three more in succession from Amazon.
That's followed by one from Bestbuy,
one IMDB,
then an ad by Amazon and one by Target. Even better, the third result of the leadoff 3-in-a-row for Amazon is for Season 4, when my search for "30 rock season 3 dvd" pretty much couldn't be simpler or more specific. What's the logic there? (Maybe "rationale" would be the better word.)
Overall, of nine (9) pure search results, six (6) were from Amazon. Dear Google, how smart does that look?
I realize of course that your Shopping tab will give me what I want. But most people, and it's been this way since the earliest days of Web search (based on having worked at the original AltaVista Search in the late 90's), just go a search engine, type a one-word search and pick something from the first page. Google's default search page should be much smarter than this; and, inevitably, it makes me wonder what other subjects they're screwing up in similar ways.
On the identical search within the hour, Yahoo did much better, although with two each for Amazon and Ebay, it's still plainly skewed towards the Big Boys. That's anti-competitive, a principle that is not only common sense, but deeply entwined in the law. (Sure sounds a lot like whistling in the wind in this era, doesn't it.)
So, am I complaining about a flaw in their search algorithm ("Such mistakes have always been traced back to human error, Dave,") or Amazon's dominance?
Both. First, we not be many, but there people like me who clearly choose not going to Amazon except in a pinch, and for all the reasons.
Like, Shop Local for everything possible, because Small Is Beautiful and human-scale, and you have a voice in it. Unlike the alternative, where Too Big is a Failure of society, and Amazon in particular sounds pretty brutal to their workers, both white- and blue-collared?
That last part may not be such a problem in the near future, though, because here's a tip: if you're a robot, go see them about a job.
Bigger Is Better – for the Bigger. Not necessarily for anyone any smaller.
Yahoo - pure search results, not incl. ads - one each of:
dvdempire.com
EBay (2nd)
Amazon (2nd)
dvdizzy.com
"Inside Amazon: Wrestling Big Ideas in a Bruising Workplace
- The company is conducting an experiment in how far it can push
white-collar workers to get them to achieve its ever-expanding ambitions."
New York Times, by Jodi Kantor and David Streitfeld, Aug. 15, 2015
http://www.nytimes.com/2015/08/16/technology/inside-amazon-wrestling-big-ideas-in-a-bruising-workplace.html
Labels: business, common sense, design, engineering, Google, media, retail, tech advice, tips and tricks, trust, Yahoo
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Book Review: Tulipomania, Mike Dash
May 13, 2018 By scintilla.admin Nonfiction
Book Review: Tulipomania: The Story of the World’s Most Coveted Flower & the Extraordinary Passions It Aroused, Mike Dash
Nonfiction History: Tulipomania: The Story of the World’s Most Coveted Flower & the Extraordinary Passions It Aroused, Mike Dash
What could be more “spring” than the tulip? Sprouting up through the snows of March and April, the leaves give promise to the arrival of the beautiful flowers later in the spring. Heralding the end of spring and the beginning of summer, tulips might have been made for Mother’s Day.
No place is more associated with tulips than the Netherlands. Iconic pictures of tulip fields with windmills in the background evoke the low countries as much as do wooden shoes and massive sea-dikes. For historians and economists, those pictures of tulip fields also remind them of the Tulip Mania period of Dutch history. During the mid-1630s, prices of individual tulip bulbs soared precipitously. Fortunes were made and lost. Bulbs were sold for the price equivalent of several acres of land, or for several months’ or even years’ wages of an average citizen.
Tulip bulbs first made their way into western Europe from Turkey, particularly from the courts and royal gardens of the Ottoman Empire. Easy to move, easy to grow, and (from bulbs) quick to flower, they became very popular everywhere they were introduced. Their vivid colors, their hardiness in cooler European climates, and their shapely form (often poetically compared to female anatomy) made them a favorite among horticulturalists and gardeners alike. For both novice and experienced gardeners they are a rewarding feature in almost any landscape.
Although it’s uncertain where they first became subject to the Mosaic virus, tulips in Western Europe would randomly become “broken” because of illness. The virus affected the longevity and the overall health of the plant, but it also created uniquely colored and patterned flowers. Thus, gardeners would sometimes plant a tulip of one color and realize a flower that was very different. These flowers would often, but not always, replicate the same features in their offsets. Although the science had not yet discovered genetics nor viruses, growers tried to propagate these happy accidents. Since tulip bulbs will create offsets, they were often successful since the offsets are essentially clones of the original bulb and if the original bulb is infected, they usually were as well. Despite being sick with a virus, the color variations and uniqueness of these ill flowers increased the demand for them, and since the illness shortened the life expectancy and the productivity (in creation of offsets) of the infected plants, it also reduced the supply.
Early in the 1630s, demand for these unique tulips infected with the Mosaic virus began to increase. This coincided with the introduction of a “futures” market. Tulips could be purchased on speculation and then sold again on speculation without either the buyer or the seller actually physically owning a bulb. Most of these transactions occurred in the backroom of taverns in Amsterdam, Haarlem, and other towns in what is now the Netherlands. These tavern transactions kept them out of the mainstream economy. No doubt they were of great importance, economically and otherwise, to the participants. But they occurred within a sort of shadow economy beyond legal recognition or regulation and without the participation of the real movers and shakers among Dutch. This no doubt allowed the mania to flower (pun intended), but it also protected the country as a whole when it eventually withered (yes, I did it again).
And wither it did. The height of the speculative pricing for the tulips was reached in January, 1637. In February, it suddenly stopped. Tulips that a month before could not be purchased for almost any price now could not be sold for any price. Buyers that in January were willing to mortgage their houses to pay for a few bulbs were unwilling to pay pocket change for those same bulbs in February. The result: people were left owing a fortune to growers with no way to pay them back. Growers were left with paper IOUs equivalent to millions of today’s dollars, and with fields of tulips that no one wanted to buy any more.
It’s easy to look back and laugh at the folly, but this was the first “bubble” and crash seen in the modern economic system. In many ways it was a harbinger for future stock and dot.com and housing bubbles that were to come. Buy low and sell high is great advice, and is usually only obvious in hindsight. If the lessons taught by these backroom deals in Dutch taverns were easily learned, we likely would have mastered them by now. Any economist or even casual investor can tell you, we have not.
Perhaps the best lesson to be learned is that tulips are an investment in beauty. A garden may be enhanced by them, A mother or sweetheart may appreciate a bouquet of them. The Golden Age of the Netherlands hardly noticed this blip in their economy, and because of some (late) regulatory intervention, most investors and growers did not lose everything despite the paper losses they may have incurred. If you want to make a fortune, tulips are not the commodity to buy. But if you want to make a splash around Mother’s Day, it may be the perfect investment.
Mike Dash’s book Tulipomania covers the history of the flower, from its emergence in Ottoman gardens to its spread into western Europe to its central place in the craze of 1630s Dutch speculation. Although the book is sometimes a bit dry and academic, it does a good job of emphasizing both how intense the mania was and yet how peripheral it was to the overall economic health of the affected areas. If you are looking for an accessible introduction to the subject, I recommend Tulipomania as a good starting point.
#history, #MikeDash, #Nonfiction, #tulipomania, #tulips
Quote: C. S. Lewis on Fairytales
The Truth About Animals, Lucy Cooke
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Posted by Jamie | Jan 19, 2017 | Blog Post | 0
Today a new Sammy Davis, Jr. biopic was announced by the Sammy Davis, Jr. Estate, currently run by Sammy’s adopted son with Altovise Davis, Manny. Lionel Richie will lead the project, which involves Transformers producer Lorenzo di Bonaventura, and agent Mike Menchel. What is particularly good news about this announcement is that Sammy’s daughter and adopted sons with May Britt – Tracey, Mark and Jeff – also all support this project:
Manny said: “I am happy to tell the whole entire world that my family and I look forward to working with everyone to educate audiences of all ages about our father’s incredible American adventure.”
Tracey said: “I am pleased to partner with my brothers in consolidating our father’s business. I look forward to helping in any way I can to promote, grow and protect our father’s brand together.”
Mark said: “To have all of the family on board together for this film is tremendous. We are excited to have the greatest entertainer who ever lived to be on screen.”
Jeff said: “It’s marvellous to have this movie made of him and, importantly, with good people involved.”
Back in the early 2000s, around the time of the production of Ray and Walk The Line, singer biopics were all the rage in Hollywood, and the life and career of Sammy Davis, Jr. made for a tantalising prospect. Since then, there have been a range of Sammy biopics and related projects mooted, all of which seem to have died a tortuous death in ‘development Hell’:
Sammy and Frank with Lionel Richie
1. Variety announced in 2003 that Altovise Davis was working with producer David Permut on a film using Yes I Can as source material. Comedian Eddie Griffin had signed on to play Sammy, and Permut was reportedly negotiating with Leslie Bricusse to be involved as well, presumably regarding incorporating either original songs or some of his many songs which Sammy recorded during his career.
2. Denzel Washington optioned the rights to Wil Haygood’s 2004 biography In Black and White. Producer Brian Grazer’s Imagine Entertainment was rumoured to be developing the film with Universal Pictures. Haygood had reportedly completed a first draft of the script at some point. Denzel was quoted as saying “I just like the story. It’s a different take. It’s not just all through his life. It’s really about the relationship with him and Will Mastin and his father.”
3. In 2007, it was reported that producers Craig Zadan and Neil Meron (producers of Chicago and Hairspray) and New Line Cinema were finalising negotiations with Altovise Davis and her then business partners Barrett LaRoda and Anthony Francis for a film based on Yes I Can. Hairspray star Elijah Kelley, a massive fan of Sammy, was set to star, but this project ended in tears. In 2008, Altovise sued LaRoda and Francis for allegedly defrauding her, while LaRoda sued Altovise alleging trademark infringement, and later also sued Burt Boyar alleging defamation. Needless to say, the movie was never made.
Elijah Kelley
4. In 2007, a film titled Sammy and Kim was set to be produced by music video director Earle Sebastian and Damon Dash. It was going to star André 3000 (also known as André Benjamin), who had actually won the Sammy Davis Jr. Award for ‘Entertainer of the Year’ at the 2004 Soul Train Music Awards, as one half of the rap duo OutKast. The movie was reportedly based on Sammy’s relationship with Kim Novak and the sensational intervention of Columbia Pictures’ Harry Cohn. The script was to be written by Sam Kashner (author of a Vanity Fair article on the topic) and his wife Nancy Schoenberger. Benjamin ended up playing Jimi Hendrix instead in Jimi: All Is By My Side in 2013.
5. In 2007, there was also a rumoured documentary film based also based on Yes I Can, but additionally using Burt Boyar’s filmed 1980s interviews with Sammy. Perhaps this was a project associated with Boyar’s book Photo By Sammy Davis, Jr., which was released that year.
6. In 2011, producer Rick Appling announced a biopic based on Tracey Davis’s 1996 memoir Sammy Davis Jr., My Father. The script was reportedly completed by Lakenya Campbell, and featured an original song written by actress Sharon Stone and Kofi. The project encountered difficulties, which led Appling to sue Byron Allen’s Entertainment Studios (see below) in 2012.
7. In 2011, TV producer and comedian Byron Allen announced that his Entertainment Studios had secured rights to the story of Sammy’s life from Tracey Davis (but not rights to her book), and was looking to create a stage show, and potentially a biopic about Sammy’s life. This project was torpedoed in 2012 when Rick Appling (see above) sued for $35 million, claiming Allen’s announcement ruined a potential deal Appling was trying to make with Leonardo DiCaprio’s Appian Way Productions. The claims were dismissed.
Andre 3000
8. In 2013, Lee Daniels, director of The Butler, attempted to make an HBO biopic of Sammy’s life and career, with Tommy Davidson (In Living Color) rumoured to be a possible choice playing Davis. In 2015 the film – a musical – was described as being ‘still in the pipeline’.
9. Byron Allen tried again in 2015, this time securing rights to Matt Birkbeck’s biography Deconstructing Sammy. He announced: “I personally knew and worked with Sammy Davis, Jr. Sammy hired me to open for him at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas when I was a 19-year-old stand-up comedian, and that’s where my fascination with his incredible story began.” This film was slated to begin production in the second half of 2016.
10. There is a delightful project active on Facebook called Sammy: A New Documentary on Sammy Davis Jr. It is a film by Richard Patterson and three-time Emmy winner Stan Taffel, using rare archive footage of Sammy from across his career. No news recently on whether a release date is imminent.
After all these years, how exciting to think that we might be on the verge of a Sammy project that comes to fruition, thanks to the newly active Sammy Davis, Jr. Estate. (Although forgive me for being slightly apprehensive of a producer whose credits include Transformers and G.I. Joe!)
Tags: Altovise Davis, Biopic, Lionel Richie, Manny Davis, Tracey Davis, Yes I Can
PreviousYouTube Tues: Eddie Cantor and Sammy
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You are here: Home / blog / Biography & Memoir / Conversations with Coach Wooden : On Baseball, Heroes, and Life
Conversations with Coach Wooden : On Baseball, Heroes, and Life
August 8, 2015 /in Biography & Memoir, Sports /by Santa Monica Press
Title: Conversations with Coach Wooden : On Baseball, Heroes, and Life
Author: Gary Adams
Category: Sports, Biography, Memoir
Binding: Cloth
From legendary basketball coach John Wooden's life lessons and Pyramid of Success philosophy to musings on his favorite sport—baseball—this engaging account chronicles the friendship between Wooden and fellow University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) head coach Gary Adams.For nearly a decade, the two celebrated coaches shared an office and developed a close friendship that lasted thirty-five years, until Wooden's passing. Adams's heartwarming narrative details discussions they shared about heroes, history, life, and their mutual favorite pastime: baseball.
The book also reflects on Wooden's core philosophies and the guiding principles behind his numerous basketball successes, including his election into two halls of fame as a player and a coach, winning ten National College Athletic Association (NCAA) championships in a twelve-year period, and being named NCAA College Basketball Coach of the Year six times.
Recollections from Major League Baseball stars who learned the game under Coach Adams— including Eric Karros, David Roberts, and Chase Utley— are also featured, along with quotes from other athletes, coaches, and associates of UCLA.
Gary Adams
was the head coach of the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) baseball team for thirty years. He is the school’s all-time winningest baseball coach and was inducted into the UCLA Athletic Hall of Fame and the American Baseball Coaches Association Hall of Fame. At the time of his retirement, Adams was second in collegiate baseball history for sending the most players to the major leagues. He lives in Bear Valley Springs, California.
“Coach Adams, we know how much our dad valued your long friendship.Conversations with Coach Wooden brought us laughter and tears as we read it. Thank you, Gary, for sharing your memories of our dad, John Wooden.”
—Nan and Jim Wooden
“Coach Adams had a tremendous impact on my baseball career, but more importantly, he guided me down a path to becoming a better person. He set a daily example that all of us wanted to follow. To this day, I remember when he showed us John Wooden’s Pyramid of Success and suggested that we use it to navigate through life. As a new father, I couldn’t agree more with his advice. Thank you, Skip, you are a true role model.”
—Chase Utley, Major League All-Star for the Philadelphia Phillies and UCLA All-American second baseman
“Long before I became a Bruin, I learned all about the legend of John Wooden—eighty-eight consecutive victories and ten national championships speak for themselves. His Pyramid of Success became the blueprint for how I lived as an eighteen-year-old boy and, today, as a thirty-six-year-old husband and father of three. Thank you, Coach Adams and Coach Wooden, for the lifelong lessons I now will pass along to my children.”
—Eric Byrnes, UCLA All-American outfielder and twelve-year major-leaguer
“I had the blessing of not only playing for Coach Gary Adams, but also coaching against him at the college level later in life. I knew he was a man I wanted to follow when I was one of his players. Now, having been a college head coach for thirty years, I can honestly say he is one of the finest human beings I have ever known—a great teacher of the good, but more importantly, a great leader of young men!”
—Andy Lopez, University of Arizona Head Baseball Coach, three-time NCAA Coach of the Year, and two-time national championship winner
“Coach Adams changed my life by taking my average bat and slick fielding glove away from me during my senior year at UCLA and telling me I was only going to be a pitcher. He was honest with me—and from what I know about Coach Wooden, it was something he would have done, too.”
—Casey Janssen, Toronto Blue Jays closer and UCLA All-American pitcher
“Though he long stood at the top of college basketball’s pyramid and is revered for teachings that went far beyond the sport, Coach John Wooden had a little secret—a grand affinity for baseball. As a student of the game, he enjoyed discussing strategy and tactics with other knowledgeable enthusiasts, most notably an individual who’s been around the bases a few times himself. That conversational partner, former UCLA baseball coach Gary Adams, has captured the essence of both Wooden the man, and Wooden the fan, in this book. Two coaches, working their magic in distinctly different circumstances, bonded by America’s pastime. My thanks to Gary for bringing to life musings so powerful that I can almost smell the pine tar.”
—Dan Guerrero, UCLA Athletic Director and former Bruin Baseball Hall of Fame player
“When I first heard Coach Adams say, ‘Be quick, don’t hurry,’ I knew exactly where it came from. Coach not only enriched my UCLA experience, he also made me a better man. That is how Coach Wooden and Coach Adams were so uniquely similar; they felt it was their responsibility to make eighteen-year-old freshmen into upstanding young men who could function in life beyond the playing field.”
—Torey Lovullo, Boston Red Sox bench coach, UCLA All-American second baseman, and eight-year major-leaguer
“Gary Adams is the best coach I have ever had. He not only made me a better ball player, but also a better man! The confidence he had in me was the single reason I believed I could one day be a big leaguer. I am grateful to have played for him for four years, and I am proud to call him a friend.”
—David Roberts, first base coach for the San Diego Padres, UCLA outfielder, and ten-year major-leaguer
http://santamonicapress.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/10/coachwooden.jpg 359 240 Santa Monica Press http://santamonicapress.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/11/SMP-Logo-Color-Side-1.png Santa Monica Press2015-08-08 00:00:002019-05-10 01:27:48Conversations with Coach Wooden : On Baseball, Heroes, and Life
Creepy Crawls : A Horror Fiend’s Travel Guide The Complete History of American Film Criticism
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You are here: Home / blog / California / L.A. Noir : The City as Character
L.A. Noir : The City as Character
November 29, 2014 /in California, Film & TV /by Santa Monica Press
Title: L.A. Noir : The City as Character
Author: Alain Silver and James Ursini
Release Date: October 2005
Artwork: Black & White Illustrations Throughout
Category: California, Film, TV
Los Angeles as Seen in Noir's Greatest Films!
Los Angeles has always been as much a star in film noir as any actor, be it Humphrey Bogart, Barbara Stanwyck, Burt Lancaster, Ava Gardner or Jack Nicholson. In L.A. Noir: The City as Character renowned film historians Alain Silver and James Ursini explore the world of noir cinema in the context of Los Angeles. The book features dozens of noir and neo-noir landmark films from Double Indemnity, Criss Cross, Sunset Boulevard, Gun Crazy, The Big Heat, Kiss Me Deadly, Touch of Evil in the classic period (1940-1960) to such neo-noir notables as Chinatown, L.A. Confidential, Mulholland Drive, andPulp Fiction.L.A. Noir illustrates how these noir films use L.A.'s diverse cityscape and architecture to convey a unique vision of urban corruption and existential fatalism, not only in the ever-changing, chaotic downtown of Bunker Hill, Main Street, and Chinatown, but in its affluent coastal communities (Santa Monica, Malibu) as well as its deceptively sunny suburbs (South Bay, San Fernando Valley). The authors deftly analyze the key films of noir while integrating them into the geography and history of this "dark city" which became such an important icon of noir literature and film.
L.A. Noir is profusely illustrated with approximately 150 photographs-many of them appearing in print for the very first time-including production stills from the movies discussed, archival photos of the locations from the films and new photographs of the locations today, chronicling the ever-changing cityscape of this noir character-Los Angeles.
Alain Silver
The co-author of L.A. Noir is also the author of The Samurai Film and has co-written fifteen other books, including Raymond Chandler’s Los Angeles, and two screenplays. He has written numerous articles for the Los Angeles Times, DGA Magazine, Film Comment, and Photon. He has also produced nine independent features and over fifty soundtrack albums. Silver is a member of the Directors Guild of America and Writers Guild of America.
James Ursini
The co-author of L.A. Noir has contributed to various publications including Cinema, Femme Fatales, Mediascene, and Photon. Together, they are the co-authors of eleven books, among them the Film Noir Reader series,Film Noir: An Encyclopedia Reference to the American Style, and The Noir Style. They both live in Santa Monica.
“No one is better qualified to explore the L.A. noir connection than Silver and Ursini, who cover this turf with style and savvy. I have a feeling their work will inspire a great many film buffs to take movie-noir tours of the City of Angels.”
—Leonard Maltin, Entertainment Tonight
“The town where Ross Macdonald’s tough customers-and Raymond Chandler’s, too-wrestled with fate is evoked in L.A. Noir, a photo-rich analysis of the way that crime movies have used Los Angeles.”
“Moving throughout the city, from downtown to the Westside, the Pacific Coast, and on to the suburbs, the authors show how specific streets and buildings helped set the mood and convey the dark messages in such classic noirs as Criss Cross and Kiss Me Deadly as well as in neo-noirs, including Chinatown and Blade Runner. The black-and-white illustrations of cityscapes prove every bit as evocative as the actual film stills, eloquently making the point that place is every bit as capable of driving meaning as action.”
http://santamonicapress.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/10/lanoir.jpg 185 240 Santa Monica Press http://santamonicapress.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/11/SMP-Logo-Color-Side-1.png Santa Monica Press2014-11-29 00:00:002019-05-09 03:41:51L.A. Noir : The City as Character
The Largest U.S. Cities Named After a Food : …and Other Mind-Boggling... L.A.’s Legendary Restaurants: Celebrating the Famous Places Where Hollywood...
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You are here: Home / blog / How-To & Reference / Past Imperfect : How Tracing Your Family Medical History Can Save Your...
Past Imperfect : How Tracing Your Family Medical History Can Save Your Life
July 20, 2014 /in How-To & Reference /by Santa Monica Press
Title: Past Imperfect : How Tracing Your Family Medical History Can Save Your Life
Author: Carol Daus foreword by Jeanne Homer, M.S., Genetic Counselor
Release Date: February 1999
Category: How-To & Reference
Has anyone in your family ever suffered from depression? Alzheimer's? Breast cancer? Are you at risk? In Past Imperfect, author Carol Daus takes you step-by-step through the fascinating process of tracing your family medical history. In simple, easy-to-understand terms, Daus explains everything from how to interview your living relatives to how to find old medical records.
You'll also see how easy it is to take advantage of recent scientific discoveries to prevent deadly diseases from striking you and your loved ones. And you'll be introduced to real people whose lives have been saved because of what they learned about their own family medical histories.
Past Imperfect features the names, addresses, and phone numbers of archives, genetic volunteer organizations, libraries, and genealogical societies from throughout the nation. It's a "must read" for anyone who cares about their health or the health of their family. Knowledge is power, and knowing your family medical history can save your life.
Chapter 1: Real People Facing Family Health Decisions
Chapter 2: Your Family – Your Best Resource
Chapter 3: Government Sources and Statistics
Chapter 4: Religious and Funeral Records
Chapter 5: Medical Records
Chapter 6: Libraries and Archives
Chapter 7: Creating a Family Health Tree
Chapter 8: Seeking Professional Help
Chapter 9: A Look into the Future
Glossary of Genetic Diseases
Appendix A: National Archives and Branches
Appendix B: Vital Records
Appendix C: Libraries with Excellent Genealogical Collections
Appendix D: Genealogical and Historical Societies
Appendix E: National Genetic Voluntary Organizations
Excerpts–Foreword & Introduction
If unearthing your family medical history only made you aware of your ultimate fate, it would have limited value. The reality is that discovering your medical history can make a difference in your future. Many disorders have a genetic component, over which you have no control, as well as an “environmental” element, in which you do have a say. In other words, lifestyle can shift the scales and determine whether or not a genetic propensity toward a disease will become a reality. And in illnesses where heredity plays a larger role, awareness and early detection can have an enormous impact on the outcome.
At the very least, if you research your family medical history, you will become aware of some potential problems and can prepare yourself to deal with them. As a prenatal genetic counselor, I see many couples with a family history of multiple miscarriages. If you have a similar history, you may have a 1 in 20 chance of having a child with birth defects and mental retardation. A blood test can tell you if you are at an increased risk, and if you are, then you may want to have genetic testing during your pregnancy or choose other options for having children.
Past Imperfect is a step-by-step guide to the ins and outs of tracing your family medical history. Carol Daus’s expert advice ranges from hints on how to broach this potentially sensitive subject with your relatives to what information can be gleaned from cemeteries! Past Imperfect has the unusual distinction of being not only an excellent reference manual on both genetics and genealogy, but it is also a book that is interesting and enjoyable to sit down and read from start to finish. Her examples of real-life families poignantly illustrate the value of undertaking this pursuit. She then does much of the legwork for you, by providing myriad phone numbers, addresses, and even websites in the appendices. There is also a superb compendium of common genetic disorders, including a wealth of information on inheritance, treatment, and prevention.
Following are examples of how Past Imperfect can play a significant role in not only your health, but the health of your entire family:
• If realizing that adult-onset diabetes runs in your family gives you the incentive to improve your diet and adopt an exercise program, then these actions may delay the onset of the disease or prevent it altogether!
• Twenty-five to fifty percent of patients with bipolar disorder (manic depression) attempt suicide once, and 19% of manic-depressive patients die due to suicide. The peak age of onset of this illness is in the 15-19 age range. So, if you discover that your relatives suffer from this disorder, keep a close eye on your teenagers and don’t delay in getting treatment at the first signs.
• Response to medications can also be an inherited tendency. For instance, if depression runs in your family and it took five attempts to get the correct prescription that finally helped your mother, find out which medications had unpleasant side effects and which one did the trick.
• Alternatively, you may be reassured that you have escaped the malady present in your ancestors based on the inheritance pattern of the disease. A patient of mine whose uncle had suffered from hemophilia was relieved to know that his own children were no more at risk than mine to be born with this potentially serious ailment.
Every week we are discovering the locations of a growing number of genes, new tests are being developed, and we are solving the mysteries of inherited diseases. Genetic information can be very complex, and the issues surrounding inherited disorders can often be clouded by questions of guilt, blame and simply incorrect information. Nearly every day, I listen to how my patients have dealt with the imperfect past of their families: One mother informed me that her daughter’s thalassemia was from “the other side of the family.” (Thalassemia, in fact, is always inherited from both the mother and the father.) Again and again I hear that a niece or nephew was born with a cleft lip or a heart defect because “his father used drugs in the ’70s” (not a possible cause of these conditions).
Another of my patients told me recently that he was not concerned about a strong family history of manic depression because, “it only affects the women in my family.” (Actually, that was by chance, since manic depression affects males and females equally.) And then there was the expectant father who was mildly affected with type 1 neurofibromatosis who was not aware that, even within the same family, this disease, for unknown reasons, can strike some members very severely, even causing cancer, while others escape with only freckles in the armpit region. Each of his children faces 50-50 odds of inheriting the faulty gene from him.
For these reasons, if you have any questions or concerns, as Past Imperfect states so clearly, it’s important to meet with your doctor or a genetics professional. He or she will analyze your family tree and then provide an individualized risk assessment for you and your children. Genetic testing may be offered, or referrals or recommendations will be tailored to your specific needs.
And now, Carol Daus will be your guide as you embark on an adventure that will, at the least, be fun and enlightening, and may even save your life!
Jeanne Homer, M.S.
Ever since Alex Haley’s book Roots was published in the 1970s, genealogy—the process of tracing your family roots—has become an intriguing hobby for many Americans. Millions of people have spent large amounts of time and money tracing their family histories to learn more about specific ancestors. This isn’t surprising, given the fascination for investigating one’s bloodlines. We’ve all thought about the possibility of finding a famous individual in our family tree. Maybe a famous politician or scientist or even a king!
But besides helping you learn whether your distant ancestor was George Washington or King Louis IX, genealogy also plays a critical role in helping you uncover your family medical history. Nearly every detail of your physical makeup and the way your body chemistry operates is determined by your genes—which have been passed down to you from the dawn of human history.
The words genealogy and genetics spring from the same linguistic root, seen in the Latin words genus (meaning “birth” or “descent”) and gens (meaning “clan” or “race”). The genealogist and geneticist both set out to accomplish a similar task: finding patterns in our family relationships. Both also help us understand how we’ve developed into the person we are today, as well as who we will be tomorrow.
It’s in the Genes
Whether we want to be or not, we’re all byproducts of our biological parents—not to mention our grandparents, great-grandparents, and even more distant relatives. That’s why we all frequently find ourselves thinking, “It must be in the genes.” Whether it’s your newborn’s blue eyes that resemble her dad’s, your mother’s outgoing personality that reminds you of your grandfather’s, or the high metabolism you inherited from your mother that allows you to eat twice as much as your friend, there’s no question that we can draw many similarities between ourselves and our relatives. And if you talk to enough relatives, you’ll usually discover a number of other physical characteristics and personality traits that clearly could be labeled genetic.
But aside from these most obvious hereditary traits, a closer look at your family history can reveal critical information about your present and future health. It has been proven that many of the illnesses and conditions that beset us can be predicted, diagnosed, and even prevented by studying our own family trees. As a result, increasing numbers of physicians and other health professionals recommend the need for developing thorough family health histories by tracing lineage back three or four generations.
You can’t pick your genes, but knowing your family medical history can often alert you early enough to prevent a disease or minimize its effect. More than three thousand of the ten thousand known diseases and conditions have a strong hereditary component. For many years it has been known that heart disease, diabetes, hypertension, sickle cell anemia, and Huntington’s chorea all have a genetic link. Recent research has also confirmed that genetics has an impact on Alzheimer’sdisease, multiple sclerosis, peptic ulcers, schizophrenia, depression, breast and colon cancer, retinoblastoma, and Duchenne muscular dystrophy. One startling research study even showed that children whose fathers are alcoholics are almost four times as likely to become alcoholics.
Some may think that when it comes to studying genetically caused diseases, ignorance is bliss. But it’s important to remember that what you might learn in the process could actually result in better health for you and your family. It may also be of help to future generations. By understanding the genetic connection to diseases, couples contemplating having a baby can learn about the risk of having a child with a medical problem. Genetic testing both prior to and after conception gives expectant parents vital information regarding the health of their unborn baby.
Solving the Mysteries of Disease
There’s another important reason for studying family health histories. If enough family trees become available for study, scientists could identify the genetic factors involved in the transmission of diseases like cancer and schizophrenia. Such a breakthrough could finally solve the mysteries of many illnesses and lead to effective new ways of preventing and treating them. In fact, mutations or changes in genes that bring about or increase the risk of certain diseases have already been identified, and in some cases genetic tests are now available that will tell you if you have that specific mutation.
The ultimate hope is that by understanding genes, specific treatments could be used to correct genetic illnesses in people who have inherited a flawed gene. By the end of 1996, nearly two hundred experiments testing various types of human gene therapy were under way in the United States. By the year 2005, scientists are expected to have mapped the entire sequence of the genetic code. This $10 billion Human Genome Project, which started in 1990 and was coordinated by the National Institute of Health (NIH), uses computerized and automated gene-mapping techniques to decipher the complex patterns of human genes. It will be many years before they know the functions of those eighty thousand genes, but ways to take advantage of this information are already being developed. It has been said that within a few decades people who feel ill will go to physician-geneticists who will run DNA scans to check the relevant genes, make diagnoses, and prescribe drugs for specific genetic needs.
Your Family Health Tree
By developing your own family health tree, you can often determine what your own risk is of developing a disease based on whether your ancestors had that same disease. The best way to record information about your family health history is to create a genogram—a graphical depiction of your relationship with your ancestors—which goes back at least three generations. A genogram (an example is shown in Figure 2, on p. XX) can reveal patterns of particular illnesses or conditions—for instance, diabetes or high blood pressure—occurring in your immediate family. It can also provide otherwise unobtainable clues for the diagnosis of illnesses. This information may enable you to prevent these illnesses years before they strike.
It’s unfortunate that many of the worst diseases we suffer from are transmitted genetically. But the good news is that an accurate, detailed family tree is one of the best insurance policies you can have against illness—for yourself and your children. By knowing which illnesses you especially need to watch out for, you can take positive steps to prevent them or minimize their effect.
You will be amazed by how easy it is to construct a family health tree. The key to developing a detailed genogram that you can share with your physician is knowing where to look for information about your ancestors’ health. Here’s where genealogy comes into play. A wide array of information—ranging from easily obtainable government records to harder-to-find private documents—is available to anyone interested in researching their family medical history. This book will show you precisely how to access and interpret this vital information.
Climbing Your Family Tree
As you create your genogram, you may start to notice patterns for specific diseases. If one of your family members has high blood pressure, it could be an isolated case. If several have had high blood pressure, you and your physician may want to analyze this more closely. If they all developed the disease at about the same age—or at a younger-than-expected age—this deserves special attention.
While recording data, it is important to consider the severity of the disease, the age of onset, and the lifestyle of the relative. For example, if your father was a vegetarian and marathon runner who was diagnosed with colon cancer at age 45 despite a healthy lifestyle, there’s a good chance that genetics played a hand. If, however, he was a junk food fanatic whose only exercise consisted of getting up from the La-Z-Boy to go to the refrigerator, and he was diagnosed in his 70s, then genetics may not have been involved. Genetic counselors can help you understand the risks associated with specific illnesses and conditions.
Some medical conditions among relatives may seem random or unrelated. However, closer inspection may reveal a pattern that raises a family from average-risk to increased-risk categories. Consider cancer-syndrome families. A grandmother may have died at a young age in childbirth, but it is the three great-aunts who died of breast or ovarian cancer whose medical records would be essential for female family members who are assessing their own risks and treatment options. Information on male relatives is equally useful, even in “one sex” diseases. For example, genes that have been found for breast and ovarian cancers are not on the female sex chromosome; rather, they are on chromosomes that come from both parents. In other words, a woman can inherit a gene that increases her risk for ovarian or breast cancer from her father.
How to Use This Book
When it comes to starting a family medical search, there is no better time than the present, especially since important older relatives are still alive and can remember details about their ancestors’ lives and deaths. As you uncover information about your medical legacy, you’ll also discover many interesting details about your family history, particularly if you’ve never conducted any genealogical research. Everybody has some fascinating ancestors in their past, hiding in the shadows of time—people whose genes are in your body now, shaping you physically, mentally, emotionally, and socially. Researching your family medical history will also help you learn more about your ancestry.
The information in this book is organized to take you step-by-step through the process of tracing your family medical history. First, we will begin with how to go about interviewing and researching your living family members. Then we’ll look at how to access public and private records to learn all about your ancestors. Chapter 3 covers government sources and statistics. Chapter 4 provides information on religious and funeral records. Chapter 5 offers an overview of how to locate medical records, such as hospital and doctor’s reports and insurance records, which often provide the most descriptive information about illnesses and medical conditions. Chapter 6 gives a detailed listing of libraries and archives that provide myriad resources for both amateur and advanced genealogists.
In chapter 7, you’ll learn how to take all of your research and create a family health tree. Finally, chapter 8 discusses what a doctor or genetic counselor can do for you now that you have assembled your family medical history. The book closes with a look into the future of genetics.
You will find the glossaries and appendices to be an invaluable resource. The Glossary of Terms will help you understand the various terms used throughout the book. The Glossary of Genetic Diseases presents an overview of the most common genetic diseases and what you can do to help prevent the onset of a disease to which you might be susceptible. The appendices provide phone numbers and addresses of hundreds of private and public organizations to aid you as you conduct your research.
So how do you get started? What is considered a genetic illness? How do you create a genogram? What should be included? Where do you get the information? How can this information protect your family’s health, now and in the future? Read on, and you will become an expert in tracing your family medical history! But before we begin, let’s visit with some real people who took constructive steps after learning that they or their immediate family members had a genetic disorder.
© 1999 Santa Monica Press LLC
Carol Daus
The author of Past Imperfect is a veteran freelance writer who specializes in health care and lifestyle issues. For the past 20 years, she has had articles published in a variety of consumer and trade magazines, includingHealth, Parenting, and Coping. She makes his home in Orange County, California.
“An outline to follow. Fear of cancer led Carol Daus to track her family’s medical past, but she discovered heart disease was her real risk. Use and expand on Daus’ outline to track your own family. The process is described in Daus’ new book, Past Imperfect: How Tracing Your Family Medical History Can Save Your Life.”
“A vauable new guide . . . a wealth of practical information . . . offers dozens of practical resources.”
“A basic look at a complex subject that should concern everyone, not just geneologists.”
“Family medical history may play a major role in determining genetic predisposition to a particular illness. A freelance writer specializing in health issues, Daus beacme interested in this topic when she noticed patterns of heart disease and cancer within her own family. Here she offers a step-by-step genealogical guide to tracing the family health tree. Included are numerous resources for fact finding and professional assistance. She also provides a glossary of terms and explanations of common genetic diseases. Suitable for all public libraries.”
“[T]he patterns and predispositions you will discover can help you make rational decisions about important life matters, like whether or not to have children, and can inspire lifestyle changes that could save your life.”
“Past Imperfect helps you short-circuit some of the deadly tricks your genes can play on you. Why wait until it’s too late?”
—Mark Cromer, author of Health Care Handbook
“A step-by-step genealogical guide to tracing the family health tree . . . . Suitable for all public libraries”
http://santamonicapress.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/10/past.jpg 385 240 Santa Monica Press http://santamonicapress.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/11/SMP-Logo-Color-Side-1.png Santa Monica Press2014-07-20 00:00:002019-05-09 03:41:53Past Imperfect : How Tracing Your Family Medical History Can Save Your Life
A Perfect Haze : The Illustrated History of the Monterey International Pop ... Passings : Death, Dying, and Unexplained Phenomena
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New Tetrathlon format for Youth Olympic Games passes second test in Cairo (EGY)
A new competition format proposed for introduction at the 2022 Youth Olympic Games has moved closer to fruition after a second successful test event.
New Tetrathlon, which adds Fencing to the established development sport of Triathle (Shooting/Swimming/Running), was tested by pentathletes in Cairo, Egypt on April 9 after being presented for the first time in Buenos Aires, Argentina, in March.
The aim of the new format is to make the competition more dynamic and exciting for athletes and spectators, with a more compact field of play, a smoother flow and closer alignment with the development path of the UIPM Sports Pyramid.
UIPM’s goal is to use the new format for the 4th Youth Olympic Games in Dakar, Senegal in 2022 – the first Olympic Games to be held in Africa.
The proposed changes – which would replace the traditional Tetrathlon format of Swimming, Fencing and Laser Run – are also in line with strategic guidance from the International Olympic Committee to “continue to use the YOG as an incubator for innovation”.
On April 9, 24 male and 24 female athletes aged 14 to 17 sampled New Tetrathlon for the first time at the Al Rehab Club in the capital of Egypt.
A detailed report was sent to the UIPM Executive Board and members of the Athletes, Coaches, Medical and Technical Committees.
The results of each event will be analysed in detail by a working group set up after the joint UIPM committees meeting in Frankfurt (GER) in January 2019. A final report will then be submitted to the Executive Board, which will lead the decision-making process about the new format in September 2019.
UIPM Executive Board Member for Sport, the 1976 Olympic champion Janusz Peciak, said after attending the second test event: “This new format gives spectators and media more drama and action, as the leaders are changing all the time and gaps between athletes are smaller. It is really attractive for youth athletes.”
UIPM President Dr Klaus Schormann added: “Modern Pentathlon has been a central part of the success of the first three Youth Olympic Summer Games in Singapore (2010), Nanjing (2014) and Buenos Aires (2018) and the traditional Tetrathlon format has served us well during these Games.
“However, the Olympic sporting movement never stands still and this is also true of our Pentathlon movement. We always embrace the opportunity to innovate and evolve, and I look forward to seeing the outcome of the testing process of the New Tetrathlon format after two successful exercises in Buenos Aires and Cairo.”
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Rocket Mortgage and Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex Partner to Honor Apollo 11 Crew
Press Release From: Kennedy Space Center Visitor's Center
In commemoration of the 50th anniversary of the Apollo 11 mission, Rocket Mortgage by Quicken Loans, the nation’s largest mortgage lender, and Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex today announced a new partnership to create a one-of-a-kind bronze statue honoring the legendary crewmembers of the spaceflight that landed the first two people on the Moon. The statue will depict Apollo 11 astronauts Neil Armstrong, Buzz Aldrin and Michael Collins, and will be the focal point of the new Moon Tree Garden, which will be located outside of the Apollo/Saturn V Center.
The seven-foot-tall bronze statue, set upon a four-foot-tall concrete base, is a gift to Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex from Rocket Mortgage. The impressive display is being created by renowned sculptor George Lundeen of Lundeen Sculpture in Loveland, Colo. Its base will feature an engraving which honors the Apollo 11 crew and all those who made their historic spaceflight possible. The statue is expected to be installed at the visitor complex this summer and officially introduced during the Apollo 11 anniversary celebration in July.
“Rocket Mortgage is proud to be a part of this significant milestone honoring these brave pioneers that journeyed to the great unknown and forever reshaped world history,” said Jay Farner, CEO of Quicken Loans. “Like many new technologies launched in our country over the past half-century, the development of Rocket Mortgage took inspiration from the Apollo 11 mission and the entire Apollo program. NASA’s accomplishment of putting a man on the moon showed our country and the world that once seemingly ‘impossible’ barriers can be broken and to not settle for anything less than complete success.”
The detailed statue will be the centerpiece of the new Moon Tree Garden at the Apollo/Saturn V Center. The garden includes 12 Moon Trees that were provided by Rosemary Roosa, daughter of veteran Apollo 14 astronaut Stuart Roosa, and president and chief executive officer of the nonprofit Moon Tree Foundation. The foundation was created in honor of Roosa’s father, who took various tree seeds on his space mission. The seeds, which have all orbited the Moon, were later germinated and planted around the world to share the story of the mission. Since then, the Moon Tree Foundation continues to fulfill its mission by planting second-generation “Moon Trees” all over the world. The 12 trees in the Moon Tree Garden will represent each crewed Apollo mission to the Moon.
“We are grateful to Rocket Mortgage for bringing this commemorative statue to Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex as we prepare to mark one of the most important anniversaries in the history of the United States space program,” said Therrin Protze, chief operating officer of Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex. “The dynamic statue is indeed the perfect tribute to these early pioneers who forever changed the history of space and interplanetary travel.”
Other changes at the Apollo/Saturn V Center will include dramatic projection mapping set against the side of the majestic Saturn V Moon rocket, the focal point of the experience. The addition of a 1969 period living room and bar will replicate what it was like to watch the Moon landing at home. There will also be updates to the Lunar Module 9 and Touch the Moon exhibits, a new Fisher Space Pen legacy display, and the ability to get a closer look at the Command Service Module-119.
There are a number of events that will take place throughout the summer to mark the Apollo 50th anniversary: the July 15 opening of the reimagined Apollo/Saturn V Center, a July 16 “flashback” celebration at which visitors will be able to view original footage of the lift-off, a July 20 extravaganza to mark the 50th anniversary of the lunar landing and a final welcome home event on July 24 to commemorate the day the Apollo 11 astronauts returned to Earth.
About Quicken Loans/ Rocket Mortgage
Detroit-based Quicken Loans is the nation’s largest home mortgage lender. The company closed nearly half a trillion dollars of mortgage volume across all 50 states from 2013 through 2018. In late 2015 Quicken Loans introduced Rocket Mortgage, the first fully digital mortgage experience. Today, 98% of all home loans originated by Quicken Loans utilize Rocket Mortgage Technology.
Quicken Loans moved its headquarters to downtown Detroit in 2010. Today, Quicken Loans and its Family of Companies employ more than 17,000 full-time team members in Detroit’s urban core. The company generates loan production from web centers located in Detroit, Cleveland and Phoenix. Quicken Loans also operates a centralized loan processing facility in Detroit, as well as its San Diego-based One Reverse Mortgage unit. Quicken Loans ranked highest in the country for customer satisfaction for primary mortgage origination by J.D. Power for the past nine consecutive years, 2010 – 2018, and also ranked highest in the country for customer satisfaction among all mortgage servicers the past five consecutive years, 2014 – 2018.
Quicken Loans was once again named to FORTUNE magazine’s “100 Best Companies to Work For” list in 2019 and has been included in the magazine’s top 1/3rd of companies named to the list for the past 16 consecutive years. In addition, Essence Magazine named Quicken Loans “#1 Place to Work in the Country for African Americans.”
For more information and company news visit QuickenLoans.com/press-room.
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US Supreme Court Center > Volume 306 > UNITED STATES V. DURKEE FAMOUS FOODS, INC., 306 U. S. 68 (1939) > Full Text
UNITED STATES V. DURKEE FAMOUS FOODS, INC., 306 U. S. 68 (1939)
United States v. Durkee Famous Foods, Inc., 306 U.S. 68 (1939)
United States v. Durkee Famous Foods, Inc.
Argued January 10, 11, 1939
Decided January 30, 1939*
APPEAL FROM THE DISTRICT COURT OF THE UNITED STATES
FOR THE DISTRICT OF NEW JERSEY
The Act of May 10, 1934, provides that, when an indictment is found insufficient after the period of the statute of limitations has expired, a new indictment may be returned during the next succeeding term following such finding during which a grand jury shall be in session. Held that this does not authorize reindictment at the same term during which the first indictment was found defective. P. 306 U. S. 69.
Affirmed.
Appeal, under the Criminal Appeals Act, from a judgment sustaining a plea in bar to an indictment.
Page 306 U. S. 69
MR. JUSTICE McREYNOLDS delivered the opinion of the Court.
The identical questions involved in these three cases require consideration of the Act December 27, 1927 (ch. 6, 45 Stat. 51, U.S.C. Title 18 § 582), which prescribes a three-year limitation for offenses not capital; also the Act May 10, 1934 (Ch. 278, 48 Stat. 772, U.S.C. Title 18, § 587), which specifies the time during which a new indictment may be returned after the first is found to be defective or insufficient for any cause. [Footnote 1]
Reference to the facts disclosed by the Record in No. 309 will suffice.
During the April term, 1934, the Grand Jury for the District of New Jersey returned an indictment charging appellee with violation of the Elkins Act (February 19, 1903, Ch. 708, 32 Stat. 847, U.S.C. Title 49, § 41) on August 17, 1932. A motion to quash this was sustained February 2, 1937, during the January, 1937 term. Later in the same term -- April 9, 1937 -- the Grand Jury returned a second indictment against appellee based on the same facts and containing the same charges as those specified in the 1934 indictment.
To the second indictment appellee interposed what it designated a plea in bar. This alleged (1) that, as the offense charged was committed more than three years preceding the return of the pending indictment, prosecution was barred by the statute of limitations; (2) that the new indictment was not returned in conformity with the Act May 10, 1934 ( note 1 supra), since it was reported at the term during which the first indictment was found defective, not at the succeeding one. This plea was sustained, and the cause is here by direct appeal.
Counsel for appellants submit:
The Act May 10, 1934, prevented the bar of the statute of limitations from becoming effective until the end of the term next succeeding that during which the first indictment was quashed. The ruling of the trial court (1) is contrary to the purpose of the Act and not required by its language; (2) is contrary to the policy and frustrates the general object of the statute of limitations "to encourage promptitude in the prosecution of remedies;"
(3) creates unnecessary inconsistency between the two sections of the Act, and results in an illogical and unreasonable break within the period of limitation.
The Act of 1934 was passed upon recommendation of the Senate Judiciary Committee, whose report stated that the purpose of the bill was set out in a letter from the Attorney General which it quoted. [Footnote 2]
Inspection of this letter shows quite plainly that the bill, as finally enacted, undertook to do exactly what the Attorney General asked. The language is apt to express that purpose, and we are without authority, by interpretation, to give the statute another meaning.
The challenged judgments must be
* Together with No. 310, United States v. Manhattan Lighterage Corp., and No. 311, Colgate-Palmolve-Peet Co. v. United States, also on appeal from the District Court of the United States for the District of New Jersey.
[Footnote 1]
"Chapter 278: An Act To limit the operation of statutes of limitations in certain cases."
"Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, That whenever an indictment is found defective or insufficient for any cause, after the period prescribed by the applicable statute of limitations has expired, a new indictment may be returned at any time during the next succeeding term of court following such finding during which a grand jury thereof shall be in session."
"Sec. 2. Whenever an indictment is found defective or insufficient for any cause before the period prescribed by the applicable statute of limitations has expired, and such period will expire before the end of the next regular term of the court to which such indictment was returned, a new indictment may be returned not later than the end of the next succeeding term of such court, regular or special, following the term at which such indictment was found defective or insufficient, during which a grand jury thereof shall be in session."
"Sec. 3. In the event of reindictment under the provisions of this Act the defense of the statute of limitations shall not prevail against the new indictment, any provision of law to the contrary notwithstanding."
"Sec. 4. The provisions of this Act shall not apply to any indictment against which the statute of limitations has run at the date of approval hereof."
"Approved, May 10, 1934."
"January 17, 1934"
"HON. HENRY F. ASHURST"
"Chairman Committee on the Judiciary"
"United States Senate, Washington, D.C."
"My Dear Senator:"
"In some criminal cases, the offense is not discovered until the statute of limitations has nearly run. In other cases, defendants are not apprehended for some time, or removal proceedings are instituted and appeals taken from habeas corpus orders refusing to release the defendant on removal order, and, in still other cases, dilatory motions are made with the hope that, if ultimately sustained, the statute of limitations will meanwhile have run against another prosecution. To safeguard the interests of the Government in such cases, legislation is recommended providing that, in any case in which an indictment is found defective or insufficient for any cause, after the period prescribed by the statute of limitations has run, or where said period of limitations has not run but will expire before the end of the next regular session of court, a new indictment may be returned at any time during the first succeeding term of court at which a grand jury is in session. The judicial conference favors legislation of this tenor."
"A draft of bill to effectuate this recommendation is enclosed herewith, and I shall appreciate it if you will introduce it and lend it your support."
"HOMER CUMMINGS"
"Attorney General"
Powered by Justia US Supreme Court Center: UNITED STATES V. DURKEE FAMOUS FOODS, INC., 306 U. S. 68 (1939)
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US Supreme Court Center > Volume 99 > SPRING COMPANY V. EDGAR, 99 U. S. 645 (1878) > Full Text
SPRING COMPANY V. EDGAR, 99 U. S. 645 (1878)
Spring Company v. Edgar, 99 U.S. 645 (1878)
Spring Company v. Edgar
99 U.S. 645
ERROR TO THE CIRCUIT COURT OF THE UNITED
STATES FOR THE NORTHERN DISTRICT OF NEW YORK
1. This was an action against the proprietor of a park to recover for injuries sustained by A. from an attack by a male deer which, with other deer, was permitted to roam in the park, and which the declaration charged that the defendant knew to be dangerous. At the trial, evidence was introduced to show that the park was open and accessible to visitors; that A. was in the habit of visiting it, and when lawfully there was attacked by the deer and severely injured; that she had often seen deer -- about nine in number, three of whom were bucks, the oldest four years old -- running about on the lawn, and persons playing with them, and that she had there seen the sign, "Beware of the buck;" that the park contained about eleven acres; that notices were put up in the park a year or two before, cautioning visitors not to tease or worry the deer; that she had no knowledge or belief, prior to the attack
Page 99 U. S. 646
upon her, that the deer were dangerous, if not disturbed. Experts testified that in their opinion the male deer, at the season when the injury was sustained by A., was a dangerous animal. The bill of exceptions does not show that all the evidence for A. is set forth in it, or that the defendant introduced any. Held that a motion to dismiss the action, nonsuit the plaintiff, and to direct the jury to return a verdict for the defendant was properly denied.
2. The court called attention to the testimony of the experts, and instructed the jury that it was for them to determine its weight. Held that the instruction was proper.
3. The jury were also instructed not to believe any extravagant statement of the injuries received by the plaintiff, and that when they had made up their minds as to the amount really sustained, they should not be nice in the award of compensation, but that it should be liberal. The defendant did not request the instruction to be qualified or explained, or a different one given. Held that the charge in that respect furnishes no ground for reversing the judgment.
This is an action by Ann P. Edgar to recover from the Congress and Empire Spring Company $20,000 for personal injuries inflicted on her by a buck deer, the property of that company, in the Congress Spring Park at Saratoga Springs, New York.
The declaration charges that on and for a long time prior to Oct. 20, 1870, the defendant had been and was the owner and proprietor of "Congress Spring," from which the defendant has realized, and does realize, great gains and profits; that said spring has for a long time been kept open and accessible to the public generally, and all people have been invited to patronize its waters, in various forms, by the defendant; that, to make it more inviting and attractive, the defendant opened in connection therewith an extensive park, ornamented with fountains, trees, shrubbery, and flowers, through which extensive graveled walks are made for the comfort of those who indulge in the use of the mineral waters and enjoy the landscape; that further to enhance the attractions of said park, the defendant obtained and in some degree domesticated several wild deer, among them a large and powerful buck, with large and dangerous horns, but of vicious character and habits, known as the "Ugly Buck;" that the defendant, its officers and agents, well knowing that the said buck was vicious, and dangerous to be
permitted to run at large in said park, did permit him to run at large in said park, and while the plaintiff had on that day visited said springs to partake of the waters, and was in the day time peaceably proceeding along one of the walks in said park, constructed by the defendant for the comfort of visitors, he did fiercely attack the plaintiff with his horns, head, and feet, and did bite, bruise, and greatly lacerate her in various parts of her person.
The company, in addition to the general issue, interposed a plea that the damage and injury complained of by the plaintiff was occasioned by her own fault and negligence, and by her refusal to obey the reasonable rules and regulations of the company, and by her voluntary disregard of the express notice given her to keep off the grass in the grounds, and not to interfere with or molest the buck.
At the trial, the plaintiff testified that on the morning in question, after drinking at the spring, she walked through the grounds, and met a deer which attacked her, goring and striking her with his head and horns and greatly injuring her. On her cross-examination, she testified, in substance, that before the occurrence she had frequently been in the habit of going to Congress Spring Park to enjoy the water and the pleasure of a walk; that she noticed the deer in the park as early as 1866, and had often seen them running about on the lawn; that she had seen persons fondling the deer and playing with them on different occasions; and that she had noticed signboards through the park containing the notice, "Beware of the buck."
A witness for the plaintiff, introduced as an expert, testified that he was a dentist, and resided in Albany; that he was to some extent acquainted with the habits and nature of the deer, and had hunted them; that in his opinion the buck deer are not generally considered as dangerous, but that in the fall they are more dangerous than at other seasons. Another expert testified that he was a taxidermist, and had made natural history a study, and had read the standard authors in regard to the general characteristics of deer; that from his reading he was of opinion that the male deer, after they have attained their growth and become matured, are dangerous, and that during
the rutting season -- from the middle of September to the middle of December -- the buck deer are generally vicious. The defendant objects to all the testimony of the experts, on the ground that the witnesses had not shown themselves competent as experts, and that it was improper, immaterial, and incompetent; but the court overruled the objection, and the defendant excepted. Another witness for the plaintiff testified that the park contained about eleven acres; that in 1870 there were nine deer in the park, among them three bucks, the oldest of which was four years old; that he first learned that this buck was ugly when the plaintiff was knocked down; that in 1868, notices were put up in the park cautioning visitors not to tease or worry the deer; that such notices were posted at different places in the park; that the park was frequented by a great number of people, with the consent of the defendant, all through the season; that the object of keeping deer in the park was their beauty; that up to the time of the accident, he had no knowledge, information, or belief that a deer or buck, or this buck in the rutting season, or any other, ever attacked a person that was not disturbing or interfering with him.
The testimony having closed, the defendant moved that the action be dismissed, the plaintiff nonsuited, and that a verdict be directed in favor of the defendant, on the following grounds:
1. The evidence does not establish a cause of action.
2. It appears that the place where the accident happened was the private grounds of the defendant; that the plaintiff knew that the defendant kept in those grounds this buck and other deer, and went there with full knowledge of all the circumstances.
3. That the plaintiff is chargeable with the same knowledge of the character of the buck as the defendant.
4. That no knowledge by the defendant of the vicious character of the buck has been shown.
5. That if any negligence existed, the plaintiff was guilty of negligence equally with the defendant.
The court denied the motion, and the defendant duly excepted.
The court thereupon charged the jury, and among other things stated as follows:
"Some testimony has been produced
here by witnesses who have stated to you the result of their reading in natural history, and the result of the opinion expressed by hunters and sportsmen, as to the general characteristics of the deer; and it is for you to say how much is proved by that evidence. The plaintiff claims to show by that evidence that the deer at a certain season of the year is a dangerous animal. It is for you to say whether, after the cross-examination of the witnesses, you can arrive at that conclusion."
Upon the question of damages, the court, among other things, charged as follows:
"In these cases, while, upon the one hand, a jury should guard themselves against the exaggeration which so frequently, and I may say generally, characterizes the statements of the parties in regard to their injuries, and in regard to the damages they have sustained, upon the other hand, when you make up your mind as to the amount really sustained, you are not to be nice in the award of compensation. It should be liberal."
To the concluding portion of the charge the defendant excepted.
There was a verdict for the plaintiff for $6,500; and judgment having been rendered thereon, the defendant sued out this writ of error.
MR. JUSTICE CLIFFORD delivered the opinion of the Court.
Animals ferae naturae, as a class, are known to be mischievous, and the rule is well settled that whoever undertakes to keep such an animal in places of public resort is or may be liable for the injuries inflicted by it on a party who is not guilty of negligence, and is otherwise without fault.
Compensation in such a case may be claimed of the owner or keeper for the injury, and it is an established rule of pleading that it is not necessary to aver negligence in the owner or keeper, as the burden is upon the defendant to disprove that implied imputation. Cases have often arisen where no such averment was contained in the declaration, and the uniform ruling has been that the omission constitutes no valid objection to the right of recovery. May v. Burdett, Law Rep. 9 Q.B. 99.
Negligence was not alleged in that case. Trial was had, and the verdict being for the plaintiff, the defendant moved in arrest of judgment that the declaration was bad for not alleging negligence or some default of the defendant in not properly or securely keeping the animal. Attempt was made by a very able counsel to support the motion upon the ground that even if the declaration was true, still the injury might have been
occasioned entirely by the carelessness and want of caution on the part of the plaintiff, but Lord Denman and his associates overruled the motion in arrest and decided that whoever keeps an animal accustomed to attack and injure mankind, with knowledge that it is so accustomed, is prima facie liable in an action on the case at the suit of the person attacked and injured, without any averment of negligence or default in securing or taking care of the animal, and the Chief Justice added what it is important to observe -- that the gist of the action is the keeping of the animal after knowledge of its mischievous propensities.
Precedents both ancient and modern, it seems, were cited in the argument and were examined by the court, and the learned chief justice remarked that with scarcely an exception, they merely state the ferocity of the animal and the knowledge of the defendant, without any allegation of negligence or want of care. Jackson v. Smithson, 15 Mee. & W. 563; Popplewell v. Pierce, 10 Cush. (Mass.) 509.
Injuries of a serious character inflicted by a mischievous deer, which the defendant company kept in their park, were received by the plaintiff at the time and place alleged, for which she claims compensation of the company. By the declaration, it appears that the company is the owner and proprietor of the Congress Spring at Saratoga in the State of New York, whose waters have become celebrated for their medicinal qualities and the source of great gains and profits to the company. Among other things, the plaintiff alleges that the spring had for a long time been kept open and accessible to visitors, the public being invited in various forms to patronize its waters, and that to make it more inviting and attractive, the company had opened in connection therewith an extensive park, ornamented with fountains, trees, shrubbery, and flowers, through which extensive graveled walks have been constructed for the use and comfort of those who resort there to use the mineral waters and to enjoy the landscape; that the company, in order further to enhance the attractions of the park, had obtained and in some degree domesticated several wild deer, and among them a large and powerful buck, with large horns and of vicious character and habits, which were well known
to the defendant company, their officers and agents, and the residents of the village.
Actual knowledge by the company of the mischievous character of the animal is alleged by the plaintiff, and she avers that the vicious animal on the day named, to-wit, the 18th of October, 1870, was permitted to run at large in the park, and that she on that day visited the spring to partake of its waters, and that while she was peaceably proceeding along one of the walks in the park, she was fiercely attacked by the mischievous buck and greatly injured, bruised, and lacerated, as more fully set forth in the declaration.
Service was made, and the defendant company appeared and pleaded:
1. The general issue.
2. That the damage and injury suffered by the plaintiff were occasioned by her own fault in neglecting to obey the rules and regulations of the company.
On motion of the plaintiff, a jury was impaneled and the parties went to trial, which resulted in a verdict and judgment in favor of the plaintiff. Exceptions were filed by the defendant company, and they sued out the pending writ of error.
Since the cause was entered here, the defendant company has filed the following assignments of error:
1. That the court, in view of the evidence, should have directed a verdict for the defendant.
2. That the court erred in admitting the questions to the two witnesses called by the plaintiff as experts.
3. That the court erred in the instructions given to the jury in respect to the question of damages.
Certain animals ferae naturae may doubtless be domesticated to such an extent as to be classed, in respect to the liability of the owner for injuries they commit, with the class known as tame or domestic animals; but inasmuch as they are liable to relapse into their wild habits and to become mischievous, the rule is that if they do so, and the owner becomes notified of their vicious habit, they are included in the same rule as if they had never been domesticated, the gist of the action in such a case, as in the case of untamed wild animals, being not merely the negligent keeping of the animal, but the keeping of the same with knowledge of the vicious and mischievous propensity of the animal. Wharton, Negligence, sec. 922; Decker v. Gammon, 44 Me. 322.
Three or more classes of cases exist in which it is held that the owners of animals are liable for injuries done by the same to the persons or property of others, the required allegations and proofs varying in each case. 2 Bla.Com., per Cooley, 390.
Owners of wild beasts or beasts that are in their nature vicious are liable under all or most all circumstances for injuries done by them; and in actions for injuries by such beasts it is not necessary to allege that the owner knew them to be mischievous, for he is presumed to have such knowledge, from which it follows that he is guilty of negligence in permitting the same to be at large.
Though the owner have no particular notice that the animal ever did any such mischief before, yet if the animal be of the class that is ferae naturae the owner is liable to an action of damage if it get loose and do harm. 1 Hale P.C. 430; Worth v. Gilling, Law Rep. 2 C.P. 3.
Owners are liable for the hurt done by the animal even without notice of the propensity, if the animal is naturally mischievous, but if it is of a tame nature, there must be notice of the vicious habit. Mason v. Keeling, 12 Mod. Rep. 332; Rex v. Huggins, 2 Ld.Raym. 1574.
Damage may be done by a domestic animal kept for use or convenience, but the rule is that the owner is not liable to an action on the ground of negligence, without proof that he knew that the animal was accustomed to do mischief. Vrooman v. Sawyer, 13 Johns. (N.Y.) 339; Buxendin v. Sharp, 2 Salk. 662; Cockerham v. Nixon, 11 Ired. (N.C.) L. 269.
Domestic animals, such as oxen or horses, may injure the person or property of another, but courts of justice invariably hold that if they are rightfully in the place where the injury is inflicted the owner of the animal is not liable for such an injury, unless he knew that the animal was accustomed to be vicious; and in suits for such injuries such knowledge must be alleged and proved, as the cause of action arises from the keeping of the animal after the knowledge of its vicious propensity. Jackson v. Smithson, 15 Mee. & W. 563; Van Leuven v. Lyke, 1 N.Y. 515; Card v. Case, 5 C.B. 632; Hudson v. Roberts, 6 Exch. 697; Dearth v. Baker, 22 Wis. 73; Cox v. Burbridge, 13 C.B.N.S. 430.
It appears by the bill of exceptions that the plaintiff on the morning of the day of the injury entered the park belonging to the defendant company; that after drinking of the water of the spring, she walked through the grounds and that she met the mischievous deer; that he attacked her, goring and striking her with his head and horns, whereby she was thrown down and greatly injured and put to great suffering and expense, as more fully set forth in her testimony. On her cross-examination she testified that she had been in the habit of visiting the park to enjoy the water and the pleasure of the walk; that she had noticed the deer at an earlier period and had often seen them running about on the lawn; that she had seen persons playing with them on different occasions; and that she had noticed the signboard posted in the park containing the notice, "Beware of the buck." Another witness called by the plaintiff testified that the park contains about eleven acres; that there were nine deer in the park, among which were three bucks, the oldest being four years old; that he first heard that the buck was ugly when the plaintiff was attacked and knocked down; that notices were put up at different places in the park a year or two before, cautioning visitors not to tease or worry the deer; and that he had no knowledge or belief prior to the accident that the buck or any other of the herd would attack any person if they were not disturbed. Expert witnesses were called by the plaintiff, and they gave it as their opinion that the male deer in the fall of the year is a dangerous animal.
Five witnesses were examined in behalf of the plaintiff, but the bill of exceptions does not show that the defendant company gave any evidence in reply, nor is it stated that the whole testimony introduced by the plaintiff is reported. When the evidence was closed, the defendant moved that the action be dismissed, that the plaintiff be nonsuited, and that the court direct the jury to return a verdict in favor of the defendant.
Discussion of the first two propositions involved in the motion is wholly unnecessary, for two reasons:
1. Because the jurisdiction of the court was beyond doubt, and the record shows that the suit was well brought.
2. Because it is not competent for the circuit court to order a peremptory nonsuit in any case.
Circuit courts cannot grant a nonsuit, but the defendant at the close of the plaintiff's case may move the court to instruct the jury that the evidence introduced by the plaintiff is not sufficient to maintain the action, and to direct a verdict for the defendant. In considering the motion, the court proceeds upon the ground that all the facts stated by the plaintiff's witnesses are true, and the rule is that the motion will be denied unless the court is of the opinion that in view of the whole evidence and of every inference the law allows to be drawn from it, the plaintiff has not made out a case which would warrant the jury to find a verdict in his favor. Merchants' National Bank v. State National Bank, 3 Cliff. 205; Same v. Same, 10 Wall. 655.
Tested by that rule, which is everywhere admitted to be correct, it is clear that the motion of the defendant was properly denied, for several reasons:
1. Because the proof of injury was overwhelming.
2. Because the allegation that the animal was vicious and mischievous was satisfactorily proved.
3. Because the evidence to prove that the defendant company had knowledge of the vicious and mischievous propensity of the animal was properly left to the jury, and it appearing that the circuit court overruled the motion for a new trial, the court here cannot disturb the verdict except for error of law.
4. Because the cause of action in the case arises not merely from the keeping of the animal, but from the keeping of the same after knowledge of its vicious and mischievous propensities.
5. Because the evidence is plenary that the plaintiff was rightfully in the place where she was injured, and that the owners of the vicious animal, inasmuch as the evidence tended to show that they had knowledge of its mischievous propensities, are justly held liable for the consequences.
Stiles v. Navigation Company, 33 L.J.N.S. 311; Oakes v. Spaulding, 40 Vt. 347; Sarch v. Blackburn, 4 C. & P. 297; Same v. Same, 1 Moo. & M. 505; Besozzi v. Harris, 1 Fos. & Fin. 92.
Whoever keeps an animal accustomed to attack or injure mankind, with the knowledge of its dangerous propensities, says Addison, is prima facie liable to an action for damages at the suit of any person attacked or injured by the animal, without proof of any negligence or default in the securing or taking care of the animal, the gist of the action being the keeping of
the animal after knowledge of its mischievous disposition. Addison, Torts (ed. 1876) 283; Dickson v. McCoy, 39 N.Y. 400; Applebee v. Percy, Law Rep. 9 C.P. 647; Lead.Cas.Torts 489.
Witnesses are not ordinarily allowed to give opinions as to conclusions dependent upon facts not necessarily involved in the controversy, but an exception to that rule is recognized in the case of experts, who are entitled to give their opinions as to conclusions from facts within the range of their specialties, which are too recondite to be properly comprehended and weighed by ordinary reasoners. 1 Wharton, Evid., sec. 440.
Men who have made questions of skill or science the object of their particular study, says Phillips, are competent to give their opinions in evidence. Such opinions ought, in general, to be deduced from facts that are not disputed or from facts given in evidence, but the author proceeds to say that they need not be founded upon their own personal knowledge of such facts, but may be founded upon the statement of facts proved in the case. Medical men, for example, may give their opinions not only as to the state of a patient they may have visited, or as to the cause of the death of a person whose body they have examined, or as to the nature of the instruments which caused the wounds they have examined, but also in cases where they have not themselves seen the patient, and have only heard the symptoms and particulars of his state detailed by other witnesses at the trial. Judicial tribunals have in many instances held that medical works are not admissible, but they everywhere hold that men skilled in science, art, or particular trades may give their opinions as witnesses in matters pertaining to their professional calling. 1 Phil.Evid. (ed. 1868) 778.
It must appear, of course, that the witness is qualified to speak to the point of inquiry, whether it respects a patented invention, a question in chemistry, insurance, shipping, seamanship, foreign law, or of the habits of animals, whether ferae naturae or domestic.
On questions of science, skill, or trade, or others of like kind, says Greenleaf, persons of skill, sometimes called experts, may not only testify to facts, but are permitted to give their opinions in evidence. 1 Greenl.Evid., sec. 400; Buster v. Newkirk, 20 Johns. (N.Y.) 75.
Whether a witness is shown to be qualified or not as an expert is a preliminary question to be determined in the first place by the court, and the rule is that if the court admits the testimony, then it is for the jury to decide whether any, and if any what, weight is to be given to the testimony. Cases arise where it is very much a matter of discretion with the court whether to receive or exclude the evidence; but the appellate court will not reverse in such a case, unless the ruling is manifestly erroneous. D. & C. Steam Towboat Co. v. Starrs, 69 Pa.St 30; Page v. Parker, 40 N.H. 48; Tucker v. Massachusetts Central Railroad, 118 Mass. 546.
Experts may be examined, says Justice Grier, to explain the terms of art, and the state of the art at any given time. Speaking of controversies between a patentee and an infringer, he says that experts may explain to the court and jury the machines, models, or drawings exhibited in the case. They may point out the difference or identity of the mechanical devices involved in their construction, and adds, that the maxim "cuique in sua arte credendum" permits them to be examined in questions of art or science peculiar to their trade or profession. Winans v. New York & Erie Railroad Co., 21 How. 88; Ogden v. Parsons, 23 How. 167.
Even if the witnesses are not properly to be regarded as experts, the court is of the opinion that the testimony was properly admitted as a matter of common knowledge.
Well guarded instructions were given to the jury on the subject, as appears from the transcript. Their attention was directed to the testimony, and they were told that it was for them to determine its weight, which shows that the defendant has no just ground of complaint.
Complaint is also made by the defendant that one sentence of the charge of the court in respect to the damages is erroneous. When you have made up your mind, said the judge, as to the amount really sustained, you are not to be nice in the award of compensation. It should be liberal.
Exception was taken to that remark without request for a different instruction, or that it should be qualified or explained in any way. Before that remark was made, the judge cautioned the jury against giving credence to any extravagant statement
of the injuries received, and then told them that when they had made up their minds as to the amount, meaning the amount of the injury really sustained, they should not be nice in the award of compensation, adding, as if to qualify the antecedent caution given in favor of the defendant, that it should be liberal.
In examining the charge of the court for the purpose of ascertaining its correctness in point of law, the whole scope and bearing of it must be taken together. It is wholly inadmissible to take up single and detached passages, and to decide upon them without attending to the context, or without incorporating such qualifications and explanations as naturally flow from other parts of the instructions. Magniac and Others v. Thompson, 7 Pet. 348.
Instructions given by the court at the trial are entitled to a reasonable interpretation, and if the proposition as stated is not erroneous, they are not as a general rule to be regarded as incorrect on account of omissions or deficiencies not pointed out by the excepting party. Castle v. Bullard, 23 How. 172.
Appellate courts are not inclined to grant a new trial on account of an ambiguity in the charge to the jury, where it appears that the complaining party made no effort at the trial to have the matter explained. Locke v. United States, 2 Cliff. 574; Smith v. McNamara, 4 Lans. (N.Y.) 169.
Requests for such a purpose may be made at the close of the charge, to call the attention of the judge to the supposed error, inaccuracy, or ambiguity of expression; and where nothing of the kind is done, the judgment will not be reversed, unless the court is of the opinion that the jury were misled or wrongly directed. Carver v. Jackson ex dem. Astor, 4 Pet. 1; White v. McLean, 57 N.Y. 670.
None of the exceptions can be sustained, and there is no error in the record.
Powered by Justia US Supreme Court Center: SPRING COMPANY V. EDGAR, 99 U. S. 645 (1878)
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Mr. Mao—A Great Teacher and a Great Farmer
A couple of weeks ago I met a guy who has been an inspiration to me for a long time. I actually met him through a video about the system of rice intensification, in which he is the star teacher. I don’t find the exact video in You-tube, but here is a link to another one in which he also is the star: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HDQbdMOF0iU
Mr Mao has been an inspiration to me and literally thousands of farmers in Cambodia and other countries because he leads by example: showing how a human being can take worn-out soils and restore them, or take very minimal resources and multiply them—-so that people can experience greater abundance instead of hunger. So, it was a surprise to meet up with him when our World Renew staff in Cambodia offered me the bonus chance to meet a model farmer whom they have been contracting to train other farmers and community organizers. I’d like to share some of the highlights from our brief time with Mr Mao at his home. These are all pictures of things that he is doing right around his house. First, here he is:
Here’s a pic of his experimentation with making biochar from rice hulls—he starts a wood fire in the lower cylinder and then surrounds it with rice hulls….it slowly chars the rice hulls. He then composts the charred rice hulls. At the end the rice hull bio char, when mixed in the soil hold soil water because of its porosity and holds soil nutrients because it contains has both positive and negative charges. There’s lots of research going on about bio char because it can sequester carbon in a form that is only slowly decomposed, thereby removing it from the atmosphere for a long time. So, Mr. Mao is involved in cutting edge research application!
Like Rahkmat, whom I talked about in a previous blog, Mr. Mao multiplies the beneficial bacteria and fungi in his soil through a series of concoctions in the “effective micro-organism” methodology.
He has limited space around his home. So to maximize his space he has built frames—from the amazingly versatile bamboo—with recycled water bottle plant holders to grow vegetables.
Every where you turn, Mr Mao has something else growing or decomposing or fermenting! Here is his fast compost technique:
People like Mr. Mao are very special people and meeting them is one of the joy’s of my work with World Renew. I’m so glad that we can serve him by helping to open up opportunities so that he can teach and inspire more farmers in Cambodia. And, I’m so grateful that he has helped us inspire farmers about the system of rice intensification, via his staring role in training videos—in India and Bangladesh. He has so many ideas—like growing vegetables in sacks of compost in places where the soil is poor or too hard, or where there is risk of flooding that may require moving the sacks. Thanks, Mr. Mao!
Feb, 19th 2013
Cambodia—Boom Economy in 2013, But What Comes Next?
Sugar Palm Trees of Cambodia
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My website's subheading
How to Play Basketball
Three Gift Ideas For A Basketball Enthusiast
The NBA, the UAAP and the Issues Included in Sports Betting
It's not unusual to hear of high school boys getting into trouble because they have lost an auto or are indebted in the millions. Welcome to the world of game betting, where letters might be pupils, but the financing required are only small time.
Sports betting has a profound impact on the way a game is played, particularly games which require hefty officiating and games with more players involved.NBA 2k17 locker codes In the game of basketball, sports betting has controversially been intensely involved in uncertainties and controversies in professional and even collegiate leagues.
The issue is not as well explored in leagues such as the National Basketball Association (NBA), but that's likely because of the high salaries NBA basketball players get anyway. Sports betting makes its presence more felt at the local level, particularly in the collegiate leagues that are so popular.
Consider for example, in the Philippines. The University Athletics Association of the Philippines or the UAAP is one of the more, or the most widely used non-professional league in the country. And as its popularity rose, so did the controversies that continue to cloud and surround it.
Many times, individual players and even trainers get flack for those accusations. The action is so well-shielded by healthy people and so profitable that even after several seasons of accusations being thrown everywhere, nothing has happened to change anything.
The challenging part about sports betting is that it puts young people in the shadow of uncertainty. Many athletes are playing in universities for a shot at free education and a possible money making basketball livelihood later on. One allegation of point shaving or game is fixing and that possibly bright future is unexpectedly thrown out the window.
Accusations become very intense in the Philippines. Officiating is also an extremely common weak point in the basketball games. The truth is, even more allegations are thrown around game officiating in the season. See, basketball, like many other team games, has the potential to be controlled by the officials who regulate the game. The intensity of the accusations and intrigues involved in those collegiate games have reached a depth which requires civil servants to try to intervene in the process.
The game is arguably ruined by the controversies brought about by sports betting. Officials, players and enthusiasts alike all have everything at stake when it comes to sports and sports betting. Batters have a lot at stake too, as it isn't unusual to have young and innocent young adults involving themselves in the tangled web of sports gaming.
This is your sidebar. The sidebar is a handy place for secondary information such as contact information. Replace this text with words of your own.
This is your footer. You can delete this text and add in your own, drop media and other add-ons here.
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University of Cambridge > Talks.cam > Computer Laboratory Security Seminar > Function-Based Access Control
Function-Based Access Control
Yvo G. Desmedt, Department of Computer Science, University of Texas at Dallas
Tuesday 04 December 2018, 16:00-17:00
FW11, Computer Laboratory, William Gates Building.
If you have a question about this talk, please contact Alexander Vetterl.
Inspired by Functional Encryption, we introduce Function-Based Access Control (FBAC). From an abstract viewpoint, we suggest storing access authorizations as a three-dimensional tensor, or an Access Control Tensor (ACT) rather than the two-dimensional Access Control Matrix (ACM).
In FBAC , applications do not give blind folded execution right and can only invoke commands that have been authorized for function defined data segments. So, one might be authorized to use a certain command on one object, while being forbidden to use the same command on another object. Such behavior can not be efficiently modeled using the classical access control matrix or achieved efficiently using cryptographic mechanisms.
Yvo Desmedt is the Jonsson Distinguished Professor at the University of Texas at Dallas, a Honorary Professor at University College London, a Fellow of the International Association of Cryptologic Research (IACR) and a Member of the Belgium Royal Academy of Science. He received his Ph.D. (1984, Summa cum Laude) from the University of Leuven, Belgium.
He held positions at: Universite de Montreal, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee (founding director of the Center for Cryptography, Computer and Network Security), and Florida State University (Director of the Laboratory of Security and Assurance in Information Technology, one of the first 14 NSA Centers of Excellence). He was BT Chair and Chair of Information Communication Technology at University College London. He has held numerous visiting appointments. He is the Editor-in-Chief of IET Information Security and Chair of the Steering Committees of CANS . He was Program Chair of e.g., Crypto 1994, the ACM Workshop on Scientific Aspectsof Cyber Terrorism 2002, and ISC 2013 .
He has authored over 200 refereed papers, primarily on cryptography, computer security, and network security. He has made important predictions, such as his 1983 technical description how cyber could be used to attack control systems (realized by Stuxnet), and his 1996 prediction hackers will target Certifying Authorities (DigiNotar was targeted in 2011).
This talk is part of the Computer Laboratory Security Seminar series.
All Talks (aka the CURE list)
Computer Laboratory Security Seminar
Computer Laboratory talks
FW11, Computer Laboratory, William Gates Building
Security-related talks
Trust & Technology Initiative - interesting events
bld31
ChemSoc - Cambridge Chemistry Society 2d to 3d equation sets and implication of super massive blackholes Cambridge Network events
Dynamic cell interactions and biomechanics in liver morphogenesis Panel discussion on IPCC 1.5 deg C special report Investigating endothelial redox signalling using in vivo cardiovascular models Human Values and Explainable Artificial Intelligence The ideal versus the real: A brief history of secure isolation in virtual machines and containers
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Chamba is an ancient town in the Chamba district in the state of Himachal Pradesh, in northern India. According to the 2001 Indian census, Chamba has a population of 20,312 people. Located at an altitude of 996 metres (3,268 ft) above mean sea level, the town is situated on the banks of the Ravi River (a major tributary of the Trans-Himalayan Indus River), at its confluence with the Sal River.
Though historical records date the history of the Chamba region to the Kolian tribes in the 2nd century BC, the area was formally ruled by the Maru dynasty, starting with the Raju Maru from around 500 AD, ruling from the ancient capital of Bharmour, which is located 75 kilometres (47 mi) from the town of Chamba. In 920, Raja Sahil Varman (or Raja Sahil Verma) shifted the capital of the kingdom to Chamba, following the specific request of his daughter Champavati (Chamba was named after her). From the time of Raju Maru, 67 Rajas of this dynasty have ruled over Chamba until it finally merged with the Indian Union in April 1948, although Chamba was under British suzerainty from 1846 to this time.
The town has a large number of temples and palaces, and hosts two popular jatras (fairs), the "Suhi Mata Mela" and the "Minjar Mela", which last for several days and involve music and dancing. Chamba is also well noted for its arts and crafts, particularly its Pahari paintings, which originated in the Hill Kingdoms of North India between the 17th and 19th century and its handicrafts and textiles.
Chamunda Devi Temple<br>
Lakshmi Narayan temples<br>
Akhand Chandi Palace<br>
Chaugan:-This is the nucleus of all activity in Chamba, surrounded by impressive administrative buildings and a shopping arcade built during the British period, with the old Akhand Chandi palace standing nearby
Church of Scotland<br>
Bhuri Singh Museum<br>
Festivals, fairs and dances::<br>
The Chaugan in Chamba, where fairs are held
Two melas or fairs, also known as Jatras, are of particular note in Chamba; "Suhi Mata Mela" and "Minjar Mela". A notable event of such fairs is when the ‘chela’. a subordinate of the deity who is being worshipped goes into a trance and answers the queries and prayers of the devotees.
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February 6, 2018 - Comments Off on Olivia Culpo, Shanina Shaik and More Models to Star in New E! Docuseries ‘Model Squad’
Talk about #SquadGoals! For those of us who have dreamed about what life is really like for the runway’s most famous faces, you’re going to want to set your DVR for E!’s latest series. Us can exclusively report that E! has started production on a new docuseries Model Squad, which will follow models Daniela Braga, Olivia Culpo, Hannah Ferguson, Ping Hue, Nadine Leopold, Caroline Lowe, Ashley Moore, Shanina Shaik and Devon Windsor as they navigate the fashion industry and life in New York City. The show, which is produced by Trooper Entertainment in association with Lionsgate TV and IMG with David Caplan, Will Staeger and Gennifer Gardiner serving as executive producers, will premiere later this year on E!, but the network will air a special preview, Model Squad: Fashion Week, to coincide with New York Fashion Week on Monday, February 12 at 10 p.m. ET/PT.
“The women of Model Squad have achieved incredible success at a very young age,” E!’s executive vice president of development and production, Amy Introcaso-Davis said in a statement. “This series gives our viewers an exclusive front row seat as they watch real top models compete against and support each other through the triumphs and the challenges of the mega-pressure world of high fashion.”
The series, which will air eight one-hour episodes, will focus on what life is like behind the scenes for top models — seven of whom work with IMG — when they aren’t surrounded by the glitz and glam of the industry and the work they put in to get to where they are. After all, there is no one-size-fits-all career path.
Meet the ‘Sports Illustrated’ 2018 Rookies of the Year — Including Olivia Culpo!
Olivia Culpo (Gotham/Getty)
Former Miss Universe Olivia Culpo entered a Miss Rhode Island competition on a whim when she was a student at Boston University and, well, the rest is history. In addition to modeling, she has now become a fashion and beauty influencer, working with brands like Cartier, Tod’s, Timex and L’Oreal.
Model Hannah Ferguson, meanwhile, went from the pages of the 2014 Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue to the star of Chanel’s Bleu de Chanel fragrance commercial after catching the eye of designer Karl Lagerfeld.
Hannah Ferguson Venturelli/WireImage
Runway darling Devon Windsor was partying at friend’s bar-mitzvah in St. Louis when she was discovered by a local photographer. She has since walked the catwalk for Bottega Veneta, Alexander McQueen and Chanel to name a few.
Devon Windsor J. Countess/WireImage
“I am excited to document the drive and ambition of these young women at the top of their industry,” executive producer Dave Caplan said in a statement. “With supermodels at the forefront of pop culture, the series could not have a better home than on E!”
We’ll be over here practicing our best model walk as we anxiously await the February 12 sneak peek!
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Kohl's to request extended hours
Alameda South Shore Center anchor Kohl’s is asking the Planning Board to extend its hours for this coming holiday season and beyond.
The department store chain’s managers want to open their Alameda store on midnight on “Black Friday” – the traditional post-Thanksgiving start to the holiday shopping season – and 5 a.m. the day after Christmas, and they’d like to extend their hours to 11 p.m. Wednesdays, Fridays and Saturdays for the entire year.
The company is not requesting any changes to the hours trucks may make deliveries to the 77,661-square-foot store. Truck traffic to the shopping center has in the past been a major issue for its neighbors.
“These holiday and evening sales are vital to the consumers making them and to the stores serving those customers, including Kohl’s,” the Menomonee Falls, Wis.-based retailer’s director of property development law, Sarah J. Ryan, wrote in an October 9 letter requesting the changes.
In her letter, Ryan said that Kohl’s makes 28 percent of its sales between Thanksgiving and Christmas, and its Alameda, store attracts an average of 1,250 customers a day during the holiday shopping season, the retailer’s application to extend its local hours says.
The National Retail Federation, a trade organization representing retailers, anticipates holiday sales will grow by 4.1 percent over 2011 according to the results of a recent survey. Nearly 37 percent of the people the Federation surveyed said sales and discounts will be the factor that guides where they’ll shop this holiday season. More than 40 percent said they’d start their holiday shopping before Halloween.
Major retailers are moving up their post-Thanksgiving “Black Friday” hours, with Walmart, Target and Sears all announcing they’ll open their doors to holiday shoppers on Thanksgiving night. Retailers had in prior years opened their doors to deal-driven shoppers at 4 a.m. the Friday after Thanksgiving and then, midnight. Kohl’s managers say they need to change their hours to remain competitive with these other discount retailers.
When Kohl’s opened in Alameda in 2009 – in the space that held Mervyn’s before that discount department store chain went bankrupt – the chain was allowed to remain open between 6 a.m. and midnight for the duration of the holiday season, which was considered to be between Thanksgiving and January 1, and earlier on “Black Friday” and the day after Christmas. In 2010 the Planning Board extended the holiday hours back to November 1; the local store’s regular holiday hours are the same as every other Kohl’s within 25 miles of it, according to Kohl’s website.
City staffers, who recommended accepting the increased hours, said they wouldn’t pose much of an impact to the residents who surround the shopping center because many other retailers in the shopping center are already allowed to stay open as late or later. They agreed with Kohl’s position that the extended hours could increase the city’s sales tax take, instead of sending those dollars to Kohl’s stores in nearby cities that already offer the extended hours.
Kohl’s Ryan said the enhanced hours will also preserve employment at the store, which has 10 full-time and 80-part time employees along with 20 seasonal workers, while city staffers said the changes could demonstrate to other retailers that the shopping center would be a good place for them to plant a store.
The retailer also requested a change in the conditions under which its extended hours could be revoked. Under Kohl’s proposed terms, the retailer would have to be open beyond its agreed-upon hours twice in one month to face the loss of its extended hours.
City staffers are recommending that the city’s conditions be changed to say that Kohl’s would need to commit two violations within a 12-month period before facing the loss of its extended hours.
The retailer earned a reported $18.8 billion in revenue in 2011 across 1,127 stores in 49 states. The typical customer for its assortment of moderately-priced clothing and footwear, accessories, jewelry, home goods and furniture is a married, middle-income woman between the ages of 25 and 54.
The Planning Board meets at 7 p.m. today (Tuesday, November 13) in Council Chambers at City Hall. The board’s agenda and materials are here, and the meeting will be broadcast on Comcast cable channel 15.
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The Kickboxing program is incredible at the Easton gym. It's much more than just a full-body workout, it teaches you how to find strength within yourself. I came into the program not realizing what I was getting into. It turns out I was jumping into a passion that I am excited to pursue every single day. Unlike other gyms with weight machines, Easton has classes throughout the day with coaches that are extremely knowledgeable and great at what they do. They push you to perform your best, and you always walk away feeling great. Every member and coach in this gym is fantastic, and it really feels like a family here. If I could I would pursue BJJ as well!
The day after, The Hollywood Reporter announced that Delroy Lindo had been cast as "Robert" Boseman, an attorney who starts poaching Diane's associates and clients.[8] The first name of Lindo's character was changed to "Adrian".[31] Deadline reported on October 27, 2016 that the show had added Paul Guilfoyle and Bernadette Peters for recurring roles as Maia's parents. Guilfoyle would play Maia's father Henry, a wildly successful financial advisor who is phenomenally wealthy and universally loved. Peters' character Lenore was described as a woman who came from a tough working-class background and is a natively brilliant financial whiz.[14] It was announced on October 31, 2016 that Justified alum Erica Tazel had joined the cast as a series regular.[32]
Loughnane agrees that this is vital: "Yoga should be a massive part of training. With how hard we train and how beaten up our bodies get over the years, in later life especially you need to work on flexibility," he says. "Your muscles get really tight from wrestling and boxing, and it can get quite hard sometimes just getting out of bed in the mornings."
The Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan caters to flyers who frequent various destinations in Alaska, West Coast cities (like Seattle and Portland, Oregon), major transportation hubs (like Atlanta and New York City), as well as destinations in Canada, Mexico and Costa Rica. By joining the Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan, you can start earning miles on every Alaska Airlines flight you take and eligible flights on Alaska Airlines' 17 partner airlines, including American Airlines, Emirates and British Airways. You can also earn miles by making everyday purchases with the Alaska Airlines Visa Signature Card or by staying with seven participating hotel partners, including Best Western, InterContinental and Marriott. The miles you earn can be used toward free flights on Alaska Airlines and other participating carriers, partner hotel stays, magazine subscriptions or donations to charity.
Create a weekly schedule to establish a personal routine. Plan your workouts at least a week in advance, evenly spacing strength training, cardio, and rest days apart to give your exercising schedule variety. Intersperse days focused on your personal strengths with days focused on weaknesses to challenge yourself evenly throughout the week and prevent burnout.
I have come a long way since my first week and am now (11-15-04) a 3rd degree white belt on my way to my gold belt. I can’t wait to have enough experience to make it to gold so that I am able to start the submission moves. I already feel so much stronger and well balanced. My asthma has also been tamed to the point where I’m barely using my inhaler. Thanks to Warrior’s Cove I have a new found confidence in myself and the art and I know that I will actually ‘earn’ my way to new ranks. I’d rather be a white belt at Warrior’s Cove than a higher rank anywhere else. Thank you…”
“At the age of 44, I was severely overweight and developing some very painful arthritis that was limiting my ability to exercise, especially the sport that I loved most, basketball. I decided that I needed to get serious about controlling my weight, and wanted to find an activity that would be challenging and vigorous, without aggravating the damage to my joints. I’ve found all that and more with the cross training at Warrior’s Cove. After a year and a half of training at Warrior’s Cove, I’ve lost about 40 pounds, I’m stronger, more flexible and more energetic. I’m starting to feel like an athlete again! I’ve also discovered a lifelong pursuit that will continue to challenge and engage me. I highly recommend Warrior’s Cove to anyone of any age that’s looking for a positive and supportive place to work out and learn new skills.”
Robert: Originally, when we were looking for a story to take us through the whole season, we thought it could be Diane's firm being hired to prepare the Democratic committee for a potential impeachment trial of the president. But we became worried that there wouldn't be enough turns in the plot, and it would become earnest; that's how we hit on the "Kill All Lawyers" plot line (in which several Chicago lawyers were murdered by unhappy clients).
“High resistance intervals” is a name I came up with to describe a particularly effective interval method aimed at improving the endurance of your most explosive fast-twitch muscle fibers. Although the endurance of these fibers will never be to the level of slow-twitch, it’s still possible to make large improvements in their endurance with the right type of training. The longer these explosive fibers can work before they fatigue and force you to slow down, the better your ability to maintain your power throughout a fight will be.
MMA is legal in Bahrain. Bahrain National MMA Federation (BNMMAF) has been set up under the patronage of Sheikh Khalid bin Hamad Al Khalifa and the jurisdiction of the Sports Minister Sheikh Nasser bin Hamad Al Khalifa.[193] The development of MMA in the nation is convened through KHK MMA, which also owns Brave Combat Federation, which is the largest Mixed Martial Arts promotion in the Middle East.[194] Bahrain will be hosting World MMA Amateurs Championship 2017 supported by International Mixed Martial Arts Federation.[195]
You’ll also get a taste of their main expertise, MMA and kickboxing, in the MATRX class—a cutting edge routine that incorporates TRX suspension. TRX increases your movement capacity and engages your muscle fibers in a way free weights and machines can’t because it utilizes your own bodyweight from various angles. Your stability, flexibility and endurance are strengthened—and most of all, your mind is engaged.
If you have time, complete two to three sets of push-ups, doing as many as you can for each set while maintaining good form, then finish your workout with a series of ab exercises, including planks, sit-ups, medicine ball oblique twists, and leg lifts. This is a great opportunity to really target the chest and abs. Adding just 5- to 10-minutes is a great way to finish things out.
May See Xiong of Burnsville said her son Lucas, 10, used to take taekwondo lessons but switched to MMA and hasn’t looked back. Her other son, Lex, 7, has joined him in classes at two local gyms. Xiong and her husband enjoy watching UFC fights at home on TV. The action piqued the interest of her boys: “My son said, ‘Well, I want to learn how to do that, too,’ ” she said.
I can say with confidence that 99 percent of us don't have the same schedule as a professional athlete. Instead of a 10 a.m. marketing meeting, professional fighters start their morning with the first of two daily training sessions. Their afternoon may consist of interviews, an appointment with the physical therapist, lunch, a nap, and then they're back in the gym for their second training session.
Shoot-boxing, pioneered and popular in Asia, Russia and Brazil, is the most innovative and cutting edge approach to stand up fighting. It is the stand-up portion of MMA, melding Muay Thai kickboxing’s kicks, knees and elbows with precision boxing and high level wrestling and Judo. It combines traditional stand up strikes with takedown defense, dirty boxing and grappling/ striking combinations into a brutally effective, sophisticated and devastating pattern of attacks, that is totally modern and oriented not for a sport, but for combat. We are the only academy in the NYC area specifically specializing in this innovative style.
Wrestling is another huge component of MMA training. If you have watched even one MMA match, you can clearly see the advantage of having strong wrestling skills. Being able to take down an opponent and pin them to the mat is huge. Greco-Roman wrestling is one of the most ancient sports, so while MMA might seem like something new, it is truly comprised of a variety of ancient fighting techniques.
Because all combat sports require a great deal of aerobic horsepower, improving your VO2 max can make a big difference in your conditioning. Quite simply, more oxygen delivered to working muscles means their endurance will improve because they’ll have to rely less on anaerobic processes for the ATP fuel the need to contract. A stronger heart will deliver more oxygen than a weaker one and developing this type of cardiac strength is an absolute must to have a good VO2 max and good conditioning.
There remains political opposition to MMA in France and full contact MMA competition is banned.[217][218][219] All bouts on French soil recorded as Mixed Martial Arts are in fact held under Pancrase Rules and other variants (Pankration, Kempo, Pankido).[220][221] These bouts involve no striking on the ground as it is illegal in the country. The Commission National de Mixed Martial Arts (CNMMA) was founded as a non-profit organization for the development of MMA in 2009. The CNMMA had worked over four years to put an educational structure in place, including a technical system for the safe progression from grass-roots level, all the way up to the top professional level.[222] Comprising 11 regional leagues working under regional technical advisers and teams,[222] the CNMMA joined the International Mixed Martial Arts Federation (IMMAF) in March 2013 as The Commission Française de Mixed Martial Arts (CFMMA).[223][224] In 2012, CFMMA president Bertrand Amoussou ascended to the position of President of the International Mixed Martial Arts Federation.
Just as different forms and aspects of striking – those from Boxing, Kickboxing, Muay Thai, traditional martial arts, etc. – each have unique advantages and disadvantages and need to be utilized appropriately in an MMA fight, there are also many different forms and effective applications of interval training. In this article, I’ll present you with four different methods of interval training that I’ve successfully used over the last seven years with more than thirty top pro fighters. Each interval method has a different purpose and application and I guarantee each can help improve the effectiveness of your training program.
7) Training MMA teaches competition. The 2nd best person in a fight is a big ol' loser. “Winning isn't everything!” It is when their are only two of you. Training MMA will bring that winning drive and spirit to the surface, which can be utilized in other aspects of daily life like business and relationships. Competition is good. A person training in MMA will not spar or grapple with too many opponents willing to roll over and lose – it's real competition and everyone wants to win.
Tiffany is an American Muay Thai kickboxer who competes in the bantamweight division. Originally a Shōrin-ryū karate practitioner, van Soest began Muay Thai at the age of eighteen and was both a state and national titlist as an amateur before turning professional in 2011 and winning the WBC Muaythai International Super Bantamweight Championship the following year.
In March 1997, the Iowa Athletic Commission officially sanctioned Battlecade Extreme Fighting under a modified form of its existing rules for Shootfighting. These rules created the three 5 minute round, one-minute break format, and mandated shootfighting gloves, as well as weight classes, for the first time. Illegal blows were listed as groin strikes, head butting, biting, eye gouging, hair pulling, striking an opponent with an elbow while the opponent is on the mat, kidney strikes, and striking the back of the head with closed fist. Holding onto the ring or cage for any reason was defined as a foul.[50][51] While there are minor differences between these and the final Unified Rules, notably regarding elbow strikes, the Iowa rules allowed mixed martial arts promoters to conduct essentially modern events legally, anywhere in the state. On March 28, 1997, Extreme Fighting 4 was held under these rules, making it the first show conducted under a version of the modern rules.
References to any non-Onnit entity, product, service, person or source of information in this or any other Communication should not be considered an endorsement, either direct or implied, by the host, presenter or distributor of the Communication. The host(s), presenter(s) and/or distributor(s) of this Communication are not responsible for the content of any non-Onnit internet pages referenced in the Communication. Onnit is not liable or responsible for any advice, course of treatment, diagnosis or any other information or services you chose to follow without consulting a qualified medical professional. Before starting any new diet and/or exercise program, always be sure to check with your qualified medical professional.
Zone 3 is called tempo training or intensive endurance training. This zone challenges the upper limits of the aerobic system. Lactate production starts to ramp up at this Zone, however, there is no significant accumulation as intensity is still relatively low and clearance levels are still high due to the adequate of supply of oxygen to the muscles.
Bruce is learning mixed martial arts, the fast-growing combat sport popularized by the Ultimate Fighting Championship. In the UFC, two fighters square off inside a cage, attempting to harm each other with a mix of Brazilian jiu-jitsu, wrestling, boxing and other fighting styles. Victory is often decided by a brutal knockout or a suffocating chokehold.
Of course, no home-based MMA workout will completely mimic the adrenaline rush of getting in the cage with another fighter. If you're serious about training in mixed martial arts, you'll want to find a facility in your area with coaches who can help you acquire the specific skills needed to actually fight your way through three tough rounds. It's not just about punching hard or throwing a solid kick, you have to learn to grapple and wrestle, how to break out of holds, and how to take a punch without faltering. Home-based workouts can only take you so far.
The firm is suing the Chicago Police Department for the shooting of a black undercover cop by his white colleague. Kurt's ballistics evidence paints an open-and-shut case, but the defence uses dirty tactics – including micro-targeting jurors with fake news about the plaintiff and his legal team via Facebook – to try and avoid a payout. Diane's marriage to Kurt is also tested as the defence exploits Kurt's affair and subsequent lies to Diane in order to undermine both Diane and the firm's evidence. While investigating a separate case for Jay's friend Craig, Maia and Lucca determine that Diane's client worked with his shooter as crooked cops planting guns to frame at least 30 suspects, including Jay's friend. The firm is offered a significant payout from the Chicago PD to stop the reopening of these more than 30 cases, but amid the celebrations, Jay quits as lead investigator after the firm chooses the Chicago PD settlement over justice for Craig.
Michelle: I don't actually feel that the "resistance" needed representation on TV. My impression of scripted television is that it's either apolitical or vaguely liberal. We're not writing The Good Fight because there was a hole to fill. Instead, we're mainly following the characters. Diane was established as an ardent liberal when we began The Good Wife in 2009. We knew that she — as well as her colleagues at a Chicago African-American law firm — would have a strong opinion about the current administration. It felt like a lie not to dramatize that.
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A Bloody Embarrassment of Riches
Swedish crime novelist Arne Dahl attends Bloody Scotland 2013. (All photographs in this post © 2013 by Alex Hewitt/Writer Pictures, used with permission.)
(Editor’s note: Below, Nancie Clare files her second report from the Bloody Scotland crime-writing festival taking place this weekend in Stirling, Scotland. Be sure also to read her interview with Lee Child and her observations on the conference’s opening day.)
It was an unusually (at least for Scotland) sunny Saturday morning, the first full day of Bloody Scotland. Time to attend my initial panel discussion, “Dark Deeds,” featuring authors Denise Mina (The Red Road) and Louise Welsh (The Girl on the Stairs), and moderated by Peter Guttridge (The Devil’s Moon). After each woman read a short passage from her latest novel, Guttridge asked them if they consider themselves “crime writers.” Both demurred. Mina said she writes detective stories, but was a member of the “church of crime.” Welsh sees her writing as a form of stealth politics; she points out inequities and prejudices in society without writing a manifesto.
Both women also write in other media: Mina is currently composing graphic-novel versions of the books in Stieg Larsson’s Millennium Trilogy (which include The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo), and Welsh has written plays and opera librettos. Both enjoy those diversions from the task of crafting books; writing graphic novels, plays, and operas are collaborative endeavors. Mina suggests that being solitary for the 18 months or so it takes to turn out a novel can make you “mental.”
At noon I moved over to a different presentation, this one titled “New Nordic Noir” and focusing on Swedish author Arne Dahl, a pen name used by Jan Arnold. I’m not sure about the “new” part; Dahl wrote his set of 10 books, five of which have been dramatized and shown on the BBC, almost 15 years ago. Because of that TV exposure, Dahl is incredibly popular in the UK; unfortunately, the Swedish Arne Dahl TV series has not been widely broadcast in the United States.
You could say that Dahl (who, as Arnold, was already a “literary” writer) decided to try his hand at crime fiction during a fever dream. In the early 1990s, he suddenly found himself with the flu and a high fever. Lying in bed, he tried to read the works of Franz Kafka, which he acknowledges now was probably not the best choice. Frustrated, he turned instead to Faceless Killers (1997), the opening installment in Henning Mankell’s Kurt Wallander mystery series. That experience convinced him to try his own hand at crime-fiction writing. Two of the 10 books he wrote over a 10-year period have been translated into English: The Blinded Man (published in the States as Misterioso) and Bad Blood.
(Right) Queuing at Albert Halls for the next event.
Dahl told his audience that he had no idea he’d become so fond of (or so rich from) penning crime fiction. He’s already produced three books in a second, “Opcop” series, this one involving international crime and a detective with Europol.
The 2013 Bloody Scotland festival is certainly an embarrassment of riches when it comes to the renown of its attendees. (Where do I begin? Denise Mina, Val McDermid, Jo Nesbø, Stuart Neville, Lee Child, and Louise Welsh--whose The Cutting Room is probably one of the best Scottish crime novels of all time.) However, I was still excited to sit in on the “Keeping Secrets” session with Charles Cumming and Chris Morgan Jones.
I haven’t yet read any of Morgan Jones’ works, but Cumming is the natural successor, at least in my opinion, to John le Carre. (Last year, Cumming’s A Foreign Country won the inaugural Scottish Crime Book of the Year award. Cumming, who lives in London, was born in Scotland.) Morgan Jones began writing fiction after he’d spent more than a decade working for Kroll Inc., an international risk-management firm based in New York City. His protagonist, Benjamin Webster (The Jackal’s Share), is a former journalist turned investigator for an international corporate intelligence firm.
Morgan Jones pointed out that corporate intelligence investigators are very much like spies, but instead of working for the state, they’re employed by multinational corporations. And also like spies, they often fall afoul of the laws in the countries where they operate. They are ripe for being set up and arrested for obtaining confidential material, especially in Russia and China. Morgan Jones himself worked in Russia and feared that same fate.
Cumming claims he never worked for either of England’s intelligence services (MI5 and MI6), but he tried to. I guess, we’ll have to take his word for it. But he did say that writing so much about spies and espionage matters can make you feel, well, a bit paranoid. He told his audience that a friend of his, a “spook,” texted him while he was in Spain, wishing him a happy birthday. Right away, Cumming was completely convinced that the flat he’d rented was bugged. Until he remembered that he had mentioned he was going to Spain to celebrate his birthday. Occupational hazard, I guess.
Browsing the bookshop at Bloody Scotland.
At the last possible minute I sneaked into the late-afternoon panel discussion “Fresh Blood,” which featured three recently debuted Scottish crime novelists, one of whom was Malcolm Mackay (whose second novel, How a Gunman Says Goodbye, would later win the 2013 Deanston Scottish Crime Book of the Year award). The other two authors at the front of the room, Lisa Ballantyne and Matt Bendoris, have each published their first novel.
Ballantyne’s The Guilty One is a dual-narrative work about a London solicitor who is defending an 11-year-old boy accused of murder. The case brings up memories of the solicitor’s own violent past.
In Killing with Confidence, Bendoris--who’s employed as a journalist for a Glasgow newspaper--has created a serial killer who uses American self-help techniques to be better at his job, a detective with Tourette’s syndrome, and an overweight, technophobic reporter. The woman sitting next to me during this panel presentation told me that Killing was the best book she’s read so far this year.
The final, 6:30 p.m. Saturday session was “Dare to Thrill,” with Norwegian author Jo Nesbø. The line to get into the 1,000-seat Albert Halls auditorium for this event stretched around the block. Peter Guttridge served as interlocutor, and his introduction provided the startling fact that a Nesbø book is now purchased somewhere in the world every 23 seconds. Nesbø himself talked about his career leading up to becoming a writer: football star in high school, stockbroker, rock star. What was most interesting was to learn that, even after he became Norway’s biggest rocker, he never quit his stockbroker day-job. Nesbø would work until the markets closed, catch a plane to wherever he was set to play his next gig, then perform, go back to his hotel for a few hours of sleep instead of partying, and get up the next morning to hop the first flight back to Oslo in order to be seated at his desk when the markets opened again. He kept up this pace, he explained, because he did not want to turn what he loved to do into a job.
(Left) Norway’s Jo Nesbø
Nesbø said that his protagonist, loose-cannon police inspector Harry Hole, is always trying to be a better person. But the author doesn’t see himself as a political spokesman; he sees himself as an entertainer, a storyteller.
He was asked about the coming film version of his novel The Snowman (which was released in an English translation in 2010). It seems Nesbø was disappointed that Martin Scorsese bowed out of the project, but he said he’s not in a hurry to find another director. As a storyteller, he contended, it’s very important to wait for the right director, someone who can best bring the story to the big screen. Nesbø added that the film does not have to be an exact replica of the book. He said he would not like to have anyone interfering with his telling of a tale, so he does not expect to interfere with the film’s director. Once they find one.
Finally, he warned that Harry Hole fans might have to wait a bit to find out what happens to the character, after the book Police is released by Knopf on October 15 of this year. Nesbø’s next novel, due out in Norway next spring, will be a standalone called Sønner (Sons).
Labels: Bloody Scotland 2013
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By Jodi Wei Arts, Popular Culture, Reviews September 21, 2016
In a lackluster song, Lady Gaga’s ‘Perfect Illusion’ key change fails to deliver
Lady Gaga's latest fails to impress Photo courtesy of Collier Schorr
As another summer filled with forgettable pop tunes winds down, Lady Gaga has emerged with “Perfect Illusion,” a single from her upcoming fifth studio album “Joanne,” set to be released on Oct. 21. “Joanne” comes off of the heels of 2013’s “ARTPOP,” admittedly not the artist’s best work, a 2014 duet album — Cheek to Cheek — with Tony Bennett and a foray into acting lauded by critics and fans alike; her role in “American Horror Story: Hotel” was recognized with a Best Actress award at the 73rd Golden Globe Awards.
“Perfect Illusion,” however, marks a rather subpar return to the solo pop world in which Lady Gaga made a name for herself. While not an utterly terrible song — I would allow it to run the full three minutes and two seconds while sitting in traffic on the way home — Lady Gaga’s newest single lacks the avant-garde, “Lady Gaga-ness” that audiences are accustomed to. Three years down the line, we would have expected from Gaga a spectacular, jaw-dropping, punch-in- the-face number guaranteed to redefine the phrase “knock your socks off.” It’s catchy, of course, but so is every other song on the radio. The vanilla hidden beneath a wash of intensity would be typical of any other pop star on the market, but just not Lady Gaga.
Which brings us to the key change. Right around 1:51, the song modulates from the key of A to B, which means that the rest of the song has shifted up and will now be sung in this new key. Key changes aren’t necessarily unusual; composers have been tossing them into their scores since keys were invented. In fact, 18th century composer and music theorist Charles-Henri de Blainville dramatically stated, “Modulation is the essential part of the art.”
Essential, perhaps, but cliché? The key change has become a trope, appearing at the end of pop songs so frequently now that it’s referred to as the “truck driver’s key change”; shift the semi up a gear to finish off those final miles in the journey. It’s become nothing special, just a little something added to drive home the point of the song. However, I would never say that it’s ineffective. In “Perfect Illusion,” Lady Gaga sings of the moment reality comes crashing down in a seemingly perfect whirlwind romance. Her mantra “it was a perfect illusion” is intensified by this shift up so that the final chorus is comparable to the wail of a heartbroken individual. It’s dramatic and emotional, but it’s been done over and over again, and better, too.
The late, great Whitney Houston transformed Dolly Parton’s “I Will Always Love You” into an iconic anthem of love found then lost with a spine-tingling key change that shows off the haunting power of her vocals and her inimitable prowess as a performer. The drumbeat and her impeccable timing kept listeners on the edge of their seats, a sense of anticipation that is missing in “Perfect Illusion.”
Beyoncé’s “Love on Top” is also considered an admirable example of the key change, but for an entirely different reason. The composition of “Perfect Illusion” parallels “Love on Top” more so than “I Will Always Love You,” but where Lady Gaga falters is ingenuity. It’s ingenuity and courage that brought Beyoncé to incorporate an unprecedented four key changes into three minutes and 16 seconds. The writing isn’t spectacular, and the teeny-bop sound is so uncharacteristic of Beyoncé that you continually ask yourself “where is the real Beyoncé?” until the third key change where you say “oh, there she is.”
There are many more well-done iterations of the key change, but a discussion of iconic modulations can’t be complete without a nod to Michael Jackson’s “Man in the Mirror.” The shift is about as unmissable as a gospel choir at full voice, which is exactly what happens at the 2:52 mark after a moment of silence that mimics a collective breath taken. Not only that, but the fact that the shift happens on the word “change” in a song about change makes the modulation so over-the- top that it’s become iconic.
So there we have it. Three iconic key changes of recent music history, each iconic for different reasons: Houston’s key change affirm her mettle as a singer, Beyoncé’s key changes are the tour de force of an otherwise bland song, and Jackson’s key change inspires listeners to take back the world for themselves. Unfortunately for Lady Gaga, her key change is nowhere near the level of genius Houston, Beyoncé and Jackson exhibi. Like flowers and chocolates on Valentine’s Day, the cliché of the pop key change only works when it really works. Otherwise it’s just another element so beaten to death by pop you can’t help but roll your eyes. And in a song as polarizing as “Perfect Illusion,” a key change unfortunately can’t magically transform it into the masterpiece it could have been.
Photo courtesy of Collier Schorr
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Taiwan report: China about to complete massive monitoring system
Taiwan News, Staff Writer
TAIPEI (Taiwan News) – China is about to complete its “Golden Shield” project monitoring the movements, phone conversations and online activities on the whole of its territory, the Chinese-language Liberty Times said in its Tuesday edition.
The project will lead to the shrinking of Internet freedom, human rights and personal freedoms, and to a massive invasion of privacy, the newspaper said in a report on its front page.
Taiwan’s Mainland Affairs Council describes the project as a high-tech online version of China’s notorious Public Security system. It’s a 21st-century electronic version of the communist totalitarian supervision system, combining an information database with a penetrating observation network, the MAC says in an analysis report.
Development of the system began in 1998, with a first version coming online in September 2003, the Liberty Times says. The Golden Shield officially went into full mode in November 2006, but due to technical problems, an improved version won’t come online until later this month.
In addition to the online supervision network, Chinese authorities are also planning to install 200,000 security cameras nationwide, including in the major cities of Beijing and Shanghai, to tighten their information about what is going on in society, the newspaper says.
Apart from the technical infrastructure, China is also employing up to 300,000 people in new government organizations created to manage the system, according to the Liberty Times.
The MAC sees the new system as a potential attack weapon which can erase online comments not sympathetic to China during a major news event. It can also guide online discussion into the direction desired by the authorities.
The government employees managing the system could also be ordered to turn their expertise into an attack force, disseminating computer viruses and launching hacker attacks against unfriendly web sites, the MAC says in a report.
The Golden Shield project has also attracted commercial interests, with business participating in the development of the advanced technology or giving in to China’s demands for information, the Liberty Times writes.
Sometimes, opponents of the regime still succeed in breaking through the limits imposed by the Golden Shield system, the newspaper reports, quoting the example of an environmental protest in Xiamen in June 2007. Protesters using cell phone text messaging succeeded in rallying 20,000 people for a march against a chemical plant project by fugitive Taiwan tycoon Chen Yu-hao before the authorities shut down the texting network, the paper says.
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Tag Archives: Age
Express Entry: Expressly Wrong on Older, English ‘Competent’ Economic Immigrants
December 23, 2015 Will 3 Comments
There is much that is good about Express Entry, the online application management system introduced by Citizenship and Immigration Canada in January 2015. Few can complain about the (so-far) expedited processing times and arguably even the program’s ability to scoop up the top, most qualified candidates. For all its glitches, Express Entry has helped modernize Canada’s previously broken first-come, first-serve paper-based system.
However, in my opinion there is something very bad – and in my mind, very misguided from a policy perspective, about Express Entry’s point system. I am speaking about the system’s unqualified prejudice against older migrants from non-English speaking countries. I believe this has negative consequences on our Canadian cultural mosaic and may even carry unintended economic consequences.
Express Entry’s point system awards to potential economic immigrants, allowing them to receive an Invitation to Apply (“ITA”) for Permanent Residence. In order to create a profile and enter the Express Entry applicant pool, applicants must first qualify for one of the three economic programs, the most popular of which are the Canadian Experience Class (“CEC”) and the Federal Skilled Worker (“FSW”) programs. Both programs have minimum language requirements in either English or French. For the CEC, the minimum language requirement depends on the classification of the skilled job for which the Applicant is claiming experience. For the FSW, performance on the required language tests above and beyond the minimum can increase one’s points towards their overall qualification for the program. For the most skilled positions under the CEC and for all FSW applicants, at least a “competent” level of English is required.
Only the FSW program considers age as a factor, although it is not a baseline requirement. Applicants under the age of 18 or over the age of 47 are awarded 0 points out of 12. As the overall point system is out of 100, for which 67 points is a minimum requirement, age is not a determinative factor for eligibility.
After meeting the basic requirements of one of eligible economic immigration programs, applicants are then scored according to the Express Entry’s Cumulative Ranking Score System (“CRS”). As 600 points of the maximum 1,200 points are allocated to having a valid job offer supported by a third-party employer either through a Labour Market Impact Assessment (“LMIA”) or a provincial nomination, a majority of potential applicants essentially compete within a 600-point system. As of the date of this article, a majority of the draws have been in the upper 400’s with several draws in the 500-700 point range. The lowest draw so far has been 450 points.
For Language and Express Entry, the English “competent” candidate earns an average of 64 points, assuming equivalency among their reading, writing, speaking, and listening sills. A candidate that is a “good” or “very good” user (keeping in mind that the later is a standard just below expert user/native speaker) is awarded an average of 116 points. In addition, these later candidates automatically increase their skill transferability (another important CRS factor) points adding anywhere from 16 to 50 points to their score depending on their education and work experience. It is therefore fair to say that applicants who are merely competent in English obtain 75 fewer CRS points then someone with greater (near native-speaking) competency.
From an age perspective, the effect on CRS points is even more pronounced. Under the CRS, a 45-year old applicant loses 110 points compared to a 20-29 year old applicant. Even a 40-year old applicant, with a spouse who could be much younger loses 60 points.
Consequentially, a competent English speaker (let us assume from a non-English speaking country) who is 40 years old, married with young children and who has a potential 25-year old working career in Canada loses 135 points right away.
To put it in perspective, even if the applicant obtains maximum scores in every other category they could only obtain a maximum 465 points out of 600, just 15 points above the lowest drawn score in 2015.
Not in Line Policy Research or Canadian Immigration’s Legislative Objectives
While the literature in this area is complex and varying in its results, it does suggest that Express Entry’s current policy on age and language is highly misguided.
A recent August 2015 Statistics Canada/CIC report suggests that language is not effective as a long-term economic-earning indicator.
This finding is not altogether surprising. In a 2012 article titled, “Language and Immigrant Labour Market Performance: What Does the Economics Literature Tell Us?” Canadian Economics Professor Mikal Skuterad asks whether it is reasonable to believe Canada can maintain current immigration levels and increase language criteria without sacrificing other desirable qualities of immigrants. In his piece, Professor Skuterad suggests that Canada’s emphasis on high language requirements may be too focused on short-term outcomes, and too neglectful of the importance of post-migration language training required via settlement services. In short, pre-migration language is an overemphasized indicator of economic success.
I would argue that age, while a long-term indicator of economic success according to the August 2015 CIC report, is overemphasized as a factor in Express Entry. Importantly, it is out of touch with economic realities. Our most recent studies of the issue in 2011 showed that even in Canada, where welfare and social services are readily available, the age of mothers at first birth was increasing towards record pace.
If we assume Canada is most desirable as a place of permanent residence for young families with the financial capacity to move and elementary/high-school aged children serving as a major impetus for the move, we should expect a high number of late thirties/early fourties applicants. Yet, this is the very group that Express Entry punishes through the prejudicial point system.
Overall, putting such a high emphasis on language or age of potential economic immigrants does not further the objectives of Canada’s legislated aims as stated in section 3 of Canada’s Immigration and Refugee Protection Act (the “Act”). The Act states:
Objectives — immigration
(1) The objectives of this Act with respect to immigration are
(a) to permit Canada to pursue the maximum social, cultural and economic benefits of immigration;
(b) to enrich and strengthen the social and cultural fabric of Canadian society, while respecting the federal, bilingual and multicultural character of Canada;
Combined, I would argue that creating a point system those only benefits younger immigrants from English-speaking countries does not serve to maximize the social and cultural benefits of immigration. If anything, a program that discriminates against older, non-speaking applicants narrows our country’s definition of the ‘desirable immigrant’ and creates an unnecessary, disincentive for economic immigration. Furthermore, while I do not believe past studies have been done on this issue, I would argue that the economic and immigration mobility of the types of fluent, young immigrants Canada currently desires will lead many to eventually pursue opportunities as overseas ex-pats rather than as Canadian-resident taxpayers.
There is some hope. The governing Liberals have promised it will be re-examine the point system and may allocate additional points to individuals with Canadian relatives. However, I don’t think that is enough. I think it is enough that a potential immigrant meets minimum language requirements. I also think the age of a potential immigrant’s spouse and children should be qualifying factors. The 45-year old father of three Canadian kids who will have a lifetime to pay it forward to the Canadian economy should not be perceived as too old for Canada.
However, clearly some points are missing. Should students who studied in Canada receive more points under Express Entry? Should potential immigrants with current jobs held on other form of work permits receive more points? Arguably so. Should the economic immigrant who has started his or her own business or invested in the business of his or her son or daughter receive some points? Should an economic applicant who has a spousal sponsorship application in process receive additional points to facilitate their own immigration process? I would think that all the above would make sense.
Express Entry has much room to improve. Change, on the issue of language and age, is
AgeCanadian Experience ClassExpress EntryFederal Skilled WorkerLanguage
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[image by Drew Coffman]
Last week an important conversation about sexual harassment happened in the world of contemporary children’s literature, and I’m so grateful I got to hear it. Over the weekend I celebrated the majesty of an all-black superhero movie and was inspired by high-school students seizing the reins of the gun-control conversation. Through it all, I’ve been thinking about voice and representation and ethics, and my own commitments and responsibilities as an unproven white guy trying to write fantasy books for kids.
Honestly, I wouldn’t want to be doing this at any other time. It’s a gift, this opportunity to learn how to be a better human through writing. Part of the charge, of course, is obvious: the golden rule, more or less. As Ishta Mercurio points out in Publisher’s Weekly, “It is such a low bar to expect decent behavior from people who create books for children.” Indeed—this industry should probably be leading the way.
But there is more to it than just behaving decently. There should be answers in the writing itself. I agree with Martha Brockenbrough: “We need new stories.”
Yes, stories are ways of documenting reality, and sometimes that means documenting its horror. But sometimes simply documenting horror is a way of re-inscribing it, whether intentionally or not. I couldn’t make it through Jay Asher’s Thirteen Reasons Why precisely because a version of that story seems to be told about powerful men and their victims all the time lately—just as now, with what I guess would have to be called poetic justice, it is being told about Asher himself.
Stories, in other words, should also be ways of thinking about what could be—and not just in the cool Tomorrowland-and-jetpacks way. Stories can be like friends who poke at our inhibitions until we try something new for a change—enduring grief for it at first, but receiving heartfelt thanks later. Stories can be the existential tricks a culture uses to remake itself against collective bad habits, or to shake off the muscle memory of evil. Creating a good one, I remind myself as I struggle with my own work, is an act not just of basic empathy, but of well-tuned imagination.
Of course, the empathy part is important too—and complicated. Write what you know—but also throw out what you know. After all, some of what you know is bad. Adam Rex, in a great Twitter thread that I mostly agree with, spoke of being “too selfish”—reminding me of something else Mercurio said, about how the book industry in general is hampered by “‘rockstar’ culture (and egos), driven both by society at large and by the economics of publishing (in which one blockbuster book often pays the bills for the entire slate of books being published in a given year).”
I come from the world of music, and wrote a book critiquing the idea of musical genius. I know something about the toxicity of rock star culture, and how there’s a fine line between aesthetic and political authority, and a finer line between authority and power. And the stubbornness of that dynamic makes me think that maybe the white male writer’s job right now is to find an elegant way to write himself into the background. Not as a gesture of false modesty or performative woke-ness, but more subtly, with fairness and generosity and respect.
Write what you know. But expand your knowledge. I keep telling myself: if you’re writing a story that comes easily, maybe that is part of the problem. As a writer, I want to take a cue from the best musicians, who understand what space is—how to be silent, how to support others in an ensemble, how to listen. It’s not that they squelch their sound when the time comes. It’s that they know when their time comes—and when it’s someone else’s time.
If that sounds easy, it’s not. It may be the hardest thing. In some ways, writing (and art in general) is inherently selfish. But my favorite writers seem to have learned how to modulate between creative selfishness and something broader and more inclusive—like modulating between drafting and revising, or between reverse and first gear. I’m trying to learn it too.
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The History of Lacrosse
By Thomas Vennum Jr.
Author of American Indian Lacrosse: Little Brother of War
Lacrosse was one of many varieties of indigenous stickball games being played by American Indians at the time of European contact. Almost exclusively a male team sport, it is distinguished from the others, such as field hockey or shinny, by the use of a netted racquet with which to pick the ball off the ground, throw, catch and convey it into or past a goal to score a point. The cardinal rule in all varieties of lacrosse was that the ball, with few exceptions, must not be touched with the hands.
Early data on lacrosse, from missionaries such as French Jesuits in Huron country in the 1630s and English explorers, such as Jonathan Carver in the mid-eighteenth century Great Lakes area, are scant and often conflicting. They inform us mostly about team size, equipment used, the duration of games and length of playing fields but tell us almost nothing about stickhandling, game strategy, or the rules of play. The oldest surviving sticks date only from the first quarter of the nineteenth century, and the first detailed reports on Indian lacrosse are even later. George Beers provided good information on Mohawk playing techniques in his Lacrosse (1869), while James Mooney in the American Anthropologist (1890) described in detail the "[Eastern] Cherokee Ball-Play," including its legendary basis, elaborate rituals, and the rules and manner of play.
Given the paucity of early data, we shall probably never be able to reconstruct the history of the sport. Attempts to connect it to the rubber-ball games of Meso-America or to a perhaps older game using a single post surmounted by some animal effigy and played together by men and women remain speculative. As can best be determined, the distribution of lacrosse shows it to have been played throughout the eastern half of North America, mostly by tribes in the southeast, around the western Great Lakes, and in the St. Lawrence Valley area. Its presence today in Oklahoma and other states west of the Mississippi reflects tribal removals to those areas in the nineteenth century. Although isolated reports exist of some form of lacrosse among northern California and British Columbia tribes, their late date brings into question any widespread diffusion of the sport on the west coast.
On the basis of the equipment, the type of goal used and the stick-handling techniques, it is possible to discern three basic forms of lacrosse—the southeastern, Great Lakes, and Iroquoian. Among southeastern tribes (Cherokee, Choctaw, Chickasaw, Creek, Seminole, Yuchi and others), a double-stick version of the game is still practiced. A two-and-a half foot stick is held in each hand, and the soft, small deerskin ball is retrieved and cupped between them. Great Lakes players (Ojibwe, Menominee, Potawatomi, Sauk, Fox, Miami, Winnebago, Santee Dakota and others) used a single three-foot stick. It terminates in a round, closed pocket about three to four inches in diameter, scarcely larger than the ball, which was usually made of wood, charred and scraped to shape. The northeastern stick, found among Iroquoian and New England tribes, is the progenitor of all present-day sticks, both in box as well as field lacrosse. The longest of the three—usually more than three feet—it was characterized by its shaft ending in a sort of crook and a large, flat triangular surface of webbing extending as much as two-thirds the length of the stick. Where the outermost string meets the shaft, it forms the pocket of the stick.
Lacrosse was given its name by early French settlers, using the generic term for any game played with a curved stick (crosse) and a ball. Native terminology, however, tends to describe more the technique (cf. Onondaga DEHUNTSHIGWA'ES, "men hit a rounded object") or, especially in the southeast, to underscore the game's aspects of war surrogacy ("little brother of war"). There is no evidence of non-Indians taking up the game until the mid-nineteenth century, when English-speaking Montrealers adopted the Mohawk game they were familiar with from Caughnawauga and Akwesasne, attempted to "civilize" the sport with a new set of rules and organize into amateur clubs. Once the game quickly grew in popularity in Canada, it began to be exported throughout the Commonwealth, as non-native teams traveled to Europe for exhibition matches against Iroquois players. Ironically, because Indians had to charge money in order to travel, they were excluded as "professionals" from international competition for more than a century. Only with the formation of the Iroquois Nationals in the 1980s did they successfully break this barrier and become eligible to compete in World Games.
Apart from its recreational function, lacrosse traditionally played a more serious role in Indian culture. Its origins are rooted in legend, and the game continues to be used for curative purposes and surrounded with ceremony. Game equipment and players are still ritually prepared by conjurers, and team selection and victory are often considered supernaturally controlled. In the past, lacrosse also served to vent aggression, and territorial disputes between tribes were sometimes settled with a game, although not always amicably. A Creek versus Choctaw game around 1790 to determine rights over a beaver pond broke out into a violent battle when the Creeks were declared winners. Still, while the majority of the games ended peaceably, much of the ceremonialism surrounding their preparations and the rituals required of the players were identical to those practiced before departing on the warpath.
A number of factors led to the demise of lacrosse in many areas by the late nineteenth century. Wagering on games had always been integral to an Indian community's involvement, but when betting and violence saw an increase as traditional Indian culture was eroding, it sparked opposition to lacrosse from government officials and missionaries. The games were felt to interfere with church attendance and the wagering to have an impoverishing effect on the Indians. When Oklahoma Choctaw began to attach lead weights to their sticks around 1900 to use them as skull-crackers, the game was outright banned.
Meanwhile, the spread of nonnative lacrosse from the Montreal area eventually led to its position today worldwide as one of the fastest growing sports (more than half a million players), controlled by official regulations and played with manufactured rather than hand-made equipment—the aluminum shafted stick with its plastic head, for example. While the Great Lakes traditional game died out by 1950, the Iroquois and southeastern tribes continue to play their own forms of lacrosse. Ironically, the field lacrosse game of nonnative women today most closely resembles the Indian game of the past, retaining the wooden stick, lacking the protective gear and demarcated sidelines of the men's game, and tending towards mass attack rather than field positions and offsides.
Culin, Stewart. "Games of the North American Indians." In Twenty-fourth Annual Report of the Bureau of American Ethnology, 1902-1903, pp. 1-840. Washington, D.C.: Government Printing Office, 1907.
Fogelson, Raymond. "The Cherokee Ball Game: A Study in Southeastern Ethnology." Ph.D. dissertation, University of Pennsylvania, 1962.
Vennum, Thomas Jr. American Indian Lacrosse: Little Brother of War. Washington, DC and London: Smithsonian Institution Press, 1994.
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History of Electronic music in China
Rock music history of China
Electronic Music | Metal | Punk | Rock
Regional Scenes
Beijing | Chengdu | Chongqing | Hongkong | Macau | Qingdao | Shanghai | Wuhan | Xi'an
Timelines & Lists
Domestic Bands | Foreign Bands | Labels | Tours | Records
Special Articles
History of the Midi Music Festival | Research
Individual Years
2011 | 2010 | 2009 | 2008 | 2007 | 2006 | 2005 | 2004 | 2003 | 2002 | 2001 | 2000 | 1999 | 1998 | 1997 | 1996 | 1995 | 1994 | 1993 | 1992 | 1991 | 1990 | 1989 | 1988 | 1987 | 1986 | 1985 | 1984 | 1983 | 1982 | 1981 | 1980 | 1979
The Year in Review (Photos)
2011 | 2010 | 2009 | 2008 | 2007 | 2006 | 2005 | 2004 | 2003 | 2002 | 2001 | 2000 | 1999 | 1998 | 1997 | 1996 | 1995
2 The roots
3 The 2000s
3.2 Waterland Kwanyin
4.1 Articles at Rock in China
There are numerous kinds of electronic music referred to within this article, both of academical nature and non-academical nature, underground concerts, experimental vanguard border-crossing and club-related electro composings.
Electronic music, or music composed by the help of electronical instruments, such as computers or synthesiszers, had a similar start in China as the rock music, with the opening of the China's borders at the end of the 70s, beginning of the 90s.
Electronical music, however, has always been different from rock music for it is also seen as a new means to develop traditional or classical orchestra music. Therefore also in China, the development of electronical music has taken an academic and a non-academic way.
"In 1984, Yuanlin Chen and a group of fellow graduate students at the Beijing Conservatory, among them Tan Dun, Zhu Shi-rui, Chen Yi, and Zhou Long, presented the first electronic music concert composed and performed by Chinese composers. According to Ping Jin, the program consisted largely of works performed live with synthesizers, using some pre-recorded material. Zhang Xiaofu describes this event as significant in large part because none of the students knew what an electroacoustic performance should be like and so they followed their imagination."[1]
"After the 1990s with the provocative rock and punk scene and small-scale experimentalism, the real breakthrough for Chinese underground and avant-garde music came in the early 21st century. The reason for this was the rapid spread of information through an increasing use of the Internet, and a fast growing club scene which was introducing DJ culture on a larger scale. This led to the birth of a young generation of Chinese experimental musicians. Through the Internet, Chinese musicians are finally able to hear and download anything happening in experimental music worldwide. This includes hearing “classics” in different areas, from Aphex Twin to Merzbow. Dickson Dee continues to release CDs and to bring many foreign experimental musicians to Mainland China while the sound artist, curator and critic Yan Jun started the Sub Jam label in Beijing. Taiwanese composer and contemporary music theoretician Dajuin Yao established the Post-Concrete label based in Berkeley, California in 1999, and many new artists like Wang Changcun, Zhong Minje, Zhou Pei (Ronez), Zhang Anding (Zafka) started experimenting with noise and sound art. FM3, maybe the most well known Chinese experimental music unit in the West (famous for their Buddha Machine release), becomes active in Beijing. The years 2000 to 2003 is definitely the start of some kind of “scene”; one which is obviously modelled after a very different kind of “genealogy” to the West. The important connection in the West to classical education at universities is not relevant here. Neither is there a history of experimentalism to build on with a more or less close connection between different generations of experimentalists. In China, the experimental music scene is young – in every sense of the word."[2]
"In early November 2003, Dajuin Yao organized the Sounding Beijing festival in a venue called the Loft Space. During three nights some of the most prominent names in Chinese experimental music shared the stage with several foreign artists, performing the most extreme and varied sorts of experimental music ever presented in China. This event is generally regarded in China as a kind of breakthrough for the electronic music community – it was a sign for the young generation of experimental electronic musicians that they are not alone. “There is a scene and many people are doing the same things as you”, was the message. In 2003, the Post-Concrete label released a double CD entitled China – the sonic avant-garde, the most complete compilation of Chinese experimental sound makers to date. Following the Sounding Beijing festival and the release of this CD the term Sound Art started to be widely used in China to describe various forms of sonic experiments, and the same year, Li Jianhong, composer, improviser, guitarist and founder of 2Pi records label, organized the first 2pi festival in Hangzhou. Since then the 2Pi festival of noise and sound continues with new editions every fall and has become the most important showcase of contemporary experimental music in China. So when one speaks about experimental non-academic Chinese music, one can refer to pre 2003 and post 2003 music."[2]
"After 2003 one might say that the scene is consolidated. The youngest generation of laptop artists started by using the Internet and hacking software. It was a DIY culture, although one in which many of its members had little or no background in music, let alone the art music culture. Laptop became the instrument of choice and artists started their own record label for releasing their own music. The development in this field is moving fast and is rapidly changing, and with new styles and genres, like soundscape and field recordings, it is obvious that the experimental music scene has also changed the way the artists listen to the world. In 2004, the hyperactive noise-unit Torturing Nurse was created in Shanghai, and artists such as Lin Zhiying, Zenlu, Bai Tian aka Bai+ian, to mention just a few, started performing and releasing their works on CD. Zhou Pei (Ronez) started the noise/experimental CDR label DouFu Records in Guilin, and today there are quite a few small artists who own CDR labels specializing in experimental music in China, all established in the last few years. Most sound artists have their own websites – myspace is very popular one – and Lawrence Lee, journalist and music critic, now based in Beijing, is running the Global Noise Online site, a database and forum for experimental music activities in China."[2]
Waterland Kwanyin
The Waterland Kwanyin series is a concert / event series, started by Yan Jun, in 2006, hosted at the 2 Kolegas in Beijing and bringing together artists from all over China and all over the world, exhibiting the latest innovations in vanguard music.
In 2008, Qiu Yu starts experimenting with low-bit music.
On May 4th, the compilation record EXpo (VA) is released world-wide.
Articles at Rock in China
Yan Jun, Ten Years, A Snapshot For Chinese New Music
↑ Gluck, B. (2005). Electronic Music in China. The EMF Institute.
↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 Zbigniew Karkowski & Yan Jun , The Sound of the Underground – Experimental and Non-Academic Musics in China
History of Chinese Music
General articles: History of music in China | Timeline of Chinese Music History
China, 8000–2000 B.C. Pre-Dynastic Epoch (8000 BC - 2100 BC), Xia Dynasty (2100 BC - 1600 BC)
China, 2000–1000 B.C. Xia Dynasty (2100 BC - 1600 BC), Shang Dynasty (1600 BC - 1050 BC)
China, 1000 B.C.–1 A.D. Eastern Zhou Dynasty (771 BC – 256 BC), Qin Dynasty (221 BC - 206 BC), Western Han Dynasty (206 BC – 9 AD)
China, 1–500 A.D. Eastern Han Dynasty (25 AD - 220 AD), Northern-Southern Dynasty (420 – 589)
China, 500–1000 A.D.: Northern-Southern Dynasty (420 – 589), Tang Dynasty (618 - 907), Five Dynasties (907 - 960), Northern Song Dynasty (960 - 1127)
China, 1000–1400 A.D. Northern Song Dynasty (960 - 1127), Southern Song Dynasty (1127 - 1279), Yuan Dynasty (1271–1368), Ming Dynasty (1368-1644)
China, 1400–1912 A.D. Ming Dynasty (1368-1644), Qing Dynasty (1644 – 1912)
China, 1912–1949 A.D. Republic of China era (1912–1949), Shidaiqu (1920s - 1960s)
(1949 AD - present time):
PRC (until Opening Up) (1949 - 1979)
Cantopop | Electronic Music | Metal | Punk | Rock
Chinese Instruments: Erhu | Guqin | Pipa
Administrative: Project:Chinese Music History | This template page | Materials | References & Sources
Retrieved from "http://wiki.rockinchina.com/wiki/index.php?title=History_of_Electronic_music_in_China&oldid=55781"
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