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Amusement park filled with world-class entertainments that both young people and family can enjoy.
In 1969, Fuji-Q Highland started its history as an amusement park located at the foot of Mt. Fuji surrounded by the magnificent nature. It was a grand opening of an amusement park business of Fujikyu Corp. Currently, there are nearly 40 kinds of attractions in the park, many attractions are certified as Guinness world record, and you can enjoy a various amusement while watching Mt. Fuji. In the park, There is a “Thomas Land” that the only outdoors Thomas and Friends-themed park in Japan, also a there is a theme park " La Ville de Gaspard et Lisa " The world’s first them park of the France-born, popular picture book characters, Gaspard and Lisa. Whether old or young, men or women, it will be enjoyable, no matter what you are looking for.
Scary rides are not the only things that are interesting. Since its opening, we have had dynamic events as our selling points. They started out as “Big Flying Circus” or “Big Automobile Circus”, and “Rock Kids” in 1989 and “American Kids” in 1990 were a turning point to musical events, and now we are having “Sound Conifer229”, which is entertaining a lot of people.
In order for a lot of people to enjoy, Fuji-Q Highland values seasonal events and, at the same time, aims to improve as an amusement park that is entertaining for all the generations throughout the year.
With the Guinness World Records,
Fuji-Q Highland, having started as the Fuji Goko International Skating Center in 1961, started. In 1964, it called "Fuji Rama Park". And in 1969, It officially opened as "Fuji-Q Highland". Since then, the park took advantage of vast scale that no other parks have. We have been pursuing to be "the best park in the world" now.
In 1996, "FUJIYAMA", which was certified a Guinness World Record for the height, the difference in elevation and the speed, opened, and started "Dodonpa", which was the fastest at 172km/h at that time in 2001 and "Super Scary Labyrinth of Fear", which was the longest-running haunted house in the world. In 2006, we started a roller coaster "Eejanaika", which has the highest number of spins in the world, and in 2008 started "Nagashimasuka", whose signature is the world's largest lucky cat pair covered with gold leaves, which is certified as the biggest lucky cat in the world. In 2011, the Guinness-certified roller coaster "Takabisha", which had the steepest drop in the world at 121°, was opened, and in 2017, roller coaster "Dodonpa" was renewed to "Do・dodonpa", which has the world's fastest acceleration.
In 1998, the first outdoor theme park based on Thomas and Friends in Japan, "Thomas Land" was opened. And in 2013, the first theme park "La Ville de Gaspard et Lisa" was opened based on "Lisa and Gaspard". As it is a big amusement park that has various entertainment facilities in the area, many customers are enjoying it.
Who is disturbing the peace in the park! It is Screaming Squadron Highlander
The official mascot on Fuji-Q Highland, as you all know, is Screaming Squadron Highlander! It consists of six members, "Eejanaika Red", "FUJIYAMA Blue", "DODONPA Pink", "Tondemina Green", "Nagashimasuka Yellow" and "Takabisha Gold", and they call themselves "heroes", just disturbing the peace in the park day and night.
If you are thinking that they are heroes, it is a big mistake. Their line is "Do not think we are on the side of justice". They are going Fuji-Q Highland whimsically and wandering around the park. According to what people say, "unwilling heroes" are not seeking smiles of everyone in the park but their screams. Even if someone is in trouble, they will not help you. It is an ugly "Jukker" army that protects the peace within the park. Their boss is "Jukai alien". He brings the justice and is a leader who makes every guest in the park peaceful. All of the Jukkers are also all good people.
Screaming Squadron Highlander vs. Jukkers! The battle of the Jukker army to wipe out Screaming Squadron Highlander, who disturbs the peace within the park, has only just begun. They are everywhere. If you see them in the park, I promise that you will be happy all the time. Also, There are 40 kinds of "LINE stamp" are available on LINE.
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Mother's Day approaching
Business brisk to mark special time
Maureen Sirois shops at Parsons in Lakeland Plaza on Tuesday. Local retailers are seeing increased business in anticipation of Mother’s Day. - photo by Autumn Vetter
Crystal Ledford
Updated: May 11, 2012, 1 p.m.
Kiwp Blackburn was eager to get a jump start on his Mother’s Day shopping this year.
Tuesday, he spent some time at Parsons in Lakeland Plaza searching for the perfect piece of jewelry for his wife.
“I wanted to make sure we had what we needed before the mad rush came,” Blackburn said. “You can’t beat Parsons.”
The Cumming gift and collectibles shop is one of several around Forsyth expecting extra business leading up to Mother’s Day on Sunday as shoppers find treats for mom.
Parsons’ owner Cris Willis said next to Christmas, Mother’s Day generates the highest sales of the year for the store.
“The Saturday before Mother’s Day is right up there with the Saturday before Christmas,” she said. “It’s all hands on deck the Saturday before Mother’s Day.”
That’s probably the case at retailers across the United States as national Mother’s Day spending is projected to reach $18.6 billion, according to a survey by the National Retail Federation.
The survey anticipates that the average person celebrating the holiday likely will spend more than $152 on gifts, up from about $140 last year.
In preparation, Willis said Parsons will be well staffed.
“On a slower weekend, we’ll have maybe 15 people … this Saturday, we’ll have 26 plus all of our managers,” she said. “We’ll have at least 30 people here.”
Terry Henner, owner of Cool Bees Artwork and Gifts in the Midway community, said this will be the first Mother’s Day for her store, which opened in July. Still, she’s seen an increase in business.
“I had two people in here today buying Mother’s Day gifts,” Henner said on Tuesday. “I hope to see a lot more by this weekend.”
Henner said the store specializes in items that would make good gifts for women.
“Everything in here is a great Mother’s Day gift to me,” she said. “As a mother of four, I’d like to have any of it as a Mother’s Day gift.”
Among the shop’s offerings, Henner said, are handmade jewelry from 25 different artisans, paintings and pottery from locals, and homemade candles and soaps.
Willis said some of Parsons’ top sellers are Pandora and Brighton jewelry lines, Vera Bradley bags, and the store’s handmade fudge and candies.
But, she added, the entire store caters to female customers.
“We strive to carry the things that all women want,” she said.
Besides jewelry, candy and collectibles, flowers are also popular for Mother’s Day.
Ronnie McCormick, owner of Lanierland Florist on Hwy. 20, said Mother’s Day is close to Valentine’s Day, which is most florists’ busiest day of the year, in terms of orders.
“[Sales are] going good, especially for the economy we’re in,” he said. “People still know they have a mother and that’s a good thing.
“We’ve seen a good steady pace.”
McCormick said a nice aspect of Mother’s Day is that sales are “spread out” with some people opting to have mom’s bouquet delivered before the actual holiday.
“We’ve had orders as early as the first of this week,” he said. “Of course, Friday and Saturday will be the busiest, but at least it’s not all orders on one day like with Valentine’s.”
Like Willis, McCormick said the shop has been fully staffed this week.
“We’ve put in a few more hours and picked up a little extra help, especially with getting the deliveries out,” he said.
As for Blackburn, he’s thankful for his wife, who he says ensures he gets the right gift each year.
“She comes and makes me a list to make it easy on me,” he said.
Why this Forsyth County funeral home started a free bus service
Ribbon cutting held for south Forsyth technology incubator
Two Heart Center cardiologists challenge non-compete agreement
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PTSD Series
Best of Forsyth 2019 Image Galleries
Cumming Country Fair & Festival opens Thursday in Forsyth County
Kelly Whitmire Follow @ForsythNews
Updated: Oct. 3, 2016, 11:12 a.m.
The world’s largest moving Ferris wheel, legendary music acts and food so unhealthy you can only indulge once a year.
It all starts on Thursday.
The Cumming Country Fair and Festival will be held from Thursday, Oct. 6 to Sunday, Oct. 16 at the Cumming Fairgrounds at 235 Castleberry Road. Dave Horton, fairgrounds administrator, said each day will be a little different.
“Each day’s got something special,” Horton said. “We’ve got music entertainers – Lone Star, Charlie Daniels and Atlanta Rhythm Section. We have Marvel heroes doing two shows on Children’s Healthcare [day], and we have bull riding on the last two nights.”
Last year, the fair set a record 167,827 visitors; a record Horton wants to see broken.
“If we have a good weather run, then I think we’ll be able to break that 170,000 mark,” he said.
Horton said the fair has something for all ages, which includes about 40 midway rides provided by James H. Drew Exposition.
“They have a great kiddie land; a lot of kiddie rides and a lot of rides parents can ride the ride with their child,” he said. “Then they have some of the bigger rides; they have rides for the bigger kids and adults that like that adrenaline rush.”
No fair would be complete without a Ferris wheel, and luckily the fair will bring a big one that goes nearly 100 feet in the air.
“The Ferris wheel is like the 1962 Seattle World’s Fair Ferris wheel,” Horton said. “It’s just a beautiful wheel, and it’s the tallest portable wheel in the world.”
Also notable are the 120 cable lift buckets that will take riders across the fairgrounds.
Of course, the midway will also feature traditional fair food, along with local vendors selling food and other items.
“We’ve got plenty of corndogs, funnel cakes, deep-fried Oreos, all those things you eat at the fair and let your diet go for a week,” Horton said.
While the food and rides are staples, the fair will also have some local exclusives.
Two of the most notable are the Heritage and Cherokee Indian villages.
Heritage Village features a sawmill, cotton gin, blacksmith and school building. Last year, 32 bales of cotton, each weighing about 400 pounds, were produced by the cotton gin, and Horton said many of the buildings use wood cut at the saw mill.
“A lot of people in their 50s and older … remember that their grandparents or their great-grandparents that had machinery or some of the things we have highlighted in Heritage Village,” Horton said.
Horton said that for some locals there is a family connection to the old tools.
“A good number of the venues within Heritage Village, the equipment was donated by local families, so it’s special or cool for them, and it’s special for us because it came out of our own community,” he said. “They hadn’t seen it run, so they donate it to us and we grease it up and make it run again, so it’s pretty neat for them to see.”
Though named for the Cherokee Indians who once lived in the area, Horton said many cultures will be represented at Indian Village.
“They’ve got encampments set up that show a lot of the Native American Culture, and there will be some vendors set up to sell Native American crafts,” Horton said.
“It covers the Midwest, it covers Canada and also Cherokee; there are several here with Cherokee lineage. So, it’s a multi-international flavor of Native American culture.”
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Lion-tailed Macaque Animals & Plants
About the Lion-tailed Macaque
Have a quick glance at any of our Lion-tailed Macaque troop and you will understand where their name comes from! Few other primates have such a striking characteristic as a mane of silver-white hair around their cheeks and chin and the similarities continue to the tail, which has a black tuft of fur at the end - just like that of a lion.
The Lion-tailed Macaque is one of 16 Macaques species, which have an extensive home range stretching from Gibraltar to Japan. However, this particular primate is confined to tiny, isolated pockets of evergreen tropical forest in the Western Ghat Mountains in India.
The Lion-tailed Macaque is considered to be omnivorous, eating mainly fruit, insects, eggs as well as small animals on occasion. It even uses special cheek pouches to store food while foraging.
The Macaque lives in groups of between ten and 20 individuals with one dominant male taking responsibility for leading the entire troop. Young males leave at the onset of maturity and join bachelor groups, while young females form strong bonds with their mother and usually remain within their natal group. Females give birth every 3-4 years and the species can live up to 20 years of age in the wild and about 30 years in captivity.
With less than 2,500 individuals remaining in the wild and about 400 more in zoos, the Lion-tailed Macaque is one of the most Endangered species in the world today. Also hunted for its meat and fur, only 1% of their original habitat remains - because of timber harvesting and agriculture - and as their population numbers continue to decrease, Europe’s captive population now makes up 5% of the entire group left on the planet.
The Lion-tailed Macaque is so well adapted to its forest home that it simply cannot adjust to the new habitats being created by human intrusion. Although they don’t often come to the ground, they are actually excellent swimmers and are quadrupedal in that they walk on all four limbs.
Situated in the Asian Sanctuary, the Lion-tailed Macaque has thrived since arriving at Fota. The group is now one of the biggest in Europe and has one dominant male along with two distinct families, each with their own dominant female.
Smaller groups of juveniles are active throughout the day and are always playing, swinging and getting into trouble! The troop is part of a critically-important breeding programme, given how rare the animal now is in the wild, and eat monkey chow, freshly-chopped produce and nuts. They also steal bird eggs and gather crabs from the lake.
Latin Name:Macaca silenus
Biome:Tropical Forests
Class:Mammal
Order:Primates
Conservation Status:Endangered
Indian Peafowl
The Peafowl is a sacred bird to Hindus, who believe the eyespot feathers on its tail symbolise the eyes of the Gods. Also celebrated in Greek mythology, the species has been the national bird of India since 1963.
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Last Update September 27, 2017
Photos of religious minority children pleading for Trump's help show urgency for Iraq aid
By Perry Chiaramonte, | Fox News
Images provided to Fox News show Christian Iraqi children pleading for help from the US, which experts say underscores the plight faced by the country's religious minorities.
EXCLUSIVE – As the deadline looms for the State Department and USAID to provide portions of more than $1 billion in aid to the religious minorities targeted for genocide by ISIS in Iraq, the children of Christian and Yazidi refugees are pleading directly to President Trump to take action.
A series of photos provided exclusively to Fox News show the young refugees at camps in Mt. Sinjar and Dohuk holding up makeshift signs saying, “God Bless USA” and “Don’t forget us President Trump,” to put a human face on their longstanding plight in Northern Iraq.
“I think it will strike the conscience to see the real faces of innocent children who need to be rescued,” Nina Shea, an international human rights lawyer, and Director of the Hudson Institute’s Center for Religious Freedom, said to Fox News. “When images of the Yazidis fleeing Mt. Sinjar were made public, it galvanized the previous administration to go back with troops, food drops and other aid after our military had already pulled out of Iraq.”
“We saw something similar with President Trump’s actions after the chemical attacks in Syria.”
It was over a year ago when then-Secretary of State John Kerry publicly declared in March 2016 that ISIS was “responsible for genocide” against the religious minorities of northern Iraq. A total of $1.3 billion was eventually earmarked for humanitarian aid under the Consolidated Appropriations Act, but many of Iraq’s Christians, Yazidis, and other religious minorities have yet to see a dime. The Consolidated Appropriations Act will expire this week at the end of the fiscal year.
Yazidi Children at a camp in Mt. Sinjar also made signs with a direct message to the President.
Catholic and Christian Churches submitted a request on September 15 to USAID for the immediate release of $22 million of the $1.3 billion allocated for immediate relief.
Shea tells Fox News that the funds have not been released due to what USAID officials have referred to as a “religion blind” policy in which they claim the U.S. cannot release money to religious groups despite the statutory mandate to assist these communities. The deadline comes as an exception was made for the Rohingya Muslim refugees from Myanmar, which received $32 million in aid.
“I think it will strike the conscience to see the real faces of innocent children who need to be rescued...”
— Nina Shea, international human rights lawyer
“It is always good when people who are in danger are helped. But why is there a terrible disparity between our government’s treatment of the Rohingya Muslims in Burma and the absolute lack of help for Christians in Iraq — whom Secretary Tillerson declared last month to be victims of genocide,” she said in a statement to Fox News. “The principles at stake are enormous. In Iraq, we should be helping people that are victims of genocide. But our government is not. We should be caring for all religious minorities. But our government is not. We should be concerned about religious freedom. But our government is not.”
Officials for USAID tell Fox News that any assertion that the United States is not providing support to vulnerable communities in Iraq is false.
Camp refugees used the same tactic in 2014 when they were first driven out of their homes in northern Iraq by ISIS militants.
"Since FY 2014, the U.S. government has provided nearly $1.7 billion to address the humanitarian needs of Iraqis both inside Iraq and in the region, including vulnerable members of minority communities, like the Yazidis and Christians," the official said. "This includes an additional $264 million announced on September 20. In addition, we have provided $115 million, with more pledged, to the successful UNDP Funding Facility for Stabilization. This has resulted in 2.2 million Iraqis returning to their homes. A sizable proportion of this assistance is in minority communities."
The official adds that humanitarian assistance is based on need over religious affiliation.
"[B]ut minorities are among the principal beneficiaries," they said. "Humanitarian assistance is provided to both internally displaced persons (IDPs) in camps, and to IDPs living in communities - often with families."
In 2003, Iraq’s Christian population was an estimated 1.4 million, according to ADF International. The Nineveh Plains region, also known as the Plain of Mosul, in northern Iraq was a centuries-old homeland for the country’s Chaldean, Syriac and Assyrian Christians. Then the U.S. invaded Iraq, unleashing a wave of sectarian violence that hammered churches. Christians fled the Nineveh plain, and as of late last year, the number of Christians in Iraq had fallen to an estimated 275,000.
One reason for the exodus was ISIS conquering northern Iraq in 2014. The terror group launched an organized massacre against the church as well as against other minority religions like Yazidis. But today, a U.S. coalition has eliminated the Islamic State’s chokehold on much of northern Iraq, including the city of Mosul.
The dwindling numbers are due to genocide, religious refugees fleeing to other countries, internal displacement and others disavowing their faith.
It has been estimated that a dozen Christian families fled Iraq each day during the ISIS occupation of the northern half of the country. Christians who have managed to escape ISIS have fled to places like Europe and Lebanon. Others simply wandered the region avoiding U.N.-operated refugee camps for fear that Muslim refugees in the camps would target them.
Shea says that there is still hope for the religious minorities of Iraq.
“It’s not impossible to show that the U.S. can act quickly, as we saw with the Rohingyas,” she said. “It’s not subject to bureaucracy or lack of inertia.”
Perry Chiaramonte is a producer with Fox News Channel's Investigative Unit. Follow him on Twitter at @perrych
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Cop Shit
"Ain't That Some Shit!" - Jules Verne - (1828 - 1905)
When Attribution is not a Challenge
Shari met Johnny a long time ago. They knew each other through mutual friends. It was a casual and brief acquaintance, seeing each other at parties and infrequently running into each other on the streets of SoHo and Chelsea in 1990’s New York City.
He wasn’t seeing anyone steady and Shari was in a dead end long distance romance with an artist living in London. They never “clicked.”
7 Minute Read
The Charm Offensive
Back in 1983, the New York City Civilian Complaint Review Board better known as CCRB, monitored complaints against NYPD cops. At an obviously perspicuous moment their insightful minds discovered a basic algorithm. This would ultimately determine the veracity of a complaint of verbal abuse lodged against the members of the NYPD by an aggrieved and abused member of the public.
“All cops call people assholes, so if a complainant says he was called an asshole, it must be true.”
When Sean and I heard this piece of cogent logic we decided to counter it with an affirmative response from a working police officers’ point of view. I christened our project: “The Charm Offensive.”
Chivalry Was Not Dead
It was a busy Manhattan summer back in 1983, a Saturday night in the NYPD’s 13th Precinct. The dense humidity soaked into the station house even though the air conditioning was running full blast: (that’s full blast for an under maintained New York City municipal building). The craziness from the streets invaded the station house as well. It seemed like every strange person within the confines of the command compiled with some exotic call. Somewhat like the zombies from The Night of the Living Dead movie. Then again, it was kind of a fun night.
READ MORE
Abused and Amused
What do WE want? DEAD COPS When do WE want them? NOW!!!!” She vehemently screamed; Pointing directly at the old hairbag cop with about 30 years on the job, standing behind a police barrier only a few feet away.The cop recalls the orders dictated to his Sergeant by the Captain and then dictated to him by his Sergeant before they were dispatched to this post:
READ MORE:
Snap Shot: Donut Empathy
The two NYPD cops were working a midnight tour back in 1984.
“What’s the problem now?” Frankie The Cop asks Stillos, the obnoxious owner of Athens DonutDelites. The shop was located on the southeast corner of West 23rd Street and 7th Avenue in Manhattan’s 13th Pct.
He then indigently points over to a middle aged man in a lightweight olive green summer seersucker suit.
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Madison West, WI | P: 608-467-3333 | GET YOUR INTRO OFFER
Fred Astaire Dance Studios of Madison West, WI | P: 608-467-3333 | GET YOUR INTRO OFFER
Types of Ballroom Dance
Rumba (or “ballroom-rumba”), is one of the ballroom dances which occurs in social dance and in international competitions. It is the slowest of the five competitive International Latin dances: the Paso Doble, the Samba, the Cha Cha, and the Jive being the others. This ballroom Rumba was derived from a Cuban rhythm and dance called the Bolero-Son; the international style was derived from studies of dance in Cuba in the pre-revolutionary period which was then popularized by the descendants of African slaves of Cuba. Its tantalizing rhythm first invaded the United Sates in the early 1930s, and has remained one of the most popular social dances. The Rumba is characterized by a smooth, subtle hip motion and a heavy walking step.
Of the three styles of Rumba that were introduced to the United States, the Bolero-Rumba, the Son-Rumba and the Guaracha-Rumba, only the Bolero-Rumba (shortened to Bolero) and the Son-Rumba (shortened to Rumba) have survived the test of time. The Guaracha-Rumba quickly faded in popularity when the more exciting Mambo was introduced to Americans in the late 1940s. The Rumba is danced in place as the steps are quite compact. Although the Rumba is not danced with the same body contact that is used in smooth-style dances, there may be times when partnership looks and feels more attractive when a closer contact is felt. A smooth and subtle movement of the hips is characteristic of the Rumba.
Let us help you get started with a new & exciting endeavor – ballroom dancing! Contact us today, at Fred Astaire Dance Studios. Inside our doors, you’ll find a warm and welcoming community that will inspire you to reach new heights, and have fun doing it!
East Coast Swing
Madison West
2727 W. Beltline Highway | Madison, WI 53713, USA
madisonwest@fredastaire.com
Madison FADS, Inc.
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Está aqui: Freemason.pt > Enciclopédia Mackey > Enciclopédia Mackey – J ~ JAFUHAR
Enciclopédia Mackey – J ~ JAFUHAR
28/02/2018 25/02/2019 António Jorge158 Visualizações enciclopédia, Mackey
ENCYCLOPEDIA OF FREEMASONRY AND ITS KINDRED SCIENCES
The tenth letter in the English alphabet. It is frequently and interchangeably used with I, and written in Hebrew as Yod, with the numerical value of 10, and having reference to the Supreme.
JAABOROU HAMMAIM
The Hebrew words, aquae transibunt. A word of covered significancy in the Fifteenth Degree of the Ancient and Accepted Scottish Rite. It also has reference to the L. D. P. (see Liber).
JABESCHEH
The Hebrew word Earth. Also written Jebschah (see I.•. N.•.R.•.I.•.).
JABULUM
A corrupted word used in two of the Degrees of the Ancient and Accepted Scottish Rite, the Thirteenth and Seventeenth. The true word and its meaning, however, are disclosed to the initiate.
Hence called by Dudley and some other writers, who reject the points, Ichin. It is the name of the right-hand pillar facing eastward, that is, on the south, that stood at the porch of King Solomon’s Temple. It is derived from two Hebrew words, no, Jah, meaning God, and lace, iachin, will establish. It signifies, therefore, God will establish, and is often called the Pillar of Establishment.
JACHINAI
A Gallic corruption of Shekinah, to be found only in the French notebooks or cahiers of the advanced Degrees.
JACHIN AND BOAZ
A publication known by this name was brought forth in 1762 and has been constantly reprinted to the present time, probably having had a larger public sale than any other book treating of the Masonic Fraternity. The name of the author is said to have been Goodall (see Goodall; also Expositions) .
JACKSON, JOHN
Signing the name of Philanthropos, he wrote, An Answer to a certain Pamphlet lately published under the solemn title of “A Sermon, or Masonry the way to Hell,” 1768. The pamphlet to which he refers is in the British Museum at London and has the title of Masonry the way to Hell; a Sermon wherein is clearly proved, both from Reason and Scripture, that all who profess the Mysteries are in a state of Damnation, published at London in 1768.
JACOBINS
A political sect that sprang up in the beginning of the French Revolution, and which have origin to the Jacobin clubs, so well known as having been the places where the leaders of the Revolution concocted their plans for the abolition of the monarchy and the aristocracy. Lieber says that it is a most surprising phenomenon that “so large a body of men could be found uniting rare energy with execrable vice, political madness, and outrageous cruelty, committed always in the name of virtue.” Barruel, in his History de Jacobinisme, and Robinson, in his Proofs of a Conspiracy, both endeavor to prove that there was a coalition of the revolutionary conspirators with the Illuminati and the Freemasons which formed the Jacobin Clubs, those Bodies being, as they contend, only Masonic Lodges in disguise.
The falsity of these charges will be evident to anyone who reads the history of French Freemasonry during the Revolution, and more especially during that part of the period known as the Reign of Terror, when the Jacobin Clubs were in most vigor. The Grand Orient, in 1788, declared that a politico-Masonic work, entitled Les Jesuites chassés de la Maçonnerie et leur Poignard brisé par les Maçons, meaning The Jesuits driven from Freemasonry and their weapon broken by the Freemasons, was the production of a perverse mind, prepared as a poison for the destruction of Freemasonry, and ordered it to be burned. During the Revolution, the Grand Orient suspended its labors, and the Lodges in France were dissolved; and in 1793, the Duke of Orleans, the head of the Jacobins, who was also, unfortunately, Grand Master of the French Freemasons, resigned the latter position, assigning as a reason that he did not believe that there should be any mystery nor any Secret Society in a Republic. It is evident that the Freemasons, as an Order, held themselves aloof from the political contests of that period.
The introduction of Jacob’s ladder into the symbolism of Speculative Freemasonry is to be traced to the vision of Jacob, which is thus substantially recorded in the twenty-eighth chapter of the Book of Genesis: When Jacob, by the command of his father Isaac, was journeying toward Padanaram, while sleeping one night with the bare earth for his couch and a stone for his pillow, he beheld the vision of a ladder, whose foot rested on the earth and whose top reached to heaven. Angels were continually ascending and descending upon it, and promised him the blessing of a numerous and happy posterity. When Jacob awoke, he was filled with pious gratitude, and consecrated the spot as the house of God.
This ladder, so remarkable in the history of the Jewish people, finds its analogue in all the ancient initiations. Whether this is to be attributed simply to a coincidence—a theory which but few scholars would be willing to accept—or to the fact that these analogues were all derived from a common fountain of symbolism, or whether, as suggested by Brother Oliver, the origin of the symbol was lost among the practices of the Pagan rites, while the symbol itself was retained, it is, perhaps, impossible authoritatively to determine. It is, however, certain that the ladder as a symbol of moral and intellectual progress existed almost universally in antiquity, presenting itself either as a succession of steps, of gates, of Degrees, or in some other modified form. The number of the steps varied; although the favorite one appears to have been seven, in reference, apparently, to the mystical character almost everywhere given to that number.
Thus, in the Persian Mysteries of Mithras, there was a ladder of seven rounds, the passage through them being symbolical of the soul’s approach to perfection. These rounds were called gates, and, in allusion to them, the candidate was made to pass through seven dark and winding caverns, which process was called the ascent of the ladder of perfection Each of these caverns was the representative of a world, or w state of existence through which the soul was supposed to pass in its progress from the first world to the last, or the world of truth. Each round of the ladder was said to be of metal of measuring purity, and was dignified also with the name of its protecting planet. Some idea of the construction of this symbolic ladder may be obtained from the accompanying table.
7. Gold ………….. Sun …………… Truth
6. Silver …………. Moon ……….. Mansion of the Blessed
5. Iron …………… Mars ………… World of Births
4. Tin ……………. Jupiter ……… Middle World
3. Copper ………. Venus ………. Heaven
2. Quicksilver … Mercury ……. World of Pre-existence
1. Lead …………. Saturn ………. First World
SYMBOLIC LADDER OF MITHRAS
In the Mysteries of Brahma we find the same reference to the ladder of seven steps. The names of these were not different, and there was the same allusion to the symbol of the universe. The seven steps were emblematical of the seven worlds which constituted the Indian universe. The lowest was the Earth; the second, the World of Pre-existence; the third, Heaven; the fourth, the Middle World, or intermediate region between the lower and upper worlds; the fifth, the World of Births, in which souls are again born; the sixth, the Mansion of the Blessed; and the seventh, or topmost round, the Sphere of Truth, and the abode of Brahma.
Doctor Oliver thinks that in the Scandinavian mysteries the tree Yggrasil was the representative of the mystical ladder. But although the ascent of the tree, like the ascent of the ladder, was a change from a lower to a higher sphere—from time to eternity, and from death to life—yet the unimaginative genius of the North seems to have shorn the symbolism of many of its more salient features.
Among the Cabalists, the ladder was represented by the ten Sephiroths, which, commencing from the bottom, were the Kingdom, Foundation, Splendor, Firmness, Beauty, Justice, Mercy, Intelligence, Wisdom, and the Crown, by which we arrive at the En Soph, or the Infinite.
In the advanced Freemasonry we find the Ladder of Kadosh, which consists of seven steps, thus commencing from the bottom: Justice, Equity, Kindness, Good Faith, Labor, Patience, and Intelligence. The arrangement of these steps, for which we are indebted to modern ritualism, does not seem to be perfect; but yet the idea of intellectual progress to perfection is carried out by making the topmost round represent Wisdom or Understanding.
The Masonic Ladder which is presented in the symbolism of the First Degree ought really to consist not of three but seven steps, which thus ascend: Temperance, Fortitude, Prudence, Justice, Faith, Hope, and Charity; but the earliest examples present it only with three, referring to the three theological virtues, whence it is called the theological ladder. It seems, therefore, to have been settled by general usage that the Masonic Ladder has but three steps. As a symbol of progress, Jacob’s ladder was early recognized. Picus of Mirandola, who wrote in the sixteenth century, in his oration, De Hominis Dignitate, says that Jacob’s ladder is a symbol of the progressive scale of intellectual communication betwixt earth and heaven; and upon the ladder, as it were, step by step, man is permitted with the angels to ascend and descend until the mind finds blissful and complete b repose in the bosom of divinity. The highest step he defines to be theology, or the study and contemplation of the Deity in His own abstract and exalted nature.
Other interpretations have, however, been given to it. The Jewish writers differ very much in their expositions of it. Thus, a writer of one of the Midrashes or Commentaries, finding that the Hebrew words for ladder and Sinai have each the same numerical value of Setters, expounds the ladder as typifying the giving of the law on that mount. Aben Ezra thought that it was a symbol of the human mind, and that the angels represented the sublime meditations of man. Maimonides supposed the ladder to symbolize nature in its operations; and, citing the authority of a Midrash which gives to it four steps, says that they represent the four elements; the two heavier, earth and water, descending by their specific gravity, and the two lighter, fire and air, ascending from the same cause. Abarbanel, assuming the Talmudic theory that Luz, where Jacob slept, was Mount Moriah, supposes that the ladder, resting on the spot which afterward became the holy of holies, was a prophetic symbol of the building of the Temple.
And, lastly, Raphael interprets the ladder, and the ascent and the descent of the angels, as the prayers of man and the answering inspiration of God. Fludd, the Hermetic philosopher, in his Philosophia Mosaica of 1638, calls the ladder the symbol of the triple world, moral, physical, and intellectual; and Nicolai says that the ladder with three steps was, among the Rosicrucian Freemasons in the seventeenth century, a symbol of the knowledge of nature. Finally, Krause says, in his drei altesten Kunsturkunden (ii, page 481), that a Brother Keher of Edinburgh, whom he describes as a skillful and truthful Freemason, had in 1802 assured the members of a Lodge at Altenberg that originally only one Scottish Degree existed, whose object was the restoration of James II to the throne of England, and that of that restoration Jacob’s ladder had been adopted by them as a symbol. Of this fact he further said that an authentic narrative was contained in the Archives of the Grand Lodge of Scotland. Notwithstanding Lawrie’s silence on the subject, Krause is inclined to believe the story, nor is it in all its parts altogether without probability.
The old writers believed it is more than likely that the Chevalier Ramsay, who was a warm adherent of the Stuarts, transferred the Symbol of the mystical ladder from the Mithraic Mysteries, with which he was very familiar, into his Scottish Degrees, and that thus it became a part of the symbolism of the Kadosh system. But as regards the later conception of Brother Ramsey’s connection with Degrees see the article herein about him. In some of the political lodges instituted under the influence of the ,Stuarts to assist in the restoration of their house, the philosophical interpretation of the symbol may have been perverted to a political meaning, and to these Lodges it is to be supposed that Keher alluded; but that the Grand Lodge of Scotland had made any official recognition of the fact is not to be believed. Lawrie’s silence seems to be conclusive.
In the Ancient Craft Degrees of the York Rite, Jacob’s ladder was not an original symbol. It is said to have been introduced by Dunckerley when he reformed the lectures. This is confirmed by the fact that it is not mentioned in any of the early rituals of the eighteenth century, nor by Hutchinson, who had an excellent opportunity of doing so in his lecture on the Nature of the Lodge, where he speaks of the Covering of the Lodge, but says nothing of the means of reaching it, which he would have done, had he been acquainted with the ladder as a symbol. Its first appearance is in a Tracing Board, on which the date of 1776 is inscribed, which very well agrees with the date of Dunckerley’s improvements. In this Tracing Board, the ladder has but three rounds; a change from the old seven-stepped ladder of the mysteries; which, however, Preston corrected when he described it as having many rounds, but three principal ones.
As to the modern Masonic symbolism of the ladder, it is, as Brother Mackey has already said, a symbol of progress, such as it is in all the old initiations. Its three principal rounds, representing Faith, Hope, and Charity, present us with the means of advancing from earth to heaven, from death to life—from the mortal to immortality. Hence its foot is placed on the ground floor of the Lodge, which is typical of the world, and its top rests on the covering of the Lodge, which is symbolic of heaven.
In the Prestonian lecture, which Brother Mackey believed was elaborated out of Dunckerley’s system, the ladder is said to rest on the Holy Bible, and to reach to the heavens. This symbolism is thus explained:
By the doctrines contained in the Holy Bible we are taught to believe in the Divine dispensation of Providence, which belief strengthens our Faith, and enables us to ascend the first step. That Fasth naturally creates in us a Hope of becoming partakers ot some of the blessed promises therein recorded. which Hope enables us to as send the second step. But the third and last being Charity comprehends the whole, and he who is possessed of this virtue in its ample sense, is said to have ample that the summit of his profession. or, more metaphorically into an ethereal mansion sealed from the mortal eye by the starry firmament.
In the modern lectures, the language is materially changed, but the idea and the symbolism are retained unaltered. The delineation of the ladder with three steps only on the Tracing Board of 1776, which is a small one, may be attributed to notions of convenience. But the Masonic ladder should properly have seven steps, which represent the four cardinal and the three theological virtues.
JACQUES DE MALAY
See Molay, James de
JAFUHAR
The second king in the Scandinavian mysteries. The Synonym for Thor.
Enciclopédia Mackey – INITIATION ~ INNS
Maçons notáveis – W
Maçons notáveis – T
Maçons notáveis – L
← Enciclopédia Mackey – JAH ~ JEHOSHAPHAT
Enciclopédia Mackey – IRELAND ~ IZRACHIAH →
Enciclopédia Mackey – GILDS ~ GLEASON
28/02/2018 António JorgeComentários fechados em Enciclopédia Mackey – GILDS ~ GLEASON
Enciclopédia Mackey – SAADH ~ SOVEREIGN
28/02/2018 António JorgeComentários fechados em Enciclopédia Mackey – SAADH ~ SOVEREIGN
Enciclopédia Mackey – SPECULATIVE ~ SYNOD
28/02/2018 António JorgeComentários fechados em Enciclopédia Mackey – SPECULATIVE ~ SYNOD
peregrinos (1) Rito Francês (1) direitos humanos (1) congresso (1) poesia (20) amor de pátria (1) três viagens (1) comércio e artes (1) retales de masoneria (7) pensador (1) harmonia (1) banco (1) arte maçónica (3) James Anderson (4) Eugénio Tavares (1) considerações (1) capela de rosslyn (2) filosofia (1) legado (1) listas (1) George Washington (2) hospitaleiro (1) painel (1) cavaleiros (1) secretismo (1) quadro (1) regularidade (4) Brasil (2) Lisboa (1) metais (1)
História Ritos e Rituais
As origens do Ritual na Igreja e na Maçonaria (Parte II)
Painel da Loja de Aprendiz
Arte Real – Edição nº 110 – Junho de 2019
Arte Real – Edição nº 105 – Janeiro de 2019
Em Loja Ofícios da Loja
O êxito ou fracasso de uma Loja Maçónica depende exclusivamente do seu Venerável Mestre
A interpretação e significado dos símbolos maçónicos
A nota de um dólar dos Estados Unidos e as teorias da conspiração (IV – conclusão)
O Avental
Grande Loge Féminine de France (GLFF) – Templo Aberto
António Arnault
A Loja de Investigação Quatuor Coronati
Disputa eleitoral Maçónica
Conferência da G∴L∴N∴F∴: Pierre Mollier e o Rito Francês
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Updated on : 20 March 2019, 06:46 AM IST
Germany initiates move at EU to list Masood Azhar as global terrorist
New Delhi: Germany has initiated a move at the European Union to designate Jaish-e-Mohammed chief Masood Azhar as a global terrorist, days after China blocked a bid at the United Nations to ban him, diplomatic sources said. They said Germany was in touch with several member-nations of the European Union to list Azhar as a terrorist which will result in his travel ban as well as freezing of his assets in the 28-country bloc.
Germany has floated a proposal to ban Azhar by the European Union, but no resolution on the issue has been moved yet, diplomatic sources said Tuesday. They said all 28 member-countries of the European Union will have to support the move to ban the Pakistan-based terrorist as the bloc decides on such issues under the principle of consensus.
On March 15, France imposed financial sanctions on Azhar and said it will work with its European partners to put the JeM chief’s name on the EU list of persons and entities involved in terrorist acts. The decision by France came two days after China put a hold on a fresh move to designate Azhar a global terrorist by the Sanctions Committee of the United Nations Security Council.
The proposal to designate Azhar under the 1267 al-Qaeda Sanctions Committee of the UNSC was moved by France, the UK and the US, in the wake of the Pulwama terror attack in which 40 CRPF personnel were killed. JeM had claimed responsibility for the Pulwama attack. Fourteen out of the 15 members of the UN Security Council supported the proposal, but China was the only country which did not go with the move.
Masood Azhar
Jaish-e- Mohammed
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Robina-headquartered Transit Australia Group has driven away with another business honour after collecting a Gold Coast Business Excellence Award for August. The company, which builds buses under the Bustech brand and runs Surfside Buslines, recently launched Australia's first fully electric bus and has been selected as the lead design a...
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The Best Things To Do in Munich in One Day
Munich (München in German), the capital of the German state of Bavaria, is one of Germany's largest cities and most popular tourist destinations. It's a modern cosmopolitan city with a strong sense of history and Bavarian tradition and it goes without saying that there are more things to do in Munich, Germany than can be experienced in just one day. It is only possible on a short visit to touch on the top things to do in Munich but one day is enough to provide a taste of the city that will leave you wanting to return for more. It is said that Munich is the city where most Germans would like to live and after our visit it was easy to understand why.
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We arrived in Munich on a Monday mid-day after an overnight flight from Toronto. My husband and I went for a walk to orient ourselves but our teenage daughter preferred to rest at the hotel. The following day we had a full-day tour with Mike's Bike Tours to Neuschwanstein Castle which left Wednesday as the one full day that our family had for sightseeing in Munich. Our March visit was at the tail end of winter in Munich but we were fortunate to experience lovely spring weather while we were there which made it easier to see the highlights of Munich in just one day. We were travelling with a teen but we would have followed the same itinerary with younger kids although likely wouldn't have been able to cover as much ground.
Munich is a reasonably compact city which made it easy to cover quite a bit of ground in one day particularly since most of what we wanted to see was located in Altstadt (Old Town). Since I prefer to explore a city on foot, we chose a hotel which was just a few minutes walk from Marienplatz and did our sightseeing on an extended walk. Public transit is also an easy option in Munich and many people travel around Munich on bicycle as well.
Munich's official tourism website has extensive information on getting around the city which you can find here.
Marienplatz on a spring morning
Kaufingerstrasse/Neuhauserstrasse
En route from our hotel to Marienplatz, we walked through this pedestrian shopping district which is one of Munich's oldest streets and the city's busiest shopping street. The district has a variety of stores that will appeal to the shoppers amongst you and also features some unique architecture. I particularly liked Michaelskirche (St. Michael's Church), a Jesuit church that was built late in the 16th century and is said to be the largest Renaissance church north of the Alps. The building sustained heavy damage from bombing during World War II but was restored in subsequent years. The facade of the church features a number of bronze statues including one of Michael. Many members of the Wittelsbach are buried in the tombs of St. Michael's church including "Mad" King Ludwig II.
Kaufingerstrasse in Munich
St. Michael's Church
Marienplatz (Mary's Square)
Our plan was to start our day of sightseeing in Marienplatz, the central square which has been the heart of Munich for centuries. We timed our visit so that we would be arriving in Marienplatz around the time that the glockenspiel on Neue Rathaus (New Town Hall) would be playing. Neue Rathaus, a stunning neo-gothic building constructed late in the 19th century that dominates Marienplatz, has an 85 metre high (255 feet) tower with an observation deck which offers views over the city.
Every day at 11:00am, 12:00pm and 5:00pm (the 5:00pm show doesn't take place November-February) the world famous glockenspiel on the building's tower plays for almost 12 minutes with music and figurines that represent stories from Munich's history. The glockenspiel is considered a must-see for visitors to Munich and it was high on my list but we honestly didn't think it lived up to the hype. We have, however, seen glockenspiels before - perhaps the novelty would have made it seem more interesting.
The gothic style Altes Rathaus (Old Town Hall), also on Marienplatz, has a history dating to 1310 and was the seat of Munich city council until 1847 when the local government moved to New Town Hall. The original building was renovated many times over the years most notably after a fire in 1460 when it was rebuilt in Gothic style. The building was almost completely destroyed again during the bombing campaigns of the Second World War and was rebuilt in the 1950s using the Gothic design from the 15th century. Today the Altes Rathaus is home to a historical toy museum. We didn't have time to visit but would likely be of interest to families travelling with younger children.
Neue Rathaus (New City Hall) in Munich's Marienplatz
The famous glockenspiel
Altes Rathaus (The Old Town Hall)
Frauenkirche (Church of Our Lady)
One of the most recognized landmarks in the city of Munich is Frauenkirche with its two distinctive onion-shaped dome towers. My husband and I had poked our heads in on the day we arrived but we only had time to point out the building to our daughter as we walked through Altstadt (Old Town) on our full day of sightseeing. Construction of the gothic cathedral began in 1468 and completed in 1488 but the towers topped with the distinctive copper onion-domes which stand 99 metres (325 feet) high weren't added until 1525. The church sustained heavy damage during allied bombing of World War II and was rebuilt during several phases of construction. One of the unique things to see at the cathedral is the "devil's footprint" imprinted in the entranceway.
Walking in the streets behind Frauenkirche
Viktualienmarkt
When it's time to take a break from sightseeing then a visit to Viktualienmarkt to grab a bite to eat or do some shopping is called for. The original market in Munich was in Marienplatz, however, the market moved to this location in 1807 when Maximilian I ordered a larger market to be built to meet the needs of the growing city. We loved the market's prominent blue and white striped maypole which features signs to represent the merchants doing business in the market. Traditionally, maypoles are decorated for May Day (May 1st) and rival towns try to steal each other's maypoles in the days leading up to May Day. Recently a group of young men from a small village managed to steal Munich's Maypole and an interesting ransom had to be paid for the return of the pole - beer!!
Visiting Viktualienmarkt
Maypole in Viktualienmarkt
Peterskirche (St. Peter's Church)
While we were walking in the neighbourhood around Marienplatz, we had a brief look at Peterskirche, also known as Alte Peter (Old Peter) since it's the oldest church in Munich. As with many of the buildings in central Munich, St. Peter's sustained heavy damage during World War II and had to be reconstructed over the following decades. Visitors can climb to the top of the spire to take in the incredible views of the city if they don't find the prospect of climbing 306 stairs too daunting.
St. Peter's Church, Munich
Asamkirche (Asam's Church)
One of the most unusual churches I have ever seen is the Church of St. Johann Nepomuk (better known as Asamkirche) which is located a short walk from Marienplatz. This elaborate Baroque church was built by two architect brothers, Cosmas Damian Asam and Egid Quirin Asam, between 1733 and 1746 and while it may be one of Munich's smallest churches it makes up for that in sheer opulence. The church is only 30 feet wide as it was built to fit between two row houses and was originally intended to be a private chapel but the brothers were forced to open it to the public. Today visitors can only enter the lobby as the entrance to the church is gated when services aren't taking place. It's relatively easy, however, to admire the small church and take photos through the wrought iron gates.
Interior of Asamkirche (Asam Church)
Is it possible to visit Munich without including a stop at the city's most famous beer hall? The answer is probably not - neither my husband nor I are beer drinkers but we still felt that we needed to have a walk through just to get a sense of the place (and to enjoy some oompah music). Hofbräuhaus was established more than 400 years ago when Wilhelm V, Duke of Bavaria, had the brewery built in order to have a local supply of beer for the court of the Wittelsbach. Today the beer hall is a magnet for tourists but also serves as a favourite watering hole for locals, many of whom have their regular table and some who actually store their beer steins on site. Apparently the beer hall serves 30,000 people each day on average and, as it was quite busy on a mid-week afternoon in March, I can only imagine what it would be like in the evening and during the summer tourist season!
Exterior of Hofbräuhaus
Musicians performing for the crowds at Hofbräuhaus
Munich Residenz (Munich Residence)
Visiting the Munich Residenz was a priority for me even though we only had one day in Munich (I love palaces, whereas my husband feels like if he has seen one he has seen them all!). The Munich Residenz was both the seat of government and the castle home of the ruling Wittelsbach family from 1508-1918. Much of the Residenz was destroyed during World War II and had to be gradually reconstructed in the years following the war.
Today visitors can visit three sections of the complex - the Residence Museum, the Treasury, and/or the Cuvilliés Theatre. We opted to visit all three but spent most of our time in the Residence Museum.
The Residence Museum is the opulent palace that was home to Bavaria's ruling dynasty for several centuries. Visitors follow the museum's suggested route through the elaborately decorated public rooms and private apartments of the palace using the free audio guide (available in German, English, French, Italian and Spanish). All of the rooms are stunning but my favourite was the Antiquarium which is the oldest room in the Residenz and was built by Duke Albrecht V in the latter half of the 16th century for his collection of antique sculptures. The arches of the windows are also decorated with paintings of more than 100 Bavarian villages as they looked at the time.
The Residenz Treasury is much less sprawling than the museum and contains many of the crowns, jewels and other treasures belonging to the Wittelsbachs. It will likely only take a few minutes to visit the Cuvilliés Theatre, an exquisite small performance venue decorated in red, gold and white. Elector Maximilian Joseph III had the theatre built in 1751-55 as his new opera house and it was originally reserved exclusively for members of court. The building was destroyed during the bombings of 1944 and a new theatre was built during the post-war years. The theatre's painted wood carvings had been removed to safety in 1943 and are all that remain of the original theatre. Preparations for an upcoming performance were underway during our visit and we were treated to seeing the crew hard at work building the set on stage.
Munich Residenz Information
Getting There: The Munich Residenz is located at Residenzstraße 1 in central Munich and is easily accessible by public transport. The Residenz website has instructions for public transport located here.
Hours: The Munich Residenz is open daily with the exception of the following public holidays (January 1, Shrove Tuesday, December 24, 25 and 31st). Opening hours for the Residenz Museum, the Treasury and the Cuvilliés Theatre vary by season - check the Munich Residenz website for details.
Cost: Regular admission prices (2018) are: Residenz Museum 7 Euros; Treasury 7 Euros; Cuvilliés Theatre 3.5 Euros. There are also combination tickets available for the Residenz Museum + Treasury 11 Euros and for the Residenz Museum + Treasury + Cuvilliés Theatre 13 Euros. Children under 18 are admitted free of charge. For up-to-date ticket pricing always check the Residenz website.
Notes: It is not possible to purchase tickets online in advance. Photography and video for personal use are permitted but without flash or tripod. Large bags must be left at the free supervised cloakroom.
Max-Joseph Platz in Munich
Munich Residenz
The Antiquarium at Munich Residenz
It was a beautiful spring day so after leaving the Residenz, we had a walk through the Hofgarten (Court Garden) which is located between the Residenz and the English Garden. The garden was originally built as a formal Italian style garden by Maximilian I, Elector of Bavaria, between 1613-17. A pavilion at the centre of the garden, built in 1615 with a path radiating from each of its eight arches, is known as the Temple of Diana.
Hofgarten (Temple of Diana in foreground and Bavarian State Chancellery in background)
Odeonsplatz
The Odeonsplatz is an impressive square located near the Munich Residenz and bordered by Hofgarten, Feldherrnhalle and Theatinerkirche. The square was developed early in the 19th century and named for a former concert hall on the site. There are several wide streets that lead from this square including one that runs to Nymphenburg Palace which was the summer home of the Wittelsbachs and one that runs to the city's triumphal arch. Feldherrnhalle, the covered hall with arches, was built at the request of Ludwig I to honour Bavarian generals. A number of members of the Wittelsbach family are buried in Theatinerkirche dates to the 17th century. Many parades and processions run through Odeonsplatz including the annual Oktoberfest parade and it has also become a popular outdoor concert venue.
Feldherrnhalle, Odeonsplatz
Theatinerkirche on Odeonsplatz in Munich
Englischer Garten (English Garden)
The English Garden is Munich's "Central Park", a sprawling city park that is one of the largest in Europe and is popular with both locals and visitors. The park was created in 1789 at the request of Elector Charles Theodore and designed in the style of an English country park which is how it got its name. We walked through just a small section of the garden because there was so much that we wanted to see and do over the course of the day in Munich that there wasn't much time for a long walk in the park. The English Garden is well-known for its river surfers that surf year-round on the Eisbach, a man-made river that flows through the park. We had been hoping to see them but apparently the water flow had been shut down for a couple of days during the time of our visit so I will have to wait for another visit to Munich to see for myself.
The English Garden
Maximilianstrasse
We walked down Maximilianstrasse through Munich's upscale shopping district as we headed from Aldstadt toward the Museum District but only had a look in the windows as there was no time for any serious shopping on the day's agenda.
Neue Pinakothek
There were several museums that we were interested in visiting but with only one full day in Munich, there wasn't time for more than one so we chose to visit Neue Pinakothek because of the focus on European artists of the 19th century. The Neue Pinakothek was founded by Ludwig I of Bavaria in the mid-19th century and the first public museum in Europe to be exclusively dedicated to contemporary art. The museum's collections feature masterpieces by such artists as Édouard Manet, Vincent van Gogh, Thomas Gainsborough, Paul Cézanne and Claude Monet.
The other options that we considered for an art museum visit were Alte Pinakothek and Pinakothek der Moderne. All are located in the Museum Quarter and are a short distance from each other. We also would have enjoyed a visit to the Deutsches Museum which is the world's largest museum of science and technology.
Neue Pinakothek Information
Getting There: The museum is located at Barer Straße 29 - the entrance is on Theresienstraße. Accessible by public transport - directions on the Neue Pinakothek website.
Hours: The museum is open daily 10am - 6pm, Wednesdays 10am - 8pm. Closed on Tuesdays.
Cost: Regular admission is 7 Euros. Admission on Sundays is 1 Euro. Children under the age of 18 are admitted free of charge. There is a pass available for multiple museums - see Neue Pinakothek website for details and to confirm current pricing.
Notes: An audio guide for the permanent collection is included in the admission fee. There is a restaurant and museum shop on site.
On December 31, 2018 the Neue Pinakothek will close for an extensive renovation. A selection of masterpieces of 19th-century art will be shown from the summer of 2019 onwards on the groundfloor of the Alte Pinakothek (East Wing) and in the Sammlung Schack.
Van Gogh's 'Sunflowers' at the Neue Pinakothek
At the end of the day we had covered a fair bit of ground and were exhausted. We loved Munich and will definitely return for another visit as I already have a list of things to see and do that we missed on this trip including some of the other museums, Schloss Nymphenburg and the surfers in the English Garden.
Where to Stay in Munich
We enjoyed a lovely stay at The Charles Hotel, a luxury Rocco Forte hotel overlooking the Old Botanical Garden and just a short walk from the train station. I loved the hotel's style, the service was excellent, and the location was ideal as we were able to walk to Marienplatz and all of the attractions that we wanted to visit while we were in Munich.
Our room rate included a lovely breakfast at Sophia's Restaurant, a stylish bistro-style restaurant on the main floor of the hotel. We also enjoyed dinner at Sophia's one evening of our stay. I loved the adjoining terrace but it was still a little cool in March for me to dine outside.
We stayed in a Classic Room which had a King size bed, a work desk, a separate sitting area with a small sofa, armchair and table, and a spacious limestone bathroom with walk-in shower. We requested an extra bed for our daughter and the cot fit very nicely along the wall that the television was on without infringing on the space of the room at all. WiFi is complimentary.
Read reviews and check current rates for The Charles Hotel on TripAdvisor
Terrace at The Charles Hotel
Our Classic room at The Charles Hotel in Munich
Salzburg, Austria for Fans of The Sound of Music
Posted by Lisa Goodmurphy at 01:35 PM in Europe, Germany | Permalink
Tags: family travel, germany, munich, travel
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You are not alone. Whatever you are going through, I am here for you. Taking the first step into seeking counseling can be scary but you are very brave for doing so and I'm glad you're here. I provide a safe space for my clients, where they can feel or say anything and they will not be judged. My counseling approach is to work with you to bring for
Winter Park, Florida 32792
Winter Park, 32792
Dr. Daniel Braman
PsyD
Clinical Psychologist, Psychologist, Psychotherapist
You find your thoughts, worries and feelings getting in the way of living your life. Maybe you've tried to 'box them up,' 'push through it,' or drink or smoke to distance yourself from what bothers you. Your old ways of coping are no longer working. You're looking for guidance and support as you find a new way of managing life's ups and downs that
Ellen Megginson
Finding the right therapist for you is the first step towards growth, healing and understanding. You need to trust your therapist and believe in the confidentiality that will allow you to share your deepest fears, questions, feelings, and concerns. During therapy sessions, I use my experience, compassion and clinical skill to assist my clients as t
The therapists listed are members of GoodTherapy and pay us a membership fee which helps support our services. By using this site you signify your assent and agreement to our terms of service.
Find a Therapist in Winter Park with GoodTherapy
It’s normal to experience mental health issues and relationship problems. Talking to a licensed therapist can help. Therapy can teach you more about yourself and your mental health concerns in a healing way. Many therapies are evidence-based and have been proven effective.
Since 2007, GoodTherapy has helped people like you connect with ethical, compassionate counselors and therapists. The therapists listed above, who practice therapy in Winter Park, are trained to protect client confidentiality and privacy. In keeping with our high membership standards, these mental health professionals are also committed to eliminating the stigma that keeps many people from seeking help.
Beliefs about how much therapy costs may deter some people from finding a therapist. It’s a good idea to contact therapists you’re interested in and ask about insurance, sliding-scale fees, payment plans, and other options to stay within your budget.
Rest assured there are qualified therapists in Winter Park who can treat a variety of concerns, including family conflict, relationship issues, anxiety, or depression. With our directory, the right therapist is easy to find.
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About Winter Park
Winter Park is a city in Orange County, Florida. The city was founded in 1858 and was first called Lakeview. The name was changed to Osceola in 1870 and then to Winter Park in 1881. Winter Park has a land area of 9 square miles. It was originally developed as a winter resort for wealthy people who lived further north.
Winter Park is inhabited by 30,000 people. From 2010 to 2016, the population grew by 8%. The racial composition of the population is 77% white, 10% Hispanic, 8% black, and 3% Asian. Roughly 2,000 Spanish speakers live in Winter Park.
In Winter Park, 60% of residents over the age of 25 have earned a bachelor’s degree. Residents earn an average yearly wage of $55,200, and the median household income is $62,700. More than 11% of people in Winter Park live below the poverty line.
Mental Health in Winter Park
In 2013, roughly 15% of adults in Orange County had been told they had depression. Depression was most prevalent among adults older than 65. One fifth of Orange County adults reported binge-drinking behaviors.
Residents in Orange County have limited access to mental health care. Central Florida Cares Health System (CFCHS) has an estimated funding amount of $98 per person with mental health or substance abuse issues. This figure is the lowest in the state and $15 lower than the state average. In Winter Park, 12% of residents under the age of 65 do not have health insurance.
Community health needs assessment: 2016 report. (n.d.). Central Florida Community Benefit Collaboration. Retrieved from http://orange.floridahealth.gov/programs-and-services/community-health-planning-and-statistics/_documents/chna-071316.pdf
History. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://cityofwinterpark.org/government/city-info/history
QuickFacts: Winter Park city, Florida. (n.d.). United States Census Bureau. Retrieved from https://www.census.gov/quickfacts/fact/table/winterparkcityflorida/PST045216
Winter Park. (n.d.). Encyclopedia Britannica. Retrieved from https://www.britannica.com/place/Winter-Park
Winter Park, FL. (n.d.). Data USA. Retrieved from https://datausa.io/profile/geo/winter-park-fl
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How the Mayor and NYPD Must Step Up for Sexual Assault Accountability
April 28, 2019 | by Sonia Ossorio
(photo: Michael Appleton/Mayoral Photography Office)
Not nearly enough has been done to improve New York City’s response to sexual assault in the one year since the New York City Department of Investigation (DOI) issued a blistering report on how the NYPD was failing to make sexual assault response a priority. Mayor Bill de Blasio’s primary response to the report has been to question its accuracy.
The mayor needs to see that many of the failures documented by the DOI persist today and recently released figures show an alarming one in four rape cases were closed in 2018 due to an alleged lack of cooperation from the victim. In Manhattan, a shocking 40% of all rape investigations were closed citing uncooperative victims and unfounded allegations. A high rate of rape victims not cooperating with police is a red flag pointing to ineffective investigations and likely mistreatment of victims.
The pressure is mounting for this global city that is home to 8.6 million residents and 60 million tourists a year to keep pace with resources and innovation. In the Me Too era reporting continues to rise, and what's more, survivors are taking their complaints public, victims are suing the NYPD, and a state law is about to go into effect that mandates law enforcement agencies adopt policies that are victim-focused and trauma-informed.
What the DOI investigation documented in its 165-page report should be of concern to every New Yorker: a severely understaffed division; too many officers with limited investigative experience; insufficient training; cramped facilities in need of upgrading; and a failure to take acquaintance rape as seriously as stranger rape. Indeed, the report found that although there were more than 5,600 sex crime cases in 2017, by last year there were only 67 detectives to handle them.
The NYPD has made some important changes in response to the report's findings. The department started sending all acquaintance rapes, not just all stranger rapes, to SVD. This is a significant change, but it’s also one that will require more SVD staff and resources to handle the additional cases. The department has also committed to revamping SVD’s facilities in every borough, a welcome change for detectives and survivors. However, more needs to be done and that need is urgent.
A senior advisor to Mayor de Blasio issued a statement calling the NYPD’s investigative efforts “the best in the nation” a year ago. It wasn't true then, and it isn't true today.
Advocates who work with New York City survivors continue to see too many cases falling through the cracks and basic procedures lacking. We've seen failures to call victims back, to keep them informed of their cases, to demonstrate that leads were pursued quickly and evidence was collected in a timely manner, and to meet victims with compassion, concern, and cultural competence. There are undoubtedly many dedicated and experienced investigators in SVD, but without a top to bottom culture shift across the division and investment of more resources, too many victims will get a substandard response. For these people, the experience of reporting can become a painful continuation of trauma, rather than a start to healing.
We continue to call on the mayor and the NYPD to:
-Build a culture that demands meeting all survivors with compassion and professionalism. Research demonstrates that meeting survivors with belief and support not only impacts the trajectory of their healing but helps investigators obtain better information and results. In fact, a strong victim-centered approach was recommended in the U.S. Department of Justice report on preventing gender bias in law enforcement.
-Significantly increase the number of detectives within SVD to lower caseloads: DOI calculated that at least 140 investigators dedicated to the adult squad were needed to do an adequate job, and this was before accounting for the rising reports of sexual assault. Although the NYPD has increased the number of SVD investigators, the recommended number has not yet been met.
-Significantly increase the investigative skill level of those assigned to the division: only 5% of SVD investigators are First-Grade Detectives, those detectives recognized with the highest level of investigative experience. Increasing opportunities for promotion within the division and engaging more experienced investigators from the outset lays the groundwork for a stronger and more effective unit.
-Provide more and better quality training to SVD. The move to ensure that every SVD investigator is trained in trauma-informed interviewing techniques was a significant investment and critical step in the right direction. We’ll continue to push for expanded training until it’s clear that all sex crime investigations are timely, competent, and robust.
We shouldn’t stop at just making changes to the NYPD, that’s just one small piece in addressing sexual assault. New York City aspires to be a model for the rest of the nation on so many fronts -- why not on sexual assault? A comprehensive approach is needed.
We can make consent and healthy relationship education part of every New York City child’s experience pre-kindergarten to 12th grade. We can launch evidence-based public-service campaigns that aim to shift cultural attitudes and beliefs that perpetuate abuse and invest in survivor-led and community-based outreach to prevent violence.
Me Too has done a great deal to break down taboos and to raise awareness of how ingrained and routine sexual assault is in our culture. April is sexual assault awareness month – it should be sexual assault accountability month. And accountability lies with the mayor of New York City, who has a great opportunity to tackle a societal problem with the urgency, investment and innovation it deserves.
Sonia Ossorio is president of the National Organization for Women - New York. On Twitter @soniaossorio & @NOW_NYC/@NOWNewYork.
Tags: NYPD • sexual assault • National Organization of Women - New York • Sonia Ossorio
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Economy Survey — The Economist and Hawaii Results
by Panos Prevedouros | Feb 17, 2012 | Economy, Research & Commentary, Website
by Panos Prevedouros
I like people, global and local issues, and numbers … so I present a mini-series of surveys on major issues which have been debated at The Economist.
Obviously the results only represent people with at least a basic level of computer and Internet savvy. However, the results may be sufficiently indicative because most questions along with the careful wording of questions lead to a straightforward answer: Agree, Disagree or Do Not Know. The Economist has received a few thousand responses to each of their questions. I post results only when Hawaii surveys exceed 100 responses.
ECONOMY Survey Results (click to take the survey, part 1, and economy survey part 2.)
The results are summarized in the Table and discussed below.
The first three issues shown in the table results in solid agreement for both Economist and Hawaii respondents.
Brand AMERICA will regain its shine, although some may question whether brand AMERICA has lost its shine in the first place.
People do not have much faith in corporations to take measures towards sustainability. Although one might argue that it is people who force corporations to make “cheap” choices since they demand inexpensive products. You can’t run an operation on solar power at current costs and expect to have a cost similar to a competitor using coal or hydro-electric power.
75% of both Economist and Hawaii respondents agree that workers do not get enough sleep. This has important implication on weight gain, diabetes, productivity at work, safety in traffic and personal relations. How much of this is due to electronic gaming and social media engagement is an open question.
The next four issues show a solid disagreement between Economist and Hawaii respondents.
Almost 75% believe that China’s currency won’t be a reserve currency any time soon. Currently the basket of reserve currencies include the US Dollar, the Euro and the British Pound but dollar super dominated the basket accounting for 890-100% of most reserve applications.
A woman’s place is at work is a controversial statement; it is the only statement for which I received complaining emails. Recall that The Economist has developed all these statements. Economist respondents give a slim margin of disagreement to this, but two thirds of Hawaii respondents do not agree that a woman’s place is at work.
Almost 75% believe that senior company executives are not worth what they are paid. No surprise here and both the perception of the respondents and the reality are so, in my opinion.
The clear majority of the respondents do not agree that sustainable development is unsustainable. In other words, they believe that we can continue to develop but in a sustainable, Earth-friendly manner. Sure, but only up to a point. There will likely be too many challenges to overcome one Earth’s population approaches 10 billion people. This bring up the divisive issue of population. (See below.)
The remaining four issues reveal opposing views between Economist and Hawaii responses.
80% of Economist responses believe that the world would be better off with fewer people, but only 42% of “spirit of aloha” Hawaii respondents think so. Are we seeing the result of Western selfish culture and Hawaii’s more accepting multi-ethnic culture?
Who should pay for higher education? Almost 80% of socialist-minded European respondents of the Economist want the state to pay. Free market minded Hawaii respondents make this an individual pocket-book and career choice.
Economist respondents come from industrial nations so it’s no surprise that 78% feel that an economy cannot succeed without a big manufacturing base. In Hawaii with its sparse and light industrial base the response is about 50-50.
Again socialist-minded European respondents are split about 50-50 on the effect of government regulation of business finance, but Hawaii respondents are resoundingly against multi-billion bailouts and the ropes (not strings) that come attached to them.
Panos Prevedouros is a member of the Grassroot Institute of Hawaii’s Board of Scholars.
Panos Prevedouros’ blog, which is from where this has been reposted (with permission), can be found at ://fixoahu.blogspot.com
Panos D. Prevedouros, Ph.D. is a professor of traffic and transportation engineering at the Department of Civil Engineering, Univ. of Hawaii-Manoa since 1990. Panos graduated from the Aristotle Univ. of Greece in 1984, and with Masters and PhD degrees in 1990 from Northwestern Univ. (Evanston, IL), a leading academic institution in engineering and transportation. He chairs the Freeway Simulation Subcommittee of the Transportation Research Board. He was president of the Hawaii Highway Users Alliance from 2006 to 2008. Panos co-authored a Transportation Engineering textbook and over 100 reports and technical papers. He received the 2005 Van Wagoner Award of the Institute of Transportation Engineers. He co-organized the 1st International Symposium on Freeway Operations (ISFO) in Athens, Greece, and the 2nd ISFO in Honolulu in June 2009. Dr. Prevedouros served in the Transit Advisory Task Force in 2006 and in the Technology Selection Expert Panel in 2008 of the City Council of Honolulu. He ran for mayor of Honolulu in the 2008 elections and finished 3rd in the primary elections with 18% of the vote from a field of nine candidates.
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Twilight Zone Mask From 'The Eye of the Beholder' Goes Up For Auction
By Matt Novak on at
The Twilight Zone episode “The Eye of the Beholder” is one of the greatest TV episodes of all time. And now you can own a piece of sci-fi TV history from this legendary show, provided you’ve got $10,000 (£7,667) burning a hole in your pocket. An original pig-nose mask from the episode is going up for auction next month.
Prop Store, a film and TV memorabilia company, is auctioning off the pig nose prosthetic on 1 December 2018 from the collection of James Comisar, a famous collector of TV props. Comisar acquired the piece of Twilight Zone history from Forrest J. Ackerman, the magazine editor and sci-fi literary agent who represented everyone from Ray Bradbury to Isaac Asimov. Ackerman died in 2008 at the age of 92.
The pig nose prosthetic is “made of a thin foam latex and has been professionally conserved by the Los Angeles County Museum of Art,” Jeff Abraham, Prop Store’s PR person, told Gizmodo.
An original prosthetic used in the classic Twilight Zone episode The Eye of the Beholder, first aired on 11 November 1960 (Photo: Prop Store)
The appliance was constructed by makeup artist William Tuttle who worked on films like Forbidden Planet (1956), Logan’s Run (1976), and The Time Machine (1960). “The Eye of the Beholder” originally aired on CBS on 11 November 1960 and Tuttle reportedly repurposed some of the masks from The Time Machine for the Twilight Zone episode.
You can see the resemblance of the unnamed Twilight Zone pig-people to some of the Morlocks from that adaptation of the classic H.G. Wells story.
But this prosthetic isn’t the only thing that’s going up for auction on 1 December. Other notable items in the auction include Uncle Martin’s 10-foot spaceship from My Favorite Martian (1963-1966), which is expected to fetch over $80,000 (£61,336), and the Grecian toga that was worn by Captain Kirk in the 1968 TV version of Star Trek while kissing Lieutenant Uhura. That toga is expected to go for over $60,000 (£46,002).
There are plenty of other items from shows up for auction, like the X-Files (anybody need crime scene photos?), Elvira, Mistress of the Dark (who wouldn’t go for her dress?) and even Alien Nation (if you’ve never seen it, that show is particularly relevant right now). Bidding will take place online. [Prop Store]
Matt Novak
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America’s War against the People of Korea: The Historical Record of US War Crimes
By Prof Michel Chossudovsky
Global Research 13 September 2013
Theme: Crimes against Humanity, History, Militarization and WMD, US NATO War Agenda
In-depth Report: CRIMINALIZE WAR, NORTH KOREA
The following text by Michel Chossudovsky was presented in Seoul, South Korea in the context of the Korea Armistice Day Commemoration, 27 July 2013
A Message for Peace. Towards a Peace Agreement and the Withdrawal of US Troops from Korea.
Armistice Day, 27 July 1953 is day of Remembrance for the People of Korea.
It is a landmark date in the historical struggle for national reunification and sovereignty.
I am privileged to have this opportunity of participating in the 60th anniversary commemoration of Armistice Day on July 27, 2013.
I am much indebted to the “Anti-War, Peace Actualized, People Action” movement for this opportunity to contribute to the debate on peace and reunification.
An armistice is an agreement by the warring parties to stop fighting. It does signify the end of war.
What underlies the 1953 Armistice Agreement is that one of the warring parties, namely the US has consistently threatened to wage war on the DPRK for the last 60 years.
The US has on countless occasions violated the Armistice Agreement. It has remained on a war footing. Casually ignored by the Western media and the international community, the US has actively deployed nuclear weapons targeted at North Korea for more than half a century in violation of article 13b) of the Armistice agreement.
The armistice remains in force. The US is still at war with Korea. It is not a peace treaty, a peace agreement was never signed.
The US has used the Armistice agreement to justify the presence of 37,000 American troops on Korean soil under a bogus United Nations mandate, as well as establish an environment of continuous and ongoing military threats. This situation of “latent warfare” has lasted for the last 60 years. It is important to emphasize that this US garrison in South Korea is the only U.S. military presence based permanently on the Asian continent.
Our objective in this venue is to call for a far-reaching peace treaty, which will not only render the armistice agreement signed on July 27, 1953 null and void, but will also lay the foundations for the speedy withdrawal of US troops from Korea as well as lay the foundations for the reunification of the Korean nation.
Michel Chossudovsky Presentation: 60th anniversary commemoration of Armistice Day on July 27, 2013, Seoul, ROK.
Armistice Day in a Broader Historical Perspective.
This commemoration is particularly significant in view of mounting US threats directed not only against Korea, but also against China and Russia as part of Washington’s “Asia Pivot”, not to mention the illegal occupation of Afghanistan and Iraq, the US-NATO wars against Libya and Syria, the military threats directed against Iran, the longstanding struggle of the Palestinian people against Israel, the US sponsored wars and insurrections in sub-Saharan Africa.
Armistice Day July 27, 1953, is a significant landmark in the history of US led wars. Under the Truman Doctrine formulated in the late 1940s, the Korean War (1950-1953) had set the stage for a global process of militarization and US led wars. “Peace-making” in terms of a peace agreement is in direct contradiction with Washington “war-making” agenda.
Washington has formulated a global military agenda. In the words of four star General Wesley Clark (Ret) [image right], quoting a senior Pentagon official:
“We’re going to take out seven countries in 5 years, starting with Iraq, and then Syria, Lebanon, Libya, Somalia, Sudan and, finishing off, Iran” (Democracy Now March 2, 2007)
The Korean War (1950-1953) was the first major military operation undertaken by the US in the wake of World War II, launched at the very outset of what was euphemistically called “The Cold War”. In many respects it was a continuation of World War II, whereby Korean lands under Japanese colonial occupation were, from one day to the next, handed over to a new colonial power, the United States of America.
At the Potsdam Conference (July–August 1945), the US and the Soviet Union agreed to dividing Korea, along the 38th parallel.
There was no “Liberation” of Korea following the entry of US forces. Quite the opposite.
As we recall, a US military government was established in South Korea on September 8, 1945, three weeks after the surrender of Japan on August 15th 1945. Moreover, Japanese officials in South Korea assisted the US Army Military Government (USAMG) (1945-48) led by General Hodge in ensuring this transition. Japanese colonial administrators in Seoul as well as their Korean police officials worked hand in glove with the new colonial masters.
From the outset, the US military government refused to recognize the provisional government of the People’s Republic of Korea (PRK), which was committed to major social reforms including land distribution, laws protecting the rights of workers, minimum wage legislation and the reunification of North and South Korea.
The PRK was non-aligned with an anti-colonial mandate, calling for the “establishment of close relations with the United States, USSR, England, and China, and positive opposition to any foreign influences interfering with the domestic affairs of the state.”2
The PRK was abolished by military decree in September 1945 by the USAMG. There was no democracy, no liberation no independence.
While Japan was treated as a defeated Empire, South Korea was identified as a colonial territory to be administered under US military rule and US occupation forces.
America’s handpicked appointee Sygman Rhee [left] was flown into Seoul in October 1945, in General Douglas MacArthur’s personal airplane.
The Korean War (1950-1953)
The crimes committed by the US against the people of Korea in the course of the Korean War but also in its aftermath are unprecedented in modern history.
Moreover, it is important to understand that these US sponsored crimes against humanity committed in the 1950s have, over the years, contributed to setting “a pattern of killings” and US human rights violations in different parts of the World.
The Korean War was also characterised by a practice of targeted assassinations of political dissidents, which was subsequently implemented by the CIA in numerous countries including Indonesia, Vietnam, Argentina, Guatemala, El Salvador, Afghanistan, Iraq.
Invariably these targeted killings were committed on the instructions of the CIA and carried out by a US sponsored proxy government or military dictatorship. More recently, targeted assassinations of civilians, “legalised” by the US Congress have become, so to speak, the “New Normal”.
According to I.F. Stone’s “Hidden History of the Korean War” first published in 1952 (at the height of the Korean War), the US deliberately sought a pretext, an act of deception, which incited the North to cross the 38th parallel ultimately leading to all out war.
“[I. F. Stone’s book] raised questions about the origin of the Korean War, made a case that the United States government manipulated the United Nations, and gave evidence that the U.S. military and South Korean oligarchy dragged out the war by sabotaging the peace talks, 3
In Stone’s account, General Douglas MacArthur “did everything possible to avoid peace”.
US wars of aggression are waged under the cloak of “self defence” and pre-emptive attacks. Echoing I. F. Stone’s historical statement concerning General MacArthur, sixty years later US president Barack Obama and his defence Secretary Chuck Hagel are also “doing. everything possible to avoid peace”.
This pattern of inciting the enemy “to fire the first shot” is well established in US military doctrine. It pertains to creating a “War Pretext Incident” which provides the aggressor to pretext to intervene on the grounds of “Self- Defence”. It characterised the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, Hawaii in 1941, triggered by deception and provocation of which US officials had advanced knowledge. Pearl Harbor was the justification for America’s entry into World War II.
The Tonkin Gulf Incident in August 1964 was the pretext for the US to wage war on North Vietnam, following the adoption of the Tonkin Gulf Resolution by the US Congress, which granted President Lyndon B. Johnson the authority to wage war on Communist North Vietnam.
I. F. Stone’s analysis refutes “the standard telling” … that the Korean War was an unprovoked aggression by the North Koreans beginning on June 25, 1950, undertaken at the behest of the Soviet Union to extend the Soviet sphere of influence to the whole of Korea, completely surprising the South Koreans, the U.S., and the U.N.”:
But was it a surprise? Could an attack by 70,000 men using at least 70 tanks launched simultaneously at four different points have been a surprise?
Stone gathers contemporary reports from South Korean, U.S. and U.N. sources documenting what was known before June 25. The head of the U.S. CIA, Rear Admiral Roscoe H. Hillenloetter, is reported to have said on the record, “that American intelligence was aware that ‘conditions existed in Korea that could have meant an invasion this week or next.'” (p. 2) Stone writes that “America’s leading military commentator, Hanson Baldwin of the New York Times, a trusted confidant of the Pentagon, reported that they [U.S. military documents] showed ‘a marked buildup by the North Korean People’s Army along the 38th Parallel beginning in the early days of June.'” (p. 4)
How and why did U.S. President Truman so quickly decide by June 27 to commit the U.S. military to battle in South Korea? Stone makes a strong case that there were those in the U.S. government and military who saw a war in Korea and the resulting instability in East Asia as in the U.S. national interest. 4
According to the editor of France’s Nouvel Observateur Claude Bourdet:
“If Stone’s thesis corresponds to reality, we are in the presence of the greatest swindle in the whole of military history… not a question of a harmless fraud but of a terrible maneuver in which deception is being consciously utilized to block peace at a time when it is possible.”5
In the words of renowned American writers Leo Huberman and Paul Sweezy:
“….we have come to the conclusion that (South Korean president) Syngman Rhee deliberately provoked the North Koreans in the hope that they would retaliate by crossing the parallel in force. The northerners fell neatly into the trap.” 6
On 25 June 1950, following the adoption of UN Security Council Resolution 82, General Douglas MacArthur, who headed the US military government in occupied Japan was appointed Commander in Chief of the so-called United Nations Command (UNCOM). According to Bruce Cumings, the Korean War “bore a strong resemblance to the air war against Imperial Japan in the second world war and was often directed by the same US military leaders” including generals Douglas MacArthur and Curtis Lemay.
US War Crimes against the People of Korea
Extensive crimes were committed by US forces in the course of the Korean War (1950-1953). While nuclear weapons were not used during the Korean War, what prevailed was the strategy of “mass killings of civilians” which had been formulated during World War II. A policy of killing innocent civilians was implemented through extensive air raids and bombings of German cities by American and British forces in the last weeks of World War II. In a bitter irony, military targets were safeguarded.
This unofficial doctrine of killing of civilians under the pretext of targeting military objectives largely characterised US military actions both in the course of the Korean war as well as in its aftermath. According to Bruce Cummings:
On 12 August 1950, the USAF dropped 625 tons of bombs on North Korea; two weeks later, the daily tonnage increased to some 800 tons.U.S. warplanes dropped more napalm and bombs on North Korea than they did during the whole Pacific campaign of World War II. 7
The territories North of the 38th parallel were subjected to extensive carpet bombing, which resulted in the destruction of 78 cities and thousands of villages:
“What was indelible about it [the Korean War of 1950-53] was the extraordinary destructiveness of the United States’ air campaigns against North Korea, from the widespread and continuous use of firebombing (mainly with napalm), to threats to use nuclear and chemical weapons, and the destruction of huge North Korean dams in the final stages of the war. ….
As a result, almost every substantial building in North Korea was destroyed. …. 8
US Major General William F Dean “reported that most of the North Korean cities and villages he saw were either rubble or snow-covered wastelands”
General Curtis LeMay [left] who coordinated the bombing raids against North Korea brazenly acknowledged that:
“Over a period of three years or so we killed off – what – twenty percent of the population. … We burned down every town in North Korea and South Korea, too”. 9
According to Brian Willson:
It is now believed that the population north of the imposed 38th Parallel lost nearly a third its population of 8 – 9 million people during the 37-month long “hot” war, 1950 – 1953, perhaps an unprecedented percentage of mortality suffered by one nation due to the belligerence of another.” 10
Translation: the city of Pyongyang was totally destroyed in 1951 during the Korean war
Extensive war crimes were also committed by US forces in South Korea as documented by the Korea Truth and Reconciliation Commission. According to ROK sources, almost one million civilians were killed in South Korea in the course of the Korean War:
“In the early days of the Korean War, other American officers observed, photographed and confidentially reported on such wholesale executions by their South Korean ally, a secretive slaughter believed to have killed 100,000 or more leftists and supposed sympathizers, usually without charge or trial, in a few weeks in mid-1950.” 11
During The Second World War, the United Kingdom lost 0.94% of its population, France lost 1.35%, China lost 1.89% and the US lost 0.32%. During the Korean War, the DPRK lost more than 25% of its population. The population of North Korea was of the order of 8-9 million in 1950 prior the Korean War. US sources acknowledge 1.55 million civilian deaths in North Korea, 215,000 combat deaths. MIA/POW 120,000, 300,000 combat troops wounded. 12
South Korean military sources estimate the number of civilian deaths/wounded/missing at 2.5 million, of which some 990,900 are in South Korea. Another estimate places Korea War total deaths, civilian plus combat at 3.5 million.)
North Korea: A Threat to Global Security?
For the last 60 years, Washington has contributed to the political isolation of North Korea. It has sought to destabilize its national economy, including its industrial base and agriculture. It has relentlessly undermined the process of reunification of the Korean nation.
In South Korea, the US has maintained its stranglehold over the entire political system. It has ensured from the initial appointment of Sygman Rhee the instatement of non-democratic and repressive forms of government which have in large part served the interests of the U.S.
US military presence in South Korea has also exerted a controlling influence on economic and monetary policy.
An important question for the American people. How can a country which has lost a quarter of its population resulting from US aggression, constitute a threat to the American Homeland?
How can a country which has 37,000 US troops on its immediate border constitute a threat to America?
Given the history war crimes, how do the people of North Korea perceive the US threat to their Homeland. There is not a single family in North Korea which has not lost a loved one in the course of the Korean War.
The Korean War was the first major US led war carried out in the immediate wake of World War II.
While the US and its NATO allies have waged numerous wars and military interventions in all major regions of the World in the course of what is euphemistically called the “post War era”, resulting in millions of civilians deaths, America is upheld as the guardian of democracy and World Peace.
War Propaganda
The Lie becomes the Truth.
Realities are turned upside down.
History is rewritten. North Korea is heralded as a threat.
America is not the aggressor nation but “the victim” of aggression.
These concepts are part of war propaganda which is fed into the news chain.
Since the end of the Korean War, US led propaganda –funnelled into the ROK news chain– has relentlessly contributed to fomenting conflict and divisiveness between North and South Korea, presenting the DPRK as a threat to ROK national security.
An atmosphere of fear and intimidation prevails which impels people in South Korea to accept the “peace-making role” of the United States. In the eyes of public opinion, the presence of 37,000 US occupation forces is viewed as “necessary” to the security of the ROK.
US military presence is heralded as a means to “protecting the ROK” against North Korean aggression. Similarly, the propaganda campaign will seek to create divisions within Korean society with a view to sustaining the legitimacy of US interventionism. The purpose of this process is create divisiveness. Repeated ad nauseam, the alleged “North Korean threat” undermines –within people’s inner consciousness– the notion that Korea is one country, one nation, one history.
The “Truman Doctrine”
Historically, in the wake of World War II, the Truman doctrine first formulated by Foreign Policy adviser George F. Kennan in a 1948 State Department brief established the Cold War framework of US expansionism:
What this 1948 document conveys is continuity in US foreign policy, from “Containment” during the Cold War era to “Pre-emptive” War. It states in polite terms that the US should seek economic and strategic dominance through military means:
Furthermore, we have about 50% of the world’s wealth but only 6.3% of its population. This disparity is particularly great as between ourselves and the peoples of Asia. In this situation, we cannot fail to be the object of envy and resentment. Our real task in the coming period is to devise a pattern of relationships which will permit us to maintain this position of disparity without positive detriment to our national security. To do so, we will have to dispense with all sentimentality and day-dreaming; and our attention will have to be concentrated everywhere on our immediate national objectives. We need not deceive ourselves that we can afford today the luxury of altruism and world-benefaction. (…)
In the face of this situation we would be better off to dispense now with a number of the concepts which have underlined our thinking with regard to the Far East. We should dispense with the aspiration to “be liked” or to be regarded as the repository of a high-minded international altruism. We should stop putting ourselves in the position of being our brothers’ keeper and refrain from offering moral and ideological advice. We should cease to talk about vague and—for the Far East—unreal objectives such as human rights, the raising of the living standards, and democratization. The day is not far off when we are going to have to deal in straight power concepts. The less we are then hampered by idealistic slogans, the better. 13
The planned disintegration of the United Nations system as an independent and influential international body has been on the drawing board of US foreign policy since the inception of the United Nations in 1946. Its planned demise was an integral part of the Truman doctrine as defined in 1948. From the very inception of the UN, Washington has sought on the one hand to control it to its advantage, while also seeking to weakening and ultimately destroy the UN system. In the words of George Kennan:
“Occasionally, it [the United Nations] has served a useful purpose. But by and large it has created more problems than it has solved, and has led to a considerable dispersal of our diplomatic effort. And in our efforts to use the UN majority for major political purposes we are playing with a dangerous weapon which may some day turn against us. This is a situation which warrants most careful study and foresight on our part.
In our efforts to use the UN majority for major political purposes we are playing with a dangerous weapon which may some day turn against us. This is a situation which warrants most careful study and foresight on our part. 14
Although officially committed to the “international community”, Washington has largely played lip service to the United Nations. In recent years it has sought to undermine it as an institution. Since Gulf War I, the UN has largely acted as a rubber stamp. It has closed its eyes to US war crimes, it has implemented so-called peacekeeping operations on behalf of the Anglo-American invaders, in violation of the UN Charter.
The Truman Doctrine Applied to Korea and East Asia
The Truman doctrine was the culmination of a post World War II US military strategy initiated with the nuclear bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki in August 1945 and the surrender of Japan. [Harry Truman left]
In East Asia it consisted in the post-war occupation of Japan as well the US takeover of Japan’s colonial Empire including South Korea (Korea was annexed to Japan under the 1910 Japan–Korea Annexation Treaty).
Following Imperial Japan’s defeat in World War II, a US sphere of influence throughout East and South East Asia was established in the territories of Japan’s “Great East Asia Co-Prosperity Sphere”.
The US sphere of influence included Philippines (a US possession occupied by Japan during World War II), Thailand (a Japanese protectorate during World War II), Indonesia (Occupied by Japan during World War II, becomes a US proxy State following the establishment of the Suharto military dictatorship in 1965). This US sphere of influence in Asia also extended its grip into France’s former colonial possessions in Indochina, including Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia, which were under Japanese military occupation during World War II.
America’s hegemony in Asia was largely based on establishing a sphere of influence in countries which were under the colonial jurisdiction of Japan, France and the Netherlands.
Continuity: From the Truman Doctrine to the Neo-Conservatives
The Neo-conservative agenda under the Bush administration should be viewed as the culmination of a (bipartisan) “Post War” foreign policy framework, which provides the basis for the planning of the contemporary wars and atrocities including the setting up of torture chambers, concentration camps and the extensive use of prohibited weapons directed against civilians.
From Korea, Vietnam and Afghanistan, to the CIA sponsored military coups in Latin America and Southeast Asia, the objective has been to ensure US military hegemony and global economic domination, as initially formulated under the “Truman Doctrine”. Despite significant policy differences, successive Democratic and Republican administrations, over a span of more than sixty years, from Harry Truman to Barack Obama have carried out this global military agenda.
US War Crimes and Atrocities
What we are dealing with is a criminal US foreign policy agenda. Criminalization does not pertain to one or more heads of State. It pertains to the entire State system, it’s various civilian and military institutions as well as the powerful corporate interests behind the formulation of US foreign policy, the Washington think tanks, the creditor institutions which finance the military machine.
Starting with the Korean War in 1950 and extending to the wars in the Middle East and Central Asia, this period is marked by extensive war crimes resulting in the death of more than ten million people. This figure does not include those who perished as a result of poverty, starvation and disease.
War crimes are the result of the criminalization of the US State and foreign policy apparatus. We are not solely dealing specifically with individual war criminals, but with a process involving decision makers acting at different level, with a mandate to carry out war crimes, following established guidelines and procedures.
What distinguishes the Bush and Obama administrations in relation to the historical record of US sponsored crimes and atrocities, is that the concentration camps, targeted assassinations and torture chambers are now openly considered as legitimate forms of intervention, which sustain “the global war on terrorism” and support the spread of Western democracy.
Historical Significance of the Korean War: America’s Project of Global Warfare
The Korean War had set the stage for subsequent US military interventions. It was an initial phase of a post-World War II “military roadmap” of US led wars, special operations, coups d’etat, covert operations, US sponsored insurgencies and regime change spanning over of more than half a century. The project of global warfare has been carried out in all major regions of the World, through the US military’s geographic command structure, not to mention the CIA’s covert operations geared toward toppling sovereign governments.
This project of Worldwide conquest was initially established under the so-called “Truman Doctrine”. The latter initiated what the Pentagon later (in the wake of the Cold war under the NeoConservatives) entitled America`s “Long War”.
What we are dealing with is global warfare, a Worldwide process of conquest, militarization and corporate expansionism. The latter is the driving force. “Economic conquest” is implemented through the support of concurrent intelligence and military operations. Financial and monetary destabilization is another mechanism of economic warfare directed against sovereign countries.
In 2000, preceding the eleciton of George W. Bush to the White House, The Project for a New American Century (PNAC), A Washington Neoconservative think tank had stipulated four core missions for the US military:
“defend the American homeland;
fight and decisively win multiple, simultaneous major theater wars;
perform the “constabulary” duties associated with shaping the security environment in critical regions;
transform U.S. forces to exploit the “revolution in military affairs;”
George W. Bush’s Deputy Defense Secretary Paul Wolfowitz, his Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld and Vice President Dick Cheney had commissioned the PNAC blueprint prior to the 2000 presidential elections.
The PNAC outlines a roadmap of conquest.
It calls for “the direct imposition of U.S. “forward bases” throughout Central Asia and the Middle East: “with a view to ensuring economic domination of the world, while strangling any potential “rival” or any viable alternative to America’s vision of a ‘free market’ economy”
Distinct from theater wars, the so-called “constabulary functions” imply a form of global military policing using various instruments of military intervention including punitive bombings and the sending in of US Special Forces, etc. Constabulary functions were contemplated in the first phase of US war plans against Iran. They were identified as ad hoc military interventions which could be applied as an “alternative” to so-called theater wars.
This document had no pretence: its objectives were strictly military. No discussion of America’s role in peace-keeping or the spread of democracy. 15 The main PNAC document is entitled Rebuilding America`s Defenses, Strategy, Forces and Resources for a New Century.(The PNAC website is: http://www.newamericancentury.org)
US Military Occupation of South Korea, The Militarization of East Asia
Washington is intent upon creating political divisions in East Asia not only between the ROK and the DPRK but between North Korea and China, with a view to ultimately isolating the DPRK. In a bitter irony, US military facilities in the ROK are being used to threaten China as part of a process of military encirclement. In turn, Washington has sought to create political divisions between countries as well fomenting wars between neighboring countries (e.g. the Iran-Iraq war in the 1980s, the confrontation between India and Pakistan).
The UN Command Mandate (UNC)
Sixty years later under a bogus UN mandate, the military occupation by US forces of South Korea prevails. It is worth noting that the UN never formally created a United Nations Command. The designation was adopted by the US without a formal decision by the UN Security Council. In 1994, the UN Secretary General Boutros Boutros Ghali clarified in a letter to the North Korean Foreign Minister that “the Security Council did not establish the unified command as a subsidiary organ under its control, but merely recommended [in 1950] the creation of such a command, specifying that it be under the authority of the United States”
Republic of Korea – United States Combined Forces Command (CFC)
South Korea is still under military occupation by US forces. In the wake of the Korean War and the signing of the Armistice agreement, the national forces of the ROK were placed under the jurisdiction of the so-called UN Command. This arrangement implied that all units of the Korean military were de facto under the control of US commanders. In 1978 a binational Republic of Korea – United States Combined Forces Command (CFC), was created, headed by a US General. In substance, this was a change in labels in relation to the so-called UN Command. To this date, Korean forces remain under the command of a US general.
The CFC was originally to be dismantled when the U.S. hands back wartime operational control of South Korean troops to Seoul in 2015, but there were fears here that this could weaken South Korea’s defenses. The change of heart comes amid increasingly belligerent rhetoric from North Korea.
Park told her military brass at the briefing to launch “immediate and strong counterattacks” against any North Korean provocation. She said she considers the North’s threats “very serious,” and added, “If any provocations against our people and country ake place, the military has to respond quickly and strongly without any political consideration.” 16
United States Forces Korea (USFK)
United States Forces Korea (USFK) was established in 1957. It is described as “as a subordinate-unified command of U.S. Pacific Command (USPACOM)”, which could be deployed to attack third countries in the region including Russia and China. There are officially 28,500 US troops under the jurisdiction of USFK. Recent figures of the US Department of Defense confirm that 37,000 US troops under USFK are currently (April 2013) stationed in South Korea.
USFK integrated by US forces is distinct from the Combined Forces Command (CFC) created in 1978. The CFC is commanded by a four-star U.S. general, with a four-star ROK Army general as deputy commander.17 (See United States Forces Korea | Mission of the ROK/US Combined Forces Command).
The current USFK commander is General James D. Thurman (See CFC photo op below) who also also assumes the position of CFC Commander and UNC Commander. 18 (See United States Forces Korea | USFK Leadership).
General Thurman who takes his orders from the Pentagon overrides ROK president and Commander in Chief Park Geun Hye.
Regular active troops of the ROK Armed Forces (Army, Navy and Air Force) theoretically under national ROK command consist of more 600,000 active personnel and more than 2 million reservists. According to the terms of the CFC, however, these troops are de facto under the CFC command which is headed by a US General.
What this means is that in addition to the 37,000 US troops of the USFK, the US command structure has de facto control over all operational units of the Korean Armed Forces. In essence, what this means is that the ROK does not control its armed forces. ROK armed forces essentially serve the interests of a foreign power.
President Park Geun-hye (center), Combined Forces Command commander Gen. James D. Thurman (second from left, back row), deputy CFC commander Gen. Kwon Oh-sung (second from right, back row) and allied troops. Source Korean Herald, 28 August 2013
Annually the US-ROK conducts war games directed against North Korea. These war games –which simulate a conventional and/or nuclear attack against North Korea– are often conducted in late July coinciding with Armistice Day.
In turn, US military bases along South Korea’s Western coastline and on Jeju island are used to threaten China as part of a process of military encirclement. In view of the ROK-US agreement under the CFC, South Korean troops under US command are deployed in the context of US military operations in the region, which are actively coordinated with USFK and USPACOM.
South Korea is multibillion bonanza for America’s weapons industry. In the course of the last 4 years the ROK ranked the fourth largest arms importer in the World “with the U.S. accounting for 77 percent of its arms purchases.” It should be noted that these weapons are purchased with Korean tax payers’ wons, they are de facto under the supervision of the US military, namely the CFC Joint Command which is headed by a US General.
In recent developments, the ROK president has hinted towards the possibility of pre-emptive strikes against North Korea.
“As commander-in-chief of the armed forces, I will trust the military’s judgment on abrupt and surprise provocations by North Korea as it is the one that directly faces off against the North,” Park said, according to the London Telegraph. “Please carry out your duty of guarding the safety of the people without being distracted at all.”
Park’s defense minister also promised an “active deterrence” against Pyongyang and seemed to suggest Seoul would consider carrying out preemptive strikes on North Korean nuclear and missile sites. 19
The Korea Nuclear Issue. Who Threatens Whom?
Historical Background: Hiroshima and Nagasaki: August 6 and 9, 1945
America’s early nuclear weapons doctrine under the Manhattan Project was not based on the Cold War notions of “Deterrence” and “Mutually Assured Destruction” (MAD).
US nuclear doctrine pertaining to Korea was established following the bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki in August 1945, which were largely directed against civilians.
The strategic objective was to trigger a “massive casualty producing event” resulting in tens of thousands of deaths. The objective was to terrorize an entire nation, as a mean of military conquest. Military targets were not the main objective: the notion of “collateral damage” was used as a justification for the mass killing of civilians, under the official pretence that Hiroshima was “a military base” and that civilians were not the target.
In the words of president Harry Truman:
“We have discovered the most terrible bomb in the history of the world. … This weapon is to be used against Japan … [We] will use it so that military objectives and soldiers and sailors are the target and not women and children. Even if the Japs are savages, ruthless, merciless and fanatic, we as the leader of the world for the common welfare cannot drop that terrible bomb on the old capital or the new. … The target will be a purely military one… It seems to be the most terrible thing ever discovered, but it can be made the most useful.” 20 (President Harry S. Truman, Diary, July 25, 1945)
“The World will note that the first atomic bomb was dropped on Hiroshima a military base. That was because we wished in this first attack to avoid, insofar as possible, the killing of civilians..” (President Harry S. Truman in a radio speech to the Nation, August 9, 1945).
[Note: the first atomic bomb was dropped on Hiroshima on August 6, 1945; the Second on Nagasaki, on August 9, on the same day as Truman’s radio speech to the Nation]
Nobody within the upper echelons of the US government and military believed that Hiroshima was a military base, Truman was lying to himself and to the American public. To this day the use of nuclear weapons against Japan are justified as a necessary cost for bringing the war to an end and ultimately “saving lives”.
The Hiroshima Doctrine applied to Korea: US nuclear weapons stockpiled and deployed in South Korea
During the Korean War, the US had envisaged the use of nuclear weapons against North Korea shortly after the Soviet Union had tested its first atom bomb in August 29, 1949, about ten months prior to the onset of the Korean War in June 1950. Inevitably, the possession of the atom bomb by the Soviet Union acted as a deterrent against the use of nuclear weapons by the US in the course of the Korean War.
In the immediate wake of the Korean War, there was a turnaround in US nuclear weapons policy regarding North Korea. The use of nukes weapons had been envisaged on a pre-emptive basis against the DPRK, on the presumption that the Cold War nuclear powers, including China and the Soviet Union would not intervene.
Barely a few years after the end of the Korean War, the US initiated its deployment of nuclear warheads in South Korea. This deployment in Uijongbu and Anyang-Ni had been envisaged as early as 1956.
It is worth noting that the US decision to bring nuclear warheads to South Korea was in blatant violation of Paragraph 13(d) of the Armistice Agreement which prohibited the warring factions from introducing new weapons into Korea.
The actual deployment of nuclear warheads started in January 1958, four and a half years after the end of the Korean War, “with the introduction of five nuclear weapon systems: the Honest John surface-to-surface missile, the Matador cruise missile, the Atomic-Demolition Munition (ADM) nuclear landmine, and the 280-mm gun and 8-inch (203mm) howitzer.” 21 (See The nuclear information project: US Nuclear Weapons in Korea)
The Davy Crockett projectile was deployed in South Korea between July 1962 and June 1968. The warhead had selective yields up to 0.25 kilotons. The projectile weighed only 34.5 kg (76 lbs). Nuclear bombs for fighter bombers arrived in March 1958, followed by three surface-to-surface missile systems (Lacrosse, Davy Crockett, and Sergeant) between July 1960 and September 1963. The dual-mission Nike Hercules anti-air and surface-to-surface missile arrived in January 1961, and finally the 155-mm Howitzer arrived in October 1964. At the peak of this build-up, nearly 950 warheads were deployed in South Korea.
Four of the weapon types only remained deployed for a few years, while the others stayed for decades. The 8-inch Howitzer stayed until late 1991, the only of the weapon to be deployed throughout the entire 33-year period of U.S. nuclear weapons deployment to South Korea. The other weapons that stayed till the end were the air delivered bombs (several different bomb types were deployed over the years, ending with the B61) and the 155-mm Howitzer nuclear artillery.22
Officially the US deployment of nuclear weapons in South Korea lasted for 33 years. The deployment was targeted against North Korea as well China and the Soviet Union.
South Korea’s Nuclear Weapons Program
Concurrent and in coordination with the US deployment of nuclear warheads in South Korea, the ROK had initiated its own nuclear weapons program in the early 1970s. The official story is that the US exerted pressure on Seoul to abandon their nuclear weapons program and “sign the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT) in April 1975 before it had produced any fissile material.” 23
The fact of the matter is that the ROK’s nuclear initiative was from the outset in the early 1970s under the supervision of the US and was developed as a component part of the US deployment of nuclear weapons, with a view to threatening North Korea.
Moreover, while this program was officially ended in 1978, the US promoted scientific expertise as well as training of the ROK military in the use of nuclear weapons. And bear in mind: under the ROK-US CFC agreement, all operational units of the ROK are under joint command headed by a US General. This means that all the military facilities and bases established by the Korean military are de facto joint facilities. There are a total of 27 US military facilities in the ROK 24
The Official Removal of Nuclear Weapons from South Korea
According to military sources, the removal of nuclear weapons from South Korea was initiated in the mid 1970s:
The nuclear weapons storage site at Osan Air base was deactivated in late 1977. This reduction continued over the following years and resulted in the number of nuclear weapons in South Korea dropping from some 540 in 1976 to approximately 150 artillery shells and bombs in 1985. By the time of the Presidential Nuclear Initiative in 1991, roughly 100 warheads remained, all of which had been withdrawn by December 1991. 25
According to official statements, the US withdrew its nuclear weapons from South Korea in December 1991.
The Planning of Nuclear Attacks against North Korea from the Continental US and from Strategic US Submarines
This withdrawal from Korea did not in any way modify the threat of nuclear war directed against the DPRK. On the contrary: it was tied to changes in US military strategy with regard to the deployment of nuclear warheads. Major North Korean cities were to be targeted with nuclear warheads from US continental locations and from US strategic submarines (SSBN) rather than military facilities in South Korea:
After the withdrawal of [US] nuclear weapons from South Korea in December 1991, the 4th Fighter Wing at Seymour Johnson Air Force Base has been tasked with nuclear strike planning against North Korea. Since then, strike planning against North Korea with non-strategic nuclear weapons has been the responsibility of fighter wings based in the continental United States. One of these is the 4th Fighter Wing at Seymour Johnson Air Force Base in North Carolina. …
“We simulated fighting a war in Korea, using a Korean scenario. … The scenario…simulated a decision by the National Command Authority about considering using nuclear weapons….We identified aircraft, crews, and [weapon] loaders to load up tactical nuclear weapons onto our aircraft….
With a capability to strike targets in less than 15 minutes, the Trident D5 sea-launched ballistic missile is a “mission critical system” for U.S. Forces Korea. Ballistic Missile Submarines and Long-Range Bombers
In addition to non-strategic air delivered bombs, sea-launched ballistic missiles onboard strategic Ohio-class submarines (SSBNs) patrolling in the Pacific appear also to have a mission against North Korea. A DOD General Inspector report from 1998 listed the Trident system as a “mission critical system” identified by U.S. Pacific Command and U.S. Forces Korea as “being of particular importance to them.”
Although the primary mission of the Trident system is directed against targets in Russia and China, a D5 missile launched in a low-trajectory flight provides a unique very short notice (12-13 minutes) strike capability against time-critical targets in North Korea. No other U.S. nuclear weapon system can get a warhead on target that fast. Two-three SSBNs are on “hard alert” in the Pacific at any given time, holding Russian, Chinese and North Korean targets at risk from designated patrol areas.
Long-range strategic bombers may also be assigned a nuclear strike role against North Korea although little specific is known. An Air Force map (see below) suggests a B-2 strike role against North Korea. As the designated carrier of the B61-11 earth penetrating nuclear bomb, the B-2 is a strong candidate for potential nuclear strike missions against North Korean deeply buried underground facilities.
As the designated carrier of the B61-11 earth penetrating nuclear bomb [with an explosive capacity between one third and six times a Hiroshima bomb,see image right above] and a possible future Robust Nuclear Earth Penetrator, the B-2 stealth bomber (below)could have an important role against targets in North Korea. Recent upgrades enable planning of a new B-2 nuclear strike mission in less than 8 hours. 26
Whereas officially the US deployment of nuclear weapons in South Korea lasted for 33 years, there is evidence that a large number of nuclear warheads are still stockpiled in South Korea.
“Although the South Korean government at the time confirmed the withdrawal, U.S. affirmations were not as clear. As a result, rumors persisted for a long time — particularly in North and South Korea — that nuclear weapons remained in South Korea. Yet the withdrawal was confirmed by Pacific Command in 1998 in a declassified portion of the CINCPAC Command History for 1991. 27 (The nuclear information project: withdrawal of US nuclear weapons from South Korea,)
Recent reports have hinted to a remaining stockpile of nuclear weapons in South Korea to be used on a pre-emptive basis against North Korea. It is well understood that such an action would engulf the entire Korean peninsula in an area of intense nuclear radiation.
The Bush Administration’s 2001 Nuclear Posture Review: Pre-emptive Nuclear War.
The Bush administration in its 2001 Nuclear Posture Review established the contours of a new post 9/11 “pre-emptive” nuclear war doctrine, namely that nuclear weapons could be used as an instrument of “self-defense” against non-nuclear states
“Requirements for U.S. nuclear strike capabilities” directed against North Korea were established as part of a Global Strike mission under the helm of US Strategic Command Headquarters in Omaha Nebraska, the so-called CONPLAN 8022, which was directed against a number of “rogue states” including North Korea as well as China and Russia:
On November 18, 2005, the new Space and Global Strike command became operational at STRATCOM after passing testing in a nuclear war exercise involving North Korea.
Current U.S. Nuclear strike planning against North Korea appears to serve three roles: The first is a vaguely defined traditional deterrence role intended to influence North Korean behavior prior to hostilities.
This role was broadened somewhat by the 2001 Nuclear Posture Review to not only deter but also dissuade North Korea from pursuing weapons of mass destruction.
Why, after five decades of confronting North Korea with nuclear weapons, the Bush administration believes that additional nuclear capabilities will somehow dissuade North Korea from pursuing weapons of mass destruction [nuclear weapons program] is a mystery. 28
The Threat of Nuclear War. North Korea vs. the United States.
While the Western media in chorus focus on the North Korean nuclear threat, what prevails when reviewing Korean history is the asymmetry of nuclear capabilities.
The fact that the US has been threatening North Korea with nuclear war for over half a century is barely acknowledged by the Western media.
Where is the threat?
The asymmetry of nuclear weapons capabilities between the US and the DPRK must be emphasised,
According to ArmsControl.org (April 2013) the United States
“possesses 5,113 nuclear warheads, including tactical, strategic, and non-deployed weapons.”
According to the latest official New START declaration, out of more than 5113 nuclear weapons,
“the US deploys 1,654 strategic nuclear warheads on 792 deployed ICBMs, SLBMs, and strategic bombers… 29
Moreover, according to The Federation of American Scientists the U.S. possesses 500 tactical nuclear warheads.
On April 3, 2013 the U.S. State Department issued the latest fact sheet on its data exchange with Russia under New START, sharing the numbers of deployed nuclear warheads and New START-accountable delivery systems held by each country, 2. On May 3, 2010, the United States Department of Defense released for the first time the total number of nuclear warheads (5,113) in the U.S. stockpile. The Defense Department includes in this stockpile active warheads which are operational and deployed or ready to be deployed, and inactive warheads which are maintained “in a non-operational status, and have their tritium bottle removed.” Sources: Arms Control Association, Federation of American Scientists, International Panel on Fissile Materials, U.S. Department of Defense, and U.S. Department of State).30
In contrast the DPRK, according to the same source:
“has separated enough plutonium for roughly 4-8 nuclear warheads. North Korea unveiled a centrifuge facility in 2010, buts ability to produce highly-enriched uranium for weapons remains unclear.” 31 (ArmsControl.org)
Morever, according to expert opinion:
“there is no evidence that North Korea has the means to lob a nuclear-armed missile at the United States or anyone else. So far, it has produced several atomic bombs and tested them, but it lacks the fuel and the technology to miniaturize a nuke and place it on a missile” 32
According to Siegfried Hecker, one of America’s preeminent nuclear scientists:
“Despite its recent threats, North Korea does not yet have much of a nuclear arsenal because it lacks fissile materials and has limited nuclear testing experience,” 33
The threat of nuclear war does not emanate from the the DPRK but from the US and its allies.
The Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, the unspoken victim of US military aggression, has been incessantly portrayed as a war mongering nation, a menace to the American Homeland and a “threat to World peace”. These stylized accusations have become part of a media consensus.
Meanwhile, Washington is now implementing a $32 billion refurbishing of strategic nuclear weapons as well as a revamping of its tactical nuclear weapons, which according to a 2002 Senate decision “are harmless to the surrounding civilian population.”
These continuous threats and actions of latent aggression directed against the DPRK should also be understood as part of the broader US military agenda in East Asia, directed against China and Russia.
It is important that people across the land, in the US, Western countries, come to realize that the United States rather than North Korea or Iran is a threat to global security. [Obama at the DMZ using the UN Flag in violation of the UN Security Council]
Obama together with President Park Geun Hye at the DMZ
Korea’s Economic Development
The US military occupation of South Korea has largely supported and protected US economic and financial interests in Korea. From the very outset in 1945, there was no democratization of the South Korean economy. The exploitative Japanese factory system was adopted by the Korean business conglomerates, which were in part the outgrowth of the Japanese imperial system.
At the outset this system was based on extremely low wages, Korea’s manufacturing base was used to produce cheap labor exports for Western markets, In many respects, the earlier Korean manufacturing base was a form of “industrial colonialism” in derogation of the rights of Korean workers.
The rise of the South Korean business conglomerates (Chaebols) was the source of impressive economic growth performance starting in the 1970s. The Chaebols are conglomerates of many companies “clustered around one holding company”. The parent company is often controlled by single family or business clan. The latter in turn had close ties to officials in the ROK’s military governments.
South Korea’s industrial and technological revolution constituted a challenge to Western capitalism. Despite US military presence, the ROK was no longer a “developing country” with a “dependent” economy. Inserted into a competitive World market, South Korean capitalism was competing with both Japanese and Western multinationals.
The 1997 Asian Crisis: Financial Warfare Directed against South Korea
The ROK had developed into a World capitalist power. It had acquired its own technological base, a highly developed banking system; it was categorised by the World Bank as a so-called “Asian tiger”.
Yet at the same time, the entire political fabric –which included the conduct of macroeconomic policy– was controlled by Washington and Wall Street, not to mention the military presence of US occupation forces.
The Asian crisis of 1997 was an important watershed. In late 1997, the imposition of an IMF bailout contributed to plunging South Korea, virtually overnight, into a deep recession. The social impact was devastating.
Through financial manipulation of stock markets and foreign exchange markets by major financial actors, the Asian crisis contributed to weakening and undermining the Korean business establishment. The objective was to “tame the tiger”, dismantle the Korean business conglomerates, and restore US control and ownership over the Korean economy, its industrial base, its banking system.
The collapse of the won in late 1997 was triggered by “naked short selling” on the foreign exchange markets. It was tantamount to an act of economic warfare.
Several Korean business conglomerates were fractured, broken up or precipitated into bankruptcy on the orders of the IMF, which was acting on behalf of Wall Street.
Of the 30 largest chaebols, 11 collapsed between July 1997 and June 1999.
Following the IMF’s December 1997 financial bailout, a large part of the Korean national economy, its high tech sectors, its industrial base, was “stolen” by US and Western capital under various fraudulent clauses negotiated by the ROK’s creditors.
Western corporations had gone on a shopping spree, buying up financial institutions and industrial assets at rock-bottom prices. The devaluation of the won, combined with the slide of the Seoul stock market, had dramatically depressed the dollar value of Korean assets.
Acting directly on behalf of Wall Street, the IMF had demanded the dismantling of the Daewoo Group including the sell-off of the 12 so-called troubled Daewoo affiliate companies. Daewoo Motors was up for grabs. This was not a spontaneous bankruptcy, it was the result of financial manipulation, with a view to transferring valuable productive assets into the hand of foreign investors. Daewoo obliged under the IMF agreement to sell off Daewoo Motor to General Motors (GM) in 2001. Similarly, the ROK’s largest corporation Hyundai was forced to restructure its holding company following the December 1997 bailout.
In April 1999 Hyundai announced a two-thirds reduction of the number of business units and “a plan to break up the group into five independent business groups”. This initiative was part of the debt reduction plan imposed by Western creditors and carried out by the IMF. It was implemented under what was called “the spin-off program” whereby the large Korean business conglomerates were to slated to be downsized and broken up into smaller business undertakings.
In the process, many of the high tech units belonging to the large Korean holding companies were bought out by Western capital.
South Korea’s banking landscape was also taken over by “US investors”. Korea First Bank (KFB), with a network of branches all over the country, was purchased at a negative price by the California based Newbridge Group in a fraudulent transaction. 34
A similar shady deal enabled the Carlyle Group –whose board of directors included former U.S. President George Herbert Walker Bush (Senior), his Secretary of State James A. Baker III, and former Defense Secretary Frank C. Carlucci — to take control of KorAm Bank in September 2000. KorAm was taken over in a Consortium led by The Carlyle Group in collaboration with JPMorgan Chase. KorAm Bank had been established in the early 1980s as a joint venture between Bank America and a group of Korean conglomerates. .
Three years later, CitiBank purchased a 36.7 percent stake in KorAm from the Carlyle Group and then bought up all the remaining shares, in what was described as “Citibank’s biggest acquisition outside the Western Hemisphere”. 35
Following the 1997 Asian Crisis which triggered a multibillion dollar debt crisis, a new system of government had been established in South Korea, geared towards the fracture of Korea’s business conglomerates and the weakening of Korean national capitalism. In other words, the signing of the IMF bailout Agreement in December 1997 marks a significant transformation in the structure of the Korean State, whose regulatory financial agencies were used to serve the interests of Korea’s external creditors.
Concluding Remarks: Towards Peace.
The US is still at war with Korea.
This US sponsored state of war is directed against both North and South Korea. It is characterised by persistent military threats (including the use of nuclear weapons) against the DPRK. It also threatens the ROK which has been under US military occupation since September 1945.
Currently there are 37,000 US troops in South Korea. Given the geography of the Korean peninsula, the use of nuclear weapons against North Korea would inevitably also engulf South Korea. This fact is known and understood by US military planners.
What has to be emphasized prior to forthcoming negotiations pertaining a “Peace Treaty” is that the US and the ROK are not “Allies”.
The “real alliance” is that which unifies and reunites North and South Korea against foreign intrusion and aggression.
What this signifies is that the US is in a state of war against the entire Korean Nation.
The formulation of the Peace Treaty, therefore, requires the holding of bilateral talks between the ROK and the DPRK with a view to formulating a “joint position” regarding the terms to be included in a “Peace Treaty”.
The terms of this Peace Treaty should under no circumstances be dictated by the US Aggressor, which is committed to maintaining its military presence on the Korean peninsula.
It is worth noting in this regard, US foreign policy and military planners have already established their own scenario of “reunification” predicated on maintaining US occupation troops in Korea. Similarly, what is envisaged by Washington is a framework which will enable “foreign investors” to penetrate and pillage the North Korean economy.
Washington’s objective is to impose the terms of Korea’s reunification. The NeoCons “Project for a New American Century” (PNAC) published in 2000 had intimated that in “post unification scenario”, the number of US troops (currently at 37,000) should be increased and that US military presence could be extended to North Korea. In a reunified Korea, the military mandate of the US garrison would be to implement so-called “stability operations in North Korea”:
While Korea unification might call for the reduction in American presence on the peninsula and a transformation of U.S force posture in Korea, the changes would really reflect a change in their mission – and changing technological realities – not the termination of their mission. Moreover, in any realistic post-unification scenario, U.S. forces are likely to have some role in stability operations in North Korea. It is premature to speculate on the precise size and composition of a post-unification U.S. presence in Korea, but it is not too early to recognize that the presence of American forces in Korea serves a larger and longer-range strategic purpose. For the present, any reduction in capabilities of the current U.S. garrison on the peninsula would be unwise. If anything, there is a need to bolster them, especially with respect to their ability to defend against missile attacks and to limit the effects of North Korea’s massive artillery capability. In time, or with unification, the structure of these units will change and their manpower levels fluctuate, but U.S. presence in this corner of Asia should continue. 36 (PNAC, Rebuilding America`s Defenses, Strategy, Forces and Resources for a New Century, p. 18, emphasis added)
Washington’s intentions are crystal clear.
It is important, therefore, that these talks be conducted by the ROK and DPRK without the participation or interference of outside parties. These discussions must address the withdrawal of all US occupation forces as well as the removal of economic sanctions directed against North Korea.
The exclusion of US military presence and the withdrawal of the 37,000 occupation forces should be a sine qua non requirement of a Peace Treaty.
Pursuant to a Peace Treaty, the ROK-US CFC agreement which places ROK forces under US command should be rescinded. All ROK troops would thereafter be brought under national ROK command.
This a fundamental shift: the present CFC agreement in essence allows the US Command to order South Korean troops to fight in a US sponsored war against North Korea, superseding and overriding the ROK President and Commander in Chief of the ROK Armed Forces.
Bilateral consultations should also be undertaken with a view to further developing economic, technological, cultural and educational cooperation between the ROK and the DPRK.
Economic sovereignty is a central issue. The shady transactions launched in the wake of the IMF bailout in 1997 must be addressed. These transactions were conducive to the illegal and fraudulent acquisition and ownership of a large part of South Korea’s high tech industry and banking by Western corporate capital. Similarly the impacts of the insertion of the ROK into the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) must also be examined.
The Peace agreement would also be accompanied by the opening of the border between North and South.
Pursuant to the June 15th North–South Joint Declaration in August 2000, a joint ROK DPRK working commission should be established to set an agenda and a timeline for reunification.
Michel Chossudovsky’s Presentation to the Japanese Foreign Correspondent’s Club on US Aggression against the People of Korea, Tokyo, August 1, 2013
Michel Chossudovsky is an award-winning author, Professor of Economics (emeritus) at the University of Ottawa, Founder and Director of the Centre for Research on Globalization (CRG), Montreal and Editor of the globalresearch.ca website. He is the author of The Globalization of Poverty and The New World Order (2003) and America’s “War on Terrorism”(2005). His most recent book is entitled Towards a World War III Scenario: The Dangers of Nuclear War (2011). He is also a contributor to the Encyclopaedia Britannica. His writings have been published in more than twenty languages.
Michel Chossudovsky is a member of the Kuala Lumpur War Crimes Commission which initiated the indictment against George W. Bush et al “for crimes of torture and war crimes”. (Judgement of the Kuala Lumpur War Crimes Tribunal, 11 May 2012).
Michel Chossudovsky can be reached at [email protected]
1 Interview with General Wesley Clark, Democracy Now March 2, 2007.
2 Martin Hart-Landsberg, Korea: Division, Reunification, & U.S. Foreign Policy. Monthly Review Press. New York, 1998 pp. 65–6). The PRK was abolished by military decree in September 1945 by the USAMG.
3 Jay Hauben, Book Review of I.F. Stone’s “Hidden History of the Korean War”, OmnyNews, 2007, http://www.globalresearch.ca/the-hidden-history-of-the-korean-war/5342685
5 Quoted in Stephen Lendman, America’s War on North Korea, Global Research, http://www.globalresearch.ca/americas-war-on-north-korea/5329374, April 1, 2013
6 Ibid
7 Bruce Cumings, Korea: Forgotten Nuclear Threats, 2005
9 Quoted in Brian Willson, Korea and the Axis of Evil, Global Research, October 2006.
11 Associated Press Report, http://www.globalresearch.ca/us-coverup-extrajudicial-killings-in-south-korea/9518, July 6, 2008
13 George F. Kennan, State Department Brief, Washington DC, 1948
15 The main PNAC document is entitled Rebuilding America`s Defenses, Strategy, Forces and Resources for a New Century, The PNAC website is: http://www.newamericancentury.org
16 Chosun Ibo, April 13, 2013
17 See United States Forces Korea | Mission of the ROK/US Combined Forces Command.
18 See United States Forces Korea | USFK Leadership
19 U.S.- S. Korea Military Gameplan | Flashpoints | The Diplomat, April 4, 2013
20 President Harry S. Truman, Diary, July 25, 1945
21 See The nuclear information project: US Nuclear Weapons in Korea
23 Daniel A. Pinkston, “South Korea’s Nuclear Experiments,” CNS Research Story, 9 November 2004, http://cns.miis.edu
24 See List of United States Army installations in South Korea – Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
25 The Nuclear Information Project: Withdrawal of US nuclear weapons from South Korea
26 Ibid
27 The Nuclear Information Project: Withdrawal of US nuclear weapons from South Korea, emphasis added
28 Ibid, emphasis added
29 ArmsControl.org, April, 2013
32 See North Korea: What’s really happening – Salon.com April 5, 2013
34 See Michel Chossudovsky, The Globalization of Poverty and the New World Order, Global Research, Montreal, 2003.
35 See Citibank expands in South Korea – The New York Times, November 2, 2004.
36. Project for A New American Century (PNAC), Rebuilding America`s Defenses, Strategy, Forces and Resources for a New Century, Washington DC 2000, p. 18, emphasis added
Copyright © Prof Michel Chossudovsky, Global Research, 2017
Articles by: Prof Michel Chossudovsky
Michel Chossudovsky is an award-winning author, Professor of Economics (emeritus) at the University of Ottawa, Founder and Director of the Centre for Research on Globalization (CRG), Montreal, Editor of Global Research. He has taught as visiting professor in Western Europe, Southeast Asia, the Pacific and Latin America. He has served as economic adviser to governments of developing countries and has acted as a consultant for several international organizations. He is the author of eleven books including The Globalization of Poverty and The New World Order (2003), America’s “War on Terrorism” (2005), The Global Economic Crisis, The Great Depression of the Twenty-first Century (2009) (Editor), Towards a World War III Scenario: The Dangers of Nuclear War (2011), The Globalization of War, America's Long War against Humanity (2015). He is a contributor to the Encyclopaedia Britannica. His writings have been published in more than twenty languages. In 2014, he was awarded the Gold Medal for Merit of the Republic of Serbia for his writings on NATO's war of aggression against Yugoslavia. He can be reached at [email protected]
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Global University Systems Acquires IBAT College Dublin Thursday, 3rd November, 2016
Global University Systems B.V. (“GUS”) announces that it has acquired IBAT College Dublin, Ireland’s leading industry-focussed third level institution. IBAT provides a blend of high quality undergraduate, postgraduate and professional education within a state-of-the-art learning environment in a range of subject areas including Business, Accounting, ICT and Management. IBAT is centrally located in the Temple Bar area of Dublin city centre. Shane Ormsby remains as managing director following this transaction.
Aaron Etingen, Founder and CEO of GUS, said: “Ireland has a long tradition of world-class universities and colleges with links to business across Europe and I am very pleased to welcome IBAT to GUS.”
Shane Ormsby, Founder and Managing Director of IBAT College Dublin said: “We have developed IBAT College Dublin to the excellent standing it now enjoys domestically and internationally, and we were looking to partner with an educational group that could assist us to get to the next level. Our mission has always been very simple – to provide the highest level of business education to students from countries across the globe.
“Our acquisition by GUS is just the next stage in our journey and GUS will give us the scope to build upon our successes to date and help us develop further. It is a new and exciting chapter in IBAT’s history and an exciting time for both our staff and students.”
Global University Systems is a global education group made up of a number of prestigious institutions, offering a broad range of professional, vocational, graduate and postgraduate programmes to c.45,500 students each year from around 150 countries. It is based in some of the world’s biggest cities, with campuses in Dublin, London, Birmingham and Manchester; across the Atlantic in Toronto and Vancouver; and across the globe in places such as Singapore and Hannover. GUS has a strong track-record in enhancing the performance and reputation of institutions; the University of Law, acquired in 2015, was recently ranked 1st in the UK for overall student satisfaction in the 2016 National Student Survey.
Legal advisers to the transaction were Matheson Solicitors and Lemans Solicitors.
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Thursday, 5 July 2012, 6:00PM
Barnard's Inn Hall
The Lost World of 1962
Dominic Sandbrook
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In this lecture, Dominic Sandbrook, the acclaimed historian of Sixties Britain, marks the 50th anniversary of the City of London Festival by looking back at Britain in 1962. Fifty years on, the Britain of Harold Macmillan, Acker Bilk, Jimmy Greaves and James Hanratty feels like a vanished world. But was life back then really so different?
This is a part of the series of lectures held in partnership with the 2012 City of London Festival.
The other lectures include the following:
The Grande Messe des Morts and the Absence of God by David Cairns
City of London Festival Jubilee Lecture by Sir Andrew Motion
Human Livelihoods Depend on Wild Flowers: Kew's Millennium Seed Bank Explained
by Dr Robin Probert
Trading Places and Travelling - Musical Legacies of the Hanseatic League by Dr Geoffrey Webber
Dominic Sandbrook is a historian and writer. His books include Never Had It So Good, White Heat, State of Emergency and Seasons in the Sun, a series of books on modern British History, and a book on the United States during the Nixon, Ford and Carter years, Mad As Hell. He is a regular on television for the BBC and Channel Four, as well as a regular voice on BBC Radio.
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Word Transcript
This is part of the series: City of London Festival lectures
20th century history History - other History
Imagine that, whether through science or magic, you woke up this morning and found yourself mysteriously catapulted back in time by fifty years. It is not 5 July 2012, but 5 July 1962, then as now a Thursday, but an unusually cold and rainy day. Perhaps, to get your bearings, you pick up a daily paper – the Times, let’s say. You look at the headlines on the front page and you blink with surprise, because of course there aren’t any.
The first column reads ‘Births’, and your eye scans the list of solid and sensible names: Roger Alford, Bridget Evans, Peter Green, Rachel Morgan, Robin Reeves. Under Marriages, it turns out that Arthur Montague and Mary Allen of Fort Road, Guildford are celebrating their silver wedding anniversary, 25 years after they were married in 1937 in the university chapel at Glasgow. Under the headings Deaths follows a long line of septuagenarians and octogenarians, people who were born in the reign of Queen Victoria, lived through the reigns of her son, grandson and great-grand daughter, and saw two world wars, the high point and decline of the British Empire, and the advent of the cinema, television, air travel and even the space race – something that makes you realise that today’s Britons are not the only generation to have experienced extraordinary change.
On the second page you find the Appointments and – a telling word – Situations. The latter surprises you a little. You read that an ‘attractive, intelligent lady, 37, wishes to learn bar and some reception duties in a good class country club’, and that a ‘gentleman, Mayfair flat’ requires a ‘house parlour-maid of first-class experience’ to join his cook and daily maid. In Kensington, a lady wants an experienced governess for her 14-year old daughter. And in Cirencester, Colonel Gibbs at Ewen Manor is looking for a ‘superior married couple or two friends, experienced cook and houseman’, with ‘exceptional references’.
And yet some things never seem to change. On the second page, the computer giant IBM is advertising for men and – unusually – women to teach data processing skills to the scientists and engineers who are building the world of tomorrow. The sports pages are full of the joys of Wimbledon, with the peerless Rod Laver having just beaten the former champion, Neale Fraser, in the men’s semi-finals. At the Old Bailey, where 15 youths are on trial for causing a fight at a Finchley dance hall, the judge has stern words for the gentlemen of the press. One of the boys, it turns out, was temporarily released on bail so that he could sit his A-level exam. He was followed all the way to school by representatives of the Daily Mirror and the Daily Mail. And according to the judge, the Mail man went as far as to smuggle himself into the exam hall and even stole a copy of the exam paper. In other school-related news, the Education Minister is demanding an inquiry into standards of primary education, where Britain is apparently falling behind its European competitors, while a new report alleges that there are too few science laboratories in the nation’s schools. In girls’ schools in particular, we learn, ‘all too frequently, lessons are merely chalk and talk’. Yet there is hope for Britain’s children. ‘Before even a stone of the University of Essex has been laid’, says a report, ‘its promoters and planners are looking far into the 21st century, academically and physically.’ The new university is not merely aiming for a whopping six thousand students; it’s drawn up a radically forward-thinking curriculum. In particular, undergraduates will be asked to compare British politics with that of the United States and the Soviet Union, and to ‘compare and criticize our literature with American and Russian literature.’ The aim, a spokesman says, ‘is to deepen students’ understanding of the modern world and of the ways of life of its two great champions.’
But as you flick through the paper’s pages, there is a palpable sense not just of a vanished world, but of a country hurtling towards the future. The newly issued Pilkington Report into the new miracle of television envisages not just two channels but eventually SIX, with at least some, excitingly, in colour. At the Methodist Conference, there is much alarm at the so-called delinquency of the bingo craze. In London’s casinos, says the Labour MP George Thomas, ‘fortunes are changing hands overnight’ – and the Betting and Gaming Act has been ‘an unmitigated disaster for this country’. The Commons is still debating the possibility of a Channel Tunnel – or more plausibly, a gigantic bridge – and Britain’s car manufacturers say they are ready to fit seat belts in all their models as soon as the government confirms that they are now compulsory. But the Times itself is not convinced. ‘It would be almost inhuman,’ an editorial says, ‘if at this early stage in road safety research, any Government were to decree that the motoring public must be compulsorily strapped into the cars.’ A good deal more thought is called for, it concludes, ‘if we are not to become a harness happy nation, regarding the safety belt as panacea for immunity from our own careless driving.’
Philip Larkin famously claimed that sexual intercourse began in 1963, between the end of the Chatterley ban and the Beatles’ first LP. If he was right – and he wasn’t – then 1962 would look like the last year of the old order. In reality, it was a year of tremendous innovation. It saw the consecration of the new Coventry Cathedral, a temple to peace and reconciliation rising from the ashes of wartime. It saw the opening of Britain’s first casino, the first episode of Steptoe and Son and the first live satellite television broadcast from America to Britain. The Rolling Stones made their debut at the Marquee Club; the Tornados had a number one hit with Telstar. Ford launched the Cortina, one of the best-selling cars in history. Britain and France signed a deal to build the Concorde aircraft, University Challenge made its debut on the BBC, Safeway opened its first British supermarket in Bedford, and Golden Wonder introduced its first flavoured crisps – cheese and onion, if you’re wondering. The biggest hits of the year were ‘Stranger on the Shore’, ‘I Remember You’, ‘Let’s Twist Again’ and ‘The Young Ones’. Len Deighton published The Ipcress File, Ian Fleming wrote The Spy Who Loved Me, PD James published her first detective novel and Doris Lessing published the feminist classic The Golden Notebook. James Hanratty was controversially hanged for his part in the A6 murder case, and other notable casualties of the year included the Beatles’ original bass player Stuart Sutcliffe, the actor Charles Laughton and the writer Vita Sackville West.
Merely to describe 1962 in facts and figures is to conjure up a Britain in the coins were heavier, the air dirtier, the streets quieter, the people paler, the clothes darker. It was a world in which nine out of ten people had never been on an aeroplane. One in three people still lived without access to an indoor bathroom or hot running water. Most houses relied not on central heating, but on the warmth of a coal fire, and millions of people still bathed once a week in a tin tub. In major cities, smog was still a severe problem: that summer, the smog in London was so bad that trains and flights were cancelled, traffic around the capital ground to a halt and the AA warned of a ‘no-visibility’ zone in the South East of England. Most people still lived in the towns in which they had grown up. Schools were divided into grammar schools, secondary moderns and technical colleges: almost everybody sat the 11 plus, but fewer than 20 percent of people passed. Very few people went on to university: there were barely 100,000 students in 1962, compared with 2 million today. People often ate the same meals every week: roast beef and Yorkshire pudding on a Sunday, cold beef on Monday and beef stew on Tuesday, sausages and mash on Wednesday, perhaps a pie on a Thursday, fish on a Friday, and sandwiches on a Saturday. Outside a few big cities, curry houses, kebab shops, even Chinese takeways were still virtually unknown. And in the evenings, millions of couple still entertained themselves separately, the husband in the pub, the wife at home with friends or family. But entertainment was changing; the box in the corner was slowly taking over the living room, and by the end of 1962, more than three out of four households had a television.
In many ways the facts of life in Harold Macmillan’s Britain tell a story of enormous change. There were only 6 murders per thousand people in 1962; now there are 13. Some 20,000 people were in prison then; now there are 84,000. Yet in other ways things were not as different as we think. There were no scandals about MPs’ expenses back then, and on the face of it they were paid much less than their modern counterparts – just 1,750 pounds a year. Yet convert that into today’s money, you get a rather different picture: that would be worth about 75,000 pounds today – more than a modern MP is paid. Similarly, our national debt today stands at a record 800 billion pounds, a record -- which is why the newspapers are so full of doom and gloom. Fifty years ago, national debt stood at just 26 billion. But again, if you convert that into modern money, you get a figure of 1,500 billion – more than twice the level today, reflecting the massive financial obligations left over from the Second World War, and the cost of keeping so many British troops scattered across the Empire. And on the face of it, people were paid much less than. The average male salary in 1962 was about 550 pounds a year. But in modern money, that works out as about 23,000 pounds – only two thousand pounds less than the average Briton earns today.
What I want to suggest this evening is that if you had to choose one year as the hinge between past and present, looking back to Britain’s Victorian past but also looking forward to the age of computers, air travel and globalization, then you could do a lot worse than pick 1962. Even the Prime Minister, Harold Macmillan, seems an extraordinarily transitional figure, poised between old and new. He was the last prime minister to have fought in the trenches, and the last to worn a moustache. But he was the first to make effective use of television and the first to appeal to the newly affluent middle classes and floating voters. With his tweed jackets and grouse moor image, he seemed like the soul of Edwardian tradition. But it was Macmillan who famously boasted that ‘most of our people had never had it so good’, and sought to exploit the political potential of the new consumer society.
This was a world captured in Philip Larkin’s poem ‘Here’, published in 1961, in which he describes the people of Hull, the ‘residents from raw estates, brought down the dead straight miles by stealing flat-faced trolleys,’ who ‘push through plate-glass swing doors to their desires -- cheap suits, red kitchen-ware, sharp shoes, iced lollies, / Electric mixers, toasters, washers, driers.’ An apocryphal story has it that Macmillan’s campaign manager, Lord Poole, used to drive out from his country estate into Watford, where he would watch the suburban shoppers wandering through their new supermarkets or signing hire purchase forms for televisions and washing machines. He would nod happily to himself, and then he would drive home again. And a cartoon in the Spectator after Macmillan had won the 1959 election summed up Supermac’s appeal. The prime minister is sitting in his Downing Street study; around the table are also sitting a car, a washing machine, a television and a fridge. ‘Well gentlemen,’ he says, ‘I think we all fought a good fight.’
Indeed, all the doom and gloom about the economy in 2012, we can only gasp with envy at the apparent economic success story that was Britain in 1962. The newspapers worried that the economy was not growing fast enough, but at barely 2 per cent, unemployment was almost non-existent. Every month saw more families buying their first homes, their first cars, their first televisions or washing machines. A nation of scrimpers and savers was becoming into a nation of shoppers and debtors, and the motto “Make do and mend” was giving way to “Live now, pay later.”
There were those who hated the new affluent society; on both the old Labour left and the old-fashioned reactionary right, the sight of youngsters keenly devouring the adventures of Dan Dare and throwing their new pocket money away on dance halls and cinemas was evidence of moral and cultural degeneration. The Conservative journal Crossbow grumbled in 1962 that the affluent society was ‘a vulgar world whose inhabitants have more money than is good for them … a cockney tellytopia, a low grade nirvana of subsidised houses, hire purchase extravagance, undisciplined children, gaudy domestic squalor, and chips with everything’. But nobody was listening. For most people affluence meant real change and real opportunities - not least for women liberated from the drudgery of housework. The cookers and washing machines that dominated high-street showrooms in the Macmillan years probably did more to expand opportunities for women than any number of turgid feminist tracts, for they spared the housewife the gruelling labour of washing and drying clothes by hand, or slaving for hours over a hot stove. And plenty of people never forgot their first glimpse of their own home, their own garden. “I wept because I was simply so happy,” said one woman, remembering the day her family moved into a new home in Hemel Hempstead. “We had a garden for the children to run in. We had a house, a home of our own, and we didn’t have to worry about anybody.”
This was, of course, the heyday of the teenager: three years earlier the Daily Mirror had become Britain’s first newspaper to run a teenage page, with tips and anecdotes about romance, growing up, and above all, entertainments, clothes and desirable purchases. The very word teenager was originally a marketing term, coined in America in the 1930s, and its origins remind us that what made teenagers new and different was that they were young people with unprecedented economic freedom. They had more free time, thanks to school holidays and paid holidays for youngsters in work. The new labour saving appliances meant that they no longer had to spend hours helping their parents in the home; instead they could go into town, earn and spend. For as one writer put it in the early 1960s, “the distinctive fact about teenagers’ behaviour is economic; they spend a lot of money on clothes, records, concerts, make-up, magazines: all things that give immediate pleasure and little lasting use.” On average, a teenage boy in 1962 spent 71 shillings a week – the equivalent of 62 pounds in today’s money – while a girl, who would be paid much less, spent 54 shillings. Then as now, much of this went on clothes and shoes, on drinks and cigarettes, on cinema and dance hall tickets, and of course on magazines and records.
Teenagers’ elders often fretted that they were on a slippery slope to debauchery and degeneration, and the government ploughed millions into youth clubs in an attempt to distract them from the perils of rock and roll, dance halls and the back of the bike sheds. No doubt the clubs’ intentions were good, but many of their efforts to distract the young seemed bizarre to say the least. In 1962 the London Union of Youth Clubs, ‘seeking to mould the citizens of tomorrow’, sent a hundred teenage girls on an ‘initiative test’ to spend the night at sea in a ship full of sailors. The point of this exercise was never entirely clear, but it takes little imagination to speculate that that the evening did not unfold quite as the youth service would have wished. A year later, the National Guild of Teenagers prohibited its members from playing bingo, attending late night jazz clubs, reading Lady Chatterley’s Lover, seeing Saturday Night and Sunday Morning or Room at the Top, and even from visiting Brighton. As one commentator put it at the time, ‘the lunatic fringe of the establishment is still at work’.
What really interested most teenagers in 1962 was, of course, pop music. But although we often think of this as the heyday of early rock and roll, most people at the time thought that rock music was on its last legs. In the NME readers’ survey at the end of 1962 the top six acts were Elvis Presley, Cliff Richard, Frank Ifield, the Shadows, Acker Bilk and Billy Fury – almost all of whom had been around for years. Indeed, the BBC producer and disc jockey Brian Matthew wrote that rock and roll had merely been a passing phase, a short lived fad that would soon give way to more lasting musical genres. Looking back on the music scene of 1962, Matthew wrote that ‘the thump and crash form of beat music was clearly on the wane.’ ‘What had been exciting in its early stages,’ he thought, ‘soon became boring. Here was a real case of familiarity breeding contempt.’ Already, he noted, publishers and managers were looking for ‘signs of the next craze’. ‘You may remember,’ he explained, ‘that we were told frequently and loudly not long ago that rock was dead and next in line would be the calypso – but it wasn’t!’
Instead, he advised his readers, ‘the way things are at the moment it looks as though the sixties may well come to be labelled the ten years of Trad.’ Indeed, extraordinary as it might sound, he was not alone in his view that Trad Jazz, not rock and roll, would be the soundtrack of the next few years. After all, perhaps the year’s biggest musical star was none other than Acker Bilk, a clarinettist and bandleader from rural Somerset who was always immaculately turned out in a striped Edwardian waistcoat and a bowler hat. The ‘Bilk Marketing Board’ made sure that he was always billed as ‘Mr Acker Bilk’, and his publicity usually read like an elaborate pastiche of a Victorian advertisement, complete with excruciating puns and parodies: ‘An Acker A Day Keeps The Bopper Away’, ‘There IS No Substitute for Bilk’, or ‘Spinna Disca Bilka Day’. His instrumental record ‘Stranger on the Shore’ had originally been written for his daughter, but then became the theme of a children’s television programme. It spent a record-breaking fifty-five weeks in the British singles chart, peaking at number two, and twenty-one weeks in the American chart, where it reached number one in May 1962.
As one commentator put it, Bilk was ‘quite possibly the only man to top the American charts wearing a bowler hat and a striped waistcoat’. And when a compilation album, The Best of Ball, Barber and Bilk, reached the top of the British LP chart in 1962, traditional jazz seemed to be sweeping all before it. The BBC ran a television series entitled Trad Fad, and almost every week trad bands appeared before twenty million viewers on Sunday Night at the London Palladium. In the film Band of Thieves, Bilk pulled off a series of dashing diamond heists, while Richard Lester’s film It’s Trad Dad gave audiences the opportunity to see Bilk, Kenny Ball, Chris Barber, and the Temperance Seven, as well as dozens of other stars of the day, on the big screen. ‘Trad jazz is indestructible,’ wrote the historian and jazz aficionado Eric Hobsbawm in the New Statesman, ‘because it is today the basic dance-music of British juveniles.’
Perhaps it was not surprising, then, that so many experts thought rock and roll was finished. On New Year’s Day, Decca’s young executive Mike Smith went to their West Hampstead studio to hear an audition by four aspiring beat musicians from Liverpool. He had little hesitation in turning them down; in commercial terms, he explained, rock was ‘dead’. All the evidence of the charts suggested that ballad singers and trad jazz bands were the music of the future. As Decca’s head of A and R, Dick Rowe, explained tothe Liverpool band’s manager, Brian Epstein, ‘Groups are out; four-piece groups with guitars particularly are finished.’ Even after George Martin had signed the Beatles to EMI’s Parlophone label, many executives were pessimistic about their prospects. In September 1962 Martin told a meeting of EMI label chiefs that Parlophone was about to put out the Beatles’ first single. Most of the other executives thought that it was another of George Martin’s comedy records, and one even asked: ‘Is it Spike Milligan in disguise?’ ‘I’m serious’, Martin told them. ‘This is a great group, and we’re going to hear a lot from them.’ But nobody took much notice; why would they? And indeed, when Love Me Do came out on 5 October, its performance was solid rather than spectacular, peaking at number 17. At that stage, worldwide fame and fortune seemed a long way away.
It’s one of the lovely coincidences of history, I think, that the Beatles’ first single, which became such an emblem of the swinging Sixties, came out on exactly the same day that another symbol of the decade – the first James Bond film, Dr No, opened at the Pavilion Cinema in London. Entertainingly, the Bond franchise was another unlikely and unanticipated success story. Its producers, Albert R. Broccoli and Harry Saltzman, did not have high hopes. When they privately showed the film to an audience of American distributors a few weeks previously, the reaction was not at all enthusiastic. ‘Well, Harry,’ one man said to Saltzman, ‘all we can lose is 950,000 dollars.’ ‘It simply won’t work in America,’ agreed an executive at United Artists. ‘Connery will never go over.’ The first reviews, meanwhile, were lukewarm at best. ‘Dr No: no, no,’ wrote the Spectator’s critic. ‘Too inept to be as pernicious as it might have been.’ Some critics conceded that the film made for diverting entertainment, but few were impressed by Sean Connery’s interpretation of Ian Fleming’s secret agent. The New Statesman described him as ‘an invincibly stupid-looking secret service agent’, while the Monthly Film Bulletin, which called the film ‘tame’, thought Connery was ‘a disappointingly wooden and boorish Bond.’ And yet as it happened, the film was brilliantly timed. It was adapted from one of Ian Fleming’s more fantastic novels, the story of a freakish scientific mastermind working for the Soviet Union and undermining the American test rocket programme from his futuristic base off the coast of Jamaica. If nothing else, it proved a welcome contrast to the gritty, introspective New Wave films that had dominated the screens for much of 1961 and 1962. And when a real Cold War crisis involving missiles in the Caribbean began to unfold just two weeks into the film’s run, James Bond’s reputation for modernity and relevance was assured.
Of course, unlike the adventures of James Bond, the Cuban Missile Crisis was no laughing matter. For thirteen days, as Nikita Khrushchev and Jack Kennedy confronted one another over the issue of Soviet missiles in Cuba, the world seemed to be teetering on the brink of a third world war and a nuclear holocaust. From a British perspective, one of the most terrifying things was that we were so irrelevant. Should war break out, then Britain would undoubtedly have been one of Moscow’s chief targets; yet even at the time, it was very obviously the Americans, not Harold Macmillan’s Cabinet, who were calling the shots. All Britain could do was sit and wait. One Vulcan squadron commander at RAF Waddington remembered that for more than a week, he and his crew were on permanent stand-by in a flight hut twenty yards from their bomber; in just ten minutes, they could have been airborne and on their way east. ‘If the hooter had gone, we would have gone,’ recalled another man from the same base, a navigator. ‘Nobody would have given it a second thought. We were doing a job. I never heard a conversation on the rights and wrongs of dropping a nuclear bomb.’
Yet in the wider public, many people were understandably terrified at the thought that the world was heading for atomic Armageddon. Government contingency plans envisaged the evacuation of nearly ten million women and children from the cities to the countryside, but amid the panic of an impending nuclear attack, it’s hard to imagine such an operation going to plan. Indeed in those last fraught days of October, most large towns saw protests and demonstrations of one kind or another. In Sheffield, however, a group of students spotted the opportunity for a practical joke and mocked up newspaper placards with the headline: ‘War Declared, Official’. Perhaps not surprisingly, given the circumstances, the university immediately suspended them.
What the Cuban Missile Crisis confirmed, though, was that Britain no longer mattered as it once had. The crucial decisions were taken in the White House and the Kremlin, not in 10 Downing Street. And just a few weeks later came more evidence of Britain’s fall from grace. On 5 December, the former US Secretary of State Dean Acheson, one of the most respected American experts on foreign policy and President Kennedy’s special adviser on NATO affairs, gave a speech at a conference at the West Point Military Academy. There was nothing controversial in his words - nothing except for three sentences that found their way into every newspaper in Britain and, for many observers, encapsulated the decline in the nation’s international reputation. ‘Great Britain,’ he said, ‘has lost an empire and has not yet found a role. The attempt to play a separate power role – that is, a role apart from Europe, a role based on a ‘Special Relationship’ with the United States, a role based on being the head of a ‘Commonwealth’ which has no political structure, or unity, or strength and enjoys a fragile and precarious economic relationship – this role is about played out. Great Britain, attempting to work alone and to be a broker between the United States and Russia, has seemed to conduct a policy as weak as its military power.’
Harold Macmillan, for one, was outraged at Acheson’s words; the night he heard the news, he wrote in his diary that Acheson ‘always was a conceited ass’. But there was no denying that Britain’s world role was changing. In 1960, Somaliland, Cyprus and Nigeria had become independent, and in 1961 they had been joined by Sierra Leone, the British Cameroons and Tanganyika. The empire was dying. Not everybody liked it; indeed, many white settlers in Africa felt cheated and abandoned. ‘We’ve been thoroughly betrayed by a lousy British government,’ one Kenyan farmer fumed in 1962. ‘We’ll throw in our allegiance with somebody who’s not prepare to pull the bloody flag down.’ Many of them had fled Britain to escape Clement Attlee’s post-war Labour government, but now found the wind of change catching up with them. Others, like the farmer in Kenya, simply could not stand the idea of being ruled by black Africans. ‘I’m not a missionary,’ he told the press. ‘I hate the sight of the bastards.’ But the tide was irresistible. In 1962 Jamaica, Trinidad and Tobago, and Uganda all gained their independence; they were followed in 1963 by Malaysia, Zanzibar and Kenya, and in 1964 by Nyasaland and Northern Rhodesia.
And in its way, the rapid progress of decolonisation spoke volumes about the priorities of a Tory government that looks much more liberal in retrospect than it seemed at the time. Indeed, the man who had been Macmillan’s most influential Colonial Secretary, the young reformer Iain Macleod, made no secret of his domestic social goals. ‘The people of this country think that the society which we have created is not sufficiently just,’ he told the Conservative Party conference in the autumn of 1962. ‘They are puzzled by the fact that still in this twentieth century the child of a skilled manual labourer has only one chance in a hundred of going to the university, while the child of a professional man has 34 chances. They are puzzled that 42 per cent of the people in this country still earn £10 a week or less. The just society that we seek is a society which can confidently invite the men and women who compose it to make their own way in the world, because no reasonable opportunity is denied to them. You cannot ask men to stand on their own two feet if you give them no ground to stand on.’
For Iain Macleod, as for most other politicians of his generation, the answer to inequality was not radical political change but rapid economic growth. Affluence, it seemed in the Sixties, would wash away all the social ills and economic discontents of the past. And yet even in 1962 there were growing mutters of discontent, and murmurs that British industry and British businesses, having been too introverted and too complacent for too long, were falling behind their European competitors. Indeed, in April 1962 a Guardian headline proclaimed that Britain was ‘bottom of the class’, having finished last in an annual table published by the Secretariat of the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe.Britain, the paper reports, has the ‘sorry distinction of being the only Western country whose volume of national output was practically unchanged from the previous year’, and is ‘the one country where the employment situation has seriously deteriorated.’ In the nation’s boardrooms, the news only strengthened the view that the United Kingdom simply must join the new European Common Market, from which Britain had stood aloof in the 1950s. Indeed, Harold Macmillan had already made it clear that he saw Britain’s future inside the European Community.
But not everybody was quite so pro-European; indeed, polls showed deep public suspicion. ‘We must not join Europe’, declared the intensely conservative Viscount Montgomery of Alamein in June 1962: ‘I stand for the British Commonwealth with the Queen at its head … There is only one race under Heaven which could stand between the Western world and utter destruction. That is the British race to which we belong –united by close ties of blood, speech and religion the world over … Let the Mother of Nations gather her children about her to the call of common kindred; do not let her cast away the affection of her offspring. Let her grasp the hand of her children and draw them closer to her – rather than desert them.’ Other Euro-sceptics put it rather more earthily. In September 1962 the Tory chairman Iain Macleod advised the Cabinet that local party agents were reporting ‘increasing distrust of foreign political connections and indeed of foreigners, and fears that we are going to be “taken over”, “pushed around” “outvoted”, “forced into the Common Market to serve American interests” or “to surrender our independence to ‘Frogs and Wogs.’” And even Macmillan himself had his doubts about Britain’s European future. ‘The French are opposing us by every means, fair and foul,’ he wrote in his diary on the night of 1 December. ‘They are absolutely ruthless. For some reason they terrify the others – by their intellectual superiority, their spiritual arrogance, and their shameful disregard of truth and honour.’ Perhaps he wasn’t far wrong; only a few weeks later, his old wartime ally, Charles de Gaulle, vetoed Britain’s first attempt to join the European Community.
Deep down, though, most ordinary people were less interested in international politics than in their domestic pleasures. In particular, Britain was falling in love with television. ITV’s biggest draw was that perennial favourite Coronation Street, then not yet two years old, while the BBC’s most popular shows were The Black and White Minstrel Showand Steptoe and Son. But the really controversial programme of the day – and the one, I think, that says most about the tone and texture of life in 1962 – was a series that set out to use the cops and robbers genre to explore the lives of a northern, working-class community in an age of change. Its name was Z-Cars, and one of its creators, the playwright John McGrath explained, it was designed as ‘a kind of documentary about people’s lives in these areas and the cops were incidental – they were the means of finding out about other people’s lives.’ Indeed, the BBC publicity for the new series made very clear that it was not just half an hour’s escapism, but a social documentary confronting the problems of urban life in the sixties. ‘Life is fraught with danger for policemen in the North of England overspill estate called Newtown,’ the Radio Times told its readers. ‘Here a mixed community, displaced from larger towns by slum clearance, has been brought together and housed on an estate without amenities and without community feeling.’
The very first episode, in January 1962, begins with the shooting of a bobby on the beat – for many viewers, a shocking reminder of the rising crime that they found so disturbing. The Newtown police react by sending out crime patrols in the radio cars Z-Victor 1 and Z-Victor 2, occupied by the four toughest constables they can find – the Scottish rugby player Jock Weir, the Lancastrian Bob Steele, the Ulsterman Bert Lynch and the Yorkshireman Fancy Smith – while supervising operations by VHF radio from the station are the irascible Detective Superintendent Charlie Barlow and his faithful deputy, Detective Sergeant John Watt. The episode is packed with incident: on top of the shooting, we have a pub brawl, a subplot about teenage runaways, and the appearance of an escaped axe-wielding lunatic. But what really made Z-Cars controversial was that like so many series ever since, it confronted the domestic problems of the policemen themselves. So we discover that Sergeant Watt’s wife has left him because of the demands of his job, while an argument between Bob Steele and his wife leaves her with a black eye. And although the Lancashire Police had originally advised on the show’s plots, because they thought it would bolster the image of the police force, they were horrified to see their officers being shown as real flesh-and-blood human beings. The Chief Constable of Lancashire demanded that the series be cancelled, since his men had reacted to it with ‘disgust almost to a man’, while one of the Chorley Crime Patrol told reporters: ‘It was awful. We all thought it made us look fools. And our wives thought it made them look fools too.’ The audience evidently liked it: nine million people tuned in for the first episode, and by the end of 1962 Z-Cars was commanding 14 million viewers a week. But in a sign of things to come, it continued to attract fierce criticism from moral guardians who believed it was corrupting the nation. An educational psychologist even told the Manchester Guardian that its ‘vivid visual presentation of sexual perversion’ could damage the mental health of any children watching’.
Watch it now and Z-Cars might look painfully old-fashioned. But to viewers in 1962, used to the much more reassuring pieties of Dixon of Dock Green, it had the shock of the new. Its very setting, a new town haunted by domestic and juvenile crime, a setting of brutalist tower blocks and social deprivation, screamed modernity. It addressed the issues that other programmes ignored, from teenage delinquency and extra-marital sex to everyday racism and domestic violence. But it was not the only new BBC series making the headlines. Indeed, if any of the shows of 1962 really captured the irreverence of the Sixties, it was a new series devised by the BBC producer Ned Sherrin. What he wanted, Sherrin said later, was ‘a sort of revolutionary programme … a mixture of News, Interview, Satire and Controversy’, ‘an experimental two-hour mixture of conversation, satire, comedy, debate and music’.
And what he got was That Was The Week That Was, which first went on air just before eleven on the night of 24 November 1962. To modern eyes the material hardly looks sensational: a spoof of by-election coverage, a sketch about the army becoming involved in politics, a song parodying the hit ‘Love and Marriage’, but changing the lyrics to ‘Love before Marriage’. But to younger viewers in particular, it seemed refreshingly daring. Only 4 million people saw the first edition. Soon, though, 8 million were tuning in, and by April 1963 it commanded 12 million viewers a week, a staggering achievement for a show going out so late at night. Its most outspoken stars, David Frost, Millicent Martin and Bernard Levin, because household names. But not everybody liked it. In his parish magazine, onevicar called Millicent Martin ‘a repulsive woman’ and Bernard Levin ‘a thick-lipped Jew boy’. And one Shropshire schoolteacher thought it was ‘the epitome of what was wrong with the BBC – anti-authority, anti-religion, anti-patriotism, and pro-dirt’. Her name was Mary Whitehouse, and in the years to come, she too would become a familiar fixture in the nation’s newspapers.
When you reflect on the emergence of shows such as Z-Cars and That Was The Week That Was, as well as the release of Dr No and the first Beatles single, then 1962 looks more and more like a hinge moment in our modern history. For many people, of course, life went on much as usual. And yet when you read through the newspaper of the day; when you think what people were watching and buying and listening to; and when you reflect on what came afterwards, then 1962 feels like a tipping point. For my money, Britain was on the cusp of three tremendous changes, which marked the transformation from a comforting, complacent, claustrophobic but settled world of the 1950s to a more ambitious, insecure and individualistic one. The first, and perhaps, looking back, the most important, was the disappearance of the empire. At the time, few people mourned the loss of Britain’s colonies; they were too busy making and spending money to worry about it. But Dean Acheson was right. Britain did struggle to find a role in the years after 1962, and our global influence was unquestionably diminished. Before then, we had been globalisation’s architect, but now we were no longer in control. And by the 1970s, when the Arab oil shock exposed our vulnerability to international events, it was obvious that we would have to make a very painful psychological and economic transformation if we wanted to make our way in this harshly competitive new world.
The second great change was the coming of affluence. Only a few years before, commentators had talked about the age of austerity; but by 1962, millions of people seemed to be in thrall to supermarkets, televisions and seaside holidays. Affluence gave us opportunities our predecessors could barely have imagined, but it also made us more selfish, more materialistic, and more insecure. Those Rogers and Bridgets and Peters and Rachels born in 1962 would lead richer and more comfortable lives than their parents and grandparents; but their expectations would be greater, too. They would live longer and healthier lives, own many more things, go on more holidays; but they’d be more worried about keeping up or falling behind, about crime and schools, pollution and terrorism. Many of them, no doubt, cast their first votes for Margaret Thatcher in the early 1980s – a politician who at the beginning of her premiership, enjoyed great success with first-time voters, because she appealed both to their dreams and their anxieties. If you’re one of them, then this year you’re turning 50. And perhaps only you can say, half a century on, whether things turned out as they should have done.
And if you are part of that 1962 generation, then you’ve also been at the forefront of the third great change. People born in 1962 were much less deferential than their elders. They grew up in a world shaped by the sceptical, satirical spirit that animated That Was The Week That Was - a spirit that doubted whether the man in Whitehall really knew best, a spirit that said everybody should have his say, and nobody’s opinion was better than your own. Just a year later, the Profumo scandal exposed the apparent hypocrisy at the top of British politics, and when Harold Macmillan resigned at the end of 1963, his passing marked the end of an era in which British politics was the preserve of the tweedy Edwardian gent. In the new age, authority itself seemed suspect. The road from 1962, when David Frost and Bernard Levin were poking fun at Britain’s politicians, to 2012, when most people automatically assume that MPs care more about their own pockets than the national interest, was not such a long one.
Of course in many ways our world is better. We’re more tolerant, more open-minded, more cosmopolitan and more comfortable. We don’t persecute homosexuals, we don’t put up signs reading ‘No Blacks, No Irish, No Dogs’, and far from suppressing difference and dissent, we often positively welcome it. But we also live in a Britain that is greedier, more violent, more individualistic and more unequal. In many ways our predecessors would be astonished at how far we have come; in others they would be shocked by how far we have fallen. Not everything in 1962 was rosy, but when you watch newsreels and films of the day, and see the simple joy of people sunning themselves on Blackpool beach, waving excitedly out of train windows, chatting affably to their neighbours on the street corner, or throwing their caps aloft at football matches, it is hard not to feel a stab of regret at what we have lost, as well as pride at what we have gained. We can’t turn the clock back, of course: for good and ill, the days of pipe smoke in pubs are gone, never to return. But we should never be so arrogant as to believe that our predecessors have nothing to teach us.
© Dominic Sandbrook 2012
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Master Builders
About the building history
From castle to palace
Situated on the spur of a mountain the palace visible from far away rises above the former residential town like a crown. Its appearance and the tower of the palace high on top mark it a masterpiece of baroque architecture.
Early evidence
The vaults as well as the remains of the walls in the cellar and the curtain wall at the lower terrace remind us of the castle complex of the counts of Orlamuende from the 13th century which the counts of Schwarzburg acquired in 1334. The curtain wall was part of a wall that enclosed the eastern defensive court. There is no evidence regarding the use or the design of this early complex that has been preserved.
Heidecksburg castle becomes residence
In 1571 count Albrecht VII of Schwarzburg (1537—1605) chose the castle as his permanent domicile and made Rudolstadt his residential town. He let the existing complex extend and rebuilt. Georg Robin (after 1540 – around 1610) from Mainz, one of the leading architects of his time, planned the construction works. On 25th March 1573 a fire destroyed parts of the wing containing the living rooms. As a consequence Albrecht VII used the former building to erect a palcae complex with three wings. He initially assigned Georg Robin with the planning and later on Christoph Junghans from Arnstadt (died 1597). After that the master builder Nikol Schleizer was responsible for the whole building process. Especially the southern wing had to be re-erected in 1573. This is documented by the inventory registers of the early 17th century which explicitly mention the rooms of the old castle and those of the new building facing the town. In 1576 the chapel of the palace, located at the northern wing, was consecrated.
Plain renaissance palace
The outwardly plain renaissance castle with its three floors was structured by strong cornices. Like other medium-sized castles in Middle Germany the roof of the building was adorned with lucarnes on the roof ornamented with volutes and several chimneys.
The linear order of the rooms of the southern wing illuminated from two sides and a constant floor level demonstrate that the transition from a castle to a palace had already taken place. Recent building researches indicate a sophisticated décor that would have met the demands of the counts of Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt. For example as ceilings from the 18th century had been removed profiled beams carrying heavy joist ceilings made of wood came to light. Elaborate colour versions documented for some rooms of the southern wing give evidence of the influence of the big art centres. During the whole 17th century the construction of the renaissance palcae remained almost unchanged.
Growing desire of representation
A fundamental change regarding the construction process did not take place until the ennoblement of the house of Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt in 1710 when the counts became princes. From there on building operations that arose from the growing need of representation were set in motion. Prince Ludwig Friedrich I (1667—1718) put a portal in the style of a triumphal arch in front of the access pointing towards the city to visually emphasis the bestowed majesty. In relation with it, safety works on the southern wing were carried out and supervised by Matthaeus Daniel Poeppelmann (1662—1736) a building master from Dresden. At this time they worked on the furnishing and decoration of some rooms, too. One of the earliest halls of mirrors in Middle Germany that still exists today was established around 1700.
Rebuild as baroque castle
When in 1735 a fire destroyed the western and northern wing up to the first floor the reigning prince, Friedrich Anton (1692—1744), decided to rebuild the western wing. The sketches were delivered by Johann Christoph Knoeffel (1686—1752), master builder from Saxony. His plans as well as their execution after 1737 outline the cool Dresdian late Baroque that the master builder implemented on many of his buildings. The rooms of the main floor that were important for the court ceremony Knoeffel structured following the French model of the “apartement double“. As a result room units accommodating the variety of courtly life replace rooms simply adjacent to each other. Prince Friedrich Anton as well as his son, Johann Friedrich (1721—1767), sovereign since 1744, influenced the design of the western wing in an extensive way. Both of them occupied themselves with scripts concerning the theory of architecture and knew the trend-setting castles in the Netherlands and France from their own experience.
Krohne’s masterpiece
It was difficult to carry out Knoeffel’s ambitious construction plans because of the strained financial situation of the court of Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt. Therefore the
princely government was forced to found a building commission in 1741. The head of the commission was the hereditary prince Johann Friedrich Anton, who, after he had returned from his educational journey in France, took the building process into his hands. Making use of his good relations to the Weimar court he succeeded in gaining the master builder Gottfried Heinrich Krohne (1703-1756) to work on the castle in Rudolstadt. This decision was justified with the reproach that Knoeffel, due to his responsibilities in Dresden, was no longer able to supervise the construction works in Rudolstadt with the necessary diligence. Thus Krohne was appointed “princely building director” in May 1743. This replacement, not lastly induced by Johann Friedrich, also entailed a change regarding the decoration of the rooms. As planned by his predecessor, Krohne maintained the arrangement of two apartments flanking the festive room but he changed the cool and classic interior decoration drafted by Krohne and introduced the delicacy and playfulness of the Rococo design.
Last Works
When Prince Ludwig Guenther II (1708—1790) ascended the throne in 1767 only minor changes on the main floor of the western wing were made. Later on, the main staircase as well as some rooms of the western and southern wing were decorated in the style of Classicism. Among others the master builders Ferdinand (died 1833) and Wilhelm Adam Thierry (1761—1823) delivered numerous sketches for it. With the extension of the southern wing towards the east the building process of the palcae came to a preliminary stop during the first decade of the 19th century. The works at the Heidecksburg palcae made the court of Rudolstadt one of the centres of art in Thuringia.
Rococo en miniature
© 2009-2019 Thuringian State Museum Heidecksburg Schlossbezirk 1 07407 Rudolstadt
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Tecumseh defeated
During the War of 1812, a combined British and Indian force is defeated by General William Harrison’s American army at the Battle of the Thames near Ontario, Canada. The leader of the Indian forces was Tecumseh, the Shawnee chief who organized intertribal resistance to the encroachment of white settlers on Indian lands. He was killed in the fighting.
Tecumseh was born in an Indian village in present-day Ohio and early on witnessed the devastation wrought on tribal lands by white settlers. He fought against U.S. forces in the American Revolution and later raided white settlements, often in conjunction with other tribes. He became a great orator and a leader of intertribal councils. He traveled widely, attempting to organize a united Indian front against the United States. When the War of 1812 erupted, he joined the British, and with a large Indian force he marched on U.S.-held Fort Detroit with British General Isaac Brock. In August 1812, the fort surrendered without a fight when it saw the British and Indian show of force.
Tecumseh then traveled south to rally other tribes to his cause and in 1813 joined British General Henry Procter in his invasion of Ohio. The British-Indian force besieged Fort Meigs, and Tecumseh intercepted and destroyed a Kentucky brigade sent to relieve the fort. After the U.S. victory at the Battle of Lake Erie in September 1813, Procter and Tecumseh were forced to retreat to Canada. Pursued by an American force led by the future president William Harrison, the British-Indian force was defeated at the Battle of the Thames River on October 5.
The battle gave control of the western theater to the United States in the War of 1812. Tecumseh’s death marked the end of Indian resistance east of the Mississippi River, and soon after most of the depleted tribes were forced west.
History.com Editors
https://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/tecumseh-defeated
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Marijn Simons
MARIJN SIMONS was born in 1982 and received his first violin lessons at the age of four, and simultaneously and without formal teaching - started to compose music of his own. At the age of ten he had completed his first string quartet. Simons now studies composition with Daan Manneke at the Amsterdam Conservatory, where he is also coached by the renowned violin expert, Davina van Wely. His current violin teacher is Saschko Gawriloff.
From an early age he has performed in recital and broadcast for radio and television, his first professional concert being at the age of ten. He made his concerto debut playing the Mendelssohn Concerto a year later and has gone on to play with the Rotterdam Philharmonic, Noord-Hollands Philharmonic, Het Gelders Orchestra, Residentie Orchestra, Limburg Symphony, Noord Nederlands Orchestra, Klassische Philharmonie Bonn, Baden-Badener Philharmonie, and Northern Sinfonia.
Simons has been the subject of a television documentary as violinist and composer; another documentary was aired at the last Cannes Television Festival, with transmission throughout Europe later this year. A further documentary, including his recent visit to the National Symphony of Mexico, has just been shown in the Netherlands.
His first CD - including his own Capriccio for Stan & Ollie - drew favorable response. His first CD on the Etcetera label, released last year, features the re-working of Capriccio for Stan & Ollie for nine players, coupled with his Second String Quartet and First Violin Concerto, Cuddly Animals. Future CDs will include performances of his most recent concertos as well as his performances of some great 20th-century concertos, including works by Milhaud, Hindemith, and Villa-Lobos.
Also due for recording is his largest work to date, Noises in the Night. This piece received its world premiere in December 1999 with the Residentie Orchestra in the Hague, conducted by Jac van Steen; on the same program Simons played the Stravinsky Violin Concerto.
Last year he returned to Palermo for performances of the Hindemith Concerto, then to Mexico where he gave the Mexican premiere of the Villa-Lobos Concerto with the National Symphony and Enrique Diemecke. He also gave a broadcast performance of the Milhaud Concertino with the Nieuw Sinfonietta in Amsterdam. and performed the second Milhaud Concerto with the Netherlands Chamber Orchestra; at the same concert the trombonist Jacques Mauger gave the world premiere of Simons' Trombone Concerto.
Simons has also made recital and concerto appearances in Italy, the Netherlands, Germany, and South America. More recent commissions include his First Piano Concerto for Jean-Bernard Pommier, a Flute Quartet for the Rotterdam Dance Academy, and a Percussion Concerto for the Residentie Orchestra.
Simons has recently been awarded the Philip Morris Arts Prize in the Netherlands.
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Sonya Yoncheva
Born in 1981 in Bulgaria, SONYA YONCHEVA graduated in piano and voice in the class of Nelly Koitcheva in her hometown of Plovdiv, and obtained her master’s degree in classical singing at the Conservatory of Geneva in the professional class of Danielle Borst, receiving the special prize of the Town of Geneva.
Yoncheva is the winner of the world´s most famous opera competition, Operalia 2010, conducted and organized by Plácido Domingo at the Teatro alla Scala in Milan, and she was honored with the Special Prize Cultur Arte offered by Bertita and Guillermo Martinez. She also received the Special Prize of Les Amis du Festival for her performance of Fiordiligi in Così fan tutte at the Academy of Aix en Provence Festival 2007, as well as a few scholarships provided by Swiss Foundations such as Mosetti and Hablitzel. Yoncheva is also a first prize winner of competitions in her home country: Competition for German and Austrian Classical Music 2001, Competition for Bulgarian Classical Music 2000 , and Young Talents 2000. She and her brother Marin Yonchev became the Singers of the Year 2000 in the edition of the competition Hit-1 organized and produced by Bulgarian National Television.
In 2007, after participating in the academy for young singers Jardin des Voix, conducted and organized by William Christie, Yoncheva received exciting new engagements in venues such as the Glyndebourne Festival, Swiss National Television and Radio, Théâtre du Châtelet, and the Festival of Proms. Later she was seen in productions and concerts at the Teatro Real Madrid, Teatro alla Scala Milano, National Opera of Praga, Festival of Montpellier, Lille Opera, and the Brooklyn Academy of Music, as well as concert halls such as Tonhalle Zurich; Verdi Milano; Cité de la Musique, Paris; Pleyel, Paris; Lincoln Center, New York; London’s Barbican Center; Alte Oper, Frankfurt; Palais des Beaux Arts, Brussels; Auditorio Nacional, Madrid; Gulbenkian, Lisbon; Auditorio di Valladolid; Tchaikovsky Concert Hall, Moscow; Concert Hall of Marinskii Theater, St. Petersburg; Copenhagen Concert Hall; Dortmund, Hamburg, and Munich concert halls; Champ-Elysées Theater; and Geneva Opera House.
Sonya Yoncheva collaborated with many artists from the world of the opera, cinema, and rock music, including William Christie, Sting, Plácido Domingo, Emanuelle Haïm, Vladimir Cosma, Elvis Costello, Milena Canonero, Natasha Regnier, Piergiorgio Morandi, James Conlon, Pierluigi Pizzi, Robert Carsen, Danielle de Niese, Bryn Terfel, Erwin Schrott, Vittorio Grigolo, Adam Fischer, Ottavio Dantone, Fabio Biondi, Giovanni Antonini, and Alan Gilbert.
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Bowl Area Map Accessibility Info Hollywood Bowl Museum Watch & Listen
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It's Settled: Old-Media Giant Buys Business Insider
German media powerhouse Axel Springer buys Henry Blodget's websites for $343 million in a landmark deal for digital media.
By Christine Lagorio-ChafkinSenior writer, Inc.@Lagorio
Henry Blodget, CEO and Editor-In Chief of Business Insider
The May-December romance between German publishing giant Axel Springer and Business Insider has been made official.
The latest marriage of old and new media firms values the Web publisher at $442 million. New details of the deal, which has been anticipated for a week, include that Springer will end up paying $343 million. The acquisition leaves Springer, which already owned 9 percent of BI, with control of all but 3 percent of the company. The remaining portion is owned by Amazon founder Jeff Bezos.
It's a major victory not just for the entrepreneurial team and investors behind Business Insider, but also for New York City's vibrant, young tech-media community, which has been puffed full of investors and new endeavors in recent years. It sets a new benchmark for deals, in fact, in the post-Huffington-Post-AOL-acquisition era. (That deal closed for $315 million.)
Axel Springer, which is best known as the owner of German newspapers Die Welt and Bild, has been angling to increase its English-language presence. It bought a minority stake in Business Insider in January. The $25 million funding round valued the company at about $200 million. More recently, Springer lost a bidding war for the Financial Times.
"With the acquisition of Business Insider, we continue with our strategy to expand Axel Springer's digital reach and, as previously announced, invest in digital journalism companies in English-speaking regions of the world," Axel Springer's CEO, Mathias Döpfner, said in a statement.
Former Wall Street analyst Henry Blodget founded Business Insider, originally called Silicon Alley Insider, in 2007 with serial entrepreneur Kevin Ryan. The acquisition solidifies a comeback narrative for Blodget, who rose to notoriety during the first dot-com boom, before being banned from Wall Street.
According to Web analytics firm Comscore, BI attracted more than 40 million unique visitors in August, making it the most-viewed business news site aside from Yahoo Finance. The company says it has 76 million monthly unique visitors.
It's not Axel Springer's first foray into the digital space, and Döpfner has spoken in the past about his intentions to invest in digital media. The publisher partnered with Politico on a European version of the Washington politics site, and has invested in the news website Ozy, which was founded in 2013 by former McKinsey consultant and MSNBC news anchor Carlos Watson.
Earlier this month, Manager Magazine reported that Axel Springer was looking to buy a controlling stake in Business Insider. On September 22, Recode's Peter Kafka reported that the deal was near, based on accounts from unnamed sources.
How's business been at BI lately? Kafka writes:
Business Insider hasn't disclosed its revenues recently. In 2013, it did around $20 million. In January, when Blodget announced his latest funding round, he said revenues had grown 70 percent in 2014, and that the company was "solidly profitable" in the second half of the year.
A few months later, Business Insider COO Julie Hansen said the company wasn't profitable, because it was plowing resources into expansion. It has recently launched a U.K. edition as well as TechInsider, a site dedicated to "tech, science, innovation, and culture," as well as Insider, a publishing project that aims to push most of its content to other platforms like Facebook and Twitter.
The deal sets a new mark for acquisitions, but it's just one example of how traditional media has been furiously pumping money into online ventures recently. In August Comcast's NBCUniversal invested $200 million in BuzzFeed, and another $200 million in Vox Media. And last week, Hearst took a minority stake in Complex, a network of video-driven websites founded by Marc Ecko.
Business Insider has raised $57 million since 2007.
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Anderson civil rights leader Margaret Mack never learned her real first name
First black teacher at T.L. Hanna had hidden struggles most never knew
Anderson civil rights leader Margaret Mack never learned her real first name First black teacher at T.L. Hanna had hidden struggles most never knew Check out this story on independentmail.com: https://www.independentmail.com/story/news/2017/08/18/anderson-civil-rights-leader-margaret-mack-never-learned-her-real-first-name/578259001/
Mike Ellis, Anderson Independent Mail Published 9:20 a.m. ET Aug. 18, 2017 | Updated 9:58 a.m. ET Aug. 26, 2018
Margaret Mack died without ever knowing the name she was given at birth. That, and a long struggle to get her birth mother to acknowledge their relationship, inspired the title of the autobiography and collection of short stories that will soon be published by her family. Mack lived to see changes she once only dreamed of, from becoming the first black teacher at T.L. Hanna to becoming a member of the Anderson District 5 School Board. Mike Ellis/Independent Mail
Roy Mack, the widower of Margaret Mack, holds a copy of her posthumous autobiography, set to be released Saturday at noon at St. Mary of the Angels Catholic Church in Anderson.(Photo: Mike Ellis/Independent Mail)
Margaret Mack died without ever knowing the name she was given at birth.
That, and a long struggle to get her birth mother to acknowledge their relationship, inspired the title of the autobiography and collection of short stories that will soon be published by her family.
The copies of the autobiography, which family members thought were lost, were discovered shortly before she died in January 2016.
Mack lived to see changes she once only dreamed of, from becoming the first black teacher at T.L. Hanna to becoming a member of the Anderson District 5 School Board.
It wasn’t easy.
Her first day of school included an introduction by the principal, who scorned her and made clear that she was ordered to be there, not desired.
But her thousands of students never knew her back story, her struggle and her roots, said Roy Mack, her husband.
She fought against racism and didn’t shy away from racial bullies but a more personal struggle with her biological mother may have been the real defining fight of Mack’s life, said her daughter, Candice Mack Harding.
Mack’s posthumous autobiography, along with poems from her life, is being published by her family members, including her niece, Valorie Burton Burford, who has authored 11 books.
INDEPENDENT MAIL FILE PHOTO Margaret Mack of Belton was the first black teacher at T.L. Hanna High School in Anderson as South Carolina public schools were integrated. (Photo: Ken Ruinard)
A book release party is from noon to 3 p.m. Saturday at St. Mary of the Angels Catholic Church in Anderson, where Mack was a long-time member.
Mack was nine days old when her mother abandoned her in the middle of the night and several years in an orphanage later, the woman who was putting Mack up for adoption noticed Mack’s mother on a public bus.
The woman didn’t talk to Mack’s biological mother but, in a voice loud enough for her to hear, announced that a family from New York would be here soon to take Mack. It was true, there was a family coming.
Mack’s mother went to Walter Adger Jr., Mack’s biological father who was married to another woman and on the path to becoming a minister. The couple agreed to raise Mack.
While Adger was at work, his wife, Pearl Adger, went to pick up the young Mack, who was then given the name Margaret. No one knew her first name.
That moment of kindness, tracking down Mack’s biological father to keep her, may have been the most kind moment of Mack’s mother’s life, said her sister, Leone Murray.
Mack’s biological mother is still alive and has advanced dementia, her family members said.
“She went to the grave not knowing some things,” Murray said. “Her stories, her life, will make you laugh and cry and it will make you angry. A lot of people would be shocked to know she had such a tough beginning.”
Follow Mike Ellis on Twitter @MikeEllis_AIM
Read or Share this story: https://www.independentmail.com/story/news/2017/08/18/anderson-civil-rights-leader-margaret-mack-never-learned-her-real-first-name/578259001/
At town hall, Anderson County farmers, small business owners weigh in on road-fee plan
Electrolux donates 800 air conditioners, AIM distributes them throughout the community
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Home / Publications by Qingdao Publishing Group
Qingdao Publishing Group
Qingdao Publishing Group is a state-owned cultural enterprise, which publishes books on social science, literature, public life and fashion, health and medicine, and books for children. It has a wonderful social reputation and was awarded the "First Ranked Press in China" and "National Key Cultural Export Enterprise" by the government.
Visit Publisher's Website
3 Publications for Qingdao Publishing Group:
Higher Plants Of China Vol.11: ANGIOSPERMAE
Volume 1, Number 1, 1 January 2005 - Volume 1, Number 1, 1 January 2005
Higher Plants Of China Vol.4: ANGIOSPERMAE
Volume 1, Number 1, 1 September 2000 - Volume 1, Number 1, 1 September 2000
Higher Plants of China Volume 7 - ANGIOSPERMAE
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In Pittsburgh’s Squirrel Hill, anger, unity, and grief-stricken calls to ‘vote’
by Chris Palmer, Posted: October 27, 2018
A group of girls wait for the start of a vigil at the intersection of Murray and Forbes Avenues in the Squirrel Hill section of Pittsburgh, not far from where 11 people were shot to death at Tree of Life synagogue.
GENE J. PUSKAR
PITTSBURGH — They came by the hundreds, gathered together on a street corner on the main drag of Squirrel Hill.
Across the street was the Squirrel Hill News Stand and the Squirrel Hill Cafe. The Squirrel Hill Flower Shop was just down the street, a few paces from the Squirrel Hill library branch.
Dispatch from Pittsburgh: ‘… it has happened here’
‘Unspeakable act of hate’: 11 dead and suspect in custody in Pittsburgh synagogue shooting
Suspect Robert Bowers posted hateful comments on social media before shooting
Alex Averin, 28, had worked at businesses up and down this part of town for years because he, like so many others who grew up here, could never quite find a reason to leave. As local lore has it, you can live three decades in this section of Pittsburgh's East End — a handsome neighborhood, largely residential, with a sizable and proud Jewish community — and still be considered a newcomer.
So as the crowd swelled at the corner of Forbes and Murray Avenues on Saturday night, Averin, taking a quick break from his duties as a cook at the Squirrel Hill Cafe, somberly understood that his neighborhood might now be associated with something else — tragedy.
Vigil participants emphasized unity.
"I probably know the names of half the people" in this community, he said. "This is one of the last neighborhoods I'd expect this to happen."
This was the shooting rampage inside Tree of Life Congregation, about a half-mile from the bar where Averin works. Police said Robert Bowers, 46, killed 11 people and injured six others when he burst into the synagogue and opened fire, yelling anti-Semitic language as he shot. He was later arrested and faces federal charges.
At Saturday night's vigil in Squirrel Hill, just outside Sixth Presbyterian Church, the massive crowd — which occupied more than a city block — included John Fetterman, Democratic candidate for lieutenant governor. Gov. Wolf was also in town Saturday.
But the vast majority of those gathered as the sun went down were residents — of Squirrel Hill, or other parts of the East End, or suburban Pittsburgh. Some wanted to show support or mourn. Many wanted to demonstrate the strength of their community after such unimaginable violence.
"Nobody deserved this," said Renee Shissler, 49, who attended with her 12-year-old daughter, Ella. "People should not have to live in fear."
Aaron Regal, 27, said he lived nearby and knew people who were members of Tree of Life. By nightfall, he said he wasn't sure if anyone he knew had been hurt. Or worse.
He, like others, expressed anger that Bowers could have a gun, and said he thought it was time to "rewrite the Second Amendment."
Regal's friend Ethan Frier, 27, said: "I wish I was surprised" by the shooting. "Another day in America."
Yael Schenker, 45, said she knew someone who had been hurt but was hoping for the best. She said many people in the city would likely feel, firsthand, the impact of the crime.
"Pittsburgh is a small town," she said, "and Squirrel Hill is a tight-knit neighborhood."
The vigil, organized by students, largely avoided direct discussion of the charged issue of gun control — though there was a notable exception. As the speakers' remarks wound to a close, the crowd began to chant: "Vote. Vote. Vote."
Then, to punctuate the proceedings, a man yelled out from the crowd.
"We," he said, "are still Squirrel Hill."
Posted: October 27, 2018 - 9:13 PM
Chris Palmer | @cs_palmer | cpalmer@inquirer.com
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C. Robert Gibson, Contributor
Independent journalist published in Guardian, the Washington Post, Al Jazeera America, NPR, and other publications
Moving Forward Together, North Carolina Is Leading the Next Civil Rights Movement
02/27/2015 12:40 pm ET Updated Apr 29, 2015
In February of 1960, four young black college students in Greensboro, North Carolina, sat down at a whites-only Woolworths lunch counter and demanded to be served. The sit-in grew to 20 people the next day, and 300 the following day, eventually attracting over 1,000. After that, sit-ins at whites-only lunch counters were happening nationwide. A few years later, the movement for civil rights that began with Rosa Parks's defiant action on a Montgomery bus and carried over into lunch counters eventually resulted in the end of state-sponsored segregation.
Today, a new civil rights movement is emerging that begs for a successful example like this on which to model itself. The #BlackLivesMatter protests that swept hundreds of U.S. cities after the Michael Brown and Eric Garner grand jury decisions revealed a large segment of the country that wants to engage in a movement for social change. But after the street demonstrations dissipated, many on social media questioned whether there was a grand strategy to achieve the movement's ultimate demands of criminal justice reform and police accountability.
Perhaps now we're discovering our answer. As North Carolina spawned the lunch counter sit-ins that put the Civil Rights movement directly in the faces of ordinary Americans 55 years ago, the state is also giving America an effective model for social justice organizing in today's society -- the Forward Together movement.
"'Black Lives Matter' is not just a cry for black lives," said Reverend William Barber II, president of the North Carolina NAACP and author of the book Forward Together. "The message is, if my life doesn't matter, then nobody's life matters. These same people ignoring the criminal justice system are the same ones ignoring the need for education funding and the need for voting rights. It's not black-exclusive, it's a statement that we are all one nation, and all of our lives matter."
Reverend Barber, who has become the face of North Carolina's burgeoning social justice movement, believes America is "in the embryonic stages of a third reconstruction." He cites the first reconstruction that began after the Civil War; the second one that began after the death of Emmitt Till and Rosa Parks's refusal to give up her seat on the bus as a direct response to Till's murder, and today's third reconstruction that may have potentially began after the killers of Trayvon Martin, Michael Brown and Eric Garner walked free.
"Movements don't come from the top down, they come from the bottom up. Nobody flies in and starts a sit-in movement with college freshmen, like the ones at that lunch counter in Greensboro," Rev. Barber said during an in-depth interview with Occupy.com earlier this month. "Dr. King said, go back to Mississippi, don't go to Washington. He said to build state-based movements from the bottom up."
As I wrote in the previous installment of this series, the Forward Together movement, known in North Carolina as the Historic Thousands on Jones Street (HKonJ) coalition, brings together more than 170 state-based organizations under a 14-point agenda covering economic, environmental, racial, educational, voting, housing and LGBT justice. HKonJ recently mobilized 30,000 people for this agenda outside the North Carolina General Assembly building in Raleigh on Feb. 14. Rev. Barber says Forward Together's "deeply constitutional, deeply moral" movement is one that is rooted in the organizing traditions of the Civil Rights movement.
"Dr. King didn't just organize in churches. He organized in pool halls. He went to disc jockeys on the radio, who had the same kind of reach then that social media has now. He went to hair salons, beauty shops," Barber said.
Just as Martin Luther King's movement organized for black Americans to have the right to vote without facing discriminatory barriers like poll taxes, Reverend Barber's movement is organizing for those voting rights to remain intact. Forward Together won an injunction in the 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals against North Carolina's draconian voter suppression law, and is taking it to trial in July. Reverend Barber said the legislature's attacks on voting came from a place of fear.
"Those who believe in the old white southern strategy recognize that when everybody comes together, they can formulate a new electorate," Barber said. "The only way to beat organized money is to have organized people."
One example Barber cites in his praise for "organized people" comes from Hyde County, a mostly poor community in the far-eastern part of North Carolina, in 1968. Despite desegregation being the law of the land after Brown v. Board of Education, the courts left the details of how to desegregate to the states most responsible for segregation. As a result, desegregation hadn't reached places like Hyde County, North Carolina. County officials who were being forced to integrate their school systems simply closed down the black schools, erasing their names, mascots and traditions from history, forcing black students to assimilate. After months of sustained protests, the federal government finally intervened in favor of the protesters.
"In 1968, they stayed out of school for months, and shut the whole system down. They drained all the federal money out of the school system," Rev. Barber explained. "They marched all the way from Hyde County to Raleigh, knowing that while they didn't have the media, they had the power."
Rev. Barber believes that for the new civil rights movement to achieve its demands, it must dedicate the time and energy to build a broad, youth-led, state-based movement and escalate its tactics if demands go unmet. However, Barber is quick to note that while shutting down the system is sometimes necessary, actions must remain nonviolent to maintain a moral high ground.
"Shutting it down and tearing it down is different," Rev. Barber said. "Shutting it down is civil disobedience. And that is the act of refusing to participate until what is supposed to work on behalf of the people works properly. And saying you will be willing to be arrested to draw attention to the issue."
Stay tuned for part III of this series, which explores how youth are leading the North Carolina movement and looks at how organizations elsewhere can bring in young people to engage as lead activists.
(This article originally appeared on Occupy.com.)
Politics News Civil Rights Rosa Parks Black Lives Matter Martin Luther King Jr.
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The City's process of managing public records is not a centralized function. Each department manages their own records independently. The following information is provided to assist the public in receiving the requested information in a legally sufficient and timely manner, pursuant to guidelines provided in the California Public Records Act (CPRA), Government Code Sections 6250 to 6270:
Public Records Request Portal
Members of the public may now request public records through an online portal that corresponds with each City department, and tracks delivery of information. The online Public Records Request Portal is managed during regular business hours Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. (excluding holidays). Timely delivery of information in response to a request for public records will occur when the request is submitted electronically.
Note: Data entered into Public Records Request Portal is considered public information.
The City has an Online Records Library that provides access to City Council records (contracts, deeds, historical photos, minutes, ordinances, resolutions) 24 hours a day, seven days a week. These records do not require submission of a public records request.
Visit Online Records Library
Other Options to Request Records
Individuals unable to make public records requests online may phone or email the department responsible for managing/retaining/delivering the requested information. A Records Liaison will be happy to assist you! View contact information for City departments.
Public records are open to inspection by appointment during normal business hours. If a records request involves review of physical records by more than one department, a mutually agreeable time should be established for the inspection of records.
Persons inspecting City records shall not destroy, mutilate, deface, alter, or remove any such record(s) from City offices. The City reserves the right to have internal personnel present during the inspection of records in order to prevent the loss or destruction of records. There is no charge to inspect records.
The City of Huntington Beach may refuse to disclose any records which are exempt from disclosure under the California Public Records Act. (See G.C. Section 6254 et seq.) Paper copies of records that are not exempt from disclosure are available upon pre-payment of a .10 cent per page duplication fee. Duplication of records on other types of removable media (CD, DVD, flash drive) is available by request for the direct cost of duplication materials only.
Did you know the Historic Resources Board has organized a Historic Walking Tour of Downtown Huntington Beach? Pick up your walking tour brochure today on the 3rd floor of City Hall! Check out the Historic Huntington Beach webpage for more information!
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Gambit: Channing Tatum MIGHT abandon title role in upcoming X-Men spin-off
By Amy West
July 29, 2015 11:46 BST
Channing Tatum made a surprise appearance at Comic Con 2015 for the 20th Century Fox panel, wearing a Gambit-inspired T-shirt Kevin Winter/Getty
He has been championing the upcoming movie for months and even turned up to this year's 20th Century Fox panel at San Diego Comic-Con sporting a Gambit-inspired T-shirt, but it has been revealed that Channing Tatum might now be planning be exit the X-Men spin-off.
Talking to The Wrap, a source who is said to have "knowledge of the situation" told the publication that the 35-year-old's representatives are still in discussion with the studio but bosses have recognised that "something is up", and that Tatum's changing opinion might be down to his larger ambitions.
Tatum's involvement contributed greatly towards the film being made and if he does abandon the title, it leaves the fate of it a little uncertain. Filming was set to begin in October 2015 so chances are studio bosses may struggle to find an actor to fill the lead role before that time, potentially delaying shooting and consequently the whole project itself.
John Carter actor Taylor Kitsch originally played Gambit in X-Men Origins: Wolverine Reuters
Tatum was not only signed on to star, but to produce the picture as well alongside his creative partner Reid Carolin and X-Men veterans Simon Kinberg and Lauren Schuler Donner. There has been no official word yet as to whether he will be carrying on behind-the-scenes on Gambit, in that same position.
The news that Tatum might bail on the movie comes just a few weeks after Rise Of The Planet Ape's director Rupert Wyatt was confirmed to direct. It also comes just days after Blue Is The Warmest Colour and Spectre star Léa Seydoux was supposedly screen testing for the female lead alongside Tatum.
Marvel Comics character and New Orleans thief Remy LeBeau, AKA Gambit, first appeared on the big screen in 2009's X-Men Origins: Wolverine alongside Hugh Jackman and Ryan Reynolds. He was originally played by Taylor Kitsch, but Fox ultimately decided to recast the role with the Magic Mike star ready for the stand-alone movie.
In a recent interview with Grantland, Carolin alluded that both he and Tatum were keen to make their directorial debut soon, which may be the reason behind the Step Up actor's sudden change of heart when it comes to playing the lead role in the film. If he does decide to leave the title role, the studio will have to find their new leading man fast as currently, Gambit was aiming towards a theatrical release in October 2016, scheduled to follow fellow X-Men spin off Deadpool in February and then X-Men: Apocalypse in May.
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Inside Out star Amy Poehler reveals she loved UK comedy growing up in the 1990s
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ACLU sues U.S. over detention of child immigrant with cerebral palsy
Local // Texas
By Nomaan Merchant, Associated Press Oct. 31, 2017 Updated: Nov. 1, 2017 1:26 p.m.
Rosemarie Hernandez, 10, was detained by agents following gall bladder surgery in Corpus Christi.
The American Civil Liberties Union sued the U.S. government Tuesday to demand that it release a 10-year-old girl with cerebral palsy detained by Border Patrol agents after surgery because she is in the U.S. without legal permission.
The ACLU filed a lawsuit in federal court in San Antonio, where Rosa Maria Hernandez is being held in a facility for unaccompanied minors who have entered the country illegally.
The Border Patrol has said its agents took the child into custody last week after emergency gallbladder surgery out of concern for her welfare. But the ACLU argues in its lawsuit that Rosa Maria's detention violates federal law and puts her health at risk.
"Nothing stops the government right now from returning Rosa Maria to the family she's lived with her entire life," said Michael Tan, an attorney for the ACLU.
Rosa Maria's parents brought her into the United States from Mexico in 2007, when she was 3 months old, said Leticia Gonzalez, an attorney for the family. Her parents are also in the U.S. without legal authorization and live in the Texas border city of Laredo. Gonzalez says that due to her cerebral palsy, Rosa Maria has the mental capacity of a child who is 4 or 5 years old.
Detained after surgery
To get to a children's hospital in Corpus Christi, about 150 miles away, the child had to cross one of the many interior checkpoints the Border Patrol operates in South Texas at which it checks the legal status of people crossing. Rather than risk being detained themselves, her parents sent her with a cousin who is a U.S. citizen.
After discovering that Rosa Maria was not in the U.S. legally, Border Patrol agents followed the vehicle she was in to the Corpus Christi hospital. There, Gonzalez said, the agents insisted on keeping the door to Rosa Maria's room open so they could watch her, then took her after the surgery to a federal facility in San Antonio. A video released by Gonzalez shows green-uniformed agents carrying Rosa Maria in a stretcher.
Rosa Maria now faces deportation. She remained Tuesday at the facility, which normally holds young people who have recently crossed the Rio Grande on their own, rather than the children of families living in the U.S. without legal permission.
Priscila Martinez, an activist at the Workers Defense Action Fund, said that Rosa Maria appeared to be not doing well in the facility. According to the child's family, Rosa Maria is refusing her favorite bread and appears to be withdrawing socially. Instead, she keeps saying that she wants to go home, Martinez said.
Facing strong criticism from immigration advocates and several Democrats in the U.S. House, the Border Patrol has defended its handling of the case and argued its agents couldn't let her go.
'Prosecutorial discretion'
In a statement Monday, U.S. Customs and Border Protection said it had to take Rosa Maria into custody because she did not have legal permission to be in the country and was not accompanied by a parent or legal guardian, making her the same as an unaccompanied minor under the law. The agency said it did not consider her 34-year-old cousin to be her legal guardian.
The agency said that "there is no discretion with regard to the law whether or not the agents should enforce the law."
But a 2014 policy memo on detaining immigrants in the U.S. illegally, still posted on CBP's website, says Department of Homeland Security employees should apply "prosecutorial discretion" to decisions, including "whom to stop, question, and arrest" and "whom to detain or release."
Louisiana man killed after tractor-trailer hits SUV
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Trailering: “Senna”
Posted by Matt Singer on July 13th
I’m starting to hear a lot of buzz via friends and assorted social media acquaintances about “Senna,” the documentary on legendary Formula One driver Ayrton Senna. The film, told entirely through archival footage of and interviews with Senna, won audience awards at the 2011 Sundance and Los Angeles Film Festivals and is already the third highest grossing documentary in history in Britain. It’s coming to theaters next month; here’s the trailer.
For some more background on the film, an official synopsis:
“Mythical driver Ayrton Senna, considered to be one of the all-time great racers in Formula One history, was to racing what Muhammad Ali was to boxing. ‘Senna,’ directed by Asif Kapadia (‘The Warrior’), turns the spotlight on this legendary Brazilian athlete, as his pulse-pounding story unfolds through new archival images that lend cinematic gravity to the documentary form.”
And here’s what Stephen Saito had to say about the film, in his review from South by Southwest:
“‘Senna’ is so well-crafted, from its emotionally wrenching bookends to the seamless way the film simplifies the unexpectedly byzantine backroom machinations of the sport that the driver was so frustrated by (many of which are caught with almost shocking fly-on-the-wall footage), it’s hard to argue the director and a team of editors hasn’t achieved the closest approximation of Senna’s dream of ‘pure racing’ onscreen.”
I’m not a big Formula One guy — and by “not a big Formula One guy” I mean I’ve never watched even a minute of a single race in my entire life — but the film sounds fascinating and I could definitely go for some “pure racing” onscreen. We’ll have more coverage of “Senna” when the film opens on August 12.
What’s your favorite movie about racing? Tell us in the comments below or on Facebook and Twitter!
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Home Publications Hospital Episode Statistics data linked to ONS Mortality Records
Hospital Episode Statistics data linked to ONS Mortality Records
As part of their research on health care markets, IFS researchers sometimes use administrative health records (known as the Hospital Episode Statistics) either on their own or linked to official death registrations. The description below describes how the data are linked together, why the data are needed and how long researchers need to store the data.
The Office for National Statistics (ONS) collects information about all deaths registered in England and Wales. This information is collected from official death certificates, and includes the date of death, whether the individual died in an NHS hospital, and the main cause of death.
The Hospital Episode Statistics contain information about all visits to NHS Accident and Emergency (A&E) departments and all inpatient admissions to NHS hospitals.
Both datasets are anonymised – this means the data do not contain any names or addresses of individuals. Patients are instead represented by strings of numbers and letters that do not reveal the identity of the patient to the researchers working with the data.
The data linkage journey
This is how the process works:
NHS Digital, who maintain HES and the mortality data (on behalf of the ONS) create codes for each patient which can be used to link the two datasets together. This means that if an individual who has used an NHS hospital during the period of interest has subsequently died, then they will appear in both datasets.
NHS Digital then send three datasets to IFS researchers: (i) A&E and inpatient records from HES for the period between April 2011 and March 2013, (ii) ONS mortality records from January 2011 to December 2015 for patients who used an NHS hospital between April 2011 and March 2013, (iii) a file with codes that can be used to link patients in each file. IFS researchers then put these files together in a secure data area. This process is followed so that this key data resource can be assembled, while ensuring that patients’ identities are not revealed in the data.
More information on the application and data linkage process can be found on the NHS Digital website here: http://content.digital.nhs.uk/article/2677/Linked-HES-ONS-mortality-data
Why the data are needed
The Hospital Episode Statistics contain records of all admissions, outpatient appointments and accident and emergency attendances at NHS hospitals in England. This is a key dataset used by researchers in many fields to study population health and the organisation of health care in the UK. Mortality is a commonly studied outcome. However, HES only contains information on whether a patient dies within the hospital, and no information can be gained on the patient’s wellbeing once they leave hospital. Linking these records to official ONS mortality data means that patient’s longer-term mortality outcomes can be studied. This is important as it allows researchers to better understand how different treatments, organisation of care, and an array of targets and regulations, ultimately influence NHS patients’ health.
How long will we keep the data?
Access to these data is extremely restricted and tightly controlled. Only approved researchers working on projects that have been deemed to have public benefit are able to use the data. We will only ever publish non-disclosive outputs which means that it will be impossible to identify you from anything that is published.
We are the sole recipients of the data and the data are not shared with anyone else.
Legal bases for using the data
Our lawful basis for processing these data is: legitimate interests 6(1)(f). Our legitimate interest in question is research and statistical purposes: the conduct of non-commercial, robust social and bio-medical research to inform research, policy and clinical practice.
Because these data contain information about your health, they are classed as Special Category data. Our lawful basis for processing this special category data is:
Article 9(2)j processing is necessary for archiving purposes in the public interest, scientific or historical research purposes or statistical purposes
This webpage is designed to inform you how we are using your data.
Because we cannot identify you, it is not possible for us to process other requests in respect of your rights. If you would like to exercise any of your rights please contact NHS digital https://digital.nhs.uk/about-nhs-digital/contact-us. They will deal with your request and any outcome of your request will be passed on to us by them.
If you have complaint you can contact the Information Commissioner’s Office https://ico.org.uk/make-a-complaint/your-personal-information-concerns/
If you wish to discuss the way that we use your data, please contact George Stoye george.stoye@ifs.org.uk or you can write to him at
WC1E 7AE
If you have concerns over the way that we use your data please contact the data protection officer you should email dataprotectionofficer@ifs.org.uk or write to them at the above address.
IFS Working Paper WP19/17
Developmental origins of health inequality
Building on early animal studies, 20th-century researchers increasingly explored the fact that early events – ranging from conception to childhood – affect a child’s health trajectory in the long-term. By the 21st century, a wide body of research had emerged, incorporating the original ...
Complementarities in the Production of Child Health
This paper estimates flexible child health production functions to investigate whether better water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) practices make nutrition intake more productive for children aged 6-24 months.
Chief Medical Officer annual report 2018: better health within reach
IFS Working Paper No. 18-18
End-of-Life Medical Expenses
In this review, we document end-of-life medical spending: its level, composition, funding, and contribution to aggregate medical spending. We discuss how end-of-life expenses affect household behavior and economic evidence on the efficacy of medical spending at the end of life. Finally, we document ...
A review of the Department of Health and Social Care’s Funding Reform Model
The Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) is responsible for setting the overall direction for social care policy and funding in England. Recently DHSC has developed in-house modelling capacity to examine likely implications of possible reforms to the system for funding social care. This ...
List all datasets
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Home > News > News Releases > 2018 > Religious Leaders' Support May Be Key To Modern Contraception Use
Religious Leaders' Support May Be Key To Modern Contraception Use
Women in Nigeria whose clerics extol the benefits of family planning were significantly more likely to adopt modern contraceptive methods, new research suggests, highlighting the importance of engaging religious leaders to help increase the country’s stubbornly low uptake of family planning services.
The findings of the study, led by the Johns Hopkins Center for Communication Programs (CCP), which is based at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, and CCP’s Nigeria Urban Reproductive Health Initiative (NURHI), underscore the outsized role played by religious leaders in whether modern contraception is considered taboo or acceptable. In Nigeria, 9.8 percent of women of childbearing age use modern contraception. In Rwanda, for example, the figure is 45 percent and, in Malawi, it is 62 percent.
“Religion is an important part of the social and cultural fabric of many communities in Nigeria and elsewhere,” says study author Stella Babalola, PhD, associate professor in the Bloomberg School’s Department of Health, Behavior and Society. “As such, religious leaders have the power to inhibit or facilitate the adoption of modern contraception. Given their high level of influence, interventions that engage clerics as change agents for shaping opinions and influencing behaviors related to family planning are crucial for increasing contraceptive uptake in the country.”
The study, published Oct. 3 in the journal Global Health: Science and Impact, evaluated data, collected in 2015 by the Measurement, Learning and Evaluation project, from a randomly selected sample of 9,725 women of reproductive age (15 to 49) in four Nigerian states.
About 40 percent of the women reported being exposed to family planning messages from religious leaders in the previous year, the researchers found, and those women were 70 percent more likely to use modern contraception than those who had not been exposed to a cleric’s family planning messages. While 99 percent of the women said they considered themselves to be religious, two-thirds reported that their family planning decisions were influenced by religion.
Contraceptive use among women who consider themselves somewhat religious was higher than those who consider themselves strongly religious, suggesting that strong adherence to religious doctrines and practices, combined with religious leaders who do not incorporate appropriate family planning messages into their communications, likely contributes to low rates of contraceptive use.
The benefits of family planning include improved quality of life, increased well-being of families and communities, improved maternal and newborn health outcomes, reduced poverty and increased female education levels. Religious prohibitions and cultural beliefs have contributed to the limited use of contraception in many places. In some parts of northern Nigeria, for example, contraception is viewed negatively as a ploy to depopulate the Muslim community.
To address this, NURHI developed a strategy of working with religious leaders to increase their knowledge of family benefits and its benefits – and to explain that the primary aim of family planning is not to control population but to save lives. They developed a booklet to help religious leaders – both Muslim and Christian – understand how family planning fits into teachings from the Koran and the Bible and how those texts can be interpreted to stipulate the need for child spacing.
Along with facilitating conversations with clerics, the project developed small advocacy handbooks that included Christian and Islamic sermon notes for family planning. In Kano state, after an advocacy visit, the emir there fully supported the family planning messages and has continued to give inspiring statements in support of family planning at public gatherings and through the media.
“The evidence suggests that in addition to family planning being discussed freely and openly in public places, which was not the case many years ago, many religious women are beginning to see that child spacing and using contraception are not sinful,” Babalola says.
“Role of Religious Leaders in Promoting Contraceptive Use in Nigeria: Evidence from the Nigerian Urban Reproductive Health Initiative” was written by Sunday A. Adedini; Stella Babalola; Charity Ibeawuchi; Olukunle Omotoso; Akinsewa Akiode and Mojisola Odeku.
The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation funded this research.
Media contacts for the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health: Stephanie Desmon at 410-659-6156 or sdesmon1@jhu.edu and Barbara Benham at 410-614-6029 or bbenham1@jhu.edu.
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Trump said the British ambassador to the United States had not been well received by the British side: the no-recall Ambassador plan
British media disclosed a number of memorandums and telegrams sent to the British government by British Ambassador to the United States, Kim Darrok, in which he called the U.S. government not functioning smoothly, unpredictable and inadequate capacity. In response, U.S. President Trump said on the 8th that the U.S. government will no longer deal with Dallowock.
Trump said on the 8th: I do not know the ambassador, but the ambassador in the United States has not been well received, the United States will not deal with him anymore. Trump also criticized British Prime Minister Teresa Mays de-Europe policy, saying that she had not listened to her suggestions.
British Prime Minister: No plan to recall ambassadors to the United States
On the same day, a spokeswoman for British Prime Minister Teresa May said that Dallowocks views did not represent the official position of the United Kingdom, and that Teresa May did not agree with Dallowocks criticism of the United States Government. However, the spokesman also said that Teresa May fully trusted Darrock and had no plans to recall him.
The Foreign Office of the United Kingdom has announced the launch of a formal investigation into the leak.
Duroc has been British Ambassador to the United States since January 2016 and is one of Britains most experienced diplomats.
Source: CCTV News Mobile Network Responsible Editor: Gu Yunting_NBJS8499
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London Design Museum
Picture Gallery: iconic items at the Design Museum
A new collection has been created to reveal intriguing stories behind some of the most everyday objects.
Picture Gallery: weird & wonderful jewellery exhibition
From eyelash extensions that are as long as your face, to rings that look like blisters: the new jewellery exhibition at the Design Museum.
Objects representing life in 2012 buried under capital's Design Museum
Objects that will be placed into a time capsule which will be buried in the foundations of the new building for the Design Museum. Credit: PA
An iPhone, Olympic torch and a tin of sardines were among the design gems picked to represent life in 2012 in a time capsule buried under the new Design Museum.
The capsule, marked not to be opened until 2112, commemorates the beginning of building work at the site at the former Commonwealth Institute on Kensington High Street, west London.
London mayor Boris Johnson, architect Sir Norman Foster and designer Sir Paul Smith were among those invited to nominate an object to be put into the capsule. Items also included a 2012 bottle of Burgundy, a 2p stamp, an image of Battersea Power Station and a European Union flag.
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sdonahue@jaspanllp.com
Garden City, NY Office
Jaspan Schlesinger LLP Establishes Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) Practice Group
Sally M. Donahue and Michael P. Ryan to Chair Upcoming CLE Programs
Sally M. Donahue Presents to NYS Association of Chief Clerks of Surrogate’s Court
Sally M. Donahue Appointed Co-Chair of Bar Association Surrogate’s Court Estates and Trusts Committee
Sally Donahue, Partner in Trusts and Estates Group, Coordinates “An Evening with the Surrogates”
Jaspan Schlesinger Promotes Three to Partner
Sally Donahue to Co-Chair 2014 New York State Bar Association Trusts and Estates Section Annual Meeting
Sally Donahue Joins Jaspan Schlesinger LLP’s Trusts & Estates Practice Group
Sally M. Donahue
Sally M. Donahue is a partner in the Firm’s Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) and Trusts and Estates Practice Groups. Ms. Donahue primarily concentrates in Surrogate’s Court litigation, an area in which she has twenty years of experience. Ms. Donahue handles all aspects of Trusts and Estates and Guardianships, including trials and appeals.
Prior to joining the Firm, Ms. Donahue was a Court Attorney-Referee at the Nassau County Surrogate’s Court. As a Court Attorney-Referee, Ms. Donahue presided over non-jury hearings, rendered rulings at depositions, conferenced cases, mediated cases to settlement, assisted the Nassau County Surrogate at trial, and prepared decisions and orders, stipulations, trial memoranda and jury instructions. Ms. Donahue also practiced for many years at two prestigious law firms on Long Island in the areas of Trusts and Estates, Guardianships and Commercial Litigation. After graduating from law school, Ms. Donahue was a Law Clerk for a Federal District Judge and a Federal Magistrate Judge in the Eastern District of New York. Ms. Donahue taught Legal Ethics from 1991 through 1996 at Adelphi University’s Lawyers’ Assistant Program.
In 1990, Ms. Donahue received her Juris Doctor, magna cum laude, from Touro College, Jacob D. Fuchsberg Law School, where she was a Dean’s Fellow, entitling her to a full academic scholarship. While in law school, Ms. Donahue received five American Jurisprudence Awards and won the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers’ Nathan Burkan Memorial Competition. Ms. Donahue was a Notes and Comments Editor of the Touro Law Review, where her article, “Copyrightability of Useful Articles: The Second Circuit’s Resistance to Conceptual Separability,” was published. Ms. Donahue received her Bachelor of Arts, summa cum laude, from Adelphi University in 1986.
Ms. Donahue is a member of the New York State Bar Association for which she currently serves as a Co-Chair of the Long Section of the Guadian Ad Litem Committee and she is a member of the Nassau County Bar Association where she has been appointed Co-Chair for the 2016-2018 term for the Trusts and Estates Committee. She is a frequent lecturer at Continuing Legal Education programs for both the New York State Bar Association and the Nassau County Bar Association. Ms. Donahue also is a member of the Heckscher Museum Development Committee, the Touro Law School Alumni Executive Board and the Touro Law School Dean’s Advisory Board.
B.A., Adelphi University – 1986
J.D., Touro College, Jacob D. Fuchsberg Law School – 1990
United States District Court for the Eastern and Southern Districts of New York
United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit
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Los Angeles Copyright Infringement Lawyer | Broadcasters, Streaming Services Continue ‘Legal Ping-Pong’
Less than a week after multiple owners of Washington DC television stations—including Fox, NBC, ABC and Albiritton Communications—filed a copyright infringement lawsuit against digital media entrepreneur Alkiviades “Alki” David’s FilmOn.TV video-on-demand website and his Aereokiller service, the entertainment news website Deadline.com reported on May 28 that David said he was pulling the broadcasters from his streaming service. According to Deadline, David said in an open letter to broadcasters, “To avoid more inane lawsuits and one that is clearly rigged, we have decided to take down the Major Broadcasters in Washington DC and replace them with Independent stations. Something we are considering doing all across the country.”
As the technology website the Verge noted, “Aereokiller is the flippantly-named competitor to Aereo, the company that uses dime-sized antennas to capture over-the-air TV transmissions and then streams them to subscribers by way of the internet.” As Deadline noted, the lawsuit and David’s letter came “after a game of legal ping-pong between the networks and David and Barry Diller’s similar Aereo streaming service over the past few months.” The technology news website TechCrunch reported that Diller defended his company’s plans to build a more open video distribution platform during an appearance at the D11 Conference in Rancho Palos Verdes on May 29, saying that “what Aereo charges for isn’t that different from going to your local Radio Shack and buying an antenna to receive free, over-the-air TV signals.”
“The more you can get video to IP, the better it will be,” Diller said, responding to a question about the potential to break up the cable bundle by saying that he expects the current system to bust on its own. “The idea of you paying thousands of dollars a year for a package of cable channels that you don’t watch, it doesn’t make any sense.”
You can find additional information about intellectual property litigation on our website, and Los Angeles business litigation attorney Robert G. Klein has more than 25 years of experience handling complex copyright issues. If you need legal assistance with a copyright claim, use the form on this page or contact our firm at (323) 405-1002 to have our Los Angeles copyright infringement attorneyreview your case.
Klein Trial Lawyers – Los Angeles business litigation lawyers
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What Can I Do To Protect My Trademark?
In order to protect a trademark, a person needs to file for federal registration. Once registered, there is a certain amount of protection granted and people will be on notice that there is a trademark. There are also certain procedures that involve filing documents to establish continued use of the trademark. Once all of the requirements have been met, the trademark becomes incontestable.
How Are Trademark Rights Established?
Trademark rights are established when a symbol is used in a business. The first person who uses the symbol—rather than the first person who files for registration—has established rights. However, when someone files and obtains registration, there is a conclusive presumption that they have a valid mark. Litigation may result if someone challenges a trademark by claiming to have used it first. The courts would consider who first used the trademark in commerce, whether or not the person knew that the mark had been used, and whether or not the mark was used in bad faith.
When Would Similar Trademarks Not Be Confusing To Customers?
Similar trademarks may not be confusing to customers if the companies operate in completely unrelated fields of business. Ultimately, juries make the determination as to whether or not there is a high likelihood of confusion between companies that use similar trademarks.
What Are My Trademark Enforcement Options?
There are two trademark enforcement options: following a procedure involving the Washington Department of Patents & Trademarks in Washington, or following a procedure involving the district court. Many people try to enforce trademarks in a trademark office because they can try to cancel someone else’s trademark by claiming that they have a prior mark. If people are suing for damages as well, then they will often go through the district court. When someone goes through the Department of Patents & Trademarks, they are not entitled to damages, but they are entitled to some kind of relief, such as cancellation of an infringing mark or a competitor’s mark.
How Often Do These Cases Go To Trial?
The frequency with which these cases go to trial depends on a few factors. The normal procedure with an infringement case is to file in the district court. If a preliminary injunction is granted, then that usually ends the case. At some point after filing the complaint, there would be a motion procedure. So, rather than going through a full trial, a motion would just be filed with the court. If the court is convinced that someone is likely to prevail at trial, then they will grant a preliminary injunction, which would basically put the defendant out of business. In other words, the defendant would be unable to do anything by the time the case gets to trial, and then it would usually be settled. Depending on the district, this process could take a year or longer.
For more information on Protecting Your Trademark, an initial consultation is your next best step. Get the information and legal answers you are seeking by calling (323) 405-1002 today.
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Home » What Can I Do To Protect My Trademark?
The Los Angeles business attorney at Klein Trial Lawyers focuses on trademark, copyright and intellectual property lawsuits. Our firm has recovered millions in judgements for breach of contract, trademark infringement and trade secret litigation for local clients in and around LA, including Long Beach, Burbank and Glendale as well as Santa Clarita, Palmdale and Pomona, California, in addition to our nationwide work in major U.S. cities like Chicago along with international IP cases in Tokyo and worldwide.
Copyright © 2019, Klein Trial Lawyers. All Rights Reserved.
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SCCC Kicks Off Fall Semester
Joe Denoyer - August 23, 2017 4:12 pm
Students at Seward County Community College have kicked off the fall semester with enrollment wrapping up this week. Classes began Aug. 15.
Vice President of Student Services Celeste Donovan said the year is off to a good start.
“During the summer, we get a lot of work done on campus to prepare, but one of my favorite times of year is when the students come back, and we see them in the hallways and classrooms, and in the dorms,” she said. “We’re off to a good start for the academic year. I can tell the students are excited, and our team is excited about the year.”
Registrar Alaina Rice agreed.
“We’ve seen a lot of new, excited faces, and we’re excited that students are excited to be here,” she said.
Director of Student Life Wade Lyon said the social activities his office planned and presented during the first week help fuel the sense of optimism.
“We had good turnout for everything,” he said. “The community fair was good. The idea is to build relationships and get the new students connected with somebody, whether it’s a club or an organization in the community. People come for all kinds of reasons, to promote their business, set up bank accounts, find a job.” Lyon’s favorite detail of the evening event?
“We had churches that brought in cookies. Kids always love those, that’s what it’s all about,” Lyon said. “After all, this is their home for the new year or two.”
On the academic side, the registrar’s office continues to handle paperwork this week for class changes, and Rice said it’s of critical importance for students to take care of any loose ends this week.
“The changes students can make to their schedules will require instructor approval, and advisor approval on a case-by-case basis,” Rice said. “If they need to do something like that, they should start early because they’re already behind. They will have to get caught up on material from last week.”
Another important detail: Classes can’t be switched after this week, even if a student wishes to take the same subject during a different time period.
Donovan emphasized the deadlines are set up to give students the best opportunity for success.
“We have these systems in place to ensure that our students will have a successful semester,” she said. “Our Welcome Week activities are designed to get the students connected with each other and the community, and our academic and advising system is designed to put them on the path to success.”
As the semester continues, Donovan said, an “early alert” system gives students who find their classes on the challenging side a heads-up about their grades while there is time to take advantage of tutoring services.
“We’re looking forward to a great year,” she said, “and having a great year means that if a student encounters a challenge, they can feel comfortable asking for help, and receiving it.”
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OCTOBER 2017 WINNER
Vaccinating the Vulnerable
Central African Republic has faced a chronic and prolonged health emergency. A violent conflict which sparked in 2013 has yet to be resolved and exaggerated pre-existing humanitarian issues. Civil war and a weak government have created an unstable life for many living in CAR.
Malaria is one of the leading causes of death in CAR making it a major focus for MSF. In 2016 alone, 595,700 cases of malaria were treated. With a population of approximately 4.9 million, this is only about 12%. CAR set up a program making malaria treatment free to children under 5 but a lack of resources prevents this initiative from being as beneficial as it could be. On top of this, official statistics state 1 in every 10 infants have not been fully vaccinated.
MSF is working hard to treat as many people as possible for both malaria and other diseases. Through the use of mobile clinics, MSF is treating those who cannot make it to a hospital or health centre. They also carry out “one shot” distributions throughout CAR. This offers a complete package of vaccinations, nutritional support (supplements of vitamin A and ferrous salts/folic acid), and mosquito netting to pregnant women and children. MSF is also conducting a “multi-antigen” vaccination campaign which aims to protect children under 5 from a number of diseases including polio, tetanus, diphtheria, whooping cough, hepatitis B, measles and certain strains of pneumonia and meningitis.
Vote Vaccinating the Vulnerable to provide much-needed medical treatment to those in CAR.
Photo ©MSF/Anna Surinyach
2017 © Médecins Sans Frontières
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Unmasked
Lama Rod Owens
Rod Owens
Lama Rod Owens brings ‘Fierce Love’ to Beloit College
Visiting black queer Buddhist scholar Lama Rod Owens gave a stirring and personal keynote lecture around the theme of “Fierce Love” about his work in liberation theology, healing through trauma and the power of love. Speaking with a grounded presence from an armchair on the stage of Eaton Chapel the evening of Friday, March 24, Owens was then joined by five local religious leaders and scholars in a panel discussion, including Salih Erschen of the Janesville Muslim Dawa Center, Visiting Assistant Professor in Religious Studies Dr. Sonya Johnson, Beloit Life Center pastor Reverend Terry Morehouse, Political Science and Health and Society professor Ron Nikora and Sister JoAnn Persch of Sisters of Mercy in Chicago.
Owens, a formally trained Buddhist teacher in the Kagyu school of Tibetan Buddhism, is currently studying at Harvard Divinity School. His book Radical Dharma: Talking Race, Love and Liberation co-authored with Jasmine Syedullah and angel Kyodo Williams, was published in 2016.
The keynote event came at the tail end of his residency, which began Wednesday and included visits to clubs and classes, two open mindfulness workshops, informal open hours and a mindfulness retreat on Saturday. Sponsored by a grant from the Mindful Leadership Institute, his residency was organized by the Spiritual Life Program, spearheaded by director Bill Conover and Spiritual Life Assistant Meg Kowta’18 alongside the Health and Wellness Center, with leadership from Coordinator Namoonga Mantina’16 and Wellness Programmer Macy Tran’17.
In his opening remarks, Conover noted to the audience that “you all have a seat at this table,” adding “I thank goodness that we do not have the be the same to be together. We do not have to apologize for ourselves in any way. This is an open space we’ve inviting you into.”
Kowta and Tran introduced the panelists, who sat on couches and armchairs bounded by a table, two lamps and a rug.
Owens began his talk by acknowledging the “narrative that comes with the physical land that we’re walking on,” saying “the land is not secular.” He asked the audience to invite the indigenous ancestors of the land into the space.
He then invited the audience to “remember those in our lives who have been important, who have loved us,” including deities or those you may not have met before. “Remember all the people who need help right now; aspire that someday you’ll be able to help and alleviate suffering.”
After a moment of silence, he added “may all the beings who have joined us in this space be welcomed.”
This practice of acknowledging history is important in Owens’s work. “I am a product of a lineage of fierce loving,” he said. “Love has kept us alive. Love has contained us. When we remember that, we remember ourselves, we remember who we are. And when we remember who we are, we are no longer caught by the ways the world attempts to … label us.”
Understanding love comes out of painful life experiences for Owens. “I only understand love because I understand hate. … I have been hateful. … Not just for others around me but for myself,” he said. He has also survived a “journey through darkness of alienation, loneliness, and suffering” and “struggled in a system that’s conspired to perpetuate hate.”
While he is a “product of centuries of trauma,” he also called himself a “product of the love that has helped me to survive.”
“Love is the strategy” against systems of oppression and violence, but, he added, “you have to be fierce.” He chooses the word “fierce” to acknowledge the ancestors in the black gay community who “embodied fierceness” in being “out and proud.”
While Owens said he grew up with love, he didn’t know what it was until he began practicing Buddhism, which told him “love was the wish for others to be happy and the wish for myself to be happy.”
“Working for others’ happiness allowed capacity for my own love to be deepened,” he said. This fierce love is unapologetic, he said, and “can be so forceful that is almost seems violent. [It means] to be so loving of oneself that you make others uncomfortable. Inspire people. Make others ask, why are you so different? The kind of love that becomes dangerous.”
The work of loving fiercely is about wanting to be free, Owens said. “If you’re not interested in being free, then don’t bother with fierce loving. It comes with a great responsibility. You have to be sure. … Once we love fiercely, there’s no turning back,” he said.
This love is demanding, Owens said. “Be prepared to move beyond and above the places you’ve been put. Prepare to give up relationships. … You can no longer compromise. To compromise in loving something would mean to engage in a violence.”
He added that “It’s okay if you’re not [ready]. It’s a process. This is how I honor my ancestors.”
Owens then invited the panelists to join him in a dialogue about three questions, including“How do you find the fearlessness and strength to live in a time of instability? How can you be hopeful and resilient in the midst of unpredictable change and conflict? And how can you protect yourself and those you love, yet remain open to the other?”
Persch said Owens’s remarks helped her realize that while the convent made her “holy and humble,” a grounding of love came from her family.
Morehouse urged the audience to challenge their own assumptions of others based on physical appearance. He said he doesn’t like the word “tolerance,” because it is not good enough. “I don’t wanna be tolerant, I wanna walk in fierce love,” he said.
Johnson spoke of “walking in inheritance,” saying each person represents the “multiple millions of choices” ancestors have made. This prompts her to ask, “what are our choices in regard to loving?”
Rather than thinking of each of us as an individual, she prompted the audience to consider, “how are we intersecting with multiple others?” and to consider how we are choosing love “at every point of contact in those relationships.”
Part of that work is recognizing what emotions arise. “If I am fearful of someone or angry at someone, there is a seed in that. And in that seed is a choice [to love fiercely],” she said.
In rooting ourselves in history, Johnson said it is important to recognize “we’ve been here before.” Courage is not about a lack of fear, but “being full of fear and doing it anyway.”
Erschen spoke of the Qur’an, which teaches that “god is love.” One of his practices is educating himself about something new before making judgements.
Nikora recognized the fierce love of his mother, who raised him in central Virginia in the early 1970s. “My ancestors’ and mother’s struggle shaped a path that made me more loving and understanding of folks,” he said. He was struck by Owens’s idea that “all of us need a certain type of healing … both oppressors and oppressed are in need of healing.”
Persch, whose work centers around supporting incarcerated immigrants, added that she is driven by fierce love. “God calls each one of us to do something in this love,” she said. “We cannot not respond; the reason we did it is because every man, woman and child is a child of god. What impacts them impacts all of us. … We have to be willing to take the risks.”
Johnson spoke to this idea of individual responsibility, saying it can be difficult to figure out what you are called to do. “There are so many, many dimensions of work that need to be done – for our personal humanity and what are we working toward inside of humanity,” she said.
While working for the big picture liberation, liberation can also come in the form of day to day actions like holding a door open for someone, or practicing self-care in healing and releasing traumas.
Owens noted that the work is difficult, that “so much of practicing fierce love isn’t about being happy,” as “love takes us to some depressing places, and you have to be willing to go there.”
This love has power. “People get really disillusioned when they start loving because it changes situations. When I started to love fiercely, I found myself moving very quickly through relationships, through all different situations. People would ask, what’s wrong with you? All I was trying to do was love myself, and once I started doing that, I stopped accepting people’s stuff,” he said.
As an act of love, Erschen intends to educate himself and his children about the country’s violent history.
Nikora described the country’s situation as a sickness that needs to be cured. “Everybody here is sickened by it. Some suffer certain symptoms at a greater amount than others,” he said.
Individual action is paramount, he said, as “the only person you can actually change is your own.”
Owens brought in the ideas of black writer James Baldwin, who wrote of the moral corruption of the country after the murder of black power leaders such as Martin Luther King, Jr. and Malcolm X. That violence “dissolved an ethic of love,” Owens summarized, which caused people to “become fixated on the material. We begin to fixate on the object over human life.”
Johnson responded to Nikora’s idea of the sickness, saying, “if there is sickness, there is an opportunity for healing, a choice for wellness.” She found direction when she began to act on her values rather than only speaking. One sustainable strategy for her is to teach.
The first audience question asked what the opposite of love is. Johnson responded, “I automatically think fear. Not hate, because hate is just a symptom of fear. Some kind of rejection of the aspect of the other, or perceived other, that for some reason you have not been able to come to terms with yourself. It’s often more comfortable.”
An example she gave is someone saying “that person is a racist and I don’t like them,” which can avoid doing the actual work of anti-racism. “Race work is everybody’s work. That kind of statement can be a retreat into self-serving spaces,” she said.
For Morehouse, the opposite is “evil”.
Asked about how to continue in the current political situation, Nikora said he makes sure he has “lots of laughter” and makes time to do what he enjoys. He also remembers that “My people came before me and got through it.”
For Johnson, she thinks of sustainability, which is “about acknowledging limitation.” When she notices her symptoms of overriding her body’s limits, she sometimes retreats to a silent practice without stimulation. Persch similarly relies on prayer and quiet reflection.
Erschen draws on a teaching of Islam that orients him with God. Instead of asking “what am I going to do?” he asks himself, “what is God gonna do with me?”
For Owens, being a descendent of slaves reminds him “resilience and adaptability is transferred from generations,” adding “I was not gifted fragility, I was gifted determination to survive on any cost.”
Through his Buddhist meditation practices, he does not think of thoughts and emotions as “real” but part of a larger truth.
The last question prompted panelists to share how they find empathy and compassion for themselves.
Johnson never asks anyone to do anything she is not willing to do, acknowledging “overextension is not good for anyone.” Religious Studies professor Debra Majeed taught her to consider that each time she says “yes” to one thing, she is “inevitably saying no to something else.” She tries to be “honest” with herself about her needs and makes time to be “rigorous” with her self-care.
Erschen is inspired by “human interaction” creating empathy. He avoids the automatic check out lane at the grocery store, preferring to talk to a human being.
Owens acknowledged that “In order for me to be benefit to others, I have to understand myself.”
Conover offered some closing words. “A circle formed — as the panel can see you too as you see them.” He then invited the audience to express gratitude in whatever way they wish, and to receive it back. The audience sat in silence before breaking out into immense applause.
How We Can Address Patriarchy
How I Discovered the Meaning of Christmas
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Title 15. COMMERCE AND TRADE
Chapter 2D. INVESTMENT COMPANIES AND ADVISERS
Subchapter I. INVESTMENT COMPANIES
Section 80a–5. Subclassification of management companies
15 U.S. Code § 80a–5. Subclassification of management companies
Authorities (CFR)
(a) Open-end and closed-end companiesFor the purposes of this subchapter, management companies are divided into open-end and closed-end companies, defined as follows:
“Open-end company” means a management company which is offering for sale or has outstanding any redeemable security of which it is the issuer.
“Closed-end company” means any management company other than an open-end company.
(b) Diversified and non-diversified companiesManagement companies are further divided into diversified companies and non-diversified companies, defined as follows:
“Diversified company” means a management company which meets the following requirements: At least 75 per centum of the value of its total assets is represented by cash and cash items (including receivables), Government securities, securities of other investment companies, and other securities for the purposes of this calculation limited in respect of any one issuer to an amount not greater in value than 5 per centum of the value of the total assets of such management company and to not more than 10 per centum of the outstanding voting securities of such issuer.
“Non-diversified company” means any management company other than a diversified company.
(c) Loss of status as diversified company
A registered diversified company which at the time of its qualification as such meets the requirements of paragraph (1) of subsection (b) shall not lose its status as a diversified company because of any subsequent discrepancy between the value of its various investments and the requirements of said paragraph, so long as any such discrepancy existing immediately after its acquisition of any security or other property is neither wholly nor partly the result of such acquisition.
(Aug. 22, 1940, ch. 686, title I, § 5, 54 Stat. 800; Pub. L. 100–181, title VI, § 607, Dec. 4, 1987, 101 Stat. 1261.)
1987—Subsec. (a)(2). Pub. L. 100–181 substituted “Closed-end” for “Close-end”.
Transfer of Functions
For transfer of functions of Securities and Exchange Commission, with certain exceptions, to Chairman of such Commission, see Reorg. Plan No. 10 of 1950, §§ 1, 2, eff. May 24, 1950, 15 F.R. 3175, 64 Stat. 1265, set out under section 78d of this title.
Title 17: Commodity and Securities Exchanges
17 CFR PART 270 - RULES AND REGULATIONS, INVESTMENT COMPANY ACT OF 1940
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The Extraordinary Power of Numbers
The National Veterans Legal Services Program (NVLSP) uses its expertise in veterans law to change the lives of veterans and their families. Through class action lawsuits, NVLSP brings claims on behalf of a group of individuals who have been wrongfully denied the benefits they have earned through their service to our country.
Since its founding, NVLSP has represented thousands of veterans in class actions. Most recently, our class action litigation pertains to:
Godsey v. Wilkie
On June 13, 2019, the U.S. Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims (CAVC) certified its first class action. The case, styled Godsey v. Wilkie, was a petition for extraordinary relief brought by Covington & Burling LLP and the National Veterans Legal Services Program (NVLSP). The petition was filed on behalf of veterans James A. Godsey, Jr., Jeffery S. Henke, Thomas J. Marshall, Pamela Whitfield. It sought relief for all similarly situated VA benefits claimants who have filed an appeal to VA’s highest tribunal, the Board of Veterans’ Appeals (Board), and since have suffered extended delays waiting for VA to begin moving their appeals forward in a process called “certification.”
The CAVC partially granted the petition in the same order that it certified the class action, concluding that 18-month or longer VA delays to begin that process are “per se unreasonable.” “Such delays are particularly intolerable,” the Court stated, “because they consist of nothing but waiting in line: ... no action whatsoever on the part of VA” while the veterans have continued to wait.
The National Veterans Legal Services Program (NVLSP) represents some of the veterans whose VA appeals have been delayed for a long time in the recently certified Godsey Class Action. In order to help us determine if you are covered by this Class Action, please complete this form.
Wolfe v.Wilkie
On October 30, 2018, NVLSP filed a class action lawsuit in the U.S. Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims on behalf of veteran Amanda Wolfe. NVLSP asks the court in this lawsuit to overturn the thousands of VA decisions issued since January 9, 2018 that deny Ms. Wolfe and thousands of other veterans reimbursement of the emergency medical expenses they incurred in 2018 or before in a non-VA facility. All of these cases involve veterans who have insurance that covers some, but not all of the emergency medical expenses, and the VA denies reimbursement for the expenses that are not covered by the veteran’s insurance.
In pursuing this lawsuit, it would help NVLSP to know how the VA has handled other reimbursement claims when the veteran has insurance that covers some, but not all of the emergency medical expenses. To help NVLSP and to get information about whether this lawsuit may affect your claim for reimbursement, click here.
Sabo v. United States
This lawsuit alleged that between December 17, 2002 and October 14, 2008 the military illegally denied benefits to thousands of servicemembers who returned from Iraq and Afghanistan with PTSD and were discharged. These servicemembers were entitled to but denied a minimum 50% disability rating for PTSD. Working closely with Morgan Lewis & Bockius LLP and lawyers from Hewlett-Packard Company, NVLSP reached a settlement agreement that provided retroactive and future disability benefits to more than 2,200 class members. On July 29, 2011, a news conference was held to announce a proposed settlement highly favorable to members of the class. On December 22, 2011, Judge George Miller at the U.S. Court of Federal Claims gave final approval to the settlement for the Sabo v. United States lawsuit.
Nehmer v. U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA)
This landmark case has already resulted in the delivery of over $4.5 billion in VA compensation benefits to veterans and their survivors. The case originated with VA regulations mandating denial of benefits claims by Vietnam veterans who had diseases associated with exposure to Agent Orange. In 1989, a federal court found the regulation unlawful, and class members received retroactive and prospective benefits. NVLSP has continued to represent the class as the VA has recognized additional diseases associated with Agent Orange exposure, including three recognized in August 2010. In 2011, as class counsel, NVLSP began monitoring over 150,000 VA adjudications of claims related to those three new diseases to make sure Vietnam veterans and their survivors received the benefits they deserve. NVLSP has reviewed over 10,000 of those cases which resulted in approximately $16 million in additional retroactive and prospective benefits to these class members. NVLSP’s monitoring efforts are ongoing.
Wolfe v. Wilkie
Sabo PTSD Lawsuit
Nehmer Agent Orange Lawsuit
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#Leadership
We Are Living in the Golden Age of Fintech
Technology is disrupting the market and breaking the rules around who can access money, where they can access it from and what they can do with it. Ron Suber, the “Mayor of Fintech”
We are entering an exciting and definitive time for financial technology.
Innovation is accelerating, and so is funding: in Q1 2017, VC-backed fintech startups raised $2.7 billion. It’s the golden age of fintech, and it’s a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for startups and for the incumbents that currently dominate the financial sector.
Why am I, Ron Suber, so sure that this is the golden age of fintech?
Because I’ve spent a career in the financial industry and the past five years as an advisor and investor in fintech startups, including DocuSign, eOriginal, Juvo and Prosper. Because I recently spent the first 120 days of my “ReWirement” traveling to new places and learning lessons about people, cultures and of course fintech around the world. And, because fintech is following the same pattern as every other innovation cycle in modern history. Whether you look at radio, TV, automobiles, hand-held devices or any other leap forward in technology, they all follow the same path — a bell curve that spans 50 years and crests at the halfway mark.
The innovation cycle for fintech is no different, and it kicked off in 1998, when PayPal legitimized the Internet as a means of moving money and transformed the way people paid for products and services.
Twenty years later, right on schedule, we are entering a period of dizzying innovation and creativity.
Blockchain, crowdfunding, social lending, bioidentification, microlending, ecommerce, mobile tech, AI — technology is disrupting the market and breaking the rules around who can access money, where they can access it from and what they can do with it.
For example, Ant Financial (originally launched as Alipay in 2004) began life as a company providing small and micro financial services to people in China who are unable to access or qualify for service through traditional banks. Today, it is valued at $60 billion, making it the most valuable fintech company in the world—yet most people in North America have never even heard of it.
These companies are everywhere, many of them hiding in plain sight, and in the coming years, they will transform the face of finance and displace some of the incumbents that reign supreme today. I’m as excited as I’ve ever been about fintech, and about online lending in particular. (More on that in my discussion about 2018 with Crowdfund Insider.)
While this golden age is the product of many forces, these are the six trends exerting the biggest influence today and into the future:
Yesterday’s business development hinged on big investments in mainframes, physical office space and all the supporting utilities and equipment. Today, a business can scale rapidly with little more than an iPad and Amazon Web Services. That’s bringing incredible agility and opportunity to a new generation of fintech companies.
Individual companies are doing some incredible things, but by forging creative partnerships, they’re capable of even more. We’re starting to see some early examples of this — Microsoft partnering with Docusign to enable a signature attainment feature in all their products, for example — and we’re only at the beginning of the trend.
Data Accessibility
The availability of new types of data is changing the possibilities for fintech. We can now combine more conventional data, such as FICO scores, with alternative sources such as social media, and we can feed it into powerful machine learning and AI to make new discoveries, provide new services and reach new markets.
Evolving Consumer
We are looking at the rise of the iGeneration, a wave of consumers who have always had an iPhone or other smart device. They’re not buying music or going to the movies: they’re streaming entertainment on their phones. And they’re not accessing financial services at traditional banks: they’re using Venmo to transact, and Acorns and Robinhood to invest. They expect a different experience, and their preferences are reshaping the industry.
We have shifted from a sharing economy to an access economy, which is changing the access to capital in exciting ways. Companies can now raise tens of millions of dollars through crowdfunding, thereby delaying or eliminating the need to go public. This has given them new freedoms and enabled them to make choices that reflect their own unique vision or answer the needs of their constituent markets rather than answering to the fluctuations of the stock market.
Government Participation
Governments have a powerful role to play in the advancement of fintech. Areas with supportive and involved governments—those in Hong Kong, Singapore and the UK, for example—are measurably accelerating innovation and entrepreneurship in those regions. This will raise the bar for the entire industry, and we can expect to see those regions with strong government support surge ahead in the coming years.
Here’s the bottom line.
These six driving forces have been instrumental in shaping fintech’s golden age, and they will continue to do so in the future. Every fintech entrepreneur should be aware of their impact and positioned to benefit from it. As the golden age draws to a close in the next few years, the landscape will change dramatically as the next phase in the innovation cycle begins, triggering a wave of consolidations that will replace today’s crowded and fragmented marketplace.
Which fintech companies will survive this process? Read my next GrowthBit, “It’s the Golden Age of Fintech – Here’s What Happens Next,” for insights into the key capabilities for entrepreneurs that will define success in the second half of the fintech innovation cycle.
LLR Partners believes in sharing the wealth of experience and expertise within our portfolio companies, network and teams in order to inspire and help accelerate growth for a wider community of business leaders. We hope you find these GrowthBits helpful and share them with your network. Send us the topics you’d like to learn more about any time.
LLR Partners believes in sharing the wealth of experience and expertise within our portfolio companies, network and teams in order to inspire and help accelerate growth for a wider community of business leaders. We hope you find these GrowthBits helpful and share them with your network. Read more growth insights here.
Ron Suber
Advisory Board Member, LLR Partners
eOriginal
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INTERCULTURAL JOURNEYS PRESENTS THE MANDINGA EXPERIMENT
LATEST PROJECT FROM ALEX SHAW FEATURING MUSICIANS, DANCERS, AND CAPOEIRISTAS FROM THE U.S. AND BRAZIL
Philadelphia, Feb. 25, 2016 - Intercultural Journeys continues the 2015/16 Season: The Artistry of Identity and Transformation with The Mandinga Experiment, the latest project from percussionist/vocalist Alex Shaw. In addition to acting as Curator for Intercultural Journeys, Alex is the Director of renowned Brazilian band Alô Brasil and a long-standing member of Spoken Hand Percussion Orchestra. Alex will present a collaborative tribute to the Afro-Brazilian martial art Capoeira Angola and its resilient cultural legacy of resistance against oppression. This performance will be accompanied by live vintage visuals and feature musicians, dancers, and capoeiristas from the U.S. and Brazil. The Mandinga Experiment is an amalgamation of original compositions and contemporary interpretations of traditional Afro-Brazilian rhythms and songs.
IJ is pleased to once again offer an additional opportunity for dialogue before the performance with Food for Thought. This free program consists of a casual potluck-style meal and guided discussion on a topic related to the concert. On March 11, the topic will be Capoeira and Black Consciousness. We'll have featured remarks from Dr. Kenneth Dossar, Professor of Intellectual Heritage at Temple University, who will speak about the history of capoeira and the relationship of this Afro-Brazilian martial art to Black Consciousness. This event is open to the public, but guests are requested to RSVP and bring a food item to share.
“I consider this a tremendous opportunity to present my intercultural work to the Philadelphia community, in which I am uniting artists from both Brazil and the U.S. in a collective tribute to the legacy of capoeira and other Afro-Brazilian traditions," said Alex Shaw about his newest work. "The Mandinga Experiment is an evolving interdisciplinary artistic endeavor of consciousness, through which I am weaving threads of identity, heritage, and spirituality.”
The concert will take place at 8pm in the Ibrahim Theater at International House. Tickets are $15 for General Admission, $10 for IHP members, and $8 for students. To purchase tickets, visit http://www.IHousePhilly.org/IJ or call 215-387-5125, ext. 2.
FOOD FOR THOUGHT: CAPOEIRA AND BLACK CONSCIOUSNESS
Casual potluck-style reception with guided discussion*
Friday, March 11, 2016 - 6pm
The East Alcove, International House (3701 Chestnut Street)
*Guests are requested to RSVP and bring a food item to share.
RSVP: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/food-for-thought-capoeira-and-black-consciousness-tickets-21490387327
Alex Shaw: The Mandinga Experiment
Friday, March 11, 2016 - 8pm*
Ibrahim Theater, International House (3701 Chestnut Street)
*Featuring post-concert discussion with the artists.
Mandinga (mahn-JING-gah)
The term mandinga has various meanings throughout the Americas and is derived from the West African “Mandinka” ethnic group. In the capoeira philosophical context, it holds a positive connotation and typically refers to a mysterious or magical characteristic or ability that one has to disguise their intentions as a means of achieving an advantageous position, through smooth and creative expression, gesture, and movement. In the context of this artistic project, the concept of mandinga has been extended to explore the creative transformation of these rich cultural traditions as a means of sharing and honoring the often-underappreciated legacy of capoeira and its contribution towards cultural resistance against race-based oppression.
About Alex Shaw
Alex Shaw is a percussionist, vocalist, composer, curator, and arts educator specializing in Brazilian music traditions. An alumnus of Swarthmore College, Alex settled in Philadelphia in 2000 and soon became deeply embedded in the dynamic community of percussion and drumming. He is a long-standing member of Philadelphia's award-winning Spoken Hand Percussion Orchestra and Director of Brazilian ensemble, Alô Brasil. A freelance arts educator since 2001, Alex has taught, lectured, and performed regularly throughout the mid-Atlantic region, and has also worked as an accompanist for several dance companies and universities. Since 2008, Alex has served LiveConnections as both a board member and a lead facilitator for their music education programming. He joined the music faculty at the University of the Arts in 2010, became curator for Intercultural Journeys in 2014, and joined Temple University music faculty in 2016.
He has been awarded several competitive artist grants to support his music research and study in Brazil, including Arts International’s Artist Exploration Fund (2004) and the Independence Foundation Fellowship in the Arts (2007). In 2012 he was honored with an Emerging Legacy Award at the UPenn MLK Commemorative Symposium for Social Justice. In his most recent artistic project, presented in 2014 by Intercultural Journeys, Alex directed a collaborative tribute to the cultural legacy of the Afro-Brazilian martial art Capoeira Angola. This project featured original compositions and contemporary arrangements of traditional capoeira songs combined with vintage live visuals.
Intercultural Journeys uses the arts to promote peace and greater understanding between people of diverse backgrounds, faiths, and cultures with the aim of catalyzing social change and awareness. Intercultural Journeys was founded in 2002 by Philadelphia Orchestra cellist Udi Bar-David, philanthropist Carole Haas Gravagno, Majid Alsayegh and Sheldon L. Thompson. Together, they recognized the role that music could play in sparking dialogue between people of different backgrounds. Since then, Intercultural Journeys has held over 160 concerts and partnered with a diverse roster of local and international artists. IJ events have been held not only in the Greater Philadelphia area but also across the United States and even abroad in countries such as China, Spain, Italy and Israel.
Lindsey S. Crane, Managing Director
lcrane@interculturaljourneys.org, 215-387-2310
High res images available upon request
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Regional support to attract doctors
RDEK commits $20,000 to East Kootenay Division of Family Practice
Lorene Keitch
The East Kootenay Division of Family Practice was the happy recipient of $20,000 from the Regional District of East Kootenay (RDEK).
The general administration grant was approved to help support recruitment and retention of family physicians for the years 2017 and 2018.
The RDEK and Columbia Basin Trust have provided the Division with funding in the past to help improve care through supporting a coordinator, who is tasked with a focus on recruitment and retention of family physicians.
“This funding is a continuation of that investment,” says Dr. Mike Walsh, chair of the East Kootenay Division of Family Practice.
Local family practice divisions throughout B.C. undertake initiatives to address specific areas of primary care, administration and physician support. Often, that role encompasses attracting and keeping family physicians within a region.
Currently, based on the East Kootenay Division of Family Practice criteria, Invermere does not have a doctor shortage. While Dr. Walsh says there is no hard data on how many people want a family doctor but don’t have one, they can look at other factors to determine if a community is short-staffed. They will look at whether the local physicians have spots available for new patients and whether there are any active open positions for physicians they are trying to fill, for example. For Invermere, the numbers look good.
“We’re at what we think is full capacity,” says Dr. Walsh.
One physician, Dr. Ross, is retiring, but a replacement doctor has been hired to fill her position. Within the last two years, two other physicians joined the Invermere roster as well.
A large component to the EK Division of Family Practice is focused on access to care.
“The Regional District has been a key partner in this to recruit new family doctors,” shared Dr. Walsh.
In the April RDEK board meeting, the decision was postponed a month. In the May, 2017 meeting, the $20,000 grant narrowly passed, with eight votes in favour, seven against.
Rob Gay, chair of the board of RDEK, says it was a controversial decision for the board to make as some directors felt the money should be targeted differently. He explained to The Echo that a number of years ago in Cranbrook there was a family physician “crisis”, with the community finding itself about six doctors short. When a focused effort was made to not only recruit physicians in Cranbrook, but to help them settle, to show them around, connect them with schools for kids, help with jobs for spouses and so on, physician recruitment and retention went way up.
“We saw the success of that,” says Gay, explaining that is why he was in favour of this continued support of the East Kootenay Division of Family Practice.
Search for missing aircraft continues near Kimberly
One step closer to curtain call: CBT funds performing arts curtain
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Obituary for John E. McDowell
John E McDowell, Maj USAF (ret), 77, of Navarre, Florida, passed away on Sunday, February 3, 2019.
John was born December 11, 1941, in Pineville, Louisiana, and was the only child of Irving and Juanita McDowell. He graduated Pineville High School in 1959 and Louisiana Tech University in 1964. After graduating from college he joined the US Air Force working as a civil engineer and a missile launch officer and was a Vietnam veteran. He retired from the USAF Reserves at Barksdale AFB. John worked in the forestry business and retired from International Paper after 20 years. He was a member of the Gideons and served on the deacons at the First Baptist Church of Navarre.
John is survived by his wife of 54 years, Donna Craig McDowell of Navarre, Florida; a daughter, Stephanie White of Navarre, Florida; a daughter, Lori Sammons of Lake Charles, Louisiana; a son, Jason McDowell of Pineville, Louisiana; eight grandchildren; and three great grandchildren.
Funeral services for John McDowell will be held at 12:00 p.m., Thursday, February 7, 2019, at Lewis Funeral Home Chapel in Navarre, with Reverend Philip Robertson officiating.
Visitation will be held 10:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m., prior to the services.
Graveside Services will be held at 2:00 p.m., at Barrancas National Cemetery with Military Honors and Lewis Funeral Home directing.
The family requests donations may be made, in John’s name, to Covenant Care (5041 North 12 Avenue, Pensacola, FL 32504); or to Gideons International (Box 142, Gulf Breeze, FL 32561.) Donations may also be made to Philadelphia Baptist Church (722 Philadelphia Rd, Deville, LA 71328.)
This obituary is protected by copyright by Milton Chapel. Proudly Serving the Communities of Milton, Santa Rosa County, Escambia County, Okaloosa County, Walton County, and Northwest Florida. Milton Chapel is located in the state of Florida, United States.
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Jesus Christ & the Media Narrative: The Tactics of the Media in Subverting Christianity
There is an overarching narrative in our country, the United States, that is projected through media. The narrative is guided by academic institutions, television shows, newspapers, and of course the world wide web. Narrative is a term that we'll use to describe the overarching framework of ideas, the general mood and worldview of the national public in the United States. And this is certainly true for other nations as well. In some nations this narrative is state run, it's controlled by the government powers. That would be true in nations like China or North Korea. But in most free nations in Europe and the United States this narrative is largely controlled and guided by media.
In the United States there is an interesting paradigm shift that took place at some point in the past 50-60 years. That is of the media in our country projecting and putting forth a national narrative, a national worldview that tends to not accurately reflect what most average Americans believe.
While most Americans would hold more traditional views, and tend toward more Judaeo-Christian views on reality, the national media tends to project the assumption that most Americans hold to more progressive views of the world, like evolution, naturalism, multiculturalism, identity politics, abortion, and increased government control over life.
Why? Well, it's important to remember that media outlets like NBC, ABC, CBS, NBC, CNN, and Fox News are private businesses. Thus they are subject to the political leanings of those who own those institutions. Thankfully increasingly we've seen that Americans are turning to radio, social media and the internet to find news and comprehend the national mood on their own. Thus we've seen a counter-narrative emerging. One is projected by the television news media, and the big newspapers, and a new counter-narrative is projected by more conservative and traditionalist outlets like independent news sites like National Review, Weekly Standard, the Daily Wire, the Daily Caller, The Federalist, Breitbart, and others. Contributing to this counter-narrative are talk radio hosts like Rush Limbaugh, Mark Levin, Sean Hannity, Michelle Malkin, Laura Ingraham, and others. So increasingly we see two narratives battling for dominance and authority as the dominant worldview of the country.
This isn't a bad thing, I don't believe. For the longest time we've been prisoner to one narrative, the progressive narrative. Thankfully there is at least somewhat of a counter-narrative that espouses Christian and traditional views on life, history, and everything beginning to emerge.
It's affected my life, in a profound ways. I was raised up in public schools that taught profoundly non-Christian views on life. One could call it indoctrination, and this was before common core and the changes made in that curriculum that is even more blatant in pushing a leftist materialistic worldview. I was taught post-modernism in college. These are profoundly anti-Christian views, taught on public dollars.
This is a profoundly important for Christians today to understand. The United States is a nation that has been exceedingly Christian in it's worldview since it's founding in 1776, until the 1960s. And for the last 50-60 years, increasingly the media and academic institutions have labored to create a social climate that is hostile to Christianity. And especially in young people, they've succeeded.
According to a broad study conducted by former secretary of education William Bennett between 1960 and 1997, our society saw the following increases:
865% increase in the number of couples living together out of wedlock
511% increase in the percentage of out of wedlock births
280% increase in the rate of violent crime
248% increase in the percentage of single-parent families
215% increase in juvenile violent crime rate
160% increase in total crime rate
33% decrease in the marriage rate
106% in the number of children on welfare
a 59 point decrease in the average SAT score
-statistics taken from "Media Revolution" by Brian E. Fisher, original source of statistics from "The Index of Leading Cultural Indicators by William J. Bennett (New York broadway books, 1999).
It's reasonable to assume that these numbers have continued to increase, not decrease between 1997 and 2017.
So how can we as Christians understand how the media and academic elites have twisted our worldview and begin to take action in fighting back against lies, disinformation, and smear efforts? Let's look at some of the tactics that are put forward against us.
Note: These eight tactics are taken from "Media Revolution" by Brian E. Fisher, but the thoughts on these tactics and their application are my own.
1. "The Name Game"
This tactic is an interesting one, it's the use of terms and words that change the meaning of issues to better suit the narrative of the media. Thus someone who supports the abortion of unborn babies shouldn't be called "pro-abortion" they are instead referred to as "pro-choice" or "pro-woman." The slaughter of unborn children in the womb is referred to by the media as "women's health." Christian views of marriage and family are referred to as "hate speech." Any conservative outlet or individual is rebranded as a "racist" or "sexist" person. Anyone who espouses a view that doesn't jive with the media narrative is called " divisive." Illegal immigrants are referred to as "undocumented foreign workers." Christian pastors and leaders are commonly referred to in combination with words like "judgmental" "fundamentalist" and other slurs of language that cause negative feelings in the general public. An interesting one is "tolerance" that has been redefined to mean that if you even disagree with homosexuality or transgenderism or other redefinitions of human nature, then you are being "intolerant" or "hateful." Global cooling went out of fad in the 1970s, then it became global warming, and when that term was no longer working, it became "climate change." Terms are changed, instead of socialism, they call it "progressive." You get the idea. And you can see how this is a very manipulative way of redefining evils to seem good and goods to seem evil.
Watch for this in the media, and don't be fooled by it.
2. "The Blitz"
The blitz refers to the way the media will repeat and repeat untruths, and half-truths until we've heard them so many times that we begin to believe them. This is often done with commercial advertising. We find ourselves with a jingle from an advertisement in our head because we've heard it so many times.
Climate change is given this drumbeat in the media, constantly it's related to everything from hurricanes to hot flashes. It's repeated so often that people begin to believe it's really true. The same is true for evolutionary biology. It's repeated so often that "evolution is fact" that people begin to believe it, and they're afraid to espouse a contrary view.
In the media we see a narrative emerge by this blitz tactic. Narrative phrases are repeated so often that they become part of the national view of how things are in the country. It's much like the German blitz tactic in world war II. The truth is like a wall of fortifications. The German tanks would blaze past them and take control before the stationary defenses knew what hit them. The same is true with a false narrative, like "hands up don't shoot" or "Benghazi was caused by an internet video." The lie is repeated so constantly in the days after the initial breaking story that the truth is left in the shadows and the lie becomes the predominant view.
Common blitzes include anti-Christmas narrative pushing during that season, media silence on the Planned Parenthood videos (repeating the lie that the videos were "highly edited"), the recent hurricanes due to climate change, the smear against Jeff Sessions calling him racist (even though he'd won an award from the ACLU for his efforts against racists in the south), and any opposition to gay marriage in the cultural being repeatedly called "bigotry and hatred."
Double check what is being said in the media against more centrist and conservative news outlets view the web. Remember that Google is set up to almost always display liberal and leftist news sites before conservative ones. You'll have to know which sites to go to, because Google, Facebook, Youtube and Twitter are all going to show you progressive news sites first. All four work with the Southern Poverty Law Center, which is a wildly anti-Christian activist group. I know, I'm blowing your mind. But it's important to know this stuff. Additionally, if you were going to check sites like Snopes, Politifact, or other "fact checkers" you should be aware that "fact checkers" at Snopes and Politifact tend to be far left leaning. Snopes is great for internet gossip, but when dealing with politics and religion, they are going to swing far left. I'm sorry, it's just the truth.
3. "Say What?"
This tactic takes a half-truth, twists it, and promotes it as an obvious accepted fact. The "say what" example given by Brian E. Fisher in "Media Revolution" is the mythical "wall of separation between church and state." This is a lie, something used to attack Christians who dare to speak up about political or social issues of our day. This tactic is similar to the blitz in that it involves lies or half truths being pushed and repeated.
4. "A Major Rewrite"
This is the tactic known as revisionist history. It sounds just like it is. History is rewritten in media, academia, and public education to downplay certain elements and emphasize other elements. A good book recommended by Fisher is "The Rewriting of America's History" by Catherine Millard. D. James Kennedy ministries talks about this a fair amount. Additionally Del Tackett in the Truth Project DVD series addresses a few of the revisions of history done in public school textbooks. He specifically looks at how the Mayflower compact was rewritten to remove references to God from it. Additionally we see in books like "Icons of Evolution" and "Zombie Science" by Jonathan Wells that fake science is pushed in public school textbooks, things that have been debunked and disproven continue to appear in public school textbooks and science textbooks pushing a false narrative on our children.
5. "That's Un-American!"
Just like it sounds. A view rejected by the mainstream media is criticized as "Un-American." Do you appose abortion? That's un-american, your being anti-woman. Do you appose gay marriage? Then your un-american because america is all about equality. Do you appose men in the women's bathroom? Well then your being un-american because we reject "bigotry" in America. Lies are being used to smear viewpoints as Un-American.
6. "Odd Man Out"
Oh they love this one in the media. The deception technique is used to make biblical Christians and more traditional conservatives feel like they are isolated and alone in their beliefs. Every channel pushes it, every television news outlet repeats the same secular naturalist worldview and pretty soon Christians feel afraid and pressured, like we are alone in our beliefs. This causes us to feel afraid to speak up because we feel like we're all alone. It causes people to shut up and even surrender and switch their view to be in line with the false narrative. Don't fall for it! You are not alone out there, I promise you. More and more as new media via the internet and talk radio gain listeners and viewers people realize that they aren't alone. In fact more and more have realized that traditional center right views are actually still the majority in the United States. But it's not about left or right, it's about our Christian faith and the fact that it's shared by tens of millions of others across the country. Never forget that: You aren't alone. Don't be afraid to stand up and speak out!
7. "Silence of the Lambs"
The mainstream media pushes out a web of false information and false emotional viewpoints of Christians so that we Christians appear to be judgmental, intolerant, and hateful. Thus Christians are kept silent and afraid, because we don't want to be thought of in such ways.
Brian E. Fisher cites a study by the Parents Television Council conducted in 2005 and 2006 studying 2,271.5 hours of prime time television. The results were:
-Religious leaders and beliefs were portrayed as mostly negative.
-Fox was the most anti-religious network, with 49.3% of portrayals being negative.
-NBC was second with 39.3% negative coverage
-Nearly half of religious institutions and denominations were given 47.6% negative coverage, and in contrast only 18% of religious institutions received positive coverage.
A few recent examples I can think are Lucifer on Fox, portraying Satan himself as a playboy who is actually trying to help people, the Daily Show constantly trashing Christians, Bill Nye Saves the World, Impastor - about a gay man who impersonates a pastor, Real Time with Bill Maher, and Dan Savage's show The Real O'Neals.
This is one of the most effective techniques because it scares good men and good women into silence. Don't be silent, don't be afraid, and stand up for what you believe in!
8. "Didn't Moses Build the Ark?"
Bible illiteracy is a sad state of affairs in the church, and unfortunately we're so bombarded by information in our world that we don't really know what the Bible says. We don't know what the Bible really teaches. But this isn't solely the fault of the media pushing non-Christian views, it's the fact that we've allowed the media to distract us from the word of God. Thankfully more and more Christians are coming to know the word and it's power. We've got great groups like the Bible Project putting together videos of the books of the Bible, and we have sites like GodTube and Youtube where we can view sermons. Additionally we can go on sites like Biblegateway.com and listen to audio Bibles or read free commentaries, so it's all at our finger tips today and I do think we're seeing improvements in this area.
Is the church impacting culture? Or is the culture impacting the church? We have to know our Bible and believe our Bible. Let's look less to the television and to secular news, and let's look more to the word of God and our Christian worldview.
Here is a video from 2005 of Dr. Stephen Meyer a Christian intelligent design supporter and how he was treated by the media and darwinian academic elites. See if you can pick out which tactics are used against him. Click here to view that YouTube. Here's another example of Mark Driscoll interviewed in 2009 regarding his ministry on Nightline. Click here to view that.
We need to understand these tactics of media that leave us wondering why we're losing the culture and why we're losing young people. This will be a long battle to fight to try and regain the narrative from the media. But we can do this, and we have to, for the sake of our children and grandchildren, and more so, for the sake of the living gospel and how it saves us. The door is open, and everyone needs Jesus Christ.
Jesus Christ is made to appear evil by the mainstream media, and we need to change that. We need to combat the false narrative in the media with the true narrative of America, which is this: America is nation of faith in Jesus Christ. America is a nation that values liberty and truth. America is a nation that values morality, decency, and reasonable ethics. America is not a nation that should be divided up by race, class, wealth or gender. We're one people. America is a largely liberty-driven society, not a progressive or revolutionary society.
"In God We Trust" is our national motto, and it's a tragedy that young people are fed lies by academia and the media regarding Christianity, Jesus Christ, and who we are. We can and will counter these lies with the timeless absolute truth of scripture. We will reclaim our nation, and the gospel of Jesus Christ will flow freely, without these overwhelming lies that hinder it. Believe, pray, and take action. Jesus will grant us the victory. Arm yourself with the truth, and get to work.
Fisher, B. E. (2008). Media Revolution: A Battle Plan to Defeat Mass Deception in America. Fort Lauderdale, FL: Coral Ridge Ministries.
Wormald, B. (2015, November 02). U.S. Public Becoming Less Religious. Retrieved September 24, 2017, from http://www.pewforum.org/2015/11/03/u-s-public-becoming-less-religious/
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Labels: god and government, growth, intellectual, jesus christ, learning, media, social media
The Kingdom of God in Contemporary Society: The Ea...
Jesus Christ & the Media Narrative: The Tactics of...
Strategies of the Enemy: How to Counter & Defeat S...
Three Tough Questions to Ask Yourself as a Christi...
Quotations on Atheism: How Should We Answer Atheis...
My Top Ten Favorite Christian Speakers to Listen t...
Messengers of Compassion: How does the concept of ...
Reflection on the Journey of Life: A Mysterious an...
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Gone Too Soon: 17 Pinoy Celebrities Who Died Too Young
Breaking News Celeb Feature
Amy Delos Reyes
Some young celebrities were just starting out or at the peak of their careers when their lives were cut short.
Here are some famous names who were gone too soon:
1. April Love Jordan (April 10, 1988 – June 21, 2019)
I extend my deepest sympathies to the family of beauty queen April Love Jordan who passed away last Friday, June 21. She is 31. May her soul be at peace with our Heavenly Father. #aprillovejordan
A post shared by normannorman.com (@normant) on Jun 22, 2019 at 7:40pm PDT
The local pageant community is mourning the death of former Miss World Philippines 2012 3rd princess April Love Jordan. She died at the age of 31 on June 21, 2019, due to liver cancer. Aside from her successful stint in Miss World Philippines, April won in the 2009 International Beauty & Model Festival. She also joined a number of local beauty pageants. April’s remains lie at the Heritage Park Memorial Chapels in Taguig City.
2. Maria Bulaklak Ausente (March 13, 2019)
Love's nest… 😉
A post shared by Maria Bulaklak Ausente (@mariaausente) on Apr 16, 2012 at 1:03pm PDT
Friends and colleagues from the media paid tribute to former GMA News field reporter Maria Bulaklak Ausente who passed away last March 13, 2019. She died at the tender age of 32. The Igbaras-born journalist let go of her reporter duties after being diagnosed with End Stage Renal Disease in 2012. She also received a kidney transplant in 2016 but continued to need treatment.
3. Rico Yan (March 14, 1975 – March 29, 2002)
https://www.instagram.com/p/BSQhFzRB6of/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link
Rico Yan was one of the most bankable actors of his generation. When news of his sudden death broke out, the nation was in shock. At the age of 27, he died of cardiac arrest in his sleep caused by acute hemorrhagic pancreatitis (known locally as “bangungot”) while on vacation in Puerto Princesa City, Palawan in 2002. It was his friend Dominic Ochoa who found him lifeless inside his hotel room. He starred in several movies with his ex-girlfriend, Claudine Barretto.
4. Julie Vega (May 21, 1968 – May 6, 1985)
Hppy 50th Bday #julievega pay nabubuhay pa sana matanda na sya namatay sya noong 1985 pa
A post shared by Danmar Dayao (@danmardayao1990) on May 23, 2018 at 4:58am PDT
Julie Vega was an admired actress and singer during her generation. Shortly after graduating from high school, Julie was diagnosed with a disease that attacked her nervous system and contracted bronchopneumonia that left the young actress severely weakened. She then died due to cardiac arrest on May 6, 1985, at the age of 16. Julie played the role of a demon-possessed girl in the Akin Ang Walang Diyos episode of Lovingly Yours Helen, The Movie back in 1984. This role and its possible supernatural implications were some of the possible reasons how some fans tried to explain her sudden death.
5. AJ Perez (February 17, 1993 – April 17, 2011)
7 years ago today, a guy with the sweetest smile and bright future left us. He maybe gone, but never forgotten. #AJPerez
A post shared by The Opinionist Philippines (@theopinionistph) on Apr 17, 2018 at 6:57am PDT
Filipino teenage heartthrob AJ Perez was being groomed by his home network to become one of their top leading men but unfortunately, his career came to an abrupt end. While en route home after a show in Dagupan, the van AJ was on collided with a bus in the midnight of April 17, 2011. He was declared dead on arrival and autopsy reports show that his broken ribs punctured his heart and lungs.He died at the age of 18. He played lead characters in the 2009 miniseries Your Song Presents: Underage and Sabel.
6. Miko Sotto (May 10, 1982 – December 29, 2003)
https://www.instagram.com/p/Bil-feohVmF/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link
Miko Sotto was known as a matinee idol and a budding actor who belonged to the prominent Sotto clan. His death came as a surprise as he fell from the ninth floor of his condominium in Mandaluyong before dawn on December 23, 2003. At the time, he was with cousin Oyo Boy Sotto and two other friends and according to reports, he was sitting on the railings of the balcony and when he tried to get down, his foot got caught in a plant box thus causing him to lose his balance and fall. He died at the age of 21. Miko’s mother Ali Sotto then donated his corneas to the Eye Bank of the Philippines.His death was deeply mourned by Angel Locsin, who was his girlfriend at the time.
7. Marky Cielo (May 12, 1988 – December 7, 2008)
From now on, you can call me "Buknoy, the 2nd". 😀 I'm glad that we're having the same talent in dancing. Happy Doppelganger's week. Your memory will be live forever in our hearts. #buknoy #markycielo #doppelganger #doppelgangerweek #lookalike #mybrother #twins #rip #ultimatesolesurvivor #kapuso #inlovingmemory #actor #dancer
A post shared by E.J. Reyes (@its_heiji) on Jan 31, 2015 at 8:32pm PST
Marky Cielo was the first Igorot to enter the showbiz industry and the first Ultimate Sole Survivor of the reality talent competition StarStruck. During his two-year career, he was able to star in several television shows and in one film. A few years after his monumental win, Marky’s mother found the 20-year-old actor lifeless in his room at their home in Antipolo on December 7, 2008. To this day, not much is known about the details surrounding his demise but according to medical reports, he died of acute pancreatitis.
8. Julia Buencamino (December 5, 1999 – July 7, 2015)
heyaeyaha indulgent selfie from last friday
A post shared by julia buencamino (@hoolianabanana) on Apr 27, 2015 at 7:12pm PDT
She was an actress, known for Mother Nanny (2006), Sandalang Bahay (2005) and Oh My G! ( 2015).The household help of the Buencamino family found Julia hanging from a nylon rope inside their bathroom on July 7, 2015. A few days later, a suicide note surfaced from the 15-year-old girl’s Tumblr account. In the note, Julia admitted to identifying herself as transgender and nonbinary. Sadly, in various studies done by LGBT groups, the suicide rate among LGBT youth is higher than that of the general population.
9. Ramgen Revilla (February 12, 1988 – October 29, 2011)
1 yr today since he left us.. rest in peace bebe.. #ramgenrevilla
A post shared by Jessica Joyce (@icelovesherbaby) on Oct 28, 2012 at 4:18am PDT
Ramgen Revilla, son of Ramon Revilla Sr., was murdered at the age of 23 in their family home on October 28, 2011. He sustained 11 stab wounds and a shot to the chest from a masked assailant. At the time of the murder, he was with girlfriend Janelle Manahan and younger sister Ramona Bautista. Much controversy surrounded his death leading many to suspect some of his family members of committing the crime. He was known for his roles in various Filipino television series including his role as Jeff Gatdula in Tonyong Bayawak.
10. Jam Sebastian (20 March 1986 – 4 March 2015)
https://www.instagram.com/p/BChFZVMpvLa/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link
One half of the popular YouTube sensation and love team “JaMich,” Jam Sebastian was slowly but surely inching his way to mainstream success. Unfortunately, his road to success was halted when he was diagnosed with stage 4 lung cancer. Jam’s fiancée Mich Liggayu, together with his over 600,000 subscribers, was with him all the way until his death on March 4, 2015 at the age of 28.
11. Tyron Perez (September 14, 1985 – December 29, 2011)
#twitter #instaframe #mentions #tyronperez
A post shared by Jayology (@jayology08) on Jul 19, 2012 at 8:06am PDT
Tyron Perez entered showbiz as a contestant of the first batch of the reality talent show StarStruck. He moved to ABS-CBN in June of 2010 where he was last seen playing the role of Gilbert in Mula Sa Puso and Gary in the fantasy-drama Momay. Tyron, 26, was found dead inside an abandoned car with a gunshot wound to his head and after investigations, police ruled the manner of death as a suicide. It was reported that a gambling debt may have led the actor to kill himself.
12. Claudia Zobel (27 February 1965 – 10 February 1984)
SPG: #ClaudiaZobel still intact after buried for 29 years…
A post shared by Dʀ. Xᴀᴠɪᴇʀ Gᴏɴᴢᴀʟᴇᴢ Sᴏʟɪꜱ (@dookiexave) on Aug 27, 2013 at 11:30pm PDT
Claudia Zobel was discovered at a party in 1982 and from then on, the young actress starred in various sexy films and won multiple awards. Known for Sinner or Saint (1984), Bayan Ko: Kapit sa Patalim (1984), and Bandido sa Sapang Bato (1981).Her promising career ended abruptly when the car she was driving figured in a car accident less than seventeen days short of her 19th birthday. Her body was exhumed nearly 30 years after her death to have her skeleton put in her father’s coffin, but, the body was found nearly completely intact.
13. Halina Perez (December 11, 1981 – March 4, 2004)
I miss you… kahit sa panaginip nasabi mo pa sa akin na blonde na ako haha… Love u #tbt #halinaperez #friendship #throwback
A post shared by hosh (@ladyhosh) on Sep 25, 2013 at 10:09pm PDT
Much like Claudia Zobel, Halina Perez was another promising young actress who starred in sexy films and comedies. Halina appeared in over 10 films during her brief career. On the way home from an event, the van she was in had a head-on collision with a truck on March 4, 2004. She died at the age of 22. Perez’s manager Isah Munio also died at the scene.
14. Franco Hernandez (April 1, 1991 – November 11, 2017)
https://www.instagram.com/p/BbOpI21hJ4t/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link
Franco Hernandez was slowly gaining popularity as a member of the Kapamilya boy dance group, Hashtags.However, the Hashtags member drowned in an accident while at sea and was declared dead on arrival at the age of 26 when he was taken to the nearest clinic. He was then vacationing in Davao Occidental with his girlfriend and friends.
15. Chef Hasset Go (August 8, 1986 – October 24, 2015)
https://www.instagram.com/p/7JpQJIIz86/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link
Chef Hasset Go was a celebrity chef and entrepreneur who often appeared on shows like Kapuso Mo, Jessica Soho. He was also among the Top 50 Young Entrepreneurs of Go Negosyo and was given Young Achiever award for Culinary by Global Excellence. Sadly, the celebrity chef passed away in October 2015 when he lost his battle with liver cancer and died at the age of 29. His brother Rowden Go suffered the same fate in the year 2014. His younger brother Hisham would also die of the same disease in 2017.
16. Christian Pasno (May 13, 2018)
https://www.instagram.com/p/Bi-hHOqAq0L/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link
The death of The Voice Kids Season 2 semifinalist Christian Pasno came as a shock to many. Christian, the promising performer who wowed the Philippines with his singing prowess, died in a tragic motorcycle accident on May 13, 2018, at the age of 13. Based on several news reports, the accident occurred in Barangay Mabalanoy in San Juan, Batangas. Because he was not wearing a helmet, Christian suffered severe traumatic brain damage.
17. TJ Cruz (October 22,1981 – November 21,2018)
GODly heavenly morning TJ. How can I not miss your eyes specially in this picture of yours? Pictures of you and our family are what brings a smile to me now and then as I look over them. Bringing unforgettable memories of fun times in the past. Memories that will never fade. Missing you my boy. Love you TEEJ. #nevertobeforgotten❤️ 6/11/19
A post shared by Pip Silvano Cruz (@tirsocruziii) on Jun 11, 2019 at 12:44am PDT
TJ Cruz, the eldest son of Tirso Cruz III passed away on November 21, 2018, at the age of 37 after his battle with lymphatic cancer. This news shocked many celebrities. He first appeared in the children’s show, Ang TV. TJ also appeared in some movies like Rollerboys (1995) and Eskapo (1995).
AJ Perez4 April Love Jordan1 Chef Hasset Go2 christian pasno2 Claudia Zobel1 Franco Hernandez28 Halina Perez1 Hasset Go2 Jam Sebastian8 julia buencamino3 Maria Bulaklak Ausente2 Marky Cielo3 Miko Sotto1 passes away1 Ramgen Revilla4 TJ Cruz2 Tyron Perez1 young celebrities1
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The Host - Quentin Cooper
Lloyd’s Register Foundation International Conference 2019
Engineering a safer world.
Dinner & Awards
Described by the Times as both “the world’s most enthusiastic man” and “an expert on everything from pop music to astrophysics” and by the Daily Mail as someone whose “wit and enthusiasm can enliven the dullest of topics”, Quentin hosts a diverse range of events in Britain and beyond, from major conferences to media training, as well as appearing regularly on radio, TV and in print.
He’s one of the most familiar and popular voices of science in the U.K., writing and presenting many hundreds of programmes including, for over a decade, fronting Britain’s most listened to science show, the live weekly Material World on BBC Radio 4 – hailed as “quite the best thing on radio” by Bill Bryson and “the most accessible, funny and conversational science programme on radio” by the Radio Times. He’s also both the regular host and master-class tutor for the UK and International finals of FameLab, rated as “the world’s leading science communication competition” by BBC World Service, and “the best time we’ve had in months” according to the Nobel prize-winning, co-discoverer of DNA James Watson after the 2013 finals. Quentin also writes a regular column for BBC Worldwide linking science and fiction, and has presented, produced and been a regular contributor to countless other science, technology, arts and entertainment programmes across BBC radio and television, Channel 4, the Discovery Channel, ITV and other channels. In his – limited – spare time still manages to be a film critic on BBC World, Radio 2 and elsewhere.
Quentin has worked in over 50 countries worldwide and is much in demand to host conferences, chair panels, facilitate debates, conduct interviews, give talks, MC events and run science communication and media skills workshops. These include the Time Higher award-winning Knowledge Transfer conferences at Heriot-Watt and St Andrews Universities, the CIB Scotland award-winning real-forensics-meets-crime-fiction show Murder Mystery & Microscopes, and EU Presidency conferences for Denmark and Sweden. Regular and notable organisations he’s worked for include the Royal Society, the European Commission, the British Council, CERN, the Nobel Foundation, the Royal Society of Chemistry, BBC Training, the British Science Association, the British Neuroscience Association, the European Space Agency, Kew Gardens, the Nordic Council of Ministers, NESTA, the Imperial War Museum, the Institute of Physics, Lego, Microsoft, the UK Energy Research Centre, Cape Farewell, many universities and European science festivals, various national governments and several research councils.
Quentin’s “major contribution to the public understanding of science & engineering” has been formally recognised in the last couple of years with honorary doctorates from Edinburgh University and Heriot-Watt University, as well as by being made an Honorary Fellow of the Royal Society of Chemistry. His first degree is also from Edinburgh University where he studied Artificial Intelligence and Psychology, and he went on to get a Postgraduate Diploma in Journalism Studies from University College Cardiff. He has a bronze medal from the Commonwealth Games, but only because he was media manager for the boxing. He was also briefly one half of a click-boxing duo with Oscar-, Grammy- & MTV-award winner Ryuichi Sakamoto.
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Expertise Employment Law Employment News Can private "tweets" justify dismissal?
Can private "tweets" justify dismissal?
Yes, but depending on the circumstances, said the Employment Appeal Tribunal (EAT) in the case of Games Retail Ltd –v- Laws.
Mr Laws was responsible for over 100 retail stores. He opened a private Twitter account and followed the Twitter accounts of these stores as a means of monitoring their progress. He was in turn followed by 65 of these stores after a local store manager recommended that they do so. Mr Laws was later summarily dismissed following a complaint by another store manager that Mr Laws had posted offensive and abusive tweets from his private Twitter account. Mr Laws’s Twitter account did not affiliate him with his employer, nor did his contract of employment state that inappropriate use of social media in private time could be treated as gross misconduct. Nonetheless, the EAT concluded that it was reasonable for the employer to found upon this private use of social media as a reason justifying Mr Laws’s dismissal.
In producing its judgement, the EAT highlighted that it was necessary to consider whether the employee’s use of social media was indeed truly private. As Mr Laws posted the tweets in full knowledge that 65 stores followed his account, and because the tweets were seen and reported by another member of staff, his account could not be considered to be truly private. Consequently, his use of social media could be relied upon by his employer as constituting gross misconduct.
So, does this mean that as an employee you should rush off and delete your social media accounts for fear of offending your employer/colleagues and losing your job? Or, that as an employer, you can without fear of consequences dismiss an employee who posts offensive messages on their social media account? The short answer is No, but in reality it will not be as straightforward as that. The EAT declined to lay down general guidance on cases of gross misconduct involving the use of social media, stating instead that every case will depend on its own individual facts and circumstances. Ultimately therefore, whether an employee’s use of social media can be relied upon as a reason for dismissal will depend on whether the employer in dismissing the employee acted “reasonably”. As such, restraint and common sense remain the best guidance for both employers and employees when considering the use and effect of social media.
Sickness Absence and Constructive Dismissal
The Introduction of Shared Parental Leave
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Follow Main Street Monroe:
Scholarships Available - Monroe Area Community Foundation
Tuesday, February 5, 2008 3:21:40 AM - Monroe Ohio
by Ron Tubbs
MACF SCHOLARSHIP APPLICATIONS
The following 2008 Monroe Area Community Foundation (MACF) scholarship applications are now available in the counseling office:
James A. Macready, M. D. Memorial Scholarship. $1,000 scholarship for a graduating senior at Monroe Local High School enrolled in a four-year college or university with a major that qualifies the student to enter the field of allopathic medicine. A grade point average for grades 9-12 that is acceptable for enrollment in an accredited school, college, or university pursuing study in the medical field at college level is also required. A teaching field of study applicant may be considered if no medical application is received.
Richard L. Miltenberger Memorial Scholarship. $500 scholarship for a graduating senior at Monroe Local High School who has lettered in a sport at Monroe High School and enrolls and plans to pursue studies in fine arts, whether it be graphic arts, design, animation, art education or similar studies including the use of computers in the field of art.
James M. Anderson, M. D. and Bertha Anderson Family Scholarship. $500 scholarship to be given for a graduating senior at Monroe Local High School enrolled in a four-year college or university with a major that qualifies the student to enter the field of allopathic medicine. All applicants must be students in good standing with a grade point average for grades 9-12 that is acceptable for enrollment in an accredited school, college or university pursuing study in the medical field at a college level.
Lee Ann Miltenberger Memorial Scholarship Award Fund. Three (3) Two Hundred Dollar ($200) scholarships or awards for three Monroe seniors for outstanding achievement in study of photography, drama (production) and music (vocal). These subjects were not only Lee Ann’s favorites, but also proved to be very helpful in her job experiences and enjoyment throughout her lifetime.
Monte R. Miltenberger Memorial Scholarship Fund. $250 scholarship to a Monroe Local High School graduating senior who is continuing education in a field of study at a technical or vocational school.
Nancy Cahill G.I.G.G.L.E.S. Memorial Scholarship Fund. This scholarship is available to graduating students from Monroe Local Schools who have shown a great interest in the community. It is intended for, but not limited to, persons aspiring to attend any post-secondary degree or certificate program.
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By George Campbell Gosling
It made sense for the Voluntary Action History Society to host the launch of Payment and Philanthropy in British Healthcare, 1918-48, my new book with Manchester University Press, for two reasons.
First, because the VAHS and its seminar series at the Institute of Historical Research was something of a scholarly home-from-home for me, while I was researching the topic for my PhD at Oxford Brookes University but living in London. The sense of being with family was evident from the fuss they made – even including surprising me with a cake of the book!
Credit: Georgina Brewis
Second, because the theme of “voluntary action” is central to the book. It’s one of the first titles to be published in the new Social Histories of Medicine series, a collaboration between MUP and the Society for the Social History of Medicine. And it adds to the scholarship on Britain’s pre-NHS hospital system that has been so prominent in the social history of medicine in the past few decades. Specifically what it adds is, largely, a reminder that we cannot understand the pre-NHS voluntary hospitals unless we remember that they were charities.
The assumption has been that when, in the early twentieth century, they started taking money off patients, they became essentially “private hospitals”. As the book details, this simply didn’t happen. Patient payments actually became embedded within the long-established social dynamics and class hierarchies of these philanthropic institutions. In fact, there were ways in which the means-tested systems by which the rate of payment was set served as new ways to enforce those older divisions and distinctions. Payment and philanthropy found a surprisingly conservative accommodation.
Colin Rochester chaired the book launch seminar. 25 years ago he was one of a small gang of voluntary sector practitioners and scholars who realised the historical dimension was missing from their understanding, and founded the VAHS in response. We were joined by what he called “an all-star panel” of scholars to act as commentators. All historians I’ve worked with and whose work I rate highly – who I asked to come and share their thoughts on the issues raised by the book, rather than to offer a staged endorsement – and I was thrilled they all agreed.
Professor Pat Thane spoke first. She is President of the Social History Society and a leading authority on the history of social welfare. She kindly described it as a “very stimulating book” and said it adds to our understanding of the NHS and what it replaced:
“It certainly deepens our understanding of the hospital provision in England before the National Health Service, and perhaps also why a change as major as the introduction of the NHS could be introduced relatively calmly, with little overt opposition once calmed the BMA down by “stuffing their mouths with gold”, as he put it”.
She picked up on one of the key themes of the book, which was the rationale for the introduction of minimal, but controversial, provision aimed at the middle classes, rather than the sick poor the voluntary hospitals were founded to serve. She noted the fact that better-off patients “willingly paid” for the treatment in order to “subsidise poorer patients”. Indeed, I have found no real evidence of resistance to the principle of payment according to means, even if the middle-class sick seem to have been less keen to enter the hospital at all. While the middle-class private provision was never anywhere close to widespread enough to actually have been able to subsidise provision for working-class patients, the logic seems to have been accepted before the founding of the NHS.
Second up was Professor Pam Cox, the Chair of the Social History Society, who said well done for getting the book done during those challenging early-career years. The book spoke to her, she said, because of the “NHS story” in her own family history. Something she rightly noted we all have. In her case, a history of midwives and the sick poor missing out. This book, from which she said she “learnt a great deal about the complexity, variety and plurality of early twentieth-century healthcare”, helped her to understand a little better why that might have been so.
It brought home to her, she said, “the importance of local communities in creating national services”. These hospitals were local charities “and that raises questions about civil society and localism, which I think are very important”. This significance of this voluntarism not only helps us to understand healthcare in the pre-NHS era but also Britain’s place within Esping-Andersen’s The Three Worlds of Welfare Capitalism, in which “it’s never really clear where Britain fits”, and to which she suggested this book forms the beginning of a “historical challenge”.
Underpinned by “pernicious but also product influence of class”, which both “justifies” and “challenges these inequalities”, she rightly noted that what this book is really about is the meeting point between “a recasting of nineteenth-century Victorian Liberalism” and “a more social democratic settlement”.
Credit: Kate Bradley
This was a theme picked up by Professor Mathew Thomson, who I work with on a major project on the Cultural History of the NHS.
“I do think it’s one of the really interesting things that George is doing in this book is asking us to think about the meaning of payment. His work on our project was trying to flip that to think about the meaning of free”.
He went on to ask where this book “leaves us in terms of thinking about the popular politics of the coming of the NHS”. Despite its complexities and social hierarchies, were people actually fairly satisfied with the hospital system in place before the NHS? Was it perhaps more a top-down reform in search of efficiency and rationalisation than a grassroots movement calling for a new system that would “work for us”?
You can listen to the full book launch seminar here.
And, you can buy a copy of the book for £25 here.
By Rebecca Mortimer
Category: Blog, Events, History, Medicine 0 Comments.
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Fluor Co. (NEW) - Get News & Ratings Daily
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Fluor Co. (NEW) (NYSE:FLR) Sees Significant Increase in Short Interest
July 12th, 2019 - By Renee Jackson
Filed Under: Finance - Options Articles
Fluor Co. (NEW) (NYSE:FLR) was the recipient of a significant growth in short interest during the month of June. As of June 30th, there was short interest totalling 7,782,000 shares, a growth of 48.8% from the May 30th total of 5,230,100 shares. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 2,760,000 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 2.8 days. Currently, 5.6% of the shares of the stock are sold short.
NYSE FLR traded up $0.03 during trading hours on Thursday, hitting $31.92. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 618,175 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,240,387. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $30.55. Fluor Co. has a twelve month low of $27.69 and a twelve month high of $60.60. The firm has a market cap of $4.41 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 14.85, a P/E/G ratio of 1.42 and a beta of 2.04. The company has a quick ratio of 1.04, a current ratio of 1.49 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.53.
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Fluor Co. (NEW) (NYSE:FLR) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, May 2nd. The construction company reported ($0.14) earnings per share for the quarter, missing the Thomson Reuters’ consensus estimate of $0.54 by ($0.68). Fluor Co. (NEW) had a net margin of 0.99% and a return on equity of 8.90%. The business had revenue of $4.19 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.80 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $0.56 earnings per share. The company’s quarterly revenue was down 13.1% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that Fluor Co. will post 1.76 EPS for the current year.
The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, July 2nd. Investors of record on Monday, June 3rd were issued a $0.21 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Friday, May 31st. This represents a $0.84 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.63%. Fluor Co. (NEW)’s dividend payout ratio is currently 39.07%.
In other news, insider Alan L. Boeckmann acquired 16,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, May 9th. The shares were purchased at an average cost of $29.81 per share, with a total value of $476,960.00. Following the completion of the purchase, the insider now owns 17,250 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $514,222.50. The acquisition was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Carlos M. Hernandez acquired 17,001 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Monday, May 13th. The shares were purchased at an average cost of $29.52 per share, for a total transaction of $501,869.52. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. 1.40% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.
A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in FLR. Clearbridge Investments LLC lifted its holdings in Fluor Co. (NEW) by 23.0% in the first quarter. Clearbridge Investments LLC now owns 11,891,068 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $437,591,000 after buying an additional 2,222,261 shares during the period. BlackRock Inc. lifted its holdings in Fluor Co. (NEW) by 11.2% in the first quarter. BlackRock Inc. now owns 10,776,759 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $396,583,000 after buying an additional 1,083,079 shares during the period. Two Sigma Investments LP lifted its holdings in Fluor Co. (NEW) by 316.0% in the fourth quarter. Two Sigma Investments LP now owns 977,876 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $31,488,000 after buying an additional 742,827 shares during the period. Fairview Capital Investment Management LLC lifted its holdings in Fluor Co. (NEW) by 268.9% in the first quarter. Fairview Capital Investment Management LLC now owns 844,255 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $31,068,000 after buying an additional 615,415 shares during the period. Finally, Two Sigma Advisers LP raised its holdings in Fluor Co. (NEW) by 133.0% in the fourth quarter. Two Sigma Advisers LP now owns 875,500 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $28,191,000 after purchasing an additional 499,820 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 89.32% of the company’s stock.
A number of equities analysts have recently issued reports on FLR shares. DA Davidson reduced their target price on shares of Sally Beauty to $16.50 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, May 7th. ValuEngine upgraded shares of WEX from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, June 13th. Citigroup set a $47.00 target price on shares of Quanta Services and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, May 3rd. Canaccord Genuity reiterated a “buy” rating and set a GBX 620 ($8.10) target price on shares of in a research report on Wednesday. Finally, MKM Partners set a $39.00 target price on shares of Fluor Co. (NEW) and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, April 5th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have given a hold rating and five have given a buy rating to the company. Fluor Co. (NEW) has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $44.73.
Fluor Co. (NEW) Company Profile
Fluor Corporation, through its subsidiaries, provides engineering, procurement, construction, fabrication and modularization, operation, maintenance and asset integrity, and project management services worldwide. It operates through four segments: Energy & Chemicals; Mining, Industrial, Infrastructure & Power; Diversified Services; and Government.
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Next Article in Journal / Special Issue
Implementing an Oral Health Intervention for People Experiencing Homelessness in Scotland: A Participant Observation Study
Decontamination of Dental Implant Surfaces by the Er:YAG Laser Beam: A Comparative in Vitro Study of Various Protocols
MDPI — Dentistry Journal
Dentistry Journal
Covered in:
Beaton, L.
Coles, E.
Freeman, R.
dental health services
Laura Beaton
Emma Coles
Ruth Freeman
Dent. J. 2018, 6(4), 67; https://doi.org/10.3390/dj6040067
Homeless in Scotland: An Oral Health and Psychosocial Needs Assessment
Laura Beaton 1,* , Emma Coles 2 and Ruth Freeman 1
Dental Health Services Research Unit, University of Dundee, Dundee DD1 4HN, Scotland, UK
Nursing, Midwifery and Allied Health Professions Research Unit, University of Stirling, Stirling FK9 4NF, Scotland, UK
Received: 3 October 2018 / Accepted: 13 November 2018 / Published: 1 December 2018
The aim of this research was to conduct an oral health and psychosocial needs assessment of a homeless population in Scotland to determine the levels of unmet need and provide recommendations for oral health improvement. A non-probability convenience sample of homeless people residing in seven Scottish Health Boards was collected. All consenting participants were asked to complete a questionnaire assessing their health and psychosocial needs, dental anxiety, and oral health-related quality of life. The participants’ oral health was examined by a trained and calibrated dentist and dental nurse. Eight hundred and fifty-three homeless people consented to take part. Participants had a mean D3cvMFT score of 16.9 (95% CI: 16.3, 17.6). Dental anxiety was high, with 20% scoring as dentally phobic. Respondents with higher dental anxiety were found to have significantly greater mean numbers of filled teeth than those with lower dental anxiety (t = −2.9, p < 0.05). Common oral health impacts were painful aching and discomfort while eating, experienced occasionally by 31% and 27% of the respondents, respectively. Fifty-eight percent of participants were found to have a depressive illness, and obvious decay experience was significantly higher among this section of participants (t = −4.3, p < 0.05). Homeless people in Scotland were found to be in need of a more accessible dental service than is currently available. An enhanced service should meet the oral health and psychosocial needs of this population to improve their oral health and quality of life.
homeless persons; oral health; delivery of health care; dental health services
In Scotland, between 2012 and 2013, 39,827 homelessness applications were made. Sixty-five percent of those making the applications were single people. The majority of applications (55%) were made by men. Thirty percent of homeless applications were from single households with children (i.e., one parent families). These were predominantly women (74%). While this, overall, represented a fall by some 13% in homelessness applications, the proportion of those considered as a priority, or frontline homeless, had risen by 5% between 2011 and 2013. This suggested that the number of those with an acute housing need had not fallen, but rather had increased [1]. While these statistics represent official homelessness figures, the true number of people experiencing homelessness in Scotland remains unknown, due to the concept of “hidden homelessness” and the inherent difficulties when defining homelessness. Therefore, the definition of homelessness used here was the European Typology of Homelessness, which defines homelessness in terms of accommodation [2]. Therefore, those who are roofless and those who are houseless (residing in insecure and/or inadequate accommodation) are characterized as experiencing homelessness.
Previous research has established that people experiencing homelessness have poor general and oral health. Hwang found that people experiencing homelessness had poor general health, a “high burden of illness” and “a greatly increased risk of death” [3] (pp. 232, 230). Regarding oral health, Daly et al. found that the oral health of people experiencing homelessness was poor, with a great need for restorative, oral hygiene, and periodontal treatment [4]. Figueiredo et al. confirmed that homeless populations had poor oral health, poor attendance, a reliance on emergency treatment, and unmet treatment needs [5].
The healthcare needs of homeless people in Scotland have long been recognised by the Scottish Government. In 2005 they produced the Health and Homelessness Standards, to ensure that National Health Service (NHS) Boards gave special consideration to improving the understanding, planning, and treatment of homeless people within their Board areas [6]. This was extended to the Action Plan for Improving Oral Health and Modernizing NHS Dental Services in Scotland (Dental Action Plan) in 2005. The Dental Action Plan recognised homeless people as a priority group, requiring tailored oral health care [7]. By 2012, the Scottish Government perceived that homeless people represented ‘adults most in need’, and in their Priority Group Strategy of 2012 [8] called for accessible oral health care facilities:
‘Homeless people have a variety of challenges facing them. Many are affected by poor general health, low self-esteem and poorer than average dental health. They may have problems accessing facilities to carry out oral self-care and often have difficulty in accessing dental services.’
(p. 2)
With the emphasis on accessible health care and preventive programs, the need to understand the oral health status together with homeless people’s experiences of dental health care was seen as a first step in developing accessible services [9]. Therefore, the aim of this survey was to assess the oral health and psychosocial needs of homeless people across Scotland to allow recommendations for accessible dental health services to be made and to inform future oral health policy.
2.1. The Sample
A non-probability convenience sample of homeless people residing in seven National Health Services (NHS) Boards across Scotland was collected. In Scotland there are 14 NHS Boards, each representing a different geographical region, which provide primary and secondary level health care services to the population. In Scotland and in the United Kingdom, the NHS meets the needs of the population; is based on clinical need, not a person’s ability to pay for treatment; and, it provides treatment that is free at the point of delivery [10]. The participating Scottish NHS Boards represented a mix of urban and rural localities (Figure 1).
Non-probability convenience sampling was used due to the transient nature of those experiencing homelessness, which can make them a difficult population to reach [11]. A number of different localities in each NHS Board were visited several times, in order to generate a snowball effect and thus maximize the number of participants consenting to take part (Table 1). Throughout the nine-month data collection period, homeless people were invited to take part and those consenting to participate were included.
2.2. Oral Health
1. Obvious Decay Experience
Obvious decay experience was assessed using the DMFT index in accordance with the National Dental Inspection Programme Basic Inspection procedures and the British Association for the Study of Community Dentistry guidelines, both of which state that this is “in accordance… with international epidemiological conventions, thus allowing for comparisons to be made with other countries in Europe and beyond.” [13] (p. 5). The dental status was recorded as obvious decay experience (D3cvMFT), which recognised decay at the dentinal level (D3), with visual cavitation (D3cv) present. Obvious decay experience is the total D3cvMFT, which is a sum of the decayed into dentine with cavitation (D3cv), missing (M), and filled (F) teeth.
2. Assessment of Oral Hygiene Status: Plaque
Plaque scores were assessed using the Simplified Oral Hygiene Index (OHI-S) scale of debris present [14,15,16]. Plaque scores were assessed on six teeth, if present, with scores being given as follows: “0 = no debris or stain present; 1 = soft debris covering not more than 1/3 of the tooth surface, or presence of extrinsic stains without other debris, regardless of surface area covered; 2 = soft debris covering more than 1/3, but not more than two thirds, or exposed tooth surface; 3 = soft debris covering more than two thirds of exposed tooth surface” [12] (p. 35).
3. Oral Mucosa
An examination of the oral mucosa included the lips, buccal mucosa, tongue, floor of the mouth, palate and fauces. A score was allocated if a lesion was absent (0), lesion present and monitor (1), or requiring immediate referral (2).
An oral health survey collection form captured all of the information regarding the participants’ obvious decay experience, plaque present, the number of standing teeth, and the incidence of oral mucosal lesions. The oral health examinations were conducted following completion of the questionnaire. The equipment used was a Daray light, disposable mirror, tweezers, and a WHO periodontal probe [17,18]. Other items, such as cotton wool pellets and rolls, were used where it was necessary to remove debris to visualize the oral structures.
The full examination was conducted under standardized conditions observing normal infection control protocols [19]. To ensure standardized data collection, prior to the survey commencement, the 11 dentists and 12 dental health professionals who were involved in the oral examination attended a training day where they were standardized using National Dental Inspection Programme (NDIP) training materials [20]. One month prior to this training day, the practitioners had been calibrated in accordance with NDIP.
2.3. The Questionnaire
The questionnaire consisted of four parts:
1. Demographic profile.
The questionnaire asked about the participants’ age, gender, current and past living status, family status, previous occupation, and reason(s) for homelessness.
2. Medical history and health behaviors
This section examined the participants’ medical history, including prescribed medication and health behaviors, such as alcohol, tobacco, and drug use.
3. Psycho-social status
Dental anxiety was assessed using the Modified Dental Anxiety Scale (MDAS) [21]. The MDAS consists of five questions assessing dental anxiety in relation to: waiting for dental treatment, drilling, scale and polish, and local anesthesia. Respondents rate their dental anxiety on a five-point scale, which ranges from not anxious (1) to extremely anxious (5). Possible scores range from 5 to 25, with scores over 19 indicating dental phobia. The normative value for a general practice patient population is 10.39 and the normative value for a UK general public population is 11.60 [22].
Oral Health Related-Quality of Life was assessed using the Oral Health Impact Profile (OHIP-14) [23]. This 14-item inventory was based on a hierarchy of impacts arising from oral disease, ranging in severity, and includes functional limitation (e.g., pronouncing words), physical pain (e.g., painful aching mouth), psychological discomfort (e.g., feeling self-conscious), physical disability (e.g., interrupted meals), psychological disability (e.g., feeling embarrassed), social disability (e.g., irritable with others), and handicap (e.g., life less satisfying). Respondents were asked how frequently they had experienced each of the 14 impacts, on a five-point Likert scale, with scores ranging from 0 (never) to 4 (very often).
Depression was measured using the valid and reliable Center for Epidemiological Studies Depression Scale (CES-D) [24]. The CES-D is a self-reported scale consisting of twenty items reflecting dimensions of depression, such as depressed mood, feelings of hopelessness, and interactions with others. The questions are answered on a four-point Likert scale and the respondents are asked to rate their experience of each item in the previous week, the responses ranged from rarely or none of the time (scoring 0) to most or all of the time (scoring 3). Total scores range from 0 to 60, with scores of 16 or over indicating depressed mood.
4. Previous dental experiences and dental health attitudes
The final part of the questionnaire inquired about the time and reason for the respondents’ most recent dental attendance, as well as previous dental treatment experiences (e.g., fillings and extractions). Opinions about going to the dentist were also assessed, using nine attitudinal measures from the Adult Dental Health Survey [25], where responses were made on a four-point Likert scale, ranging from ‘definitely feel like that’ to ‘don’t feel like that’.
2.4. Administration of the Questionnaire
All dental health professionals and health practitioners who were involved in the administration of the questionnaire were provided with training tailored towards improving the understanding of the questionnaire prior to deployment, and how to engage with and assist participants with completion of the questionnaire items without influencing their responses. The participants were asked to complete the questionnaire prior to the oral examination. Many participants required help with completing the questionnaire due to poor eyesight and/or poor literacy skills.
2.5. Ethical Considerations
The National Research Ethics Service was contacted concerning the requirement for ethical approval. The Integrated Research Application System (IRAS) responded to state that ethical approval from an NRES was not required. This information was provided to each of the NHS Boards who obtained the relevant NHS Research and Development Management Approval. Ethical approval was obtained from the University of Dundee Research Ethics Committee (UREC 9005). Information sheets detailing each aspect of the survey, together with written consent forms, were provided to each participant. Homeless people were given an information sheet and a consent form. All participants were required to provide informed and written consent prior to taking part.
The data was coded and entered onto a computer using SPSS version 19. Frequency distributions, t-tests, and regression analysis were performed on the data.
3.1. Sample
A convenience sample of 853 people took part in the survey. There were 598 (70%) complete data sets, as some sections were not answered by all participants: for example, 45% did not give an occupation, 10% did not answer questions about their living status, and 36% did not give a reason for their homelessness. Eighty-five percent (726) of participants had an oral examination. The results shown below report on the complete data on each variable.
3.2. Oral Health Status
3.2.1. Obvious Decay Experience
The mean D3cvMFT was 16.9 (95% CI: 16.3, 17.6). The largest component was missing teeth (8.7 [95% CI: 8.1, 9.4]), with the number of missing teeth ranging from 0 to 32. The mean number of decayed teeth into dentine with visual cavitation was 4.5 (95% CI: 4.1, 4.9), with a range of 0 to 30. The mean number of filled teeth was 3.8 (95% CI: 3.5, 4.1). The number of filled teeth ranged from 0 to 25 teeth (Table 2). Female participants had significantly fewer mean numbers of filled teeth than men (t = 2.22, p < 0.05).
3.2.2. Assessment of Oral Hygiene Status: Plaque
The total mean plaque score for the sample population was 1.08 (95% CI: 1.01, 1.15). The mean plaque score for the upper teeth was 1.06 (95% CI: 0.99, 1.13) and for the lower teeth 1.10 (95% CI: 1.04, 1.16).
3.2.3. Oral Mucosa
The oral examination assessed the six areas of the mouth and throat that are listed in the methods section. The most frequent location of a suspicious lesion was in the buccal mucosa (4%), followed by the lips (3%), palate (2%), tongue (1%), floor of the mouth (0.3%), and throat (0.2%). Overall, 61 participants (9%) had one suspicious oral mucosal lesion and six participants had two.
3.2.4. Edentulousness
Forty-six (6%) of the 726 participants who underwent the oral examination had no natural teeth.
3.3. Demographic Profile
Seventy-four percent (629) of the participants were male, with ages ranging from 16 to 78. The mean age was 33.9 (95% CI: 33.1, 34.7). Age was divided into five age groups; with 207 participants being aged between 16–24 years; 194 being aged between 25–34 years; 160 being aged between 35–44 years; 160 being aged between 45–54 years; and, 51 being aged 55 years and over. Of those who answered the question on family type (805), 77% reported that they were single, with 13% having a partner and 4% and 6% being part of a one-parent family and two-parent family, respectively.
Six hundred and ninety-four participants (81%) answered the “Living status” section, with 83 participants not responding and 76 people giving more than one answer. From those that did respond, 560 were classed as “houseless” (73%) and 46 were “roofless” (6%).
Occupation/previous occupation was taken as an indicator of socio-economic position [26]. Of those that did provide information about their occupation, 25% worked in skilled trade occupations and 22% worked in unskilled occupations. Forty-five percent of participants did not provide details about their current or previous occupation and were assumed to be “economically inactive” [12] (p. 41).
3.4. Reasons for Becoming Homeless
Of the 542 participants that provided a reason for homelessness, the most frequent reason was family breakdown (22%), followed by imprisonment (11%), alcohol (9%), domestic violence (8%), drug misuse (7%), financial difficulties (6%), mental or physical ill-health (4%), relocation (3%), and unemployment (2%).
3.5. Medical History and Health Behaviors
Of those that completed the medical history (787), 54% reported that they were currently receiving medical treatment. Twenty-two percent reported having chest diseases; 13% reported suffering from hypertension, 7% had epilepsy, 7% had heart disease, and 3% had diabetes. Eleven percent of respondents stated that they were HIV-positive or Hepatitis C-positive (11%).
Sixty-three percent (496) of those that completed the medical history also stated that they were taking prescribed medication, and 472 of the 496 provided the name and type of medication that they were prescribed. The most commonly mentioned prescribed medications were psychotrophic drugs (i.e., antidepressants (32%), anxiolytics (20%), and anti-psychotics (11%)) and methadone (32%).
When asked about alcohol and tobacco consumption, 29% (240) of respondents stated that they drank alcohol “most days” and 85% (702) reported that they smoked tobacco.
Regarding drug use, 68% of respondents reported that they had a history of street drug use. Of the 68%, 236 (29%) reported that they were currently using street drugs and of the 236, 191 stated that they were currently injecting drug users. With regard to age, significantly lower proportions of those aged 55 years and over as compared with the other lower age groups that stated that they had ever used drugs (X2[4] = 121.60, p < 0.001), were currently using drugs (X2[4] = 37.12, p < 0.001) or were injecting drug users (X2[4] = 51.34, p < 0.001). Equivalent proportions of male (68%) and female (66%) respondents reported to have used street drugs; currently using drugs (male: 30%; female 26%) and being injecting drug users (male 23%; female 29%).
3.6. Dental Anxiety Status
Of the 799 participants who completed the MDAS, the mean score for dental anxiety was 12.1 (95% CI: 11.6, 12.6). Twenty percent (170) scored over 19, which indicates that they were dentally phobic. Women as compared to men had significantly higher mean scores for dental anxiety (t = 5.85, p < 0.001). This sample was split into higher and lower dental anxiety—respondents who scored 12 or less (324) were categorized as having lower dental anxiety, while those that scored 13 or higher (475) were deemed to have high dental anxiety. The respondents with higher dental anxiety had a significantly higher mean number of filled teeth when compared to the lower dental anxiety group, whereas those with lower dental anxiety had significantly higher mean numbers of decayed teeth as compared to those with higher anxiety. There were no other significant differences (Table 3).
3.7. Oral Health Related Quality of Life
Seven-hundred and thirty-two participants completed the OHIP-14 section of the questionnaire. The mean score for oral health impacts was 17.1 (95% CI: 16.0, 18.1). Women experienced significantly more oral health impacts when compared to men (t = 2.39, p < 0.05). The oral health impacts that were reported by participants are shown in Figure 2. Twenty-five percent (200) of participants felt self-conscious and 23% (190) felt embarrassed very often about the appearance of their mouth and teeth. The oral health impact ‘painful aching’ was experienced occasionally by 31% of the respondents; fairly often by 17%; and, very often by 12%. Twenty-seven percent reported that they occasionally felt discomfort while eating.
The sample was divided into lower and higher oral health-related quality of life impact groups using a median split—those scoring 14 or less were categorized as experiencing lower impacts, while those scoring 15 or over experienced higher impacts. Significant differences were found between lower and higher oral health impact experiences for decayed, missing, and filled teeth, as well as overall obvious decay experience (Table 4). The mean numbers of decayed and missing teeth were significantly higher for those with higher oral health impact experience, while the mean number of filled teeth was significantly higher for the lower impact group. The mean D3cvMFT was significantly higher for those experiencing higher, rather than lower, oral health impacts.
3.8. Depression
Of the 562 participants who completed the CES-D, 58% (328) scored at least 16, which indicates that they were suffering from a depressive illness. The mean score for depression was 21.7 (95% CI: 20.5, 22.8). Women had significantly higher mean depression scores (t = 3.25, p = 0.001) when compared to men, with the mean score for women being 24.8 (95% CI: 22.6, 27.0) and for men 20.5 (95% CI: 19.2, 21.9). The sample was divided into “not depressed” (scores < 16) and “depressed” (scores > 16). Depressed participants had significantly higher mean numbers of decayed teeth and D3cvMFT as compared to participants who were not depressed (Table 5). Regression analysis was used to predict the effect of age, gender, and depression upon obvious decay experience. Age and depression significantly predicted obvious decay experience and explained 25% of the variance in the relationship F[2, 503] = 55.95, p < 0.001) (Table 6).
3.9. Previous Dental Experiences and Dental Health Attitudes
3.9.1. Dental Attendance
Three-hundred and forty-six participants reported that they had been to the dentist in the last year, with 31% of respondents reporting that they were registered with a dentist (at the time of data collection). From those who gave a reason for their last dental visit, 68% reported that they attended due to “trouble with teeth” and 21% attended for a check-up.
3.9.2. Previous Dental Treatment
The most frequently cited previous treatment experience was receiving an injection in the gum (92%), followed by fillings (89%) and extractions (81%). The least common treatment experience was bridgework, with only 12% of respondents undergoing this treatment.
3.9.3. Dental Health Attitudes
When questioned about dental health attitudes, the number of respondents varied from 797 to 809. The most common attitude was “I’d like to be able to drop in at the dentist without an appointment”, with 62% of participants stating that they “definitely” felt like that. This was followed by “I’d like to know more about what the dentist is going to do and why” (37%).
Policies from the Scottish Government over the last decade [6,7,8] have sought to improve access and support for homeless people accessing dental treatment. The 2005 Health and Homelessness Standards stated that “there are a wide range of health problems which are more prevalent amongst homeless people than the wider population… chronic diseases… infectious diseases.” [6] (p. 12). There was no mention, however, of oral health in this document. This changed with the Dental Action Plan [7], and the importance of oral health status was reinforced by the National Oral Health Improvement Strategy for Priority Groups, which made the oral health of homeless people a priority [8]. Therefore, to inform policy and improve accessible services, there was a need to conduct a survey to assess the oral health status and psychosocial needs of people that were affected by homelessness in Scotland.
The 853 homeless people who took part in this needs assessment reflected the profile of similar homeless populations elsewhere, as well as the composition of the Scottish homeless population, particularly in terms of age and gender distribution, with the majority of participants being male, with a mean age of 33.9 [1,27]. The majority of participants were “houseless”, instead of “roofless”, meaning that they were currently living in a hostel, temporary accommodation, or similar, and were not sleeping rough. A wide range of reasons were given for how the participants had originally become homeless. The most common reason given was family breakdown, which was also found to be a frequent reason for homelessness in North and West Belfast [27], along with substance misuse (alcohol and drug use).
The prevalence of smoking in this sample of participants was high, with 85% reporting that they smoked tobacco. This high percentage is surprising when it is contrasted with the comparatively low 23% of adults in Scotland that indicated they were smokers in the 2013 Scottish Household Survey [28]. Regarding alcohol consumption, the participants in this sample drank more than the general Scottish population: 12% of adults reported in the 2012 Scottish Health Survey that they drank more than five days in a week, as compared to the 29% of this sample who reported drinking most days [29]. A high smoking rate, coupled with regular excessive alcohol consumption places this population at a high risk of developing oral cancer [6,29]. In this sample, 61 participants were found to have suspicious oral mucosal lesions. Five of these required referral to secondary services.
Similarly, the high number of participants prescribed anti-depressants and methadone is not reflected in the general population. Reports from Information Services Division (ISD) Scotland show that approximately 11.3% of the Scottish population were prescribed some form of anti-depressant in 2010/11, while 122 people per 1000 population were prescribed methadone [30,31].
High levels of obvious decay experience, as well as the prevalence of edentulousness, indicates that homeless people in Scotland were not accessing or receiving the necessary level of treatment. The obvious decay experience of the population in this sample is poorer than that of the Scottish population as a whole, with a higher average number of missing and decayed teeth, and lower numbers of filled teeth [25]. However, the Scotland Health Survey (2012 edition) found that in 2012 10% of adults had no natural teeth, but in this sample population, only 6% of participants were edentulous [32].
The homeless population in this sample were found to have high levels of dental anxiety: 20% scored over 19 on the MDAS and were therefore classed as having high dental anxiety, or dental phobia. The proportion of the general UK population scoring above this cut-off is 11% [22]. It is possible that the dental anxiety in this population had developed due to negative past experiences of dental treatment, as those with high dental anxiety also had significantly more filled teeth as compared to those with low dental anxiety. This theory is strengthened by the finding that the low dental anxiety group had significantly more decayed teeth, indicating a poor history of dental attendance and therefore limited opportunity to have a negative dental experience—indeed, only one-third of participants were registered with a dentist at the time the questionnaire was administered.
Higher prevalence of obvious decay experience has clear implications for oral health-related quality of life, as decayed or decaying teeth can cause discomfort or pain, which in turn can have serious impacts on day-to-day functioning. Indeed, significant differences were found between high and low oral health impacts and D3cvMFT, with higher incidences of missing and decayed teeth associated with higher oral health impact. In the Adult Dental Health Survey, which studied the oral health of the United Kingdom, the most common impacts were categorized as physical pain, psychological discomfort, and psychological disability [25]. The findings from this assessment represented a similar result, with painful aching and discomfort (physical pain) being the most common impacts, followed by self-consciousness (psychological discomfort) and embarrassment (psychological disability). It is worth noting, however, that, when compared to the general population in Scotland, higher proportions of respondents in this survey experienced psychological discomfort and psychological disability regarding their teeth, mouth, and dentures [12].
Previous research has highlighted that depression among homeless people can be as high as up to four times the rate of the general population [33]. In this sample, the mean score for women was 24.8 and for men 20.5, which is considerably higher than that of the general population in the United Kingdom (14.2 for women and 13.4 for men), although, in accordance with the general UK population norms, women’s scores were higher than men’s [34]. Moreover, a significant relationship was shown between obvious decay experience with age and depression, suggesting that depression had an important influence upon oral health status. This is supported by the work of Coles et al., which showed that 19% of the depression could be explained by decayed and missing teeth in a homelessness population [35]. The implications of such findings are important, since they suggest the need for inclusion of oral health and multidisciplinary working between health, social care, and oral health services.
This assessment was affected by some limitations. First, participants were gathered from the more urban areas of Scotland, which allowed greater access to this group of participants, but perhaps did not allow for the collection of information from the more rural population, which may have its own unique barriers to dental treatment. Also, the response rate was particularly poor for some sections of the questionnaire, specifically “occupation” and “reasons for homelessness”. While participants may have left the “occupation” section blank because they were currently unemployed, participants may have left other sections blank because of the sensitive and potentially emotive nature of some of the questions.
In conclusion, the stressful and often apparent chaotic lifestyle of the homeless population has serious consequences for the general health and wellbeing of this group, and, more specifically, their oral health. When compared to the Scottish and UK general populations, the participants in this needs assessment had poorer oral and psychosocial health. Depression and dental anxiety were found to be more prevalent in this sample than in the general population. Similarly, smoking and alcohol consumption levels were higher than national averages, as were the number of people prescribed anti-depressants and methadone.
These findings highlight that the oral health and psychosocial needs of the homeless population of Scotland are markedly different from those of the general population. As such, it is necessary to adopt a “bottom-up” approach, whereby people experiencing homelessness are encouraged to share their needs and concerns regarding oral health to help shape future oral health improvement interventions. A tailored approach that takes into account the psychosocial needs of the homeless population, not just their oral health, is therefore recommended as a method of improving the oral health and wellbeing of people affected by homelessness in Scotland. Indeed, following the needs assessment, an intervention, called Smile4life, was developed, alongside a Guide for Trainers resource, to help health and social care practitioners address the oral health needs of people experiencing homelessness [36]. The Smile4life Guide for Trainers intervention was recommended in Government strategy [8] as the approach to be taken by dental health and social care professionals to improve the oral health of people experiencing homelessness.
The provision of dental services should also be reconsidered. The findings from this study suggest that there is a reliance on emergency treatment, as indicated by the low prevalence of restored teeth. While that is perhaps appropriate for those in immediate need, there should also be a focus on providing preventive treatment alongside restorations for individuals that are able to access routine dental care. A comprehensive dental service that meets the differing needs of the homeless population should allow better access to services, which, in turn, should improve the oral health of this population group.
Conceptualization, R.F.; Formal analysis, L.B.; Funding acquisition, R.F.; Investigation, E.C. and R.F.; Methodology, E.C. and R.F.; Supervision, R.F.; Visualization, L.B.; Writing—original draft, L.B.; Writing—review & editing, L.B., E.C. and R.F.
The Smile4life Programme was funded by the Scottish Government and National Health Service Boards, grant number: 121.80.4497.
The authors wish to thank the Scottish Government Health Department and the NHS Boards involved in the collection of data (award number 121.804497), and the Smile4life steering group for its valued contributions.
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Figure 1. NHS Boards that participated in the Smile4life needs assessment (image reproduced from the Smile4life Report [12].
Figure 2. Frequency of oral health impacts.
Table 1. Details of data collection by participating National Health Services (NHS) Boards.
Days/Times
Board 1 Daytime only 1 session per week 1 dentist, 1 dental nurse, public health nurse administering questionnaire.
Member of OHP Team to give opportunistic advice Mainly hostels (may take place in drop-in center occasionally)
Board 2 Daytime only 1 session per week 1 dentist and 1 dental nurse Hostels and the Salvation Army Drop-in Centre
Board 3 Daytime and occasional evenings 1 session per week 1 dentist and 1 dental nurse Dental Clinic for Homeless People, Homeless Health Centre, indoor soup kitchen
Board 4 Daytime only 1 session per week 1 dentist, 1 dental nurse and an oral health coordinator Hostels, residential units, day center, women’s refuge, homeless van, plus the homeless service
Board 5 Wednesdays 6–9 pm Once a week (visits to 2 establishments per night in one area) Team of 3: dentist, dental nurse and administrator. Survey team consists of 4 dentists, 4 dental nurses and 1 senior HPO, working on a rota Hostels and soup kitchens
Board 6 Daytime and occasional evenings 2 sessions per week 2 dentists and 2 dental nurses Homeless Clinic, day centers, hostels, night shelter
Board 7 Daytime only 1 session per week 1 dentist, 1 dental nurse, 1 hygienist and/or public health nurse from homelessness health team Hostels, day rooms
Table 2. Dental health status by age group.
Dental Health Status
Age Group (n)
Mean (95% CI)
Decay into dentine, cavitated and visual (D3cv) 16–24 (207) 4.05 (3.34, 4.77)
25–34 (194) 6.24 (5.37, 7.11)
45–54 (96) 3.16 (2.34, 3.97)
55+ (51) 2.75 (1.47, 4.02)
Missing teeth 16–24 (207) 2.90 (2.36, 3.44)
35–44 (160) 11.86 (10.42, 13.31)
45–54 (96) 13.40 (11.52, 15.27)
55+ (51) 16.55 (13.30, 19.80)
Filled teeth 16–24 (207) 3.09 (2.62, 3.56)
Obvious decay experience (D3cvMFT) 16–24 (207) 9.94 (8.92, 10.97)
Standing teeth 16–24 (207) 26.45 (25.88, 27.02)
Table 3. Comparison of low and high dental anxiety status with oral health status.
Oral Health Status
Lower Dental Anxiety Status (n = 271)
Higher Dental Anxiety Status (n = 414)
D3cvMFT 17.2 (16.1, 18.3) 16.6 (15.8, 17.5) 0.7 0.46
Decayed teeth 6.0 (5.4, 6.8) 3.5 (3.1, 3.9) 5.9 <0.05
Missing teeth 8.0 (7.1, 9.0) 9.0 (8.1, 9.9) −1.4 0.17
Filled teeth 3.2 (2.8, 3.7) 4.1 (3.7, 4.5) −2.9 <0.05
Table 4. Comparison of low and high oral impact experience with obvious decay experience.
Low Oral Health Impact Experience (n = 338)
High Oral Health Impact Experience (n = 298)
D3cvMFT 14.6 (13.7, 15.7) 19.2 (18.2, 20.0) −6.5 <0.05
Decayed teeth 2.8 (2.4, 3.2) 6.4 (5.7, 7.1) −8.8 <0.05
Missing teeth 7.8 (6.8, 8.8) 9.5 (8.6, 10.5) −2.4 <0.05
Filled teeth 4.0 (3.6, 4.5) 3.3 (2.9, 3.8) 2.2 <0.05
Table 5. Comparison of obvious decay experience with depression.
Not Depressed (n = 222)
Depressed (n = 297)
Filled teeth 3.3 (2.8, 3.8) 3.7 (3.3, 4.2) −1.3 0.19
Table 6. The effect of age, gender and depression as predictors of obvious decay experience.
Independent Variables
Gender −0.12 0.79 −0.14 0.89
Age 3.29 0.28 11.84 <0.001
Depression 0.09 0.02 3.73 <0.001
F[2, 503] = 55.95, p < 0.001: R2 = 0.25.
Dent. J. EISSN 2304-6767 Published by MDPI AG, Basel, Switzerland RSS E-Mail Table of Contents Alert
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Marquette College of Communication announces 2016-17 class of journalists for O'Brien Fellowship in Public Service Journalism
MILWAUKEE — The J. William and Mary Diederich College of Communication announced today that Pulitzer Prize winners from regional newsrooms in the Midwest, and an investigative reporter from the Southwest, will join the Perry and Alicia O'Brien Fellowship in Public Service Journalism in August.
The 2016-17 O'Brien Fellows are Jackie Crosby, a business reporter at the Star Tribune in Minneapolis; Mark Johnson, a health and science reporter at the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, and Christine Steele, who covers U.S. border issues for the Sierra Vista Herald in Sierra Vista, Arizona.
Crosby, then a young sports reporter at The Telegraph in Macon, Georgia, co-authored a series of stories on athletics and academics that earned the 1985 Pulitzer for specialized reporting. Twice otherwise a Pulitzer finalist, Johnson co-authored a series – examining efforts to use genetic technology to save a boy imperiled by a mysterious disease – that won the award for explanatory reporting in 2011. Steele has been an editor and reporter at small- to medium-sized newspapers across the U.S. for the past 13 years.
Begun in 2012-13, the O'Brien Fellowship has already enabled 11 journalists to produce in-depth public service journalism projects ready for publication by their home or other news organizations. Many of the prior works by O'Brien Fellows have earned significant national awards and or changed public policies.
During their nine months at Marquette University, O'Brien Fellows integrate students into their projects as reporting interns and research assistants. This gives them first-hand experience alongside a veteran journalist, and the potential of a university-sponsored summer internship at one of the newsrooms.
"The O'Brien Fellowship this year received its highest number of applications – and the best collection of potential projects – to date," said Ana Garner, interim dean of the College of Communication. "We are excited that more and more journalists, from newsrooms of all sizes, recognize the benefit of becoming immersed in the Marquette community, including having access to university faculty and scholars. The collaborations and resulting work are a win-win for everybody, most especially the public at large."
The O'Brien Fellowship resulted from an $8.3 million gift announced in 2013.
The inaugural O'Brien Fellow was Meg Kissinger of the Journal Sentinel, who along with several students and faculty members examined Milwaukee County's troubled mental health system during the 2012-13 academic year. Kissinger's series, "Chronic Crisis: A System That Doesn't Heal," earned a George A. Polk Award, one of journalism's most respected honors. The reports led to many reforms, including several bills signed by Gov. Scott Walker and particularly one aimed at creating a new governing body to oversee mental health care in the county.
The 2013-14 O'Brien Fellows also earned accolades for their work while at Marquette. Journal Sentinel reporter Dan Egan's "A Watershed Moment: Great Lakes at a Crossroads," which focused on the destruction caused by invasive species entering the Great Lakes, earned a prestigious Alfred I. DuPont Award from Columbia University. Lillian Thomas of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette won an award from the Society of American Business Editors and Writers (SABEW) for "Poor Health: Poverty and Scarce Resources in U.S. Cities." Besides having "Losing Ground: The Struggle to Reduce CO2," published by The Seattle Times, Hal Bernton helped the newspaper winning the 2015 Pulitzer for breaking news, after briefly returning mid-fellowship to help cover the aftermath of a mudslide in Washington.
2014-15 O'Brien Fellow Raquel Rutledge of the Journal Sentinel recently earned two awards from SABEW, and a James Aronson Award for Social Justice Journalism from Hunter College of the City University of New York, for her series, "Gasping for Action." The series detailed the hazards that the flavoring chemical diacetyl presents for people who work in coffee-roasting facilities or smoke e-cigarettes. It led the U.S. Centers for Disease Control to issue warnings about the dangers of diacetyl.
The Arizona Republic's Brandon Loomis, another 2014-15 fellow, used O'Brien Fellowship funding to finance travel to Peru, Bolivia, Mexico, California, Colorado, Utah, Nevada and the Navajo Nation, all to produce "As the River Runs Dry: The Southwest's Water Crisis." The third member of that cohort, independent journalist Marjorie Valbrun, is expected to have her fellowship work published soon.
The 2015-16 O'Brien Fellows – Justin George, a crime reporter at The Baltimore Sun; Liz Navratil, a crime and courts reporter at the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette; Dave Umhoefer, a Pulitzer Prize-winning investigative reporter at the Journal Sentinel; and Miranda Spivack, a former editor and reporter at The Washington Post and a nonresidential fellow – aim to have their work published in the months to come.
Nearly 50 graduate and undergraduate students have spent at least one semester helping O'Brien Fellows. A few have either earned newspaper bylines or produced Web-based videos related to the projects. Several have traveled on reporting and research trips with fellows across Milwaukee and Wisconsin; to states such as California, Florida, Michigan, Nevada and Texas; and to Belgium, China and Peru.
O'Brien Fellowship director Herbert Lowe said the program has helped to raise the bar for students.
"The fellows are not only attracting journalism majors, but also those who enjoy research or want to adapt class lessons to critical matters affecting real people," said Lowe, who is also the Diederich College's journalism professional in residence. "Sitting regularly with someone who is gracious yet tenacious, flexible yet precise, always thinking big picture but cares for the smallest details – it all goes a long way toward showing what it takes to be successful in whatever workplaces await our graduates."
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Name: Vijay Iyer
Biographical: Grammy-nominated composer-pianist VIJAY IYER (pronounced “VID-jay EYE-yer”) was described by Pitchfork as “one of the most interesting and vital young pianists in jazz today,” by the Los Angeles Weekly as “a boundless and deeply important young star,” and by Minnesota Public Radio as “an American treasure.” He has been voted DownBeat Magazine’s Artist of the Year three times – in 2016, 2015 and 2012 – and Artist of the Year in Jazz Times’ Critics’ Poll and Readers’ Poll for 2017. Iyer was named Downbeat’s 2014 Pianist of the Year, a 2013 MacArthur Fellow, and a 2012 Doris Duke Performing Artist. In 2014 he began a permanent appointment as the Franklin D. and Florence Rosenblatt Professor of the Arts in the Department of Music at Harvard University.
The New York Times observes, “There’s probably no frame wide enough to encompass the creative output of the pianist Vijay Iyer.” Iyer has released twenty-two albums covering remarkably diverse terrain, most recently for the ECM label. The latest of those is Far From Over (2017), the first from the Vijay Iyer Sextet. The record was ranked #1 in US National Public Radio’s annual Jazz Critics’ Poll, surveying 157 critics. It was named among the best jazz albums of the year in the Los Angeles Times, Chicago Tribune, Boston Globe, Slate, and The New York Times, and the only “jazz release” in Rolling Stone’s list of the 50 best records of 2017. Iyer’s Sextet was subsequently voted 2018 Jazz Group of the Year by the Jazz Journalists Association.
Iyer’s previous ECM releasees include A Cosmic Rhythm With Each Stroke (2016), a collaboration with Iyer’s “hero, friend and teacher,” Wadada Leo Smith, which the Los Angeles Times calls “haunting, meditative and transportive”; Break Stuff (2015), with a coveted five-star rating in DownBeat Magazine, featuring the Vijay Iyer Trio, hailed by PopMatters as “the best band in jazz”; Mutations (2014), featuring Iyer’s music for piano, string quartet and electronics, which “extends and deepens his range… showing a delicate, shimmering, translucent side of his playing” (Chicago Tribune); and Radhe Radhe: Rites of Holi (2014), “his most challenging and impressive work, the scintillating score to a compelling film by Prashant Bhargava” (DownBeat), performed by International Contemporary Ensemble and released on DVD and BluRay.
Iyer’s trio (Iyer, piano; Marcus Gilmore, drums; Stephan Crump, bass) made its name with three tremendously acclaimed and influential albums: Break Stuff (mentioned above), Accelerando (2012) and Historicity (2009). Accelerando was voted #1 Jazz Album of the Year for 2012 in three separate critics polls surveying hundreds of critics worldwide, hosted by DownBeat, Jazz Times, and Rhapsody, respectively, and also was chosen as jazz album of the year by NPR, the Los Angeles Times, PopMatters, and Amazon.com. The Vijay Iyer Trio was named 2015 Jazz Group of the year in the DownBeat International Critics Poll, with Iyer having earlier received an unprecedented “quintuple crown” in the 2012 Downbeat Poll (winning Jazz Artist of the Year, Pianist of the Year, Jazz Album of the Year, Jazz Group of the Year, and Rising Star Composer categories), as well as a “quadruple crown” in the JazzTimes extended critics poll (winning Artist of the Year, Acoustic/Mainstream Group of the Year, Pianist of the Year, and Album of the Year). Iyer received the 2012 and 2013 Pianist of the Year Awards and the 2010 Musician of the Year Award from the Jazz Journalists Association, and the 2013 ECHO Award (the “German Grammy”) for best international pianist. Historicity was a 2010 Grammy Nominee for Best Instrumental Jazz Album, and was named #1 Jazz Album of 2009 in The New York Times, The Los Angeles Times, the Chicago Tribune, the Detroit Metro Times, National Public Radio, PopMatters.com, the Village Voice Jazz Critics Poll, and the Downbeat International Critics Poll, and the trio won the 2010 ECHO Award for best international ensemble.
Iyer’s 2013 collaboration with poet Mike Ladd, Holding It Down: The Veterans’ Dreams Project, based on the dreams of veterans of color from America’s wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, was hailed as #1 Jazz Album of the Year by the Los Angeles Times and described in JazzTimes as “impassioned, haunting, [and] affecting.” Along with their previous projects In What Language? (2004) and Still Life with Commentator (2007), Holding It Down rounded out a trilogy of politically searing albums about post-9/11 American life. These projects were hailed as “unfailingly imaginative and significant” (JazzTimes) and praised for their “powerful narrative invention and ravishing trance-jazz… an eloquent tribute to the stubborn, regenerative powers of the human spirit” (Rolling Stone).
Iyer’s accomplishments extend well beyond his recordings. His recent composer commissions include “Torque” (2018) written for So Percussion; “Asunder” (2017) written for Orpheus Chamber Orchestra and St. Paul Chamber Orchestra; “Trouble” (2017) for Violin and Orchestra, written for Jennifer Koh and premiered at Ojai and Tanglewood Music Festivals; “City of Sand” (2017) for A Far Cry plus members of Silk Road Ensemble; “Run,” a solo cello overture to Bach’s Suite in C Major, written for Matt Haimovitz and recorded on his Overtures to Bach (2015); “Bridgetower Fantasy” (2014) for violin and piano, a companion piece to Beethoven’s “Kreutzer” Sonata, written for Ms. Koh and Shai Wosner; “Playlist for an Extreme Occasion” (2012) written for Silk Road Ensemble (and released on their 2013 album A Playlist without Borders); “Dig The Say,” written for Brooklyn Rider and released on their 2014 album Almanac; “Mozart Effects” (2011) and “Time, Place, Action” (2014) for Brentano String Quartet; “Bruits” (2014) for Imani Winds and pianist Cory Smythe; “Rimpa Transcriptions” (2012) written for Bang on a Can All-Stars; “UnEasy” (2011) commissioned by NYC’s Summerstage in collaboration with choreographer Karole Armitage; “Three Fragments” (2011) for Darcy James Argue’s Secret Society. His orchestral work Interventions was commissioned and premiered by the American Composers Orchestra in 2007 under the baton of Dennis Russell Davies. It was praised by The New York Times as “all spiky and sonorous,” and by the Philadelphia City Paper for its “heft and dramatic vision and a daring sense of soundscape.” Other works include Mutations I-X (2005) commissioned and premiered by the string quartet ETHEL; “Three Episodes for Wind Quintet” (1999) written for Imani Winds; a “ravishing” (Variety) score for the original theater/dance work Betrothed (2007); the award-winning film score for Teza (2008) by legendary filmmaker Haile Gerima; a suite of acoustic jazz cues for the sports channel ESPN (2009); and the prize-winning audiovisual installation Release (2010) in collaboration with filmmaker Bill Morrison. Forthcoming commissions include pieces for Jennifer Koh, Orpheus Chamber Orchestra, and So Percussion. His concert works are published by Schott Music. An active electronic musician and producer, Iyer displays his digital audio artistry on his own recordings Still Life with Commentator, Holding it Down, Mutations, and Radhe Radhe, and in his remixes for British Asian electronica pioneer Talvin Singh, Islamic punk band The Kominas, and composer-performer Meredith Monk.
Iyer was voted the 2010 Musician of the Year by the Jazz Journalists Association, and named one of 2011’s “50 Most Influential Global Indians” by GQ India. Other honors include the Greenfield Prize, the Alpert Award in the Arts, the New York Foundation for the Arts Fellowship, the India Abroad Publisher’s Special Award for Excellence, and numerous critics’ prizes.
Iyer’s many collaborators include creative music pioneers Steve Coleman, Wadada Leo Smith, Roscoe Mitchell, Butch Morris, George Lewis, Amina Claudine Myers, William Parker, Graham Haynes, Miya Masaoka, Pamela Z, John Zorn; next-generation artists Rudresh Mahanthappa, Rez Abbasi, Craig Taborn, Ambrose Akinmusire, Liberty Ellman, Steve Lehman, Matana Roberts, Tyshawn Sorey; Dead Prez, DJ Spooky, Himanshu Suri of Das Racist, High Priest of Antipop Consortium, DJ Val Jeanty, Karsh Kale, Suphala, Imani Uzuri, and Talvin Singh; filmmakers Haile Gerima, Prashant Bhargava, and Bill Morrison; choreographer Karole Armitage; and poets Mike Ladd, Amiri Baraka, Charles Simic, and Robert Pinsky.
A polymath whose career has spanned the sciences, the humanities, and the arts, Iyer received an interdisciplinary Ph.D. in the cognitive science of music from the University of California, Berkeley. He has published in Journal of Consciousness Studies, Wire, Music Perception, JazzTimes, Journal of the Society for American Music, Critical Studies in Improvisation, in the anthologies Arcana IV, Sound Unbound, Uptown Conversation, The Best Writing on Mathematics: 2010, and The Oxford Handbook of Critical Improvisation Studies. Prior to his permanent appointment at Harvard in 2014, Iyer taught at Manhattan School of Music, New York University, and the New School. He is the Director of The Banff Centre’s International Workshop in Jazz and Creative Music, an annual 3-week program in Alberta, Canada. Iyer has served as Director of the International Workshop in Jazz and Creative Music at The Banff Centre since 2013. He has been featured as Artist-in-Residence at the Metropolitan Museum of Art (New York), Wigmore Hall (London), the Molde Jazz Festival (Molde, Norway), SF Jazz, and Jazz Middelheim (Antwerp, Belgium), and served as Music Director for the 2017 Ojai Music Festival in southern California. He is a Steinway artist and uses Ableton Live software.
Website: http://vijay-iyer.com
Spotify: http://open.spotify.com/album/5G6mxblvRebxmV7Art9Var
Spotify 2: http://open.spotify.com/album/1yNJf97Zm6XAUwZvbwaRsx
Spotify 3: http://open.spotify.com/album/0dhSPyaXDm6icbX1XlB3rj
Spotify 4: http://open.spotify.com/album/1oxpIr4suH9yYpcDNF63ni
Spotify 5: http://open.spotify.com/album/2FaaNlVFsJ74lmrOazjZFF
Instagram: vijayiyer
Quotes, Notes & Etc. “Trailblazing… one of his generation’s brightest jazz luminaries” – Time Out New York
“Presto! Here is the great new jazz piano trio.” – The New York Times
“One of the world’s most inventive new-generation jazz pianists” – Guardian (UK)
“[one of] today’s most important pianists… extravagantly gifted… brilliantly eclectic”
“The Vijay Iyer Trio has the potential to alter the scope, ambition and language of jazz piano forever.” – Jazzwise (UK)
“One of the best in the world at what he does” – Pitchfork
VIJAY IYER TRIO
VIJAY IYER SEXTET
RADHE RADHE: RITES OF HOLI
HOLDING IT DOWN: THE VETERANS’ DREAMS PROJECT
NEW CLASSICAL & CHAMBER WORKS
VIJAY & WADADA LEO SMITH
VIJAY IYER & CRAIG TABORN
BLIND SPOT WITH TEJU COLE
VIJAY IYER & RUDRESH MAHANTHAPPA: RAW MATERIALS
Vijay Iyer is curatable per...
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Overseas Headlines – October 06, 2017
U.S.:
Hurricanes Harvey, Irma sink U.S. payrolls in September
U.S. employment fell in September for the first time in seven years as Hurricanes Harvey and Irma left displaced workers temporarily unemployed and delayed hiring, the latest indication that the storms undercut economic activity in the third quarter. The Labor Department said on Friday nonfarm payrolls decreased by 33,000 jobs last month amid a record drop in employment in the leisure and hospitality sector. The drop in payrolls was the first since September 2010. The Department said Harvey and Irma, which wreaked havoc in Texas and Florida in late August and early September, had reduced “the estimate of total nonfarm payroll employment for September.” Economists polled by Reuters had forecast payrolls increasing by 90,000 jobs last month. The government revised data for August to show 169,000 jobs created that month instead of the previously reported 156,000.
http://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-economy/hurricanes-harvey-irma-sink-u-s-payrolls-in-september-idUSKBN1CB0D3
TREASURIES-U.S. yields jump after U.S. non-farm payrolls data
U.S. Treasury debt yields rose on Friday after data showed the world’s largest economy lost jobs last month due to the impact of Hurricanes Harvey and Irma, but details of the report such as the unemployment rate and wage growth suggested an improving labor market. The Labor Department said on Friday nonfarm payrolls fell by 33,000 jobs last month amid a record drop in employment in the leisure and hospitality sector. But the unemployment rate fell to 4.2 percent, the lowest since February 2001. The average hourly earnings, meanwhile, increased 12 cents or 0.5 percent in September after rising 0.2 percent in August. In early trading, the benchmark 10-year U.S. Treasury note yield rose to its highest since July 11 and was last at 2.387 percent. The 30-year yield also climbed to its strongest level since August 1, and last traded at 2.916 percent.
http://www.reuters.com/article/usa-bonds/treasuries-u-s-yields-jump-after-u-s-non-farm-payrolls-data-idUSL2N1MH0JI
EU to single out Chinese imports in report on market distortions
China will be singled out for special attention under new trade rules to limit excessively cheap imports into the European Union, a European Commission official said on Thursday. The Commission, member states and EU lawmakers agreed on Tuesday to treat all World Trade Organization members the same in determining whether they are dumping products. Under normal circumstances, dumping will mean selling below domestic prices, but the EU will make exceptions for cases of “significant market distortions”, allowing investigators to compare export prices with international benchmarks. The Commission has said it would produce reports on major countries where it suspects such distortions prevail. For the time being, however, it will produce only one. “China will come out first,” said a Commission official who requested not to be named. ”There is no clear plan to do other reports than for China. “It is resource-intensive,” the official continued, adding that the absence of a report on a given country did not mean EU producers could not point to distortions there.
http://www.reuters.com/article/us-eu-china-trade/eu-to-single-out-chinese-imports-in-report-on-market-distortions-idUSKBN1CA1N2
South America:
Brazil inflation slows less than expected in September
Brazil’s inflation rate slowed less than expected in September, suggesting the pace of price hikes may have bottomed out near 18-year lows. Consumer prices as measured by the IPCA index rose 2.54 percent from the year before, down from 2.56 percent through mid-September, government statistics agency IBGE said on Friday. The reading came in above the 2.47 percent increase predicted by economists surveyed by Reuters, only the second in the last nine bi-weekly releases to do so. It surprised even the most accurate forecaster, the Rosenberg Associados consultancy, which had forecast a 2.45 percent rate. Higher fuel prices accounted for most of the increase, with gasoline rates rising an average 2.22 percent from August. State-controlled oil company Petróleo Brasileiro SA repeatedly hiked prices throughout the month after recent hurricanes in the United States shut down oil terminals across the northern Caribbean. Nevertheless, the annual rate remained far below the bottom-end of the central bank’s target range, of 4.5 percent plus or minus 1.5 percentage point, supporting bets that it may undershoot the goal for the fist time ever this year.
http://www.reuters.com/article/brazil-economy-inflation/update-1-brazil-inflation-slows-less-than-expected-in-september-idUSL2N1MH0HN
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Q&A: Jasper CEO Jahangir Mohammed, on the…
Q&A: Jasper CEO Jahangir Mohammed, on the Internet of Things
Jahangir Mohammed, founder and CEO of Jasper, at his company's headquarters in Santa clara, Calif., Thursday, Jan. 29, 2015. (Patrick Tehan/Bay Area News Group)
By Pete Carey | Mercury News, Bay Area News Group
PUBLISHED: January 30, 2015 at 5:58 am | UPDATED: March 15, 2017 at 4:15 pm
Jasper, a maker of cloud-based systems, had just finished moving into its new Santa Clara headquarters this week when its CEO and founder Jahangir Mohammed sat down for a conversation about the rapidly evolving “Internet of Things.”
Mohammed realized his dream of starting a company 11 years ago, before the term Internet of Things had been coined to denote a growing array of smart, connected devices. But he had a vision of a connected world, and he realized that if he created a platform that helped companies launch, manage and bill for services provided by their products, he might have a winner.
Now, in a world of smart cars, smart refrigerators and thermostats that know when you’re home, Jasper has worked with more than 1,600 enterprises globally in more than 20 industries. The company has 400 employees. “This is not some vision,” he said. “It’s really happening now.”
Q: How did you end up in Silicon Valley creating technology?
A: You know, way back from childhood I always wanted to run my own company. My dad ran his own grocery store, so really that’s what I wanted to do. That’s been my passion, and if you want to start a technology company, you have to go to Silicon Valley.
Q: You started Jasper 11 years ago. Back then, the Internet of Things was just a twinkle in somebody’s eye. What did Jasper start out doing?
A: I don’t think anybody had heard that term then. I left my previous employer thinking about what should I be doing next, and I was on a fishing trip to Tahoe. Along the way, the check engine light came on in my car. I called the car company, and they said it could be something simple or could be something severe. That was not helpful. They told me to go to Reno. I pulled into the service center, and a guy with a portable computer clamped it into the car engine, into the diagnostics, and after 25 minutes he said there was too much moisture in my gas. He said, “I reset the arrow and you can go.” That took me three hours. I wondered, what a pain. Why wasn’t this car connected? Somebody should know this automatically and something small like that, they should reset it and not bother me with this light.
Q: So you were thinking the car would analyze itself and report back?
A: Yes. At that time, I was involved in building cellular systems to connect people, so it was normal for me to think that since people are connected, why not connect the things, why not connect the car? Why shouldn’t cars talk to whomever they want to? Then on my way back, I was looking at many things. I was buying Coke, and I saw the cash register, and I said this cash register could be connected so the owner knows how many transactions are going on in real time. The Coke vending machine can be connected, so it always has the right stock of goodies. So I just started seeing that just about everything can get connected.
Q: When did you first hear the term “Internet of Things”?
A: Probably five or six years ago. There wasn’t a precise moment. It gradually grew on us. When we started the company 11 years ago, we said Jasper is about connecting things globally, wirelessly, and making those devices become much more useful and become a service. That’s how we got started.
Q: I’ve heard you say that the Internet of Things is not about things. What do you mean by that?
A: The real power of the Internet of Things is that it transforms a static product into a dynamic service. Once a thing is connected, it really becomes unlimited in terms of what it can process, because it can borrow from all the computers in the Internet to do the processing and it has real-time access to all the information in the Internet. It’s no longer an isolated thing. It’s become part of a fabric of everything connected. And you can dynamically change what it can do for people on a daily, minute-by-minute basis. So now it’s only appropriate that we don’t look at that as a “thing.” It’s a part of a much larger fabric. It’s a service. This is the real power of the Internet of Things.
Q: What are you doing for your customers?
A: We help companies launch, manage and monetize an IoT service business. What we figured is that, in order for these companies to grow from a product to a service they need software that makes the transformation. The software has to deliver the right service to the right end user, meter usage and bill for it. Somebody has to make money out of it. So we built the software, this cloud-based software platform that works with the device, the applications in the cloud and the network. Our software platform allows these businesses to implement the service and run it in an automated way, so it’s that much cheaper and simpler.
Q: Why are automotive manufacturers interested in the IoT?
A: There are many things the car is going to do. The first thing is, the car is going to be connected to the manufacturer, so the manufacturer has a pulse on your car all the time. When the check engine light comes up, he can diagnose it himself. If it’s stolen, you know where your car is. You can do preventive maintenance before the car breaks down. Some car companies are doing this now.
Q: How far have we gotten along the path to full implementation of the IoT?
A: How many innings are there in baseball? We are in the first or second inning.
Contact Pete Carey at 408-920-5419. Follow him at Twitter.com/petecarey.
Five things you didn’t know about Jahangir Mohammed
1. He was the first person in his village in South India to graduate from a university.
2. He was named a 2015 World Economic Forum Technology Pioneer.
3. He holds 30 U.S. patents and six foreign patents.
4. He is an avid reader who consumes at least a book a week.
5. He is a big cricket fan who, as a child, skipped classes to attend matches.
Jahangir Mohammed
Education: Master’s in engineering, Concordia University, Montreal; bachelor’s in engineering, CIT, India
Work: CEO, Janis; started his career at Bell Labs; founder and CEO of Kineto Wireless in Milpitas
Family: Wife and two daughters
Home: Bay Area
Business Q&A
Sat Chat
Pete Carey
H-1B visa: Judge backs feds’ view of ‘specialty occupation’
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Cupertino approves a Plan B for Vallco
NewsNews Based on facts, either observed and verified directly by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources.
Cupertino approves its own mixed-use plan for reviving defunct Vallco mall
A rendering depicts one of two alternative plans for Vallco. (Photo courtesy of Opticos)
By Khalida Sarwari | ksarwari@bayareanewsgroup.com | Bay Area News Group
PUBLISHED: September 20, 2018 at 1:59 am | UPDATED: September 20, 2018 at 5:08 pm
Cupertino has come up with its own version of a massive residential, office and retail development plan to revive the ghost town-like Vallco Shopping Mall, marking a major milestone for a project that has been bogged down by delays and deadlock for six years.
The plan was forged by community residents over the past year and approved Wednesday night by the City Council. It is an alternate to the proposal previously presented by project developer Sand Hill Property Co. under the umbrella of a new state law — Senate Bill 35 — that requires cities to approve projects with affordable housing components within 180 days as long as they meet zoning and planning regulations.
Now it will be Sand Hill’s call to either accept the city’s plan or stick to its own.
The council’s action came on the second day of a marathon public hearing that began Tuesday and saw more than 70 people step up to the podium to share their vision for a mall that has long been dormant except for an ice skating rink, bowling alley and a few eateries. The hearing revealed a clear rift between those who favor further urbanization of the city and those who worry growth will lead to overcrowding and congested roadways.
Following a five-hour, wide-ranging and often tense debate Wednesday, the council voted 3-2, with Mayor Darcy Paul and Councilman Steven Scharf dissenting, to select the community plan that would compel Sand Hill to offer a package of benefits including a major performing arts center, a new city hall and emergency response center, a $14.25 million cash payment to the city’s elementary school district and a 34-year lease to the high school district for an adult school.
Sand Hill’s proposal, known as the SB 35 plan, calls for 2,402 homes, 1.8 million square feet of office space and 400,000 square feet of retail in addition to a 30-acre rooftop park.
The alternate plan, which Sand Hill representatives seemed to embrace as well — seeks more homes — with 536 below-market-rate units — slightly more retail and a bit less office space, in addition to the extra community benefits mutually agreed to in a deal between the city and Sand Hill. It would allow Sand Hill to revoke some of those benefits or revert to its original plan if there are construction delays.
And, as with any development, there is a risk that the agreement could be renegotiated depending on future economic constraints, Vice Mayor Rod Sinks said.
At Wednesday night’s meeting, Sinks read a letter from a former Cupertino teacher in her 20s who relocated to Colorado because she could not afford to continue living in the city. In a phone interview Thursday, he said it’s difficult to please everyone and change is hard for some to embrace, but the alternate plan makes the most sense for Cupertino.
“A big reason to go forward with this at this time is really our housing crisis,” he said. “I think staff did a good job listening to all of us and coming up with a compromise that goes long on housing but also contains those elements that will create for us a new downtown, the downtown we’ve never really had and the destination that we lost as the mall fell into decline two decades ago.”
Mayor Paul said Thursday he voted against the community plan because he preferred another version of it that envisioned more retail, fewer homes and considerably less office space. He also didn’t like putting community benefits at risk in the event of a legal challenge against the project.
“If we’re going to go down the community benefits pathway, we should be very analytical about what our bargaining position is,” he said. “I think we left a lot of money on the bargaining table — tens if not hundreds of millions of dollars in terms of that framework.”
After the meeting, Sand Hill managing director Reed Moulds called the outcome a “win-win” and said the project could finally advance after years of delay. The company has up to 18 months to come up with a design that conforms to either the SB 35 or the alternate plan.
“It’s not the end of the road; there’s a lot of decisions that need to be made,” he said. “And we’re going to continue to weigh our options as to what’s best and most viable for this project, but this gives us a great option tonight and we’re very excited to work with this community.”
Some members of Better Cupertino, a community group that helped quash plans to redevelop Vallco a few years ago, walked out of the meeting looking visibly upset. The slow-growth group, which tried to derail the project with a voter referendum and lawsuit, raised concerns about density and traffic during the public hearing. Its commentary irritated Councilman Barry Chang, who accused it and Councilman Steven Scharf, of spreading “fake news.”
In an email to this news organization, council candidate Liang Chao echoed the dissatisfaction of project opponents.
“The approved office-heavy Vallco will worsen the housing shortage, worsen commute times for existing workers — like teachers, and worsen greenhouse gas emissions,” she said. “There are no free benefits when such benefits come with much more negative impacts by creating more office space. We are digging a deeper hole for housing shortage with the approval of each office-heavy project with token benefits.”
Cupertino City Council
Khalida Sarwari
Khalida Sarwari covers the communities of Cupertino and Sunnyvale for the Bay Area News Group. A graduate of Saint Mary’s College of California, she started out as a breaking news reporter in San Francisco for Bay City News Service in 2007. Since then, she has covered a wide range of topics, including education, tech, local and national politics, development, crime and courts.
Follow Khalida Sarwari @zohalsarwari
San Jose: Cops rescue homeless man from burning van
Individual appeared to be in mental distress, refused to let go of tire as flames engulfed vehicle
Chevron Richmond refinery flaring under investigation
An equipment issue at the Chevron refinery led to flaring, officials said Wednesday.
Investigation to examine whether police officer’s actions violated sanctuary law
Peninsula hills stabbings: Is Skyline murder suspect fit to stand trial?
Malik Dosouqi dropped his request to represent himself at trial during a hearing Wednesday.
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Aussie refs shine on international stage
Australian match officials continue to receive international recognition with two of Australia’s top referees appointed to important international fixtures over the comiong week across Asia.
Australian match officials continue to receive international recognition with two of Australia-s top referees appointed to important international fixtures over the coming week across Asia.
Peter Green, who has just returned from an AFC Champions League play-off in Korea Republic on the weekend, has been appointed to the United Arab Emirates v Lebanon FIFA World Cup Qualifier in Abu Dhabi on February 29. He will be assisted by Hakan Anaz from Victoria and Matthew Cream from South Australia.
Meanwhile, Chris Beath will travel to Osaka this weekend to officiate in the prestigious Kirin Cup and the match between hosts Japan and Iceland. He will be assisted by Nathan McDonald, who will be making his international debut, and Dennis Silk, with the trio all hailing from Brisbane.
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Author: James William Coleman, Reb Anderson, Lama Palden
Description About the author Contents
Explore the three great teachings of the Buddha.
The First Turning of the Wheel: Insight into the nature of suffering - and the way out of it - from the four noble truths and the eightfold path
The Second Turning of the Wheel: Teachings on emptiness from the Heart Sutra and the Diamond Sutra
The Third Turning of the Wheel: Guidance for practitioners and teachings on awakened Buddha nature
In clear language, James William Coleman, professor of sociology at the California Polytechnic State University, guides us through the ancient sutras that preserve the Buddha's message, illuminating their meaning for today's world and tying the Buddha's wisdom together for us. The book concludes with chapters from two great teachers, Reb Anderson from the Zen tradition and Lama Palden from the Tibetan Buddhist tradition, on how to use meditation to bring the Buddha's wisdom into our daily lives.
Buddha's Dream of Liberation: Freedom, Emptiness, and Awakened Nature, James William Coleman, Reb Anderson, Lama Palden, Wisdom Publications, Paperback, 176 pp., $16.95
James Coleman has a Ph.D. from the University of California, Santa Barbara, and is currently a professor of sociology at the California Polytechnic State University. He is one of the founders of the White Heron Sangha in San Luis Obispo, California.
Reb Anderson Roshi is a lineage-holder in the Soto Zen tradition and a senior Dharma teacher at the San Francisco Zen Center. Born in Mississippi, he grew up in Minnesota and left advanced study in mathematics and Western psychology to come to Zen Center in 1967. He practiced with Suzuki Roshi, who ordained him as a priest in 1970 and gave him the name Tenshin Zenki ("Naturally Real, The Whole Works"). He received Dharma transmission in 1983 and served as abbot of the San Francisco Zen Center's three training centers (City Center, Green Gulch Farm, and Tassajara Zen Mountain Center) from 1986 to 1995. Tenshin Roshi continues to teach at Zen Center, living with his friends and family at Green Gulch Farm. He is author of Warm Smiles from Cold Mountains: Dharma Talks on Zen Meditation, Being Upright: Zen Meditation and the Bodhisattva Precepts, and The Third Turning of the Wheel: Wisdom of the Samdhinirmocana Sutra.
Lama Palden Drolma is the founder and spiritual director of Sukhasiddhi Foundation and a cofounder of the Feminine Wisdom School. She completed the traditional Tibetan Buddhist three-year retreat in the Shangpa and Karma Kagyu lineages under the previous Kalu Rinpoche's guidance in 1985. In 1986 she became one of the first Western women to be authorized as a lama in the Vajrayana tradition. In addition to Kalu Rinpoche, she has studied with many of the great Tibetan masters from all lineages, including the 16th Gyalwa Karmapa, Tai Situ Rinpoche, Bokar Rinpoche, Jamgon Kongtrul Rinpoche, Khenpo Tsultrim Gyamtso Rinpoche, Dezhung Rinpoche, Dudjom Rinpoche, and the Dalai Lama. Lama Palden was profiled in Shambhala Sun magazine as one of the women "changing the face of Buddhism."
Introduction: The Wheel of Dharma
Part I: The Three Turnings of the Wheel
1. The First Turning of the Wheel: The Four Noble Truths and the Pali Canon
2. The Second Turning of the Wheel: Emptiness and the Perfection of Wisdom
3. The Third Turning of the Wheel: Untying the Knot of the Sutra of the Explanation of the Profound Secrets
Part II: Turning the Wheel in the Twenty-First Century
4. Practicing the Dream
5. Tasting the Truth of the Buddha's Words: A Zen Perspective
by Reb Anderson Roshi
6. Envisioning Tara: A Vajrayana Perspective
by Lama Palden Drolma
7. The Buddha's Dream
Books & Publications > Books by Publisher > Wisdom Publications
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HOUSTON ASTROS FACEBOOK HOLD THE WORLD SERIES BANNER SWEEPSTAKES (THE "SWEEPSTAKES")
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Sponsor and MLBAM reserve the right, in their sole discretion, to cancel or suspend the Sweepstakes (or any portion thereof) should virus, bugs, unauthorized human intervention, or other causes corrupt administration, security, fairness, integrity or proper operation of the Sweepstakes(or any portion thereof). In the event of cancellation, Sponsor may elect to identify the Winners and award the Prizes by way of random drawing from among all non-suspect, eligible entries received up to the time of such cancellation. Sponsor and MLBAM also reserve the right, in their sole discretion, to modify these Official Rules for clarification purposes without materially affecting the terms and conditions of the Sweepstakes.
CAUTION: ANY ATTEMPT TO DELIBERATELY DAMAGE ANY WEBSITE ASSOCIATED WITH THIS SWEEPSTAKES OR UNDERMINE THE CONTENT OR LEGITIMATE OPERATION OF THIS SWEEPSTAKES MAY BE A VIOLATION OF CRIMINAL AND CIVIL LAWS AND SHOULD SUCH AN ATTEMPT BE MADE, SPONSOR WILL DISQUALIFY ANY ENTRANT RESPONSIBLE FOR THE ATTEMPT, AND SPONSOR, MLBAM AND/OR THEIR RESPECTIVE AGENTS RESERVE THE RIGHT TO SEEK DAMAGES (INCLUDING ATTORNEYS' FEES) AND OTHER REMEDIES FROM ANY PERSON OR PERSONS RESPONSIBLE FOR THE ATTEMPT TO THE FULLEST EXTENT PERMITTED BY LAW.
Entries generated by a script, macro or other mechanical or automated means will be disqualified. In the event of dispute as to the identity or eligibility of any potential winner based on a Facebook account, the winning entry will be declared made by the Authorized Account Holder of the Facebook account that submitted the entry at the time of entry provided he/she is eligible according to these Official Rules. The "Authorized Account Holder" of a Facebook account is defined as the natural person assigned to a Facebook account by Facebook.com. Proof to Sponsor's satisfaction of being the Authorized Account Holder may be required by Sponsor.
As a condition of entering this Sweepstakes, each entrant agrees that (i) any and all disputes, claims, controversies or causes of action arising out of or relating to this Sweepstakes, or any prizes awarded (each, a "Claim"), shall be (1) arbitrated on an individual basis only, and shall not be consolidated or joined with or in any arbitration or other proceeding involving a Claim of any other party, and (2) settled by binding arbitration in New York County, New York before a single arbitrator appointed by the American Arbitration Association in accordance with its then governing rules and procedures, and judgment on the award rendered by the arbitrator may be entered by any court having jurisdiction thereof; and (ii) under no circumstance will entrant be permitted to obtain awards for, and entrant hereby waives all rights to claim, punitive, incidental, consequential or any other damages, other than for actual out-of-pocket expenses. These Official Rules shall be governed by and construed and interpreted in accordance with the laws of the State of New York, U.S.A, applicable to contracts entered into and performed exclusively in that State.
Apple, Inc. is not a sponsor of, or responsible for conducting, the Sweepstakes. All entry data provided online is provided to Sponsor and/or MLBAM and not to Facebook. This Sweepstakes is in no way sponsored, endorsed or administered by, or associated with, Facebook.
Major League Baseball trademarks, service marks and copyrights are proprietary to the MLB Entities. All rights reserved.
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Home / Archives / Moviemaking / Acting / Articles - Acting / Beyond Twilight
Beyond Twilight
By Rebecca Pahle on November 18, 2011
Today sees Breaking Dawn: Part 1, the fourth installment of The Twilight Saga, hitting movie theaters worldwide. Even before the first Twilight movie was released in 2008, the story and characters were already massively popular thanks to the bestselling book series by Stephenie Meyer. Many of the actors in the series, notably Robert Pattinson and Kristen Stewart, are so associated with their Twilight characters that it’s hard to see how they’ll ever be able to shake their connection with the pop culture phenomenon. And while Breaking Dawn: Part 1 might end up being the highest-grossing film on many of the cast member’s CVs—it earned $31.3 million in ticket sales for midnight shows alone—it’s a fair bet that it’ll be far from the best in terms of quality. To that effect, MovieMaker highlights the best non-Twilight roles of Twilight actors.
Anna Kendrick (in Twilight as: Jessica Stanley)
50/50 (2011)
?directed by Jonathan Levine
As a mere high school friend of Kristen Stewart’s Bella, Kendrick’s character isn’t involved in the day-to-day politics of the vampire and werewolf clans that most of the series revolves around; as such, her character is one of the more minor ones in the Twilight series. That means Kendrick isn’t as indelibly associated with Twilight as others who had their first big break with the series. Of the group of actresses who can count 2008’s Twilight as their first high-profile acting role—Kendrick, Kristen Stewart, Nikki Reed and Ashley Greene—Kendrick is the one who has had the largest measure of success since. She was nominated for an Oscar, BAFTA and SAG Award for Jason Reitman’s Up in the Air, and listed among her upcoming projects are next year’s The Company You Keep, directed by Robert Redford. In 50/50, out earlier this year, she was funny, endearing and sometimes painful to watch as Katherine, the well-meaning psychiatrist whose severe lack of on-the-job experience makes her interactions with cancer patient Adam (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) about as awkward as a therapy appointment can possibly be.
Dakota Fanning (in Twilight as: Jane)
Coraline (2009)
directed by Henry Selick
This Oscar-nominated animated film, based upon the Young Adult novel of the same name by Neil Gaiman, follows Coraline (Dakota Fanning) as she explores her new home, meets her eccentric new neighbors and is pulled into an alternate version of her own life and almost killed by an evil doppelgänger version of her mother. Coraline‘s creepy visual aesthetic is a direct descendant of The Nightmare Before Christmas, which Selick also directed; it also maintained a lot of the whimsy and emotional poignancy present in his adaptation of James the Giant Peach. Much of that can be attributed to Fanning, who was perfectly cast as the lonely, adventurous Coraline, who is—rightfully—afraid of the creepy button-eyed people who want to kill her, but won’t let her fear stand in the way when it’s time to take care of business.
Kristen Stewart (in Twilight as: Bella Swan)
Adventureland (2009)
directed by Greg Mottola
In Greg Mottola’s (Superbad) coming-of-age comedy Adventureland, Stewart plays Em, a soon-to-be-college student whose distant father, gold-digging yuppie stepmother and—er—married boyfriend have managed to turn her into a human-sized ball of emotional confusion. Stewart is perfect in the role; though Em isn’t exactly the kind of person to bare her soul to her sort-of boyfriend James (Jesse Eisenberg), Stewart’s every gesture conveys Em’s fragile state, leading the audience to wonder when—not if—she’ll finally crack. When it finally happens—after James discovers Em’s affair with her married coworker (Ryan Reynolds)—it’s not some five-minute long weep-a-thon punctuated by tearfully-delivered explanations and apologies, and the movie is all the better for it.
Lee Pace (in Twilight as: Garrett)
The Fall (2006)
directed by Tarsem Singh
In The Fall, Lee Pace plays Roy Walker, a movie stuntman whose determination to keep his girlfriend from leaving him for the suave leading man by a way of performing an extremely dangerous stunt lands him in the hospital with two broken legs. There he befriends Alexandria (Catinca Untaru), an adorable five-year old with a broken arm and a vivid imagination. Roy tells Alexandria a fantastical story about five heroes (one of whom is played by Pace) on a quest to defeat the evil Governor Odious. What sounds on the surface like a cute story has some emotionally devastating moments; after all, Roy is seriously suicidal and takes advantage of Alexandria’s attachment to him to try and get her to bring him enough morphine to OD on, and that’s not exactly light and fluffy. Visually, the movie is stunning—it was directed by Tarsem Singh, after all—but that’s far from all it has going for it. For any fan of the short-lived TV series “Pushing Daisies,” starring Lee Pace—or, for that matter, for any fans of his performance in Breaking Dawn—The Fall is not to be missed.
Michael Sheen (in Twilight as: Aro)
Frost/Nixon (2008)
?directed by Ron Howard
Theater-trained British actor Sheen certainly has no shortage of critically-acclaimed roles to reference: His performance opposite Helen Mirren in The Queen (as Tony Blair) garnered him a BAFTA nomination, and he was nominated for an Emmy for his role (also Tony Blair) in the HBO series “The Special Relationship.” More recently, he was one of the best parts of Woody Allen’s Midnight in Paris as the delightfully smarmy art snob Paul. In Frost/Nixon, he plays TV personality David Frost, who has been granted the only televised interview with disgraced President Richard Nixon (Frank Langella). The film was nominated for the SAG Award for “Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture” in 2009, and was nominated for five Oscars as well. Much of that can be credited to Sheen, who played Frost with a mixture of bravado and desperation to prove himself as something other than a mere talk show host.
Nikki Reed (in Twilight as: Rosalie Hale)?
Thirteen (2003)
directed by Catherine Hardwicke
Hardwicke co-wrote the script for this dark coming-of-age drama with its co-star Nikki Reed, who was just 14 years old when the film debuted at Sundance in 2003. The duo was nominated for an Independent Spirit Award for the script, and Reed herself won the award for “Best Debut Performance” for her turn as Evie Zamora, the hard-partying yet emotionally fragile teen whose influence leads a once-sweet seventh grader (played by Evan Rachel Wood) into a world of drugs, drinking and sex. Thirteen remains Reed’s only writing credit to date. She and Hardwicke re-teamed for the first Twilight movie, which Hardwicke directed.
Peter Facinelli (in Twilight as: Carlisle Cullen)
Can’t Hardly Wait (1998)
?directed by Harry Elfont and Deborah Kaplan
Every teen movie has its bully, and Mike Dexter is to Can’t Hardly Wait as Biff Tannen is to Back to the Future. Dexter (Peter Facinelli) is the Homecoming King and über-jock who, on the day of high school graduation, dumps his longtime girlfriend so he can date “college women.” (“Women with no curfew, women on the pill, women… women, bro.”) Much to the delight of all those who tormented him, Dexter gets his comeuppance: He’s disabused of his notions about “college women” by his idol, the outrageously named Trip McNeely, who tells him that “College chicks are totally different, bro. They’re all serious and shit. They all talk about world issues and ‘ecolomological’ crap.” He asks his ex-girlfriend to take him back, only to be humiliated in front of his entire graduating class when she refuses, prompting him to have a hissy fit of epic proportions (“I’ll kick everyone’s ass in this room!”). Not to mention the whole “incriminating naked photos” incident that ends with him being arrested. While Can’t Hardly Wait was never going to win any Oscars (though it did get nominated for an MTV Movie Award), it is a fun ’90s comedy made even funnier by Facinelli, who played Mike Dexter with a wide-eyed vacancy that sometimes made him seem more “endearing doofus” than “evil bully.”
Robert Pattinson (in Twilight as: Edward Cullen)
Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (2005)
directed by Mike Newell
Prior to landing the role of Edward Cullen, Robert Pattinson was known best for playing Cedric Diggory, the Hogwarts student who finds that being the prototypical hero isn’t going to stop you being killed… not in the Harry Potter universe, anyway. When the Triwizard Tournament—think the wizarding equivalent of the Olympics—rolls into Hogwarts, Diggory finds himself in direct competition with Harry Potter for the coveted Triwizard Cup. When Diggory’s friends take it upon themselves to do a little trash-talking, Diggory does the honorable thing and tells them to back off. The fact that Diggory is nice on top of being smart, popular and athletic makes it even more of a bummer when a simple mistake puts Diggory in the line of fire between Harry and Lord Voldemort, who kills him without a second thought. Too bad. A vampire would’ve been much harder to kill.
Taylor Lautner (in Twilight as: Jacob Black)
Untitled Taylor Lautner/Gus Van Sant Project (2013)
directed by Gus Van Sant
Not much is known about this upcoming collaboration between Lautner and Van Sant—The Hollywood Reporter noted that it would be a “a small-budget film based on a nonfiction article in The New Yorker magazine that Lautner has optioned” and that Lautner would produce the project through his production company Quick Six. For now, that’s all we know, but that’s certainly been enough to get people talking about what form this collaboration between Lautner—who went the action star route in his critical flop Abduction—and two-time Oscar nominee Van Sant (Good Will Hunting, Milk) could take.
Prev1 of 2NextUse your ← → (arrow) keys to browse “Journalism Plus” is how Academy Award-winning moviemaker Laura Poitras (Citizenfour) characterizes making documentaries. If you’re a...
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Billy Sheehan: my top 6 tips for bassists
By Amit Sharma 2017-12-24T09:24:32.357Z Bass
“Speed is just one of many tools you can use to create music”
(Image credit: MediaPunch/REX/Shutterstock)
BASS WEEK: Billy Sheehan knows a thing or two about playing over pop tunes.
Whether it’s in Mr. Big - who return this year with ninth studio album Defying Gravity - or his work with David Lee Roth, The Winery Dogs and beyond, it’s remarkable how one of the world’s most accomplished bass players knows when to rein it in and serve the song.
It’s something that many technique-focused musicians tend lose sight of once they discover that need for speed…
When I hear a great pop song - with a strong melody, groove and lyrics that are universal - it sounds fantastic, so why not add a little frosting on that cake?
“When I hear a great pop song - with a strong melody, groove and lyrics that are universal - it sounds fantastic, so why not add a little frosting on that cake?” he laughs.
“A lot of times you’ll hear a great pop song and then there’s nothing. There’ll be a nothing solo over a couple of chords. And I say that because I love pop music.
“Take a Whitney Houston song like Greatest Love Of All, which is brilliant: it could have had a spectacular sax solo over the chord changes - even just a couple of notes played technically awesome that fit the song perfectly.
“When you’ve got the hook, the chorus, everything’s fine… why not play a little bit? Put things in there that are as exciting as they are challenging. That tradition carries forward in Mr. Big. If you listen to Green Tinted Sixties Mind, you’ll see how the main theme is this cool little guitar riff that’s impossible for people to play at first, yet the chorus is something that everyone can sing along to.”
For the new Mr. Big recordings, led by singles 1992 and Everybody Needs A Little Trouble, the virtuoso chose to stick with his tried-and-tested sonic forumula in the studio. But the more eagle-eyed fans out there may have spotted a noticeable change to his live rig…
“On the new album, it’s pretty much the same setup with my EBS pedals and Hartke amps,” he reveals.
“But more recently, the last two gigs with Mr. Big, I’d switched to the Line 6 Helix. They modelled my original Pearce preamp that I’ve used for about 20 years, built and modified by Dan Pearce, they pulled it apart and modelled it component by component off the circuit board.
“They did an unbelieveable job, so I decided to try something completely different for the last two shows. My double-output bass goes into two of its inputs, which then go through the Hartke amps and it’s glorious!”
Anyone familiar with the bass player’s work will know he tends to have his fingers in a number of musical pies at any given point.
Today, he’s speaking to MusicRadar after the debut performance at LA’s Whisky A Go Go by new project Sons Of Apollo - a progressive metal venture co-starring Winery Dogs bandmate Mike Portnoy, ex-Guns N’ Roses guitarist Ron ‘Bumblefoot’ Thal, Black Country Communion’s Derek Sherinian and singer Jeff Scott Soto… Quite the supergroup indeed.
“Jeff Scott Soto was singing with Yngwie Malmsteen in the summer of ’85 when my old band Tallas was opening. That tour was significant, because the day before the first show, I flew to LA and was asked to have a meeting with David Lee Roth about a movie. I was wondering, why would Dave Lee Roth want me in a movie? That was the cover story: he wanted to start a new band and keep it secret. So I couldn’t tell anyone for the entire tour…
“Anyways, Jeff and I became good friends, and recently, he opened up for The Winery Dogs in South America and sounded great. I love to play live, so any opportunity to tour is good for me - and any band with Mike Portnoy is definitely gonna tour a lot.
“I’ve run into Ron a few times - a very unique player that sets himself apart with that fretless double-neck thingy, I love it! What a great voice he has, too. And I’ve worked with Derek several times, who can do a lot of guitar-ish stuff on keys, and is also a great comedian. When we all figured we could do this together, we decided to go for it. Last night, we launched it and all went well!”
With all that experience to draw on, listen up as the bass legend gives his six tips for musical greatness…
1. Remember no-one else sounds like you!
“The sound of a player comes down to several things. There will be a sonic fingerprint to every musician.
“I remember back in the day, the big three of guitar were Beck, Page and Clapton, and people couldn’t tell them apart! I was blown away by that - I could hear hundreds of miles of difference. Even today, a lot of people can’t tell difference, which is quite amazing to me. Every player has his/her own DNA and fingerprint; it’s all in the iris of the eye and we’re all different.
“No matter what gear you use - Yngwie Malmsteen could hand you his guitar plugged into his rig, and you still won’t sound like him! So much of it is in the hands. Can you craft your hands to mimic another player? Probably, to some degree, but it’ll never be exact.
If you want to sound like me, that’s cool, but I think on the way you might find you sound like yourself, which is even better!
“You can try to sound like me and buy all the gear, which is cool - it’s like creating a mountain for you to climb! And you’ll get pretty close, which will help you learn things along the way; you’ll find things you like more than the sound of the person you’re trying to emulate.
“We all have a unique sound: it comes down to how you hold your instrument and a million other variables. If you want to sound like me, that’s cool, but I think on the way you might find you sound like yourself, which is even better!
“I play very hard. My action isn’t all that low - many people are surprised by that when they pick up my bass. My strings are Rotosounds that tear you up, and I love them for that. My low E is a 0.110, extra big and heavy. Sometimes I’ll use a 0.115 or 0.120 for tons of mass. Playing hard on one of those will add to the sound right there. The way my fingers pluck over the pickup is an essential aspect of my playing.
“And then when you get to the bass and electronics, that’s a whole other world. I don’t even know what kind of wood my Yamaha is made out of - all I know is it’s a good kind of wood - because I’m busy concentrating on other things.
“The dual output adds to the sound as well, but I think that going into two amps at the same time is all well and good, but players really should concentrate on the type of music they want to play and doing it as good as they can. The sound will come with time; it might be four years, five years, nine years before you sound identifiable and unique.”
2. Speed is only a tool
“My playing can get real fast, because once you get accurate and strong, it’s like running… you won’t always jog, sometimes you’ll sprint! It’s nice to pick it up a bit and see how quick you can get to the end of the corner there. Why not? Speed is just one of many tools you can use to create music.
“I listen to a lot of classical music and there are a lot of quick passages that have a lot of emotional impact because there’s a musical reason for it. Some people have lost that, and look at it as a competitive thing, which is a sad state of affairs. The speed of notes can determine their emotion. Fast and aggressive can be exciting, while slow is beautiful and introspective.
“People lose sight of that and only go fast - I would urge them to understand it’s a musical tool. It shouldn’t be a competition; that’s not how you speak to people. Music is art and sometimes a bunch of rapid notes can actually get your attention and make you focus more on the lyrics or story behind it. Speed for speed’s sake is useless, a dead-end street.
“Some people might be taken back by me saying that - I can imagine a YouTube commenter would say, ‘All this guy does is solo all the time!’ But really, they’re only watching a three-minute clip from a two-hour show. People might think I’m guilty of being a speedy player, but to be honest it’s just one of many things. Concentrate on speed if you want, and make sure you are accurate. If you do it in time, you can get away with absolutely anything!
“There’s nothing I can do that no-one else could do. If you see me doing some seemingly impossible piece, you can do it if you dissect it piece-by-piece, note-by-note. It may take you a while, but there’s nothing you can’t do. I’m a firm believer of that.”
3. Quit if it gets boring
I’ve been doing this for 50 years, and every day I’m excited about getting out of bed, running downstairs and coming up with new ideas
“I once got an email from a guy many years ago that said, ‘I’ve been playing bass for six months and I’m bored - what should I do?’ And I wrote back, ‘Just quit bro. This is not for you!’ I’ve been doing this for 50 years, and every day I’m excited about getting out of bed, running downstairs and coming up with new ideas. I’m as excited about it now as I was when I was 16, probably even more! I love to play… to be bored on bass is impossible for me.
“There’s always a new mountain to climb. It might be more ways to bend, phrase or perchance you might want a fretless instrument or five/six string - there’s an infinite number of choices available. What an incredible time!
“When I was growing up, all you had was a P-Bass, Jazz bass, a couple of Gibson basses, there were a few Rickenbackers around, but that was about it. Now it’s unlimited, what you can do or plug into, how it’s tooled whether the frets are fanned, et cetera. It really is amazing.
“Manipulating those big stainless steel strings are like second nature to me - I’ve been doing it for 50 years now. I can imagine it might feel like a daunting task at first to put your fingers on these mini razor blades! After a while, you lose sensitivity and get calluses… the road there can be precarious and a little painful, but no pain no gain!
“I love being expressive with the instrument by bending or using vibrato - there are myriad techniques and combinations you can employ to play a note, and it never stops being fun.”
4. Be the cement in every song
“I know the song is all about the bass… wait, sorry, haha! Actually, I’m all about the drums. At soundcheck, the first thing you do is sort the drums. In the studio, the first thing you do is mic up the kit. The bass comes along and adds a key, as the drums don’t have a key. You only know what key you’re in once the bass is in there. The bass is in between time and melody, which are the two most important aspects of music.
“You have to lock into what the drummer’s doing, and I’ve been lucky to play with many great drummers - the greatest of all being Dennis Chambers. Jamming with him was like getting a PhD in time management. He’s a grand master and the best musician I know on any instrument, as well as a spectacular human being as well.
I’ve played in straight-up rock bands my whole life, and then Dennis Chambers came along and opened me up to a whole other world I had no idea about
“I’ve played in straight-up rock bands my whole life, and then Dennis came along and opened me up to a whole other world I had no idea about. I remember recording the first Niacin record with him on drums.
“We were listening to one of the tracks and there was a fill I wasn’t sure about - it didn’t feel in time. I was about to open my big fat mouth, then I realised who am I to say anything to Dennis Chambers about his drumming. I’m not that stupid! Then I heard it again and realised it was exactly right and so in… I just couldn’t wrap my head around it at first. I nearly made an idiot out of myself. That guy treats time in a brilliant way, and it’s an advanced PhD in rhythm working with him.
“It doesn’t need to go that deep; straight-up drums played solidly work amazingly well - listen to AC/DC’s Back In Black. There’s barely even a tom fill anywhere: it’s kick, snare and hat! The way they lock in helps explain why it sold over 30 or 40 million copies. It goes platinum every year!
“Listen to any great band and think about how the bass and drums work together, like Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr or Geddy Lee and Neil Peart or Steve Harris and Nicko McBrain. Those pairs work together and help make their bands great. It’s the foundation you lay before guitars and vocals come into the mix. Drums and bass are like the cement!”
5. Ears > scales
“I don’t know much about scales… I just know what I hear. Thankfully, through listening to a lot of genres, I’ve probably learned all of the modes. So I do know the systems and how they sound, but I don’t know which is which or the Greek names for them. When I hear something, I know where to go with it - in more of a visceral, ingrained way than anything too scholarly! I wish I knew more, and I’m always studying to self-educate, but mainly for me it’s just ears.
“I go with what I hear, so when I hear Steve Vai play, I know where he’s going to go. I can anticipate that stuff enough to hold a note at the back or jump in there and deliver whatever he wants. When I play with Steve, I want it to be Steve’s thing! I’m a sideman; I’m there for the guy whose name is on the ticket. He is like a brother to me, so I want to nail it even more.
“Playing with Richie Kotzen, there’s a lot of blues and jazz notes in there - I always think he plays lines that sax players like Eddie Harris or Sonny Rollins would have. On the first Winery Dogs record, he played a solo on one of the songs and I swear I could hear the valves of a saxophone clicking! It’s part of the sax tone… I don’t know how he does it!
“What a monster player, and like Steve, I just automatically know what he’s doing and where he’s going. It’s not much of an intellectual thing… I wish I knew more. And I will carry on learning, I promise!
“If you know what you’re talking about, you should be able to explain it to anybody - even a five year-old. And that’s precisely when I realise my knowledge of certain things isn’t all there! The fretboard is an incredible adventure… a lot can happen on that piece of real estate. When you take the fretboard off a guitar and stare at just the neck, it’s pretty small. It’s incredible what can happen!”
6. Know every kick in the set
“The first piece of advice I got was before I even owned a bass, from a guy called Joe who I looked up to. One day, he was rehearsing with a drummer and I asked where the rest of the band was. He told me that he had to play a bass note every time the drummer hit the bass drum! Well, what do you know? The most important piece of information as far as ensemble playing goes was given to me before I even owned an instrument.
“So now I rehearse with the drummer before every tour - just two of us, bass and drums, so we can go through each song and know exactly how everything is getting treated. That way, I know every kick drum pattern and can lock into it.
“Last night, me and Mike played together in Sons Of Apollo but Richie Kotzen got up with us too for some Winery Dogs… so I had a fabulous night! There was no soundcheck - but me and Mike are so locked in already, everything else fell into place.”
Mr. Big's Defying Gravity is out now via Frontiers Music. Psychotic Symphony is out on 20 October 2017 via InsideOutMusic/Sony.
Free music samples: download loops, hits and multis from SampleRadar
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New Century Reading
New century, new books, and a TBR stack that never seems to shrink.
© New Century Reading
It's Tuesday, where are you?
Tournament of Books
All the Lives We Ever Lived
What a lovely book this is. Katharine Smyth is an enormous fan (as am I) of Virginia Woolf's To the Lighthouse. But her love of the book took on a deeper meaning when her father is diagnosed with cancer and begins a long period of treatment and recovery, recurrence and more treatment, until it becomes clear he's not going to live. She loves her father to pieces, but he's far from perfect, and her parents' relationship has had more than its share of struggles.
So she returns to the Woolf novel, and begins to explore her parents' relationship as well as the nature of grieving, viewing it all through the lens of Woolf's artistic achievement in that slim book. It's not a stretch at all, and Smyth has done her homework, reading not only the novel, but biographical and critical material, which she shares. Yet the book is far from academic in feeling. It's an emotional exploration of a difficult subject, insightful and at times heartbreaking.
I don't know how well this would read if the reader hadn't already read To the Lighthouse. Smyth does explain a great deal of the book (and there are spoilers), but still, I think it'd be easier to read it, as I did, with sighs of remembrance and appreciation.
And now excuse me, for I want to go read Lighthouse again.
Posted at 05:01 AM in classics, memoir, nonfiction | Permalink | 0 Comments
The Happiness Playlist
Mark Mallmann is a Twin Cities-based musician, rather loved locally. The Happiness Playlist is a slim (130 pages) memoir of his battle with anxiety and depression after the unexpected death of his beloved mother. It's not a self-help book; he's not prescribing. He's simply telling his story, as simply as he can.
And that's this book's strength. As a musician, Mallmann already has a powerful connection with music. When traditional approaches to dealing with mental health don't cause an improvement (and it's clear he has a strong support network of friends and his loving father, which just emphasizes the difficulty of dealing with mental health in the best of conditions), he creates a playlist called the Happiness Playlist and listens to that exclusively for months. All the music on it is, as you'd expect from the title, happy; musically, it's wide-ranging, including songs by Cab Calloway, Sly & the Family Stone, Olivia Newton-John, Mariah Carey, Bob Marley, Rufus Wainwright, Judy Garland, Prince, Pink, Randy Newman, and Lizzo, among many others. Over the course of many months, he listens to his playlist, discusses many of the songs on it with his friends (not all of whom approve of his inclusion of Pharrell Williams' Happy, but Mallmann stands by it), continues to try to produce his own music, and work through his grief.
This is not a book drenched in despair. I think that also helps dispel the myth that someone suffering from depression and anxiety must be completely nonfunctional. Some are; but not all. Mallmann is stumbling into finding how to cope with the blow life has given him. Many of the scenes are brief and not tempestuous; there's a set of cooking scenes where he learns how to use the slow cooker his father has sent him and create wondrous soups (and one particularly disastrous one). There are hard days, and there are the good ones for which he has enormous gratitude.
This is a kind, gentle book. No promises of healing are made, no grandiose "look at me!" attitude. Just one man's story, filled with his love for his family and friends, and his love of the Twin Cities, which features prominently (to my joy).
Maybe one of the best things about reading this book comes with thinking about what I'd put on my own Happiness Playlist. Mallmann and I have some overlapping taste. I for sure would include the White Stripes' We're Going to be Friends; Prince's Paisley Park (and I'd include Starfish and Coffee too); Lizzo's Good as Hell; and even Mariah Carey's Fantasy. Beyond that, I'd be inclined to add things like the Carolina Chocolate Drops' Your Baby Ain't Sweet Like Mine, Preservation Hall Jazz Band's That's It, and the Monkees' Gonna Buy Me a Dog. So there you go--several happy-making songs right here. What would be on your list?
Mallmann has since put his Happiness Playlist on Spotify, although it's altered somewhat from the one listed at the end of the book. He also produced an album called The End is Not the End (the title is a quote from the book), about working through this process too.
If you or anyone you know struggles with grief, anxiety, depression--and loves music--you might appreciate the company of this book.
Posted at 04:08 AM in memoir | Permalink | 0 Comments
This slim book is a treasure. It's short, but covers a vast amount of territory. As the title implies, it's a meditation on time, viewed through the specific lens of marriage. Shapiro has broken the book into short vignettes that move back and forth in time, sometimes touching back on a previously mentioned topic with newly gained insight. She looks at the mystifying question that so many people face: How does marriage work? Why do some last, and not others? How does it change us? What does it take?
The answer, of course, is there is no one answer, or that the answer is going to vary from person to person, couple to couple. Shapiro has seen both sides of the equation. She had two short marriages before wedding her current husband, to whom she'd been married (at the time of this book) almost 19 years. Why did this one stick?
And what about other family relationships, the parents and children? How do those work and not work?
On the surface, Shapiro's life sounds glamorous; she and her third husband are both writers. He used to cover war, but ended up staying in the US to do screenwriting, a dangerous profession in its own way. She's the sought-after memoirist and teacher who has taught all over the place. They live a life of quiet in rural Connecticut. Yet, just as it is for so many other marriages, under the surface, there's a lot going on. Financial instability and insecurity. The worries over a young son with a deadly illness. Watching older family members deteriorate and die, and trying to come to terms with fraught relationships with them.
It's amazing to me that she could get so much in so few pages. It's a lovely, thoughtful read. I got it from the library, but will likely buy a copy to read and mark up at will.
It's almost becoming a familiar tale: Woman takes a DNA test on a lark and learns, to her shock, that the man she thought was her father was, in fact, not her father. Which also makes her half-sister no longer a sister at all. But for Dani Shapiro, the story was just starting to get weird.
I generally avoid spoilers, but I'll just give a slight one and say that if you assumed Shapiro's mother had an affair, well--nope. That's not how this genetic story plays out. In this memoir, Shapiro takes us through the emotional--and scientific--journey of her unexpected DNA results. To say that it rattles the foundation of her world and life would not be an understatement. It also takes her into deep research in areas she'd never expected to be interested in, nor would she have expected them to have any relevance to her own life.
Along the way, she examines her childhood, in which she was the blond child of dark-haired Jewish parents, a child other people frequently said, "You sure you're their child? You look Christian." She was raised Jewish and grew up rooted in that community. So finding out that her biological father was blond and Christian answers a lot of questions--but raises many more. Understanding what makes a family, what makes her family through many generations, is at the heart of this book.
I can't imagine the emotional toll both living and writing this story took. If I have one quibble, it's that she seems to dismiss the formerly half-sister and what appears to have been a strained relationship with her. Apparently Shapiro has written more about that relationship in other memoirs, but it could have used a closer examination in this one.
But if you've ever wondered about whether getting DNA results might lead to uncomfortable findings, this book is worth the read. I've never personally been tempted to have my tests done. For one thing, I'm the spitting image of my father. There's no question of our biological relationship. But even knowing that, this book led me to think I'm better off leaving well enough alone.
The Diary of Virginia Woolf, Volume 4
This is the penultimate collection of diary entries for Mrs. Woolf. Volume 3 was one of the most delightful--it covered the years she wrote To the Lighthouse and Mrs. Dalloway, a time of her growing strength as a writer and self-confidence in what she was doing. Volume 4 is a bit less ebullient. She's working on The Years, taking much of the time of this volume, in fits and starts, good days and awful ones. She also loses several people who were important to her and begins the tentative process of trying to write a biography of one of them (Roger Fry).
On a more ominous note, the political situation in Europe is worsening. Woolf still clearly remembered the ravages of WWI. And yet, perhaps not surprisingly (if you, like me, think what's happening in the US right now is akin to what happened in Germany during these years), she doesn't seem to fully grasp the threat or where it might lead.
At least, not until 1935, when she and husband Leonard (Jewish) take a driving trip onto the mainland that takes them through Germany for three days:
"People gathering in the sunshine--rather forced like school sports. Banners stretched across the street 'The Jew is our enemy' 'There is no place for Jews in--'. So we whizzed along until we got out of range of the docile hysterical crowd. Our obsequiousness gradually turning to anger. Nerves rather frayed. A sense of stupid mass feeling masked by good temper."
And now I go to the final volume, with more than a little trepidation--I mean, I know how the story ends.
Posted at 04:34 AM in biography, memoir | Permalink | 0 Comments
My Own Devices
If you're not familiar with her, Dessa is a Minnesota-raised rapper, singer, and writer who performs solo and also with the group Doomtree. She's wildly talented, creative, and intelligent. So I came to her memoir in essays, My Own Devices, not sure exactly what to expect.
It's definitely not a tell-all in the honored tradition of celebrities, although there is a long and tortured romance that is recounted here with another Doomtree member whom Dessa does not name, but calls X. That seems a little coy, given that Doomtree doesn't have thousands of members. But after a while, it doesn't matter. Instead, it becomes clear that it was a relationship that too many of us have experienced: the on-again, off-again, can't-quite-give-them-up type of connection. Finally, Dessa, who is seriously into science, begins to wonder if her brain would respond to neurofeedback sessions to break her addiction to X. That, of course, makes her relationship unique--not too many of us have come up with that solution.
The book is largely about her journey through this relationship, but it's also about her family, her life, her struggles to gain a sturdy position in the notoriously difficult and fickle music scene. Dessa is never dull, but is a born storyteller with a sharp eye for detail, such as when she describes a New Orleans concert by the types of footwear people are wearing, and why that's different than she's used to in other cities.
I really enjoyed this book and getting to know Dessa this way. That said, I think I would have liked it a little better if there had been less about X and more about her creative life, how she writes music, how she collaborates with Doomtree versus writing/performing on her own, etc. That's not the book she chose to write, and I respect that. But I hope someday she does write that book.
All the Wild Hungers
When Karen Babine's beloved mother was diagnosed with cancer, she sprang into action the best way she knew how: with food. From those difficult months of surgery, treatment, setbacks, and recovery, Babine pondered life, family, and food, and from that came this beautiful book, a hybrid of memoir and essays.
Each chapter, or essay, is short (some only a page) and focused on one particular idea or memory. That gives the author room to roam, with a momentary conversation or event leading to a wide-ranging set of thoughts and explorations:
"Are we our own unique beings or not? Science would suggest we are not. We exist within systems, networks, the matrix of family and friends, patterns. We are not alone. We are all connected, even on a cellular level, across time, space, and logic. Perhaps it is individuality that is the myth."
But along with heady thoughts like these, Babine introduces us to her growing collection of thrift-store cast iron pieces, even Le Creuset (who brings Le Creuset to a thrift store, she wonders), each piece of which has been named: Agnes, Estelle. She's a vegetarian, not so much opposed to eating meat as concerned about the treatment of animals and the environmental consequences of factory farming. But that doesn't stop her from collecting bones to make bone broth in an attempt to find something her mother, sick from chemo, can eat. She roasts chickens and makes elaborate Julia Child beef dishes. She also spends quality kitchen time with her nieces and nephew ("niblings," she calls them), firmly believing that her role as their aunt should be loving and attentive. She talks about her plans for the Holy Week of the Kitchen (March 14, Pi Day; March 15, the Ides of March; March 16, St. Urho's Day; and of course March 17, St. Patrick's).
Throughout there's love, and fear, and anger, and guilt, and the return always to the kitchen to deal with all these things, and the memories of food that are tied up with family, and the need for normal when things are not at all normal:
"Cancer simply requires that we articulate ourselves differently, reorienting our language as we become intimately aware of the words we use. We come to understand the idea of 'cancer-adjusted normal,' that what might have constituted a bad day a year ago is actually a truly good day today. We don't ask how are you doing? anymore--we ask how is today?"
A lovely book, thoughtful, and thought-provoking.
Everything Lost is Found Again
Lesotho is a small, land-locked country within South Africa, and it's to this small place that author Will McGrath and his wife Ellen traveled so she could conduct research on AIDS and orphans, two topics very sadly intertwined in this country. But that wasn't all they found there, as McGrath recounts in his memoir of his first year there.
If your gut reaction is, oh no, another book about a white guy who goes to an African country and either acts as savior or uses the local people to learn more about himself or save himself, I've got great news for you: Neither of those scenarios is this book. He makes that clear early on in the book:
"I can say one thing with certainty: I did not come to Lesotho to find myself. There is nothing more tedious than white people venturing into foreign territory in search of self-knowledge, in search of authenticity--which must be among the language's emptiest words. There is something deeply unsettling about people who collect the essential stuff of someone else's existence for exotic furniture in their own small-scale dramas. I did not come to Lesotho for set dressing; I came to learn about the different ways that people live."
That's exactly what he does. His wife's career is what brings them to Lesotho, and he uses his teaching credentials to lead a classroom in the local school. He keeps his eyes wide open and his mind as well. He's willing to explore, to talk, to get to know people at all stations of life. Granted, it's his book, so if he personally engaged in some "let me show you a better way", he left it out. But I'm trusting from this account that he didn't do that. He (and his wife) seemed to honestly want to see how people lived in Lesotho, and he shares what he's learned, with little judgment and with plenty of context. If there's an anecdote that seems to gently push fun at something someone there said or did, you can bet there will be one where McGrath mocks himself.
There's plenty of fun here, but plenty of sadness too. A huge percentage (25%) of the adult population has AIDS, and 28% of the children have lost one or both parents to it. That's a profound epidemic that cannot help but have sad moments, and McGrath doesn't shy away from them.
But neither does he shy away from the wicked and sometimes bawdy senses of humor many of the Lesotho people he meets have, or their generous socializing; he's game to try anything they put in front of him, even the mysterious joala, a home-brewed maize beer that varies greatly from home to home.
Which is likely why, even though the country battles disease and poverty, McGrath and his wife--along with kids--opted to return after their first stint was up. They made friends. They became part of the local society. They respected the local society and worked when possible to operate within its rules and customs (well, other than that pesky patriarchal part that sometimes raised its head).
Besides being interested in these kinds of stories in general, I had another reason to be curious about this book. Back in the 1980s, when I graduated from college, one of my best friends from college joined the Peace Corps and was sent to Lesotho. She was an engineer tasked with helping the local villages develop better access to water. There was culture shock for her, of course, but she, like McGrath, was sincerely interested in the culture and the people and wanted to see life as they saw it. Which she would have done, but sadly, she was murdered a few months into her tour. The murderers were robbing her lodging to sell her belongings. The village, in turn, created a needlework tapestry illustrating the work Lesa (my friend) had done in helping them get water and sent to Lesa's family back in the US. I have often wondered about the country, which she was excited about, and which responded to the unthinkable in such a beautiful way.
I think she would have enjoyed McGrath's book, and more, the spirit in which he embarked on his exploration of Lesotho. If you'd like to learn more about my friend (and see photos of Lesotho), click here.
Anne Frank's Diary: The Graphic Novel
I was intrigued when I learned that there was a graphic novel version of the Diary of Anne Frank out there. I've long been a fan of the original diary, and in recent years found even more to admire when I read Francine Prose's amazing book, Anne Frank: The Book, The Life, The Afterlife. A graphic version seemed like a logical continuation (although I don't love that they use the word "novel"--why not just "graphic diary" or something like that?).
The editor and illustrator worked together to find the best way to re-create the diary in an illustrated form (and, apparently, there's an animated movie coming too). It wasn't feasible to use the entire diary, so they had to use excerpts. The excerpts are beautifully selected to give a full sense of Anne's range: Her fears, her anger, her self-introspection, her maturing through the teen years, her growing awareness of her own sexuality, her problems with her family and the other members of the Secret Annex, her awareness of what was happening to Jews. There are parts that are funny, parts that are heartbreaking.
And the illustrations are just lovely. This one comes early in the book, when Anne receives the diary for her birthday and christens it Kitty, the friend she can truly be herself with:
And this one, showing her many facets:
I loved this. It would serve equally well as an introduction for someone who hasn't read the diary--giving them enough of a taste to understand the story and, hopefully, want to read the full diary--as well as a complementary piece for people like me who have read the diary many times. It brings Anne Frank to life in a new way.
Posted at 04:51 AM in classics, graphic novel, memoir | Permalink | 0 Comments
This is one of those big "it" books of the year. On that note, it's sort of unusual for me to like it; I don't often go gaga for the it books. It's also unusual in the sense that while I could hardly put it down and think it's mostly well-written, it's a tough book to recommend to others.
Tara Westover grew up in an extremist Mormon family in Idaho. She was born at home, no birth certificate (a real problem when she needed one later in life), one of many children to a man who ran a scrap yard and a woman who's an herbalist and, later, a midwife. Of course they don't believe in sending their children to school, but their own home-schooling efforts are extremely limited, mostly to the Bible and the father's interpretation thereof.
To say that the family was dysfunctional is a gross understatement. The father in particular has numerous problems, not least of which the delight he takes in putting his children in danger. Real danger, with sometimes catastrophic consequences. Westover recounts stories that are harrowing and horrifying in different ways from other kinds of abusive childhood memoirs. But there's plenty of physical abuse too, especially from her older brother. Combined with the extreme danger, hers was an unusually troubling childhood.
So it seems nothing short of miraculous that she managed to teach herself enough to pass college entrance exams and gain admission to Brigham Young, where early on she's ostracized for not knowing what the Holocaust was. Yet--not much of a spoiler, if you've read anything about this book--she catches up and makes up for lost time, and eventually earns a PhD from Cambridge. Yes, that Cambridge, in England. Not exactly a safety school.
It's a tough book to read. The abuse and danger, the father's mental illness, the mother's hiding behind religious beliefs and refusal to protect her children, are all hard to read. I've seen some reviews that criticize Westover for continuing to reach out to her mother, who refuses to see her if the father isn't welcome (and he is not). I can't criticize her for this. In any case, family is a tough nut to crack. And let's be clear, the mother undergoes plenty of emotional abuse herself. Westover extracts herself, distances herself from family members who think she's possessed (really), and builds a new family out of outlying family members who take her side, as well as new friends she develops out in the sinful world.
I've also seen criticism of this book saying people think it's fake, that there's no way someone could come from this background and end up with a PhD from Cambridge. Either I'm deeply cynical or deeply romantic, because I had no trouble believing it. Deeply cynical, because I don't doubt this kind of terrible abuse and ignorance exists; or deeply romantic, because I believe someone could, with help, escape. Along the way Westover had that help, from professors who took the time to try and understand her blind spots and frightening instances of ignorance. As they learned more about her and her background, they realized what a jewel in the rough she was. And they acted accordingly. This probably doesn't happen often enough, but I believe it does happen.
So choose to read it, or not read it; the decision is a good one either way. But I'm glad I read it.
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Buy Avengers comics below
Avengers Comic Books 1963 series
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Publisher Marvel • Super-hero Avengers Ages_7-12 Ages_13-16
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Avengers comic books were Marvel comic books' first super-hero group. Many of the early issues were reprinted in "Marvel Triple Action".
Known for their rallying cry "Avengers Assemble!" and the nickname of "Earth's Mightiest Heroes", the team originally featured Ant-Man, Wasp, Thor, Iron Man, and the Hulk, all of whom were established superheroes. A rotating roster has been their hallmark, and the Scarlet Witch, Quicksilver, Hawkeye, Vision, Black Widow, and the team's leader, Captain America have had long histories with the Avengers.
In Marvel's 'Ultimate' line of comics, the team was known as the "Ultimates".
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EBERLE WINERY
3810 Highway 46 East
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Sunday: 10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.
Monday: 10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.
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Nestled on 60 rolling acres, just 3.5 miles east of Highway 101 along Highway 46 East, Eberle Winery remains one of the longest privately owned wineries in Paso Robles. Most wines produced are 100% Varietal; offering proof that Gary™s mottos is, the wine in the bottle should taste like the grape on the vine. Eberle wines are all hand-harvested and aged in 16,000 square feet of underground caves located below the winery. Eberle built the caves in 1994 and was the first winemaker in Paso Robles to go underground in search of the perfect climate to age premium wines. The wine caves and 80-seat Wild Boar room also provide an elegant facility for private events. The Wine Spectator calls Eberle™s VIP wine tour One of the best on the Central Coast. All tastings and tours are complimentary. Eberle Winery is open 7 days a week, from 10am-6pm. Eberle Winery is proud to be ranked a top-10 gold medal award winning winery in the U.S.A.
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“Heathers” Blew Up the High-School Comedy
The 1989 cult classic ushered in a darker, weirder, more experimental era for teen movies.
Text by Naomi Fry
Supported by Tiffany & Co.
“Touchstones” is an ongoing interactive series in which New Yorker writers guide us through the works that shaped them as critics and as people.
In the course of the eighties, nothing formed my understanding of what it meant to be a teen-ager, and particularly an American teen-ager, more than the movies of John Hughes. I was an Israeli kid who occasionally, thanks to my dad’s job, spent time in the United States, and Hughes’s œuvre—especially “The Breakfast Club,” “Pretty in Pink,” and “Sixteen Candles”—served, for me, as both an anthropological document and a how-to guide. For American teen-agers, I learned, daily life was a battleground: their parents pushed them around or ignored them; their teachers were bored and boring; they were confused about sex, and even more so about love; race was rarely a problem (the American teen-ager was almost always white), but class, and especially money, was; and class and money translated into the chief issue seemingly dogging every American teen-ager’s life—high-school cliques, and one’s ability to break free of their constraints in order to discover who one really was.
No matter how difficult these issues were to deal with, however, teens were able to overcome them by the end of Hughes’s movies. No problem was unmanageable, no adversity insurmountable. The movies’ redemptive arc guaranteed that the burnout and the prom queen could set their conflicts aside—as could the rich guy and the poor girl, and the jock and the weirdo—and the result was a new, more perfect union, which was more often than not sealed with a kiss.
The Hughesian Ending
“Make a wish,” Jake tells Samantha in the last scene of “Sixteen Candles.” “It already came true,” she replies.
The constancy of this teen-movie template was likely why “Heathers”—directed by Michael Lehmann, written by Daniel Waters, and the feature-film début for both—came as such a shock. Though the movie was released in the States in 1989—where it was, for the most part, a critical hit, though a box-office flop—it had not come out in Israel, and I saw it only in 1990, which I spent in Seattle. That year, I had fashioned myself as a sophisticated outsider, and had begun going to see movies alone, as sophisticated outsiders tend to do. (Making friends was a little bit of a struggle.) And so I settled down alone in a cinematheque-style theatre to watch what I believed would be another Hughes-style comedy. “Heathers,” I imagined, would focus on two attractive young people, played by Winona Ryder and Christian Slater, who would, against the odds, fall in love, come to resist the cliquishness of their school—embodied by a trio of popular mean girls, all named Heather—and bring on an improved, quasi-utopian social order.
But about twenty-five minutes into the movie I experienced a strong cognitive dissonance: I watched as J.D. (Slater) and Veronica (Ryder) gave Heather Chandler, the cruellest, most powerful member of the Heathers, a poisonous concoction. Had they just killed her? A teen movie couldn’t include murders, could it?
It turned out that it could, and it did. In order to subvert Westerberg High’s oppressive hierarchy, J.D., with Veronica’s half-unwitting help, kills not only Heather Chandler but also Kurt and Ram—two popular, boorish football players—and the couple stage the murders as suicides to cover their tracks. At first, Veronica is enamored of the trenchcoat-wearing J.D. and his anti-establishment swagger. But soon enough she begins to chafe against his attempts to dominate her, and his increasing bloodlust. She breaks up with him and, after she discovers his intention to bomb the school, surprises him in Westerberg’s boiler room, where she manages to defuse explosives he has planted. In the movie’s climactic scene, Veronica looks on, deadpan, from the school’s front steps, as J.D. blows himself up, the cigarette she has placed in her mouth smoldering from the heat of the explosion. This was the “Heathers” alternative to an end-of-movie kiss.
It wasn’t exactly that “Heathers” contained no Hughesian influence. The types and tropes were all there—mean girls, jocks, bullying, upper-middle-class ennui, idiotic or abusive parents, delusional teachers, a bad-boy crush—but they were relentlessly amplified, turned into grotesques. The tone was arch, dripping with self-awareness (“Dear diary, my teen-angst bullshit has a body count,” Veronica scribbles in her journal); the script was full of nasty, snarky catchphrases ( “Fuck me gently with a chainsaw” is, perhaps, especially memorable). The visual palette was garishly Technicolor, a teen dream made nightmare; the bodily fluids, from phlegm to vomit to blood, flowed. In short, “Heathers” seemed influenced as much by “Blue Velvet” as by “Sixteen Candles,” and it paved the way for an era of darker, edgier, more experimental teen comedies.
Hollywood High
“We really wanted to make the teen film to end all teen films,” Ryder said. Instead of putting an end to the genre, though, “Heathers” gave it new life.
“The Breakfast Club” (1985)
“Better Off Dead” (1985)
“Pretty in Pink” (1986)
“Say Anything” (1989)
“Dazed and Confused” (1993)
“Clueless” (1995)
“Jawbreaker” (1999)
“Drop Dead Gorgeous” (1999)
“Bring It On” (2000)
“Superbad” (2007)
The devotion of “Heathers” to visual excess comes through, notably, in the movie’s sartorial language. The Heathers wear a uniform of exaggerated proportions, a cross between Leona Helmsley-style career-woman togs and fifties-schoolgirl cosplay: enormous-shouldered jackets, oversize Oxford shirts buttoned up to the top, large brooches and scrunchies (Heather Chandler’s is claimed like a talisman by Heather Duke, after the former’s death), short pleated skirts, bobby socks—all in bright Memphis Milano tones of red, turquoise, and yellow. The look is, by definition, too much. This is Queen Bee fashion, more menacing than stylish. We will impose our outsized taste on the world, it announces, and we’ll do so in lockstep.
Queen-Bee Fashion
The Heathers belong to an enduring tradition of leading ladies who gossip, backstab, and broadcast their social power through over-the-top outfits.
“The Women” (1939)
“Grease” (1978)
“The Bling Ring” (2013)
Veronica, as played by Ryder, begins the movie in clothing that apes the proportions of the Heathers’ outfits, albeit in more sombre tones, to match her pale skin and dark hair. As her character begins to pursue a life of crime under J.D.’s tutelage, she transitions to the deconstructed garb of the outlaw: turtlenecks, sunglasses, soft-shouldered jackets. By the end of “Heathers,” post-explosion, she is a grimy, bristly-haired urchin, half Victorian chimney sweep and half Siouxsie Sioux—the evidence of the battle she has fought and won against J.D. smeared on her body in soot.
As a teen, I felt Veronica’s triumph over her adversaries at the end of “Heathers” keenly. There was nothing cooler, in my eyes, than her stoicism in the face of her bad boyfriend’s demise. And while I didn’t exactly want to be involved in murder or suicide, I wouldn’t have minded handling my nemeses, perceived or otherwise, with a similar sangfroid. “Veronica, you look like hell,” Heather Duke tells her, surprised, to which Veronica responds, “Yeah? I just got back.” She then leaves a char-black kiss mark on Duke’s cheek, before helping herself to her scrunchie. If Hughes tended to prize a makeover moment in his movies—who could forget Ally Sheedy’s transformation from outlier weirdo to garden-variety dream girl in “The Breakfast Club”?—Veronica’s metamorphosis in “Heathers” seems to critique that impulse by turning it on its head.
Veronica the outlaw, outfitted for a life of crime.
A triumphant, battle-scarred Veronica.
The thirty years since the release of “Heathers” have solidified its legacy in more ways than one. Though J.D. emerges at first as a sensitive alternative to the football-playing lunkheads of Westerberg High, it becomes increasingly clear in the course of the movie that he is a product of what we now call “toxic masculinity”—no less so than the casually brutal Kurt and Ram. J.D. is the kind of man who turns to violence because he feels that first, his mom, and later, his girlfriend, didn’t love him enough. With his trenchcoat and firearms, he can now be seen as a harbinger of the Columbine era, in which we unfortunately still very much reside. (The airing of a recent “Heathers” reboot produced by Paramount Television was repeatedly cancelled in the wake of real-life school shootings.)
The movie was ahead of its time in another respect. Two years before Bret Easton Ellis published his satirical critique of the eighties, “American Psycho,” in 1991, “Heathers” drew a prescient link between the self-satisfied, domineering Ayn Rand-ian cruelty of the Reagan era and the other side of the coin—sociopathic violence. “Real life sucks losers dry. If you want to fuck with the eagles, you have to learn to fly,” Veronica quotes Heather Chandler as telling her. J.D., despite his seemingly subversive ethics, ends up espousing a vicious credo that mimics the Heathers’ division of the world into the powerful and the powerless. He and the Heathers are all, in a sense, versions of Patrick Bateman, Ellis’s yuppie sociopath.
The climactic scene of “Heathers” speaks to its liminal position between the eighties and the nineties. As Veronica tussles with J.D. to dismantle the bomb he plants in the school boiler room, at one point shooting off his finger, a pep rally is under way in the gymnasium above them. The uniformed, pompom-waving cheerleaders bear more than a passing resemblance to the so-called anarchy cheerleaders who would appear, two years later, in Nirvana’s “Smells Like Teen Spirit” video. Whether wholesome or sexualized, the cheerleader has often stood for all that is adored and desired in the microcosm of the American high school. But in Nirvana’s video and in “Heathers,” too, the figure is no longer separable from the dark, sludgy energies churning in the bowels of the school.
Deconstructing the Cheerleader
In the nineties, the cheerleader—once the ultimate symbol of feminine desirability—came to embody, for many artists and filmmakers, the irony of American identity.
In the end, it is Veronica who emerges as the movie’s true hero. In her resistance to the Heathers and, later, J.D., she follows a path not just toward her own liberation but, more broadly, toward a new decade. “Heathers” is almost proto-grunge in its disdain for the Reaganite fantasy: by presenting American violence side by side with American wholesomeness, the movie dismantles the flimsy alibi the latter so often provides for the former. To watch “Heathers” as a teen-ager was to understand, maybe for the first time, that the way things are isn’t the way things should be. To watch it now, as an adult, is to remember what it was like to grasp that lesson, and to want to learn it anew.
Credits: “Heathers” (New World Pictures, 1989). The Hughesian Ending: “Sixteen Candles” (Universal Pictures, 1984), “Some Kind of Wonderful” (Paramount Pictures, 1987), “The Breakfast Club” (Universal Pictures, 1985), “Pretty in Pink” (Paramount Pictures, 1986). Hollywood High: “Fast Times at Ridgemont High” (Universal Pictures, 1982), “The Breakfast Club,” “Better Off Dead” (Warner Bros., 1985), “Pretty In Pink,” “Heathers,” “Say Anything” (20th Century Fox, 1989), “Dazed and Confused” (Gramercy Pictures, 1993), “Clueless” (Paramount Pictures, 1995), “Jawbreaker” (TriStar Pictures, 1999), “Drop Dead Gorgeous” (New Line Cinema, 1999), “Election” (Paramount Pictures, 1999), “Bring It On” (Universal Pictures, 2000), “Mean Girls” (Paramount Pictures, 2004), “Superbad” (Columbia Pictures, 2007), “Thoroughbreds” (Focus Features/Universal Pictures, 2017). Queen-Bee Fashion: “The Women” (Loew’s Inc., 1939), “Grease” (Paramount Pictures, 1978), “Heathers,” “Clueless,” “Mean Girls,” “The Bling Ring” (Merrick Morton / A24 / Everett), “Absolutely Fabulous: The Movie” (Fox Searchlight Pictures, 2016). Deconstructing the Cheerleader: “Heathers,” “Smells Like Teen Spirit” (DGC, 1991), “Twin Peaks”(CBS Television Distribution, 1990-91), “The Faculty” (Miramax Films, 1998), “American Beauty” (DreamWorks Pictures, 1999), “But I’m a Cheerleader” (Lions Gate Films, 1999), “Bring It On.”
More from the Touchstones series
Janet Jacksons
Rhythm Nation 1814
The album preached the unifying power of dance, and taught that performance could be its own kind of genius.
Nirvanas
The 1991 album gave rise to a rock genre and captured the spirit of a generation.
Missy Elliotts
Supa Dupa Fly
The 1997 album defined a new hip-hop aesthetic and expanded the definition of rap.
Naomi Fry is a staff writer at The New Yorker.
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“Heathers,” Reviewed: The TV Remake of the Classic Teen Comedy Is a Feat of Hostile Farce
The show is painfully sharp in its portrayal of the way grief is performed on social media and I.R.L. It is similarly brutal in its lampooning of national deformities.
By Troy Patterson
The World of Fashion
The Woman Who Has Styled Justin Bieber, Anita Hill, and the iPod
Karla Welch works hard to make her clients look like themselves.
By Naomi Fry
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https://www.nhregister.com/news/article/Ontario-County-Man-Charged-In-Theft-Of-Sales-Tax-11564310.php
Ontario County Man Charged In Theft Of Sales Tax
Published 12:00 am EST, Wednesday, January 12, 2011
The New York State Department of Taxation and Finance today announced the arrest of James C. Hall, a former Rochester police officer, on several felony charges in connection with his theft of more than $240,000 in sales tax.
Hall, 46, of 505 Ontario Drive, in the town of Ontario, is charged with one count of Grand Larceny in the Second Degree, a class C felony, one count of Criminal Tax Fraud in the Second Degree, also a class C felony, and ten counts of Offering a False Instrument for Filing in the First Degree, class E felonies, for underreporting over $2.3 million in taxable sales at his restaurant, Union Hill Pizza and Subs, which was renamed the Union Hill Country Grill. The restaurant, which was located at 1891 Ridge Road in Webster, is now closed.
Hall was arraigned before Judge Thomas J. DiSalvo in Webster Town Court on charges for stealing more than $240,000 in sales tax over a five year period. He entered a plea of not guilty and was released on his own recognizance. He is due back in court on February 2.
If convicted, Hall could face up to five years in prison for each C felony charge.
Hall is accused of underreporting the taxable sales, and the tax due to the state, between September 1, 2005 and February 29, 2008, the date when he stopped filing returns despite being open for business.
After he was contacted by the Tax Department in July of 2009, Hall filed all five delinquent returns, but it was determined that he underreported the sales and sales tax due. Once again, Hall again stopped filing sales tax returns until he was contacted by Tax Department personnel a year later. Shortly after that, Hall filed the delinquent returns, which showed the collection of more than $59,000 in sales tax. However, no payment was made with these returns.
The State offers programs such as the Voluntary Disclosure and Compliance Program to encourage delinquent taxpayers to become compliant without facing criminal prosecution or civil penalty. For more information about these programs, go to the Department's website at www.tax.ny.gov."
The Tax Department also thanked Monroe County District Attorney Michael C. Green and his staff for their aggressive prosecution of this case.
The defendant is presumed to be innocent unless and until proven guilty.
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Back to Health A to Z
Herbal medicines are those with active ingredients made from plant parts, such as leaves, roots or flowers. But being "natural" doesn't necessarily mean they're safe for you to take.
Just like conventional medicines, herbal medicines will have an effect on the body, and can be potentially harmful if not used correctly.
They should therefore be used with the same care and respect as conventional medicines.
If you're consulting your doctor or pharmacist about health matters, or are about to undergo surgery, always tell them about any herbal medicines you're taking.
Potential issues with herbal medicines
If you're taking, or plan to take, any herbal medicines, be aware of the following:
They may cause problems if you're taking other medicines. They could result in reduced or enhanced effects of the medicine, including potential side effects.
You may experience a bad reaction or side effects after taking a herbal medicine.
Not all herbal medicines are regulated. Remedies specially prepared for individuals don't need a licence, and those manufactured outside the UK may not be subject to regulation.
Evidence for the effectiveness of herbal medicines is generally very limited. Although some people find them helpful, in many cases their use tends to be based on traditional use rather than scientific research.
Certain groups of people should be particularly wary of taking herbal medicines.
Who should avoid herbal medicines?
Taking a herbal medicine may not be suitable for:
people taking other medicines
people with serious health conditions, such as liver or kidney disease
people who are going to have surgery
pregnant or breastfeeding women
children – as with all medicines, herbal medicines should be kept out of the sight and reach of children
Speak to your doctor or pharmacist for advice before trying a herbal medicine if you fall into one of these groups.
Herbal medicines and surgery
It's important to tell your doctor if you take any herbal medicines before undergoing surgery.
some herbal medicines might interfere with anaesthesia and other medicines used before, during or after procedures
some herbal medicines may interfere with blood clotting and blood pressure, which may increase the risk of bleeding during or after surgery
Your doctor may therefore advise you to stop taking any herbal medicines during the weeks leading up to your operation.
What to look for when buying a herbal medicine
If you want to try a herbal medicine, look out for a traditional herbal registration (THR) marking on the product packaging.
This means the medicine complies with quality standards relating to safety and manufacturing, and it provides information about how and when to use it.
But you should be aware that:
THR products are intended for conditions that can be self-medicated and don't require medical supervision, such as coughs, colds or general aches and pains
using THR products for more serious conditions could be harmful, especially if you delay seeking medical advice
claims made for THR products are based on traditional usage and not on evidence of the product's effectiveness
a THR mark doesn't mean the product is completely safe for everyone to take
You can find THR-registered products in your local health shop, pharmacy or supermarket.
Risks of buying herbal medicines online or by mail order
The risks of obtaining fake, substandard, unlicensed or contaminated medicines are increased by buying medicines online or by mail order.
Unlicensed herbal medicines manufactured outside the UK may not be subject to regulation.
They may be copies of licensed medicines, but made in unlicensed factories with no quality control.
Some websites may appear to be legitimate, but are fronted by bogus doctors or pharmacists.
Herbal products sold online may also contain banned ingredients and toxic substances.
You can find a list of banned and restricted herbal ingredients on the GOV.UK website.
Herbal slimming products and sexual health products, for example, are best avoided because they have been found to contain dangerous ingredients, including pharmaceutical ingredients, that aren't stated on the label.
Reporting side effects
You can report any side effect or adverse reaction to a herbal medicine using the Yellow Card Scheme run by the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA).
This can help the MHRA identify new side effects or risks associated with medicines, including herbal remedies.
You should report adverse reactions or side effects if:
you suspect the side effect or adverse reaction was caused by a conventional medicine or herbal medicine you were taking
the side effect occurs when you're taking more than one medicine or herbal medicine
It's important to include as much detail as possible, particularly any brand name or manufacturer's details relating to the herbal medicine.
In the past, Yellow Card reports have been used to identify interactions between St John's wort and other medicines, and to highlight the use of dangerous substances like mercury, lead and arsenic in unlicensed Ayurvedic and traditional Chinese medicines.
Page last reviewed: 23 November 2018
Next review due: 23 November 2021
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How Two Similar States Ended Up Worlds Apart In Politics : It's All Politics Politics in Minnesota and Wisconsin historically have been pretty similar, but that's no longer the case. Wisconsin is now advancing conservative policies and lending a Midwestern face to the Republican Party, while Minnesota's agenda has been among the most liberal.
It's All Politics
Political News From NPR
How Two Similar States Ended Up Worlds Apart In Politics
December 6, 201310:10 AM ET
Alan Greenblatt
In this June 2008 photo, the bridge spanning the Mississippi River between Winona, Minn., and the Wisconsin side of the river is closed to traffic. Jim Mone/AP hide caption
Jim Mone/AP
In this June 2008 photo, the bridge spanning the Mississippi River between Winona, Minn., and the Wisconsin side of the river is closed to traffic.
Like a lot of neighbors who were once close, Minnesota and Wisconsin have drifted apart over time. Their politics and policy directions are now about as disparate as can be.
That's surprising, not just because the two states share a common climate and culture, but because neither party can claim a big majority of the vote in either state.
"We have parties that are so ideologically locked in, whenever they get in power they go in the direction of activists," says Lawrence Jacobs, a University of Minnesota political scientist who has studied the two states' political differences.
Wisconsin's Republican Gov. Scott Walker became famous for ending collective bargaining rights for most public employees. Lately, he has generated considerable buzz as a presidential prospect with the release of his new book.
The state is also home to Rep. Paul Ryan, the GOP's vice presidential nominee in 2012 and the party's top budget negotiator in Congress, as well as national party chair Reince Priebus. Collectively, they lend a Midwestern face to a party that is dominated by the South and West.
In Minnesota, by contrast, Democrats rule the roost, and they're pursuing all the things Walker and his allies would never consider: blessing same-sex marriage, raising taxes and implementing Obamacare.
"In two states that are pretty similar, with a pretty similar culture, even a little difference can create these really divergent approaches to public policy," Jacobs says.
So Why The Difference?
In the two states, there are all kinds of explanations for the current distinctions in voting patterns, from the economic to the ethnographic.
Wisconsin historically has had more residents with German and Eastern and Central European backgrounds, while Minnesota attracted more Scandinavians, says Mordecai Lee, a former state legislator who teaches at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee.
"During their working years, they were Democrats," he says of the state's ethnic Catholics. "Those Reagan Democrats gradually became reliably GOP voters, mobilized by social issues such as abortion, gay rights and all the other very effective wedge issues that the GOP raised over the years."
The economic success of Minnesota's Twin Cities of Minneapolis and St. Paul, by contrast, has created suburban pockets that are considered moderate — socially liberal, while being fiscally conservative — and don't exist on anything like the same scale in Wisconsin.
"We have a lot of Fortune 500 companies that don't go Democratic, but they're moderate Republicans," says state Sen. Jeff Hayden, a Democrat who represents parts of Minneapolis. "I think we have a better relationship with them."
No More Moderates
A generation ago, Minnesota was known not only for producing liberal Democrats such as Hubert Humphrey and Walter Mondale, who both served as vice president, but also moderate Republicans such as Gov. Arne Carlson and Sen. David Durenberger.
That breed of Republican could never get nominated by the GOP in the state today, says Steven Schier, a political scientist at Carleton College in Northfield, Minn. The state party — which has had some financial problems in recent years — is now more attuned to the Tea Party conservatism exemplified by Rep. Michele Bachmann.
"The Minnesota Republican Party has faced all sorts of problems in the last 10 years," Schier says. "By contrast, the state DFL" — the Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party, as the Democratic organization is known in Minnesota — "is pretty unified and organized and well-funded."
Some observers contend that the DFL has become insular and ossified, relying on not only the children but also the grandchildren of famous officeholders to seek office.
But the DFL has an advantage most state Democratic parties do not. The area around Duluth, known as the Iron Range, has a tradition of unionism and Democratic voting that has been sustained. Paired with the largely Democratic vote in the Twin Cities — home to the bulk of the state population — that's generally enough to outvote Republicans in the rest of the state.
Two large rural counties in northeastern Minnesota voted last year against a ban on same-sex marriage, joining with the Twin Cities to defeat the measure even as 75 of the state's 87 counties voted in support.
"There are big sections of rural Minnesota that vote Democratic," Schier says. "That's very unusual in any state."
Closer Than They Look
Despite the GOP's current dominance of Wisconsin state politics, no Republican presidential candidate has carried the state since Ronald Reagan in 1984. (In Minnesota's case, the GOP has come up empty every time since 1972.)
Wisconsin currently has one of the most conservative senators in Republican Ron Johnson, but also one of the most liberal, Democrat Tammy Baldwin.
"There's no doubt that our statewide offices could go Democratic as much as they could go Republican," says Lee, the UW-Milwaukee political scientist.
But for a few thousand votes in 2010, the political landscape in Minnesota might look a lot more like Wisconsin's. Republicans won control of the Legislature that year — they lost it in 2012 — and Democratic Gov. Mark Dayton won by only 8,770 votes, out of more than 2 million cast.
"On one level, the difference between Wisconsin and Minnesota is 8,700 votes," says David Schultz, a law professor at Hamline University in St. Paul. "If Dayton had not won that race, we would have seen much of the same legislation as Wisconsin, including collective bargaining."
Spillover Effects
In other words, the political margins in both states are tight enough that if a few thousand people — the right few thousand people — moved from one state to the other, it could change the political makeup of both states.
That might be happening. Communities in western Wisconsin such as Hudson, River Falls and Baldwin are booming, filling up with people commuting across the St. Croix River to jobs in the Twin Cities. Some localities have already seen growth upwards of 50 percent since 2000, with as many as 150,000 additional residents expected to arrive over the next decade.
That's going to create a new population center in Wisconsin with the potential to affect the state's politics. And, if enough of the people coming over are Democrats, that would weaken the party's current advantage in Minnesota.
"We're in the neighborhood of 50 percent of our residents commuting into the two closest Minnesota counties for work," says Scott Simpson, city administrator for River Falls.
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Archives|Buffett Moves To Acquire All of Geico
https://nyti.ms/29dcmmd
Buffett Moves To Acquire All of Geico
By MICHAEL QUINT AUG. 26, 1995
August 26, 1995, Page 001033Buy Reprints The New York Times Archives
Warren E. Buffett is returning his focus to one of his earliest successes. Berkshire Hathaway Inc., which he controls, announced a $2.3 billion cash offer yesterday to buy the 49 percent of the Geico Corporation it does not already own.
Geico, the country's sixth-largest car insurer, has been a solidly profitable company in recent years with a good record for low losses and low expenses in comparison with others in its business. These results have been possible because the company bypasses agents, selling directly to the consumer, concentrating on low-risk drivers.
For Mr. Buffett, the renowned investor, the cash offer was for the company that caught his eye more than four decades ago. "In 1951, when I was 20, I invested well over half of my net worth in Geico," Mr. Buffet said. In the mid-1970's, when Geico was reeling from heavy losses, Mr. Buffett sharply increased his investment, which rose in value many-fold as the company recovered.
In yesterday's announcement, Mr. Buffett did not elaborate on his views of Geico or the auto insurance business in general, except to say that he was happy with the old investment and "equally comfortable" with the new purchase.
Ira Zuckerman, an insurance analyst at UBS Securities, said the Geico investment could be an indirect result of the Walt Disney Company's $19 billion bid to acquire Capital Cities/ABC Inc., in which Berkshire Hathaway owns 20 million shares. That stake would be worth $1.5 billion if all the shares were sold to Disney.
"There is a big chunk of cash coming in from the Cap Cities/ABC shares that has to be redeployed," Mr. Zuckerman said, "and I think that he looked around and decided he did not see anything that was more attractive than the Geico business, which he already knows."
The Berkshire Hathaway offer of $70 a share was 26 percent higher than Thursday's closing price for Geico of $55.75. Geico stock closed yesterday at $68.625.
A rise in the stock of many automobile and property insurers followed the Berkshire Hathaway announcement, as investors and traders tried to imitate Mr. Buffett's decision, and as insurance investors bought shares in other companies to replace their Geico holdings. Shares of the Allstate Corporation of Northbrook, Ill., the second-largest seller of personal auto insurance behind the State Farm Mutual Automobile Insurance Company of Bloomington, Ill., rose 75 cents, to $32.50, while the Progressive Corporation of Mayfield Village, Ohio, rose $1.125, to $42.50, and 20th Century Industries rose 62.5 cents, to $14.75. Rising bond prices also helped lift prices of insurance stocks yesterday.
Auto insurance for individuals, a business that collects more than $90 billion of premiums a year, has been more profitable for insurers than many kinds of property and liability insurance. Members of the baby boom generation have become safer drivers and the number of claims has decreased with tougher penalties for drunken driving and more safety features on cars.
Unlike most auto insurers, Geico sells policies directly to consumers using the mail and cable television, and quoting its prices by telephone. That approach saves paying commissions to sales agents, who typically collect 10 percent or more. As a result, the company can offer lower prices to the customers it wants -- primarily the lowest-risk, safest drivers.
"I think the auto insurance business, like property insurance in general, is undervalued in the market," Mr. Zuckerman said. Part of the problem, he said, is that too many investors allow their judgment to be colored by their own unpleasant experiences with insurers, and overlook favorable trends in growth and profits.
The Geico strategy has also attracted Maurice Greenberg, chairman of the American International Group, an insurance company that last year invested more than $200 million in 20th Century Industries, an auto insurer based in Woodland Hills, Calif., with a strategy similar to Geico's. The company was profitable until the Northridge earthquake in 1994 caused losses on homeowners' policies, threatening to put the company out of business.
Besides restoring 20th Century's financial strength, American International has helped the company to expand its business into other states. Geico, which is based in Washington, does business in every state except New Jersey and Massachusetts. And like 20th Century, Geico has recently announced plans to leave the homeowners' market.
A version of this article appears in print on August 26, 1995, on Page 1001033 of the National edition with the headline: Buffett Moves To Acquire All of Geico. Order Reprints| Today's Paper|Subscribe
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Editorial - The fall of Erik Buell Racing and why it is your fault
First published on Jalopnik.com on June 18, 2015
As you have likely heard by now, Erik Buell Racing is in receivership with no apparent hope for a bailout. For the second time in a decade Erik is facing the abyss, except this time he has 20 million dollars of debt hanging over his company's head and his Hero MotoCorp investors have apparently washed their hands of the whole operation despite owning a 49.2 percent share of the company. For those of us in the industry who long to see some fresh ideas in a market that favours bland conservatism and pragmatic design, the closure of EBR is a huge blow. Buell has long been the underdog, the classic American innovator fighting the status quo and achieving remarkable results despite going against the grain in every respect: he made a name for himself by breaking traditions you didn't even realize existed until he designed something different, something better.
The release of the 1190RX and SX gave us renewed hope that Buell could go toe to toe with the big boys in his own quirky way, and in so doing accomplish something unprecedented: building a competitive American superbike, when everyone else in the USA is content with either aping Harley-Davidson or being Harley-Davidson. With EBR on the rocks, once again we've been disappointed, and once again Erik has to fight and scramble to keep building his inimitable bikes.
And it is all your fault.
I suppose I should qualify that accusation. It's not your fault in particular, unless you happen to be one of those ignorant, naysaying blowhards populating various comment threads with worthless, self-righteous declarations of "I told you so!" and "those things are ugly and stupid and expensive and a GSXR is faster anyway". Unless you are one of those internet tough guys shitting all over the dreams and ideas of an innovator who did more before breakfast this morning than you've done with your whole life you aren't to blame directly.
No, I say it's your fault - our fault - because we've bred a culture of conservatism and short-sighted traditionalism in the motorcycle industry that stacks the deck against idea men like Erik Buell, and dooms remarkable machines like the 1190 to failure before they even leave the drawing board.
I first encountered Buell's designs in my formative years of riding; I'm not sure where I first saw them, I think it was probably in a review in a magazine somewhere, but I was immediately struck by how goddamned wacky they were. I can't recall if I was initially put off or fascinated by these weird bikes, or some combination of the two - I think a lot of riders had a similar, confused reaction to Buell's designs.
The first time I rode one was around 2005, when I got the chance to try out a 2006 XB12Ss Lightning (aka the Lightning Long). My fascination tempered by apprehension remained. This was a machine that was powered by a diesel-like 1200cc Harley engine but that changed direction like a flyweight supersport, in spite of the longer wheelbase and more conservative geometry on the example I rode. I still remember how cheesy the components appeared, cheap plastic and ugly gauges and mirrors that flopped like limp dicks at idle, and how the engine felt like it had a completely flat powerband that ended abruptly at 6000 rpm. I didn't think much of it at that moment, but I was intrigued by how utterly alien this machine was in appearance, engineering, and dynamics.
Ten years later I still vividly remember the details of my first ride aboard a Buell. I've forgotten most of the ordinary bikes I've ridden since then. Even if there has been far superior machinery under my ass, the Buell was memorable in a way that most bikes just aren't.
Some years later, long after Buell was closed by Harley, I had a few days to rip around on a borrowed 2008 1125R. The owner had bought it during the fire sale following the company's closing, nabbing it off the dealer lot at 50% off retail. The fuel injection was atrocious, the worst I've ever sampled on any vehicle. The suspension was completely out of whack (probably due to owner meddling) and feedback through the chassis was poor, and I swear I could feel the ZTL brake torque the front end sideways under hard braking. But I didn't care. Once again it was memorable. The Rotax engine pulled obscenely hard in the midrange, with stunning roll-on performance from 3000 rpm up. It steered well and had good stability despite the wonky suspension setup and lack of feel. I'd step away from it and stare at the huge fuel-bearing beam frame, the squinty headlights flanked by bulbous rad shrouds, not sure if I should appreciate the "purposeful" design or throw up. It was horrifically ugly, but somehow endearing.
There was a lot to hate, but somehow that 1125 stuck in my mind enough for me to half-heartedly look at classified listings, and seriously inquire about a 2009 CR (which I ultimately didn't buy). I developed an appreciation for Buell's dogged determination to buck the status quo of motorcycle design, his attempts to apply rational engineering to how a bike was laid out. He is an engineer turned designer - his quirky bikes look the way they do because their forms are dictated by the principles of mass centralization and the reduction of unsprung weight. Styling came second to function. A distant second.
Buell was a loner doing something different because he believed he could build a better motorcycle by rejecting traditional design ideas, which aren't as far removed from the formula laid out by those bicycles-with-an-engine-attached of the 19-teens as you might think. While he didn't go so far as to adopt a radical suspension design and do away with teleforks, which would have been the next logical step in solving one of the key problems with modern motorcycles, his work was subject to the same knee-jerk criticisms that any alternative chassis faces: motorcyclists hate change, and are quick to belittle anyone who dares challenge their conservative conception of what a bike should be and should look like.
Buell has become dogmatic in response, clinging to his ideas and his designs with grim determination. He is certain that his designs are the best, even if there is evidence of flaws. It's a common sentiment I've encountered among designers who dare to challenge tradition, a result of their marginalized position within this industry. They have to be inflexible because we as an industry are constantly disparaging and ignoring them. It's a form of reverse conservatism that you need to adopt to succeed in building anything different in our strange little world.
I encounter this sentiment a lot in the course of researching subjects for OddBike. My mandate, such as it is, is to profile the weirdest, rarest, and most interesting motorcycles out there. In effect I have become some inadvertent custodian of nearly forgotten machines, and a vocal proponent of alternative ideas. Doing what I do you quickly realize that this industry is based on very old precepts that are not easily given up, due to a combination of slow-moving corporate entities that resist expensive shifts in design and an unfortunate degree of conservatism among buyers who favour traditionally styled machines sold at the lowest possible retail price. If it looks different or is priced any higher than a Honda, motorcyclists generally won't like - worse, they will sit at their keyboards and loudly disparage anything and anyone that dares to be different, as if a motorcycle has no right to exist simply because they won't (or can't) put one in their own garage. It’s a fickle, short sighted attitude of "If I don't like it, then you shouldn't either."
Why do we feel the need to cut down people who are driving innovation? Why do we demand the same crap over and over again? Why don't we appreciate new ideas? These are some of the questions I've come to ask myself over and over again, without ever coming up with a good answer. The failure of EBR has renewed those questions in my mind.
Aside from being an iconoclastic designer, Buell led the only company that challenged the hegemony of Harley and Harley-patterned/powered machines in American motorcycling, at least until Brian Case and Lee Conn started working on the Motus MST in 2008. Buell had a hand in designing the first and last Harley superbike - Buell built a fuel-in-frame prototype chassis for the VR1000 way back in 1988, and it was his idea to use a liquid-cooled narrow angle V-twin in the first place. The V-Rod retains some of the basic dimensions of his first blueprints. That's not mentioning his work on the chassis of Lucifer's Hammer II, or his own Sportster-powered RR Battletwins.
Buell has designed the only true American sport bikes of recent memory, the only successful road racers built in America by Americans - in a town of 4000 people in Wisconsin no less. The 1190 was as close to a world-class superbike you could possibly imagine coming out of a sleepy town like East Troy, and all signs pointed to it being an awesome street bike and a capable race bike to boot.
And this was after Erik Buell managed to pull his name out of the ashes and reform it into EBR following a calloused shutdown by Harley-Davidson, a corporation he had been serving loyally since the 70s. While their money and support had certainly helped make Buell a household name, their meddling was notorious. The 1125 was an 1125 because Buell was explicitly directed to not exceed the capacity of the flagship V-Rod, which was then displacing 1130ccs, even though the two machines would never, ever compete with each other. He was forced to use belt final drive when a chain would have been far more suitable. So many compromises were made that by the time it hit the market the 1125 ended up being some ugly quasi sport bike that was far from the all-conquering superbike Erik had hoped it would be. Before that, his had bikes were foisted upon indifferent dealers who preferred to sell traditional Harley products, and Buells were presented as an entry-level machine that would be a stepping stone for riders to trade up towards a "real" Harley. Buell's brand identity was curbed to suit the HD marketing machine. Then when everything looked rosy, with good sales despite the economic downturn, and the 1125 beginning to achieve success on the track, HD unceremoniously and unexpectedly pulled the plug in 2009 to save money and bolster their core values.
Following his split with HD, what Buell accomplished with EBR was remarkable: going from out on street and losing the rights to his own name to mass-producing an all-new superbike in the span of 6 years, with the aim of conquering the most viciously competitive segment of the motorcycle market. Because HD retains the patents to the 1125 and the rights to Buell's own name, he had to start from scratch and subtly rework all of his own designs to create something that was unmistakably a Buell but wouldn't incur the wrath of HD's lawyers. He would fix all the problems with the design of the 1125 and build the superbike he envisioned before Harley interfered.
If that isn't determination, I don't know what is.
But no. Buyers thought it was too expensive and it didn't make enough power on a dyno to seduce fickle buyers away from continuing to buy conventional Yamondakawasukis. We let the most interesting sport bike on the market die on the vine and the company shrivel into receivership because somehow 185 hp and a metric fuckton of torque in a capable chassis just isn't good enough nowadays. You didn't want to spend a few extra bucks to get something built and designed in America, by Americans, to take on the world. You didn't want something cool, something different, something smarter than the average sport bike.
It didn't matter if it got rave reviews. It didn't matter if the 1190s almost seem conventional because the rest of the industry has just begun to catch up to the ideas that Erik introduced 30 years ago. It didn't matter that they were downright handsome compared to Buell's previous work, and that the quality was miles ahead of what he was building under HD's ownership. Nobody wants anything different. Conservatism reigns. Underdogs are doomed to failure.
The support of the frighteningly powerful Hero MotoCorp apparently wasn't enough to secure EBR's future. After their initial investment and their taking advantage of EBR's remarkable talent pool (the gang in East Troy provided R&D work for the Indian giant, including 13 cutting edge concept bikes and scooters, and some tantalizing work on electric powertrains) Hero was quick to abandon EBR when the walls started closing in. Word from the company since EBR filed for receivership has been exactly what you'd expect from a multi-billion dollar corporation pumping out scooters by the millions: they would find R&D support elsewhere and the closure wouldn't affect them in the slightest. Amidst the bickering and disappointment following EBR's closure, rumours are circulating of EBR failing to hold up an important part of their agreement with Hero: starting a distributorship for Hero products in the US and Canada.
Then there is the issue of the highly-ambitious EBR racing program sucking up massive amounts of money that the upstart company just didn't have. Throw in lackluster sales to an indifferent market and you have a recipe for failure. Maybe the closing of EBR isn't that surprising; just another case of a company being too ambitious for its own bottom line. Which, in my mind, makes EBR seem all the more endearing - they failed because they were trying too hard and aiming too high.
Maybe us fickle motorcyclists aren't to blame after all. Maybe EBR's failure is just another example of capitalism at work. But it doesn't change the fact that we as an industry need to pull our heads out of our collective asses and start recognizing talent when it kicks us in the nuts.
Whatever the reason, it isn't the first time Buell has been cast out into the cold, and with any luck he will bounce back once again. Or at least I sincerely hope he does, for his sake, for the sake of the American motorcycle industry, and for the sake of motorcycling in general. We would do well to have more strange bikes like the 1190 on the market, something that those mouth-breathing troglodytes who have smugly embraced EBR's demise don't seem to understand: even if YOU don't want to buy a machine, that doesn't give it any less reason to exist, and the motorcycling world will be a better place if it does. We need more alternative ideas. We need more weird machines. We need more underdogs to challenge the hegemony of soulless corporations pumping out endless variations of the same two-wheeled shit.
We need Erik Buell, and more folks like him.
Labels: 1125, 1190, american, design, ebr, editorial, erik buell, harley davidson, hero, jalopnik, lanesplitter, motorbike, motorcycle, personal insanity, racing
Bike EXIF 22/06/2015, 17:54
Another thought-provoking read—and great to see it picked up by Jalopnik too.
I've always thought that the one thing that has hamstrung Buell is the styling. The bikes have never looked beautiful—conventional or otherwise. And I'm sure that's a major part of his troubles.
It takes a leap of faith for a buyer to drop big money on a sportbike that is not from a major manufacturer, and if that bike looks a little 'odd' too, then it's not going to work.
Tesla is a good example of getting it right—innovative technology AND great aesthetics.
I'm one of the minority who appreciates weird aesthetics when they serve a purpose. I like strange designs (obviously) and wish to see more of them in the market. I'm the guys who looks at a bike like a Buell/EBR and say "now that's cool!" when everyone else is suppressing their gag reflex.
Maybe Buell's model is/was doomed to fail. But I for one still desperately want him to succeed and carve out a niche, flaws and all.
Failing that people will always remember Buell, just like they will always remember Britten - because he did things differently, damn the consequences, damn the expectations of the market, and damn tradition.
We almost had a Tesla in the moto world: what happened to the Mission R? Sexy design, sexy styling, kickass performance... and now they are defunct. So it's not a simple formula, as I'm sure any designer will tell you. Let's see how the Lightning does.
I think Erik Buell has himself to blame - bad choice of partners both times. Both make horrible, uninspiring vehicles and know nothing about innovation.
what's about motoczysz?another national inventor...
i've always wanted lightning, maybe some day
i like buells for all things the rest don't like:)
Jay Bergland 24/06/2015, 10:31
I enjoyed this article... very interesting perspective.
Eoin Kenny 26/06/2015, 09:33
Totally not my fault. :-P
I've only ever seen one Buell in the flesh. Kinda hard to sell them in Ireland when there's only one Harley dealership in the entire country, and they made zero effort to promote the brand. Hell I don't even know if they ever had any in stock.
In a perfect, parallel universe, one would choose between a new Britten and a new Buell.
Buell killed itself. You cannot compete at the top of the market when there is harsh competition and little opportunity to move product. Add a doomed racing program to the mix and you are spending money with no hope of selling product to make money. Sadly, as bright an engineer as Buell is, his business sense is not up to snuff.
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Keith Huxen
Senior Director of Research and History
Keith Huxen, PhD, is the Senior Director of Research and History in the Institute for the Study of War and Democracy at The National WWII Museum in New Orleans. Since joining the Museum in 2011, his responsibilities have included developing the historical exhibits in the Museum’s capital expansion plan, including the permanent exhibits in US Freedom Pavilion: The Boeing Center, the Road to Berlin and Road to Tokyo galleries in the Campaigns of Courage: European and Pacific Theaters pavilion, and The Arsenal of Democracy galleries opened in June 2017. He is currently involved with plans for the upcoming Hall of Democracy and Liberation pavilions, and works in ongoing museum initiatives including travel programs, online education, publications, media productions, conferences and symposia, and partnerships with organizations such as the Defense POW-MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA).
More from the Contributor
On the eve of D-Day, a visit with the 101st Airborne, then the waiting.
A visit to a bunker where German troops watched and waited for the invasion of France.
Eisenhower’s final review commits the Allies to begin the Great Crusade at Normandy.
Beneath the streets of London and perfectly preserved, Churchill's Cabinet War Rooms offer an exhilarating opportunity to walk with WWII history.
We can see in this passage by British General Frederick Morgan the spirit that ultimately made the Overlord operation an unprecedented historical success.
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Reading Results: Executive Summary for Grades 4 and 8
District Summary
National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) is an assessment given to a small number of students selected (or sampled) to represent the entire population of fourth, eighth, and twelfth graders in schools across the nation. The Trial Urban District Assessment (TUDA), a special project in NAEP, began assessing performance at the district level in selected large urban districts in 2002 with reading and writing assessments, and continued in 2003 and 2005 with reading and mathematics. Ten large urban school districts participated in the 2005 NAEP reading assessment, with Austin participating for the first time. Student samples in these 10 districts were enlarged beyond usual NAEP samples so that reliable district-level data could be produced. This website provides the 2005 NAEP reading results for the participating districts. Results for the District of Columbia, regularly included in state-level NAEP, are also reported, making 11 districts in all. The website compares district results to public school students’ performance in the nation and in large central cities, and to results for the previous assessments in 2002 and 2003, where applicable, using a .05 significance level. For more information, see About Urban Districts.
Reading Results for Grade 4
Average scores for each participating district were lower than the score for the nation, except in Charlotte, where the average was higher, and in Austin, where the average score was not significantly different. Compared with student performance in large central city public schools nationwide, students in Austin, Charlotte, Houston, and New York City scored higher, on average, while average scores in Atlanta, Chicago, Cleveland, the District of Columbia, and Los Angeles were lower. The percentages of students performing at or above Basic in Austin, Charlotte, and New York City were higher than the percentage for large central cities. The percentages performing at or above Proficient in Austin and Charlotte were higher than the percentage for large central cities. The percentages in Chicago, Cleveland, the District of Columbia, and Los Angeles were lower for both achievement levels than the corresponding percentages in large central cities.
In some cases, urban district students outperformed students in the same racial/ethnic group in large central cities in both average score and percentage performing at or above Basic. This was true of Black students in Charlotte, Houston, and New York City; of White students in Atlanta, Austin, Charlotte, the District of Columbia, and Houston; of Hispanic students in Austin, Charlotte, and New York City; and of Asian/Pacific Islander students in New York City. Average scale scores for Black students in Chicago, the District of Columbia, and Los Angeles; for Hispanic students in Los Angeles; and for White students in Cleveland were lower than the average scores for peers in large central cities.
Between 2002 and 2005, both the average reading score and the percentage performing at or above Basic increased in Atlanta and New York City; in Atlanta and Los Angeles, the percentage performing at or above Proficient increased. Between 2003 and 2005, no district showed a significant increase in average score or percentage at or above Basic. In Los Angeles, the percentage of students performing at or above Proficient was higher in 2005 than in 2003.
The average score for each district was lower than the score for the nation, except in Austin and Charlotte, where average scores were not significantly different. Compared with students in large central cities, students in Austin, Boston, Charlotte, and San Diego scored higher, on average, and students in Atlanta, Cleveland, the District of Columbia, Houston, and Los Angeles scored lower. The percentage of students performing at or above Basic in Charlotte was higher than that in large central cities, and the percentages in Atlanta, Cleveland, the District of Columbia, and Los Angeles were lower. Compared with the percentages performing at or above Proficient in large central cities, the percentages in Austin, Boston, and Charlotte were higher, and the percentages in Atlanta, Cleveland, the District of Columbia, Houston, and Los Angeles were lower.
Compared to students of the same race/ethnicity in large central city schools, Black students in Charlotte had a higher percentage performing at or above Basic; Black students in the District of Columbia had a lower average score and percentage performing at or above Basic; Hispanic students in Chicago had a higher average score and percentage performing at or above Basic; Hispanic students in Los Angeles performed lower on both measures; White students in Austin, Charlotte, the District of Columbia, and Houston performed higher on both measures; White students in Los Angeles had a lower percentage performing at or above Basic; and Asian/Pacific Islander students in Boston had a higher average score.
Between 2002 and 2005, the average score in Atlanta increased, and between 2003 and 2005, the average score in Los Angeles increased. Between 2002 and 2005, the percentage of students performing at or above Proficient increased in Atlanta.
Between 2003 and 2005, the gap in average scores between White and Black students in Houston increased, and the gap between White and Hispanic students in Los Angeles decreased.
National Assessment of Educational Progress, National Assessment Governing Board
National Center for Education Statistics, Institute of Education Sciences
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Parkland School Tragedy
Marking One Year Since the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School Shooting
George Clooney Writes Letter to Parkland Students: "Amal and I Are 100 Percent Behind You"
Clooney congratulated the women on the "incredible work" they and their fellow students have achieved to "make the country a safer place"
By Elyse Dupre
Published Mar 23, 2018 at 12:30 PM
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Kevin Winter/Getty Images, File
When the student journalists asked Clooney for an interview as part of their Guardian project, the 56-year-old actor declined the request but submitted a letter.
George Clooney wrote a letter to three student journalists from Parkland, Fla., and applauded Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School students for the work they've done surrounding March for Our Lives.
The three students -- Emma Dowd, Lauren Newman and Rebecca Schneid -- took over The Guardian's website on Friday to help run coverage for the march. The young journalists attend the school where 17 victims were killed in a mass shooting and are the co-editors-in-chief of the student newspaper the Eagle Eye.
In the note, Clooney congratulated the women on the "incredible work" they and their fellow students have achieved to "make the country a safer place." He also assured them that he and his wife Amal Clooney were "100% behind you" and that they would be marching in Washington D.C. on Saturday.
In addition, Clooney reminded them that "this is your march" and "your moment."
"Young people are taking it to the adults and that has been your most effective tool," "The Descendants" star wrote. "The fact that no adults will speak on the stage in DC is a powerful message to the world that if we can't do something about gun violence then you will."
George and Amal Clooney Donate $500,000 to Support March for Our Lives
Mario Lopez Joining 'Access Hollywood' as Co-Host
While he claimed any person "would feel proud to be interviewed by you," he also encouraged them to focus on interviewing young people.
"You could talk to a dozen kids like the young kids from Chicago and LA that Emma met with. You could take over the Guardian and make it tell the stories of children by children," he wrote. "It's a once in a lifetime opportunity to point to this moment and say it belongs to you. You certainly should do what you want but that would be my hope for you."
At the end of the letter, Clooney reiterated his support and gratitude for their work.
J. Lo Concert in NYC Cut Short by Power Outage
The Jennifer Lopez concert was cut short at Madison Square Garden due to the massive power outage in Manhattan.
(Published Monday, July 15, 2019)
"You make me proud of my country again," he wrote.
To read the full letter, visit The Guardian.
Miley Cyrus, Ariana Grande, Jennifer Hudson, Demi Lovato and more stars are scheduled to perform at the flagship march in D.C. Rita Ora, Leona Lewis and Charlie Puth are also set to perform at the rally in Los Angeles.
Wife of 'Bachelor' Creator Granted TRO After Assault Claim
Original Post: George Clooney Writes Heartfelt Letter to Parkland Students: "Amal and I Are 100 Percent Behind You"
© Copyright E! Online
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John Zenor | Associated Press | December 26, 2016
Alabama, Washington arrive in Atlanta for semifinal matchup
Jake Browning and the Huskies will face the No. 1 overall defense in Alabama in the Peach Bowl.
ATLANTA — No. 1 Alabama and coach Nick Saban are the closest the College Football Playoff has to seasoned veterans.
The fourth-ranked Washington Huskies are new on the scene. Both teams have arrived in Atlanta to resume preparation for Saturday's Peach Bowl semifinal game at the Georgia Dome.
The Crimson Tide (13-0) are 3 for 3 in making the playoffs so far, winning it all last season and falling to eventual champion Ohio State two years ago.
RELATED: Alabama's Rashaan Evans hopes to shine on big stage
"What I've learned about this game is the mindset of: Is this a bowl game or is this a playoff game, which I think every player has to decide for himself, every coach has to decide for himself," Saban said Monday. "Because we are trying to create a balance for everyone in our organization because it is a playoff game."
Despite Saban's past lamentations that the playoff format has diminished the importance of bowl games for some, there's no denying the different level of stakes for this one.
The pecking order for the game is clear, too.
Alabama LB Rashaan Evans (32) has made the most of his opportunities, albeit in limited opportunities.
Alabama had a quick flight from the next state over. The Huskies (12-1) flew some 2,500 miles to arrive Sunday night as two-touchdown underdogs, the biggest spread of any of this week's bowl games. Washington coach Chris Petersen is no stranger to being the underdog, or to pulling off upsets going back to his days at Boise State.
Unlike Alabama, Petersen's Huskies are in an unfamiliar spot. But he doesn't think this team has been affected by big-game hype so far this season.
"There'd be a certain game that we played that, 'This is going to be a big game, the biggest one of the season,'" Petersen said. "We would just kind of chuckle and say, 'It doesn't matter who we play. That next game is always the most important game.'
"I think that's been one of the beauties of this team. They've been very focused all season long."
Washington Huskies quarterback Jake Browning (3) will try to stay one step ahead of Alabama's defense.
The Pac-12 champions bring a high-powered offense led by quarterback Jake Browning against the nation's top defense, which helped power the Tide to an SEC championship at the same stadium four weeks before the upcoming semifinal matchup.
Saban said there was a "significant difference" in how well the team prepared last season compared to two years ago.
A wealth of big-game experience has taught him, and presumably the team's veterans, not to adopt the mentality either that they have to play over their heads or get too relaxed with the attitude that, "I'm not going to let the situation affect me."
Saban wants these players and coaches to just be themselves.
"The field is going to be 53 yards wide and 100 yards deep," Saban said. "I don't think they're changing any of that. They're not changing the markings on the field.
"What you have to do to execute well, whether it's block properly, tackle properly, catch the ball, throw the ball. Those things really aren't going to change. I know from a fan's perspective, the significance of these types of games create tremendous emotions and anxiety. But as competitors and players we're hopeful that that doesn't happen."
RELATED: Washington could be toughest test for Alabama's defense
Petersen wants his players to enjoy the visit to Atlanta during their down time, like any other road trip.
"Even when we travel just in a normal away game, we always want them to enjoy and appreciate the moment," he said. "We want them to appreciate the different venues and different hostile environments we go into. That's part of this whole thing, this college football, the pageantry. There's nothing like it. Pro football's not like it. It's just different."
This article was written by John Zenor from The Associated Press and was legally licensed through the NewsCred publisher network.
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MMWR Morb Mortal Wkly Rep. 2002 May 10;51(18):389-92.
Nonoxynol-9 spermicide contraception use--United States, 1999.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
Most women in the United States with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) become infected through sexual transmission, and a woman's choice of contraception can affect her risk for HIV transmission during sexual contact with an infected partner. Most contraceptives do not protect against transmission of HIV and other sexually transmitted diseases (STDs), and the use of some contraceptives containing nonoxynol-9 (N-9) might increase the risk for HIV sexual transmission. Three randomized, controlled trials of the use of N-9 contraceptives by commercial sex workers (CSWs) in Africa failed to demonstrate any protection against HIV infection; one trial showed an increased risk. N-9 contraceptives also failed to protect against infection with Neisseria gonorrhoeae and Chlamydia trachomatis in two randomized trials, one among African CSWs and one among U.S. women recruited from an STD clinic. Because most women in the African studies had frequent sexual activity, had high-level exposure to N-9, and probably were exposed to a population of men with a high prevalence of HIV/STDs, the implications of these studies for U.S. women are uncertain. To determine the extent of N-9 contraceptive use among U.S. women, CDC assessed data provided by U.S. family planning clinics for 1999. This report summarizes the results of that assessment, which indicate that some U.S. women are using N-9 contraceptives. Sexually active women should consider their individual HIV/STD infection risk when choosing a method of contraception. Providers of family planning services should inform women at risk for HIV/STDs that N-9 contraceptives do not protect against these infections.
Contraception Behavior/statistics & numerical data*
Nonoxynol*
Spermatocidal Agents*
United States/epidemiology
Spermatocidal Agents
Nonoxynol
CDC - Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report
NONOXYNOLS - Hazardous Substances Data Bank
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National Climatic Data Center
Search for articles, products, and data at the National Centers for Environmental Information Search Field: Search button:
Home > Climate Monitoring > Climate at a Glance
June Global Release: Thu, 18 Jul 2019, 11:00 AM EDT
Climate at a Glance
Climate Monitoring
State of the Climate
Temp, Precip, and Drought
Societal Impacts
Monitoring References
Divisional
Haywood Plots
Data Information
Statewide Time Series
Choose from the options below and click "Plot" to create a time series graph.
Please note, Degree Days and Palmer Indices are not available for Alaska. Palmer Drought Severity Index (PDSI), Palmer Hydrological Drought Index (PHDI), and Palmer Modified Drought Index (PMDI) are not offered for multiple-month time scales.
Display Base Period
Start: 1925 1926 1927 1928 1929 1930 1931 1932 1933 1934 1935 1936 1937 1938 1939 1940 1941 1942 1943 1944 1945 1946 1947 1948 1949 1950 1951 1952 1953 1954 1955 1956 1957 1958 1959 1960 1961 1962 1963 1964 1965 1966 1967 1968 1969 1970 1971 1972 1973 1974 1975 1976 1977 1978 1979 1980 1981 1982 1983 1984 1985 1986 1987 1988 1989 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 End: 2019 2018 2017 2016 2015 2014 2013 2012 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 1978 1977 1976 1975 1974 1973 1972 1971 1970 1969 1968 1967 1966 1965 1964 1963 1962 1961 1960 1959 1958 1957 1956 1955 1954 1953 1952 1951 1950 1949 1948 1947 1946 1945 1944 1943 1942 1941 1940 1939 1938 1937 1936 1935 1934 1933 1932 1931 1930 1929 1928 1927 1926 1925
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End Year: 2019 2018 2017 2016 2015 2014 2013 2012 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 1978 1977 1976 1975 1974 1973 1972 1971 1970 1969 1968 1967 1966 1965 1964 1963 1962 1961 1960 1959 1958 1957 1956 1955 1954 1953 1952 1951 1950 1949 1948 1947 1946 1945 1944 1943 1942 1941 1940 1939 1938 1937 1936 1935 1934 1933 1932 1931 1930 1929 1928 1927 1926 1925
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Place mouse on axis and left-click to pan; wheel up/down for zoom in/out (or shift key+left-click).
Departure From Mean (25.8°F)
1928-1963 Base Period
192501 - 192812 26.5°F 27 0.7°F
193001 - 193312 24.7°F 3 -1.1°F
193301 - 193612 25.3°F 12 -0.5°F
Citing This Page
NOAA National Centers for Environmental information, Climate at a Glance: Statewide Time Series, published July 2019, retrieved on July 18, 2019 from https://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/cag/
NCEI
NESDIS
Department of Commerce > NOAA > NESDIS > NCEI > NCDC
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Couch to end 18-year run as OKC City Manager
OKCTalk has learned that James D. Couch, city manager for Oklahoma City, plans to issue a press release later today announcing his retirement.
Couch was appointed November 9, 2000, making him the longest-serving OKC city manager by a wide margin.
Of the previous 35 predecessors, the average tenure is 2.5 years and the longest had been under 7.
In addition to managing the city's 4,600 employees and $1.1 billion budget, Couch also serves on several city-related boards and agencies including the airport trust, water utilities trust, zoo trust, and economic development trust.
The city manager serves at the discretion of the city council, yet Couch has been in the position for such an extended period that no current council members were involved in his appointment.
Couch has also handpicked most of the highest level positions at City Hall.
Before his appointment, Couch served as assistant city manager for 2.5 years and water/wastewater utilities director for 11 years, bringing his tenure with the city to close to 30 years.
No specific reasons were given for the decision and a press release is expected later today.
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On the EDGE Conservation
Home About What We Do Team Contact Us
HomeAboutWhat We DoTeamContact Us
The diversity of life on earth is what makes our world wondrous, awe-inspiring, breath-taking, and habitable for humanity. Yet our planet is facing an extraordinary crisis, threatening life and its support systems. Interest and support for the conservation of biodiversity has grown dramatically in recent years, but still focuses almost exclusively on a few charismatic species and little-changed conservation messaging.
Uniquely in the sector, On the EDGE Conservation is positioned to champion biodiversity and change the narrative for nature, catalysing worldwide positive action for conservation.
A world in which wildlife and humanity can co-exist in a balanced and sustainable way, and in which nature is universally and instinctively valued for its unparalleled contribution to our planet and our way of life.
On the EDGE Conservation acts to change the outlook for often-overlooked Evolutionarily Distinct and Globally Endangered (EDGE) species. Through long-term partnerships, providing support for innovative conservation action, science, and story-telling, we strive for game-changing impact around the world. Our approach is designed to inspire positive engagement in both adults and the next generation.
BETH BLOOD, FOUNDER & trustee
Beth Blood is a committed environmentalist and animal advocate, and an ardent champion for conserving and co-existing with wildlife, as well as for integrating sustainability into the global cultural landscape.
Beth holds a BA in Economics from La Trobe University in Melbourne. She moved to the UK in 2011, where she obtained a Masters degree in International Strategy and Diplomacy from the London School of Economics. In addition to her leadership role at On the Edge Conservation and Productions, she is an Honorary Conservation Fellow of the Zoological Society of London and a Trustee of the UK Human Rights Watch Charitable Trust.
DR NISHA OWEN, director of conservation
Dr. Nisha Owen is leading the development and implementation of the themes of conservation, science and storytelling at On the EDGE Conservation.
Previously, Nisha worked at ZSL, developing the EDGE of Existence programme into its current incarnation as a ZSL flagship, as well as developing innovative online capacity building initiatives with United for Wildlife and National Geographic Society. Her global and diverse conservation career has included surveys of cryptic EDGE species such as the pygmy sloth in Panama and Sooglossid frogs in the Seychelles; training conservationists in field stations from Costa Rica to the Philippines; the mitigation of conflicts with elephants and tigers in the Western Ghats of India for her PhD; researching endemic flora and fauna in the Eastern Arc Mountains of Tanzania; counting jaguars, peccaries and other large mammals in the Amazon for her MSc; and reintroducing swift fox to the North American prairies.
Nisha also serves as a Trustee of the London Learning Foundation.
clare scobie, finance director
A graduate of the Institute of Chartered Accountants in Australia, Clare has been Financial Controller at Smythson of Bond Street, Regional Head of Finance (EMEA) at Jimmy Choo and Finance Director at Liberty Ltd prior to joining On the EDGE Conservation.
david blood, trustee
David is Co-Founder and Senior Partner of Generation Investment Management. Previously, David spent 18 years at Goldman Sachs including serving as co-CEO and CEO of Goldman Sachs Asset Management from 1999-2003.
David received a BA from Hamilton College, and an MBA from Harvard Business School.
David serves as a Board Director for Dialight, New Forests, Motivate International, On the Edge Productions, SHINE, the World Resources Institute, Social Finance UK, and is a life trustee of Hamilton College.
jonathan baillie, trustee
Jonathan Baillie is the Executive Vice President and Chief Scientist of the National Geographic Society.
Prior to joining NGS, Jonathan spent 20 years at the Zoological Society of London (ZSL), where he latterly served as Conservation Programmes Director, overseeing conservation projects focused on threatened species and their habitats in over 50 countries.
Jonathan led the ZLS team that founded the EDGE of Existence program, which focuses on EDGE species and supports young scientists around the world working to protect animals facing extinction. While at ZSL, he also founded the Conservation Technology Unit and the Business and Biodiversity Programme.
alexander marshall, trustee
Alex is General Counsel and Chief Compliance Officer of Generation Investment Management. Previously, Alex was Head of Legal for the Investment Management Division of Goldman Sachs outside the Americas, and a Senior Counsel at Clifford Chance.
Alex received an LLB and a Diploma in Legal Practice from the University of Edinburgh, and a Masters in Corporate and Commercial Law from the London School of Economics. Alex is admitted as a Solicitor by the Law Society of Scotland.
Nature of your Query
Solenodon
Secretary Bird
Registered Charity No. 1163124 Company Registration No. 09646831
02037359446 info@ontheedge.org
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Stamp Duty Land Tax: Higher rates for second homes and additional buy-to-let residential properties
George Osborne announced proposed changes to the Stamp Duty Land Tax (SDLT) treatment of second homes and additional buy-to-let residential dwellings in the Government’s Autumn Spending Review in 2015. The changes came as part of the Government’s continued policy to try to create a “level playing field” in Britain’s “under-supplied property market”.
Since Mr Osborne’s 2013 budget speech, when he announced the introduction of the first ‘Help to Buy’ scheme, the Government have made increasing the level of home ownership a key objective of its time in office. These latest changes are introduced alongside the Government’s removal of a landlord’s full mortgage interest tax relief, to be fully implemented by 2020, and which are expected to have a significant impact on those landlords with highly leveraged buy-to-let rental properties.
The SDLT changes come in to force from 1 April 2016, and will see the SDLT treatment of second homes and buy-to-let residential properties increase by an additional 3% tax on top of the existing tax payable for that particular tax band. The changes will apply to purchases where completion takes place on or after 1 April 2016, no matter when contracts were exchanged (the exception being where contracts have been exchanged on or before 25 November 2015).
The Government has said that it will use some of the additional tax collected to provide £60 million for communities in England where the impact of second homes is particularly acute, together with doubling the affordable housing budget. By its own estimation the Government expect to raise more than £630 million in additional tax in the year following 1 April 2016, growing to more than £855 million by 2021.
Understandably the changes have proven highly controversial, with the National Landlords Association estimating that landlords could sell as many as 500,000 residential properties in the twelve months following the introduction of the new tax treatment as landlords look to streamline their portfolios or leave the market altogether. A recent YouGov survey was less pessimistic, claiming that those landlords that had taken part in the survey had indicated that they had built a sufficient degree of resilience into their business model to weather the effects of the changes.
Regardless of the wider effects on the buy-to-let market, anyone intending to purchase an additional home or residential rental investment property will need to factor in the additional costs associated with the higher rate of SDLT when budgeting for their purchase.
For more information please contact Carl Langley
18th March, 2016 9:40 am
Tags: Carl Langley, SDLT, second homes
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Beverly June (Robinson) Allen
May 3, 1930 ~ April 2, 2019 (age 88)
June (Robinson) Allen passed away on April 2, 2019 at the age of 88 at her home in McKinleyville, with family by her side.
Born May 3, 1930 in Austin City, Minnesota, Beverly was the first of six siblings born to Fred and Margaret Robinson. Raised on a farm in Blooming Prairie, Minnesota, she was the first in her family to attend university. Beverly received her Bachelor of Science degree in Medical Technology in 1951 from Macalester College in St. Paul, Minnesota. In 1955 Beverly met and married George Herbert Allen, settled in McKinleyville, California and raised three daughters, Terryl, Wendy and Stasia.
Beverly was a tall, slender, beautiful red-headed Norwegian who loved to read and learn. In 1947, at the age of 17, she entered a 4-H radio public speaking contest, themed “How Can I Better Serve as a World Citizen?” Beverly won the contest and delivered her speech on a statewide radio network – the beginning of more than half a century promoting women’s rights, women’s health, human rights, international peace, and community enrichment and development programs.
In 2016, Beverly received the Distinguished Citizen Award from Macalester College in recognition of outstanding leadership, achievement, and active involvement in community throughout her lifetime. Beverly was a 4-H leader, served on the boards of General Hospital, the League of Women Voters, and the Humboldt Unitarian Universalist Fellowship (HUUF) – being an early founding member of the latter and the author of the history of the HUUF. Beverly was also a founding mother of Northcountry Clinic in Humboldt County, one of a group of clinics serving more than 50,000 low-income women and children a year. She helped the McKinleyville Union School District start a Language Immersion Program that provides dual language learning and bilingual education in the schools. She was a co-trustee of the Andrée Wagner Peace Trust which supports and promotes pacifism and peace.
Peace building was also a theme in Beverly’s international volunteer work. She traveled to Nairobi in 1985 to attend the United Nations Decade for Women conference, and in 1986 went to Moscow, Germany, Helsinki, and England with the international organization, Women of Peace, to protest the storage of nuclear cruise missiles.
Beverly was also an accomplished knitter and weaver, an avid life-long walker/hiker, and held strong beliefs in women’s and earth based spiritualities. She raised sheep for wool, collected plants for dye, hand spun the wool into yarn, then wove and/or knitted hats, socks, shawls, blankets, sweaters, vests, capes, and hedgehogs! Walking in nature, often, for many miles at a time, was how Beverly renewed her spirit – being present with the flora, fauna, soil, water, wind, and sun. At the HUUF, she co-facilitated two women’s spirituality curricula: Cakes for the Queen of Heaven and Rise Up and Call Her Name, and was a key lead in having the HUUF congregation meet the Unitarian Universalist Association’s criteria to become a Welcoming Congregation to the LGBTQ community.
Beverly was preceded in death by her husband, George Herbert Allen (May 9, 2011); her parents, Fred and Margaret Robinson, her brother David, and nephews Jeff and John. She is survived by her three daughters, Terryl Lee Allen (Jim), Wendy Burroughs (Gordie), and Stasia Allen Buffenbarger (Jim); her sisters LaVonne Sorensen (Orley), Marilyn Tollefson (Gaylord), and Doris Hill; her brother Jerry Robinson (Sunny); grandchildren Chelsea and Trent Burroughs, and Hannah and Dylan Buffenbarger; and many nieces and nephews.
A Celebration of Life will be held on Saturday, August 10, 2019 from 2 to 4 p.m. at the Humboldt Unitarian Universalist Fellowship in Bayside. In lieu of flowers, memorial donations can be made to the HUUF, 24 Fellowship Way, Bayside, CA 95524; or The George and Beverly Allen Fisheries Assistantship Endowment by calling the Humboldt State University Office of Philanthropy at 707-826-5200.
To share memories or express condolences, please sign guest book.
There's still time to send flowers to the Celebration of Life at the Humboldt Unitarian Universalist Fellowship at 2:00 PM on August 10, 2019.
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Bandai Namco brings a remastered trilogy of PS2 .hack//G.U. RPGs to PC
Play a fictional MMO inside a PC port of a PS2 game.
Image via Famitsu.
It's not every day that we see PlayStation 2 games making their way to PC, but what do you know: Bandai Namco's going for it. The latest issue of Japanese gaming mag Famitsu revealed that an HD remaster of the .hack//G.U. trilogy, originally released in 2006 and 2007, is coming to PS4 and PC as a bundle called .hack//G.U. Last Recode.
The .hack series of games aren't MMOs, but they're set inside fictional MMOs, which is strange but also cool? Why grind in a real MMO when you can grind in a fake MMO inside a real game, am I right?
Speaking of grinding, it seems like there's going to be a bit less of it this time around than in the originals. As reported by RPG Site, the Last Recode remaster includes all three games running at 1080p 60 fps with a swath of balance changes and new features applied to the series. Those include: movement speed, a larger item inventory, increased XP gain, and skippable cutscenes.
Unsurprisingly Famitsu has no details on a western release, but with .hack//G.U. Last Recode coming to PC, it's likely inevitable.
.hack//G.U.
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Researcher: Hackers could start abusing electric car chargers to cripple the grid
By Loek Essers
Amsterdam Correspondent, IDG News Service | PT
Hackers could use vulnerable charging stations to prevent the charging of electric vehicles in a certain area, or possibly even use the vulnerabilities to cripple parts of the electricity grid, a security researcher said during the Hack in the Box conference in Amsterdam on Thursday.
While electric cars and EV charging systems are still in their infancy, they could become a more common way to travel within the next 10 years. If that happens, it is important that the charging systems popping up in cities around the world are secure in order to prevent attackers from accessing and tempering with them, said Ofer Shezaf, product manager security solutions at HP ArcSight. At the moment, they are not secure at all, he said.
An EV charging station like this one in Amsterdam could be vulnerable to hackers, according to a security researcher at the Hack in the Box conference.
[ Further reading: The best antivirus for Windows PCs ]
“Essentially a charging station is a computer on the street,” Shezaf said. “And it is not just a computer on the street but it is also a network on the street.”
Users want their cars to charge as quickly as possible but not all electric cars can be charged at once because the providers of charging stations have to take the local and regional circuit capacity in mind, said Shezaf. “Therefore we need smart charging,” he said.
But installing smart charging systems means that the charging stations on the street need to be connected, so the amount of energy is distributed in such a way that electricity grids are not overloaded, he said. But when charging stations are connected, multiple charging stations can be abused if an hacker can access them, Shezaf said.
The easiest way is to physically access the charging stations. “There are systems on the street and it is very easy to access the computer,” Shezaf said. “When you get to the equipment, reverse engineering it is actually a lot easier than you think.”
Hackers could take apart the systems to determine components and analyze and debug the firmware, he said. By doing this they can potentially spot convenient eavesdropping points and get encryption keys, Shezaf said, who added that he based his research on public sources, and in most cases on documentation from vendors’ websites.
Charging stations can be configured by opening them, placing a manual electric DIP switch to configuration mode, connecting an Ethernet cross cable and firing up a browser to get access to the configuration environment, he said. In at least one type of charging station this kind of access doesn’t require any authentication, Shezaf found. “You go and open the box with a key and that is the last security measure you meet,” he said.
Some charging stations are also connected using RS-485 short-range communications networks used for inexpensive local networking, Shezaf said. Those connections have a very low bandwidth and high latency, are commonly used and have no inherent security, he added.
And while it all depends on the application, bandwidth and latency limits of the RS-485 networks makes eavesdropping and man-in-the-middle attacks simple, according to Shezaf, who described several other potential vulnerabilities during his presentation.
Using these methods, hackers could start influencing charge planning or influence and stop charges, he said. If no electric car can charge for a day when 30 percent of all cars in a country are electric, this could become problematic, he said. “If someone can prevent charging for everyone in a small area you have a major influence on life. In a larger area it might be a really really big problem,” Shezaf said.
“If somebody finds a way to confuse the smart car charging system, the denial of service can not only hit charging cars, but also the electricity system,” he said.
While risks may be small today, it is time to start securing charging systems, Shezaf said. There should be more standardization in the charging sector, preferably using open standards, he said. But basically “we just have to pay more attention and spend more money,” he said, adding that at the moment too little of both is happening.
“We shouldn’t be relaxing now. The issues will become real when electric cars become real. If we don’t start today it won’t be secure in 10 years,” he said.
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RETAIL: Barr’s Furniture in Jurupa Valley…
RETAIL: Barr’s Furniture in Jurupa Valley made to last
Alisha and Nick Renna, posing for a portrait in their showroom, are third-generation family owners of Barr's Furniture Store in Jurupa Valley. The business has operated since 1963, when Amos and Ida Barr — Nick’s grandparents — came from St. Louis and opened the store in what was then called Rubidoux.
Howard Miller grandfather clocks are a specialty of Barr’s. This photo shows a closeup of a clock’s gears in the furniture showroom
A mission style candelabra graces the showroom of Barr's Furniture. The owners pride themselves on selling hard- woods, red and white oak, cherry, maple, birch and hickory.
A lamp in the showroom of Barr's Furniture on Tuesday, June 11, 2013. Barr's Furniture Store in Jurupa Valley, which has been in business 50 years through three generations of one family.
Nick Renna is a third generation owner of Barr's Furniture in the showroom on Tuesday, June 11, 2013. Barr's Furniture Store in Jurupa Valley, which has been in business 50 years through three generations of one family.
By Laurie Lucas | llucas@scng.com | The Press-Enterprise
A half century since it opened, a mom and pop furniture store stands proudly on the main drag of Jurupa Valley.
But Barr’s Furniture at 5644 Mission Ave. is more than a survivor of the battered housing market, which has toppled many big-name companies. Barr’s third generation owners, Nick and Alisha Renna, keep raising the bar. They’re upholding the family tradition of selling mostly American-manufactured products, even right off the floor and providing top-of-the-line delivery service.
Today, 70 percent of the store’s products are made of hardwoods, including red oak, white oak, cherry, maple, birch and hickory, instead of cheaper, less durable particle board. In fact, Barr’s is the largest solid wood seller in the Inland Empire, the Rennas said.
Imports — which have increased since 2006 and placed big pricing pressures on domestic furniture makers — will continue to hurt the $25 billion home furniture domestic manufacturing market, according to IBISWorld a market research firm. A recent report said that the industry’s annual growth dropped nearly 5 percent in the past seven years and will not significantly improve through 2018, forcing companies to reduce their markups and thus, profits.
As with its products, Barr’s Furniture is made to last. Nick Renna, 45, shows off a framed, yellowed newspaper advertisement from Barr’s second anniversary sale in 1964. It’s for a $350 hand-tied sofa made by Trend Manor, an American company founded in 1946 that still remains one of Barr’s top-selling lines.
“It’s always a challenge,” Nick Renna said of selling furniture. “But after this third recession, we’ve come out stronger.” He’s proud of the family’s legacy of selling high-quality American-made goods. Barr’s can keep prices competitive because the company owns the building and hires sales staff who don’t work on commission, he said.
He won’t divulge annual revenues except to say that they exceed $1 million.
“One of the biggest problems is overcoming the stigma of this area,” said Nick Renna, who grew up in the Jurupa Valley, but lives in Riverside.
However, the store’s less-than-glamorous location doesn’t faze loyal, longtime customers and certainly not the growing coast-to-coast clientele attracted by Barr’s stepped-up Internet marketing.
Nick Renna credits his wife, Alisha Renna, a middle-school teacher in Fontana, for enhancing the store’s social networking and making commercials for Barr’s website.
“The majority of our furnishings come from Barr’s,” said Jenifer Todd, 54, of Jurupa Valley, who bought her bedroom set there in 1991. “I was skeptical of the store being in Rubidoux, but immediately I saw exactly what I wanted in the front window. I’ve been shopping there ever since. They’re so helpful, that they even brought us old recliners to sell at our yard sale.”
Lisa Cook, 47, of Jurupa Valley, remembers going to the store as a child with her parents when they sought a “lasting” piece of furniture. As an adult, Cook kept meeting interior designers who raved about Barr’s quality and reputation. Several years ago, after a fruitless search for a cedar chest for her parents’ 50{+t}{+h} anniversary, Cook spotted the perfect one in Barr’s.
“The owner explained to me what made a quality chest made of cedar, as opposed to one being lined with cedar,” Cook said.
Nick Renna is the grandson of the late Amos and Ida Barr, St. Louis natives who moved to California for health reasons. They bought the 20,000-square-foot building — a showroom with a warehouse in back — and opened Barr’s Furniture in 1963 in what was then called Rubidoux.
The couple benefitted from the location in those pre-freeway days when Mission Boulevard was a main artery from Los Angeles to Palm Springs. In an interview 10 years ago with The Press-Enterprise, Ida Barr said the store prospered from the get-go because of her extroverted husband’s love of people, business savvy and “white-glove” customer service.
In 1965 the Barrs brought in their daughter and son-in-law, Barbara and Gene Renna. “I grew up in the store, sweeping the front, working in the warehouse, delivering furniture,” said their son, Nick Renna. He bought the business in 1997. Barbara and Gene, now in their seventies, bowed out in 2001 and are enjoying retirement.
Nick Renna, who’s kept some of the store’s original American suppliers, has added many others, including Simply Amish and Aireloom mattresses.
“I won’t compromise,” he said. “Our customers have forced us to get better.” The showroom resonates every 15 minutes with chiming from a full-line of Howard Miller grandfather clocks. He said there will always be buyers, aficionados who never tire of hearing the constant “dongs”.
The Rennas already are grooming the fourth-generation for a takeover. Their daughters, Alisa, 5 and Angelina, 4, have their own playroom in the store where they spend every afternoon after school.
Follow Laurie Lucas on Twitter @laurielucas and check her blog on http://blog.pe.com/retail/
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Hit-and-run driver gets 4 years in prison after killing woman in Moreno Valley
Laurie Lucas
Laurie Lucas started at The Press-Enterprise in 1981 in the human interest section called Sidelight. Since then she has written mostly features but also detoured into municipal meetings, covering Eastvale, Moreno Valley, Perris, Canyon Lake and Lake Elsinore. After a couple of years as a business reporter, she returned in 2014 to features. She now writes mostly profiles, arts and entertainment stories, dining profiles and a weekly Foodie Empire column. She would love to be a musician, singer dancer, artist, author or scratch cook. But because she’s not, she enjoys a vicarious thrill writing about other people’s talents.
Follow Laurie Lucas @LaurieLucas_PE
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Ray Stern
Governor Doug Ducey has touted his welcoming policy for autonomous vehicles — but now the state faces a $10 million wrongful death claim over that policy.
Governor Doug Ducey via Twitter
$10M Claim Blames Ducey, State for Uber Self-Driving Crash That Killed Woman
Ray Stern | February 13, 2019 | 4:48pm
Arizona Governor Doug Ducey failed to keep roads safe with his free-wheeling autonomous vehicle rules, says a $10 million claim against the state by the family of the woman killed by an Uber self-driving car last March.
The claim was filed on September 18, 2018, but released this week to Phoenix New Times under public records law.
Elaine Herzberg, a sometimes-homeless, 49-year-old woman with a drug problem, died on March 18 after an Uber Volvo XC90 in autonomous mode slammed into her at about 10 p.m. on Mill Avenue just south of Curry Road.
Lawyer Richard Gulbrandsen, who prepared the notice of claim on behalf of Herzberg's husband, Rolf Ziemann, and her daughter, Christine Wood, declined comment on Wednesday. Ziemann and Wood, who are each demanding $5 million from the state, settled with Uber for an unreleased amount of money last year.
The state claim is similar to a $10 million claim filed in September against the city of Tempe. But while that demand focused on the alleged hazards of a brick walkway that Herzberg had used before her fateful trip across the street, Ziemann and Wood accuse the state of a much broader scope of liability.
Besides the state and Ducey, Department of Transportation Director John Halikowski is also named as a defendant. The governor's office didn't respond to a request for comment about the claim. (UPDATE: The governor's office said later it would not respond to pending litigation, but didn't know if a lawsuit has been filed.)
After quoting legal precedent about the state's responsibility to keep roadways "reasonably safe" for travelers, the claim says the state has "failed to make roadways safe, allowing autonomous vehicles to operate on public roadways in an unsafe manner."
The state's oversight of autonomous vehicles was negligent, it states, adding that Ducey's 2015 executive order facilitating the testing of self-driving vehicles was created "negligently and without sufficient investigation into the safety of Uber's autonomous vehicles. Any oversight provided by a committed, ADOT, or DPS, was wholly insufficient, and placed an unreasonably high risk of harm to the citizens of Arizona."
The claim goes on to quote Ducey's 2016 invitation to Uber, in which the governor quipped that "California put the brakes on innovation and change," but he wouldn't.
"This rush to be first in the 'tech boom' era made Arizona's roadways unreasonably dangerous," the claim states.
New Times made a similar argument that Ducey was at least partially responsible for Herzberg's death in the April 12 cover story, "Ducey's Drive-By: How Arizona Governor Helped Cause Uber's Fatal Self-Driving Car Crash."
Though Tempe didn't respond to its claim, the city proactively ripped up the brick walkway in question and replaced it last year with trees, other ground cover, and decomposed granite.
Yavapai County Attorney Sheila Polk is still deciding whether to charge the Uber backup driver, Rafaela Vasquez, with a crime for failing to avoid Herzberg, who was not in a crosswalk. Phone records show Vasquez had been streaming a TV show in the seconds before the crash, and the Volvo's interior video shows she wasn't looking at the road before the impact.
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An Interview With Poet John Barr
Kevin Larimer
Direct Quote
Six months ago, John Barr was named president of the Poetry Foundation. While many poets had never heard of the former Wall Street investment banker (although he is the author of six books of poetry and served on the board of directors of Yaddo as well as that of the Poetry Society of America) many are now acutely aware of the leader of the organization that received a pledge of $100 million over the next thirty years from pharmaceutical heiress Ruth Lilly.
In response to the unprecedented financial gift, Barr and his colleagues at the Poetry Foundation are currently developing strategies for structuring the organization and creating programs that will meet the needs of the poetry community. Although the organization has not yet implemented any new initiatives since Lilly's donation was announced in 2002, Barr is already clear about one crucial point: The Poetry Foundation will not be a grant-giving organization. Instead, he hopes to create joint ventures with other organizations; build new in-house programs, such as prizes and awards available to poets; develop electronic media projects; and, perhaps most important, support the 92-year-old Poetry magazine.
Poets & Writers Magazine asked Barr for his views on the state of contemporary poetry and how poets can reach a broader readership. The answer, it turns out, is not all about the money.
John Barr: It doesn’t feel like we’re in a golden age of poetry right now. Poetry is surviving partly through the dedication of readers who have found it and go to it for the right reasons [and] partly because it’s managed to find ways to exist in the academic world and in the arts funding world. Think about where you read poetry now. The New Yorker has a sort of time-honored feature. A respected place for poetry, but it’s a couple of poems, right?
P&W: When you think of how many cartoons are in an issue compared to how many poems…
JB: That’s exactly right. Poetry is respected but people aren’t going to cross the street for it. If it’s put in front of them they’ll probably pay it some attention. People in the business like to talk about teachers being afraid of poetry, about poetry inherently being more challenging, and about the society being more visual—all things that make it harder to break down those unconscious levels of resistance to poetry. And I’m not sure it’s ever been any different. I don’t think those are today’s issues myself. To me poetry is written out of the extremes of a person’s life—the extreme moments, high or low. And it's what people go to—the readers—in the extremes of their lives. I think poetry’s golden age will come when it is in front of a general audience, when people know to go to it when they need it. I’m not sure they go to it when they need it right now.
P&W: But is that because it’s not in front of them?
JB: I think poets have to do some of the fixing. I don’t think we should be in the business of unqualified admiration—that "anything written is great, let’s get it out there." The reason I love for poets to succeed through the sales of their books—two examples would be Mary Oliver and Billy Collins—is because it’s the complete test: They’re writing it; there is an audience out there who is going to buy it because they’ve learned to value it.
The commercial test I talk about is not so much that poetry doesn’t deserve not-for-profit funding, but it makes the artist reach out to the natural listeners who are out there waiting for him. I’ve sometimes been disagreed with about this. To some people that sounds like compromising what a poet wants to say. I don’t agree with that. Let me give you a quick example: If I were explaining how a car works to one of my children when they were five years old it would be a different conversation than when they were teenagers.
“Dad the car won’t start.”
“Well check the battery.”
I’m not compromising what I’m saying, I’m just talking to an audience that is shaping what I’m saying as I speak. I think it’s a healthy thing for poets to have a real audience of readers as opposed to just each other at workshop.
P&W: But does that mean that the general audience for poetry is like five year olds?
JB: I’m not characterizing them as five year olds. I don’t mean poetry should be dumbed down.
P&W: That’s what I’m getting at. Certainly the poetry you’re bringing up—Billy Collins and Mary Oliver—I think people would say it’s accessible.
JB: Yes they would.
P&W: They would characterize it that way. But is that what you’re getting at: The commercial test of a poet is accessibility?
JB: I think what I’m getting at is that not every poet has to write for every reader. So some poets, their work is just naturally more dense, and it’s going to take more time to penetrate than others. And there’s not a quality differential there—that’s why the whole dumbing down spectrum is not a good place to be. I think Mary Oliver writes some of the best poetry now being written, but it’s also accessible.
Take Frost, if you want to stay with the safely dead, he was taken for a greeting card poet for portions of his career and then people decided there was a lot of depth to it, and darkness to it, which is always good for a reputation. So he got a serious reading from then on. But always accessible in the first reading.
P&W: But what about something like—to take a break from poetry for a second—Picasso. When John Q. Public or just anyone first comes to a Picasso painting, it’s not automatically going to grab him. Doesn’t it also require some effort...
JB: Well, I think “The Wasteland” might be a good example. Your point is that certain kinds of art are trying to change the way we see and hear: “We engineer perception.” I think the Language poets today are doing that and I respect it. I would distinguish between two roles for poetry. There is a long tradition of poetry of the rational or the didactic.
If you take a poem by Seamus Heaney, you can parse it. Or Galway Kinnell. You can say, “Here’s the argument of the poem; here’s what it’s about.” You can’t do that with Wallace Stevens. You can’t do it with the Language poets. You can’t do it with the surrealist poets. They’re both doing important, legitimate art, but they’re using art in quite different ways. I think of that first category as helping us to live our lives better. If there was a time of sorrow for me, and I was drawn to a poem, I would go to one in the first category probably. I think the second category, whether it’s Picasso or the Language poets or the surrealists are in effect using poetry as a form of epistemology. So the Language poets particularly, they are exploring the question: “What do we know and how can we know it?” That’s not what I’d go curl up with near a warm fire and read. But that doesn’t mean it’s not important. “The Wasteland” is a good question. When I first encountered it in college as a freshman so many years ago, I didn’t get it at all. Now I can read it, I can follow it. Was Eliot ahead of his time? Did he drag the reading of poetry behind him? Did the modernists move us into a new place? Probably. So maybe from that point of view art should not be without effort. It’s a little bit the job of the recipient as well as the generator to do that.
P&W: Exactly.
JB: Fair point. Fair point. And poetry’s got plenty of challenge in it—that’s why we don’t get it read more easily and broadly. But I don’t want to diminish the other kind either, which I think of as helping us to live our lives.
P&W: I’m sure you’re not saying that in order to get poetry to the public, we need to write a certain way or change the way we write. I think the average reader could benefit from reading poems from both categories, so I think the real challenge is how do you broaden the audience for poetry without dumbing it down or without making it rigidly accessible poetry.
JB: I hope that part of the process of bringing poetry before its broadest public or a broader public in the country is a message that’s partly received by the writers as well as by the readers. Poetry needs to be about communication, not just self-expression. And communication—whether it’s the next poet over in the workshop or it’s somebody you don’t know who’s never read a poem before—includes a desire to be understood, not just to express yourself.
I think a poet always implies his audience and that audience implied should not be a poet, it should be somebody else, whoever it is. I think there is more conscious work that can be done by writers generally to reflect, embody, and digest a bigger body of experience and work that through into their own work. My example is Ernest Hemingway. In 1933 he took his first safari ... he shot lions and went home and wrote about it: The Snows of Kilamanjaro, "The Short, Happy Life of Francis Macomber," True at First Light, an unfinished novel. I don’t know of a lot of poets who do that.
Somehow, I think unconsciously, poets have inherited the attitude that they are going to wait for the muse to come to them, that they’re going to wait for the lightning to strike, that they are in effect passive witnesses of what is around them. This shows up in academia where you get poems about writing poems. There is great poetry written in the academy, but we might get a broader experience base in poetry if people did things other than teach and write. I think it's sort of a romantic stereotype that poets wait to be struck by the muse, and I’d love to see a more activist, reach-out approach. The relationship between how we live and what we write seems to me underappreciated among a lot of poets writing today.
I think if poetry doesn’t aerate itself in a more effective, broader way, occasionally it becomes self-referential—not my term, but a good term to describe poetry that gets a bit of a hothouse feel to it.
Joseph Parisi Resigns From Poetry Foundation
by Staff | Daily News 8.27.03
Joseph Parisi recently resigned as executive director of publications and programs of the Poetry Foundation, formerly known as the Modern Poetry Association, the publisher of Poetry magazine. Parisi, who was editor of the 91-year-old literary...
Poetry Foundation Gets a Dose of Wall Street
by Staff | Daily News 2.4.04
The Chicago-based Poetry Foundation, formerly known as the Modern Poetry Association, the publisher of Poetry magazine, recently named John Barr as its president. Barr, a founder and managing director of SG Barr Devlin Associates, an...
Publisher of Poetry Receives $100 Million From Heir to Lilly Fortune
by Staff | Daily News 11.20.02
The Modern Poetry Association, publisher of Poetry, the 90-year-old literary magazine based in Chicago, is the recipient of what could be the largest single donation ever made to a nonprofit literary organization.
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Nuclear Age Peace Foundation
New Hope for Nuclear Disarmament
(OneWorld.net) - Marking the 64th anniversary of the U.S. nuclear attacks on Hiroshima and Nagasaki that killed over 100,000 civilians, a disarmament group celebrated a day of peace last week. The annual Sadako Peace Day ceremony was inspired by a young girl who died from leukemia as a result of the atomic bomb that hit Hiroshima in 1945. »
Worldwide protest at Myanmar sentence
The opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi has been sentenced to further 18 months home imprisonment which would prevent her from participating in Myanmar's elections in May 2010. Ms Suu Ky won the Peace Nobel Price in 1991. In 1990 she had won the right to be Prime Minister when her coalition won 59% of the votes but a military junta prevented her from assuming office. »
Pressenza IPA
Overhaul of Fatah’s Central Committee opens a new chance for Peace with Israel
In the first poll in 20 years, though Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas's continues in office, an important overhaul of Fatah’s Central Committee changed 14 of the 18 members with younger representatives. Fatah’s position has rejected violence and proclaims “two states for two people”. Their main condition is the removal of all Israeli settlements in the West Bank. »
Alyn Ware
Call for an Arctic Nuclear-Weapon-Free Zone
The Copenhaguen conference calls for Arctic nuclear-weapon-free zone to be demilitarized as Antarctica. It was attended by parliamentarians, academics, scientists, indigenous representatives and activists from Arctic countries and from established nuclear-weapon-free zones. Participants are flying to Thule military base, Greenland – site of B52 nuclear bomber crash in 1968. »
Coup Government in Honduras to Accept OAS Delegation
Honduras’s de facto rulers said Sunday they had resolved a disagreement with the Organization of American States over a visit to the Central American country to discuss its political crisis. The government running Honduras since a coup in June had told OAS chief Jose Miguel Insulza to stay away but now has changed its mind, and allows him to come with a delegation. »
Obama meets with neighbouring leaders
United States President Barack Obama will hold a press conference with the leaders of Mexico and Canada at 1730 UTC. President Obama arrived in Mexico's second-largest city, Guadalajara, on Sunday evening for a day and a half of talks with Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper and Mexican President Felipe Calderon. In the agenda: Flu, drugs, NAFTA and the Honduras’s crisis. »
Hiroshima remembered in Budapest – demands for disarmament
In Budapest, a joint delegation from the Humanist Movement, Greenpeace Hungary, and ATTAC Hungary visited the embassies of countries with nuclear weapons. Later that day, 150 people staged a die-in demonstration in front of the Hungarian parliament building, to commemorate the victims of the Hiroshima and Nagasaki attacks. »
Zelaya: “I continue to stick with my mandate, fighting to oust the power-grabbers using all peaceful weapons”
While post-ouster Toll hits Five people dead, Honduran General General Romeo Vasquez, denies Coup, and pressure from the United Nations, the OAS, Central American presidents, increases. In an interview with CNN, President Zelaya said that with a tighter pressure from the United States, the coup could no be maintained any longer. »
Zelaya Takes Case to International Criminal Court
After two Zelaya supporters died in Honduras, ousted Honduran President Manuel Zelaya vowed on Saturday to return to power through peaceful means and said he would take his case to the International Criminal Court. He declared that it was in the convenience of the United States to withhold a common vision of democracy, and not support the coup d’état. »
Iván Novotny
A call to defend democracy in Latin America
Avaaz.org, a community made up of three million citizens, is calling on all residents of Latin America to sign a declaration which is to be sent to the negotiating table for the political conflict in Honduras. A formal request will be submitted to Oscar Arias, president of Costa Rica, “[in order for] the parties involved to be aware that the people of Latin America will only accept a political resolution based on democratic principles”. »
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UK Teachers’ Union, the Largest in Europe, endorses the World March
01.08.2009 - London - Silvia Swinden
“The NUT whole-heartedly supports the World March for Peace and Non-violence. The NUT does much to progress peace throughout the world and has called upon the British government to take stock of how its own actions impact on conflict in other countries, including the sales of arms.
The NUT believes that peace is fundamental in enabling quality education for all children, and decent working standards and training for teachers. The NUT also recognises the importance of developing young people’s understanding of tolerance, human rights and the impact of war. Teachers’ input and leadership on these matters can help build culturally sensitive, socially aware citizens who can contribute to healthy, peaceful communities and societies, both locally and globally in the future.
We sincerely hope that the World March for Peace and Non-violence reminds people of those children and people in the world who struggle with the impact of violence and war, and that it builds the momentum and impetus needed to contribute towards a peaceful global society.”
Categories: Culture and Media, Europe
Silvia Swinden
Silvia Swinden - Author of “From Monkey Sapiens to Homo Intentional: The Phenomenology of the Nonviolent Revolution” – Adonis & Abbey, London 2006. Pressenza London Editor
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Chargers send Broncos to 1st shutout loss in 25 years, 21-0
Sports | October 22, 2017
Greg Beacham
Denver Broncos running back C.J. Anderson, middle, is tackled by Los Angeles Chargers free safety Tre Boston, right, and strong safety Jahleel Addae during the second half Sunday, in Carson, Calif.
Jae C. Hong/ AP
CARSON, Calif. — When the cannon sounded and thousands of orange-clad fans in the StubHub Center crowd trudged to their cars, Joey Bosa and his teammates celebrated a few milestones with their half of the home crowd.
For the first time since Dec. 18, 1960, the Los Angeles Chargers won a home game.
And they did it by sending their archrivals from Denver to their first shutout loss in nearly a quarter-century.
“That’s a cherry on top,” Bosa said.
Travis Benjamin returned a first-quarter punt 65 yards for a touchdown and caught a 42-yard TD pass in the fourth, and the Chargers played a dominant defensive game in the first home victory of their relocation season, 21-0 over the Denver Broncos on Sunday.
Bosa and Chris McCain each had two of the Chargers’ five sacks . Los Angeles’ defense forced three turnovers and flattened Trevor Siemian and the Broncos (3-3), who hadn’t been blanked in 394 games since a 24-0 loss to the Los Angeles Raiders on Nov. 22, 1992.
The Broncos had the longest active scoring streak in the NFL and the second-longest in league history, surpassed only by San Francisco’s 420-game streak from 1977 to 2004. Incredibly, the Indianapolis Colts’ 375-game streak — the third-longest in league history — also ended Sunday.
Philip Rivers passed for 183 yards in his 100th victory, hitting Austin Ekeler for an early TD and Benjamin for the late clincher, but even the veteran quarterback was a grateful spectator.
“It was fun to watch our defense play,” Rivers said. “Man, they were awesome.”
The Chargers (3-4) have won three straight under new coach Anthony Lynn following a winless opening month in their first season back in Los Angeles after 56 years in San Diego.
“We feel like it’s wide open,” said Lynn, whose Chargers are on their first three-game winning streak since November 2014. “We dug a hole for ourselves, and we’re just climbing out of the hole. We know we’ve got a hill to climb. Today we just took more steps. It’s starting to pay off for us.”
The Chargers had lost seven consecutive home games since last November, and they hadn’t won a home game as the LA Chargers since the final game of the AFL’s inaugural regular season, after which they lost the championship game to the Houston Oilers and then moved south.
But the Bolts largely dominated the Broncos, who have lost three of four with a flagging offense that has managed three touchdowns in four games. Los Angeles also avenged its season-opening loss in Denver on a blocked field goal at the end.
Siemian passed for 207 yards, but Denver lost to the Chargers for just the third time in the AFC West rivals’ past 14 meetings — and did so in historic fashion.
“You can’t lose two games straight and not have any issues,” said Von Miller, who sacked Rivers twice. “So we’ve obviously got issues that we need to address from the top down. I strongly feel we’ll get this corrected.”
The Broncos, who have never been shut out at home, might have been able to preserve their non-shutout streak with long field goals in the fourth quarter. But coach Vance Joseph went for it twice on fourth down and ended up with an interception and a turnover on downs.
“It wasn’t simply on Trevor,” Joseph said. “I felt up until five minutes to go, it was a game we could have won. … We’re not blocking well. We’re not protecting well. We had some good plays called again today. We had some guys wide open. We’re just not hitting the passes. It’s puzzling.”
The Chargers forced a turnover on Denver’s opening drive and advanced to the Broncos 1, but failed to punch it in on four straight running plays. Undeterred, the Los Angeles defense got a stop, and Benjamin allowed one big bounce before scampering down the middle for the Chargers’ first punt return for a TD since 2012.
Ekeler caught a 1-yard swing pass from Rivers for a TD in the second quarter to put the Chargers up 14-0 — their biggest lead in their past 14 games.
GOOD START
Benjamin’s TD punt return was only the Chargers’ second touchdown of the season in a first quarter, where they had been outscored 50-7.
BRONCOS HISTORY
Miller moved past Karl Mecklenburg for second place in Broncos history in sacks behind Simon Fletcher. Miller has sacked Rivers 16 times.
Denver’s offensive struggles were likely related to the injury absences of right tackle Menelik Watson (calf) and receivers Emmanuel Sanders (ankle), Isaiah McKenzie (ankle) and Cody Latimer (knee).
The Chargers played without starting right tackle Joe Barksdale (turf toe) and key defensive lineman Corey Liuget (back). They lost LG Matt Slauson to a biceps injury in the second half.
Broncos: At Chiefs on Monday night in a prime-time chance to answer back in the AFC West race.
Chargers: At Patriots on Sunday for the first of two straight transcontinental road trips, with their bye week sandwiched in between.
More AP NFL: http://www.pro32.ap.org and http://www.twitter.com/AP—NFL
Solano’s go-ahead homer keys Giants 11-8 win over Rockies
Carney Column: Major League Baseball has a problem it’s too afraid to address
A long wait, but finally a Tour win for sprint prodigy Ewan
Technology beating romanticism at Tour de France
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Home » BLOG » THE BEST MAN HOLIDAY – SOUNDTRACK JUMPS TO NO. 2 AND NO. 4 ON THIS WEEK’S BILLBOARD SOUNDTRACKS AND R&B ALBUMS CHARTS
THE BEST MAN HOLIDAY – SOUNDTRACK JUMPS TO NO. 2 AND NO. 4 ON THIS WEEK’S BILLBOARD SOUNDTRACKS AND R&B ALBUMS CHARTS
by Hassahn Liggins November 20, 2013 November 25, 2013 0
With the weekend box-office success of Universal Pictures’ The Best Man Holiday, sales of the accompanying RCA Records Official Motion Picture Soundtrack has quadrupled, landing it at No. 2 and No. 4 on this week’Billboard Soundtracks and R&B Albums charts, respectively.
In addition to holiday music, the soundtrack also offers great R&B tunes including Charlie Wilson’s “I Still Have You,” New Edition’s “Can You Stand The Rain” and a soul-stirring duet of Stevie Wonder’s “As,” performed by Marsha Ambrosius and Anthony Hamilton, both of whom have cameos in the film.
Tonight (11/20), Charlie Wilson will perform the standout track “I Still Have You” on Late Night With Jimmy Fallon and sit in with The Roots for the entire broadcast, delivering some of his classic hits. The legendary singer recently performed the song on Jimmy Kimmel Live.
“I am a firm believer that music is essential to the entirety of a film going experience. The Best Man Holiday soundtrack is no exception,” says Malcolm D. Lee, the film’s writer and director and executive album producer. “The songs listed here not only make up the fabric of the movie, but many served as inspiration to the creation of the screenplay. With a combination of new R&B tunes and Christmas classics by contemporary artists, this is the soundtrack I heard accompanying this movie. I hope you enjoy it this holiday season and every year.”
The Best Man Holiday – Original Motion Picture Soundtrack track listing:
THE UNDENIABLE 10 BEST POP ALBUMS OF ALL TIME
01 Christmastime To Me Jordin Sparks
02 Someday at Christmas Mario
03 What Christmas Means To Me Fantasia
04 I Still Have You Charlie Wilson
05 Christmas I’ll Be Steppin’ R. Kelly
06 This Christmas Mary J. Blige
07 Shelter John Legend
08 Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas Monica
09 Winter Wonderland Emeli Sandé
10 Can You Stand The Rain New Edition
11 I Want To Come Home for Christmas Ne-Yo
12 O Holy Night Jayda Brown & Jasmine Watkins
13 As Marsha Ambrosius & Anthony Hamilton
Contessa Gallery Announces Groundbreaking Jay-Z / Picasso Project by Artist David Datuna for Art Miami
Kanye’s “Bound” Video Has the World Going Crazy
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NO. 5 BRIDGE: Any way you splice it
Replacement bridges on N.J. parkway approach record span lengths
Tim Bruns / November 01, 2017
The Garden State Parkway in New Jersey connects land in the state separated by Great Egg Harbor, with two recently replaced bridge structures separated by Drag Island. South of the island is the structure over Great Egg Harbor Bay, made up of 21 spans of precast, pre-stressed concrete bulb tee girders varying in length from 148 ft to 250 ft, with an overall bridge length of more than 3,800 ft. To the north of the island is the structure over the Drag Channel, consisting of 10 spans of precast, pre-stressed concrete I-beams, 77 ft in length.
The two spans are replacements of original structures built over 60 years ago. The new structures were built in close proximity to the existing bridges, only about 12 ft away. Since the new structure was being built so close to the old, and the new structure required deep foundations and piles, vibration monitoring was required to make sure the existing structure was not settling or suffering any damage. “Installation of piles requires driving and construction impacts such as vibrations that could, if you’re not careful, impact the existing structure that was open to traffic the entire time that the new structure was being constructed,” Bob Supino, project engineer for Hardesty & Hanover, told Roads & Bridges.
Among the project goals for these structures included designing both southbound replacements with improvements to lane and shoulder widths, profile, drainage and grading. In addition, the western side of the new structures would be given a 10-ft-wide walkway/bikeway. “Part of the permitting process was to provide for pedestrian and bicycle traffic in the area,” Glen Schetelich, P.E., project manager for Hardesty & Hanover, told Roads & Bridges.
The site of the bridges is home to wetlands as well as endangered marine and shore life, requiring an environmentally sensitive solution for the 21-span structure. Supino explained the bridge was laid out to minimize impacts to the water. “Pre-stressed concrete was used because of the corrosive marine environment—concrete is usually better than steel in marine environments,” he said. The spans were made as long as possible, approximately 180 ft in length, to reduce the number of piers in the water. “The pre-stressed concrete spans are the longest that we’ve designed and I believe the longest in the Northeast.” A section over the channel is comprised of spliced post-tensioned spans—150-ft-long pieces of the spans were brought out, temporarily supported and spliced into place to create longer spans.
The significance of the bridge for the region is that it can act as an emergency route due to severe weather events. “The bridge is made in such a way that we could put more lanes of traffic on it so that in times of evacuations, the bridge could be opened up to more lanes going northbound,” Schetelich said. The southern Jersey Shore area was heavily impacted by Hurricane Sandy in 2012, making the widened bridge necessary for future emergencies.
Project: Garden State Parkway over Great Egg Harbor
Location: Upper Township and Somers Point, N.J.
Owner: New Jersey Turnpike Authority
Designer: Hardesty & Hanover
Contractor: Route 52 Constructors, Joint Venture of Wagman Heavy Civil Inc. & RE Pierson Construction Co. Inc.
Cost: $142 million
Length: 3,834 ft
Completion Date: Oct. 1, 2016
Bruns is associate editor of Roads & Bridges.
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I-10 and Jimmie Kerr Nighttime Deck Pour in Arizona
Bridge deck waterproofing
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Hitler, Sinn Féin and the association fallacy…
Posted byRobert McMillen April 1, 2018 April 1, 2018 Leave a comment on Hitler, Sinn Féin and the association fallacy…
Thousands of people took to the streets of Belfast last year to show their support for an Irish Language Act but it seems that some people have difficulty in actually seeing them.
I recently wrote an article in the Irish language online newspaper tuairisc.ie about a false logic called Reductio ad Hitlerum.
The term was first coined by the German-born Jewish political philosopher and classicist Leo Strauss in the 1950s – although versions of the phrase go back centuries depending on who the bête noire of the time was, from the devil himself to Napoleon.
The great monster of the 20th century was, of course, Adolf Hitler and he has been recruited to show the silliness of what is called an “association fallacy”.
The most common explanation of how it works goes like this: Jimmy is a vegetarian, Hitler was a vegetarian – therefore Jimmy is a Nazi.
It is false logic used to neuter sensible arguments because it distracts and angers your opponent and this is particularly useful if your own argument is weak or if you don’t have an argument at all.
It is also a way of rendering immaterial whole groups of people and ideas.
It is a universal concept but it is particularly relevant here with our media and popular discourse awash with what I call Reductio ad Sinn Féinum and Reductio ad IRAum.
In the tuairisc.ie article, I wrote that I was in Dublin for League Quarter-finals last August when a packed-to-the-rafters Croke Park hosted Dublin and three Ulster teams (Monaghan, Tyrone and Armagh) – that’s a third of the whole nine counties or in the case of Tyrone and Armagh, a third of the Wee Six.
The northern multitudes were there, talking about the games, slagging each other, buying chips, talking about their clubs back home, farmers, professionals, housewives and young people proudly wearing their county jerseys, and old men drinking out flasks and eating sandwiches.
Men and women, mothers and fathers, sons and daughters, aunts and uncles, lifelong friends and strangers. The shy and the abrasive. Hard men and wallflowers.
Tens of thousands of them in an easy cohesion despite the conflicting loyalties that boomed out all around Jones Road on that Quarter-final day.
And yet, in northern politics, these people are invisible. They don’t exist. “The people of Northern Ireland” doesn’t include them.
The most obvious manifestation of this is the opposition to an Irish Language Act.
The call for an ILA has come from communities and individuals throughout the north who are simply trying to create a better society for their children to grow up in.
They see the Irish language as part of a holistic package that includes personal development, education, sport, the environment, the arts, community self-help and much more. What has been achieved is truly inspirational if you have eyes to see it.
Those who say “I’ve no objection to people learning or speaking Irish but…” don’t understand that it is more than a language, that it is a life-enhancing force that people are enjoying all over the world. It is in the top 10 languages studied on Duolingo, for example (1.86 million Irish learners around the world in 2016 using that one app alone).
And yet…
The vibrancy of the Irish language community is dismissed in a few words – “a Sinn Féin red line” or “republican demands” or a “means,” as Chris McGimpsey stupidly suggested on one of those Nolan shows, “to poke Prods in the eye.”
Sinn Féin has “weaponised” the language, they say.
Sinn Féin support an Irish language Act. Sinn Féin are bad people therefore an Irish language Act is a bad thing. Reductio ad Sinn Féinum. An association fallacy.
Gregory Campbell has that Sinn Féin’s campaign for language equality is “built on a deception”.
According to Robin Swann, leader of the Ulster Unionist Party, an Irish language act would “gift Sinn Féin a licence to bring forward deeply divisive legislation “SF Irish language strategy mirrors ‘PIRA cultural struggle’” said one tortuous article in the Belfast News Letter followed by a quintessential News Letter headline: “Ex-IRA man: SF’s Irish language act ‘red line’ is designed to force unionist capitulation.”
The News Letter in fact is at the heart of an on-going anti-Irish campaign as can be seen by the headlines above and they intend to continue its mission of disinformation if deputy editor and doomsayer in chief, Ben Lowry is to be believed when he said on the Nolan Show:
“One of the things that we are going to be looking at over the next couple of months is what would it mean if Irish is an official language.”
Ben Lowry, Editor, The News Letter
So the News Letter is planning its coverage of the Irish language months in advance to come up, no doubt with all kinds of scare tactics to show that the Irish language is a threat to unionists.
The latest was on Saturday with an article entitled: “Unionists unite over Irish act” which took quotes from Unionism’s finest thinkers – Arlene Foster, Robin Swann and Jim Allister – from a piece in The Orange Standard.
Mrs. Foster accused Sinn Féin of holding Northern Ireland to ransom “to advance its own narrow agenda” when referring to Acht na Gaeilge.
UUP leader, Robin Swann, suggested the demand for an Irish language act was being used by republicans as “a tool to further divide people in the Province.” (Robin saw no irony in the fact that that the original article was published in the Orange Standard!)
Jim Allister was at his funereal naysaying best suggesting that an Irish Language Act, like those protecting Gaelic and Welsh, would lead to “a progressive tightening of the noose.”
He didn’t say who’s head would be in the noose but added that “anyone who gives ground on the issue is helping to facilitate the republican ‘struggle’.”
And so, the children singing carols in Castlecourt at Christmas, the teenagers who are studying every subject through Irish at bunscoileanna and meánscoileanna throughout the north, the thousands of adults who have signed up to Líofa are rendered invisible by Reductio ad Sinn Féinum.
We await a Nolan Live programme in the future when the studio is filled with young and old Irish speakers, Protestant and Catholic, unionist and nationalist, telling his audience, unhindered, what the benefits having a fully bilingual society here really means and finally put the Sinn Féin bogeyman to rest.
In the meantime, let’s see if we can get a decent hashtag going #reductioadsinnfeinum where proposals regarding the Irish language are dismissed because of a perceived Sinn Féin connection.
Posted byRobert McMillen April 1, 2018 April 1, 2018 Posted inGaeilge, Politics
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China’s expired space lab sets for free fall to earth
Home China’s expired space lab sets for free fall to earth
China’s defunct space lab, Tiangong-1, should fall to Earth over the weekend.
At over 10 metre in length and weighing more than 8 tonnes, it is larger than most of the man-made objects that routinely re-enter Earth’s atmosphere.
China has lost all communication with the module and so the descent will be uncontrolled.
However, experts say there is very low risk that any parts of Tiangong that do not burn up will hit a populated area.
Launched in 2011 and visited by six Chinese astronauts, Tiangong was supposed to have been deorbited in a planned manner.
The intention was to use its thrusters to drive the vehicle towards a remote zone over the southern ocean.
But all command links were abruptly lost in 2016, and now nothing can be done to direct the fall.
Thirteen space agencies, under the leadership of the European Space Agency, are now following Tiangong’s path around the globe, modelling its behaviour as it descends deeper into atmosphere.
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Russia expels 60 US diplomats in tit-for-tat measure over ex-spy poisoningBuratai cautions against criticism of troops on special operations
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The Runner Stumbles
The Runner Stumbles (1980)
Dick Van Dyke as Father Rivard
Kathleen Quinlan as Sister Rita
Maureen Stapleton as Mrs. Shandig
Ray Bolger as Msgr. Nicholson
Tammy Grimes as Erna
Beau Bridges as Toby
February 6, 1980 |
This may be a strange thing to say about a story of passion between a priest and a nun, but Stanley Kramer's "The Runner Stumbles" is almost endearingly old-fashioned. It's been a longtime since I've seen a man and a woman at arm's length, struggling against the flames of temptation that threaten to consume them, while tempestuous music whirls on the sound track. These days, a love scene is much more likely to involve Woody Allen discussing Mariel Hemingway's homework.
But "The Runner Stumbles" involves big questions of ethics and morality, and so, of course, its romance must be larger than life, must be reflected in the seasons and the tides of man and all that, and maybe one of the movie's problems is that Important Love Stories aren't fashionable right now; while the characters struggle against the tides of passion, we struggle against the giggles.
And yet this is a movie with interesting performances in it. Dick Van Dyke stars in a rare dramatic appearance as a priest who's banished to a backward parish. When the two ancient nuns in the parish contract tuberculosis, a spritely young sister (Kathleen Quinlan) is dispatched to run the little country school. And since sharing the quarters of the other nuns would expose her to TB, Quinlan must, of course, move into the priest's rectory. This turns out to be a big mistake.
The love affair between Van Dyke and Quinlan is developed pretty obviously: They're isolated, they're thrown into each other's company, slight friendly gestures and a shared sensibility grow into affection, and then there's trouble.
The town is filled with gossips, of course, and in Van Dyke's own household there's a menacing presence in the person of the loyal housekeeper, old Mrs. Shandig (Maureen Stapleton), who, of course, has long been in love with the priest herself - and who is depicted as such a classic textbook case of repressed sexual hysteria that we immediately suspect she's capable of violence. (Why do they always overdo repressed hysteria? Why can't they repress it just a little more?)
The story, based on a stage play by Milan Stitt, allows the priest and nun to spend a good deal of time discussing the moral implications of their actions. They debate the theological subtleties of their situation in terms suitable for what I've always fancied must be a required course for dramatists titled "Elementary Catholic Clichés for the Stage" (this is the same course in which non-Catholic playwrights are briefed on what a priest has to do when he gets a murderer in his confessional.)
If I've made "The Runner Stumbles" sound a little silly - well, it is a little silly. But Van Dyke and Quinlan do as much as is possible with this material, and Quinlan, in particular, continues to develop as one of the more interesting young movie actresses (her credits include "I Never Promised You a Rose Garden.")
Van Dyke's performance was undermined for me by an incongruous minor detail (his haircut is much too modern for 1927.) Kramer's direction undermines more than one editing progression by cutting to wild flowers, and other rural postcards, and the entire device of the flashback from a murder trial is just an annoying gimmick. But in its relentlessly old-fashioned way, "The Runner Stumbles" has a sort of dramatic persistence: It's not great, but it's there.
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Alan Moore's environmental monster
The genius behind "Watchmen" redefined both the audience and the narrative possibilities of comic books with his newly reissued "Saga of the Swamp Thing."
Check out this article! https://www.salon.com/2009/03/04/swamp_thing/
Andrew O'Hehir
March 4, 2009 4:30PM (UTC)
It could have been a guy in that science-fiction bookstore that used to be under a parking garage in downtown Berkeley, Calif. Or it could have been that Korean guitar player and drug dealer who told me he had taught himself English as a small child by studying the people dressed as toasters on "Let's Make a Deal." It's hard to remember after all this time. But at some point in the spring or summer of 1984, someone put a copy of "Saga of the Swamp Thing" in my hand and said, "Hey, man. Have you seen this?"
It seemed like a stupid question. Of course I remembered "Swamp Thing." It was a DC Comics franchise launched in my childhood, an entertaining fusion of the superhero comic and the horror comic that half-accidentally coincided with the birth of the modern environmental movement. Its hero was a human-vegetable hybrid named Alec Holland, an assassinated government scientist who had been mysteriously reincarnated in a Louisiana swamp. Like a lot of other kids my age, I had read "Swamp Thing" for a while in the '70s before moving on to various pretend-grown-up obsessions: Roxy Music and the Rolling Stones, Hemingway and Fitzgerald, Buñuel and Nicolas Roeg.
Along the way the "Swamp Thing" comic had died and been reincarnated, largely because of Wes Craven's raunchy, comical and decidedly mediocre 1982 film version. Petit-snob that I now was, I assumed that the reborn DC "Swamp Thing" was nothing more than lame, bottom-of-the-barrel, based-on-the-movie cultural debris. And then someone gave it to me with a sense of peculiar urgency and I read it.
I have no idea what the first 19 issues of the revived "Swamp Thing" (written by Martin Pasko and drawn by Tom Yeates) were like, and comics fandom being what it is, I'm sure they have admirers. But when Pasko left abruptly with several plot strands hanging in midair, DC editor (and "Swamp Thing" creator) Len Wein asked a young English comics writer to come over from London and give Alec Holland's universe a whirl. That guy's name was Alan Moore, and his best-known work at that point was the apocalyptic political thriller "V for Vendetta," a work inspired by Orwell and Pynchon that seemed a world away from American superhero comics. But Moore told Wein he'd do it, as long as he got a free hand to reshape "Swamp Thing" and its protagonist as he wished.
So it began. Long before anyone had started using the pompous term "graphic novel," long before Moore became the reclusive genius behind "From Hell" and "The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen" and, of course, the about-to-be-a-massive-motion-picture "Watchmen," came his remarkable mid-'80s run on "Saga of the Swamp Thing," which redefined both the audience and the narrative possibilities of comic books.
It would be insulting to the genre and its readers, as well as fundamentally untrue, to say that Moore reinvented comics. Moore loved comics, in all their overheated melodrama and violence and passion and romance, and simply wanted them to fulfill their potential. He wanted comics to be better written (and more beautifully drawn; he has consistently brought out the best in his artists), to be more alive to the outside world and to other forms of culture, to be less imprisoned by the emotional ghetto of pre-adolescence.
DC's new archival hardcover edition of "Saga of the Swamp Thing: Book One" is by no means the first collection of Moore's "Swamp Thing" efforts, but the higher-quality binding and printing make it the one hardcore aficionados will want. Instructively, it also includes Moore's first issue (No. 20, from January 1984), which has never before been anthologized, perhaps because it's mostly devoted to wrapping up Pasko's unresolved story lines. That issue features the discovery of a disfigured, not-quite-human corpse, a sinister government conspiracy, a hotel-room bombing and an over-the-top firefight involving flamethrowers and helicopter gunships, then as now the stuff of comic books.
Nine pages in, Issue 20 also features an internal soliloquy by Alec Holland, aka the Swamp Thing, addressing his recently dead archenemy in a lyrical, regretful mode that may have puzzled some 1984 readers but rapidly became identified as a hallmark of Moore's style: "It's a... new world, Arcane. It's full of... shopping malls and striplights and software. The dark corners are being pushed back... a little more every day. We're things of the shadow, you and I... and there isn't as much shadow... as there used to be. Perhaps there was once a world... we could have belonged to... Maybe somewhere in Europe... back in the fifteenth century, the world was... full of shadows then... full of monsters... Not any more." (Those idiosyncratic ellipses are in the original.)
Later in the issue, not long before Swamp Thing is gunned down by what seems to be an entire company of United States Army infantry with air support, there's the sinister female motel clerk who delivers a stream-of-consciousness retelling of the climactic scene in Roeg's pseudo-surrealist horror film "Don't Look Now," concluding with the laconic phrase "... and Donald Sutherland gets it right in the neck." Then the bomb in her hotel goes off, a horizontal-diagonal spray of red and black and orange and yellow with the word "THROOM!" shooting across it toward the reader.
Moore was just getting started with "Swamp Thing." There were no quotations from Goya or James Agee in Issue 20, no demons speaking in faux-Elizabethan rhyming couplets, no appearances by Satan or by Dr. Jason Woodrue, aka the Floronic Man, a minor DC villain whom Moore reconceived as a deep-ecology activist turned genocidal lunatic. (Hearing a woman cry, Woodrue tells himself, "If there's one thing that I despise, it's the sound of steak sobbing.") But two things are clear: Moore knows what comics readers want and intends to give it to them, and whether or not they want something more complicated, more tragic and more adult (I know it's a loaded word), he's going to give them that, too.
DC's initial hard-bound volume comprises Moore's first eight issues as the writer of "Saga of the Swamp Thing," covering Swampy's battles with Woodrue and an especially terrifying demon called the Monkey King, who visits children in their dreams and preys upon their worst fears. (In case you're wondering, "Nightmare on Elm Street" was released several months later. Any resemblance is presumably coincidental.) Moore's stories crackle with tension and he's a master of what might be called comic-book enjambment, in which the last line of a given scene becomes the first line of a new one, on a different plotline with different characters.
More striking than Moore's technical excellence, of course, was his conceptual brilliance, along with the simpatico quality of his partnership with artists Stephen Bissette and John Totleben, who seemed eager to push their form into the frequently phantasmagorical dimensions that Moore's prose demanded. These issues mark the startling transformation of Swamp Thing himself, a cuddly-cum-monstrous figure whom Moore clearly found unsatisfactory and poorly conceived.
Alec Holland, Moore decided, was long dead. Swamp Thing was not a plant-creature who used to be human, but a form of vegetable intelligence that had literally digested Holland's consciousness, and became briefly convinced that it was human. As later issues would reveal, Swamp Thing was connected to "the Green," a global, mystical, collective awareness that connected the South American rain forest to the African grasslands to the redwoods of California to the Louisiana bayou where he periodically took root (and grew edible, yamlike tubers, one of them consumed by Jason Woodrue with unfortunate results).
I think it's no exaggeration to say that Moore models Swamp Thing's ensuing existential predicament on that of Hamlet. In an extended, hallucinatory dream sequence that features giant talking planarian worms and a spoof of the "Alas, poor Yorick!" monologue, Swampy must decide whether to continue his ambiguous existence armed with the knowledge that he was never human and never will be. In essence, he decides that "to be or not to be" is not a binary equation, and chooses both options.
It's been said that Moore was ahead of his time by infusing a holistic, ecological perspective into comics in 1984, and that his anti-authoritarian politics, sometimes bordering on anarchism, were unusual and daring amid the so-called Reagan revolution. But that overlooks the fact that the radical environmental movement was rapidly gaining steam among the American left -- Earth First! had been founded in 1979 -- and in a climate of deepening economic recession and widespread youth unemployment (hello!), the summer of 1984 would see large, anarchist-influenced "punk protests" at the Democratic convention in San Francisco.
Moore was right on time and right on message for a specific micro-generation of young people who were disillusioned and disgusted by Reaganism, and had lost any sense of connection to the American dream. Our consciousness had been shaped -- as Moore's clearly was -- by Joe Strummer and Johnny Rotten (Moore had actually written a screenplay for Sex Pistols impresario Malcolm McLaren), by Kurt Vonnegut and Thomas Pynchon, by campus organizing against apartheid and the U.S. proxy war in El Salvador. With his near-total divorce from human ethics balanced by his planetary consciousness, Swamp Thing became perhaps the first postmodern comic-book hero.
I won't try to claim that "Swamp Thing" is always Moore's best work. Over the course of his four years at the helm, the quality of the artwork waxed and waned, and occasional plotlines ran on comic-book autopilot. More than any other comics writer of his time, Moore strove to reach female readers, but in that format I doubt he found many. Still, there's a fresh and often startling quality to "Swamp Thing," at least for me. I've read this series at least twice before, but I'm excited for the next volumes to arrive, some of them darker and stranger than this one. If memory serves, Swamp Thing will visit heaven and hell, hear firsthand reports from the dead about God, tangle with a feminist werewolf, channel characters from H.P. Lovecraft stories and Walt Kelly's "Pogo," and, perhaps most memorably, consummate his romance with the lovely but haunted Abby Cable in an act of human-vegetable communion unlike anything else in the Western artistic and literary tradition.
Of course, with the possibilities Moore began to map out in 1984 so extensively fulfilled, and the graphic novel entrenched as a respectable literary form, "Saga of the Swamp Thing" may strike contemporary readers as nothing more or less than a cool horror comic, high in philosophy and in grotesque imagination. Maybe you had to be there to appreciate that Moore did more than remake a half-baked '70s comic-book hero as a mystical eco-avenger, and explore new possibilities for the 24-page illustrated monthly serial. He gave a generation of suburban nihilists, fueled by black coffee and loud guitars and soulless temp jobs, a creature from the swamp who seemed to embody their desire to destroy and their urge to create. It was something to believe in, at last.
Andrew O'Hehir is executive editor of Salon.
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Chris Robinson started playing bass and electric guitar at the age of 15. Raised in an abundantly musical family, he developed an ear and obsession for all things guitar. Growing up with music major parents, he was exposed to every style of music. Ultimately, he was self taught and found guitar to be a natural fit. He started teaching privately at age 17. Also, he worked for Guitar Center and Buddy Rogers Music, learning repair, setups, and gear application.
Chris has spent countless hours on varying stages. From leading worship in his parent’s church to all types of local stages. In 2006, he joined the metal/hardcore band called The Winner’s Circle. They performed numerous shows and travelled regionally. In 2009, Chris joined the indie pop band Come On Caboose. Soon after in 2010, he became a part of Walk The Moon. However, not long after that he formed the pop folk band Young Heirlooms with local songwriter Kelly Fine. The two have been writing and touring for the past 4 years. This is his “brain child” and ultimate creative outlet. Out of necessity, he started playing 12 string acoustic and mandolin. They’ve been nominated multiple times for Cincinnati Entertainment Awards the past few years.
The approach Chris takes to learning and playing music is focused in ear training but also in precise clean technique. Having played varying genres, he has a good grasp on guitar technique but also in the use of effects and amp setup.
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