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“The Wise Man’s Fear” by Patrick Rothfuss (Reviewe...
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Spotlight on February Books
“The Wise Man’s Fear” by Patrick Rothfuss (Reviewed by Robert Thompson)
Official Patrick Rothfuss Website
Order “The Wise Man’s Fear” HERE (US) + HERE (UK)
Read Fantasy Book Critic’s Review of “The Name of the Wind”
AUTHOR INFORMATION: Patrick Rothfuss is a graduate of the University of Wisconsin–Stevens Point with a B.A. in English, while earning his Masters at Washington State University. His debut novel, The Name of the Wind, is a New York Times bestseller and 2007 Quill Award winner. He is also the author of “The Adventures of the Princess and Mr. Whiffle” and is the brainchild behind the Worldbuilders charity through Heifer International.
PLOT SUMMARY: My name is Kvothe. I have stolen princesses back from sleeping barrow kings. I burned down the town of Trebon. I have spent the night with Felurian and left with both my sanity and my life. I was expelled from the University at a younger age than most people are allowed in. I tread paths by moonlight that others fear to speak of during day. I have talked to Gods, loved women, and written songs that make the minstrels weep. You may have heard of me...
So begins the tale of a hero told from his own point of view—a story unequaled in fantasy literature. Now in The Wise Man’s Fear, Day Two of The Kingkiller Chronicle, an escalating rivalry with a powerful member of the nobility forces Kvothe to leave the University and seek his fortune abroad. Adrift, penniless, and alone, he travels to the kingdom of Vintas, where he quickly becomes entangled in the politics of courtly society. While attempting to curry favor with a powerful noble, Kvothe uncovers an assassination attempt, comes into conflict with a rival arcanist, and leads a group of mercenaries into the wild in an attempt to solve the mystery of who—or what—is waylaying travelers on the King's Road.
All the while, Kvothe searches for answers, attempting to uncover the truth about the mysterious Amyr, the Chandrian, and the death of his parents. Along the way, Kvothe is put on trial by the legendary Adem mercenaries, is forced to reclaim the honor of the Edema Ruh, and travels into the Fae realm. There he meets Felurian, the faerie woman no man can resist, and who no man has ever survived . . . until Kvothe.
In The Wise Man’s Fear, Kvothe takes his first steps on the path of the hero and learns how difficult life can be when a man becomes a legend in his own time.
CLASSIFICATION: There are different types of epic fantasy. There is the kind written by George R. R. Martin, Robert Jordan and Steven Erikson which features huge casts of characters, multiple storylines and subplots, epic battles, and world-altering events. Then there is the kind that can be found in the Soldier Son trilogy by Robin Hobb, Jacqueline Carey’s Kushiel series and The Imager Portfolio by L. E. Modesitt, Jr. This kind of epic fantasy is character-driven, intimate, introspective. The Kingkiller Chronicle by Patrick Rothfuss is of the latter variety with a little Harry Potter charm thrown into the mix. Regarding The Wise Man’s Fear specifically, there is a surprisingly gratuitous amount of sex in the book—tastefully done though I might add—the occasional curse word, and a few moments of dark violence, but for the most part the novel maintains a PG-13 rating.
FORMAT/INFO: The Wise Man’s Fear is 1008 pages long divided over a Prologue, 147 titled chapters, and an Epilogue. Like The Name of the Wind, The Wise Man’s Fear is a framed story with the framing parts set during the novel’s present day and narrated in the third-person. The story that is framed, which comprises the majority of the novel, is narrated in the first-person via Kvothe. The Wise Man’s Fear is the second volume—or Day Two—in The Kingkiller Chronicle after The Name of the Wind. While The Wise Man’s Fear is a middle volume in a trilogy, the book is structured so it has its own beginning, middle and end. The Kingkiller Chronicle is set to conclude with the tentatively titled, The Doors of Stone.
March 1, 2011 marks the North American Hardcover publication of The Wise Man’s Fear via DAW. The UK version (see below) will be published on the same day via Gollancz.
ANALYSIS: To say that The Wise Man’s Fear by Patrick Rothfuss is one of the most anticipated novels of the year is a bit of an understatement. Not only is The Wise Man’s Fear the sequel to The Name of the Wind, arguably the most hyped and successful fantasy debut ever, but the unexpectedly long wait time between books has increased expectations even further. As readers may or may not remember, when The Name of the Wind was released in 2007, we were led to believe that the already written sequel would be published the following year. Instead, a one-year wait turned into four years. The reasons for the delay have been well-documented, but it basically came down to what was more important: rushing out a product as soon as possible or taking the necessary time to produce the best product possible? Personally, I believe quality is always more important, and after finishing The Wise Man’s Fear, I can confidently say that the decision to delay the book’s release was the correct one.
At the end of the day, despite all of its praise and recognition, The Name of the Wind was far from perfect. The book after all, was still a debut effort. Still rough around the edges with uneven pacing, one-dimensional supporting characters, and shallow world-building some of the novel’s more notable flaws. So when the two books are compared against each other, it’s easy to see how much Patrick Rothfuss has grown as a writer and how much better The Wise Man’s Fear is than The Name of the Wind. The writing for instance, is much more polished. The prose is more refined, the pacing is tighter with fewer lulls, and the overall flow of the narrative is smoother, which is especially impressive considering how much bigger the novel is than its predecessor.
Supporting characters remain largely one-dimensional, but this time around Patrick Rothfuss does a better job of injecting his characters, both old and new—Denna, Wilem, Sim, Auri, Master Elodin, Puppet, Maer Alveron, Bredon, Tempi, Felurian, Vashet—with color and personality. This is aided by much improved dialogue, which helps to mask the characters’ lack of depth with entertaining conversation. In fact, dialogue is one of the novel’s greatest strengths, with Kvothe & Denna’s playful banter and Kvothe’s interactions with Auri, Puppet and the Adem some of my favorite moments in The Wise Man’s Fear. On the flipside, the lack of villains in the book, or more specifically a tangible antagonist, is a bit disappointing.
As far as the shallow world-building, little has changed. The Chandrian and the Amyr for example, remain a mystery, although there is a reasonable explanation for their lack of information. The same can’t be said for why the rest of ‘The Four Corners of Civilization’ is largely ignored, but at least Patrick Rothfuss branches out in The Wise Man’s Fear to give readers a taste of the world’s different cultures and races including the Fae; the Kingdom of Vintas with their superstitions, prejudices, and courtly customs & politics; and the Adem with their unique method of communication which includes hand signals, their way of life which follows the Lethani, and their Ketan fighting style. If you also factor in the author’s well-developed magic system—sympathy, sygaldry, naming—with all of its various rules and restrictions, then one can see how Patrick Rothfuss at least possesses the capacity for more detailed world-building.
Perhaps the greatest improvement made between The Name of the Wind and The Wise Man’s Fear is with the story. Looking back, not a lot really happens in The Name of the Wind, at least nothing major, while the novel’s climactic moments involving a herbivorous dragon, Kvothe’s rival student Ambrose and a possessed mercenary left a lot to be desired, especially considering the lengthy page count and the hype that came with the book. To be fair, the story in The Wise Man’s Fear suffers from some of the same issues as its predecessor does like major plotlines failing to progress and the author spending an extravagant amount of time on Kvothe’s day-to-day minutiae—his studies at the University, his money problems, Ambrose, courting Denna, his love life, et cetera—but as a whole, The Wise Man’s Fear is much more rewarding than The Name of the Wind. Part of it is being able to experience the more dramatic events responsible for shaping the various legends tied to Kvothe with specific highlights including the spectacular manner in which Kvothe defeated a group of bandits, his adventures in the Fae realm with the mythological Felurian, training with the Adem, and rescuing a pair of innocent girls on the road to Levinshir, but it’s also because the story is a lot more entertaining. Then there’s the ending which Patrick Rothfuss handles beautifully, slowly winding down the story to a satisfying stopping point, while tantalizing clues and unfinished business serve as reminders for the third and final volume in The Kingkiller Chronicle.
Now if there is one part of The Name of the Wind that needed little fixing, it was Kvothe’s first-person narrative. Charming, heartfelt, and highly accessible, Kvothe’s narrative was easily a major strength of the first novel, even if the protagonist came off arrogant at times and accomplished things no one his age should be able to accomplish. In The Wise Man’s Fear, Kvothe is still arrogant at times and still accomplishes things that defy his age, but at the same time, the book does a better job of showing off Kvothe’s fallible side including his vanity and his dark temper and his powerful thirst for knowledge. What I personally love about the narrative is the wide range of topics Kvothe covers in intimate detail over the course of his story. In The Wise Man’s Fear, these topics include Kvothe’s music, performing sympathy and sygaldry, working in the Fishery, navigating the Archives, learning how to scout, learning the Ademic language, studying the Ketan, courting Denna and sharing stories like the one about the boy with the gold screw in his belly button, the Faeriniel crossroads, the tale about Aethe and the beginning of the Adem, Felurian, and my personal favorite, the boy who loved the moon. Throughout all of this, Kvothe’s narrative is complemented with witty humor, interesting observations, and thoughtful insights:
“We love what we love. Reason does not enter into it. In many ways, unwise love is the truest love. Anyone can love a thing because. That’s as easy as putting a penny in your pocket. But to love something despite. To know the flaws and love them too. That is rare and pure and perfect.”
“Secrets of the heart are different. They are private and painful, and we want nothing more than to hide them from the world. They do not swell and press against the mouth. They live in the heart, and the longer they are kept, the heavier they become.”
“It’s the questions we can’t answer that teach us the most. They teach us how to think. If you give a man an answer, all he gains is a little fact. But give him a question and he’ll look for his own answers.”
While Kvothe’s narrative may have been a strength in The Name of the Wind, the same can’t be said for the framing parts—the Prologue, Epilogue and various Interludes—which in comparison were a bit dull and brought little to the table. Not much has changed for them in The Wise Man’s Fear. The framing parts are still somewhat tedious, while providing few answers about why Kvothe became an innkeeper, his relationship with Bast, and the current state of their world. That said, the mystery regarding Kvothe’s chest is intriguing, while the framing parts do work well as a contrast to how far Kvothe has fallen from the hero he once was and how much stories can differ from the truth.
CONCLUSION: The release of The Wise Man’s Fear may have taken longer than expected, but it was definitely worth the wait. Compared to The Name of the Wind, The Wise Man’s Fear is everything that made the first novel such a huge success except bigger, better and more rewarding. Granted, many of the same flaws that ailed The Name of the Wind can still be found in The Wise Man’s Fear, but considering the vast improvements made to the sequel, these issues are only minor annoyances. To put it simply, anyone who enjoyed The Name of the Wind will be blown away by The Wise Man’s Fear. The book is that much better. Even more, there is no doubt in my mind that The Wise Man’s Fear will end up being one of the best fantasy novels of the year. As far as the third and final volume in The Kingkiller Chronicle, Patrick Rothfuss can take as much time as he needs to finish the book. If The Wise Man’s Fear is any indication, it will be worth waiting for...
Sally Sapphire said...
Good to hear it was worth the wait - this is next on my reading list, as soon as I finish Steven Erikson's The Crippled God.
The Crippled God is actually my most anticipated release of the year, although I still need to read Toll the Hounds, Dust of Dreams, and Stonewielder first ;)
Pat Rothfuss also has posted a hilarious recap of TNOTW on his blog
That recap was pretty funny :) Thanks for sharing!
If reading a book was like eating food, then a great fulfilling read would equate to a full-course meal. That said, WMF is a big bag of potato chips. They taste good, you can't stop eating them, but they can never satisfy a healthy appetite. You keep eating more thinking the hunger will go away but it won't because potato chips just don't have enough vitamins and nutrients to be a meal let alone a healthy one.
You may have a point there with the chips, especially when you eat so many that you do not want to see them again for a long time since so far - 400 pages in - TWMF is 80% boring and 20% interesting and only Rothfuss skill of turning the most boring details about college life in something digestible and the hope it gets better later keeps me reading
Dusty said...
A fantastic sequal to a great book... Considering how much I enjoyed The Name of the Wind I had high expectations but expected them to fall short, as most sequals do, but I couldn't have been more wrong. If anything, Wise Mans Fear not only did not fall short of my expectations, it surpassed them by leaps and bounds. One of the best books I have ever had the pleasure to read.
THe Drinking Champs said...
I enjoy Rothfuss as a writer, but I found parts of the book tedious, and the plot barely advanced at all. This could have easily been a 600 page novel. Did I hate it? Certainly not, but I didn't find it as a gripping as "The Name of the Wind." I have serious doubts Rothfuss will be able to end this story in the next book, something tells me we are in for four more books featuring Kvothe.
Panmankey said...
I found a lot of the book tedious and unnecessary. This could have easily been a 600 page novel. Do I like Rothfuss as a writer? Absolutely, and I can't imagine any other author in the genre today with the ability to sift through pages and pages of minutia. However I felt like nothing really happened, so little was resolved . . . I have trouble believing everything is going to be wrapped up in book three.
I found the book tremendously well written. I agree however that I cannot see how things will be finished with one more book.
The book was fantastic. Admittedly, it trudged a bit at times, but what novel doesn't? I too wonder how the story will possibly be completed in only one more installment.
I'm at the 400 page mark and couldn't agree more with liviu. It's been nowhere near as engaging as The Name of The Wind thus far. It almost reads like it was written by a different author. Lot's of typo's and misspellings for a book that took 4 years to refine. Thus far, The Wise Man's Fear is falling very short of the mark left by The Name of The Wind. Blind faith keeps me motivated.
Liviu, does it get more interesting or what?
I put a short review in a post here:
http://fantasybookcritic.blogspot.com/2011/03/gemmell-award-2011-and-more-2011-books.html
as well as on Goodreads.
I finished the book almost 2 weeks after starting it on the day of publication and I read a bunch of books in-between and overall it had absolutely superb nuggets within a general boring frame; the last part was very good with lots of mysteries raised and I am definitely in for the 3rd book
t3h20r said...
The question that bothers me, as well as many of you is: How does Patrick Rothfuss intend to finish the story in just one more book. Let's sum up what we have for now:
Kvothe is say, 18 years old. He has two solid trails of the Chandrian, yet he saw them all once when his family was murdered, and he saw Cinder as the leader of the bandits he killed. To say it bluntly, he has no idea about anything. He still hasn't even caught up with the Amyr. Not to mention the part that the MAIN story is going on IN PRESENT. Put all of "what's left" in one book? How many Tomes? 4?
That's a legitimate concern t3h20r, but I believe the final volume in the trilogy isn't meant to conclude everything. I believe it will conclude Kvothe's 'story' to Chronicler, while a follow-up series will deal with present events...
Good review - I think Patrick Rothfuss was right for taking his time and not just trying to rush publication. The wait was worth it. I loved this book.
Lynn :D
Tania Johansson said...
I loved both NOTW and WMF and cannot wait for the third! I know the wait for book two was worth it, but I hope we don't have too long to wait for the next one.
Yep, ditto to not having such a long wait!
Sorry, I can't agree with your overstatic review. Thugh the book isn't bad at all, it's far too long, there are far too many pages where nothing is happening (and belive it or not, Rothfuss is not Joyce when it comes to transforming language into (the) character in the book) and most of the characters could be labelled as simple flat. I think the book would have greatly benefitted from a proper editing, which obviously it didn't undergo.
I agree with many of the previous points made here. Particularly the last concerning editing. I don't mind the endless minutia or day-to-day account, however I find the unusual change in pace and inconsistency to that regard - quite annoying. Many comments here suggest that this book could have been 600 pages long, and to boot that the latter third of the book was the better. I found the complete opposite - I found the first half of the book very rewarding and enjoyable, whereas the pace changes and the ridiculous sexual encounters during the second half of this novel were woefully underwhelming. I should note however that I did read the second immediately after concluding the first so perhaps that lack of driving content didn't bother me in the same way as readers waiting for years and then 600 pages for anything 'thrilling'.
As I mentioned previously, and without wanting to spoil the book for any readers who haven't got there yet - Kvothe's sexual encounters completely change the tone of the book. Not only are the largely unnecessary, adding nothing to the story (at least in the detail provided), I also found it embarrassing to read. Not because of the nature of the text, I have no issues with reading about sex or sexual encounters, my issues is entirely with potentially unintended vision of sex that the reader sees through the eyes of the author. What do we learn about Kvothe from these encounters? He's really good at sex basically, just like he's really great at everything else. Perhaps the only real failing of the character admitted during the first volume was his misunderstanding of females, so thankfully the author here puts to bed these misconceptions and our lordly protagonist marches forth to conquer the world of sex. As I read I felt these sections were closer to some kind of lightly pornographic fantasy fiction written in response to the novel. I could only imagine the author being almost sexually stimulated by his own writing and laughing giddily at the thought of the picture he was painting.
Anyway, moaning aside - still well worth a good read, has nothing on the first novel and I can't imagine that the third will be much better but I very much enjoyed it. Except of course for the general and enormous sense of arrogance washing through every word of novel from author, Patrick Rothfuss.
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2003 Varèse
2015 La-La Land
Composed, Conducted, and Co-Produced by:
Co-Produced by:
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LABELS & RELEASE DATES
Varèse Sarabande
(April, 2003)
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(March 10th, 2015)
ALBUM AVAILABILITY
The 2003 Varèse Sarabande album (catalog number: VCL 0403 1018) was a "Limited Collector's Edition" of 3,000 copies and was available only through the label's site or online soundtrack specialty outlets. It sold out and became available on the secondary market at elevated prices. The expanded 2015 La-La Land Records album is limited to 2,000 copies and available primarily through soundtrack specialty outlets for an initial price of $20.
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Availability | Viewer Ratings | Comments | Audio & Track Listings | Notes
Buy it... if you are a devoted Jerry Goldsmith collector who never had the music previously available from Magic on the rare 1993 SPFM Tribute album.
Avoid it... if your film music funds are limited and you desire far better Goldsmith entries elsewhere in the Varèse Sarabande Club series.
EDITORIAL REVIEW
FILMTRACKS TRAFFIC RANK: #843
WRITTEN 6/5/03, REVISED 7/21/15
Filmtracks has no record of commercial ordering options for this title. However, you can search for this title at online soundtrack specialty outlets.
Magic: (Jerry Goldsmith) The 1978 psychological thriller Magic was the fourth directorial outing for the highly acclaimed Richard Attenborough, who, after fielding moderate success for this film, would turn his immediate attention to Ghandi. At the time, Magic was not known for its star power, but most of the consideration given to it today is due to the emergence of several actors and other crew members involved with the project. Its star, Anthony Hopkins, had already performed in several great roles for a decade but had not yet achieved superstar status. The same applied to Attenborough. The film's strong supporting cast (which looks now like an awkward preview of the Grumpy Old Men supporting group) was limited to just a few characters, with a tightly woven and introverted script telling a tale that involves only five characters. Five, that is, if you include Fats, the dummy. The film's plot is a horrific tale of mental derangement on the part of the primary character, a magician and ventriloquist, who succumbs to the evil suggestions of his puppet and commits hideous crimes while haunted by a love for an old schoolboy crush. The body count swells to encompass most of the cast, and the film is ultimately a frustrating and disturbing endeavor in every possible way. When envisioning the score for the film, no task too tough was to exist for the immensely busy composer Jerry Goldsmith at the time. Goldsmith's music proved to be key in the development of the self-destructive relationship between Hopkins' pathetically wacko character, Corky, and his sickeningly suggestive dummy, taking specific harmonic ideas for the protagonist and constantly bombarding them with the striking instrumental tones that represent his sidekick.
The composer had finally won an overdue Academy Award at the ceremonies just a year prior, and the obviously experienced Goldsmith was entering a ten-year period that many critics still consider to be the most richly textured of his career. Magic was a project for which Goldsmith could entertain a delicate love theme and weave it into a constant battle with the theme of the dummy, mirroring the schizophrenia of the ventriloquist as he falls victim to that physical object. His comfort with the horror and suspense genres was beginning to reign with consistency. The difference between Goldsmith at his prime and most of the other composers of later eras in film music was Goldsmith's ability to make the "less is more" idea work and work well. This is a score of few grand notes, and yet Goldsmith's ability to take a charming little love theme and twist it into an agonizing fight between fear, doubt, and love is grand in and of itself. Still, you need to investigate this score knowing that an appreciation of Goldsmith's talent is really the only reason to listen to Magic for any length of time. From the outset of the work, during which Goldsmith introduces the hauntingly stark harmonica theme for the dummy, the score quivers with uncertainty and frustration. It is built upon the same sparse constructs as a score like A Patch of Blue, but with none of the inherent affection. A laid back, jazzy theme for the good natured side of the primary character's heart battles the unpleasant harmonica for the entire score, only to lose at the very brink of victory. A maximum of a minute or two of actual horrific slashing music is to be heard in Magic, heightening the tension throughout the rest of an orchestral underscore that features atonal battles with accessible harmony in many sequences. In short, Magic's music is so passive aggressive that it's nearly impossible to tolerate for purposes of enjoyment on album. Still, remarkably, the score has received significant attention on CD through the years.
For ten years, a little more than 15 minutes of the Magic score was available on the highly collectible and cherished Society for the Preservation of Film Music Tribute CD pressed in limited copies for the audience attending a 1993 dinner in honor of the composer. For the very few who owned that album (or one of the countess bootlegs that came afterwards), it should be noted that the SPFM Tribute CD has all of the most pertinent and impressive Goldsmith cues from Magic (in roughly equal sound quality). None of the additional material provided on later albums dedicated to the score is significant in length, and the short cue times only add to the unsettling listening experience. True Goldsmith completists will indeed be interested in the whole score, but if you are going to choose one just Goldsmith score to further explore from that original SPFM CD, then Magic is by no means the best choice. The limited 2003 Varèse Sarabande Club album of 3,000 copies includes two nightclub cues required as source material from Goldsmith, and these add nothing to the experience except for an even greater appreciation of the composer's versatility. The product sold out within a few years and also became a moderate collectible. In 2015, La-La Land Records offered nearly the same presentation (revealing another 30 seconds of actually quite impressive material in one additional cue) on a pressing of 2,000 copies. Despite the remarkable skill it puts on display, though, any album offering for Magic won't sit among the better half of Goldsmith's works. It is a disturbing listening experience, as to be expected, and even the popular, heightened pronouncement of the love theme in "Appassionata" is presented with an agitated, suspenseful edge that will convince your gut that something is wrong. If you haven't seen the film, it would be a challenge to start listening to the score, read a synopsis detailing the gripping plot of the film, and feel comfortable stopping only halfway through. Such is the life that Goldsmith's unsettling score brings to this horrific tale. *** @Amazon.com: CD or Download
Bias Check: For Jerry Goldsmith reviews at Filmtracks, the average editorial rating is 3.28 (in 113 reviews)
and the average viewer rating is 3.3 (in 142,382 votes). The maximum rating is 5 stars.
VIEWER RATINGS
690 TOTAL VOTES
Average: 2.64 Stars
***** 92
**** 95
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** 167
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A film composer with a heart
Stewar Sesuande - December 27, 2009, at 10:10 p.m. 1 comment (1183 views)
Soundtrack for Magic
David Walters - July 10, 2006, at 5:00 a.m. 1 comment (2178 views)
Alternate review
Southall - May 25, 2006, at 9:21 a.m. 1 comment (2193 views)
Chilling and unique
Fernando Giménez Moreno - July 16, 2003, at 4:46 a.m. 1 comment (2371 views)
Varese Club/Goldsmith titles Expand >>
Shaman Icano - June 9, 2003, at 10:50 p.m. 1 comment (2996 views)
TRACK LISTINGS AND AUDIO
Audio Samples ▼
2003 Album:
2. Corky's Retreat (0:27) MP3 (220K) WMA (179K) Real Audio (136K)
6. Appassionata (0:30) MP3 (243K) WMA (197K) Real Audio (151K)
10. The Lake (0:30) MP3 (242K) WMA (197K) Real Audio (150K)
20. End Titles (0:31) MP3 (251K) WMA (202K) Real Audio (156K)
2003 Varèse Album Tracks ▼ Total Time: 41:54
1. Main Title* (2:02)
2. Corky's Retreat* (3:18)
3. Didn't Remember Me (1:50)
4. Memories* (2:52)
5. What Can't You Explain? (0:56)
6. Appassionata* (2:07)
7. Let's Take Off (0:53)
8. One Chance (1:09)
9. Stop the Postman (1:50)
10. The Lake* (2:47)
11. The Ruse (1:27)
12. Duke's Catch (1:36)
13. Blood (1:05)
14. Duke's End (1:04)
15. Two Birds with One Stone (0:45)
16. I'll Tell (2:40)
17. Fats Blows the Whistle (1:43)
18. The Wooden Heart (2:38)
19. Us Was You* (1:16)
20. End Titles* (2:06)
Bonus Source Cues:
21. Previous Act (2:39)
22. Next Act (2:39)
* released in single or combination cues on the 1993 SPFM Tribute CD
2015 La-La Land Album Tracks ▼ Total Time: 42:20
1. Main Title (2:05)
2. We're Gonna Be a Star (0:27)
3. Corky's Retreat (2:58)
5. Memories (2:55)
7. Appassionata (2:10)
10. Stop the Postman (1:52)
11. The Lake (2:50)
20. Us Was You (1:19)
21. End Titles (2:16)
NOTES AND QUOTES
The inserts of both the 2003 Varèse album and 2015 La-La Land album feature in-depth analysis of the score and film.
Copyright © 2003-2019, Filmtracks Publications. All rights reserved.
The reviews and other textual content contained on the filmtracks.com site may not be published, broadcast, rewritten
or redistributed without the prior written authority of Christian Clemmensen at Filmtracks Publications. All artwork and sound clips from Magic are Copyright © 2003, 2015, Varèse Sarabande, La-La Land Records and cannot be redistributed without the label's expressed written consent. Page created 6/5/03 and last updated 7/21/15.
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Home NATIONAL ‘The Grandfather of Racing’ keeps winning at 66
‘The Grandfather of Racing’ keeps winning at 66
Weight and health have helped Florida jockey Gary Bain continue to compete
PHOTO BY JENNIFER LETT/ SOUTH FLORIDA SUN-SENTINEL/TNS
Gary Bain, 66, is pictured shortly after second place during a May 5 race at Gulfstream Park in Hallandale Beach.
BY DAVE HYDE
SUN SENTINEL/TNS
Meet Gary Bain. A widower. A father of two. A grandfather of six. A man with 66 years of well-earned experience and a few scars as proof.
And here he comes down the stretch at Gulfstream Park in Hallandale Beach in the lead and aboard the co-favorite KC Twostep.
Some long-time horse-racing fans at the fence perk up after the public-address announcer identified Bain.
“C’mon, Gary!” one yells.
“Go, Gary!” another shouts.
It’s a wet and muddy track, but as Bain says later, “I’ve seen wetter and muddier.” He’s seen everything across five decades of racing in a way no one else in this particular race or many others could.
‘I just ride’
Half the jockeys competing against Bain are in their 20s. The next oldest is 47. A whippersnapper.
“He’s the Grandfather of Racing, bro,” said Vinny Depalo, a valet for jockeys and horses, a few minutes earlier in the jockeys room as Bain talked about his career.
Bain’s work philosophy wears blinders regarding age.
“I just ride,” he said.
He’s always ridden too. He was born into a racing family in the Bahamas. His father was a jockey. So was his brother.
When their Nassau track closed soon after Bain started his teenage jockey career, he packed up and moved to South Florida’s tracks in the late 1970s.
“The only thing I knew was horses,” he said.
Churchill Downs too
Decades later, he has 1,145 wins in 14,441 starts, according to the racing site Equibase.
Some were big stake races in South Florida, Louisiana and Illinois. None were bigger than the 1996 WHAS Stakes on Kentucky Derby Day at Churchill Downs. Most were smaller races as time moved on.
“I feel like I’m 66 going on 19,” Bain said.
Bain has avoided two common pitfalls for jockeys: Weight and health.
He has only fallen twice in races. The second time caused a minor ankle injury. The first time in the mid-1980s came when his horse’s heels were clipped. Bain went down hard, breaking his collarbone and six ribs and puncturing both lungs.
“That was my teacher,” he said. “I learned how to protect myself after that.”
Harder to find
Others don’t see age the way he does, though. Bain had won at least one race for 45 straight years until 2017, when he couldn’t sniff the finish line. The drought stretched through 2018, too.
“I was in a slump,” he said.
Getting rides is tough enough for a 60-something-year-old. They became tougher with his slump.
He stayed in full shape, watched his weight in a manner jockeys must and earned money by working out horses most every morning. But rides became hard to find.
“Some people, some owners and trainers, said, ‘When are you going to retire?’ and, ‘You’re too old,’” he said. “I didn’t believe them. Like I said, I feel 19. I wasn’t going to let them tell me what to do. I knew I could win.”
Close to victory
A month ago, Bain won aboard Dancing Noelle in a $19,000 claiming race. He followed it up a few weeks later with a second-place finish on Dancing Noelle. He’s only had eight starts so far this year, though.
Sunday’s mount in a $17,000 claiming race came when the usual rider for KC Twostep couldn’t make it.
“I got a call saying, ‘Can you make it?’” Bain said. “I told them, ‘Hell, yeah, that’s my job.’”
The plan was to go grab the lead with KC Twostep, and Bain executed that perfectly. He had the lead in the stretch. But even as Bain saw the finish line ahead, the No. 3 horse, Joe Cain, overtook KC Twostep for the win. Bain had his second-place finish of the season.
“You want to win there,” he said. “We did everything we could.”
Response to taunt
Besides watching his food and regularly exercising, there’s another quality that helps Bain keep competing at 66.
As he walked from the track to the jockey’s room, disappointed at the race’s finish, a fan came to the rail and repeatedly taunted him for not winning.
Finally, Bain turned and shot his middle finger, saying, “This is for you.”
Yep, the fire still burns in grandpa.
No retirement talk
Jockeys can have extended careers. Jon Court, 58, on May 4 became the oldest jockey to ride in the Kentucky Derby. The oldest jockey to win a race is believed to be Frank Amonte, who at 72 won at Suffolk Downs in Massachusetts.
“Someone told me that after I won (aboard Dancing Noelle),” Bain said. “I’ve got my work cut out for me. I’ve got to keep going another six years.”
He turns 67 on Oct. 31.
“Halloween,” he says.
He won’t stop. He can’t, he says. He also says, “I’m just another rider,” when his age says he’s anything but that.
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home // News // Snowmass reconsiders putting fluoride in water //
Snowmass reconsiders putting fluoride in water
Source: Aspen Times | May 22nd, 2015 | By Jill Beathard
Location: United States, Colorado
A change in federal health recommendations has spurred Snowmass Village to revisit the age-old debate of whether to continue putting fluoride in its drinking water.
The federal government last month lowered the amount of fluoride it recommends adding to drinking water to 0.7 milligrams per liter because some children in the country are getting too much, according to The Associated Press. Aspen and Snowmass already follow that standard, but the news has prompted the Snowmass Water and Sanitation District to reconsider the practice, which has produced strong support and opposition nationwide in its more than 50 years of widespread use.
Health professionals on both sides of the issue made their case at the district’s board meeting Wednesday. The board also consulted Glenwood Springs-based engineering company SGM to prepare an objective report on the most current research on the subject. Fluoridated drinking water has been said to decrease tooth decay and cavities, but ingesting too much has proven negative health consequences, and more research needs to be done on other potential health impacts, according to the SGM report.
Tom Lankering, an Aspen chiropractor, pointed out that technicians adding fluoride to tanks have to wear hazmat suits.
“That should be enough to make you say, ‘Why? So what’s going with that?’” Lankering said.
Dental-health professionals present were adamantly in favor of the practice, though. Kelly Keeffe, a clinical dental hygienist who also works for the Aspen to Parachute Dental Health Alliances, said students in Basalt have more than 33 percent more dental caries, a term for cavities, than schoolchildren in Aspen, Snowmass and Glenwood Springs, where water is fluoridated.
“Dental caries is a disease,” Keith said. “It is the most chronic disease of childhood, and it is preventable, and one of the two science-based ways of preventing caries … is community water fluoridation.”
Board member Dave Dawson said he understood the dental-health benefits but remained concerned about long-term risks to other aspects of health. His colleague, Tim Belinski, suggested that the board digest the information and make a decision at its next meeting.
“It’s important to understand the facts,” Belinski said. “I think it’s great that the district is interested in evaluating this at all.”
The city of Aspen may soon discuss the issue, too. It also adds 0.7 milligrams of fluoride per liter of water, a direction the City Council gave in 2012, said Public Works Director Scott Miller.
“We see that as the current direction,” Miller said. “We have talked internally about going back to council, and we probably will sometime in the near future because we do it, it seems like … about every four or five years, just check in and (say), ‘What do you want to do?’”
“We’ll probably always get a debate — about half the people for and half the people against,” Miller added.
Snowmass Water and Sanitation Board President Joe Farrell likened the controversy over fluoride to a sports replay.
“I’m the son of a dentist, and I’m the grandson of a dentist and I’m the son-in-law of a dentist,” Farrell said. “We shouldn’t be forcing this on people, but my father is rolling around in his grave that I’m even considering the other side. … After reviewing the replay over and over, I don’t see any conclusive evidence to change what we’re doing right now.”
Fluoridation costs the district about $3,500 annually — a relatively insignificant amount in its budget, District Manager Kit Hamby said. The board plans to return to the discussion at its June 17 meeting.
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Taiping Island deserves exclusive economic zone: president
Taiping Island
Taipei, May 17 (CNA) President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) wrote in a letter published in the Wall Street Journal Monday that a claim by the Philippines that Taiwan-controlled Taiping Island is just a rock in the South China Sea "is patently false."
Ma said that an island must be able to sustain human habitation and economic life in order to claim a continental shelf and an exclusive economic zone (EEZ) of 200 nautical miles, according to Article 121 of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS). Any rock that doesn't meet these two criteria can only claim territorial waters of 12 nautical miles.
Taiping Island, also known as Itu Aba and covering an area of 0.51 square kilometers, is the largest naturally formed landmass in the Nansha (Spratly) Islands. The island has dense stands of native tropical trees that are over 100 years old and range from 10 to 20 meters tall, and there are historical traces verifying almost a century of human habitation and economic activity on the island, said Ma.
At The Hague, the Philippines is in the middle of an arbitration case against mainland China. As part of its argument, Manila is attempting to downgrade Taiping Island to the status of a mere rock, said Ma.
Ma said he has appealed to "the tribunal regarding Taiping Island" that its decision "should not negate Taiping's true status as a bona fide island with the requisite rights to a continental shelf and EEZ."
The tribunal is expected to hand down its ruling by the end of May. But since Taipei submitted evidence on the island status of Taiping Island and the Philippines submitted a rejoinder April 22, the tribunal might not announce its ruling "until June or July," Senior Associate Justice of the Philippines' Supreme Court Antonio Carpio was quoted as saying in a TV program broadcast Monday in Manila.
Ma also noted that Japan detained a Taiwan-registered fishing boat operating outside Okinotori's territorial waters April 26, based on its claim that Okinotori is an island and thus entitled to a continental shelf and EEZ.
Ma said Okinotori reef consists of two rocks, with a total area of only nine square meters -- about the size of two king-size beds -- thus can only claim 12 nautical miles of territorial waters, according to UNCLOS.
Ma said he dispatched coast guard vessels May 1 to the waters around Okinotori to protect Taiwanese fishermen's rights, and called for the international community not to turn a blind eye to Japan's illegal maritime claims associated with Okinotori reef.
(By Claudia Liu and Kuo Chung-han)
ENDITEM/J
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Nuisance Calls
To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, when he plans to bring forward legislative proposals to reduce the number of (a) bogus and (b) nuisance phone calls.
<p>We have introduced a range of measures in recent months to reduce the number of nuisance calls. These include making company directors personally liable for any breach of the rules by their company and banning unwanted calls from claims management companies and pensions providers in the Financial Guidance and Claims Act 2018. We are also funding the National Trading Standards Scams Team to provide telephone call blocking technology to vulnerable people, as announced during the Chancellor's budget last year. We recognise there are a minority of companies that continue to flout the law and we will work closely with regulators, industry and consumer groups to identify further ways of addressing the issue.</p>
Biography information for Margot James
Mobile Phones: Fees and Charges
To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what recent discussions he has had with representatives from mobile phone operating companies on establishing a roaming system in the UK; and if he will make a statement.
Mr Laurence Robertson
<p>Improving mobile coverage in rural areas is a priority for government and we are considering all of the options available, including rural roaming, to facilitate this.</p>
Biography information for Mr Laurence Robertson
Telecommunications: Infrastructure
To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, pursuant to the Answer of 5 June 2019 to Question 257528 on Telecommunications: Infrastructure, whether the supply chain review is planned to be released before summer recess 2019; and what assessment he has made of the effect of a delay in publication on cyber-security.
Jo Platt
<p>The security and resilience of the UK’s telecoms networks is of paramount importance. We are committed to ensuring we have an effective policy and regulatory framework in place for the secure and resilient deployment of new fixed and 5G networks. The decisions of the Supply Chain Review will be announced to Parliament in due course.</p>
Biography information for Jo Platt
Government Departments: Digital Technology
To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, with reference to page 10 of the Government Transformation Strategy, how many of the 10 commitments the Government intended to complete before 2020 are on track to be completed.
<p>We will update the House at the appropriate time.</p>
NHS: Amazon
To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care in advance of the decision to use of Amazon Alexa in the NHS; and what assessment he has made on the implications for data and privacy of the use of that product.
West Bromwich East
<p>The Government takes the protection of personal data and the right to privacy extremely seriously. Ministers have not discussed this specific agreement. It is up to each department to make sure they are complying with our data protection legislation. The greater the sensitivity of the data, the greater the care that needs to be taken. For example, all organisations need to ensure there is a lawful basis for processing the data, design new systems with data protection principles in mind and consult the Information Commissioner where appropriate.</p><p> </p><p>As part of this agreement, no patient data held by NHS bodies is being shared with Amazon. The agreement is clear that Amazon will not share information with third parties, nor is it going to sell products, make product recommendations or build a health profile on users.</p>
Biography information for Tom Watson
Broadband: South Northamptonshire
To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what steps he is taking to (a) ensure that all households in South Northamptonshire constituency have access to super-fast broadband at speeds greater than 24 Mbps and (b) accelerate the roll-out of ultrafast broadband at speeds greater than 100 Mbps in that constituency.
South Northamptonshire
<p>The Superfast programme met its original objective of delivering at least 24Mbps broadband to 95% of the population in December 2017, and is now pushing beyond 96% with an ambition to reach at least 97% coverage by March 2020.</p><p> </p><p>According to ThinkBroadband, Superfast Coverage (>24mbps) in South Northamptonshire in December 2017 was 91.8%, it is now 95.69%. Superfast programme take-up in Northamptonshire (County Council area) was 46.11% in December 2017, and 58.96% in Mar 2019.</p><p> </p><p>The government has invested heavily in Northamptonshire, with over £9million of central government funding allocated and local bodies’ have also contributed over £11million to the project. Delivery is managed by Superfast Northamptonshire, our local delivery partner.</p><p> </p><p>Last July, the Government published its Future Telecoms Infrastructure Review, which set out the Government’s strategy for ensuring that 15 million premises are connected to faster than ultrafast, gigabit capable broadband networks by 2025 with nationwide coverage by 2033. This includes an ‘outside-in’ approach through which the Government will support the deployment of gigabit capable broadband to the least commercial 10% of UK premises, at the same time that the market is deploying to more commercial areas. The first step in this approach is the £200 million Rural Gigabit Connectivity programme, which launched in May 2019, and will connect local hubs in rural areas to gigabit capable broadband, as well as providing gigabit vouchers to small businesses and residents.</p>
Biography information for Andrea Leadsom
Huawei: 5G
To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, pursuant to the Answer of 8 July 2019 to Question 272302 on Huawei: 5G, what recent estimate he has made of the number of (a) UK operators and (b) significant commercial networks in the UK.
<p>There are two major fixed line providers and four major mobile providers providing the majority of the public network.</p>
To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what estimate he has made of the number of UK firms that import data from the EU that would be subject to the EU's rules on data export to third countries in the absence of an adequacy decision.
Harborough
<p>We are currently undertaking analysis regarding the number of businesses this will affect.</p><p> </p><p>The UK and the EU agree that the continued free flow of personal data is an important underpinning feature of the future relationship for both economic and security purposes. In 2017, around 40% of the EU’s service exports to the UK were data-enabled worth approximately £30bn, and around 70% of the UK’s service exports to the EU were data-enabled, worth approximately £80bn. This demonstrates that it is in everyone’s interests that the exchange of personal data between EU Member States and the UK continues in the event of a no deal scenario. The EU has an established mechanism to allow the free flow of personal data to countries outside the EU, namely adequacy decisions and the UK stands ready to begin the adequacy assessment process right away.</p><p> </p><p>In the event of no deal, given the degree of alignment between the UK and EU’s data protection regimes, the UK will transitionally recognise all EEA states, EU adequate third countries, EU and EEA institutions, and Gibraltar, as though they have been subject to an affirmative adequacy decision by the UK. This will allow personal data to continue to flow freely from the UK to the EU. The UK would keep all of these decisions under review.</p><p> </p><p>In a no deal scenario, the UK does not expect the European Commission to have made adequacy decisions regarding the UK at the point of exit. This means UK and EU organisations should take steps to mitigate any impact in this scenario by implementing alternative transfer mechanisms to send personal data from the EU to the UK. Details of what the alternative transfer mechanisms available are and how to make use of them are set out in the ICO guidance and gov.uk.</p><p> </p><p> </p>
Biography information for Neil O'Brien
Broadband: Rural Areas
To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what progress the Government has made on the roll out of superfast broadband to rural areas; and if he will make a statement.
Sir Greg Knight
<p>The Superfast programme met its original objective of delivering at least 24Mbps broadband to 95% of the population in December 2017, and is now pushing beyond 96% with an ambition to reach at least 97% coverage by March 2020.</p><p> </p><p>The Rural Gigabit Connectivity (RGC) programme launched in May 2019 and will run until the end of March 2021. £200 million has been allocated to the Programme, from the National Productivity Investment Fund.</p><p> </p><p>This is the first step of our “Outside In” approach, as outlined in the Future Telecoms Infrastructure Review (FTIR), to ensure that no areas are systematically left behind when it comes to the deployment of gigabit capable broadband. The FTIR estimated that around 10% of premises in the UK would need some sort of additional funding to get this connectivity.</p><p> </p><p>The RGC Programme will trial a model connecting local hubs in rural areas to gigabit capable broadband, starting with primary schools. The RGC programme also has a rural gigabit broadband voucher component, offering up to £3,500 for small businesses and up to £1,500 for residents. This will be offered to encourage greater take-up of gigabit-capable connectivity to residents and businesses in rural areas.</p><p> </p><p>In addition, and not specifically Superfast Broadband, I can confirm that the Local Full Fibre Networks programme is currently working with Tyne Combined Authority on a £12m bid that will deliver full fibre connectivity in Northumberland to 313 sites, improving the addressable full fibre coverage and associated productivity gains for homes and businesses.</p><p><strong> </strong></p>
Biography information for Sir Greg Knight
To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, pursuant to the Answer of 8 July 2019 to Question 272248, what recent estimate he has made of the number of (a) businesses employing 250 or more people and (b) SMEs that are registered for the cyber security information sharing partnership.
<p>The National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) does not hold membership figures by size of organisations on cyber-security information sharing partnership (CiSP). NCSC can report that over 20 sectors are represented on CiSP which includes SME’s and organisations of various sizes.</p>
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To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what assessment he has made of the potential effect of the imprisonment of the main opposition leader in Bangladesh, Khaleda Zia, on political stability in that country; and what representations he has made to his Bangladeshi counterpart on that matter.
<p>We continue to stress to the Government of Bangladesh, both in public and in private, the importance of respect for human rights and the rule of law. We expect those in detention including Khaleda Zia to be treated in accordance with Bangladesh's international commitments on human rights, and we regularly engage with the Government of Bangladesh on the treatment of those in detention and on the integrity and independence of the judicial process.</p><p>The Foreign Secretary has written to Bangladesh Foreign Minister AK Abdul Momen this year to express our concerns about the general election in December 2018 and to encourage the Government of Bangladesh to maintain dialogue with opposition parties and civil society.</p><p>The Minister of State for Asia and the Pacific reiterated these concerns and the importance of respect for human rights when he met the Prime Minister and ministers during his visit to Bangladesh in April 2019.</p>
Smoking: Health Education
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how much funding his Department has committed to spend on campaigns to promote the cessation of smoking in 2019-20.
<p>Detailed funding planning is underway for 2019-20 smoking cessation campaigns. Audited spend will be available at the end of the financial year.</p>
South Ribble
Seema Kennedy
Biography information for Seema Kennedy
Whether he plans to increase the annual turnover limit for society lotteries to £100 million per annum.
<p>The annual sales limit was one of the limits on which the government consulted and that we are considering in our response.</p><p>I am still committed to ensuring that the regulatory framework for lotteries is appropriate and that both society lotteries and the National Lottery are able to thrive.</p><p>My aim is to allow the society lottery sector to continue to grow, while maintaining the balance between society lotteries and the National Lottery.</p>
Overseas Trade: India
What steps he is taking to increase the UK's proportion of global trade with India.
<p>Exports to India were up nearly 20% in 2018 on the previous year, totalling over £7.9 billion.</p><p> </p><p>We have a number of initiatives to strengthen our bilateral trade relationship with India, including the Joint Working Group on Trade, which recently met in March.</p><p> </p><p>Only last night I was at the Grant Thornton tracker event with the Confederation of Indian Industry, to celebrate the success of some of the top Indian companies in the UK.</p>
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how much funding his Department spent on campaigns to promote the cessation of smoking in 2018-19; and what funding has been allocated to such campaigns in 2019-20.
<p>Expenditure on smoking cessation advertising media by Public Health England in 2018-19 was £2.5 million. Figures are net (rounded to nearest £10,000) and exclude Value Added Tax.</p><p>Media spend includes expenditure for advertising on television, radio, national press, regional press, out of home (outdoor), cinema and digital. Recruitment advertising and media partnerships are not included.</p><p>The funding allocation for 2019/20 is yet to be agreed.</p>
Stem Subjects: Degrees
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what recent steps he has taken to encourage more students to study STEM degrees.
<p>Overall numbers of students studying science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) are rising. The share of students studying science subjects at English Higher Education providers has increased from 41% in 2010/11 to 45% in 2016/17.</p><p>Despite rising STEM student numbers, we are far from complacent and we know that employer groups continue to point to an unmet demand for higher level STEM skills. This issue seems to be particularly acute in sectors such as manufacturing, construction, engineering, science and technology. We are therefore implementing a number of initiatives across government to increase the numbers of STEM graduates. For example:</p><ul><li>The Department for Education (DfE) is piloting a conversion course scheme to enable graduates to retrain in engineering and computer science.</li><li>The Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy are leading a £90 million investment in 1,000 new PhD places, of which around 85% will be in STEM areas, and 40% will aim to boost collaboration between industry and academia.</li><li>The government is providing funding for the new Institute of Coding, which aims to improve digital skills provision at levels 6 and 7. It will target a skills gap in digital skills and involves collaboration between education providers and industry.</li><li>The DfE is also supporting (with £15 million over 3 years) the New Model in Technology & Engineering, a STEM-focused institution due to take its first full cohort of students in 2020.</li><li>Institutes of Technology are being established to help meet STEM skills needs at levels 4 – 6, working closely with local employers and Local Enterprise Partnerships.</li></ul><p>Effective careers guidance and advice is also key to supporting young people to undertake learning in areas that will give them the skills employers are looking for. The government’s careers strategy sets out a long-term plan to build a world class careers system to achieve this ambition. We are increasing the information available to students to ensure they can make informed choices about what and where to study.</p><p>As set out in the Industrial Strategy White Paper, the Skills Advisory Panels (SAPs) programme aims to ensure that the local provision of skills, and the delivery of skills policy in local areas, meets and responds to changing employer needs. SAPs analysis will inform Local Industrial Strategies and local post-16 skills provision, so that skills provision better meets labour market needs.</p><p>Degree apprenticeships also allow universities to build partnerships with businesses and employers and to work together to create a skilled workforce. Employers are working in partnership with universities and professional bodies to meet the high-level technical skills that employers and our economy need to prosper.</p><p> </p>
Overseas Students: Universities
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what recent discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for the Home Department on ensuring that the UK continues to attract international students to British universities after the UK leaves the EU.
<p>Ministers within the Department for Education have regular discussions with the Home Office on ways to ensure the UK remains an attractive study destination, and the UK already has a strong offer for overseas students who graduate in the UK. International graduates can remain in the UK to work following their studies by switching to several existing visa routes, including Tier 2 (skilled worker) visas.</p><p>As you will be aware, the Immigration White Paper, published in December 2018, proposes increasing the post-study leave period for international students following completion of studies to 12 months for those completing a PhD, and to 6 months for all full-time postgraduate and undergraduate students at institutions with degree awarding powers. These proposals go beyond recommendations set out in the Migration Advisory Committee’s report and will benefit tens of thousands of international students. During the Home Office’s 12-month engagement programme on the Immigration White Paper, business and stakeholders from a wide range of sectors, including the Higher Education sector, will be able to feed in their views on white paper proposals.</p><p>In addition, the International Education Strategy, published on 16 March 2019, sets out actions to continue to provide a welcoming environment for international students, and includes our ambition to increase the number of international students we host to 600,000 by 2030. One of the actions within the strategy includes considering where processes could be improved to improve the visa experience for international students.</p><p> </p>
Police: Emergency Calls
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment he has made of the adequacy of legal protections for police emergency drivers; and if he will make a statement.
<p>The Government fully recognises the difficult job that police drivers do every day to keep road users and the wider public safe.</p><p>In September 2017, the Home Office announced a review into the law, guidance and practice surrounding both police pursuits and response driving to ensure that officers have the right legal protections. That included working closely with the police representatives, including the Federation, other government departments and groups representing road users and those advocating road safety.</p><p>Following the outcome of the review, a consultation was published in May 2018 inviting comments on reforms to certain aspects of road traffic law, the tests set out in the Road Traffic Act 1988 for the offences of careless and dangerous driving, police guidance and training for both pursuit and response driving.</p><p>The consultation closed in August 2018 and we will shortly announce the next steps.</p>
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MAIN BOARDS »
General Discussion (Moderator: Equal Opportunities Customer.) »
EU "votes" to scrap daylight saving time from 2021
« on: Mar 27, 2019, 03:38:51 am »
David Icke Bot
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http://www.theguardian.com/
European parliament votes to scrap daylight saving time from 2021
http://www.theguardian.com/world/2019/mar/26/european-parliament-votes-to-scrap-daylight-saving-time-from-2021
'The European parliament has voted to scrap the twice-a-year custom of changing the clocks by an hour in spring and autumn by 2021, leaving only national governments to now give their assent.
The change would apply to the UK if it stays in the EU, and also during an extended transition period that is part of Theresa May’s Brexit deal.
Member states would be able to choose whether to remain on “permanent summer” or “permanent winter” time under the draft directive, which passed by 410 votes to 192. Countries that wanted to be permanently on summertime would adjust their clocks for the final time on the last Sunday in March 2021. Those that opt for permanent wintertime would change their clocks for the final time on the last Sunday of October 2021.
It is the latest step in the EU’s harmonisation of daylight saving time first launched in the 1980s in an attempt to prevent divergent approaches from undermining the European single market. Under current EU law, the clocks in the 28 member states move forward together on the last Sunday in March and fall back on the last Sunday in October.
Tory MEPs, who voted against the proposal, reacted angrily to the development, with one accusing the European commission, which has pushed the plan to ditch daylight saving time, of acting like “time lords”.'
Read More : European parliament votes to scrap daylight saving time from 2021
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Webot for posting David Icke Articles and Videos, read this post for criticism of my bias and limitations.
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The Toronto Blue Jays will be looking t
Předmět příspěvku: The Toronto Blue Jays will be looking t
TORONTO —o sweep the Baltimore Orioles on Wednesday afternoon by winning the finale of the three-game series at the Rogers Centre.A victory would mean more than a series sweep for the Blue Jays as it would allow them to complete an umblemished home schedule against the Orioles this season at 10-0.By clubbing four solo home runs in an 8-2 victory Tuesday night http://www.tigersfanproshop.com/authentic-joe-jimenez-jersey , the Blue Jays moved to 11-1 against the Orioles this season. The Orioles’ only win over the Blue Jays this season was April 11 in the finale of a three-game series at Camden Yards.Article continues below ...The teams still have two more three-game series in Baltimore this season.The Blue Jays already have clinched their first home series win since they swept the Orioles in three games July 20-22.The Orioles will start right-hander David Hess (2-7, 5.95 ERA) on Wednesday while the Blue Jays will send out left-hander Thomas Pannone (0-0, 4.15), who will be making his first major league start.Pannone made his major league debut Aug. 10 and has appeared in four games as a reliever.Pannone started six games with Triple-A Buffalo this season and had a 4.91 ERA and 1.28 WHIP with 40 strikeouts in 36 2/3 innings. He has pitched in only nine minor league games this season, going 0-4 with a 5.36 ERA, including stints at Class A Dunedin and Double-A New Hampshire because of an 80-game suspension after testing positive for a performance-enhancing substance.The 24-year-old was obtained in July last year in a deal that sent reliever Joe Smith to the Cleveland Indians.Hess made his major league debut May 12, winning two of his first three starts. He has not won since May 25, going 0-6 with a 6.61 ERA in 11 outings (nine starts) since his last win.He received a no-decision in his only appearance against the Blue Jays, allowing one run in six innings of Baltimore’s 5-4 loss at Toronto on June 7.Kendrys Morales hit one of the Blue Jays’ homers against the Orioles on Tuesday to add to the two he hit in the series opener on Monday. He has homered in three consecutive games for the third time in his career. The other two times were in 2016.He also had an RBI single in going 3-for-4 on Tuesday.Morales had overcome a poor start and now is batting .257 with 17 homers and 47 RBIs. He was slashing .188/.260/.312 on June 5.“He’s dangerous, he’s always dangerous,” Blue Jays manager John Gibbons said. “But he works hard, too. He’s the first guy here just about every day Alan Trammell Jersey , he spends his day in the cage. If anybody was going to come out of it, it was him.”Billy McKinney hit his first career home run for the Blue Jays.Toronto center fielder Kevin Pillar was 1-for-4 with a double and has an eight-game hit streak, batting .419 with six doubles, one home run and eight RBIs during the streak.The Blue Jays scored seven of their runs and hit three of their homers against Orioles starter Dylan Bundy. The Orioles also suffered defensive lapses behind him, making two errors.“We’ve got to make some plays behind him,” Orioles manager Buck Showalter said. “But his finish, the shape of his pitches, that’s very unlike Dylan. This is probably the toughest stretch that he’s had. It seems like every mistake he makes he’s paying a price for it.”Cedric Mullins hit his second career homer for the Orioles in going 1-for-4 on Tuesday. He hit his first big-league homer on Saturday at Cleveland. He has reached base in 10 of his first 11 major league games since making his debut Aug. 10 and is batting .333 (13-for-39) with five doubles, two homers and four RBIs. CLEVELAND (AP) — Carlos Carrasco dusted himself off, climbed back on the mound and smiled after dealing with another scary moment against the Minnesota Twins.Carrasco struck out 11 and withstood taking a liner off his glove in pitching the Cleveland Indians past the Twins 8-1 on Tuesday night.“I’m glad nothing happened,” he said. “Everything’s fine. It’s part of the game.”Francisco Lindor matched a career high with four hits while Jose Ramirez drove in three runs for the AL Central leaders.Carrasco (16-7) allowed four hits in 7 2/3 innings. He is tied for second in the majors in wins, one behind Luis Severino of the Yankees.In the fifth http://www.tigersfanproshop.com/authentic-joe-jimenez-jersey , Carrasco was hit in the glove by Ehire Adrianza’s liner. The force of the blow knocked Carrasco to the ground, but the right-hander immediately got to his feet. The ball rolled toward second baseman Jason Kipnis, who had no play at first.Indians manager Terry Francona and a team trainer went to the mound, and Carrasco signaled he wasn’t injured. The pitcher smiled as the trainer wiped dirt off his left hand and wrist with a towel.Francona admitted he was concerned when he headed on the field.“It didn’t sound good,” he said. “I was so relieved when it was his glove. He turned around and told us right away that it hit his glove, but I had my momentum going that direction so I kept going just to check on him.”On June 16 at Progressive Field, Carrasco was struck on the right elbow by a line drive from Twins star Joe Mauer. Carrasco sustained a bruise and missed three weeks — he is 8-2 in 11 starts since returning July 6.Carrasco admitted his mind flashed back to what occurred over two months ago.“That was when I thought about the last time I was facing those guys,” he said. “I was thinking about that. That’s why I started laughing.”Kyle Gibson (7-11) allowed five runs in 5 1/3 innings. Jake Cave hit a solo homer in the ninth.Ramirez had a sacrifice fly in the third and a two-run double in the sixth, driving in his first run since Aug. 17. Lindor and Ramirez were a combined 9 for 58 on Cleveland’s seven-game road trip.“You know they’re going to hit, but it’s still nice to see,” Francona said. “Frankie stayed in the middle of the field. Josey hit one ball good, another ball he got a hit because he beat it out.”Edwin Encarnacion and Greg Allen each drove in two runs for the Indians Lance Parrish Jersey , who have dominated the AL Central but are 9-8 against the Twins. Cleveland is 31-11 against the rest of the division and leads second-place Minnesota by 14 games.“The game looks flat when you’re not swinging the bats well and are striking out,” Twins manager Paul Molitor said. “We didn’t get much going. They were better tonight.”STILL THROWINGIndians RHP Trevor Bauer (stress fracture in right leg) threw off the mound and played catch up to 320 feet without a walking boot. He is still frustrated that his potential AL Cy Young Award season was derailed when he was struck on the leg by a line drive on Aug. 11.“I’m just sitting here and all of my personal season goals are slowly drifting away because I took a line drive off the ankle,” he said.Francona hopes Bauer will make two or three appearances for the Indians before the regular season ends, but no timeline for his return has been established.SEASON OVERTwins RHP Michael Pineda (right knee) and LHP Adalberto Mejia (left wrist) will miss the remainder of the season. Pineda had Tommy John surgery in July of last year and was on a rehab assignment with Triple-A Rochester. He has a slight meniscus tear that could require surgery. Mejia is experiencing nerve problems in his strained wrist.COOPERSTOWN CALLINGThe cap worn by Twins RHP Oliver Drake on Tuesday will be sent to the baseball Hall of Fame, which requested a souvenir from his major league record fifth team of the season. He pitched for the Brewers, Indians, Angels and Blue Jays before being claimed by Minnesota off waivers on Aug. 3. Drake struck out the side in the seventh.TRAINER’S ROOMTwins: SS Jorge Polanco was not in the lineup after experiencing leg cramps Sunday.UP NEXTTwins RHP Kohl Stewart (0-1, 6.94 ERA) takes on Indians RHP Adam Plutko (4-4, 5.09 ERA) in the second game of the series.
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Holiday in Havana
posted Friday February 12th, 2016
I’m barely back, but it already seems like a rum-soaked dream — seven days and nights in Cuba, a breathtaking, heartbreaking, gorgeous, crumbling, humbling place. An incredible trip.
As our 40th birthdays approached, my best-friend-from-second-grade Amy (I know, it’s confusing) suggested we go on a trip to celebrate.
That was almost 10 years ago. We never went anywhere.
With 50 staring us down, we decided to get busy — and head south. Tourism is at a fevered pitch in Havana, as mending relations with the U.S. threaten to bring capitalism — and hoards of Americans — to Cuba. So far, so good: Upon our arrival in Havana in January, there wasn’t a Starbucks in sight, and while the city bustled, it was hardly too late to experience the real thing — the 40s and 50s-cars (“American car!” as the cab drivers bragged, beautifully preserved on the outside and not-quite-so on the inside), the gorgeously crumbling architecture and, sadly, some pretty intense poverty and deprivation.
Without getting too confusing, there are currently two ways for a typical American to get to Cuba: enter through Mexico or Canada; or join an educational tour. We did the latter, hooking up with the amazing Tom Miller, a Tucson-based writer best known in this case for “Trading with the Enemy,” a book he wrote in the early 1990s after spending 18 months traveling Cuba, getting to know it in a way few (if any) Americans were able to do at the time.
To be honest, I cringed at the idea of an organized tour (most of the 21 people on our tour — I wouldn’t go on one bigger — also self-identified as “non organized-tour-people”) but I was so glad we took that route. Tom has been returning to Cuba for years, his connections are unrivaled, and his line-up for Literary Havana was pitch perfect. I wanted to pinch myself — every day I thought, “Did Tom crawl in my head and plan this trip just for me?”
We visited a synagogue, talked to a documentary filmmaker, watched a theater troupe practice, toured Muraleando, a non-profit devoted to arts instruction for underprivileged kids — and so on. We sipped wine over lunch while poets read, wandered around Barrio Chino (Havana has a Chinatown!), checked out Hemingway’s bathroom (great shower curtain) and hung out by his empty pool. We also saw a remarkable contemporary dance troupe called Danza Espiral that we all agreed was one of the best we’d seen anywhere. It was awesome.
An important caveat, key in surviving an organized tour: Heads turned the other way when Amy and I went rogue, which happened a few times. We skipped the art museum tour and spent a day wandering around Old Havana, studying the latest Fodor’s, hitting up coffee shops, an outdoor antiques market, and an incredible print studio/gallery. After an entire week (no kidding) of nagging the hotel concierge, scored tickets to the Ballet Nacional de Cuba. We also took in a show at the Tropicana — kitschy, hilarious, and (consider yourself warned) pricey.
(One place we didn’t get to, either on our own or with the group, because it was closed was the national art school. It’s on my list for a return visit. Another: Fabrica de Arte Cubano — a giant disco/art gallery/so-much-more that was also closed.)
Our group met up in Miami (there’s a great hotel in the airport — I highly recommend it) and took a charter to Havana. We waited an hour to deplane when we got there, and when we left Cuba, that plane was delayed by several hours. But by then, we were accustomed to waiting. A week of Cuba — businesses unexpectedly closed, electricity inexplicably off, the poet your group was supposed to meet up with MIA — was charming. A few more days and I would have gone bonkers.
While in Havana, we stayed at Hotel Nacional de Cuba. It is old, giant, picturesque and a little decrepit unless you are on the sixth floor, reserved for dignitaries and other VIPs. The patio is elegant, overlooking the water, and as in most places in Havana, there’s usually live music. The bartenders were kind enough to warn me about the quality of the tequila when I tried to order a margaria. I settled into a week of rum and don’t ever need to drink another mojito, though there was one pina colada at a rest stop (of all places) that I’ll never forget.
A block from our hotel is Hotel Capri, recently refurbished and once a mob favorite. Parque Central in Old Havana also comes highly recommended.
We spent three nights in Havana, then headed for the coast, to a port town called Matanzas and then Varadero. Matanzas is definitely off the beaten path — and worth the trip. We stopped by a book-making studio called Ediciones Vigía and watched artists piece together incredibly intricate, beautiful poetry books with a rare commodity, paper. From there it was on to the Pharmaceutical Museum – a perfectly preserved, extravagant Nineteenth Century pharmacy once owned and operated by a Dr. Triolet.
We stayed in Varadero, a beach town known for huge, all-inclusive resorts. We stayed at one. I don’t recommend that — I would have preferred to poke around the tiny town or score digs at the Xanadu Dupont Mansion. (Even if you don’t say at the mansion, stop by – no one will mind and there are killer views.) Either way, the beach was stunning, truly “seafoam green” and, as the water stretched to the horizon, varying shades that empty your Crayola box as you try to describe them.
The restaurant scene is surprisingly good. In 2011 the government made way for paladares, restaurants run out of private homes, and the results can be stunning. The cuisine is mixed (some meals were forgettable, others not — and for not-great reasons) but so is the decor and setting — and for that, you’ll be grateful. Some of our favorites included Atelier, Decameron and Fontana. At Decameron, for example, we enjoyed a wall full of cuckoo clocks and amazing lemon meringue pie for dessert.
Don’t expect to find super souvenirs. We didn’t. There’s just not a lot of merch in Cuba. (Except for cigars, you won’t have any problems there.) Related: You’ll hear that gifts are appreciated, and while everyone we met in Cuba was extremely cordial, I got the feeling that cash would have been preferred to the costume jewelry I’d been urged to bring. You do want to bring your own over the counter medications (particularly Imodium and Pepto Bismol) and plan to leave some behind. That’s definitely appreciated. You might also want to pack some snacks; bottled water is everywhere but we didn’t see so much as a Pringle till we got to the airport on our last day.
I don’t feel like I’ve even begun to tell the story. If you’re going to Cuba or thinking about going, message me. We’ll talk.
Also: I posted more photos on Instragram. My account is @amysilverman.
Tags: Filed under: travel by Amysilverman
One Response to “Holiday in Havana”
sandra guerguy, on February 13th, 2016 at 5:13 pm Said:
Wonderful travelogue of a place that I intend to visit. Thanks for your vibrant descriptions….
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The Spaces in Between
posted Saturday March 3rd, 2018
It was a pretty Arizona winter night. The church grounds felt like they went on for acres, probably because they did, and as I waited I tried to distract myself by wondering how much this North Scottsdale real estate is worth. A lot.
Modestly dressed middle-aged congregants gathered outside in a courtyard, lining either side of a red carpet, as an announcer I couldn’t see introduced the guests over a PA. He called each one by name, welcoming them to the church, telling them, “Jesus loves you! This is your night to shine!”
Finally, after what felt like weeks but was probably 20 minutes, he announced Sophie’s name. My little agnostic Jew bounded down the carpet, grinning, a fancy corsage hanging from her wrist, and struck several poses for the photographer.
And awesome.
Sophie had a blast. She ate garlic bread and sang karaoke. Every party guest got a crown.
That is where I live these days, in the spaces in between. In between awful and awesome. It was Sophie’s idea to go to the prom. I didn’t even know who Tim Tebow was, until she found a flyer at a play rehearsal and insisted I sign her up, buy her a dress and new eye makeup.
How could I explain to my almost 15-year-old that I hate it when people commit good acts simply in the name of religion, that the term “special needs ministry” makes my skin crawl? That it’s horrible to segregate people with disabilities like this? That after no one wanted to go with her to the Homecoming dance at school she finally had a chance to attend a fancy event but I wouldn’t let her?
So I took her.
I want to say that it wasn’t so bad but I just told you how bad it was. It was bad. But it was also good. Because rarely in life are things that black and white. Definitely not in this so-called community of people focused on disability rights. (Yes, I know, the title “disability rights” is controversial. There’s no right way to describe anything anymore.)
In other places, I don’t make space. None of this applies to Donald Trump or gun rights or how I feel about grammar. But in this part of my life, the Sophie part, it’s different. It has to be. This isn’t academics, it’s live time. For all of us, life is a series of constant recalibrations, moving targets. Most days, a vicious game of Whack a Mole.
If you’re looking for me, I’ll be in the spaces in between. For example:
You can be 100 percent pro-choice and still want better prenatal education for a woman who finds out she is expecting a baby with Down syndrome.
It’s possible to hate the fact that a boy with Treacher Collins syndrome was not cast in the lead for the movie “Wonder” but still love the film and have a good ugly cry, and particularly love the discussions it sparks among your teenage kids and their friends. And among you and your friends.
It could be that it was absolutely the right decision to mainstream your kid in school — and that still, every day is impossibly messy in ways that make you want to poke out the eyes of well-meaning teachers, staff and administrators, followed by your own.
It’s okay to admire the matching tattoos lots of moms of kids with Down syndrome are getting — and to also have absolutely no desire to get one yourself, not only because tattoos look like they hurt a lot but also because you’ve spent the last 15 years learning what makes your kid unique, not what makes her the same, so if you get a tattoo for her it will be something no one else has.
It’s possible for your kid to know every single student at her high school — to get high fives and hugs and lots of love from her classmates every day — and still not have a single true friend.
It’s okay to be in awe of the fact that there’s now a Gerber baby with Down syndrome, to think about what that would have meant when your own daughter was born and you felt so alone and like no one out there even knew what Down syndrome was (including you) and to marvel at how far we’ve come, even if it’s not far enough and even if there’s a very strong possibility that Gerber is a crappy company doing this for some of the wrong reasons.
It’s possible to hate the school choice movement — particularly because it excludes kids with disabilities and is re-segregating our schools — and still choose to send your typical kid to a charter school because you believe it’s the best place for her.
Speaking of that typical kid, you can simultaneously feel that having a sister with special needs is the best thing that could have happened to her, and potentially a burden that will ruin her life.
It might well happen that you grow up hating cheerleading and all that it stands for and swear that your daughters will never be cheerleaders — until the day your daughter doesn’t make the cheer squad.
You can be a huge champion of the First Amendment and still have the right to ask people to not use the word retarded in front of you.
It’s just fine if you don’t like everyone in the disability rights community. Some of them might not like you, either. Just because you both have a kid with Down syndrome doesn’t mean you have anything in common. But some of them might become your favorite people.
And it’s okay if you find yourself at church on a Friday night, even though the idea of a special needs prom makes you wildly uncomfortable, because you’re in this for your kid and she begged to go and the world isn’t perfect — and neither are you.
Please, Stop Looking at Paperwork and Start Looking at My Kid
posted Monday January 8th, 2018
So far, I have not failed at high school.
This morning — the first back after the two-week winter break — Sophie popped out of bed, drank her Carnation Instant Breakfast, and chose a cute new outfit. She refused to brush her hair, but found her ID, remembered her lunch, and cranked Stevie Wonder, then something from Glee, then the theme song to The Office in the car on the short drive to school.
“This will stay with me all day!” she announced cheerfully, pretending to play the piano along with The Office.
I, on other hand, could barely open my eyes. I piled my hair on my head and wrapped a soft red shawl around my pajamas, not bothering to change out of my slippers, looking, I’m sure, like some sort of drunk, though I swear, the strongest thing I’m drinking these days is kombucha. Up an hour before Sophie to make lunches and coffee, I was pretty much ready to go back to bed by the time we had to leave the house, and I found myself purposely missing a yellow light so I could stay in the car a little longer, prolonging the agony of the fluorescent-lit main office where I drop Sophie each morning with her aide.
“Bye Mama! Have a good day!” Sophie said, swinging on her backpack and swiping her mouth with the back of her hand in preparation for a kiss on the lips.
I slouched back to the car, where I sat for several minutes as the sun finally rose, sending emails and texts to school personnel and other parents in my ongoing, desperate attempt to stay one step ahead of Sophie.
If she’s happy, I’m happy. And so far, Sophie insists she loves high school. I’m glad one of us does and I call that success. It’s my job, I figure, to manage things behind the scenes to keep it that way. But I’m not sure how much longer I’ll be able to do it.
Let’s just say that last semester didn’t end well. Sophie failed all of her academic finals. She passed all her classes, and even did well in a couple, but those four Fs were all I saw when I looked at her report card.
I don’t care much about grades — not for either of my kids — but this is different. This is failure. This means things are not right. This is not the way I wanted Sophie’s second semester to begin.
Honestly, I’m out of ideas. Nagging obviously doesn’t work. The week before finals, I sent several emails to special ed personnel at the school, asking (begging) them to tell me how they were going to modify her finals.
Instead of responding — and working to make sure Sophie’s finals were accessible while still meeting state standards — her case manager emailed me a copy of a form he insisted needed to be signed and returned immediately. He sent a hard copy of the form home, too, very concerned that he get it right back.
I confirmed with Sophie’s lawyer that that particular form doesn’t need to returned for at least three and a half years.
And why weren’t Sophie’s finals appropriately modified? Because the paperwork calling for such a thing — her IEP (Individualized Education Plan, the legally binding document that follows her through school) — is currently being revised, which I guess means that no one needs to bother to give my kid a fighting chance until signatures are in place.
It makes no sense. And that, my friends, is special education policy in the United States of America — and really, while I’m at it, education policy in general. There is no room for critical thinking, only space to fill in the blanks. We teach to the test, almost always with poor results, made much worse when it comes to kids who learn differently and when that kid is profoundly different but still capable of learning and growing, forget about it.
Here’s what it boils down to, here is my plea — and I bet I’m not alone:
STOP LOOKING AT PAPERWORK AND START LOOKING AT MY KID.
That’s what I’ve been asking these people to do since high school started.
They can’t. Or they won’t. Or they figure that if they ignore me long enough, I’ll go away.
Trust me, I would, if there was another fucking place to send Sophie. But there isn’t, not even in Arizona, the school choice mecca. We’re stuck with each other, high school.
At least Sophie’s happy. Those Fs aside, she appears to be learning. She’s comfortable at the school, making friends (sort of). Happy to get in the car each morning.
I haven’t failed — yet. I can’t.
The Airing of Grievances
posted Wednesday December 6th, 2017
Sophie’s lawyer asked me to write down some concerns in anticipation of her annual IEP meeting next week.
(IEP stands for Individualized Education Plan — the living legal document that guides/dictates the educational life of a kid with a disability.)
I smirked. Perfect timing for an airing of grievances.
I started this blog to catalog Sophie’s kindergarten year — and kept going. This past August she started high school, and I’ve been uncharacteristically quiet. Yes, it’s natural to pull back on the details as your child gets older, or stop writing altogether. There are a lot of parenting blogs gathering dust out there in cyberspace. But that’s not what this is about.
I haven’t known what to say. At first I didn’t know what to say because as high school approached, I didn’t have a care in the world. This terrified me because the last time I feel that calm was right before Sophie was born and diagnosed with Down syndrome and a heart defect.
We’d spent so many months years planning, stressing, applying, questioning — there was nothing left to do but shop for school supplies.
And then, two weeks before school started, Sophie’s lawyer called to say she was closing her practice. I hung up the phone and sobbed. This woman had been Sophie’s only legal representative — we’d waited till third grade to hire an advocate to fight for a classroom aide and to stop the emphasis on test scores that said so little about my kid. “You’ve got this,” the lawyer promised. “You don’t really need anyone.”
It’s true that at that point, everything was in place. School started okay. Sophie was on Cloud Nine, fueled by the fact that she had left the middle school dress code behind. As we pulled into the school parking lot the first day, she cranked a Taylor Swift song on her phone:
You take a deep breath
And you walk through the doors
It’s the morning of your very first day
You say hi to your friends you ain’t seen in awhile
Try and stay out of everybody’s way
It’s your freshman year
And you’re gonna be here for the next four years
In this town
Hoping one of those senior boys
Will wink at you and say, “you know I haven’t seen you around, before”
Sophie’s aide was waiting in the appointed spot — definitely not the image conjured by Swift’s independent teen lyrics. I drove away with tears in my eyes, rueful over the fact that Sophie’s high school experience looks so different than it does for most kids, but happy that she seemed excited about it. She tried out for cheer and the spring musical and didn’t make either, but loves her choir and dance classes, and, I’m told, knew pretty much every kid on campus after the first month
And then, six weeks after school started, Sophie’s aide left her job.
This woman had been Sophie’s only aide, the one hired after we’d brought the lawyer to that third grade IEP meeting. The aide — one of the most amazing people I have ever met — had followed Sophie from elementary school to middle school to high school.
Just like that, one day she was gone.
(This was not her fault — and her leaving had nothing to do with Sophie.)
Without the lawyer, without the aide, I felt like I’d been instantly transported to a tightrope miles above the city, Sophie in my arms. Sophie’s small for her age, but by no means can I hold her these days. Definitely not without solid ground beneath me.
The free fall hasn’t been fun.
I had no power over who Sophie’s next aide would be. But I did get to pick her next attorney. I met with a friend who’s also a special ed lawyer. “I can’t help you,” she said. “I’ve never known a kid with Down syndrome who’s been mainstreamed in the classroom as long as Sophie has.”
Today we have a super lawyer; hopefully she will still be our super lawyer after she reads my list of grievances.
And Sophie has a new aide. The woman seems sharp and kind. Sophie likes her. They do not have the rapport that only comes after six years together all day, pretty-much-every-day. But they’re getting there.
The damage of three weeks of substitute aides and what I’ll euphemistically refer to as “communication challenges” has not been undone. High school is hard, really hard. I think it can work. I hope it can work. It can work. I need to make it work for Sophie. She loves the school; I just have to make sure it loves her.
Easy, right? If you’re looking for me, I’ll be the one holding my breath till after that IEP meeting.
Tags: Down syndrome, high school, IEP, mainstream, mainstreaming kids with down syndrome in high school, one on one aide, special education 5 Comments »
Gratitude Mix 2017
posted Monday November 20th, 2017
Election results burning in my ears, last November I made a mix tape called “Gratitude.”
The idea was to ratchet back the hate and give some thanks, but by the second or third song I’d pulled out R.E.M.’s “It’s the End of the World as We Know It” and wasn’t looking back.
This year my Gratitude Mix is more like the musical equivalent to sheetcaking — a sugary binge of stuff that sounds good and makes me feel better in the moment. Which, to be honest, is what I prefer in my music in general. And which goes along with my current television binge, Gilmore Girls, which I’m watching in its entirety for the second time. (I don’t care if you judge.)
Speaking of sheetcaking, I saw this beauty at Safeway last week and was really tempted to buy it for the dinner table. I held back. But there’s still time. No promises.
Wishing you and yours a wonderful celebration, whatever that looks like — I continue to be grateful for this space and the friends I’ve made here.
What a Wonderful World * Joey Ramone
Pompeii * Bastille
Reflecting Light * Sam Phillips
Cut Your Bangs * girlpool
Tire Swing * Kimya Dawson
Could It Be Another Change * The Samples
The Only Living Boy in New York * Simon & Garfunkel
Helplessness Blues * Fleet Foxes
Strange Boy * El Michels Affair
Off She Goes * Bad Suns
Feels * Pharrell Williams, Katy Perry & Big Sean
Me Voy * Julieta Venegas
Ordinary Joe * Terry Callier
I’m Going Down * Vampire Weekend
Hallelujah * Rufus Wainwright
Thank You Girl * The Smithereens
Up All Night * Beck
While I’m Alive * Psychic Twin
On Location * Public Access T.V.
Louder in Outer Space * Louise Post & Nina Gordon
Thank You for the Music * ABBA
Down Syndrome Awareness Month Was a Bust. Now What?
posted Thursday November 2nd, 2017
Down Syndrome Awareness Month was a bust this year. For Sophie and me, anyway.
Okay, that’s not exactly true. In a lot of ways, October was a terrific month, particularly when it came to educating others about Down syndrome. I got a piece published on the New York Times parenting site, and I traveled to California to speak to several English composition classes at Taft College. The month was bookended by two performances by Detour Company Theatre, the musical theater troupe Sophie is a part of; she traveled to Tucson and Tempe to perform in “Beauty and the Beast.”
And a letter I wrote on my blog to to the teachers, staff, and students at Sophie’s high school got great response — shared all over Facebook and republished on The Mighty, a high-profile site devoted to issues surrounding disability.
But Down Syndrome Awareness Month was a bust because as far as I can tell, no one who mattered — no one at her high school — read the letter. (You can read it here.)
I emailed it each of her teachers, the principal and the district superintendent. I Xeroxed copies for Sophie to hand out to classmates. It’s possible, I suppose, that someone associated with the school has actually read it, but not a single person has said so.
I had high hopes. The principal (I really like her) was kind enough to call to let me know she’d received it and that the public information officer for the district was going to send it not just to staff at Sophie’s high school, but to everyone in the district.
A few days later, I received a note from the PIO. (I really like her, too — our paths crossed years ago when she had another job and I was delighted to learn she was working for the district where Sophie attends school.)
“I didn’t end up sending the blog out to all of our staff. I am SO SORRY. I love the writing but I explored your site and some of your blogs use one of my favorite words – the one that starts with f and ends with k. I would be read the riot act if a teacher found that and I had sent it via the district newsletter.”
I get that. That’s why I Xeroxed the letter itself separately for Sophie to hand out. The note continued:
“However, I did write this about you and another mom that I recently interacted with and included it in my staff newsletter. xoxox”
This is what she wrote:
[IN] my World
As the parent of 23-year old daughter, I struggle with my role in her life. I still want to protect and teach as I did when she was little, but being the parent of a young adult requires that I limit these actions. So, when I recently interacted with two parents in our district who reminded me of an important role that a parent must play, I took this experience to heart. Their passionate efforts to advocate on behalf of their children reminded me of the advocacy role required of all parents, no matter the age of the child. I have already used their example to be a better parent to my 23-year old. And, the next time I take a call from an upset parent, advocating on behalf of their child, I will use my experience with Lorie and Amy to also be a better public school employee.
As I told her in my reply, that’s a lovely sentiment and I really appreciate it.
But it doesn’t do anything to educate anyone at Sophie’s school about Down syndrome. I thought about making more copies of the letter and bringing them to the principal and asking her to hand them out — I even told the PIO that’s what I intended to do (she never responded) — but (and this is not really like me) I lost steam and never did it. October ended. Down Syndrome Awareness Month is over.
Of course, as I’ve always been fond of saying, it’s Down Syndrome Awareness Day every day in my house. I’ll regroup, I’ll figure something out. (And I’m open to suggestions.) It’s too important to give up.
In the meantime, for better or worse (some days are definitely worse, high school has proven to be a challenge so far) Sophie is educating everyone around her.
And I take comfort in the fact that she’s the best teacher.
I know that, because she is mine.
6 Things We Want You to Know About Down Syndrome: An Open Letter to the Teachers, Staff, and Students at My Daughter’s High School
posted Monday October 16th, 2017
Dear Teachers, Staff, and Students:
Welcome back from Fall Break! I can’t believe an entire quarter of the school year has already flown by. By now you might have met my daughter, Sophie, who is a freshman. If not, maybe you’ve seen her in the halls, at cheer tryouts, or singing at the school’s recent choir concert.
Sophie is probably the smallest kid in high school. She might hit 4’10″ in her Birkenstocks. Most days she can’t wait to get out of bed and get ready for school — she really hated the middle school dress code, and loves to choose her outfit each morning. Like a lot of kids, she’s not great at math. She really loves her dance elective. Pretty much every day, she eats lunch in the choir room with her friend Tatum. I think she might have a crush on a senior boy. She’s currently debating whether or not to try out for the spring musical, Shrek.
There’s something else you should know about Sophie: She has Down syndrome. Down syndrome is the most common genetic condition but don’t feel bad if you’ve never met anyone who has it; it’s pretty rare. Only about 1 in 700 babies are born with it these days.
As you already know if you’re in class with her, Sophie is enrolled in regular high school courses; often, she has an adult working with her. It’s awesome that she has this opportunity, we call it being “mainstreamed.” Not so long ago, kids with Down syndrome and other intellectual disabilities were sent away at birth to institutions. They were not raised with their sisters and brothers, or educated alongside their neighbors.
That has changed, thanks to amazing schools like this one. But because this is a relatively new thing, it means that Sophie is a little bit of a pioneer. Most days, that’s really cool. Every day, it’s a challenge.
Sophie was the first person with Down syndrome I’d ever met. You can imagine how awkward that was for me, since I’m her mom and we met when she was born. So I get it if maybe you’re not quite sure how to approach her — or perhaps need her to give you a little space.
In the last 14 years, I’ve learned a lot about Down syndrome, and, of course, a lot about Sophie. October is Down syndrome Awareness Month, so I’ve put together a list of things that Sophie, our friends and family, and I thought you should know about it — and her. If you ever have questions, you can find me on my blog at girlinapartyhat.com or at amy_silverman@yahoo.com. And here’s a video that explains Down syndrome really well.
Down syndrome is not contagious.
Each of us has 46 chromosomes — 23 from mom, 23 from dad in each of the millions of the cells that make up our bodies. This happens at conception, when the sperm and egg meet. Sometimes science intervenes and an embryo winds up with more chromosomes, or something goes haywire with one. Down syndrome is also known as Trisomy 21, because it means that a person has an extra 21st chromosome. Sometimes not every chromosome is affected; that’s called mosaicism. Like Sophie, most people with Down syndrome have 47 chromosomes in each of their cells.
Because of this chromosomal difference, people with Down syndrome sometimes share similar characteristics. People with DS are often smaller in stature, have almond-shaped eyes, flat noses, straight hair, and small mouths. They can have hypotonia, which means low muscle tone and extra flexibility (you should see Sophie do the splits!). Sophie has a little more trouble than the rest of us when it comes to tying shoes, buttoning buttons, and handwriting. About half the babies born with Down syndrome have a heart defect (you might have noticed Sophie’s scar — she had open heart surgery at 4 months and again at 4 years, but we’re hoping never again). All people with Down syndrome are affected cognitively, which means learning is more difficult for them, to varying degrees.
Down syndrome is different for every person who has it.
This one is really important. It’s natural when people share a label — and some physical characteristics — to assume that they are the same. But just as that’s not the case with other groups, it’s not the case with people with Down syndrome. I’ve heard staff at the school comment that people with Down syndrome “are all nice” and “all like to high-five.” Not really. I’ve met lots of people with Down syndrome. Some like to dance and sing and act silly; others are quiet and athletic. The stereotype is that people with Down syndrome are loving. Sometimes that’s true, sometimes it isn’t. Just like with the rest of us.
Just like there’s no one out there quite like you, there’s no one out there quite like Sophie, a girl who loves YA novels, YouTube makeup tutorials, Disneyland, shopping, poodles, going out to eat, sleepovers, ballet class, the beach, Project Runway, and being with her cousins — and dislikes spicy foods, chores, riding in the back seat, and hearing her mom sing.
“Sophie’s funny, she’s creative, she’s an artist, she’s motivated, she’s determined, playful, friendly, fun, beautiful,” says her sister Annabelle, who is 16 and a junior at another high school in town. “She’s also sassy and manipulative and bossy but also the best sister.”
Annabelle’s advice when it comes to someone with Down syndrome?
“Get to know them. Talk to them. And don’t care about what other people think.”
People with Down syndrome are often just like the rest of us.
“People with Down syndrome go to college, play in bands, drive cars, fall in love, are DJs and reality TV stars, get their hearts broken, have sex, get bored, play sports, love rap music, need help sometimes, love to help other people, have jobs, get grouchy, own restaurants, are artists, wear braces, love ice cream, have lots of adult friends, are good friends, want to make friends,” says my friend Lisa, whose son, Cooper, is a high school sophomore and has Down syndrome.
People with Down syndrome might learn differently than you and I.
One of Sophie’s long-time instructors explains that often people with Down syndrome “process information differently but are able to learn. When Sophie learns a skill or concept she never really forgets it; she just may not be able to remember it on the spot. Like in a test.”
You can say “no” to a person with Down syndrome.
Sophie is an amazing self-advocate. From the time she was a very little girl, she’s known what she wanted — and worked to get it. That’s awesome. It’s why she is so successful in so many ways. But in class or social situations, it can mean she comes on a little strong. Just as you would with any student or friend, you can tell her no! In fact, it’s a good idea. Don’t be mean, but also don’t hesitate to be honest. As a family friend put it, “Sophie wants to be seen. Like we all do.” You can acknowledge her but also let her know that it’s not appropriate to interrupt a conversation or insist on answering a question.
People with Down syndrome might not want to talk about it — or have it.
When Sophie was 8, she started telling us that she doesn’t like having Down syndrome. She struggles with it. Like most high school kids, she wants to be just like her peers. If you ask her about what it’s like to have Down syndrome, she probably won’t want to talk about it.
She is happy that I’m writing a list. Sophie wants people to know what DS is. I asked her if there was anything she wanted to say here and she said this:
“Don’t judge the people with Down syndrome.”
Tags: Down syndrome, down syndrome and high school, down syndrome awareness month 4 Comments »
“We Still Run In Heart First”
posted Tuesday September 5th, 2017
I was right. Sophie is okay.
More than okay. She called me after school on Thursday — she’d learned that morning that she didn’t make the freshman cheer line — and before I could ask about that, she launched into a story about a boy she’s got a crush on. Over the weekend she showed off her dance moves on the beach, played with her cousins, ordered too much sushi, and quarreled with her big sister in the back of the car on the long drive home. Teenage girl stuff.
Once or twice she mentioned something about trying out for cheer again next year and instead of saying, “No fucking way,” I smiled and said nothing and waited for her to change the subject. Ditto for when she pulled up photos on her phone of cheerleader costumes for Halloween. Mature mom stuff.
Not that I’m much of a grown up. I’m still plenty pissed, mostly at myself — for thinking that Sophie would make cheer, for tossing her in to compete against her typical peers. But that’s not why I’m here. I wanted to share with you some of the incredibly insightful things other people have had to say in the last few days about competition, friendship, acceptance, and inclusion.
Typically, I don’t recommend reading the comments on anything. But I learned a lot from these. Mainly, how many of my friends on social media also tried out for cheer and failed. But other things, too. Including that there are lots of different perspectives on how inclusion should go down; that it’s not just kids with identifiable disabilities who are getting left out; and that maybe sometimes failure should be an option.
Some days, we’ve got to sit with the fact that we don’t have all the answers. Those are the toughest days. Which is why it’s nice to have so many smart friends. Here’s what a few people had to say (feel free to visit my Facebook pages to read more –there are good comments on previous posts here on Girl in a Party Hat, too) when I posted about Sophie not making cheer and my feelings about that.
From Lisa, mom of Cooper, who is a sophomore in high school and has Down syndrome:
I think for those of us with disabilities and raising kids with disabilities, it’s just a bummer that everything that provides good opportunities for socialization, exercise, teaming up, etc has to be competitive. It’s almost impossible to find inclusive opportunities once we or our kids reach high school – we can’t just play for the love of sport, unless we are segregated into disability-only programs.
….Another lingering thought…our kids are BRAVE. By definition, having a physical or intellectual disability means trying and failing pretty much every day, at every stage in life. People with disabilities have to give twice the effort and still don’t “measure up” to nondisabled peers. So the idea that failure is good for us/them doesn’t take into account the real and persistent inequities – big and small – that make up the human experience when your body or your brain work differently.
From Rachel, who is a special education teacher and Sophie’s beloved jazz teacher:
Okay, don’t jump all over me for this, people, but is it possible that inclusion also includes being given the opportunity to fail? If this was a situation in which Sophie was the only girl who didn’t make cheer, I would be all over it, and I’m sure you would be too, Amy. But… wouldn’t we be just as upset if they put her on the team as their “Special Education mascot?” Wouldn’t that be infuriating, too? Just putting it out there. You know she’s one of my favorite humans on the planet.
From Janee:
I’ve been thinking about this all night. I think when we talk about inclusion and inclusive practices its hard to imagine, but it’s so much easier when our kids are young. The heartbreak is not that [Sophie] didn’t make a team, but that as she gets older built in opportunities for inclusion get fewer and farther between. I have had this feeling of doors closing when our local softball teams got better and Ruby couldn’t keep up, when theater practice became too loud for her, when Girl Scouts became more mature. It’s hard for us moms to see how they will be included as this gap gets bigger. Just my thoughts. Big hug to you and Sophie!
From Laura:
My oldest has Muscular Dystrophy and tried out for cheer in 8th grade. She can’t jump, run, climb stairs and can’t raise her arms. My career was social service and had been “trained” in dignity of risk. I was gutted throughout the process regardless. (And many times before and since) It tears you up inside yet you smile and cheer those little ‘do anything’ spirits on. Cry in the closet later.
These experiences, for me, seemed unmanageable and yet here we are now, that little warrior and me, no regrets, battle scarred, powerful, experienced. We still run in heart first into adventures cuz we know we will survive whatever the outcome.
Jennifer, founder of our local Gigi’s Playhouse and mom of Kaitlyn, who has Down syndrome and recently graduated high school:
I have so many things to say about this. Kaitlyn didn’t have to try out…I made a phone call to the coach, asked if she would consider the possibility of having Kaitlyn on her team, we met and Kate was a JV cheerleader! Her sophomore year the Varsity coach wanted her….I was hesitant because she loved coach Jane…but Coach Dwayne was adamant. The next 3 years were amazing. For Kate, for her team, for the fans in the stands…it was inspiring. It was humanity at its best. It was young women learning how to hone their empathy and parents giving up the perfect image of what a cheer line should be and accepting it as something even more beautiful than they could have ever imagined. We traveled with the team to Worlds in Orlando and when the team sang “Lean on Me” before their performance they looked for Kate, called her over and held her in the circle. She rarely went to all practices…and sometimes only stayed for half the game. You wanna know who was more impressed than anyone though?!! Me! This was inclusion at its finest. It was leveling the playing field for someone who didn’t choose her diagnosis but wanted a chance to participate. It was coaches and admin bending to meet her halfway. It was young girls who instead of being bullies put their arms around her and chose her when they otherwise might not have had the opportunity….[So many people] changed our lives in ways that made me a stronger mother. That strength led me to open GiGi’s Playhouse [in Scottsdale]. I know you have had so many amazing experiences with Sophie. She is an incredible young lady. She did everything right…now we just need the world to respond accordingly. Love you both–hoping they change their minds. They have no idea what they are missing.
As I responded to Jennifer, I am not going to ask the cheer coaches to reconsider. No way. But I do kind of hope someone shows them — and every other coach out there — what she wrote.
The conversation about inclusion isn’t over. We can’t let it be. My friends won’t let it be. And neither will Sophie.
Tags: cheerleading, Down syndrome, inclusion 3 Comments »
Giant White Cheer Bow Free to a Good Home
posted Thursday August 31st, 2017
Does anyone need a giant white cheer bow?
This morning Sophie was ready early, waiting by the back door, yelling at me to hurry up so she could get to school and see if she made the freshman cheer line.
“Now remember, you might not make it,” I said as we climbed in the car. “How do you feel about your chances?”
“I know,” she said. “Good.”
I’ll be honest: Even though I warned her all along that she might not make it, this morning as we drove to school, Sophie and I both thought it was a sure thing. Last night Sophie’s nanny (who had been at most of the practices and the try-out) dropped her off and announced that Sophie had nailed all the cheers, that she smiled and that she was one of the loudest.
“All the judges seemed to really like her,” she told me. And with that, I let down my guard, the first thing they teach you not to do at that How-to-be-a-Parent School that doesn’t exist.
I didn’t worry about Sophie’s extra questions during try-outs, or the time she’d made herself the leader at practice, or the fact that she told the coaches it was not appropriate to make the girls run in 110 degree heat. Or that no matter how hard she tries, and no matter how well she learns any kind of dance or cheer routine, she’s always a beat behind.
I knew she was going to make it.
I kissed Sophie goodbye. “Text me a selfie if you make it, okay?” I asked. “I want to see your face!”
She nodded, grinning.
I dropped her with her aide and Sophie rushed off to the activities office. I drove away, already composing a blog post in my head, ready to accept all those virtual high fives on social media.
I still had mixed feelings about cheer — and no desire to attend a football game — but after a few glimpses of how well Sophie interacted with the other girls, how well (aside from not wanting to run, and she was not alone there, and the part where she made herself the leader) she followed directions and learned — and performed — the routines, I was thinking that she had a real chance, and thinking about what an important piece of her development this could be. Of how she might actually make a real friend this year. Of how this school would truly be practicing inclusion, like the district’s special ed director had assured me they would when we spoke last year.
To be fair, that man never guaranteed that Sophie would make cheer. And I would never, ever expect that. But now I need to call myself on my own shit because maybe, this morning, I was expecting it.
A few minutes later, Sophie texted me a selfie. In it, she’s crying. Below it, she wrote “Nope.”
Oh fuck.
Sophie is okay. And if not, she will be soon. She has drama, ballet, jazz, and swimming after school. She’s in dance and choir at school. She wants to sign up for the Spanish Club.
She can still be in Special Olympics cheerleading.
I will be okay, too. I have to be, right? I’m the one who assured the cheer coach last week that all we wanted for Sophie was a fair shake, a chance to try out. That we’d understand either way.
And now I have to understand.
I’m itching to email the coach and ask how close Sophie got, what my kid did wrong, what she can do better in the future, and — while I’m at it – why on earth they wouldn’t include a kid with so much energy and enthusiasm , who tries so hard, who works twice as hard as anyone else, who knew all the cheers and smiled and wore the giant bow. Why they didn’t include the kid with Down syndrome when all I see on social media are cheerleaders with Down syndrome.
I want to ask everyone at that school just what inclusion is supposed to look like, both in and out of the classroom.
Instead, I’m going to try to say nothing. That is not my strong suit. But we’ve only been at this school for a hot minute, and I need to give this some time, gather some context.
And look, I fully realize that I’m completely biased here. (And possibly slightly unhinged.)
Sophie will be okay.
And if I’m not, that’s okay, too. In fact, it’s probably better. Because it’s my job to ask the hard questions — even if for now I’m only asking myself.
Tags: cheer, Down syndrome, inclusion 20 Comments »
Three Cheers for Sophie — No Matter What Happens at Tryouts
posted Friday August 25th, 2017
Sophie is trying out for freshman cheer.
Sitting under the fluorescent lights of a big public high school gym for two hours yesterday afternoon, my thoughts veered wildly — from total disgust with our society for condoning (no, make that celebrating) the idea that it’s cool for girls to put on skimpy outfits and jump around with pom poms, encouraging boys to smash their heads into the ground and each other in order to get an oddly-shaped ball over a line, to the extreme envy I’ve felt my entire life, any time I’ve seen a cheerleader.
But mostly I thought about Sophie, and how she’s the bravest person I know.
There are maybe 50 girls trying out – the gym was packed — and Sophie’s the only one with Down syndrome. (She appeared yesterday to me to be the only one with any sort of disability.) Before they gathered in the gym, the girls met at the track, where they ran a mile. Not every girl made it around four times, but most did. Except for the first few yards, where she sprinted ahead — a tiny dervish in a tank top and brightly-patterned leggings — Sophie was at the very back of the pack. She ran maybe half a lap before stopping to walk, and then trying to stop altogether, before the coaches urged some sweet girls to gently encourage her on.
It was 103 degrees at 5:15 yesterday afternoon in Tempe, and I was a little concerned, particularly when Sophie’s face remained flushed for most of the rest of the evening, even once the girls were sitting in the air conditioned gym and the rest of them seemed fine.
Although she’s very flexible and can do the splits like nobody’s business (thanks to hypertonia, a condition often associated with Down syndrome), Sophie couldn’t do the stretches the other girls did. In the car after practice, she rubbed the spot on her chest where the surgeons sawed her chest open twice many years ago to fix her heart, and said, “The stretching hurt my scar.” But she didn’t complain for the whole two hours. And I only noticed her stick her thumb in her mouth once.
She asked more questions than the others, but for the most part, Sophie was just another girl trying out for cheer. Watching her go through the paces (again, and again, and again — they all had to), her brow furrowed in concentration, I couldn’t help but notice that Sophie tries twice as hard and she’s still a beat behind.
That sounds about right for life in general for Sophie, I thought, my ears ringing with calls for “defense!” and the “1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8″ I’d hear in my dreams all night.
Sophie has been on cheer lines before, in junior high and Special Olympics, but even though there don’t appear to be any gymnastic skills or tricks required here, high school cheer is different. It’s much harder. The routines are longer, there’s more concentration required, precision expected. The stakes in life are getting higher for Sophie, and for the most part there’s nothing I can do to stop it. I thought cheerleading would be an exception. I tried for months to downplay high school cheer, to dissuade Sophie from trying out, figuring it was totally out of reach and much easier to distract her than risk her trying out and being turned down. I encouraged her to join Speech and Debate instead. She just gave me a dirty look. (I am so uncool.)
After she saw the cheer line at orientation, Sophie was obsessed. As with many things involving my younger daughter, I had no say in the matter.
So I’m on the hunt for all-white Velcro tennies since Sophie still can’t tie her shoes, and this weekend I’ll drag my ass to the mall to buy a giant cheer bow (because both all-white tennies and giant cheer bows are required just for try outs — I will never understand this subculture), and my teeth will remain gritted until word comes back next week of whether or not she makes it.
If she does, it looks like I will be attending high school football games. If she does, I’ll be impossibly proud.
And if she doesn’t, I’ll still be proud. Maybe even prouder. It’s what we all look for as parents, right? The opportunity for our kid to try out for something, to reach and attempt and maybe fail. Or maybe not. I almost robbed us of it, this time, but Sophie wouldn’t let me.
Her instincts might have been spot on. This feels like a comfortable space in which Sophie can excel and make it — or not. I am probably being naive, but I really hope a spot for Sophie wasn’t pre-ordained the moment the coaches heard there was a girl with Down syndrome who wanted to try out. I hope that if she does make it, she’s not just a mascot, a warm fuzzy for everyone else. I hope she deserves a spot. And if she doesn’t, that she’s urged to try again next time.
I am cautiously optimistic after watching the coaches and girls encourage Sophie to run yesterday. I’m trying to feel that way about high school in general, but it’s too soon.
We’ll start with cheer. Final tryouts are Wednesday. As we drove home last night, Sophie admitted she’s nervous, sticking her forbidden thumb in her mouth. “I get it,” I told her. “But either way, I’m really proud of you for trying. Are you proud of yourself?”
She nodded silently, reaching her other hand out for mine.
I’ll let you know what happens.
Tags: cheer and down syndrome, cheerleading, high school and down syndrome 14 Comments »
Maya and Me — and a Cake Shaped Like the State of New Jersey
posted Thursday June 29th, 2017
Maya was my first real friend who also happened to have a kid with Down syndrome, made difficult but not impossible by the fact that she lived on the other side of the country. And we’d never met.
We found one another’s blogs many years ago, when our kids (her son, my daughter) were barely past the toddler stage (which, remember, happens a little later with kids with Down syndrome). This summer, Leo turns 13. Sophie is 14. And yes, we’ve spent a lot of time texting, emailing, and commenting on one another’s blogs (she calls it “blogging on your blog”) about our kids, about what it means to have an intellectual disability in a world that expects perfection.
But life is never about just one thing, even if that thing looms large and important and keeps you up nights. Maya and I have spent just as much time discussing the relative merits of the musical Rent, and our shared obsession with E.B. White, as we have Down syndrome. Also: how to make a rainbow layer cake. When I mentioned years ago that Sophie’s older sister Annabelle was making a zoetrope for the school science fair, Maya took note and a few days later, a book about zoetropes — written by Maya’s dad! — arrived in the mail. I’ve sent her the girls’ hand-me-downs, particularly if they include rick rack trim (a shared obsession).
Even when we’ve gone months without speaking — life gets in the way — I love knowing Maya’s there, that I can text her about an issue Sophie’s having with friends or a question about where she found bottle brush trees in that photo on Instagram (we are both Jewish but both love Christmas).
Having a kid with Down syndrome shakes the normal out of your life. Having a friend like Maya helps to put it back in.
Maya and I went to the same grad school, studied the same thing, had a lot of the same aspirations. We both went into journalism. We both dreamed of living in New York City. I ran screaming home to Arizona a couple days after graduation. She stayed, and eventually we both settled in the suburbs — although from hers, on one tall hill, you can actually catch a view of Manhattan.
I got to see that view earlier this month, when I took the train out to New Jersey for the afternoon. Maya and I had met a couple of times over the years, but never on home turf. Earlier in the week I’d hunted down the house on the Upper East Side of Manhattan that supposedly offered inspiration for the book “Harriet the Spy,” and this felt a tiny bit like that. I had context, I could now picture Maya in the kitchen making that rainbow layer cake.
And I got to attend the 4th Grade New Jersey Fair at Leo’s younger sister Ellie’s school. Each of the kids dressed up like a native New Jerseyite (there was Bruce Willis, Buddy from Carlo’s Bakery, even a tiny Dorothy Parker complete with pearls and a flask!) and Ellie chose Judy Blume, a particular moment of pride for her mom.
“Oh look, I think she’s wearing a shirt from you,” Maya stage whispered as we took our seats to hear the kids sing. Afterward, as Maya had promised, there was a cake shaped like the state of New Jersey. We cracked up. We also took a walk in a beautiful nature preserve — one of Maya’s favorite spots — and talked about family and our kids and how scared we are about the future. I remember when we met and we’d sweat over kindergarten placement or physical challenges, and parents of older kids would say, “Just wait.” I get what they mean. The ante is upped. In fundamental ways, things are not getting easier as the kids are getting older. I’m grateful to know Maya’s there, just a text away.
And equally grateful to know that she’s there for the rest of the stuff, too — for what it’s like to raise “typical” kids, to discuss kitchen cabinet color choices and vegetable gardens and peonies and everything else in between.
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Winnipeg Health Sciences Centre
CT Design-Build Project
HCS recently completed Phase 1 of the two Phase CT Project at the Winnipeg Health Sciences Centre - and it looks great! The Health Sciences Centre is an extremely busy Hospital providing much needed CT services to the people of Winnipeg and surrounding area. Special considerations had to be made to allow the Hospital to continue to operate the CT within the adjacent room while construction of the new CT was completed. We are pleased to report that the work went off without a hitch!
McMaster University Hospital
CT Turnkey Project
HCS was recently provided the opportunity to construct the new CT Suite at the McMaster University Medical Centre in Hamilton, Ontario.
In order to minimize disruption to patient treatment, the work was completed in an aggressive 3-week timeline. The project would never have been successful without the hard work and dedication of the fantastic staff at MUMC!
West Coast Medical Imaging Centre
3TMRi Suite
HCS is extremely pleased to announce the completion of the construction for the brand new West Coast Medical Imaging clinic in Victoria BC!
WCMI retained HCS for the design and construction of this state-of-art medical imaging clinic that includes two digital x-ray systems and the first of it's kind 3T MRi.
The scope of work included the fit-out of empty space on the 4th floor of a newly constructed commercial retail building in Saanich, BC. The work included a complete mechanical and electrical system, structural support, radiation shielding, RF shielding, partitions and amazing upgraded finishes.
The project was completed on-time and on-budget. The end result not only provided WCMI a beautiful new clinic, but HCS the opportunity to work with a fantastic new client.
St. Joseph’s Hospital of Estevan, SK
CT Scanner Design-Build Project
HCS was granted the privilege to provide design and construction for the first CT Scanner within this southern area of Saskatchewan.
HCS worked closely with the Hospital to ensure that the design of this CT Suite will satisfy the requirements of this important asset to this vibrant community. Careful consideration was taken to provide an efficient and safe CT Suite while allowing the Diagnostic Imaging remain fully functional during the course of the 5-week construction project.
The project was completed on time, on budget, and to the complete satisfaction of the Hospital.
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The Sarah Wetsman Davidson Hospital Tower
The Sarah Wetsman Davidson Hospital Tower: Completing the task
The Tower gleams in the sky over Jerusalem. With 500 beds, 19 stories (five underground) and unparalleled patient accommodations, the Tower is the most advanced medical facility in the Middle East.
The Sarah Wetsman Davidson Hospital Tower – a carefully conceived, cutting-edge, energy-efficient inpatient facility – integrates Hadassah’s deep dedication to healing with science’s most sophisticated developing medical technologies. This building is among the world’s most advanced inpatient towers, which allows patients and medical staff unprecedented conditions for treatment and recovery.
The first patients moved into the new building at Hadassah Medical Center in Ein Kerem in March, 2012, opening the latest chapter in Hadassah’s 100-year narrative. The building is being populated gradually as each new department is completed.
Changing medical needs and patient preferences require a modern hospital facility, which will be a suitable residence for Hadassah specialists and the sophisticated equipment they use, and will be the hospital of Jerusalem, Israel and the entire region for the coming decades.
Tower Equipment Campaign: Completing the task
The Surgical Suite in the Sarah Wetsman Davidson Hospital Tower has been built underground so that it can continue to operate fully to serve the people of Jerusalem during times of conflict.
The first Operating Rooms in the Sarah Wetsman Davidson Hospital Tower are now ready, but we cannot open them for use until the Surgical Intensive Care Unit (SICU) is ready to receive patients after complicated surgeries.
How You Can Help:
Please help us to equip the Surgical Intensive Care Unit ‘s 8 private patient rooms and one isolation room for at risk patients who must be protected from possible outside infection. We need to open the SICU as soon as possible.
Please go to http://www.helphadassahnow.org/ to make your donation to the Surgical Intensive Care Unit.
Contribute to Hadassah’s promise to serve the people of Israel—and the world—for the next hundred years with world-class healing and research.
Prof. Avi Rivkind with patient
The Sarah Wetsman Davidson Hospital Tower rises 68 meters above the ground.
The tower includes 14 floors above ground and 5 floors underground.
The Davidson building has 500 beds, 20 operating rooms, 20 silent elevators, three escalators, four healing gardens, and a synagogue.
Every bed has a window. A third of the tower’s 500 inpatient beds are in single rooms, the remainder in doubles, with complete privacy for each. Next to each bed is a recliner where relatives can spend the night.
Every room has a safe, closet, Shabbat light, and en suite bathroom.
A personal entertainment system is installed next to each bed. Patients have free multi-channel TV, radio and music stations, Internet, and personal services that can be ordered by remote control.
The Davidson tower operating rooms are among the most advanced in the world. Some hybrid rooms allow surgery and catheterization in parallel. The walls are constructed of stainless steel. The most advanced control system is installed in the operating rooms.
Three of the elevators in the Davidson building that serve the general public are glass-encased.
The Davidson building has a 7-storey, 1,000-space parking lot built across the road.
A Light Rail Station is to be built next to the hospital tower.
The building is named after Sarah Wetsman Davidson, mother of the late Bill Davidson – one of the greatest supporters of Hadassah, who along with his wife, Karen, contributed upwards of $75 million to help build the tower.
“My name is Avi Rivkind. Actually Professor Avraham Rivkind, but no one calls me anything but Avi. We save lives. But we need your help. At Hadassah Hospital, in our new Tower, we’ve been waiting to open the next generation of operating rooms four stories beneath ground. Our team and our patients need to be safe as rockets fly above our heads and terrorists try to demoralize and injure us. We never know what is going to come next. We simply don’t have the final funding to complete this project. Please join us in saving lives in Jerusalem.”
Support the Sarah Wetsman Davidson Hospital Tower.
Help equip the Surgical Intensive Care Unit.
http://www.helphadassahnow.org/
Atrium of the Tower
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✮ Contact
Christoffer Høyer
Songwriter, composer, music producer, multi instrumentalist collaborating with major writers, producers, artists, Film-/TV companies and music publishers world wide.
He has toured Scandinavia, the U.S., the U.K. Germany and the Netherlands with his band, Envelope.
As an artist in his own right, Christoffer released the album, “Silent Songs About Things That Don’t Happen” (Warner Music).
Solo album #two is on the way with a planned release in the Fall of 2018. Produced by Chris.
Chris is very busy working as a composer, music producer, songwriter and musician for a great variety of projects.
In the Spring of 2018, Chris signed with the Los Angeles based publisher, Reel Muzik Werks (www.reelmuzikwerks.com). They will be co-publishing Chris’ work world wide except in Denmark. In addition, they will represent and provide more work for Chris in film, TV, commercials…
In Denmark, Chris signed to the publisher/label, Nordic Music Society (www.nordic-music.dk). They will be doing the same as Reel Muzik Werks, only with a focus on the Danish market.
A few highlights:
Chris started working with the Danish artist, Morten Fischer, when he co-wrote, recorded and produced the song “Bukker Under”. It was the result of a co-writing session with the other Danish producer/writer Chief 1 (aka Lars Pedersen). “Bukker Under” became single #1 for Fischer. Chris introduced Fischer to the record label NMS (Nordic Music Society) and helped getting Fischer signed to the label. Chris is co-writing, producing, recording, playing and mixing Fischer’s debut EP to be released in May 2017.
Chris has written, played, arranged, recorded, produced and played the new Official “Lego Elves Song” – “If You Dare To Believe”. The song is part of LEGO’s new concept for girls, “Lego Elves”. The first Lego Elves film, “Unite the Magic”, was released in March 2015, airing in 30-50 countries. Among many other TV channels, the show is airing on Disney Channel and Netflix. Many more films are to be released along the way.
TITLE SONG FOR NEW NATIONAL TV SHOW ON DANISH KIDS CHANNEL, “RAMASJANG”
Chris composed, played, recorded, produced and mixed the official title song, “Sovedyr på eventyr”, for the new TV show with “Rosa fra Rouladegade”. Lyrics were written by the great Danish songwriter, Elisabeth Gjerluff Nielsen. “Sovedyr på eventyr” started airing on the Danish National TV channel, Ramasjang, in the Spring of 2016. A second season is being produced in 2017.
SCORE FOR SEVERAL FILM DOCUMENTARIES BY NOVO NORDISK
Chris composed, played, recorded, produced and mixed the score for the film documentaries, “Asha Workers – Bringing Diabetes Care to Rural India” as well as “Base of the Pyramid” – both of which are conveying projects by Novo Nordisk in India and Africa.
Chris produced the sound design for a Christmas on-line game for HARIBO, premiering for the Christmas of 2015.
Productions of Songs and music for Novo Nordisk
Through-out 2013 and 2014, Chris produced, recorded, wrote the lyrics and played songs that were part of several launches of new products by Novo Nordisk. He also composed a piece of signature music for a world wide Novo Nordisk workshop in DR’s “Koncerthuset” where Novo leaders from 43 countries gathered to learn about the insulin product, “Ryzodeg”.
Song for TV/Cinema Commercial Became a Hit
Chris composed, wrote, recorded, produced and mixed as well as played all instruments, including the vocals, on the track, “No Limits”, which he initially made as the soundtrack for a commercial film for the slimming product company, “Nupo”.
When the song hit TV channels and cinemas through-out Denmark, it gained immense popularity and people demanded a full song that they could download and play. So Chris composed a full lenght song based on the 40 seconds of soundtrack he had initially made.
On the week of the release, the song was on iTunes’ top 10 chart.
Hest til Frokost
Chris composed, recorded and produced all music (Title intro as well as breakers) for the show, “Hest til frokost”. The show is airing on the National Danish TV channel, TV2 Sport.
Inside World
Chris co-wrote the 1st single, “Inside World”, of Danish band, Who Made Who’s new album, “Brighter” – released on the German label, Kompakt, in February 2012.
Cowboys and Aliens for Jon Favreau and Steven Spielberg
Chris composed, produced and recorded all music to the films “One On One – The Cowboys and Aliens Interviews”, starring Harrison Ford, Daniel Craig and Olivia Wilde. Directed by Jon Favreau and executively produced by Steven Spielberg.
After having finished filming the film, “Cowboys and Aliens”, director Jon Favreau (Elf, Iron Man 1 and 2…) and producer, Steven Spielberg (E.T., Indiana Jones, The Colour Purple, Jurassic park, Schindler’s List…) decided to make an extended collection of films of background material and interviews conveying how they created the movie – anecdotes from the set by actors and script writers etc.
Instead of re-using the music score from the film they asked Christoffer to compose all the music.
The movie was released in the United States and Canada on July 29 – 2011. “One On One – The Cowboys and Aliens Interviews” is part of the DVD release.
Lucky Novo Nordisk
Chris wrote, produced, recorded and play all instruments as well as sing on the song, “You’re Lucky”. The song is part of a worldwide campaign for the multi national pharmaceutical company, Novo Nordisk.
Composing for show on Comedy Central
Chris composed and produced the music for the TV Special “Nick Kroll: Thank You Very Cool”.
He was hired by the American TV channel, Comedy Central (shows like “The Daily Show”, “Southpark”….)
The show features the famous actor and comedian Nick Kroll (starring in films such as “Get Him to the Greek”, “Date Night”, “The League”, “Dinner for Schmucks”, “I Love You Man”, “Little Fockers”…).
Comedy Central is currently seen by more than 98 million households nationwide.
Classical Avantgarde and Poppy Songs
The Danish Arts Agency has hired Chris and classical composer, Peter Bruun (won the prestigious “Nordisk Råds Musikpris”) to write a 40 minutes piece of music.
Chris and Peter composed the piece for string quartet, marimba, xylophone, vibraphone, glockenspiel and various percussions. Chris will also be part of the performance, playing electric and acoustic guitars, harmonium and lead vocal.
Chris and Peter composed the music in the spring of 2011 and the music went on tour in the fall of 2011. Another tour is planned in the Fall of 2012.
Chris’ wrote the song, “Beautiful World”, for the Hollywood film “Lucky”
“Lucky” is a dark, romantic comedy.
The film is starring Colin Hanks (Tom Hanks’ son), Ann-Margret, Jeffrey Tambor, Mimi Rogers… Directed by Gil Cates Jr.
Chris produced, recorded and plays all instruments as well as sing on the track. He wrote the song with writer, Gordon Pagoda (Los Angeles).
“How To Run a Fortunate 500 Company, Climb Mount Everest and Be the World’s Greatest Dad”
Co-wrote three songs with Danish hipster, “Bon Homme”, for the album “How To Run a Fortunate 500 Company, Climb Mount Everest and Be the World’s Greatest Dad” (Fake Diamond Records/Sony).
“Second Best Favorite“
Co-wrote the song, “Second Best Favorite”, with Marie Keis-Uhre featured on the new album of Danish Country Pop band, Lilyphone (http://www.lilyphone.com )
Chris Co-wrote the single, “The Plot”, for Danish Disco Punk trio, “Who Made Who”, featuring on the album, “The Plot”.(http://www.whomadewho.dk/)
“The Love You Fake”
Wrote the song, “The Love You Fake”, with Folk-Pop-Rock artist Nanna Larsen for the album, “Not the Perfect Girl”.
#5 on Finnish album charts
Chris’s song, “In the Money”, was translated into Finnish and recorded by Finland’s fourth best selling artist, Simo Silmu. Simo’s album, “In The Red House” (Warner Music), reached #5 on the Finnish album chart.
Lynsey Moore “Everything You Do”
The song, “Everything You Do”: signed by UK label, “All Around the World Records” for British artist, Lynsey Moore. Chris wrote the song with the British producers Danny Kirsch and Mark Breeze.
“Open Window” on hit TV Show “One Tree Hill”
Chris’ song, “Open Window“ is featured on the American TV show, “One Tree Hill”. The show is produced by Warner Bros. and broadcast worldwide.
Two songs for TV Show “Good Girls Don’t”
Chris wrote two songs for the American TV show, “Good Girls Don’t”. The show airs on Oprah Winfrey’s channel “The Oxygen Network”.
“Open Roads Lonely Trains”
“Open Roads Lonely Trains” was released in Denmark in late 2008. Artist name: Envelope (Chris’ band)
The album contains the song, “Open Window”, featured on the hit TV show, “One Tree Hill” (Warner Bros.). Morever, Simu Silmo (fourth best selling artist of Finland) recorded a translated version of Chris’ song, “In The Money” and Simo’s album, “In The Red House” (Warner Music), reached # 5 on the Finnish album charts.
Many of the songs fautured on “Open Roads Lonely Trains” received immense airplay on the biggest Danish National radio station P4.
The album was produced by Chris and Boe Larsen (Michael Learns to Rock, Hanne Boel, Søren Sko…).
Envelope’s debut album, “Stay”, came out in late 2001. It was a success through-out Scandinavia and was A-listed on 26 radio stations in Sweden, rotation on Danish P3 and lots of airplay in Norway. Envelope toured from 2001 through 2005.
In 2004, Chris got two songs from the album synchronized to the American TV show “Good Girls Don’t”.
This led to a lot of work in Los Angeles where, today, Chris is regularly working with various writers/producers, music publishers, music supervisers and song pluggers.
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Browse through our Interesting Nodes of Diplomatic Missions in Cyprus
[01] Annan holds meetings on Cyprus
[02] Clerides discusses Cyprus and Iraq with US Ambassador
[03] Cyprus Stock Exchange
[04] Weather forecast for Cyprus
[05] Weather and Temperatures for Cyprus
[06] US envoy in Cyprus next week
[07] Cyprus: Biographies of presidential candidates
[08] UN announces Annan to visit Cyprus
0945:CYPPRESS:01
Annan holds meetings on Cyprus
by Apostolis Zoupaniotis
United Nations, Feb 13 (CNA) -- UN Secretary General Kofi Annan is due to meet later today in New York the Cyprus envoys of Britain and the US, Lord David Hannay and Ambassador Thomas Weston.
Present at the meeting will be Annan's special adviser Alvaro de Soto and UN Under-secretary for political affairs Sir Kieran Prendergast.
UN Secretariat sources have said that the meeting will review the situation in Cyprus and examine the prospects of a political settlement within the deadline of 28 February 2003 Annan has set out in a peace plan he put forward to the Greek Cypriot and the Turkish Cypriot sides last year.
Clerides discusses Cyprus and Iraq with US Ambassador
Nicosia, Feb 13 (CNA) -- US Ambassador here Michael Klosson continues to believe that it is still feasible to reach a negotiated deal on the basis of a UN proposal on a comprehensive settlement in Cyprus by the end of February, a target date the UN has set and said the US will leave no stone unturned in its efforts towards this goal.
Klosson, who was speaking after a 45-minute long meeting with President Glafcos Clerides, also said he outlined to the President the US perspective with regard to Iraq and said that Washington appreciates the support Cyprus offers in the war against terrorism.
On next week's European Union extraordinary summit on Iraq, on which President Clerides and other heads of candidate countries will be briefed by the EU presidency on Tuesday, the US Ambassador said he hoped that the meeting would send a message stressing the need for compliance with the wishes of the international community.
Speaking to the press, Klosson said he had a ''very good meeting'' against the backdrop of other discussions going on in New York on Cyprus and in view of next week's dialogue between Greece and Turkey on security concerns, in the context of the UN peace plan.
Cyprus Stock Exchange
Nicosia, Feb 13 (CNA) - The Cyprus Stock Exchange (CSE) All Share
Index closed at today's stock exchange meeting as follows:
CSE General Index 90,01 (-0,18)
Traded Value CYP 435.388
FTSE/CYSE 20 CYP 135.466 347.05 (-0,66)
Sectoral Indices
Banks CYP 113.730 100,96 ( 0,30)
Approved Investment
Companies CYP 11.202 78,05 (-1,18)
Insurance Companies CYP 1.101 19,00 (-0,58)
Manufacturing Companies CYP 7.610 62,08 (-1,16)
Tourism Companies CYP 2.095 96,12 (-1,63)
Trading Companies CYP 6.899 18,68 ( 0,92)
Building and Cement Companies CYP 20.053 73,59 ( 0,52)
�nformation Technology
Companies CYP 1.115 3,19 (-0,93)
Financial Services Companies CYP 14.914 17,65 (-1,56)
Fish Culture Companies CYP 174 12,35 ( 3,35)
Hotels CYP 7.262 45,46 ( 0,73)
Other Companies CYP 31.901 82,71 (-1,12)
* The third column presents the percentage variation of
Weather forecast for Cyprus
Nicosia, Feb 13 (CNA) -- The Meteorological Office at Larnaca International Airport has issued the following weather forecast for Cyprus:
Friday and Saturday: 14/2/2003 to 15/02/2003 --------------------
On Friday, the weather will be partly cloudy at times with local showers, perhaps isolated thunderstorms and above 4500FT, snow. The wind will blow from the west, moderate to fresh and locally strong, 4-6BF. The state of sea will be rough. The temperature will reach the 13C inland and east coast 15C south and west coast and the 2C on highest mountains.
On Saturday, local cloud may give isolated showers in the afternoon and perhaps, snow over highest mountains. The wind will be from the west, moderate, 4BF and the sea will be moderate. The temperature will remain at the same levels.
Outlook for Sunday and Monday: 16/2/2003 to 17/2/2003
On Sunday, the weather will be mainly fine while on Monday will become gradually cloudy. The temperature will increase.
Weather and Temperatures for Cyprus
Nicosia, Feb 13 (CNA) -- Today's weather and temperatures for Cyprus,
according to the Meteorological Service at Larnaca International
Airport are:
Temperatures (degrees Celcius)
Station Maximum Minimum Weather
(At 1200 UTC)
Nicosia 12 8 RAIN
Larnaca 14 9 RAIN
Limassol 14 9 RAIN
Paphos 18 10 SHOWERS
US envoy in Cyprus next week
Nicosia, Thu 13 (CNA) -- US State Department special coordinator for Cyprus Thomas Weston is expected on the island next week.
Ambassador Weston is due to arrive here on Friday 21, and during his brief visit he is expected to be received by President Glafcos Clerides and Turkish Cypriot leader Rauf Denktash.
His visit comes at a time when there is a flurry of activity on the part of the international community, led by the UN, in a bid to secure a negotiated settlement on Cyprus on the basis of a UN peace plan.
Cyprus: Biographies of presidential candidates
Nicosia, Feb 13 (CNA) -- The career of the ten candidates for the presidential elections in Cyprus is diverse. From veteran politicians to composers and farmers, they will all seek an opportunity for either a re-run or try for a first time to head the European Union acceeding island.
GLAFCOS CLERIDES ---------------- Incumbent President Glafcos Clerides, 84, studied law in Britain, is a veteran politician who founded the Democratic Rally, his main supporter in the elections.
He joined the British Royal Air Force in 1939 and was shot down over Germany in 1942 as an RAF pilot and was taken prisoner until the end of the war.
During Cyprus struggle for independence from British colonial rule 1955-1959, Clerides defended a number of Greek Cypriot fighters. He also participated in the 1959 London Conference on Cyprus and during the transitional period, from colonial administration to independence, he served as Minister of Justice.
From 1960, when Cyprus gained its independence, he was elected President of the House of Representatives, a post he held until 1976. Between 1968-1976 he was the Greek Cypriot negotiator in talks with Turkish Cypriot leader Rauf Denktash for finding a settlement to the Cyprus problem.
He took over as Acting President of the Republic in July 1974, in the wake of the military coup (July 15) that forced the late president, Archbishop Makarios III into exile and the Turkish invasion five days later. Makarios resumed his duties in December 1974.
Clerides led his party in the House of Representatives until his election to the presidency of the Republic in 1993. He was re-elected in 1998. He published the book My deposition in four volumes. He is married to Lilla-Irene from India and they have a daughter.
He is supported by the rightwing Democratic Rally, the United Democrats, the Fighting Democratic Movement and the Political Renewal Movement.
TASSOS PAPADOPOULOS ------------------- Born in Nicosia in 1934, he studied law in London. Actively participated during the EOKA liberation struggle.
He was one of the four representatives of the Greek Cypriot side in the Constitutional Committee which drafted the islands constitution.
He served for 12 years as Minister of Interior, Minister of Finance, Minister of Labour and Social Insurance, Minister of Health and Minister of Agriculture and Natural Resources.
He was an adviser to the first interlocutor in the bicommunal talks and became interlocutor in 1976.
He served as Member of the House of Representatives from 1970 and re-elected in 1976, President of the House from April until October 1976. In 1991 he was elected deputy for the Democratic Party, and was re-elected in 1996.
Last year he took over the post of the President of the Democratic Party. He is a member of the National Council and and Chairman of the Parliamentary Committee for European Affairs.
He is mainly supported by the centre-right Democratic Party, the leftwing AKEL, the Social Democrats (KISOS) and the Ecologists Environmentalists Movement.
ALECOS MARKIDES --------------- Born in 1943, a law graduate from the University of Athens and Barrister-at-Law from Temple, London, in 1970.
He served at various ranks at the rightwing Democratic Rally and he became deputy from 1985-1991 and 1991-1995.
He was Chairman of the House Health Committee and from February 1995 he has served as Attorney-General of the Republic.
He is an independent candidate.
NICOS KOUTSOU ------------- Born in 1946 at Famagusta, he is an Economics, Law and Social Sciences graduate.
He served as President of the National Cypriot Students Union from 1971-1972. During the Greek military junta, he was barred from entering Greece and in October 1974 returned to Athens to continue his studies.
Founding member of the Cyprus Research Centre, Koutsou served as its chairman from 1987-1996 when he left to set up in 1997 the rightwing New Horizons Party.
This is his second bid for the presidency.
CHRISTOS IOSIFIDES ------------------ Born in Athienou village in 1944, a lawyer, independent candidate Iosifides, speaks three languages.
During the last seven years he has been working at the Law Office of the Republic, dealing with issues concerning the European Union, the Cyprus problem, harmonisation with the acquis communautaire, human rights and the Supreme Court.
He was responsible for harmonisation with the acquis in various sectors, while participating in the accession negotiations in Brussels.
He teaches European law and Human Rights at higher educational institutions and academies in France and Greece. He was also served as expert at the Greek National Economy Ministry on EEC issues, the Interior Ministry on local administration issues and at the Council of Europe in Strasbourg.
Iosifides chairs the Europe Cyprus Mediterranean Institute, he is the General Secretary of the Cyprus Association of European Law and he is a member of other associations. Many of his articles have been published in Cypriot newspapers and international journals.
ADAMOS KATSANTONIS ------------------ Advocating a cultural vision, he runs as an independent candidate.
A composer, he was born in Famagusta and studied music in Greece. He writes poets in the Cypriot dialect and in the popular idiom.
Many of his poets have been published in newspapers and magazines and he has published a poem collection in Greece.
His music, especially his recordings, concentrate on Cyprus. He is considered one of the representatives of modern Cypriot music. He has also toured many countries overseas and presented his music.
Katsantonis presents the folklore programme About Cyprus on the Cyprus Broadcasting Corporations First Radio programme
ANDREAS EFSTRATIOU ------------------ Businessman from Paphos, Efstratiou pledged that his independent candidacy will pursue the rights of the people and of the large family which always remain on the sidelines.
GEORGE MAVROGENIS ----------------- Cartoonist Mavrogenis said he submitted his candidacy to preserve the constitution and the state of the Republic of Cyprus.
This is his second presidential run.
COSTAS KYRIACOU --------------- Farmer and writer, Costas Kyriakou, known as Utopos, from Paphos, declared to build new self-sufficient towns with shape and order.
PANTELIS SOFOCLEOUS ------------------- Born in Famagusta in 1961, a freelancer civil engineer who lived in Germany for 20 years and returned to Cyprus in 2001. He was the founder of the German-Cyprus Forum in Germany, which aimed for Cyprus European Union completion.
2040:CYPPRESS:08 UN announces Annan to visit Cyprus By Apostolis Zoupaniotis United Nations, Feb 13 (CNA) The UN announced here Thursday Secretary-General Kofi Annan intends to visit Cyprus at the end of February.
UN Spokesman, Fred Eckhard in a statement told reporters that Annans Special Adviser on Cyprus, Alvaro de Soto, telephoned President Glafcos Clerides and Turkish Cypriot leader Rauf Denktash and informed them about Annans intention to visit Cyprus at the end of February, after his visits to Ankara and Athens.
He said the SG's trip to the region would be with the view to bringing the search for a comprehensive settlement of the Cyprus problem to a decisive conclusion, by the 28th of February, as foreseen in his revised proposal at the end of December.
Eckhard also said the UN Secretary-General will visit Ankara on 24 February and Athens on 25 February.
cna2html v2.01 run on Thursday, 13 February 2003 - 18:39:23 UTC
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Browse through our Interesting Nodes of Internet & Computing Services in Cyprus
Cyprus Broadcasting Corporation: News in English, 05-11-02
Cyprus Broadcasting Corporation: News in English Directory - Previous Article
From: The Cyprus Broadcasting Corporation at <http://www.cybc.com.cy/>
[01] HEADLINES
[02] TURKEY BOMB
[03] MIDEAST
[04] ETHIOPIA CLASHES
[05] IRAN BLAST
[06] FRANCE RIOTS
[07] BIRDFLU GENERAL
[08] BLAIR SECURITY
[09] CYPRUS AIRWAYS
[10] COMMISSION SETTLERS
[11] WEATHER WEDNESDAY 2 NOVEMBER 2005
-- Kurdish rebels detonated a car bomb in front of security headquarters in a town in southeast Turkey, injuring 23 people and damaging dozens of buildings, officials and media reports said today.
-- Palestinian gunmen shot dead an Israeli soldier during a raid in the occupied West Bank today, a day after an Israeli airstrike killed two militant commanders in the Gaza Strip.
-- Six people were killed and 17 wounded today in a second day of anti-government protests in the Ethiopian capital Addis Ababa.
-- The situation at the national carrier Cyprus Airways remains tense after the company put forward the restructuring plan and unions reacted to it.
Kurdish rebels detonated a car bomb in front of security headquarters in a town in southeast Turkey, injuring 23 people and damaging dozens of buildings, officials and media reports said today.
The blast ripped through Semdinli on the border of Iraq and Iran, leaving four soldiers, three police officers and 16 civilians hurt, the provincial governor's office said in a statement.
CNN Turk said on its Web site that the explosion occurred outside the local paramilitary police headquarters.
"We ask our people and the authorities to be vigilant on the subject of terror activities," the Hakkari governor's office said.
It said separatist Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) rebels had planted the explosives in the vehicle and operations have been launched to capture those responsible. It said 67 houses and workplaces were damaged in the blast.
The PKK launched its campaign for self rule in the southeast of the country in 1984 and more than 30,000 people have died in the conflict.
Palestinian gunmen shot dead an Israeli soldier during a raid in the occupied West Bank today, a day after an Israeli airstrike killed two militant commanders in the Gaza Strip.
More than a week of bloodshed, the worst flareup since a truce was declared in February, has hit hopes that Israel's Gaza pullout in September would revive peacemaking.
The soldier's death, which followed militant vows for revenge after yesterday's Gaza airstrike, was Israel's first military fatality in action since Prime Minister Ariel Sharon engineered the withdrawal after 38 years of occupation.
Israeli Foreign Minister Silvan Shalom said there would be no let-up in raids and strikes against militant targets in Gaza as long as the Palestinian Authority did not rein in gunmen.
Six people were killed and 17 wounded today in a second day of anti-government protests in the Ethiopian capital Addis Ababa.
"We have received today six dead and 17 wounded," the source at the Black Lion hospital told reporters.
Eight people were killed in clashes between riot police and opposition supporters yesterday.
The disturbances are seen by many as a sign of persistent political tension in Africa's top coffee grower.
A small bomb exploded outside the offices of BP and British Airways in Tehran today, causing some damage but no casualties.
There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the attack, which appeared to be a carbon copy of a bombing outside the same offices in August. The perpetrators of the August blast have not been identified.
Anglo-Iranian diplomatic relations are experiencing a rough patch, with Tehran obstructing British imports and accusing London of fomenting Arab separatist bomb attacks this year in the southwestern oil province of Khuzestan.
Dozens of vehicles were set ablaze in a sixth night of rioting in poor Paris suburbs, officials said today, as youth unrest caused mounting strains within France's conservative government.
A heavy police presence kept a tense order in Clichy-sous-Bois, where the clashes broke out last week after two teenagers of African origin were electrocuted while apparently fleeing the police.
But the street fighting spread to other parts of the poor suburbs ringing the eastern side of the capital, police said. A total of 34 people were detained by police overnight, Interior Minister Nicolas Sarkozy told Europe 1 radio.
French media reported President Jacques Chirac was expected to make a statement about the unrest at a cabinet meeting today.
The unrest in the eastern suburbs, heavily populated by North African and black African minorities, was sparked by youths' frustration at their failure to get jobs and recognition in French society.
Canadian researchers admitted surprise over how many wild ducks in British Columbia appeared to be carrying bird flu, but stressed the waterfowl did not pose a health threat.
Samples from 704 birds found 24 percent tested positive for strains of the H5 subtype of avian influenza. None is believed to be the H5N1 strain that officials fear will infect humans, but more tests to identify the strains are being conducted.
Meanwhile, officials said today that the illegal movement of infected poultry, especially fighting cocks and ducks, has helped spread the bird flu virus to seven provinces in Thailand.
In the latest outbreak of the H5N1 virus, which has killed 13 Thais, laboratory results confirmed it in chickens and pigeons in the central province of Ang Thong, the Department of Livestock Department said on its Web site.
In another development, US President George W. Bush asked Congress for 7.1 billion dollars in emergency funding to prepare the United States for a feared avian-influenza pandemic by building stockpiles of drugs and vaccines and encouraging vaccine makers to modernize.
A key aspect of Prime Minister Tony Blair's tough counter-terrorism laws faces possible defeat in parliament today with politicians unhappy with plans to let police hold suspects for up to 90 days without charge.
A loss for the British premier would compound a rocky period in which one top ally is under pressure to resign over breaking ministerial rules while others have openly squabbled about key government policies.
The proposed new laws follow suicide bomb attacks on London's transport system in July which killed 52 people.
Civil rights campaigners say holding suspects without charge for up to three months undermines centuries-old tenets of British law and risks alienating the Muslim community.
"Effective internment of up to 90 days undermines the rights to liberty and to a fair trial," pressure group Amnesty International said. "It is also an excellent advertisement for terrorist recruitment."
Britain says its detention plans are not extreme but comparisons with other countries are difficult.
Suspects in France and Spain for example can be held for questioning for years. But a judge, not the police, controls the process.
The situation at the national carrier Cyprus Airways remains tense after the company put forward the restructuring plan and unions reacted to it.
The restructuring package is to be submitted to the EU for approval, in order for CY to secure a 58 million pound loan needed to save the company from closure.
Unions believe the plan does not solve the airline's problems and is criticising the board for trying to impose it without prior discussion of it. The pilots' union did not rule out taking strike action.
The plan is being debated today at the cabinet. CY chairman Lazaros Savvides yesterday warned that unless agreement was reached with the unions on the restructuring plan, the airline would be forced to close.
The national carrier already secured approval for a 30 million pound loan last May, which will be paid back from the 58 million pounds. The remainder is to go on the 10 million pound cost of redundancies and 18 million pounds for the cost of restructuring under the plan.
The European Union said it is ready to support a demand by the Republic of Cyprus to register the population on the island in order to ascertain the legal residents of the island and the number of Turkish settlers.
The position was conveyed to Cypriot Euro MP Yiannakis Matsis from the Commission, following a relevant question.
In its reply, the Commission said that the registering of population does not fall under its capacity and that the Council of Europe could back such initiative.
[11] WEATHER
This afternoon there will be clear periods alternated with cloud. Winds will be south-westerly to north-westerly light to moderate, force three to four and on the south coast, reaching five. Conditions at sea will be slight. Temperatures will reach 20 C inland and on the west coast, 22 on the south and east and nine over the mountains.
Tonight it will be mainly clear with thin cloud. Winds will be south-westerly to north-westerly light, force two to three and the sea slight. Temperatures will fall to nine degrees inland and on the east coast, to eleven on the south and west and four over the mountains.
riken2html v1.00 run on Wednesday, 2 November 2005 - 18:08:53 UTC
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Home » boob-tube » Game Shows » Fun House, The
Fun House, The
The Fun House, also known as Fox's Fun House, was a kid's game show that ran from 1988 to 1991 (the last year was on Fox). The show was hosted by J.D. Roth, assisted by twin girls Jackie and Sammi Forrest, and featured two teams of kids answering trivia questions so that the winning team could take place in a messy obstacle course at the end of the show (to win cash and prizes). It is worth noting that a college-aged version of this show, called College Mad House, was also in weekly syndication at the time.
In Fun House, each team consisted of a boy and a girl. The first round consisted of a number of different games, such as Pinhead and Dump-O, where players were required to answer a certain number of questions in a short period of time. The loser would be doused in slime, garbage, or some other disgusting muck. The next round was the Grand Prix race round, which featured teams running around a track (or pushing some type of vehicle) collecting tokens. The winning team of this round would advance to the Fun House, which was an obstacle course containing tags that represented prizes or cash. The players would tag team on finding things in the Fun House. Tags would be hidden in the various "rooms", such as the Balloon Lagoon, Fundromat, or the Shaky Quaky Room.
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Rakugo, Asakusa Jinta
Tokyo's biggest fireworks festival was happening, and the explosions could be heard even inside the theater where I sat. Big crowds were out in the street, about half of the girls in colorful yukata.
Several rakugo comedians commented on the fact that it was the night of the Sumida-gawa fireworks festival, some thanking us for coming to the show instead, others saying you're crazy to miss the fireworks. But I'd experienced my share of hanabi, and didn't have a strong desire to see it again in the summer heat and crowds. I was much more interested in this unusual show, pairing one of my favorite Japanese rock bands, Asakusa Jinta, with the traditional, comedic monologue of rakugo.
The venue was Asakusa Engei Hall, a rakugo mecca right in the middle of tourist town Asakusa. I read that it was originally a strip theater after the war, and became a rakugo hall in 1971. I also read that because it's so close to the red-light district of Yoshiwara, prospective clients of the latter would kill time listening to comedy while waiting for their appointments.
Whether that's true or not, there is no denying that most rakugo tales deal with the joy of living. Eating and drinking sake are constant subjects. Many times after seeing a rakugo-ka pantomime happily slurping soba, I've been tempted to seek the noodles myself. And the same is the case when the comedians form an imaginary sake cup with their fingers and down the make-believe liquor with delight.
Sexy subjects also abound. One skit had to do with a dim-witted servant who was asked to tail his master by his wife, to check that he isn't visiting a mistress (he was, and lots of complications ensue). Rakugo is filled with the emotions of its characters, deftly differentiated by the single comedian sitting on a cushion—the jealousy of the wife, the vexation of the master, the incomprehension of the servant, and so on—but they're always drawn with a light touch, and with a humane feel. It's idealized, Edo period emotions—maintaining proper human relationships is important, and even when, say, one character is angry with another, that's at the back of his mind, as well as sympathy for one's fellow man.
The rakugo acts begin with a few minutes of small talk about current events and recent happenings, and then, signaling that the main tale will begin, the rakugo-ka slowly takes off his jacket. During one of the small talk parts at tonight's show, a comedian talked about how he goes out drinking near the theater after performances, and sometimes drunks accost him, saying it must be a good life getting paid for just talking. Don't you earn a full day's salary simply by talking for 15 minutes or so? No, no, not true at all—I only talk for about 13 minutes! But, having said that, making your money talking in front of a big audience is—very easy!
The audience laughs because if you've been around for a while, you know that speaking in front of people and keeping their attention, never mind making them laugh, is a tough task. Behind their light-heartedness and mirth you see in the comedians a professionalism as well as pride that they're carrying on the tradition of rakugo, while keeping it relevant for current audiences. The stage is a holy place for these performers.
So, I wondered how Asakusa Jinta, the band, would fit into this environment. As good as they are, could they compete with these masters of stage performance? Asakusa Jinta came on after all the rakugo acts were done, and I knew right away they were doing the right thing. They didn't try to adjust their act to the venue—they just played like they always do, which is a different kind of but equally fine form of stage entertainment.
Apparently, it was the first time in the history of the Asakusa Engei Hall for a rock band to perform. Strictly speaking, their show wasn't allowed (I wasn't sure how they got around the rules). But the elder rakugo-ka that performed at the event, Sanyutei Koyuza, is a friend of the band, and gave the band its name in fact, and it seemed that he helped arrange the gig, maybe as a way to get more young people interested in rakugo. And it was indeed a nice change of pace to have a rock show preceded by comedy acts, and to see a band playing barefooted on a stage made to look like an old-fashioned Japanese home. Koyuza joined Asakusa Jinta for the final song of their set, bringing out his trumpet and playing together with them “When the Saints Go Marching In”.
Rakugo shows often vary the program by including a number of unusual acts, and in this night's case, that one act was certainly unusual: it was a woman who imitated animal noises. Incredibly, she inherited the act from her father, who took it over from his own father. The highlight was an imitation of a kappa—the legendary, pond-dwelling blue-green creature with a turtle shell on his back, a dish on his head, and webbed hand and feet.
Literature says that the kappa's call is a combination of high-pitched whistling and low warbling—the woman did an act in which she imitated the sound of a gentle stream, a dog and a cat, their alarm at seeing the kappa, and the kappa's whistle. I can tell you it was one of the strangest stage performances I've ever witnessed, and wonderful too, making me feel like I was in some foggy river bank watching a dog and cat react to the kappa emerging from the water...
Thank You, Risette
Things I love about Japanese indie music:
* That after all these years, I still sometimes discover brilliant bands like Risette. They formed in 1995, influenced by Swedish pop and 'neo-acoustic' (a genre Japanese fans invented to cover bands like Aztec Camera, Prefab Sprout and the Pale Fountains). Twin lead guitars dazzle with their electric conversations, while washing over them are the inimitable, unmistakable vocals of Yu Tokiwa, girlish yet adult, fragile yet strong, crystalline.
* That even though their popularity climbed fast in the late-90's, they took their time to release their first album, your own sweet way, which didn't come out until 2001. And then after another album and anime songs, they faded away for a few years before coming out with a third album called Risette.
* That Risette is a great album, but their old fans, my friends, who have been following the Japanese indie pop scene longer than me, still insist that the older works are superior. And, indeed, some fanatics are so desperate to own the early, out-of-print albums that, at one point, your own sweet way was selling used for about $150 to $250!
* That the band members, seeing this, felt happy about the enthusiasm for their music but bad about the exorbitant price tags, and decided to work to re-issue the songs in a new album, called it their 'Risette Re-issue Project', and tweeted about it.
I read through them. The one at the start of their project said, “The current situation: 1. the record label is gone; 2. it's not clear where the master recording is; 3. we can't get in touch with the record label president, who we think has the master recording.”
Eventually, the president is reached, the master recording materializes, the songs are remixed, a business plan for the new albums is written up, and two albums come into being—Compact Snap, featuring the old hits, and Extras, highlighting rare tracks.
Thank you, Risette, for bringing this music back. Songs like “whitehouse”, “Nagisa”, “hardcore” and “leaf scattering” are beautiful. They are their own unique room in the big apartment building of music.
Another tweet: “We were worried about what we would do if we only sold about 30 copies, but we're breathing a sigh of relief because the pre-orders have been more than expected. If we make money it will certainly go toward (our new music). So, from today, we will start getting working on the material (laugh).”
I'm waiting for their new songs. And for some more shows. Here's a taste of them live, though, as usual, it's inadequate compared with the real thing.
Posted by Ken M - Japan Live at 11:24 AM No comments:
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Joanna Kacperek
Concert pianist
‘’Joanna Kacperek’s pianism is of the first order. What struck me was not only the natural flow of her interpretations, or the beauty of her sound, but above all the ability to move me, and the sheer joyfulness that transpired from every note she played’’ – Antonio Pompa- Baldi
The pianist, Joanna Kacperek has performed in major concert halls in Poland (Warsaw Philharmonic, Concert Studio of the Polish Radio, the Royal Castle in Warsaw, NOSPR in Katowice) and abroad (including France, Italy, Spain, Germany, Norway, Russia, the Ukraine, Canada and Japan). As a soloist, she has performed with such orchestras as the Symphony Orchestra of the National Philharmonic in Warsaw, State Academic Symphony Orchestra in Moscow and Lviv Virtuosos Chamber Orchestra.
Joanna Kacperek has won piano competitions in Szafarnia (the 1st Prize in 2007), Pilsen (the 1st Prize and a special prize for excellent interpretation of Bedrich Smetana’s compositions in 2008). She is also the winner or the 1st prize at the Young Musician International Competition “Citta di Barletta” in Italy (2010), at the 14th Miłosz Magin International Piano Competition in Paris (2011) and Witold Lutosławski Music Competition in Warsaw (2011).The recent achievements of the pianist include winning a special prize at the International Edvard Grieg Piano Competition in Bergen (2016), granted unanimously by the jury and the composer Christian Blom for the best performance of his work. In November 2017, together with violinist Roksana Kwaśnikowska, Joanna won The 2nd International Beethoven Chamber Music Competition, organized by The Krzysztof Penderecki European Music Centre, Internationale Beethoven Gesellschaft and The Ludwig van Beethoven Association.
Joanna is last year’s graduate from the Fryderyk Chopin University of Music in Warsaw (diploma with distinction) where she studied with the renowned pianist Ewa Pobłocka. She also studied at the ‘Berlin University of Arts’ in Germany (academic year 2016/2017) where she was mentored by Professor Markus Groh as the receipt of an Erasmus scholarship. Joanna has also received the scholarships from the Minister of Culture and from the Prime Minister.
Alongside a growing career as a soloist, Joanna Kacperek is highly celebrated for being a multi-faceted pianist. She was awarded a special grant – generously donated by the Societe Generale Corporate & Investment Banking Poland – to record her debut album which includes both solo repertoire and Lieder with baritone Michał Przygoński. With Roksana Kwaśnikowska, Joanna represented Poland at the Kyoto International Music Students Festival in Japan (2015).
The pianist has participated in master classes of such artists as: Dina Yoffe, Arie Vardi, Anna Malikova, Boris Berman, Nikolai Demidenko, Bernd Goetzke, Hinrich Alpers, Fumiko Eguchi, Philippe Giusano, Milan Langer, David Dolan, Jiri Chlinka, Katarzyna Popowa – Zydroń, Piotr Paleczny, Andrzej Jasiński, Krzysztof Jabłoński, Wojciech Świtała.
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What is Fitzrovia?
Words Jenna Walker
Illustrations Alexandria Coe
As the old saying goes, ‘If you have to ask, you’ll never know.’ And that’s true of a lot of things. The lottery numbers? Sure. The difference between men and women? Forget about it. The length of a piece of string? Lost cause. But if you dared to ask, ‘What is Fitzrovia?’ Well, that one’s relatively straight-forward.
Often described as having an ‘urban vibe with a bohemian history,’ Fitzrovia is nestled in the little pocket between Marylebone, Soho and Bloomsbury, lying partly in the City of Westminster, and partly in the London Borough of Camden. While its land is laid with shiny digital start-ups, historic pubs, hip hotels, a smattering of independent cafés all claiming to sell London’s best coffee, and Charlotte Street, unofficial sponsor of Thursday lunchtimes for media execs, Fitzrovia is, perhaps surprisingly, classified as being ‘above-averagely deprived.’
The area was first referred to as Fitzrovia in the 1930s, taking its name from the Fitzroy Tavern – the cosy little Sam Smith that sits on the corner of Charlotte Street and Windmill Street – where the writer and artist community used to gather. Until that point, it had only been known by its major streets, such as Great Titchfield Street or Tottenham Court Road, and was often seen as an extension to the West End, or referred to as London’s ‘Latin Quarter’.
As far as we know, the story behind it goes like this: right up until the end of the nineteenth century, the district belonged to Charles FitzRoy, 2nd Duke of Grafton. FitzRoy’s father, 1st Duke of Grafton, had already started work developing the northern part of the area in the early eighteenth century, before buying and giving his name to the Manor of Tottenhall. He later built Fitzroy Square, to which he also gave his name, along with the nearby Fitzroy Street. Part designed by Robert Adam in 1794, and completed by his brothers James and William Adams in 1978, the square remains one of the most distinguished of Fitzrovia’s original architectural features.
While the Duke of Grafton was responsible for the northern part, the Duke of Newcastle took on the south-western side – establishing what was then called Oxford Market, and which is now Market Place and its surrounding area. By the start of the 19th century, this section of London was extensively built upon, severing the Marylebone Passage into what now remains of it on Wells Street.
Having been developed by minor landowners, Fitzrovia is made up of small, irregular streets. This structure is quite different to those in neighbouring districts – such as Marylebone and Bloomsbury – which, as built up by only one or two landowners, were designed with stronger grid patterns and a greater amount of squares. While it was always FitzRoy’s intention to build residencies for the upper classes in Fitzrovia’s jagged tapestry of streets, the aristocracy quickly migrated to the likes of Belgravia and Mayfair, causing a sudden sub-division of such grand houses into flats, studios, workshops and even single rooms to let.
When French and Italian immigrants came to London at the end of the eighteenth century, they established Fitzrovia as a centre for the furniture trade, inviting a host of tradesmen and craftsmen to set up shop, including Thomas Chippendale and John Constable. Literary figures, such as Virginia Woolf, George Orwell, George Bernard Shaw and Arthur Rimbaud also made home in Fitzrovia. Throughout the 1930s, Augustus John and Dylan Thomas were part of a bohemian set that made the space just north of Oxford Street their hangout.
It’s been claimed that John himself was the coiner of the name ‘Fitzrovia’, in honour of his favourite hostelry, the Fitzroy Tavern. Although, it is largely believed that the name was used first by the editor of Poetry London, M. J. Tambimuttu, when talking of the stretch of pubs between Soho to Charlotte Street; it first appeared in print in the Daily Express gossip column by Tom Driberg in 1940. The name was later made popular by chronicler of the 1940s, Julian Maclaren-Ross, in his book, Memoirs of the Forties (1965).
While the name ‘Fitzrovia’ was widely used by the early 1960s, there was little written evidence of it. The term was less commonly used by the late 1940s, due to much of the bohemian community having moved on, or died. However, in 1973, the first ever street festival to be held in Charlotte Street was called ‘the Fitzrovia Festival’ – bringing the name back into common currency and, more importantly, giving residents a label for which to try to define their neighbourhood.
Though it wasn’t officially recognised until 1994 when, following pressure from residents, Fitzrovia’s name appeared for the first time on Ordnance Survey maps. Property developers’ later attempts to rebrand the area ‘Noho’ were immediately quashed.
Biographer Paul Willetts describes Fitzrovia’s name as a “…retrospective label applied to a district of central London where, between roughly 1925 and 1950, the pubs, restaurants, cafés and drinking clubs provided a fashionable rendezvous for a diverse range of writers with a taste for bohemian life. The label, which had passed into common usage by the early 1960s, acknowledged the one-time status of the Fitzroy Tavern at 16 Charlotte Street as the area’s pre-eminent venue. Together with Rathbone Place, Charlotte Street forms the crooked spine of Fitzrovia.”
Today, Fitzrovia is home to around 6,500 people, workplace to some 50,000, and celebrated by all of London. Shakespeare once asked, “What’s in a name?” In the case of Fitzrovia, it’d seem quite a lot. But if you have to ask, then you’ll never know.
Written by darkblue in Editorial on Jan 10, 2015
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April 17, 2019 | International
In polarized environments, media should reach out to their audiences and work collaboratively
By Paola Nalvarte
Watch video from this panel from ISOJ 2019.
In polarized societies that are also home to authoritarian or populist governments, journalists and media outlets in the country must work together and avoid falling into a narrative of hate coming from officials.
This is one of the main lessons shared by the journalists on the panel “Global roundup: Journalism in the age of authoritarians, populists and polarization,” during the second day of the 20th International Symposium on Online Journalism (ISOJ), which took place on April 12 and 13 at the University of Texas at Austin.
Global roundup: Journalism in the age of authoritarians, populists and polarization (Erika Rich/Knight Center)
Cinthia Membreño, director of digital strategy for the independent site Confidencial, of Nicaragua, opened the conversation. The journalist told the audience that the government of the current president of her country, Daniel Ortega, is characterized by imposing a policy of fear and has become a threat to freedom of expression.
The Nicaraguan journalist related the manner in which the Confidencial offices were raided by the police on Dec. 14, 2018 and later seized by the government.
Membreño recalled a quote from the site’s director, Carlos Fernando Chamorro, after losing access to their offices: “They can steal all the computers in the world they want, all the television equipment they want but they are not preventing reporters from doing our jobs.”
That was the comment that Chamorro said in an interview with the journalist from the independent outlet 100% Noticias, Lucía Pineda, who along with the channel’s director, Miguel Mora, was imprisoned for her journalistic work a few days later, on Dec. 21.
Ortega does not give press conferences or interviews, there is no access to public information and journalists are affected by harassment and repression, Membreño explained.
Chamorro, Membreño and about 60 Nicaraguan journalists have been forced to leave the country in recent months for security reasons.
Today, many Nicaraguan journalists and media report from exile and collaboratively with their colleagues from other media.
During her presentation, Venezuelan journalist Julett Pineda from the independent digital site Efecto Cocuyo began with the following question: “What’s it like to be a journalist in Venezuela? It can be really troublesome, especially if there’s a blackout and there’s no running water to take a shower.”
The journalist described the difficult situation of reporting in a hospital where adequate medical care is limited, as is access to hospitals for journalists.
“These authoritarian traits and features from the government do not only affect us journalists, it also affects our sources. People are afraid to speak because they might get blackmailed,” Pineda said.
The situation worsens in a polarized environment, the journalist continued.
“Authoritarian governments have this script. They tell you, you are either with me or against me,” Pineda explained.
This polarization resulting from the government’s narrative contaminates other spaces such as social networks, Pineda said, platforms in which several users constantly attack journalists and independent media.
According to Pineda, this aversion is nourished by the government. The journalist showed a video in which the second most powerful man in the government, Diosdado Cabello, president of the Constituent Assembly of Venezuela, talks about the founder and director of Efecto Cocuyo, Luz Mely Reyes, calling her “the queen of ‘fake news.'”
According to Pineda, the situation of journalists in her country has worsened even further in 2019, due to the polarization that exists. According to a study by the Press and Society Institute (IPYS) Venezuela, during 2018 there were 266 cases of violation of freedom of expression in Venezuela, while between January and mid-March of 2019 there were 155 cases.
This would have been accentuated in March of this year, when the Venezuelan organization documented 50 aggressions against journalists just in the first 18 days of March.
Journalist and opinion columnist of the Brazilian newspaper Folha de S. Paulo, Patricia Campos Mello, highlighted the way in which social networks, mainly WhatsApp, were used to manipulate public opinion with false news and bots during the 2018 elections in which the populist President Jair Bolsonaro was elected.
Campos Mello said that Folha de S. Paulo gave wide coverage to the background of then-candidate Bolsonaro, investigating his wealth. They, according to the journalist, found that his wealth was not compatible with his financial income of recent years.
Folha de S. Paulo, one of the largest newspapers in Brazil, is constantly attacked by the new president. He has openly called them the greatest producers of “fake news.”
Campos Mello said that Brazilian journalists thought that these attacks on the press by Bolsonaro and his followers were only his campaign rhetoric. However, in one of his first television interviews as president, on TV Globo, Bolsonaro again attacked the press, mainly Folha.
“This was unprecedented in several manners. Never had a president gone on the main news show of the country to say that a newspaper would cease to exist,” the journalist said.
One of the effects of these direct aggressions, Campos Mellos said, is that Folha’s base of subscribers has increased considerably, in “solidarity.”
And one of the lessons learned by Folha, according to the journalist, has been that the philosophy of the newspaper is to continue doing what they know how to do, not as opponents, but as an independent journalistic publication, without being intimidated.
In South Africa, they also chose to respond with more and better journalism in 2017, when sources who remained anonymous revealed alleged acts of corruption by a prominent family in the country with ties to Prime Minister Jacob Zuma and his family, said Susan Comrie, investigative journalist from the site amaBhungane, based in Johannesburg.
Collaboratively, different South African journalistic media joined to process and publish all the data received, under the name #GuptaLeaks.
“It didn’t just allow us to hold politicians to account, there were a number of multinational companies that were implicated in the GuptaLeaks as well as in various other leaks that came out at the same time,” Comrie said. As a consequence, there were many smear campaigns on social media against the journalistic work that they combatted using more information.
Blanka Zöldi, from Hungary, a journalist for the investigative journalism site Direkt36 said at ISOJ: “If you look at Hungary, we don’t have any journalists killed, we don’t have any journalists imprisoned, we are not getting threatened direclty and we don’t have direct censorship.”
However, she emphasized, the situation that has been created in recent years in her country, since Prime Minister Viktor Orban took power in 2010, is characterized by a lack of information plurality and self-censorship.
After a crackdown on the private media outlet she used to work at, her colleagues formed their own newspaper focused on long-term investigations.
“We realized that if we want to do independent journalism, we want to have a completely independent organization. Independent from politicians, independent from owners and also independent from advertising revenues,” she concluded.
To overcome difficulties presented by the current media environment, she said, her organization has created a community of readers, they work hard as journalists and strive to interest people in what they publish.
Previous Previous post: ‘Lightning round’ at ISOJ focuses on funding for Latin American media, online harassment, spatial journalism and more
Next Next post: ISOJ celebrates 20 years with journalists, scholars and media executives from 44 countries
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Mirae Asset’s ‘little giant’ talks following Christ’s example
Choi Hyun-man, Chief executive officer of Mirae Asset Daewoo and senior vice chairman of the Mirae Asset Global Investment Group [KIM KYUNG-BIN]
Few understand Korea’s securities market more than Choi Hyun-man, who is currently the longest serving chief executive in the domestic finance industry.
The chief executive officer of Mirae Asset Daewoo and senior vice chairman of the Mirae Asset Global Investment Group, Choi, 57, has a small frame but a piercing gaze hardened by decades of trading. Under the leadership of Choi and Chairman Park Hyun-joo, Mirae Asset grew into the first Korean investment bank to reach 8 trillion won ($7.09 billion) in equity.
Mirae Asset Global Investments was founded in 1997 and provides comprehensive financial services such as asset and wealth management, life insurance and investment banking. The firm was a pioneer in the financial market, introducing mutual funds to retail investors for the first time in 1998. It has since grown into a multinational conglomerate with a presence in over 14 countries.
It acquired Daewoo Securities in late 2015 to become the largest stock brokerage firm in Korea by market capitalization. Park stepped down as chairman of the domestic brokerage arm in May, leaving Choi to run all the domestic operations.
The JoongAng Ilbo interviewed Choi on Sept. 4 at the Mirae Asset building in central Seoul. Below are excerpts from the interview.
Q. It’s been almost two years since you’ve taken the helm of Mirae Asset Daewoo. Give us your insight into management this year.
A. We’ve assumed the top spot as the largest investment bank in the country after the merger with Daewoo Securities. Given the evolution of Korea’s industrial structure thus far, the capital market must now help other industries. Our expanded responsibilities have also increased our confidence. The global economic situation remains difficult, but I’m optimistic about our performance this year.
You’ve openly pronounced plans to make the Mirae Asset Daewoo into the greatest investment bank in all of Asia. Is this really feasible?
If you consider our total asset management and the size of our shareholders’ and customers’ equity, we’re already at second or third place in a number of fields in Asia. In order to achieve the dream of becoming the top investment bank in Asia and become something like Korea’s Goldman Sachs, we plan to expand our equity capital to 10 trillion won.
What the secret behind becoming the longest serving chief executive in the financial industry?
A chief executive must focus on setting up the corporate strategy, and what puts such blueprints into action is the internal system. Personnel management is critical to ensuring fluid internal communication. If directions aren’t enough, sometimes you have to show your workers through practice. That’s what it means to lead by example.
You’ve become a prominent figure in the financial industry despite not having an elite college background. Tell us more about this.
I had to take a year off high school after a sparring injury I received as a taekwondo athlete in middle school worsened. This also coincided with the May 18 Gwangju Uprising, and the social mood at the time led to me wander for a period. At that time, I even thought of going to missionary school to become a priest, but eventually decided against this after my family told me it would only be an escape from reality. I eventually entered Chonnam National University as a political science and international relations major.
Why did you decide to work in securities?
I took leaves from college three times to study for the civil service exam at a monastery, but failed every time. Then I met my wife who, at the time, was a dental student. I felt I needed a proper job in order to live up to being a dentist’s husband. At the time, Korea’s stock market index topped 1,000, and many of the country’s top brains were vying for jobs in securities.
After a desperate search, I was finally able to get my hands on a form and submitted my application. Luckily, I was accepted at one firm, where I met Chairman Park Hyun-joo, who had entered the company not long before me.
At the time, Chairman Park was the central office manager at Hanshin Securities, the forerunner of today’s Dongwon Securities. Together we made a name for ourselves in the industry. This experience eventually helped us to found Mirae Asset.
It was a time when securities trading was all done by hand. For someone like me, who knew nothing about the industry at the time, I had to struggle to survive, learning the job as I went. Like this, I eventually received my trading license and was even able to go on a training program at the heart of global finance — New York’s Wall Street. When I look back to that time, it reminds me that success is always possible if one strives hard and overcomes difficulties along the way.
Is there a catchphrase you have in mind when it comes to management?
Up until a few years ago, I kept a slogan hung up next to my office phone. It read, “Never lollygag during the good times.” I believe this phrase reflects the core of risk management.
Everything else about business is determined by a tripartite structure composed of cost, price and value. Price is determined by supply and demand, cost can be controlled by efficiency, and value can be raised by building trust. You mustn’t mistake prosperity for self-worth. To not lollygag means keeping a cool mind even when everything appears to be going well.
What would you say defines a strong organization?
I like the idea of focusing on one thing at a time. In our industry, this means concentrating on one client at a time. As a son of a farmer with seven siblings, I have always believed in living a diligent life to achieve success. Throughout my career, one thing that I have taken to heart is this idea of focusing on a single target. If we compare working with a single client to a dot on a page, you will find that, as you concentrate on that client, he will introduce you to other clients, and suddenly, the dot becomes a line, and eventually, a plane. The path to success is connecting these dots and making all these clients your resources to reach a higher plane.
Do you have a philosophy of management as a chief executive?
Top executives should always consider the leadership of Jesus Christ. His words have clear directions, telling us what to do in order to go to heaven. Likewise, I believe leaders must always present clear and simple instructions. Management summed up in a single word would be patience. When things aren’t going your way, it is important to value relationships with those who know you well and overcome the temptations that come your way. Once I received a scouting offer for a position with a 5 billion won salary. But I declined it, since I valued my relationships where I was.
It would be unwise of us not to ask an investment banking chief executive about investment strategies. What’s the secret to investing well in the stock market?
Invest like a hedge fund. One should always keep track of top global securities in addition to domestic ones. The answer is diversified investments based on different periods, prices, locations and assets. One should take also advantage of more intangible sentiment indices, such as knowing which stores are popular or what smartphone applications are in vogue at the moment.
BY HONG BYEONG-GEE [shim.kyuseok@joongang.co.kr]
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Gabby Awards Ceremony
Gregory C. Pappas
Greek America Magazine--the nation's most widely circulated periodical for Greek Americans will launch the first--and only--awards program, recognizing excellence amongst Greek Americans on June 19th in Chicago. The Gabby Awards was conceived and founded by Gregory C. Pappas, publisher of Greek America Magazine and a member of Leadership 100. Aiming to become the Greek American community's premier award brand, The Gabby Awards were launched in Chicago on February 27th at a launch party with several hundred guests present, followed by a similar event in New York City a week later on March 12th.
There are eight Gabby Award categories, including business, education, performing arts, culture, athletics, philanthropy, promotion of Hellenism and politics, with five nominees in each category.
The Gabby Awards will be handed out to winners at a black tie gala awards show in Chicago on June 19th. The show will take place at the Merle Reskin Theater and will be followed by an unforgettable after party directly next door at the Chicago Hilton and Towers.
Honorary Co-Chairs of the first Gabby Awards are actress Melina Kanakaredes and designer John Varvatos. The show will be emceed by Emmy Award winning television journalist Anna Davlantes. In addition to the 8 awards, a special Lifetime Achievement award will be given to Academy Award winning actress Olympia Dukakis. Nia Vardalos will present the "Performing Arts" Gabby Award.
Corporate leaders like Jim Gianopulos (Fox Films) and Dennis Malamatinas (Marfin Investment Group) will also be on hand to serve as award presenters.
Two of the nation's top celebrity chefs confirmed to attend the event: Iron Chef Cat Cora and Michael Psilakis will come from opposite coasts to the Windy City. The two are both nominated in the "Arts & Culture" category.
Greek heartthrob Alexis Georgoulis, who co-stars opposite Nia Vardalos in the upcoming film "My Life in Ruins." Georgoulis will join Vardalos on stage to present the Gabby Award for Performing Arts. He is one of Greece's most famous male actors, having appeared in dozens of television shows and films. He is hoping that his latest US-released film will launch his international career.
On hand to present the Gabby Award for Politics will be the father and sons team of Andrew, Mike and Tom Manatos from Washington DC. The family is steeped with political tradition and occupies the lofty honor of having three generations of its members holding prominent positions in various U.S. Administrations. Andrew was the highest-ranking Greek American in the Carter Administration, serving as Assistant Secretary of Commerce. His son Mike currently runs operations at the lobbying firm of Manatos & Manatos while the other son Tom serves as an advisor to Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi.
One-name wondergirl Kalomoira, who's story is the stuff fairytales are made of... The Long Island, NY native who hardly spoke Greek a few years back auditioned for Greece's most popular music-reality show "Fame Story" in 2004--and won! She became an overnight sensation in the country of her parents' birth with hit songs, gold records, countless TV spots and new artist awards, magazine covers--even an acting spot on a popular Greek soap opera. Kalomoira was selected in 2008 to represent Greece in the Eurovision song contest. She captured the hearts and minds of tens of millions of Europeans, placing third with her song "Secret Combination" that topped European music charts. Kalomoira will present the Gabby Award for Arts & Culture. She will also emcee the Red Carpet walk immediately after the awards show.
President for Miniseries at HBO Films and Oscar winning filmmaker Kary Antholis will be on hand to present the prestigious Gabby Award for the Promotion of Hellenism. As an executive he has been responsible for several Academy Award, Emmy and Golden Globe-winning projects, both dramatic and documentary, including John Adams, Generation Kill, Elizabeth I, Angels in America and many more. As a filmmaker he won the Academy Award for Documentary Short Subject in 1995 and the Emmy for Outstanding Information Special for his film One Survivor Remembers, about Holocaust survivor, Gerda Weissmann Klein. Exploring Gerda's story offered him an extraordinarily vivid connection to his own mother's experiences during the war. Antholis' mother Evanthia grew up in Nazi-occupied Greece during World War II. Weissmann's story helped Antholis understand what his mother went through when her father, Vassilios, was killed by Nazi collaborators.
The Gabby Awards After Party includes open bars, unlimited food buffets and musical entertainment by Greece's biggest-selling female recording artist Glykeria, who with Kostas Karafotis and her complete orchestra, together promise to turn the International Ballroom of the Hilton Hotel into the biggest Greek dance party this side of the Atlantic.
Proceeds from the Gabby Awards will benefit the Hellenic Legacy Fund, a new endowment fund of the Greek America Foundation, that was founded for the sole purpose of awarding scholarships to university students for study abroad opportunities in Greece. The Greek America Foundation is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization dedicated to promoting, preserving and perpetuating the Greek culture, history and heritage in America.
Greek Americans are encouraged to vote for their favorite nominees at www.gabbyawards.com. Only one ballot per email address is permitted and detailed biographical information is available about each nominee of the website.
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Lehigh Valley Marketplace | Rodale General Store - Lehigh Valley Marketplace
Rodale General Store
By J.F. Pirro
Rodale – the Lehigh Valley mega-publisher and the famous family name – has always stood as a symbol of sustainability, creativity and healthy living. The Rodales, and their progeny, are artists and activists, photographers, poets and painters, cyclists, growers, environmentalists, out-of-the-box progressive thinkers and sensible traditionalists
Today, visionary is probably the best word to describe Jerome Irving (J.I.) Rodale and his wife, Anna, who moved from New York City to a rural Emmaus where they bought a farm to live their dream life and start a company. An interest in chemical-free food and health led to the creation of Organic Farming and Gardening magazine in 1942 and Prevention magazine in 1950. After J.I. suffered a fatal heart attack in 1971, his son, Bob, took over and expanded organic gardening and farming and preventive health care into more far-reaching areas of organic living, active lifestyles and regenerative agriculture. After Bob died tragically in an auto accident while on a business trip in Moscow in 1990, Ardath, his widow, and their children carried the torch.
Th e company, still headquartered in Emmaus and privately owned and operated, took organic food, healthy active living and environmental responsibility mainstream. Rodale now reaches some 75 million readers worldwide through its magazine brands – Men’s Health, Women’s Health, Prevention, Runner’s World, Running Times, Bicycling and Organic Gardening and through best-selling books like Al Gore’s An Inconvenient Truth, former FDA Commissioner Dr. David Kessler’s The End of Overeating, The South Beach Diet series and Alicia Silverstone’s The Kind Diet plus its multi-media web sites and countless philanthropic activities.
So when Heidi Rodale, a senior adviser and board member at Rodale, Inc., had the idea of converting a one-time garage, beer distributor and landscaper’s hub into the Rodale General Store, it was no surprise.
Once an eyesore at the corner of Pennsylvania Avenue and South Tenth Street – the gateway to Rodale’s headquarters – the bright, trendy store joins a campus that already includes a childcare facility, food center, walking trails and a fitness center in addition to publishing headquarters, though some of Rodale’s operations are now based in New York.
“We decided to make this our billboard,” says Heidi, J.I.’s granddaughter and Bob’s daughter who serves as general manager of the store. “You can’t stand still. We always distributed through others (and still do), but we decided to try this experiment. The store is a testing ground. It’s sort of like our outlet store.”
The General Store is a source for Rodale’s books and magazines, but also related products – gifts, organic food, seeds and gardening supplies, coffee and tea, fresh eggs from one of the family farms along Cedar Crest Boulevard and plant sales in the spring – all designed to bring the community in. Hardcovers sell for $10, and softcover books for $5. All magazines – current issues – are $1 off the cover price. There’s a 50 percent discount off popular new Rodale releases, including Wheat Belly: Lose the Wheat, Lose the Weight, and Find Your Path Back to Health, which has been on the New York Times bestseller list for 99 weeks (through early February) and Prevention’s The Sugar Smart Diet: Stop Cravings and Lose Weight While Still Enjoying the Sweets You Love! which debuted on the first New York Times bestseller List of 2014. There are also older books, including biographies, general interest, cookbooks and an old seed display counter full of gardening books.
This is grassroots. It’s experimental, but we feel the time is right. It’s just a new spin on things.
There are books, too, which tell the family’s story like Our Roots Run Deep: The Story of Rodale, a gorgeous, full-color 2009 coffee table edition loaded with photos and memorabilia. “It’s my father’s story, my grandfather’s story. It’s our story,” Heidi says. “Rodale’s message hasn’t changed. It’s about healthy living, healthy food, fitness and caring for the environment. It’s a message that’s always been important to us, and a message that keeps coming around.”
Heidi’s sister Maria Rodale, chairman and CEO at Rodale, Inc., has recently launched rodales.com, an eco-friendly e-commerce site, that sells organic apparel, accessories, skin care and beauty products and more. The Rodale General Store, innovation in its own right, also exhibited for the first time in March at the Philadelphia Flower Show, sharing space with Organic Gardening magazine.
“We’re always promoting ourselves and trying new things,” Heidi says. “Some big things, some small. This is grassroots. It’s experimental, but we feel the time is right. It’s just a new spin on things.” The new directions and innovation, perhaps, are also allowing these Rodales to add their own chapter to the company’s extraordinary history.
“I don’t know that we look at it like it’s our imprint,” Heidi says. “There’s just constant give and take and evolving. We want it all to be profitable. We don’t do things just to do them, or just for our own satisfaction. We want everything to make money so that we have more money to give back to other things including philanthropic interests.”
Part Rodale nostalgia, the family’s 1976 Volkswagen bus is parked inside the store. Virtually in mint condition, the bus had been stored in Heidi’s barn for 20-plus years. “We decided to bring it out and use it as a prop,” she says. “People see it through the windows and they come in just to tell us about their old VW bus or van.” An enlarged black-and-white photo inside the bus is special: It features Bob Rodale and five young grandchildren and a neighbor, circa late 1980s, a few years before his death.
Bob bought that VW second-hand. He would search for VW beetles and other VWs while riding his bicycle. He’d stop, ask and sometimes broker a deal. “He was never going to buy a luxury car,” Heidi says. “A Volkswagen was just a basic, German, well-run, efficient, sensible car.”
Foot traffic into the general store has been good, and when folks find their way, and get on (or at least near) the bus, she says, “They love it. They say it just smells good and feels good. The store gives off a good vibe.”
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Mafia Raj: The Rule of Bosses in South Asia
édité par Lucia Michelutti, Ashraf Hoque, Nicolas Martin, David Picherit, Paul Rollier, Arild E. Ruud, and Clarinda Still
Stanford University Press, 2018, 352 p.
"Mafia" has become an indigenous South Asian term. Like Italian mobsters, the South Asian "gangster politicians" are known for inflicting brutal violence while simultaneously upholding vigilante justice—inspiring fear and fantasy. But the term also refers to the diffuse spheres of crime, business, and politics operating within a shadow world that is popularly referred to as the rule of the mafia, or "Mafia Raj."
Through intimate stories of the lives of powerful and aspiring bosses in India, Pakistan, and Bangladesh, this book illustrates their personal struggles for sovereignty as they climb the ladder of success. Ethnographically tracing the particularities of the South Asian case, the authors theorize what they call "the art of bossing," providing nuanced ideas about crime, corruption, and the lure of the strongman across the world.
Lucia Michelutti is Professor of Anthropology at the University College London.
Ashraf Hoque is Teaching Fellow in the Department of Anthropology at the University College London.
Nicolas Martin is Assistant Professor at the University of Zurich.
David Picherit is Research Fellow at the French National Centre for Scientific Research.
Paul Rollier is Assistant Professor in South Asian Studies at the University of St. Gallen.
Arild E. Ruud is Professor of South Asian Studies at the University of Oslo.
Clarinda Still is Research Associate at the University College London.
"Through meticulous and uniquely collaborative ethnography, Mafia Raj opens readers' eyes to the murky world of bosses in South Asia. With unforgettable portraits of the gangsters, politicians, hustlers, and extortionists dotting the region, this is the rare scholarly account that upends our commonly accepted notions of democracy, formality, and legitimacy."
—Milan Vaishnav, Carnegie Endowment for International Peace
"Why does the figure of 'the boss,' in its various guises, loom so large in South Asia? In answering this question, the authors of this engagingly written book make a path-breaking contribution to the study of South Asian politics."
—John Harriss, Simon Fraser University
Direction de revues et ouvrages collectifs
Mafia Raj: The Rule of Bosses in South Asia, Stanford University Press 2018
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Motion picture content rating system
o c fyCj o ffAto m YLrSY America’s Film Rating System Constitutes False Advertising ABSTRACT The Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA), a trade association whose members include film production studios, distributors, and theater chains, administers the most popular system for rating the content contained in the vast majority of publicly The motion picture industry uses a rating system to describe the content of its movies. The Entertainment Software Rating Board (ESRB) assigns age and content ratings for video games and apps indicating the appropriate age group and content that is in the game. The motion picture industry uses a rating system to describe the content of its movies. The rating gives parents an idea of what content based on how appropriate the movie is. THEATERS — not motion picture — all employees other than performers and directors of performers — including managers, stage hands, box office employees or ushers Also refer to companion Classification 9156, Theaters — dance, opera and theater companies — all performers and directors of performers — N. A motion picture rating system is designated to classify films with regard to suitability for audiences in terms of issues such as sex, violence, substance abuse, profanity, impudence or other types of mature content. Before 1990, when the Motion Picture Association of America rated a movie, that rating was all the commentary they offered: G, PG, PG-13, R, X, M, GP (look ‘em up!). Objective. This is Version v2. On this day in 1984, the Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA), which oversees the voluntary rating system for movies, introduces a new rating, PG-13. Posted July 20th, 2013 by Patrick Corcoran. The rating system is a shared responsibility between the entertainment industry and America’s parents. Classification Review Board. This is a list of micronational motion picture content rating systems. Read the Motion Picture Act, We will apply a G, PG, 14A or 18A rating and attach a maximum of two content A motion picture content rating system is designated to classify films with regard to suitability for audiences in terms of issues such as sex, violence, substance abuse, profanity, impudence or other types of mature content. (Film) Motion Picture Association of America Want to thank TFD for its existence? Tell a friend about us , add a link to this page, or visit the webmaster's page for free fun content . The classification system of the Motion Picture Association of America, implemented on November 1, 1968, originally consisted of four ratings: and Last Tango in Paris pushed the content limits The organization also released a digital archive of documents, including such things as press releases and letters when it was formed, and copies of the pre-rating Motion Picture Code. The MPAA rating scheme applies only to films submitted for rating. In its formative years it took on the role of devising guidelines for film content which resulted in the creation of the Production Code, and currently administers the MPAA film rating system. 2 CONTENT RATING ENCODING. Generally, it is not appropriate for parents to bring their young children with them to R-rated motion pictures. The system was enacted in 1922 with the Motion Picture Association of America's launch along with the Production Code, which revolved more on censoring material rather than informing parents about movie content. In response, leading movie studios formed the Motion Picture Producers and Distributors of America (MPPDA), an industry lobbying organization, in 1922. Forty Years of Movie Ratings. Of course, one might question whether the MPAA movie rating system (even if A motion picture content rating system is designated to classify films with regard to suitability for audiences in terms of issues such as sex, violence, substance abuse, profanity, impudence or other types of mature content. Please click on the image of each movie rating below to learn more. Their classifications, usually by the lowest age of the person permitted to see the film, have no wiggle room: if you're not that age, you're not allowed to see it. More than brief nudity will require at least a PG-13 rating, but s uch nudity in a PG-13 rated motion picture generally will not be sexually oriented . Answer Wiki. Other tv only ratings are AV and P Australian Section Redone done due to very outdated and inaccurate information. Kategorie (Parental Guidance Suggested). Get your content rated. Most of these systems are associated with and/or sponsored by a government, and are sometimes part of the local motion picture rating system. The Motion Picture Association of America's Classification & Ratings Administration employs a full-time board of 8 to 13 raters, who are required to be parents This is the name of the organization which revealed its new Motion Pictures Ratings System in 1968. Producers who submit their films for rating by the MPAA will receive one of the following ratings that are now in use: G: General Audiences. References to specific ratings systems and bodies are found in the text. The research in this study will examine the violent and sexual content of films. The flaw in the Motion Picture Association of America's rating system was that it lumped all children -- from infants to 17-year-olds -- into the same group. The purpose of this study was to determine whether the Motion Picture Association of America’s ratings system distinguishes among the 3 primary rating categories (PG, PG-13, and R) with respect to violence based on a study of the 100 top-grossing films of 1994. 1, 2003) O — morally offensive Motion Picture Association of America ratings:It was founded in 1922 as the Motion Picture Producers and Distributors of America (MPPDA) to advance the business interests of its members. motion picture. CONTENT RATING ENCODING U. How it all works. (MPAA). Betty Logan 19. Versioning . The Motion Picture Association of America's film-rating system is used in the U. CELEBRATING 50 YEARS Established by the MPAA in 1968, the rating system was created to help parents make informed viewing choices for their children. A particular issued rating can be called aThe Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA) is the self-regulatory body for the film industry. In the British rating system, 'Universal' means Suitable For All. Many countries have their own television rating system and each country's rating process may differ due to local priorities. "Category:Motion Picture rating systems. No studio, distributor, theater, or The Motion Picture Association of America, previously known as The Motion Picture Producers and Distributors of America is the main ratings system in America. Methods. As cultural standards have changed over time, so have movie ratings, even as the process of rating a film remains a closely guarded industry secret. The MPAA President (currently Chris Dodd) chooses the Chairman of the Rating Board. It all started with William Hays. F. A particular issued rating is called a certification. If you are using an Ad-Blocker, it might have mistakenly blocked our content. It peaked at 6% in 1984, when the PG-13 rating was introduced. The Motion Picture Association of America is an American organization that rates movies. motion picture content rating system is designated to classify films with regard to suitability for audiences in terms of issues such as violence, substance abuse or other types of mature content. The full text of The Motion Picture Production Code of • September 20, 1966 the Motion Picture Association introduced the modern ratings system (“G” “R”, “X”, etc. Read More ©2018 MOTION PICTUREHow much does the Motion Picture Association of America charge to have a movie rated? Update Cancel. Jump to navigation Jump to search. Encyclopedia Wikia is a FANDOM Lifestyle Community. Advertisements for movies with adult content should not be targeted to children. if it is not a font, i will just use arial. The flaw in the Motion Picture Association of America 's rating system was that it lumped all children -- from infants to 17-year-olds -- into the same group. Ratings typically carry age recommendations in an advisory or restrictive capacity, in some jurisdictions the legal obligation of administering the rating may be imposed on movie theaters. Type System. Occasionally the rating system is so seemingly arbitrary that it's possible to wonder why one film got a '15' when another, more violent and with more sex and swearing, managed to be rated '12'. and Rating Administration (CARA) board of the Motion Picture Association of America. A motion picture content rating system is designated to classify films with regard to suitability for audiences in terms of issues such as sex, violence, substance abuse, profanity, impudence or other types of mature content. of America, asked historian and public television host Richard Heffner to oversee the group's controversial movie ratings system, Heffner turned it down, saying his mother "did not raise me to count nipples. The MPAA does not have any explicit criteria for sexual content other than excluding sex scenes from G rated films. It is recommended that the latest version be used. MPCRS in KOREA. A motion picture content rating system is designated to classify films with regard to suitability for audiences in terms of issues such as sex, violence, substance abuse, profanity, impudence or other types of mature content. In 1966, when Jack Valenti was named the head of the Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA), the studio system was largely intact. The Motion Picture Association of America's film-rating system is used in the U. Learn the facts, history, and evolution behind 50 years of ratings. There may be some profanity and some depictions of violence of brief nudity. Unlike the MPAA we do not assign one inscrutable rating based on age, but 3 objective ratings for SEX/NUDITY, VIOLENCE/GORE and LANGUAGE on a scale of 0 to 10, from lowest to highest, depending on quantity and context. A regulatory system, known as the Hays code, is developed to ensure the absence of “offensive material” and prevent government interference in filmmaking. This Segment Is Rated R It's been 50 years since the Motion Picture Association of America film came out with its rating system. A71 Entertainment Inc. NR — not rated; generally films released prior to the establishment of the MPAA ratings system. This new system allowed studios to test the waters with more controversial content. The MPAA rating system consists of G, PG, PG-13, R, and NC-17. The report, “G” is for Golden: The MPAA Film Ratings at 50, includes the results of a new survey of American parents, never-before-released, comprehensive data on the nearly 30,000 films rated since 1968, and a detailed look at the history, evolution, and Charles H. The Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA) supervises a board of 8 to 13 members who work for the Classification and Rating Administration (CARA). The MPAA does not have any explicit criteria for sexual content other than excluding sex scenes from G rated films. It is the American branch of the Motion Picture Association, and was actually founded before the MPA, back in 1922. A child could find the PG rated film sad and scary, a PG rating however should not unsettle a child age 10 or older. Find a rating; Recent ratings; Discover our rating system. This rating system satisfies consumers' right to a. Note however that the specific criteria used in assigning a classification can vary widely from one country to another. History of Movie Ratings Continues to Evolve. In BC, all motion pictures must be classified (rated) before being shown in theatres, and all Adult and Restricted DVDs must be submitted for review and decaled before being sold or rented by retailers. You will need to temporarily disable your Ad-blocker to view this page. 2. Talk:Motion picture content rating system. be heard. Motion Picture Rating System A motion picture rating system is designated to classify films with regard to suitability for audiences in terms of issues such as sex, violence, substance abuse, profanity, impudence or other types of mature content. Parental guidance. The motion picture rating system for movies shown in Peruvian movie theatres are: Apt: General audiences. Each week, The Dissolve designates a Movie Of The Week for staffers and readers to watch and discuss together. MPAA Ratings Updates. except in the case of pornographic content. the Hollywood body responsible for the film rating system as well as The highly anticipated sequel of the blockbuster hit has just been given an R rating for, well, "strong erotic sexual content, some graphic nudity and language," according to the MPAA issued The Classification and Rating Administration is affiliated with the Motion Picture Association of America. Classification 3/17/2008 · The Pros and Cons The debate over the effectiveness of the Motion Picture Association of America's rating system has been heavily debated for many year, and both sides have genuine points and concerns that have postponed any real action. Industry pioneers like Jack Warner and Darryl Zanuck were still running the companies they had founded. Directed by Spike Jonze. motion picture rating system, video game content rating system, organization : Media in category "Australian Classification Board" Abstract. Looking for more information on how the film rating system works? Check out FilmRatings. More. was to determine whether the Motion Picture Associa-tion of America’s ratings system distinguishes among the 3 primary rating categories (PG, PG-13, and R) with re-spect to violence based on a study of the 100 top-grossing films of 1994. (Redirected from MPAA film rating system) The Motion Picture Association of America film rating system is a system used in the United States and territories and instituted by the Motion Picture Association of America to rate a movie based on its content. Content warnings are often given in conjunction with a ratings system as an lack of content warnings, owing to the T rating and motion picture you are about The first system that was unveiled was developed by the entertainment industry. These thoughts about early encounters with racy movies were triggered by a recent anniversary: November 2018 was the 50th anniversary of the Motion Picture Association of America's rating system The Motion Picture Association of America only uses G, PG, PG-13, R, NC-17. A particular issued rating can be called …Perez, Cesar A. This system, called the "TV Parental Guidelines," went into effect in January of 1997 and was quite familiar. A particular issued rating can be called a certification, classification, certificate or rating. 18: Extreme graphic violence, language and drug abuse. Marvel Hulk Thor Hulk Thor7/14/2004 · The study criticized the ratings system, which is run by the Motion Picture Association of America, for confusing and murky descriptions of movie content and …19. Minecraft Logan. Motion picture rating systems are issued to give moviegoers an idea of the suitability of a movie for children and/or adults Motion picture content rating system Today's voluntary movie rating system is aimed at giving parents the group of parents, gives advance cautionary warnings to families about a movie's content. TV programs that contain any of this content have attracted ratings. WHEREAS, Major motion picture studios with direct governance authority over the film rating system in the United States, through their trade association, the Motion Picture Association of America, account for two-thirds of the youth-rated films portraying tobacco use released since 2010, 70 percent of youth-rated tobacco incidents, and 86 Parents should be more confident than ever that the film rating system they depend on to choose appropriate flicks for their kids is on point. When a game has age restrictions, the parental control level will appear in the [Parental Control] field. . The system was enacted in 1922 with the Motion Picture Association of America 's launch along with the Production Code, which revolved more on censoring material rather than informing parents about movie content. share with friends He said the film bureau has been conducting feasibility studies for a motion picture rating or classification system. and its territories to rate a film's thematic and content suitability for certain audiences. It was founded in 1922 as the Motion Picture Producers and Distributors of America (MPPDA) to advance the business interests of its members. com to learn the history of the film rating program, and to download additional film rating resources. 14, 2012. C is a television rating, not a cinema rating. Rivkin is Chairman and CEO of the Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA). Reference. Motion picture ratings. 12 (12세 이상 관람가) – Film intended for audiences 12 and over. 3. The actual remuneration of actors, musicians, producers and the motion picture director must be included, subject to a maximum of $128,700 per year per person. Start studying Mass Media Chapter 7: Movies. After the Raters determine the rating of the motion picture, each Rater prepares a final ballot with his or her rating for the motion picture and details of the content of the motion picture that in his or her view require that rating. Motion Picture Association of America film rating system The Motion Picture Association of America ( MPAA ) film rating system is used in the United States and its territories to rate a film's suitability for certain audiences based on its content. Movies are accompanied by ratings such as PG (parental guidance suggested) or R (not suitable for those under 17). Reason. A comparison of current film rating systems, showing age on the horizontal axis. Old lions like Cary Grant, Bette Davis, Joan Crawford and Charlie Chaplin continued to make pictures. Movie Ratings. Established in 1968, the film rating system provides parents with the #AMadeaFamilyFuneral is rated PG-13 for crude sexual content, language, and drug WHAT IS THE PURPOSE OF THE RATING SYSTEM? Movie ratings provide parents with advance information about the content of movies to help them Our parents' guide goes beyond the MPAA ratings: Movies are rated according to Content Rating: S1 | V5 | L5 . A particular issued rating can be called a certificationWhat movie ratings mean and how the Hollywood rating system has changed over time. For home video purposes, a single Canadian Home Video Rating System rating consisting of an…The first system that was unveiled was developed by the entertainment industry. account, in order to provide an explanation of the rating system's significance. The MPAA gives a before hand peak. ), ridding the industry of the old idea of the Code entirely. MPAA film rating system. a new addition to the rating system Share this Rating. Daily Box Office (Sun. revolvy. From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. This site is an example of an original motion picture rating system. Family movie reviews, movie ratings, fun film party ideas and pop culture news — all with parents in mind. Dec 07, 2014 at 23:49 . The Raters’ ballots are treated at all times as confidential and are not disclosed outside CARA. When the Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA) introduced the modern movie ratings system in 1968, they couldn’t have known that one of their classifications would become the calling card Follow @FilmRatings on Twitter for daily updates on film ratings. Producers who submit their films for rating by the MPAA will receive one of the following ratings that are now in use: Design. View Mobile Site Capt. then president of the Motion Picture Association of It was founded in 1994, closed in 1999 and reformed into Internet Content Rating As a system of self regulation by the motion picture industry, the MPAA rating program was designed to measure parental reactions. Follow @FilmRatings on Twitter for daily updates on film ratings. Jeong Park / Sony Pictures Classics its tone—something that stands in stark contrast to the R rating the Motion Picture Association of the film’s content and the rating The Motion Picture Association of America does what they can to alert audiences to the content within a movie with their inconsistent and confusing rating system. The US movie rating system was created in 1968, as a replacement to the Hays Production Code (a basic approval or disapproval of a movie, without any gradation to describe the movie's content). In America, the movies are rated by the Motion Picture Association of America as follows: Trump suggests 'a rating system' for movies and video games to curb youth violence and mature content, with the Motion Picture Association of America and the Entertainment Software Rating In 1984, the Motion Picture Association of America introduced its first new content rating since its “G, PG, R, and X” classification scheme replaced the Hays Code in 1968. Maybe the "Gremlin" who met his In the United States and many other countries movies and television programs are rated by content, and many Christian parents use the rating system, but it is an unwise and unspiritual standard. When a film is made, prior to its release in theaters it is submitted to the Classification. In most countries, ratings boards are maintained by the government. The initial rating categories were G (appropriate for all ages), M (for mature audiences, but all ages admitted), R By 1954, Breen retired, and the Production Code Administration was defanged into the (more or less current-standing) iteration of the MPAA (Motion Picture Association of America) ratings system in 1968. The MPAA administers a motion picture rating system …4/13/2009 · Explanation of MPAA Rating System. It can help parents choose which movies their children can watch. This thesis will examine the economic impact of the MPAA film rating system on the types of films made from 2004 to 2014. The greatest success for an X-rated film came just a year after the rating was created. However the web site doesnt not show anywhere even for films that would have got the rating if it existed. 4 Classification and Rating Rules Effective January 1, 2010 H. Table changes. The reason for its immediate familiarity was that the system was based on the Motion Picture Association of America's (MPAA) rating system for movies. The Meaning of Movie Ratings. the movie industry was dominated by MGM, Paramount, Warner Brothers, RKO and 20th-Century Fox in the 1930s They began a rating The voluntary rating system is not a surrogate parent, nor should it be. The Motion Picture Association of America film rating system is a system used by the MPAA. The movie industry's voluntary rating system in the United States offers general guidelines to inform parents about the level of content they might find inappropriate for their children. G-rated MPAA Movie Ratings (USA) The Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA) supervises a board of 8 to 13 members who work for the Classification and Rating Administration (CARA). G Rating = General Audience, content suitable for …The motion picture industry uses a rating board to rate virtually all movies released in the United States, requires the age-related rating to appear in advertising and makes some effort to review ads for rated movies to ensure that their content is suitable for general audiences. but is there to inform parents about age appropriate content …Netflix Joins the Motion Picture Association of America on Historic Day for the Company The rating’s system is a terrible joke and only made for the purpose to “protect themselves” from Rating: Reason: The Tomorrow Man Romance: BST: strong crude sexual content, drug and alcohol material, and language throughout - all involving tweens • Motion Picture Association of How 'The Temple of Doom' Changed the MPAA Ratings System . com to learn the history of the film rating program, and to download additional film rating resources. NATO believes that parents must be informed in order to make responsible decisions. Abstract. "The Human adventure is just beginning Did you know? The Restricted Cougar was created in BC over 50 years ago! Click here to learn more By accepting this message, you will be leaving the website of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. comhttps://broom02. objective ratings for SEX/NUDITY, VIOLENCE/GORE and LANGUAGE on a scale of 0 to A motion picture rating system that is designated to classify films with regard to suitability for audiences in terms of issues such as sex, violence, substance The movie rating system used in the United States was created in 1968, as a content led the Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA), in conjunction with A motion picture content rating system is designated to classify films with regard to suitability for audiences in terms of issues such as sex, violence, substance abuse, profanity, impudence or other types of mature content. (Redirected from MPAA film rating system) Jump to navigation Jump to search. Abstract. Since 1968, the Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA)’s voluntary rating system has served as the liaison between the film industry and the American parent, attempting to help parents protect their children from age-inappropriate content without infringing upon the free speech of filmmakers. Region. MPAA film numbers - is there a list? USA The Motion Picture Production Code film numbers to 52000 - - - Browse other questions tagged content-rating. A motion picture may include, but is not limited to: a movie or “feature”. The movie rating system that film buffs know today has been around for more than 50 years, but Hollywood studios have been regulating movies to one degree or another since the industry's early days. Why don't books have a content rating system like motion pictures? Update Cancel a MGax d KWJa LoqFp b d y ahAQQ fczss P HzYF r gTOzc e Beypf m oDJ i ChMI u HHt m zewbm B HdG e yUco a DsV t TIsO . However, specifications may reference a specific version if necessary. Archive 1: Archive 2: Archive 3: Contents. The most familiar movie content rating system in America is about to turn 50. It can help parents choose which movies their children can watch. motion picture content rating systemA motion picture content rating system is designated to classify films with regard to suitability for audiences in terms of issues such as sex, violence, substance [edit]. motion picture rating system rates the suitability of movies to its audience Wikipedia: Subclass of: content rating system : Authority controlWhat Other Countries Do About Ratings. Rating System History Initially, the Production Code, passed in 1934, controlled what content could be …18sx japanese A motion picture content rating system is designated to classify films with regard to suitability for audiences in terms of issues such as sex, violence, substance abuse, profanity, impudence or other types of mature content. MOVIE RATING SEARCH. Learn more Restricted (R) Restricted to adults. Joan Graves, who directs the ratings classifications for the Motion Picture Association of America, is retiring after spending 30 years deciding things like whether a film is G or PG. We developed a complete database of movie ratings available from the Motion Picture Association of America(MPAA) to characterize the content information (including any indicated reasons noted for ratings) for all movies released between January 1, 1992 and December 31, 2003. Movie Ratings. " So yes, the ratings carry compulsory parental guidance restrictions. The Motion Picture Association of America assigns age-based ratings for every film that is released Motion picture ratings in Canada are mostly a provincial responsibility, and each province has its own legislation regarding exhibition and admission. We searched MEDLINE, EconLIT, ERIC, Academic Search Premier, and JSTOR for the terms "movie," "motion picture," or "box office" combined with "rating. In a near future, a lonely writer develops an unlikely relationship with an operating system …If this film contained extreme sexual or violent content, then it would receive an X rating. The PG-13 rating suggests "parents are strongly cautioned" about a film's content Today, a few minutes of movie hype bookended by the phrase “In a world…” and a rating from the Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA) is pop-culture commonsense. The ESRB enforces video game advertising guidelines and helps ensure responsible privacy practices for the video game industry. The Motion Picture Association of America recently released a report to celebrate the 50th anniversary of its film rating system. Learn more Restricted (X) Classification compliance information. For home video purposes, a single Canadian Home Video Rating System rating consisting of an average of the participating provincial ratings is displayed on retail packages, although various provinces may have rules on display and sale A G-rated motion picture contains nothing in theme, language, nudity, sex, violence or other matters that, in the view of the Rating Board, would offend parents whose younger children view the Find a rating; Get your content rated; Motion Picture Ratings. All ages admitted. It cannot, and should not, insert itself in family decisions that only parents can, and should, make. This system was created for educational purposes. Dick speaks with numerous filmmakers This site reproduces that Code and gives examples of film content that was shaped to conform to or circumvent the Code. The basic structure of the Motion Picture Association of America's (MPAA) current movie rating system dates back to the late 1960s and has not had a significant change since the PG-13 category was The study reported here sought to design and implement a valid experimental instrument to test the potential influence of the Motion Picture Association of America's film-rating system (G, PG, R, X) on movie attendance. This document will be versioned when updated. The reason for its immediate familiarity was that the system was based on the Motion Picture Association of America's (MPAA) rating system for movies. the Big Five. motion picture content rating system A motion picture rating system(PORN IS THE BEST) is designated to classify films with regard to suitability for audiences in terms of issues such as sex, violence From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. Review Board Decisions. who felt the film's PG rating from the Motion Picture Association of America was too lenient. Age Level for Games. 1 Answer. Non-members of MPAA may also submit films for rating. CONTENT ANALYSIS OF THE MPAA RATING SYSTEM 1 A Content Analysis of the MPAA Rating System and its Evolution The Purpose of this research is to determine whether or not there has been an During the late 1920s and early 1930s the motion picture Author: Cesar A PerezPublish Year: 2015CLASSIFICATION AND RATING RULES - Film Rating Shttps://www. The report, “G” is for Golden: The MPAA Film Ratings at 50, includes the results of a new survey of American parents, never-before-released, comprehensive data on the nearly 30,000 films rated since 1968, and a detailed look at the history, evolution, and A motion picture content rating system is designated to classify films with regard to suitability for audiences in terms of issues such as sex, violence, substance abuse, profanity, impudence or other types of mature content. WikiProject Film P Special rating supplementary to the M/18 age rating denoting "pornography". Netflix is in talks to join the Motion Picture Association of America on the heels of its first Best Picture Oscar nod. The MPAA rating system consists of G, PG, PG-13, R, and NC-17. 1177/0093650215614363The rating descriptor does not constitute an exhaustive list of the type of content in the motion picture but reflects only the type of content in the motion picture that is strong enough to merit the rating category assigned to the motion picture. The system was created considering diverse cultures throughout the world. O. current system of film evaluation, or rating, dictates a film’s audience and ensuing revenue. television content rating system. The Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA) film rating system is used in the United States and its territories to rate a film's suitability for certain audiences based on its content. It gave way to a voluntary rating system. For additional meanings of "Star Trek: The Motion Picture", please see Star Trek: The Motion Picture. All ages are admitted. And on the eve of its birthday, the Motion Picture Association of America, the organization that administers the The flaw in the Motion Picture Association of America's rating system was that it lumped all children -- from infants to 17-year-olds -- into the same group. Filmový rating MPAA (nebo klasifikace filmů) je proces zařazení filmu do jedné z pěti základních kategorií definovaných Americkou filmovou asociací (MPAA - Motion Picture Association of America). For home video purposes, a single Canadian Home Video Rating System rating consisting of an average of the participating provincial ratings is displayed on retail packages, although various provinces may have rules on display and sale Did you know? The Restricted Cougar was created in BC over 50 years ago! Click here to learn moreIt was founded in 1922 as the Motion Picture Producers and Distributors of America (MPPDA) to advance the business interests of its members. For PG-13, the guidelines state: A PG-13 motion picture may go beyond the PG rating in theme, violence, nudity, sensuality, language, adult activities, or other elements, but does not reach the restricted R category. Comparison table. For the Motion Picture Association of America, its efforts to update the Code for the late 1960s proved untenable; in just a couple of years, the Motion Picture Association introduced the modern ratings system (“G” “R”, “X”, etc. Quote. Established in 1968, the film rating system provides parents with the #AMadeaFamilyFuneral is rated PG-13 for crude sexual content, language, and drug WHAT IS THE PURPOSE OF THE RATING SYSTEM? Movie ratings provide parents with advance information about the content of movies to help them 21 Dec 2010 Established in 1968, the voluntary movie rating system was born of a period of about the content of films, the rating system remains a shining 14 Dec 2012 Date: Dec. 2 h 12 min Star Trek - The Motion Picture: Director's Edition is no 2001 (its obvious inspiration -- a fact that is more evident here than ever before), but it represents thought-provoking, well constructed science fiction. pdf · Fișier PDFdiscuss the appropriate rating and reach agreement on a rating for the motion picture. Most of these systems are associated with and/or sponsored by a government, and are sometimes part of the local motion picture rating system. All stories in Video game content rating system Censuring the Movie Censors. The parents who were the board of members give the rating and they were the members of the classification and ratings administration. a documentary. The Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA) joined forces with the National Association of Theater Owners and the International Film Importers In response to CARU’s referral, the MPAA said: “The MPAA Advertising Administration approves advertising for rated motion pictures on a case-by-case basis, taking various factors into consideration, including not only the rating of the motion picture but its content, the content of the programming with which it will be placed and the time of day in which the ad will be run. Duration. Jack Valenti, MPAA president, has noted that the MPAA is concerned with finding out what "most American parents will think about film content. A particular issued rating can be called a certification , classification , certificate or rating . The Motion Picture Producers and Distributors of America (MPPDA) is founded and led by William Hays. Jeong Park / Sony Pictures Classics its tone—something that stands in stark contrast to the R rating the Motion Picture Association of the film’s content and the rating The movie rating system is a voluntary system operated jointly by the motion picture association of America and the national association of theater owners. com/topic/Motion picture content ratingA motion picture content rating system is designated to classify films with regard to suitability for audiences in terms of issues such as sex, violence, substance abuse, profanity, impudence or other types of mature content. Are Motion Picture Ratings Reliable and Valid? Are Motion Picture Ratings Reliable and Valid? Gentile, Douglas A. The Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA) is the self-regulatory body for the film industry. < Talk:Motion picture content rating system. The rating or classification system will be implemented in a bid to regulate various genres, including imported films, screened on Chinese market, he said. That's why AMC fully supports and enforces the ratings system outlined by the Motion Picture Association of America. 8 Jun 2012 Home » Themes, Issues, Concepts, and Events » Movie Ratings and the content of movies that their minor children can view on television, . The MPAA's rating system is administered by the Classification & Ratings Administration (CARA), an independent agency. age classification of information products in Russia motion picture rating system. For over forty years the movie rating system has served to provide America’s parents with the information necessary to make informed and responsible decisions about their kids’ movie going choices. To view the parental control level for a game on screen, select the game in the content area, press the OPTIONS button, and then select [Information]. Television content rating systems give television viewers an idea of the suitability of a television programme for children and/or adults. With Joaquin Phoenix, Amy Adams, Scarlett Johansson, Rooney Mara. In 1966, when Jack Valenti was named the head of the Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA), the studio system was largely intact. As time went by, additional guidelines were established and the ratings were clarified. What is, The Fan Rated Rating System? It is a system by which webmasters/webmistresses can rate the stories in their archive, without risk of breaking any laws by using the default ones as used by Movies and TV Shows, which are legally owned and copyrighted to the MPA (Motion Picture Assosciation). The Canadian Home Video Rating System (CHVRS) is a voluntary system administered by the Motion Picture Classification Corporation of Canada (MPCCC), which provides classification information for discs (Blu-ray, DVDs) that are distributed in the home entertainment market in Canada (outside Quebec). On the CARA website you will find information about the Voluntary Movie Rating System, and a database that allows users to type in a movie title to obtain its rating. ), ridding the industry of the old idea MOTION PICTURES — production — in studios and outside — all employees. Ratings. S. b. Motion picture content rating system description; A motion picture content rating system is designated to classify films with regard to suitability for audiences in terms of issues such as sex, violence, substance abuse, profanity, impudence or other types of mature content. The ratings studied, PG and PG-13, are proxies for age as the target audience changes as PG-13 rated films are not recommended for children under the age of 13 and suggests parental guidance or supervision for Content warnings are often given in conjunction with a ratings system as an lack of content warnings, owing to the T rating and motion picture you are about Latest Entertainment Videos. Motion picture content rating system motion picture content rating system A motion picture content rating system is designated to classify films with regard to suitability for audiences in terms of issues such as sex, violence, substance abuse, profanity, impudence or other types of mature content A particular issued rating can be called a certification, classification, certificate or rating The MPAA rating system is one of various motion picture rating systems that are used to help parents decide what films are appropriate for their children. The MPAA rating system is a voluntary scheme that is not enforced by law; films can be exhibited without a rating, although certain theaters refuse to exhibit non-rated or NC-17 rated films. 0 references. R-rated films have made up more than half of all films rated by the Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA) since it launched its content rating system 50 years ago, the organization Thus children who frequently watch television programs are relatively likely to view the world as mean and threatening, engage in pre-marital sex and to view drinking alcohol as a normal part of life. In turn, the board is funded by film distributors and producers, who pay a fee to have their films rated. The current logo was and is in use, starting from 2000. President Lyndon Johnson appointed longtime associate Jack Valenti to head the MPAA, and on November 1, 1968 the latter conceived a new industry Code of Self-Regulation and an alphabet-based “voluntary ratings system” to indicate the presence of sexual and/or violent content. The movie rating system utilized in today's motion picture industry is very similar to the four-part rating system first introduced in 1968. Australia and New Zealand provide a complete ratings system for television that classifies programming according to its levels of Canada Home Video Rating Service Select Studio Any 20th Century Fox Film 9 Story Enterprises Inc. Motion picture content rating system motion picture content rating system A motion picture content rating system is designated to classify films with regard to suitability for audiences in terms of issues such as sex, violence, substance abuse, profanity, impudence or other types of mature content A particular issued rating can be called a certification, classification, certificate or rating A motion picture rating system(PORN IS THE BEST) is designated to classify films with regard to suitability for audiences in terms of issues such as sex, violence Thus children who frequently watch television programs are relatively likely to view the world as mean and threatening, engage in pre-marital sex and to view drinking alcohol as a normal part of life. MPCRS in KOREA Motion pictures shown in Indonesia must undergo R-rated films have made up more than half of all films rated by the Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA) since it launched its content rating system 50 years ago, the organization The MPAA rating system is one of various motion picture rating systems that are used to help parents decide what films are appropriate for their children. The Motion Picture Association of America only uses G, PG, PG-13, R, NC-17. About this time, growing popularity for comics books brought pressure on this industry, so it instituted a Comics Code. Portions of content provided by Tivo 4/5(99)Violence at the Box Office: Considering Ratings, Ticket journals. Motion Picture Laboratories, Inc. The Motion Picture Association of America recently released a report to celebrate the 50th anniversary of its film rating system. NATO cofounded the system with the Motion Picture When Did Movie Ratings Start? 2017. As a system of self regulation by the motion picture industry, the MPAA rating program was designed to measure parental reactions. Listeners share their stories about the first R-rated movie they saw. This helps people decide whether a movie is suitable for themselves and/or their children. The Motion Picture Association of America began its voluntary movie rating system in 1968. The combo is such a regular part of our lives, in fact, that it’s become the object of effortless parody for any comedian worth her salt, Abstract. This link is provided solely for the user's convenience. 14: Intense violence and language. No rating system is perfect, but Kids-in-Mind, the authors argue, is fairly objective because it aims to provide dispassionate descriptions to a global and multicultural audience. If you wish to start a new discussion or revive an old one, please do so on the current talk page. Age rating. Motion picture ratings in Canada are mostly a provincial responsibility, and each province has its own legislation regarding exhibition and admission. The MPAA Rating System Over the years, the Motion Picture Association of That is why filmmakers were surprised when the Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA) handed the film an R-rating. The Motion Picture Association of America ( MPAA ) film rating system is used in the United States and its territories to rate a film's suitability for certain audiences based on its content. PG-13 rating debuts. 1, 2003) O — morally offensive Motion Picture Association of America ratings: history of the rating system will only be an historical narrative rather than an economic. Content warnings are often given in conjunction with a ratings system as an lack of content warnings, owing to the T rating and motion picture you are about MPAA film numbers - is there a list? USA The Motion Picture Production Code film numbers to 52000 - - - Browse other questions tagged content-rating. Ratings can change on a TV series based on the content of each episode, thus one week could be rated with a higher warning level than the next, simply based on what occurs within the episode. motion picture/home video/television rating go back Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA) and its international counterpart, the Motion Picture Association (MPA) represent the American motion picture, home video and television industries. ) strong crude sexual content, drug and alcohol material, and language throughout - all involving tweens • Motion Picture Association of . In 1968, Motion Picture Association of America – MPAA president Jack Valenti replaced the Hays Code with the current film rating system. The Motion Picture Association of America maintains a ratings board, which assigns a rating (such as G, PG and R) to every film released in the United States. After various changes, the MPAA ratings are now as follows: G, for general audiences; PG, parental guidance suggested; PG-13, parents strongly cautioned, because film contains material inappropriate for children under 13; R, restricted to adults and to children under 17 accompanied by parent or guardian; and NC-17, no children under 17 admitted. Duration 2 h 12 min . An extension you use may be preventing Wikiwand articles from loading properly. In America, the movies are rated by the Motion Picture Association of America as follows: In response to CARU’s referral, the MPAA said: “The MPAA Advertising Administration approves advertising for rated motion pictures on a case-by-case basis, taking various factors into consideration, including not only the rating of the motion picture but its content, the content of the programming with which it will be placed and the time of day in which the ad will be run. The Motion Picture Association of America assigns age-based ratings for every film that is released Motion picture content rating system A particular issued rating can be called a certification, classification, certificate or rating. The Motion Picture Association of America Ratings Movies are a great form of family entertainment - but not every movie is suitable for every member of the family. All text and audiovisual content, unless A PG-13 motion picture may go beyond the PG rating in theme, violence, nudity, sensuality, language, adult activities, or other elements, but does not reach the restricted R category. He leads the MPAA’s global mission to advance and support the film, television, and streaming content industry. The motion picture is a remarkably effective…7/12/2004 · We performed a review of the literature up through March 1, 2004 to identify any prior research that related motion picture ratings, content, and economic performance. . Classification Board. Do not edit the contents of this page. Chinese sci-fi movie set in the not too distant future when Earth's survival is in doubt since the sun has begun to die. A motion picture rating system categorizes films with regard to suitability for children and/or adults in terms of issues such as sex, violence and profanity. The decision was made to implement Learn more about the rating system rules, including the type of content that fits into each rating category, the criteria for raters, and the appeal process. In the 1960s, the studio system began to crumble, and movies were released with increasingly daring content. o c fyCj o ffAto m YLrSY Motion Picture Association of America film rating system. The movie rating system is a voluntary system sponsored by the Motion Picture Association of America and the National Association of Theatre Owners to provide parents with advance information on films, enabling the parent to make judgments on movies they want or don't want their children to see. The Motion Picture Association of America film rating system is a system used by the MPAA. Maybe the "Gremlin" who met his There is no drug use content in a PG-rated film. Explanation of MPAA Rating System. The system they came up with is somewhat more elaborate than the one used by the motion picture industry. These thoughts about early encounters with racy movies were triggered by a recent anniversary: November 2018 was the 50th anniversary of the Motion Picture Association of America's rating system The total number of film ratings appealed has only averaged about 1% over the past 20 years. Cine Maison Royale eOne Films / Entertainment One Films We Like kaBOOM!It was founded in 1922 as the Motion Picture Producers and Distributors of America (MPPDA) to advance the business interests of its members. Motion picture content rating system A particular issued rating can be called a certification, classification, certificate or rating. In turn, films began to feature previously taboo subjects such as drug addiction, prostitution, and childbirth. The Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA) joined forces with the National Association of Theater Owners and the International Film Importers The ratings are based on the Motion Picture Association of America’s rating system which is applied to all major production companies. , and to companion The movie rating system is a voluntary system sponsored by the Motion Picture Association of America and the National Association of Theatre Owners to provide parents with advance information on films, enabling the parent to make judgements on movies they want or don't want their children to see. America’s Film Rating System Constitutes False Advertising ABSTRACT The Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA), a trade association whose members include film production studios, distributors, and theater chains, administers the most popular system for rating the content contained in the vast majority of publicly The movie rating system is a voluntary system sponsored by the Motion Picture Association of America and the National Association of Theatre Owners to provide parents with advance information on films, enabling the parent to make judgements on movies they want or don't want their children to see. In 1984, the Motion Picture Association of America introduced its first new content rating since its “G, PG, R, and X” classification scheme replaced the Hays Code in 1968. 1993), comparing rating systems in 36 countries and provinces, there has been more action taken elsewhere to curb the effects of violence than in the United States. Because of the optical phenomenon known as persistence of vision, this gives the illusion of actual, smooth, and continuous movement. At that time, the film industry was subjected to criticisms about its content, even though films at the time were still silent. known as the Motion Picture Producers and Distributors of America. Feel free to pitch in or suggest your own discussion points. The authors compared the content in films with the industry ratings Restricted - unsuitable for persons under 15; may contain strong content. In America, the movies are rated by the Motion Picture Association of America as follows: G- General Audiences. The first is the body that does the ratings. From Wikimedia Commons, the free media repository. between the MPAA and movie rating boards of many other countries is the voluntary nature of the American movie rating system. TV content ratings systems have been put in place by of TV content ratings and the factors that influence a parents 14 years to motion pictures with prominent was to determine whether the Motion Picture Associa-tion of America’s ratings system distinguishes among the 3 primary rating categories (PG, PG-13, and R) with re-spect to violence based on a study of the 100 top-grossing films of 1994. Identified font. There are two categories, the general ratings and the restricted ratings. and its territories to rate a film's thematic and content suitability for certain audiences. The upcoming flick will see Dakota Johnson and Jamie Dornan return to the big screen once again as Anastasia Steele and Christian Grey. The MPAA rating system is a voluntary scheme that is not enforced by law; films can be exhibited without a rating, although many theaters refuse to movies age rating A motion picture content rating system is designated to classify films with regard to suitability for audiences in terms of issues such as sex, violence, substance abuse, profanity, impudence or other types of mature content. All (전체 관람가) – Film suitable for all ages. With no middle-ground between PG and R, the ratings board of the 1980s frequently wrestled with the right way to classify movies that should and should not be viewed by children. share with friends The movie industry's voluntary rating system in the United States offers general guidelines to inform parents about the level of content they might find inappropriate for their children. The Classification and Rating Administration (“CARA”) issues ratings for motion pictures exhibited and distributed commercially to the public in the United States, with the intent to provide parents information concerning the content of those motion pictures, to aid them in determining the suitability of individual motion pictures for viewing by their The US movie rating system was created in 1968, as a replacement to the Hays Production Code (a basic approval or disapproval of a movie, without any gradation to describe the movie's content). The highly anticipated sequel of the blockbuster hit has just been given an R rating for, well, "strong erotic sexual content, some graphic nudity and language," according to the MPAA issued statement. C. The first feature-length motion picture with sound, premiered in 1927. The movie rating system utilized in today's motion picture industry is very similar to the four-part rating system first introduced in 1968. Learn vocabulary, terms, and more with flashcards, games, and other study tools. (Download Link for CARA's Agreement to Submit Motion Picture for Rating) The Film Rating System (CARA) CARA official website Why do every filmmakers need the rating system Motion Picture Association of America to Motion picture, series of still photographs on film, projected in rapid succession onto a screen by means of light. MPAA Rating Font #1. What is MPCRS? motion picture content rating system is designated to classify films with regard to suitability for audiences in terms of issues such as violence, substance abuse or other types of mature content. The MPAA rating system is a useless entity that has not accomplished it suppose mission, which is keep parents informed of content of a movie. This rating Why don't books have a content rating system like motion pictures? Update Cancel a MGax d KWJa LoqFp b d y ahAQQ fczss P HzYF r gTOzc e Beypf m oDJ i ChMI u HHt m zewbm B HdG e yUco a DsV t TIsO . filmratings. Please gimme the names of these fonts. The arrival of more and more wide-appeal movies containing adult content led the Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA), in conjunction with the National Association of Theater Owners (NATO) and the International Film Importers & Distributors of America (IFIDA), to devise a new rating system to help parents protect their children from L — limited adult audiences, films whose problematic content many adults would find troubling (replaced A-IV classification Nov. sagepub. Motion Picture Association of America. A rating certified by CARA for a motion picture may not be used in The Motion Picture Association of America recently released a report to celebrate the 50th anniversary of its film rating system. L — limited adult audiences, films whose problematic content many adults would find troubling (replaced A-IV classification Nov. , "A Content Analysis of the MPAA Rating System and its Evolution" (2015). G means that it is suitable for viewing by people of all ages. All stories in Video game content rating systemThank You for Visiting our Website. Fifty Shades Darker Gets R Rating for Sexual Content and Graphic Nudity. The study criticized the ratings system, which is run by the Motion Picture Association of America, for confusing and murky descriptions of movie content and called for a standardized universal Get your content rated. 440 </P>In this issue of the Journal of Adolescent Health , Nalkur et al report on the largest content analysis of movies, covering the years between 1950 and 2006 [1] . The Motion Picture Association of America assigns age-based ratings for every film that is releasedThe motion picture industry uses a rating system to describe the content of its movies. " Since 1968, the Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA)’s voluntary rating system has served as the liaison between the film industry and the American parent, attempting to help parents protect their children from age-inappropriate content without infringing upon the free speech of filmmakers. In the United States and many other countries movies and television programs are rated by content, and many Christian parents use the rating system, but it is an unwise and unspiritual standard. was to determine whether the Motion Picture Associa-tion of America’s ratings system distinguishes among the 3 primary rating categories (PG, PG-13, and R) with re-spect to violence based on a study of the 100 top-grossing films of 1994. About Us. a new addition to the rating system How 'The Temple of Doom' Changed the MPAA Ratings System . The Motion Picture Association of America's Classification & Ratings Administration employs a full-time board of 8 to 13 raters, who are required to be parents The New Ratings System: By the late 1940s, the organization known as the MPPDA (Motion Picture Producers and Distributors of America) to administer the motion picture Production Code then became known as the Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA). CONTENT ANALYSIS OF THE MPAA RATING SYSTEM 1 A Content Analysis of the MPAA Rating System and its Evolution The Purpose of this research is to determine whether or not there has been an increase, decrease or no change at all in the amount of explicit content within PG-13 and R-rated films over the last 40 years. When Jack Valenti , the president of the Motion Picture Assn. "The Motion Picture Association of America adopted its film-rating system, ranging from “G” for general audiences to “X” for adult patrons only by sabrina-lee The Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA) is an American trade association that represents the six big Hollywood studios. The Motion Picture Association of America was founded in 1922, and was then. Motion Picture Association of America – MPAA is a global organization with commercial and regional offices working to protect the film industry around the world. It is one of various motion picture rating systems used to help patrons decide what movies are appropriate for children, for adolescents, and for adults. 2010-11-01 00:00:00 See Related Article p. com/Content/Downloads/rating_rules. So it is unconfirmed ( and i rv'ed it ) -- 2mcm 02:33, 3 August 2005 (UTC) C is a television rating, not a cinema rating. Title: This Film Is Not Yet Rated (2006) filmmakers put the powerful Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA for short) under the microscope for inspection in Academy Award-nominated director Kirby Dick's incisive look at stateside cinema's most notorious non-censoring censors. Current Movie Ratings System. S. a short film. The Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA) joined forces with the National Association of Theater Owners and the International Film Importers The MPAA rating system is a useless entity that has not accomplished it suppose mission, which is keep parents informed of content of a movie. com/doi/full/10. Motion Picture Association of America film rating system. Skip navigation Extra Credits S9 • E15 Video Game Rating Systems - A Better Approach to Content Ratings - Extra Credits Autor: RevInTheHeadVizualizări: 71 miiMotion picture content rating system - broom02. This is an archive of past discussions. No children under 14 admitted without the company of an adult
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Asserting her preferences
Emily actually slept until 9:30 this morning. Even then, she only got up because I went and woke her up. She gets it from her mother I'm awake before 6 a.m. most days, with or without the alarm clock.
When I lifted the groggy girl from her bed, the first thing she said to me was, "Daddy, I hongy." She then proceeded to place her order for breakfast: "I want butter and jelly," she said. "I want a 'sont with apples on it."
We saved the peanut butter and jelly for lunch, but I was happy to provide her with a croissant and some slices of apple (I wasn't going to put the apples on the croissant, however). I made myself a fresh fruit salad, in which Emily showed much interest until I added blueberries to the mix. "I don't like them, Daddy," she told me. "Yes, I know," I thought. Call me cruel, but I wanted to eat my breakfast without anyone screaming "I want it!" at me.
Posted by Matt at 3:35 PM
My hands are crawling with bacteria
Intern hazing
Rickwood Classic
Everyone knows who you are
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Andrew Huang's Incredible Short Films
My friend Andy was one of the most brilliant visual thinkers I knew in film school, and since graduation a few years ago he's been doing us all proud by making incredible short films and music videos that defy categorization. I wanted to share a few of my favorites here with you. If you're a David Lynch fan or just enjoy stunning, other-worldly imagery, I think you'll dig Andy's work.
DOLL FACE was Andy's breakout film, and it's easy to see why. It asks questions about beauty, about technology, and about what it means to be human -- all without saying a word.
THE GLOAMING is an apocalyptic-feeling nightmare, bizarre and beautiful.
Andy made this music video a few years ago -- I don't love the song, but I can't get the image of the roots growing out the guy's face out of my head.
WHAT'S IN IT FOR?
I LOVE this Avi Buffalo song, and how Andy's special effects mesh with the natural world in a really fascinating way.
If you like Andy's work, check out his plans for a new film called THE SOLIPSIST, which is on Kickstarter, below. It looks pretty incredible.
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Mar 16 Meet the Photographer: Trevor Paglen
How did you make the transition from academia to photography?
I actually started doing art. I was really involved in music and digital-audio, and working with post-production. Mostly sound audio, and music post-production. And it was kind of through that, that I became more and more involved in video and moving images. So I really went backwards from video into photography. A lot of people start with photography and then become interested in moving images.
How important do you think graduate school is to a fine art photographer today?
I think it depends from person to person on what kind of artist they want to be. Some programs are much more focused on technique and are more technical. The Art Institute of Chicago, where I went, was much more theoretical. We barely even made anything when I was in graduate school; it was very rigorous and helped us think about what it was that we were doing. It incorporated a lot of theory and philosophy, which was very helpful in terms of trying to articulate what I was interested in as an artist. But I am a very particular kind of artist, and that trajectory might be completely useless for somebody else. So I don’t think there is any particular cookie cutter.
How do you feel about transparency?
The way that I’ve come to understand secrecy, is a bit counter-intuitive. I think that most of us think about secrecy as what you can know versus what you can’t know. I also think about secrecy as a series of institutions, and an array of state capacities and functions. Let’s say that you want to build a secret satellite. And so we would think that the fact of having the satellite, that’s a secret. We would think, in order to build the satellite, you have to have a secret satellite factory, which means that you have to have a secret aerospace industry, which means you have to have thousands of people working on this project. You thus have to create a way for these people to keep secrets. You must have some kind of social, cultural and legal techniques for producing secrecy. Now, to fund this satellite, you have to do that in secret as well. You then will have to create a secret budget process. Finally, the satellite goes up and takes pictures. Presumably these pictures are going to be secret as well. How do you keep those secret? My point is that very quickly you start to build an alternative world that exists within the state, and you very quickly end up having a secret state and a not so secret state. Ultimately, there is one part of secrecy that relates to what information we have and what information we don’t. But I think much more about the secret industries and parts of the state, that function with very different rules from what we imagine.
When you were speaking about geography theory you said that it has much more flexibility. Can you elaborate on that?
I became interested in geography for the following reason. When I was studying art, it was very much about representation. We were thinking about what kind of images do we produce? What is the meaning of this kind of image versus other images? What always bothered me was that we never talked about the fact that these images cost money; that they exist within an economy. We never talked about how images fit into one kind of space or another. What is the meaning of an image if it is in the Louvre versus your friends’ basement versus somewhere else? Nor the power that becomes attached to images, which often times has nothing to with what is inside the frame, but more with where the image is located. We never talked about what is the difference between an image in a book versus one in an institution. To me this felt like a real limitation of the art theory I had been taught. So as I began developing my own language and work as an artist, I wanted to be able to incorporate political economy, or architecture. Or to be able to use different methods of thinking to look at what it was I was doing as an artist.
So I came across geography theory, which was a lot more robust in a certain manner. Art theory goes into representation and different ways to think about representation, in very sophisticated ways. But geography theory is much more centered on the world around us. This is the way that I think about what geography is. Geography theory is about trying to understand the ways in which humans sculpt the world around them. What are the transformations that we make to the surface of the earth? For example, we have created an apartment building. Humans have transformed the surface of the earth and made an apartment building. That apartment building also transforms us, because it says you are going to live in a certain way. Everybody will have their own unit, with different rooms. Thus the building is actively sculpting what human society will be. This is what I mean by a constant feedback loop. Culture and images fit this mold, in this sense we produce meanings and we produce ways in which we relate to the world. Images through literature and so on and so forth, this is one of the ways we relate to the surface of the earth. There are political relationships, economical relationships, architectural relationships, biological relationships. Geography theory is much looser; geography is trying to evaluate all of these things at the same time. It’s very different from art in that sense, but a lot of art theory you can fit into geography theory as well.
Can you give me an example of representation in art theory?
Let’s think about Robert Mapplethorpe. What is remarkable about Mapplethorpe is a lot of his work is about queer images. He is trying to look at something in a different way. His idea of the default human or the default portrait subject is very different from the people before him. Mapplethorpe was trying to say, this is also what a human is. He is expanding the visual definition of what a human or a portrait subject is. This is great, in that he is expanding the cultural vocabulary, or the visual vocabulary we use to think about what people look like. Or rather, what the world looks like. That is the idea behind representation theory. What does this image say? Where do they get made? Where are they shown? How much do they cost? Who collects them? There is not much of a theoretical language that talks about how this actual object works vis-a-vis auction houses and museums, regardless of what’s in the frame.
Is that why you consider your work as art? Because it makes people see the world in a different way?
For me the work is allegorical and is intended to be very allegorical. There is no evidence of anything in any of the images I create. What is the relationship between what we see and what we understand? And how do we try to attach meanings to things that may or may not look like much of anything at all? What is our relationship to images that don’t speak for themselves? All of these questions are entangled in my mind, and hopefully in my work. Ultimately, there is a question mark for me. I don’t know what this is? I don’t understand it? That’s something that I want to get across in my work. What is the act of looking at these things? Is that an allegory for something about our society or the world more generally?
So you spend your own money on your work? Or do you look to others?
At this point I raise all the money myself. In 2004, if you would have asked for a grant to see what the CIA is doing in Afghanistan they would say, “no way”. But now it’s a little more open. I’ve been able to get a little funding, but for the most part I make money from sales, lecture fees, and book royalties.
How long after you started did you get into a gallery and have your first show?
About ten years. It took me a long, long time to develop a voice. For most people it takes a long time. Even artists in their twenties who have a show, I’m just really impressed that they were able to put a show together.
How do you feel the theory of art practice has shifted?
When I went to graduate school, we just didn’t think about the difference between film or photography, or technology or sculpture. There was no emphasis on one specific media over another. We used ideas from all of these different traditions. Whereas, I think the generation before was probably much more focused on the specific histories of each media, with a larger emphasis on whether you were a sculptor, or a painter, or a photographer or whatever it was. The way I was taught was much messier.
You talk about counter-seeing and seeing with machines, can you elaborate on that?
In my definition of photography we have traditional photography, but we also have Google earth, which is a machine that we use to see the world. MRI’s, television, video, film, these are all machines that we use to see the world. Furthermore, spy satellites, different military imagery systems: like predator drones, and surveillance networks. These are all essentially cameras. They are all things that create images, but they’re also all embedded in political systems, military systems, and economic systems, and thus are all scripted in certain ways. In other words, different seeing machines see the world in particular ways, which in turn, effects the world. A predator drone, for example, is a remote controlled flying camera; it wants to target the world not take landscape photos. There’s an aesthetic theme as well as a political theme. If you have a targeting computer, or targeting camera, then you need political and social institutions that are dedicated to targeting. Where is the boundary between the camera itself and the socio-political relationships around it? When I talk to photographers, that is one of the things that I bring up. In my opinion, it’s one of the things that we, as photographers should be responsible for thinking about, because we’re people who think about how machines see. Many people are worried about what it means to be making images in the age of Google images. We have images of so much stuff yet why are we making more images? Maybe if we crack open the definition of photography a bit more, then maybe it will open up the possibility of thinking about what it means to be a photographer in the 21st century.
This notion of sublime. I like that. Is this something you continue with?
The way that I think about the sublime is that moment you are confronted with the limits of your ability to understand something. The sublime is this moment in which you are confronted with something that you are not going to be able to understand, something that is quite powerful and quite awesome. This is pretty traditional. The Alps, for example, where the sublime is the size and the fact that you could easily die on them. Or nuclear weapons can be sublime, because of the overwhelming destructive force they possess. How can you even start to imagine what this means? That is something that speaks to me a lot because the question of the sublime is ultimately a question of what are our limits as humans? For me the sublime is not just the nuclear explosion, or the vastness of space, it’s also about the bureaucracy. The very everyday things that structure our lives in ways that are also infinitely complicated and infinitely difficult to understand.
What would be sublime to you?
In some of my work I’m photographing spy satellites. There is a tradition in art and in human history in general of the sublime being associated with the night sky, looking up and not ever being able to understand fully what is going on in the sky, and that is sort of what’s important about it. The sky is an infinite inverted mirror of ourselves. We project stories onto it and try to find out our destinies in it. Whether that be interpreting constellations as gods, or the Hubble Space Telescope taking pictures of galaxies that are tens of billions of light-years away. Even though one is a scientific question and one is a cultural question, they are trying to do the same thing. In other words, ask these big, big questions about where does the universe come from? And what does it all mean?
You said that art is seeing the world in a particular way and trying to communicate those ways to others?
I think I make art for me but I make it for others too. I want to communicate with other people. I feel I’m very privileged to have a place in society where I can spend time looking at things and researching things, and there is nothing necessarily unique about my interests. I figure if I’m interested in something then there’s probably ten million other people in the world who would be interested in it as well. Maybe my job is to try and tell those ten million people about it, in such a way that a lot of people can understand.
What advice would you give an emerging photographer or a young artist who is just starting out?
My main advice is that at the end of the day you have to do stuff that you enjoy, and you have to do what you love. The best advice I ever received in terms of building a career is don’t get famous doing something you don’t like, and live below your means (laughs).
What is unique about your creative process?
I’ve been offered commissions a couple times to photograph specific places, and I’ve always turned them down because the idea that I go somewhere and take a picture to deliver on someone else’s schedule. It was just impossible for me to guarantee.
Artist, Arts, Interview, Musée Magazine, Photographer, Photography, Trevor Paglen
Mar 16 Meet the Director: Arnold Lehman: Populist Pride
Mar 16 Meet the Collector: Vicente Wolf
Nov 16 Meet the Photographer: Anthony Goicolea
Jun 13 Meet the Artist: Rob Pruitt
Jun 13 Meet the Photographer: Hank Willis Thomas
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AGIMUS is a cultural association that operates in the field of music and art at national level through numerous sections located in the main Italian cities. The headquarters are in Rome. Founded in 1949 by the Ministry of Education's Artistic Education Inspectorate, the Association carries out its activities under the High Patronage of the Ministry of Education, the Council of Ministers and the Ministry of Cultural Heritage. The Padua section of the .GI.MUS. has been present in the territory since October 1994, the inauguration date of the First Concert Season, at the Salon of Palazzo Zacco Armeni, headquarters of the Circolo Ufficiali di Presidio (now the Unified Circle of the Italian Army) in Prato della Valle. It has been direct since its opening by M ° Elia Modenese and by Professor Elisabetta Gesuato. During these 25 years of activity, AGIMUS has offered citizenship to prestigious concert halls (Palazzo Zacco-Armeni, Palazzo Zabarella, Palazzo Liviano - Giants Room, Studio Theologico del Santo, Auditorium Pollini) Italian and foreign musicians talented, winners of International Musical Competitions, graduated from the best Academies of High Performing Music in Italy and abroad. Russian cellist Cyril Rodin, first prize at the Ciaikovsky International Competition in Moscow, Russian violinist Natalia Lomeiko, first prize at the Paganini International Competition in Genoa and Ciaikovsky in Moscow, German pianist Martin Helmchen, First Prize at the International Clara Competition Haskil "(Switzerland). For several years AGIMUS has hosted in its Season the performance of some prodigal children. We remember the twelve-year-old violinist from Taiwan, Liao PeiWen, from the prestigious Juilliard School in New York, the 13-year-old Austrian Marie Isabel Kropfitsch from the Vienna Music University, hosted by Piero Angela's RAI program on musical talent. The A.GI.MUS. organizes each year the important "Concorso Internazionale di esecuzione Musicale", "Premio Città di Padova", at the fifteenth edition, dedicated to the instrumental sections of bows, winds, pianos and chamber ensembles. The prestigious section for soloists and symphonic orchestra is always a great success. The final test, open to the public, is held at the Auditorium Pollini in Padua. In recent years, talented musicians have been awarded for their inclusion in the national and international concert scene. The latest 2017 edition of the International Competition, the fifteenth, was attended by over 200 contestants from 32 countries around the world: the Czech Republic, South Korea, Romania, the United States, China, Austria, Spain, Vietnam, Canada, Germany Croatia, France, Norway, Poland, Japan, Taiwan, Ukraine, Serbia, Russia, Hungary, Albania, Venezuela, Slovenia, Slovakia, Switzerland, Netherlands, Belgium, Latvia, New Zealand, Finland, Bulgaria, Lithuania Italian regions. A success that has made the city of Padua the protagonist of the cultural and musical pole of the northeast. The A.GI.MUS. in recent years he has organized events and events of great artistic and cultural interest in Padua and the province in collaboration with the City of Padua and the Department of Cultural and Entertainment Policies, with prestigious symphony orchestras and international dance companies hosted at the Green Theater of Padua (Night Dance and New Year's Eve at Theater) and Auditorium Pollini with great public and critical success. The following symphonic orchestras and international dances were invited: Moscow Symphonic Orchestra, Bacau Philharmonic Orchestra (Romania), Ladies Sofia Orchestra, Verona Philharmonic Orchestra, Orchestra of Padua and Veneto, Russian State Ballet "I Cosacchi del Don ", Bulgarian National Ballet, National Ballet of Georgia, Bulgarian Dreams Dancers, Government Caucasus" Kabardinka "State Accademic Dance Company, Imperial Russian Dance Company, Ballet of the Opera House of Bucharest, Ballet of Sofia Opera House, Russian State Ballet of Moscow, Russian Ballet of Volga, Royal Mongolian Ballet, Ballet Nueva Cuba, Ballet Flamenco Espanol, Tango Rouge Company, Hungarian State Folk Ensemble.
Reviews of: Associazione Musicale Agimus di Padova
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Study: Utah ranks last in women attending college
Excerpts of Utah's higher-education gender gap grows, by Brian Maffly, Salt Lake Tribune
UVU study • Percentage of women attending postsecondary institutions trails nation.
Utah women marry younger, have children sooner and have more of them than their peers in all other states. This demographic quirk is often cited as the reason women don't attend college at the same rate as men, a growing cause of concern among higher-education leaders.
Nationally, women make up the majority of college students, currently 57 percent compared with 49 percent in Utah.
According to Utah Valley University scholar Susan Madsen, women who put off completing college until after their children are grown rarely get around to earning a degree.
"For many of the women who come back, something critical happened. They'll be pushed back into it. They lose their husbands or divorce their husbands" said Madsen, an associate professor of management. "Ninety percent of [Utah's] young women believe that they will, at sometime in their life, get a college degree. The problem is the probability of that gets low as time goes by."
Madsen has been exploring women's low college participation and what can be done to reverse the trend.She will present her findings from the Utah Women and Education Project, based on in-depth surveys of 245 women, age 18 to 32.
When it comes to women and college participation, Utah is an outlier. Nationally, women are projected to account for 59 percent of undergraduate and 61 percent of graduate enrollments by 2019, according to the National Center for Education Statistics. In 2008, women earned 57 percent of bachelor's degrees, 62 percent of associate's degrees and 51 percent of doctorate degrees, marking huge gains in education attainment for women — advances not shared by women in the Beehive State.
While the freshman classes at the University of Utah and BYU are evenly split between the genders most years, men earn about 55 percent of the bachelor's degrees — and the gap is widening. According to U. data, the state's flagship university awarded 47.5 percent of its 2000 degrees to women. That share slipped to 45.2 percent this year.
The disparity is relatively recent. In the early 1990s, women made up the majority of enrollments at Utah's public campuses, but in 1993, male participation began outpacing that of females. Women now account for 49 percent, Madsen said.
She suspects many young women don't fully appreciate the economic and social value of a college degree or are unaware of the financial aid and advising services to help them through.
Conventional wisdom holds that Utah's gender gap is connected to the influence of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, which celebrates marriage and family. But culture explains only part of the puzzle, especially since church leaders also extoll the virtues of education, Madsen said.
"Lots of young women who dropped out said they wanted to be in college and they did and it was great, but they dropped out after the first semester," she said. "That was their goal — to go to college, not to graduate. They're thinking they're successful if they just go."
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Divinity in the Sunlight | Paintings — Ramón Alejandro
Jugando con Candela, 2016 — oil on canvas, 40 x 30 in.
A few short months ago, Rikki Ducornet introduced me to the paintings of the Cuban-born artist Ramón Alejandro. Awe and delight. Then she introduced me to the man, and we’ve been corresponding ever since. Awe and delight squared. Ramón Alejandro is an inspiration and an avatar. When he lived in Paris, he was written about but no less than Roland Barthes, who admired his robotic giants and specifically referred to his aimiability — “son amabilité (ce qui fait qu’on l’aime)”. He’s genuine, wise, prolific and warm. The paintings are gorgeous, outsized, sun-drenched. He makes me think of the line from Don Quixote: “There might giants.” And the giantish “sons of God” in the Old Testament. A world under the sign of the imagination, more alive than life itself.
But to give you the flavour of the man, here is a bit from an email he wrote to me before Christmas. We were talking about the roots of his art, his cheerful and migratory life (he lives in Miami now). This is how all artists should be.
It helped me to be radical in my choice that one of my father’s usual phrases was that when one was no good for anything one could always become an artist. He was also born into a family that raised cattle for milk and cheese and apple trees for cider in Asturias in northern Spain. The mountains did not permit planting many crops in such a hilly landscape and the pieces of land were too small for those who had a whole lot of children to feed. Most young people had to go to America to make a living. He was a real disciple of Diogenes the Great without knowing anything about the Cynic school of philosophers or any other philosophy, but he had managed to make one for himself out of his life experience. I chose the wisdom of Aristippus of Cyrene also before knowing anything about his existence. Generally, all the arts, and pleasure itself by the way, are a real scandal for most of those who were brought up outside city limits. I was kind of lucky that my grandfather on my mother’s side was a marvelous copyist of ancient paintings in the Prado Museum in Madrid. He failed to be a good painter himself, but art and literature was all that counted for him in life. He was my inspiration though — or maybe just because — he was never able to earn his life decently, and when he and his wife became old, by the time I knew him the short time of my first 13 years, had to be materially taken care of by the husbands of his two daughters. I love all mythologies, religions, musics, paintings, poetries and philosophies but do not believe in any of them. I think that deep inside I don’t even believe in Reality or in the different ways of conceiving it. All of them have been my movies and TV since I was a child. And lately I have had the feeling I will be including more and more divinities in my paintings.
The paintings we’re featuring on NC this month are brand new, and they are part of a show of Ramón’s work currently up at the Latin Art Core gallery in Miami.
La Guanabana, 2003 — oil on canvas, 20 x 24 in.
Aprendiz de Brujo, 2015 — oil on canvas, 24 x 24 in.
Virgen de Medianoche, 2015 —— oil on canvas, 24 x 18 in.
Demonio del Mediodia, 2015 — oil on canvas, 24 x 18 in.
Detras de la Cruz esta el demonio, 2016 — oil on canvas, 40 x 30 in.
x El universo esta iluminado por las llamas del Infierno, 2016 — oil on canvas, 40 x 30 in.
Combustion Espontanea, 2016 — oil on canvas, 40 x 30 in.
Energy flows in both opposite directions, 2016 — oil on canvas. 24 x 24 in.
——Ramón Alejandro
Current show at Latin Art Core gallery, Miami.
José Ramón Alejandro is a Cuban painter and writer. Since the late 1960s, his work has appeared in one-man shows in private galleries in Paris, Geneva, and Miami, as part of exhibitions in Israel and cities across Europe, and in exhibits of limited edition books illustrated by artists of note. The Bibliothèque Nationale de France, the Bibliothèque Municipale d’Angers in France, the San Diego Art Museum, and the Miami-Dade Public Library all include his works in their permanent collections.
Alejandro left Havana in the 1960s to live in Buenos Aires, Montevideo, and Paris, where he stayed for thirty years. In 1995, he moved to Miami. There he founded Editions Deleatur, a publisher focusing on Cuban writers within Cuba and abroad. Alejandro and his work are the subject of the essay collection Ramón Alejandro (L’Atelier des Brisants, 2006).
2017, Art, NC Magazine, Vol. VIII, No. 2, February 2017
One Response to “Divinity in the Sunlight | Paintings — Ramón Alejandro”
mark schneider says:
An artist of astonishing talent. His work is an inspiration to many. There are some great surrealists out there who have technical mastery. And then there are some who have conceptual genius. There are very, very few who have both. This Master possesses both in spades.
Top of the Page Dystopian Utopias: Case Studies — Julie Trimingham
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Herbalists Gone By: Mr. Nicholas Culpeper (1616-1654)
Mr. Nicholas Culpeper was a herbalist born is 1616 in Isfield, Sussex. His father and maternal grand-father were ministers. Upon the death of his father he was taken into the care of his maternal grandparents, His grand-father ensured he was educated in Latin, Greek and English. His love for herbs was sparked by his grand-mother’s used of them during his childhood. He was of a puritanical mind, in this he was a devout christian, and had little respect for the crown nor the church. And translated many works from the aristocratic Latin to the common-man’s English.
When he came of age his grandfather enrolled him in Cambridge University to study theology as he was to become a minister like his father and grand-father. But between him dotting his time as university with anatomy and medical lectures and his growing love for a Miss Judith Rivers, his time at university came to an end when they decided to elope, sadly on the way to the meeting point from which they would set out to elope Miss Judith’s carriage was struck by lightening and she was killed, because of his leaving university to elope, he was disinherited by his mothers family. The shock from the tragedy contributed to the death of his mother. Leaving him shunned and heart broken for some time afterwards.
He found employment working as an apprentice for a apothecary in exchange for teaching the him Latin. This task took only a year and upon the apothecary’s death Culpeper was able to keep up the practice himself.
He was always thoughtful of the poor and thus would often charge little or nothing to his impoverished patients. Resulting in him seeing up to 40 patients a day. A fact probably contributing to his popularity.
Earlier in his life he fought in a war first as a field surgeon and then as a captain. He was wounded in the shoulder and taken back to him home by carriage.
Years later he found love again in a young Miss Alice Field and they married conceiving of 7 children though only one, his daughter Mary outlived him.
He translated and wrote a total of 79 books some of which are still in print today. He was also an avid astrologer and often wrote his books with a foundation in astrology as a system for diagnosis and treatment.
He died at the age of 38 of Tuberculosis, which he suposedly contracted from the bullet injury during the battle in which he was a field surgeon.
I hope you enjoyed this abridged article on Nicholas Culpeper. Below are a few links to some of his books as well as an in-depth biography. Thanks for reading!
Culpeper’s Books
A Biography on Mr. Nicholas Culpeper
P.S. Here are some places where you can view his material FREE online!
Culpeper’s Complete Herbal (Archive.org)
Culpeper’s Complete Herbal Online
Thought you might wanna poke around the book a bit before you think about buying a hard copy. Enjoy!
Labels: 15th century, Culpeper., Herbalists Gone By, History, Nicholas
...And the leafs of the trees were for the healing of the nations... Revelations 22:2
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Introduction to the Basics of Herbalism
Basic Tools Used in Herbal Medicine.
Common Sense vs. Paranoia in Herbalism
Herbalists Gone By: Mr. Nicholas Culpeper (1616-16...
The Blossom of Spring.
Textures by The Fat Strawberry
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Jonathan Lott is confused. His wife has left him for a woman and he doesn't like living alone. Is it true that an about-to-be-divorced man in possession of a good fortune is in need of a new wife? Would Penny Collins do, divorced herself, school teacher and frustrated artist? What about beautiful Anna, blown in from who knows where, trailing broken marriages behind her? There's a lot happening at The Landing, where Jonathan has his beach house, and he's about to find out how much love matters.
Susan Johnson's stunning new novel, written with her trademark wit and insight, brilliantly observes what it is to be human and to love: the betrayals, the long and the short alliances, the disappointments and the joys. The Landing celebrates all of it with verve and style.
Download The Landing PDF
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Susan Johnson was shortlisted for the 1991 Victorian Premier's Literary Award for her novel Flying Lessons, shortlisted for the 1994 National Book Council's Banjo Award for the novel A Big Life and shortlisted for the National Biography Award 2000 for her memoir A Better Woman. Her other books include Hungry Ghosts, Messages from Chaos, Women Love Sex (editor and contributor) and Life in Seven Mistakes. The Broken Book was shortlisted for the 2005 Nita B Kibble Award; the Best Fiction Book section of the Queensland Premier's Literary Award; the Westfield/Waverley Library Literary Award, and the Australian Literary Society Gold Medal Award for an Outstanding Australian Literary Work. Her last novel, My Hundred Lovers, was published in 2012 to critical acclaim.
Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name. This author is entered with 2 spaces.
Reviews of the The Landing
DARCEY
Why do you ask me to drive a phone?
I read the whole book with a stupid smile on my face. General advice to everyone!
The book liked more than the previous
Download EBOOK The Landing by Susan Johnson Online free
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Thomas McCarthy, Eileen Ní Shuilleabháin & 2012 New Writer of The Year Seán Kenny for May Over The Edge: Open Reading
Thomas McCarthy
The May ‘Over The Edge: Open Reading’ takes place in Galway City Library on Thursday, May 30th, 6.30-8.00pm. The Featured Readers are Thomas McCarthy, Eileen Ní Shuilleabháin & Seán Kenny. Sean was the over-all winner of the 2012 Over The Edge New Writer of The Year competition and this reading is part of his prize. This is the final Over The Edge: Open Reading before the summer break.
Seán Kenny’s fiction has appeared in Crannóg, The Irish Times, New Irish Writing in The Irish Independent, Southword and Wordlegs. He won the 2012 Over The Edge New Writer of the Year competition and was shortlisted for a 2013 Hennessy Literary Award.
Eileen Ní Shuilleabháin grew up in the parish of Carna in the Connemara Gaeltacht. She lives and works in Galway city as a social worker and psychotherapist. She has been attending poetry workshops with Kevin Higgins this last two years. Eileen contributed towards a group poetry anthology Wayword Tuesdays in 2012. Her work has also been published by Emerge Literary Journal, The Burning Bush, Aperçus Quarterly, Boyne Berries, The Galway Review and Scissors & Spackle.
Thomas McCarthy was born in Co. Waterford in 1954 and educated at University College, Cork. He has published eight collections of poetry, two novels and a memoir. He has won the Patrick Kavanagh Award, the American-Irish Foundation’s Literary Award, and the O’Shaughnessy Prize for Poetry. He has worked for Cork City Libraries since 1987. He is a member of Aosdána. In a review Pat Cotter has said of him: “McCarthy is a poet primarily concerned with politics and family. His work's importance lies in its unremitting and detailed examination of the Republic's failures and successes as an independent state. Described by Eavan Boland as the first poet born into the Republic to write about it critically, McCarthy has done so from the perspective of a family dedicated and loyal to the state's most successful and powerful political party: Fianna Fail. But his poems are not eulogies to the party or apologies for its policies; they are more like an exploration of the party as an object of loyalty and devotion (like a lover objectified) with all the potential such an object has for empowerment and betrayal.”
As usual there will be an open-mic after the Featured Readers have finished. New readers are always most welcome. The MC for the evening will be Susan Millar DuMars. For further details phone 087-6431748.
Over The Edge acknowledges the ongoing generous financial support of Galway City Council & The Arts Council.
Labels: 2012 Over The Edge New Writer of the Year competion, Eileen Ní Shuilleabháin, Sean Kenny, Thomas McCarthy
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Hitler and Jihad
By Andrew G. Bostom
FrontPageMagazine.com | 24/10/2008
A recent report (summarized in translation here) by the Hamburg intelligence service —the Office for the Protection of the Constitution [Verfassungsschutz] — stressed the hostility of the neo-Nazi North German Action Office toward “Anti-Islamification” efforts in Cologne. At the North German Action Office’s [Aktionsbüro Norddeutschland], “campaigns” page website, links are featured with titles such as “National Socialists in Lower Saxony,” “Free! Social! National!” and “May 1 — Day of struggle for National Socialism.” The Hamburg domestic intelligence report noted the neo-Nazi group’s repeated allusions—commonplace in Nazi “analyses”—to the American “east coast,” which are meant to characterize “Jewish” domination of America and, by extension, the world. And in a statement published on its website (German link) September 25, 2008, five days after an “Anti-Islamification Congress” was banned by Cologne municipal authorities, the North German Action Office elucidated its solidarity with the global jihad:
Inasmuch as it is a determined opponent of the western-plutocratic one-world policy, we regard Islam, globally considered, as an ally against the mammonistic dominance of the American east coast. The freedom of nations is not threatened by Islam, but rather by the imperialism of the USA and its vassals from Jerusalem to Berlin.
Such concordance between Nazism and jihadism reflects an historical continuum evident since the advent of the Nazi movement. This nexus was already apparent in Hitler’s own observations from 1926, elaborated upon over the following decades by both the Nazi leader, and other key Nazi officials, and ideologues. Not surprisingly, there are two predominant, recurring themes in this discourse: jihad as total war, and the annihilationist jihad against the Jews.
Perhaps the earliest recorded evidence of Hitler’s serious interest in the jihad was provided by Muhammad ‘Inayat Allah Khan [who adopted the pen name “al-Mashriqi”—“the Orientalist” or “the Sage of the East”]. Born in the Punjab in 1888, al-Mashriqi was a Muslim polymath who attended Cambridge on a government scholarship, and excelled in the study of oriental languages, mathematics, engineering, and the sciences.
Not only did Mashriqi translate the standard abridged version of Mein Kampf (then commonly available) from English into Urdu, during one of his sojourns in Europe, which included time spent in Berlin, he met Hitler in the early years of the Fuehrer’s leadership of the National Socialist [Nazi] Party. Their meeting took place in 1926 at the National Library. Here is the gist of Mashriqi’s report on his interaction with Hitler as described in a letter to the renowned scholar of Indian Islam, J.M.S. Baljon:
I was astounded when he [Hitler] told me that he knew about my Tazkirah. The news flabbergasted me. . . I found him very congenial and piercing. He discussed Islamic Jihad with me in details. In 1930 I sent him my Isharat concerning the Khaksar movement with a picture of a spade-bearer Khaksar at the end of that book. In 1933 he started his Spade Movement.
Mashriqi also wrote this independent summary of his 1926 encounter with Hitler on May 31, 1935:
If I had known that this was the very man who was to become Germany’s saviour I would have fallen around Hitler’s neck, but on the occasion I was engaged in small talk and tried to find out what he understood about Germany’s weakness at the time. Professor [Weil, the host] said, introducing Hitler to me: “This is also a very important man, an activist from the Worker’s Party.” We shook hands and Hitler said, pointing to a book that was lying on the table: “I had a chance to read your al-Tazkirah.” Little did I understand at that time, what should have been clear to me when he said these words!
The astonishing similarities—or shall we say the unintentional similarity between two great minds—between Hitler’s great book and the teachings of my Tazkirah and Isharat embolden me, because the fifteen years of “struggle” of the author {Hitler] of “My Struggle” [Mein Kampf] have now actually led his nation back to success. But only after leading his nation to the intended goal, has he disclosed his movement’s rules and obligations to the world; only after fifteen years has he made the means of success widely known. It is possible that he has arrived at those means and doctrines by trial and error, but it should be absolutely clear that Mashriqi [referring to himself in the third person] has identified those means and doctrines in al-Tazkirah a full nine years and in the Isharat a full three years before the success of the Nazi movement, simply by following the shining guidance of the Holy Quran.
Mashriqi founded the Khaksar Movement, an Indian Muslim separatist (i.e., promoting the Pakistan “idea”), and global jihad supremacist organization. Its ethos is revealed in Mashriqi’s writings (for example, his Qaul-i-Faysel): “…we {Muslims] have again to dominate the whole world. We have to become its conqueror and its rulers.” His widely circulated pamphlet Islam ki Askari Zindagi further declared: “The Quran has proclaimed in unequivocal words to the world that the Prophet was sent with the true religion and definite instruction that he should make all other religions subservient to this religion [Islam]…”
Mashriqi emphasized repeatedly in his pamphlets and published articles that the verity of Islam could be gauged by the rate of the earliest Muslim conquests in the glorious first decades after the Muslim prophet Muhammad’s death (Mashriqi’s estimate is “36,000 castles in 9 years, or 12 per day”). He asserted “Nearly three-quarters” of the Quran concerns conquest, jihad (holy war), and related themes. And Mashriqi reminded that the Quran promises hellfire to all those who do not participate in Jihad bi-l-saif (“jihad with the sword”), or object to it. Mashriqi also believed the Quran’s jihad verses confirmed that if a Muslim fought for the cause of Islam, this action alone was sufficient for his salvation, requiring no other good deeds. According to Mashriqi, Islam’s “five pillars”—the confession of the oneness of Allah and Muhammad’s prophetic mission, the ritual prayer five times daily, the pilgrimage (haj) to Mecca, the giving of alms, and the fast in the month of Ramadan—were all aspects of military exercise: the confession of faith actually meant that the true Muslim had to forsake all worldly gains in the interest of military revival, prayer (to be performed in uniform and in a regimented way) was a kind of military drill, the haj was something like a grand counsel of Muslim soldiers where plans against enemies could be formulated, the fast was a preparation for the deprivations of siege warfare, the giving of alms, lastly, was a means of raising funds for Muslim re-armament. In short, he stated, “To leave the martial way of life is tantamount to leaving Islam.”
But it was the “Ten Principles” Mashriqi elucidated in the Tazkirah—the work Hitler discussed with him in 1926—which produced a quintessential message of Islam enshrining the ideals of militaristic nation-building. This vision sounded almost identical to sections of Hitler’s Mein Kampf (compare to Adolf Hitler, Mein Kampf, pp. 169-179, Reynal and Hitchcock trans, 1941)—certainly in the following paraphrase from al-Tazkirah prepared by some of Mashriqi’s colleagues for foreign consumption:
A persistent application of, and action on these Ten Principles is the true significance of “fitness” in the Darwinian [sic] principle of “Survival of the Fittest”, and a community of people which carries action on these lines to the very extremist limits has every right to remain a predominant race on this Earth forever, has claim to be the ruler of the world for all time. As soon as any or all of these qualities deteriorate in a nation, she begins to lose her right to remain and Fitter people may take her place automatically under the Law of Natural Selection.
Albert Speer, who was Hitler’s Minister of Armaments and War Production, wrote a contrite memoir of his World War II experiences while serving a 20-year prison sentence imposed by the Nuremberg tribunal. Speer’s narrative includes a discussion which captures Hitler’s effusive praise for Islam, “…a religion that believed in spreading the faith by the sword and subjugating all nations to that faith. Such a creed was perfectly suited to the Germanic temperament.” Hitler, according to Speer’s account, repeatedly expressed the conviction that, “The Mohammedan religion…would have been much more compatible to us than Christianity. Why did it have to be Christianity with its meekness and flabbiness?” These sentiments were also expressed by Hitler to Dr. Herman Neubacher, the first Nazi Mayor of Vienna, and subsequently, a special delegate of the Nazi regime in south-eastern Europe. Neubacher wrote that Hitler had told him Islam was a “male religion,” and reiterated the belief that the Germans would have been far more successful conquerors had they adopted Islam in the Middle Ages. Additional confirmation of Hitler’s very favourable inclination towards Islam is provided by General Alexander Loehr, a Lutwaffe commander (executed in 1947 for the mass-murders of Yugoslav civilians). Loehr maintained a smiling Hitler had told him that Islam was such a desirable creed the Fuehrer longed for it to become the official SS religion.
Hitler appears to have viewed the uniquely Islamic institution of jihad as an appropriate model for waging genocidal, total war. During the mid to late 19th century, jihad total war campaigns—adapted to the conditions of modern warfare—were waged by the Ottoman Empire against its Bulgarian and Armenian Christian minorities. The Ottoman tactics included innumerable atrocities, mass slaughter, and extensive, murderous deportations. Official Ottoman jihad declarations during World War I assured that the genocidal aspects of Islamic doctrine were “updated” by the application of modern total war offensive doctrines, and directed at the Armenians, in particular. This jihad-inspired policy begot razzias (raids), massacres of villagers, massacres of Armenian conscripts in work battalions, and mass deportations—all representative of an overall total-war strategy implemented by the Ottoman state, and military high command.
And the disintegrating Ottoman Empire’s World War I jihad genocide against its Armenian minority, specifically, served as an “inspirational” precedent to Hitler. During August of 1939, Hitler gave speeches in preparation for the looming invasion of Poland which admonished his military commanders to wage a brutal, merciless campaign, and assure rapid victory. Hitler portrayed the impending invasion as the initial step of a vision to “secure the living space we need,” and ultimately, “redistribute the world.” In an explicit reference to the Armenians, “Who after all is today speaking of the destruction of the Armenians?,” Hitler justified their annihilation (and the world’s consignment of this genocide to oblivion) as an accepted new world order because, “The world believes only in success.”
Vahakn Dadrian—the foremost scholar of the Armenian genocide—observes that although Hitler’s motives in seeking to destroy the Jews were not identical with those of the Ottoman Turks’ in their attempts to eliminate the Armenians, “…the two victim nations share one common element in Hitler’s scheme of things: their extreme vulnerability.” Moreover, Hitler emphasized the urgent task, “…of protecting the German blood from contamination, not only of the Jewish but also of the Armenian blood.” Predictable impunity—the ease with which the Armenian genocide was committed and how the perpetrators escaped retributive justice—clearly impressed Hitler and his henchmen, considering a similar action against the Jews. Indeed, the German Jew, Richard Lictheim who as a young Zionist leader had negotiated with Ottoman leaders in Turkey during World War I, characterized the “…cold-bloodedly planned extermination of over one million Armenians…[as] akin to Hitler’s crusade of destruction against the Jews…” And as historian Abram Sachar noted, “…the genocide was cited approvingly twenty-five years later by the Fuehrer…who found the Armenian ‘solution’ an attractive precedent.”
Heinrich Himmler, head of the SS (Nazi Secret Service), and eventually all German police forces, was another champion of Islam’s singular bellicosity. Accordingly, Himmler foresaw that within the framework of the Waffen-SS, several Muslim divisions would be created to wage jihad “shoulder to shoulder” with Nazi and Axis power soldiers. Himmler was the guiding force behind the establishment of aWaffen-SS 13th (later dubbed Handzar) Division—comprised exclusively of Muslims from Bosnia and Herzegovina. He argued in support of the creation of this Muslim division that the global Islamic community (umma) was very sympathetic to Nazism, and that the targeted Balkan Muslims had a special consciousness of their Muslim Bosnian-Herzegovinian identity. Indeed, Himmler and his collaborators believed that these Balkan Muslims were ideally suited to forge a nexus between the Nazi Germanic “racial north,” and the Islamic east. SS General Gottlob Berger described how Himmler’s creation of the Handzar division was the apotheosis of this vision:
For the first time a connection is being established between Islam and National Socialism on an open, honest base, since it will be ruled from the North where blood and race are concerned, and from the East ideologically and spiritually.
As the ultimate fulfillment of his vision, Himmler also strove to re-create a contemporary version of the Ottoman Muslim devshirme levy, and form a modern janissary corps, not only in Bosnia-Herzegovina, but the Sanjak (regions in Serbia and Montenegro), most of Croatia, and the major part of Srem (which includes provinces in Serbia and Croatia between the Danube and Sava rivers). Historian Jennie Lebel describes this effort:
In order to supply the Reich on time with a “loyal population” for this planned SS border area [i.e., as outlined above in Bosnia-Herzegovina, Croatia, and Serbia], Himmler gave orders to collect children, male and female, who had been left without one or both parents and send them to Germany in order “to create a kind of Janissaries” and the “future soldiers and soldiers’ women of the old military border of the Reich.” The collection of the children was to be taken care of by the commanders of the Waffen-SS divisions. They had to report once monthly to Himmler personally on the number of children collected. This was stated in two letters by Himmler, one addressed to General Arthur Phleps on May 20, 1944, and the other to General Gottlob Berger on July 14 of the same year. Copies were sent to General Kammerhofer, SS representative for the NDH [Croatia], to General Erwin Rosener in Slovenia, General Hermann Behrends in Serbia and General Herman Foegellein, liason officer of the Waffen-SS with Hitler.
Hajj Amin el-Husseini—the pre-eminent Arab Muslim leader of the World War II era—was viewed by Hitler (and also the Waffen-SS)—as a “Muslim Pope.” For example, the Nazi regime promoted this former Mufti of Jerusalem in an illustrated biographical booklet (printed in Berlin in 1943) which declared him Muhammad’s direct descendant, an Arab national hero, and the “incarnation of all ideals and hopes of the Arab nation.”
On June 30, 1922, a joint resolution of both Houses of Congress of the United States unanimously endorsed the “Mandate for Palestine,” confirming the irrevocable right of Jews to settle in the area of Palestine—anywhere between the Jordan River and the Mediterranean Sea. The Congressional Record contains a statement of support from New York Rep. Walter Chandler which includes an observation, about “Turkish and Arab agitators… preaching a kind of holy war [jihad] against…the Jews” of Palestine. During this same era within Palestine, a strong Arab Muslim irredentist current—epitomized by Hajj Amin el-Husseini—promulgated the forcible restoration of Shari’a-mandated dhimmitude for Jews via jihad. Indeed, two years before he orchestrated the murderous anti-Jewish riots of 1920, i.e., in 1918, Hajj Amin el-Husseini stated plainly to a Jewish co-worker (at the Jerusalem Governorate), I.A. Abbady, “This was and will remain an Arab land…the Zionists will be massacred to the last man…Nothing but the sword will decide the future of this country.”
Despite his role in fomenting the1920 pogroms against Palestinian Jews, el-Husseini was pardoned, and subsequently appointed Mufti of Jerusalem by the British High Commissioner, in May 1921, a title he retained, following the Ottoman practice, for the remainder of his life. Throughout his public career, the Mufti relied upon traditional Quranic anti-Jewish motifs to arouse the Arab street. For example, during the incitement which led to the 1929 Arab revolt in Palestine, he called for combating and slaughtering "the Jews", not merely Zionists. In fact, most of the Jewish victims of the 1929 Arab revolt were Jews from the centuries old dhimmi communities (for eg., in Hebron), as opposed to recent settlers identified with the Zionist movement. With the ascent of Nazi Germany in the 1930s and 1940s, the Mufti and his coterie intensified their anti-Semitic activities to secure support from Hitler's Germany (and later Bosnian Muslims, as well as the overall Arab Muslim world), for a jihad to annihilate the Jews of Palestine. Following his expulsion from Palestine by the British, the Mufti fomented a brutal anti-Jewish pogrom in Baghdad (1941), concurrent with his failed effort to install a pro-Nazi Iraqi government. Escaping to Europe after this unsuccessful coup attempt, the Mufti spent the remainder of World War II in Germany and Italy. From this sanctuary, he provided active support for the Germans by recruiting Bosnian Muslims, in addition to Muslim minorities from the Caucasus, for dedicated Nazi SS units. The Mufti's objectives for these recruits, and Muslims in general, were made explicit during his multiple wartime radio broadcasts from Berlin, heard throughout the Arab world: an international campaign of genocide against the Jews. For example, during his March 1, 1944 broadcast he stated: “Kill the Jews wherever you find them. This pleases God, history, and religion.”
Hajj Amin made an especially important contribution to the German war effort in Yugoslovia where the Bosnian Muslim SS units he recruited (in particular the Handzar Division) brutally suppressed local Nazi resistance movements. The Mufti's pamphlet entitled, “Islam and the Jews”, was published by the Nazis in Croatian and German for distribution during the war to these Bosnian Muslim SS units. This incendiary document hinged upon antisemitic motifs from the Quran (for example, 5:82), and the hadith (including Muhammad’s alleged poisoning by a Khaybar Jewess), and concluded with the apocalyptic canonical hadith describing the Jews’ annihilation. And Jan Wanner has observed that,
His [the Mufti’s] appeals…addressed to the Bosnian Muslims were…close in many respects to the argumentation used by contemporary Islamic fundamentalists…the Mufti viewed only as a new interpretation of the traditional concept of the Islamic community (umma), sharing with Nazism common enemies
This hateful propaganda served to incite the slaughter of Jews, and (Serb) Christians as well. Indeed, the Bosnian Muslim Handzar SS Division was responsible for the destruction of whole Bosnian Jewish and Serbian communities, including the massacre of Jews and Serbs, and the deportation of survivors to Auschwitz for extermination. However, these heinous crimes, for which the Mufti bears direct responsibility, had only a limited impact on the overall destruction of European Jewry when compared with his nefarious wartime campaign to prevent Jewish emigration from Europe to Palestine. Wanner, in his 1986 analysis of the Mufti’s collaboration with Nazi Germany during World War II, concluded,
…the darkest aspect of the Mufti’s activities in the final stage of the war was undoubtedly his personal share in the extermination of Europe’s Jewish population. On May 17, 1943, he wrote a personal letter to Ribbentrop, asking him to prevent the transfer of 4500 Bulgarian Jews, 4000 of them children, to Palestine. In May and June of the same year, he sent a number of letters to the governments of Bulgaria, Italy, Rumania, and Hungary, with the request not to permit even individual Jewish emigration and to allow the transfer of Jews to Poland where, he claimed they would be “under active supervision”. The trials of Eichmann’s henchmen, including Dieter Wislicency who was executed in Bratislava, Czechoslovakia, confirmed that this was not an isolated act by the Mufti.
Invoking the personal support of such prominent Nazis as Himmler and Eichmann, the Mufti's relentless hectoring of German, Rumanian, and Hungarian government officials caused the cancellation of an estimated 480,000 exit visas which had been granted to Jews (80,000 from Rumania, and 400,000 from Hungary). As a result, these hapless individuals were deported to Polish concentration camps. A United Nations Assembly document presented in 1947 which contained the Mufti's June 28, 1943 letter to the Hungarian Foreign Minister requesting the deportation of Hungarian Jews to Poland, includes this stark, telling annotation: “As a Sequel to This Request 400,000 Jews Were Subsequently Killed.” Moreover, in the Mufti’s memoirs (Memoirs of the Grand Mufti, edited by Abd al-Karim al-Umar, Damascus, 1999) he describes what Himmler revealed to him during the summer of 1943 regarding the genocide of the Jews. Following pro forma tirades on “Jewish war guilt,” Himmler told the Mufti that “up to now we have liquidated [abadna] around three million of them.”
According to historian Howard M. Sachar, meetings the Mufti held with Hitler in 1941 and 1942 lead to an understanding whereby Hitler's forces would invade Palestine with the goal being “..not the occupation of the Arab lands, but solely the destruction of Palestin(ian) Jewry…” And in April, 2006, the director of the Nazi research center in Ludwigsburg, Klaus-Michael Mallman, and Berlin historian Martin Cueppers, revealed that a murderous Einsatzgruppe Egypt, connected to Rommel's Africa Korps, was stationed in Athens awaiting British expulsion from the Levant, prior to beginning their planned slaughter of the roughly 500,000 Jews in Palestine. This plan was only aborted after Rommel’s defeat by Montgomery at El Alamein, Egypt, in October/November 1942.
The Mufti remained unrelenting in his espousal of a virulent Judeophobic hatred as the focal tenet of his ideology in the aftermath of World War II, and the creation of the State of Israel. And the Mufti was also a committed supporter of global jihad movements, urging a “full struggle” against the Hindus of India (as well as the Jews of Israel) before delegates at the February 1951 World Muslim Congress: “We shall meet next with sword in hand on the soil of either Kashmir or Palestine.” Declassified intelligence documents from 1942, 1947, 1952, and 1954 confirm the Mufti's own Caliphate desires in repeated references from contexts as diverse as Turkey, Egypt, Jerusalem, and Pakistan, and also include discussions of major Islamic Conferences dominated by the Mufti, which were attended by a broad spectrum of Muslim leaders literally representing the entire Islamic world (including Shia leaders from Iran), i, e., in Karachi from February 16-19, 1952, and Jordanian occupied Jerusalem, December 3-9, 1953. Viewed in their totality these data do not support the current standard assessment of the Mufti as merely a “Palestinian Arab nationalist, rife with Jew hatred.”
During an interview conducted in the late 1930s (published in 1939), Karl Jung, the Swiss psychiatrist and founder of analytical psychiatry, was asked “…had he any views on what was likely to be the next step in religious development?” Jung replied, in reference to the Nazi fervor that had gripped Germany,
We do not know whether Hitler is going to found a new Islam. He is already on the way; he is like Muhammad. The emotion in Germany is Islamic; warlike and Islamic. They are all drunk with wild god. That can be the historic future.
Although now, inexplicably, almost ignored in their entirety, writings produced for 100 years between the mid-19th through mid-20th centuries, by important scholars and intellectuals, in addition to Carl Jung—for example, the historians Jacob Burckhardt and Waldemar Gurian, Protestant theologian Karl Barth, and most notably, the renowned 20th century scholar of Islamic Law, G.H. Bousquet—referred to Islam as a despotic, or in 20th century parlance, totalitarian ideology.
Being imbued with fanaticism was the ultimate source of Muhammad’s great strength, and lead to his triumph as a despot, according to the 19th century Swiss historian Burckhardt:
Muhammad is personally very fanatical; that is his basic strength. His fanaticism is that of a radical simplifier and to that extent is quite genuine. It is of the toughest variety, namely doctrinaire passion, and his victory is one of the greatest victories of fanaticism and triviality. All idolatry, everything mythical, everything free in religion, all the multifarious ramifications of the hitherto existing faith, transport him into a real rage, and he hits upon a moment when large strata of his nation were highly receptive to an extreme simplification of the religious.
The Arabs, Burckhardt emphasizes, Muhammad’s henchmen, were not barbarians and had their own ingenuities, and spiritual traditions. Muhammad’s successful preaching among them capitalized upon an apparent longing for supra-tribal unification, “an extreme simplification.” Muhammad’s genius, “lies in divining this.” Utilizing portions of the most varied existing traditions, and taking advantage of the fact that “the peoples who were now attacked may also have been somewhat tired of their existing theology and mythology,” Muhammad
…with the aid of at least ten people, looks over the faiths of the Jews, Christians, and Parsis [Zoroastrians], and steals from them any scraps that he can use, shaping these elements according to his imagination. Thus everyone found in Muhammad’s sermons some echo of his accustomed faith. The very extraordinary thing is that with all this Muhammad achieved not merely lifetime success, the homage of Arabia, but founded a world religion that is viable to this day and has a tremendously high opinion of itself.
Burckhardt concludes that despite this achievement, Muhammad was not a great man, although he accepts the understandable inclination,
…to deduce great causes from great effects, thus, from Muhammad’s achievement, greatness of the originator. At the very least, one wants to concede in Muhammad’s case that he was no fraud, was serious about things, etc. However, it is possible to be in error sometime with this deduction regarding greatness and to mistake mere might for greatness. In this instance it is rather the low qualities of human nature that have received a powerful presentation. Islam is a triumph of triviality, and the great majority of mankind is trivial…But triviality likes to be tyrannical and is fond of imposing its yoke upon nobler spirits. Islam wanted to deprive distinguished old nations of their myths, the Persians of their Book of Kings, and for 1200 years it has actually prohibited sculpture and painting to tremendously large populations.
University of Notre Dame historian Waldemar Gurian, a refugee, who witnessed first hand the Communist and Fascist totalitarian movements in Europe, concluded (circa 1945) that Hitler, in a manner analogous to the 7th century precedent of Muhammad, had been the simplifier of German nationalism.
A fanatical simplifier who appeared as the unifier of various German traditions in the service of simple national aims and who was seen by many differing German groups—even by some people outside Germany—as the fulfiller of their wishes and sharer of their beliefs, with some distortions and exaggerations—such, as long as he had success, was Adolf Hitler.
Based upon the same clear understandings, and devoid of our era’s dulling, politically correct constraints, Karl Barth, like Carl Jung (cited earlier), offered this warning, also published in 1939:
[Karl Barth] Participation in this life, according to it the only worthy and blessed life, is what National Socialism, as a political experiment, promises to those who will of their own accord share in this experiment. And now it becomes understandable why, at the point where it meets with resistance, it can only crush and kill—with the might and right which belongs to Divinity! Islam of old as we know proceeded in this way. It is impossible to understand National Socialism unless we see it in fact as a new Islam [emphasis in original], its myth as a new Allah, and Hitler as this new Allah’s Prophet.
Investigative journalist John Roy Carlson’s 1948-1950 interviews of Arab Muslim religious and political leaders provide consummate independent validation of these Western assessments. Perhaps most revealing were the candid observations of Aboul Saud, whom Carlson described as a “pleasant English-speaking member of the Arab League Office.” Aboul Saud explained to Carlson that Islam was an authoritarian religio-political creed which encompassed all of a Muslim’s spiritual and temporal existence. He stated plainly,
You might describe Mohammedanism as a religious form of State Socialism…The Quran give the State the right to nationalize industry, distribute land, or expropriate the right to nationalize industry, distribute land, or expropriate property. It grants the ruler of the State unlimited powers, so long as he does not go against the Quran. The Quran is our personal as well as our political constitution.
And after interviewing Muslim Brotherhood founder Hassan al-Banna himself, who “preached the doctrine of the Quran in one hand and the sword in the other,” Carlson observed:
It became clear to me why the average Egyptian worshipped the use of force. Terror was synonymous with power! This was one reason why most Egyptians, regardless of class or calling had admired Nazi Germany. It helped explain the sensational growth of the Ikhwan el Muslimin [Muslim Brotherhood]
In a brilliant, dispassionate contemporary analysis, Ibn Warraq describes 14 characteristics of “Ur Fascism” as enumerated by Umberto Eco, analyzing their potential relationship to the major determinants of Islamic governance and aspirations, through the present. He adduces salient examples which reflect the key attributes discussed by Eco: the unique institution of jihad war; the establishment of a Caliphate under “Allah’s vicegerent on earth,” the Caliph—ruled by Islamic Law, i.e., Shari’a, a rigid system of subservience and sacralized discrimination against non-Muslims and Muslim women, devoid of basic freedoms of conscience, and expression. Warraq’s assessment confirms what G.H. Bousquet concluded (in 1950) from his career studying the historical development and implementation of Islamic Law:
Islam first came before the world as a doubly totalitarian system. It claimed to impose itself on the whole world and it claimed also, by the divinely appointed Muhammadan law, by the principles of fiqh [jurisprudence], to regulate down to the smallest details the whole life of the Islamic community and of every individual believer… the study of Muhammadan Law (dry and forbidding though it may appear)… is of great importance to the world of today.
Thirty-fours years ago (1973/74) Bat Ye’or published a remarkably foresighted analysis of the Islamic anti-Semitism and resurgent jihadism in her native Egypt, being packaged for dissemination throughout the Muslim world. The primary, core Anti-Semitic and jihadist motifs were Islamic, derived from Islam’s foundational texts, on to which European, especially Nazi elements were grafted. Nazi academic and propagandist of extermination Johannes von Leers’ writings and personal career trajectory—as a favoured contributor in Goebbel’s propaganda ministry, to his eventual adoption of Islam (as Omar Amin von Leers) while working as an anti-Western, and anti-Semitic/anti-Zionist propagandist under Nasser’s regime from the mid-1950s, until his death in 1965—epitomizes this convergence of jihad, Islamic anti-Semitism, and racist, Nazi anti-Semitism, as described by Bat Ye’or. Upon his arrival in Egypt in 1956, it was Hajj Amin el-Husseini who welcomed von Leers, stating, “We are grateful to you for having come here to resume the struggle against the powers of darkness incarnated by international Judaism.” The ex-Mufti oversaw von Leers’ formal conversion to Islam, and remained one of his confidants. And von Leers described the origins of the Muslim “forename,” Omar Amin, that he adopted as part of his conversion to Islam in a November, 1957 letter to American Nazi H. Keith Thompson,
I myself have embraced Islam and accepted the new forename Omar Amin, Omar according to the great Caliph Omar who was a grim enemy of the Jews, Amin in honour of my friend Hajj Amin el Husseini, the Grand Mufti.
Already in essays published during 1938 and 1942, the first dating back almost two decades before his conversion to Islam while in Egypt, von Leers produced analyses focused primarily on Muhammad’s interactions with the Jews of Medina. These essays reveal his pious reverence for Islam and its prophet, and a thorough understanding of the sacralized Islamic sources for this narrative, i.e., the Quran, hadith, and sira, which is entirely consistent with standard Muslim apologetics.
Von Leers’ 1942 essay, for example, concludes by simultaneously extolling the “model” of oppression the Jews experienced under Islamic suzerainty, and the nobility of Muhammad, Islam, and the contemporary Muslims of the World War II era, foreshadowing his own conversion to Islam just over a decade later. And even earlier, in a 1938 essay, von Leers further sympathized with, “the leading role of the Grand Mufti of Jerusalem in the Arabians’ battles against the Jewish invasion in Palestine.” Von Leers observes that to the pious Muslim, “…the Jew is an enemy, not simply an ‘unbeliever’ who might perhaps be converted or, despite the fact that he does not belong to Islam, might still be a person of some estimation. Rather, the Jew is the predestined opponent of the Muslim, one who desired to bring down the work of the Prophet.”
Until his death in 1965, von Leers remained unrepentant about the annihilationist policies towards the Jews he helped advance serving Hitler’s Reich. Indeed he was convinced of the righteousness of the Nazi war against the Jews, and as a pious Muslim convert, von Leers viewed the Middle East as the succeeding battleground to seal the fate of world Jewry. His public evolution over the course of three decades illustrates starkly the shared centrality to these totalitarianisms—both modern and ancient—of the Jews as “first and last enemy” motif. Finally, an October 1957 US intelligence report on von Leers’writings and activities for Egypt and the Arab League confirmed his complete adoption of the triumphalist Muslim worldview, desirous of nothing less than the destruction of Judeo-Christian civilization by jihad:
He [Dr. Omar Amin von Leers] is becoming more and more a religious zealot, even to the extent of advocating an expansion of Islam in Europe in order to bring about stronger unity through a common religion. This expansion he believes can come not only from contact with the Arabs in the Near East and Africa but with Islamic elements in the USSR. The results he envisions as the formation of a political bloc against which neither East nor West could prevail.
Fifty years later ignorance, denial, and delusion have engendered the sorry state of public understanding of this most ominous conversion of hatreds, by all its potential victims, not only Jews. This lack of understanding is little advanced by the current spate of analyses which seek “Nazi roots” of the cataclysmic September 11, 2001 acts of jihad terrorism, and see Nazism as having “introduced” anti-Semitism to an otherwise “tolerant”, even philosemitic Islamic world beginning in the 1930s. Awkwardly forced, and ahistorical, these analyses realign the Nazi cart in front of the Islamic steed which has driven both jihad and Islamic anti-Semitism, since the 7th century advent of the Muslim creed, particularly during the last decade of Muhammad’s life.
But even if all vestiges of Nazi militarism and racist anti-Semitism were to disappear miraculously overnight from the Islamic world, the living legacy of jihad war against non-Muslim infidels, and anti-Jewish hatred and violence rooted in Islam’s sacred texts—Quran, hadith, and sira—would remain intact. The assessment and understanding of the uniquely Muslim institution of jihad, and Islamic anti-Semitism, begins with an unapologetic exposure of both the injunctions sanctioning jihad war, and the anti-Jewish motifs contained in these foundational texts of Islam. Yet while the West has engaged in self-critical mea culpa, acknowledging its own imperialistic past, shameful role in the slave trade, and anti-Semitic persecution—taking steps to make amends where possible—the Islamic nations remain in perpetual denial. Until Muslims acknowledge the ugly realities of jihad imperialism, and anti-Jewish persecution in their history, the past will continue to poison the present, and there will be no hope of combating resurgent jihadism, and Islam’s unreformed theological hatred of Jews in modern times, from Morocco to Indonesia, and within Muslim communities living in Western, and other non-Muslim societies across the globe.
Andrew G. Bostom is a frequent contributor to Frontpage Magazine.com, and the author of The Legacy of Jihad, and the forthcoming The Legacy of Islamic Anti-Semitism.
Source: http://www.frontpagemag.com/Articles/Read.aspx?GUID=5F32AAA3-D76A-45CB-9F31-0ACD0FB7ACD1
URL: http://www.newageislam.com/radical-islamism-and-jihad/hitler-and-jihad/d/923
G.Vishvas
Examine the fascism content of your own religion or ideology TODAY. In the present times. Don't waste time on Hitler, Mashriki, Munje etc.
In the new testament we have one Jesus (whom the muslims regard as a prophet) saying "let the dead bury the dead". Even Mohammad is dead and yet muslims have created an all-pervading fascism centered around this person.
Our religion (if at all we can our should call it a religion) should be the one that encourages and protects honesty, non-violence, population quantity control, environmental protection, empowering women and freedom of expression. Any religion that performs against these needs is fascistic.
Islam contains too much of old, primitive, ancestor-worshipping, arabic-tribal, decadent ballast. Hindu religions also contain such maladies. Islam however has more propaganda and manipulative means at its disposal. Among muslims there is a tendency to cover up the decadence in islam with lies, demos of anger and violence or threats of violence. Most of kuran is more a book of manipulation than of good guidance or knowledge. Most of what kuran portrays as knowledge in it is irrelevant today or acts to make muslims conceited, obscurantist and close-minded. Muslims have become a danger not only to the non-muslims (whom they have decimated/exterminated, by whatever means, in many areas in the past 1400 years and are planning to do so further on) but even to the muslims themselves. Conflicts within Muslim communities are strongest and bloodiest wherever the non-muslims have been decimated. In other words the greater the muslim population component the greater the success and impact of (islamic) fascism. It is in the interest of the Muslims themselves to keep their population component low (below 10%) and live among non-muslims. Otherwise islam will become more and more fascistic-totalitarian, arrogant-irrational, violent-conceited. I hope muslims have the wisdom and honesty to realise this. Islam and muslims can contribute positively to mankind if their population component remains below 10% and they stick to the path of honesty and non-violence. Presently these conditions are far from being fulfilled.
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S.M. Bawa
It stupid to think that Kashmir can become Independent.
Because most Indian Politicians know that as soon as
Kashmir becomes Independent, its Islamic Terrorists will
join hands with Pakistani ISI openly. Indians will not let
that happen. As for West's cry for right to self-determination,
they should first get Chinese out of Tibet. Hitler's close ties
with Islamic redicals are known to all Historians. Read below:
http://www.americanthinker.com/2008/06/would_a_jihadi_by_any_other_na.html
http://joshuapundit.blogspot.com/2006/05/quran-vs-mein-kampf.html
Syed Hassan Tanwir Wasti
Date: Sun, 26 Oct 2008 23:29:13 +0500 [10/26/2008 11:59:13 PM IST]
From: Syed Hassan Tanwir Wasti
To: Editor@nNewAgeIslam.com
Subject: RE: Hitler and Jihad, NewAgeIslam.Com - 24 Oct, 2008
Hitler was a great leader and founder of a new world. But his name doest not appear in good books.
It was not Mr. Gandhi jee, infect Hitler acted as a catalyst for the Jang e Azadi. Indirectly he was founder of India since British Empire was badly wounded by his army every where in the world, and Indians had taken advantage of it?
But Pakistanis and Kashmiris are still suffering because of unfair division of Hindia (India) in form of usurping Kashmir with the help of the than absconding British ruler/army.
Now it is a time to forget the past and have very strong relationship with all neighbors including India. Kashmir should be declared as an independent state without any further delay and blood shed.
By solving the Kashmir issue every one will take a full sleep and will enjoy the rest of the life with peace, harmony and for the welfare of the poor masses of the region.
Mansoor Hallaj
> Date: Sun, 26 Oct 2008 11:03:26 -0700
> From: Mansoor Hallaj > Subject: Re: Hitler and Jihad, NewAgeIslam.Com - 24 Oct, 2008
> To: Editor@nNewAgeIslam.com,
> --- On Fri, 10/24/08, NewAgeIslam-Newsletter@newageislam.com <NewAgeIslam-Newsletter@newageislam.com> wrote:
> I was astounded when he [Hitler] told me that he knew about my Tazkirah. The news flabbergasted me. . . I found him very congenial and piercing. He discussed Islamic Jihad with me in details. In 1930 I sent him my Isharat concerning the Khaksar movement with a picture of a spade-bearer Khaksar at the end of that book. In 1933 he started his Spade Movement, writes Andrew G. Bostom, author of The Legacy of Jihad, and the forthcoming The Legacy of Islamic Anti-Semitism.
> Hitler and Jihad By Andrew G. Bostom
> http://newageislam.com/ArticleDetail.aspx?ArticleID=923
> Dear Sultan Sahab,
> Allama Mashriqui but ended up in Pakistan like Mullah Mawdudi and Jamat-e-Islami who were also against Pakistan and Jinnah and Mawdudi termed Pakistan "NA-PAKISTAN" i.e. Impure but prospered in the same country as well as his Islamic Anarchy called JI. If the above is historically correct and authentic then I wonder if Mashriqui was even aware about the activities of Extreme Communalist Hindu Parties e.g. RSS and Bajrang Dal etc.etc. who were following the Doctrine of Hitler in India [even now] (I hope it wasn't the Ideology of Jihad which he discussed with Mashriqui but RSS followed Hitler in India and I leave it to you to decide, read the research below
> Note:
> Hitler's not so secret Indian Army and that was much before the start of 2nd World War or the Third Reich.
> It was in 1925 when Brahmanism was under attack from all sides that Dr Hedgewar, still basking in the reflected glory of the Peshwas, joined hands with three other Brhamins—B.S. Munje, Baharao Savarkar (brother of Veer Savarkar) and B.B. Thalkar—to stage a counter-revolution. Number 4 is not considered a good number by the Hindus. They recruited young Brahmin graduates for the service of their community and when the number reached ninetynine they assembled in a forest(!) to take some esoteric oath, which is their ‘hidden agenda’. (Ninetynine is a multiple of 9 which is considered auspicious but 99, one short of a century, keeps a man in Chakra. The Vajpayee Government lost the vote of confidence by one vote in ’99.)
> At that time Hitler was a rising star in Germany. He was influenced by Nietzsche who had written an anti-Christ treatise after reading Manusmriti translated into German, in which he condemned Christianity and eulogised Manu. Hitler was impressed by Manu’s superman, the Brahmin, imposing his will on the weak. Standing before the bust of Nietzsche, Hitler would read passages from Manusmriti. Its extracts were read at Nazi functions. Nietzsche’s sister and cousin had praised Hitler for immortalising their sibling. But Hitler did not know that one day Manusmriti and superman would tear Germany apart before India. Hitler was mad and his madness was equally matched by the madness of the German people.
> The RSS sent Munje to Italy and Germany. In Italy (let Modi know), he met Mussolini for aid and advice. In Germany he studied Hitler’s methods of recruitment and training of his terrorist Storm Troopers, their use of arms, pyrotechnics, subversive activities and art of Goebbelsian propaganda. Many skeletons of Hitler’s Nazi era are lying in the cupboard of the RSS at Nagpur. Tagore described fascism as “an exact counterpart” of Brahmanism. (Rabindranath Tagore by Krishna Dutta and Andrew Robinson)
> Hitler’s party, National (Rashtriya) Socialists and his Schutz Staffe (Guard detachment) or SS for short, ‘stand for Swayamsevak Sangh’. Hitler’s stiff-hand salute and Swastika are the RSS symbols. Swastika had been the symbol of the Teutonic Knights and Free Corps Units. Writes John Toland, Hitler’s biographer:
> For centuries it had represented not only for Europeans but also for certain North American Indian tribes the wheel of the Sun or cycle of life. From now on, and perhaps forevermore, the Swastika would have a sinister connotation.
> RSS and Fascism By Shyam Chand Mainstream 30 June, 2003
> http://www.countercurrents.org/comm-chand300603.htm
> In this book he rejects the notions of Indian nationhood, India as a Nation in the making. He rejects the idea that all the citizens will be equal. He goes on to harp the notions of nationhood borrowed from Hitler's Nazi movement. He rejects that India is a secular nation and posits that it is a Hindu Rashtra. He rejects the territorial-political concept of nationhood and puts forward the concept of cultural nationalism, which was the foundation of Nazi ideology. His admiration of Hitler's ideology and politics is the running thread of the book and he takes inspiration from the massive holocaust which decimated millions of people in Germany. He uses this as a shield to propagate his political ideology. It is this ideology which formed the base of communal common sense amongst a section of the population. "German national pride has now become the topic of the day. To keep up purity of the nation and its culture, Germany shocked the world by her purging
> the country of the Semitic races, the Jews. National pride at its highest has been manifested here. Germany has also shown how well-nigh impossible it is for races and cultures having differences going to the root, to be assimilated into a united whole, a good lesson for us in Hindustan to learn and profit by." (We…, 1938, p.37)
> M.S. Golwalkar: Conceptualizing Hindutva Fascism By Ram Puniyani
> 10 March, 2006 Countercurrents.org
> http://www.countercurrents.org/comm-puniyani100306.htm
> This is ironic criticism given Hindutva's professed admiration for Hitler and the Nazi Party, as Madhav Sadashiv Golwalkar, an early RSS ideologue, expressed in 1938, in 'We or Our Nation Defined': ‘Germany shocked the world by her purging the country of the Semitic races -- the Jews. National pride at its highest has been manifested here.’ He continued: ‘The non-Hindu people in Hindustan [homeland of Hindus] .... may stay in the country wholly subordinated to the Hindu nation claiming nothing, deserving no privileges, far less any preferential treatment, not even citizen's rights’ After being nominated Chief Minister of Gujarat in October 2001, Mr. Narendra Modi incorporated the teachings of Hindutva in his governance of Gujarat. According to a Times of India article, entitled, 'In Modi’s Gujarat, Hitler is a textbook hero', tenth grade school texts: 'present a frighteningly uncritical picture of Fascism and Nazism. The strong national pride
> that both these phenomena generated, the efficiency in the bureaucracy and the administration and other "achievements" are detailed, but the exterminations of Jews and atrocities against trade unionists, migrant laborers, and any section of people who did not fit into Mussolini or Hitler's definition of rightful citizen do not find mention.'
> Now, Hindu Nationalists Rewriting California Textbooks
> By Angana Chatterji 08 January, 2006 Countercurrents.org
> http://www.countercurrents.org/comm-chatterji080106.htm
> IN BAD FAITH? BRITISH CHARITY & HINDU EXTREMISM Awaaz — South Asia Watch Ltd, 2004
> http://www.awaazsaw.org/ibf/index.htm
> "If [the film] 'Fire' is allowed to be screened, lesbianism would spread like wildfire through all the girls' hostels." Bal Thackeray, Outook Magazine, 1998.
> APPENDIX 5: WOMEN, DALITS, ADIVASIS & THE RSS
> THE RSS AND WOMEN
> While the RSS has always remained a male organization, the first ever affiliate of the RSS was the Rashtra Sevika Samiti, a women’s organization modelled on the RSS shakha structure and hierarchy. Its ideology, and that of the RSS, is based on a deeply patriarchal and conservative view of the role of Hindu women. This is the idea of matruvat paradareshu – all women, except one’s wife, are to be treated as one’s mother. Women are present only as wife or mother. The Samiti’s daily shakha prayer also states the four stages of the life of a woman as ‘daughter, sister, wife and mother’. It is also the home where a woman’s character is to be moulded. Home is where the woman becomes happy, not in her own happiness, which the Samiti considers ‘selfish’, but by getting ‘trained to seek happiness in the happiness of others.’ The Samiti’s ideas focus heavily on the need for Hindu women to make personal sacrifices and tend to the needs of
> others in the home. The reason for the formation of the Rashtra Sevika Samiti is described by it in the following way:
> Due to western impact women were struggling for equal rights and economic freedom. This was leading to individual progress only, inviting self-centredness. There was every risk of women being non-committed to love, sacrifice, service and other inborn qualities glorifying Hindu women…Many women were attracted to the new easy going and showy way of western life. Forgetting their own self, they were fascinated by the idea of equal rights and economic freedom. This unnatural change in the attitude of women might have led to disintegration of family, the primary and most important unit for imparting good Sanskaras [Hindutva ideas].[1]
> http://www.awaazsaw.org/ibf/appendix5.htm
> During the year 2000 the film Water, which was to be directed by Deepa Mehta (the third film of the trilogy after Fire and Earth). It was to be a period piece about the plight of widows in India to be made in the city of Varanasi. After many protests and threats of violence from various political/religious parties, the filming was stopped before it ever really had a chance to begin. Deepa Mehta completed Water in Sri Lanka after protests in India The movie Water, which triggered violent protests while being filmed in India, will open the Toronto International Film Festival. Directed by Deepa Mehta, the movie follows the lives of Hindu widows. Filming in India was abandoned after hardline Hindu protesters burned its sets, claiming the movie distorted Indian culture. Filming was completed in Sri Lanka. Many might scent dark neo-imperialist conspiracy here, as raids on gay bars are not yet a local issue in India. But what is a local issue, undoubtedly, is
> the existence of Section 377 on the statute books, according to which homosexuals can be awarded imprisonment for up to 10 years. And sooner or later the issue might capture the attention of the neo-Hindu right which is obsessed, after all, with questions of numbers and demographics. A marriage between Article 377 and a conservative BJP-type government could yield as offspring some serious persecution of sexual minorities. The ire visited by the Shiv Sena upon 'Fire', a film depicting a lesbian relationship between two women, can be a precursor of things to come.
> Torched by protesters, a piece of the Water set burns
> An acclaimed auteur’s new film gets caught in the cultural crossfire BY JASMINE YUEN-CARRUCAN April 2000 | Issue 28 Copyright © 2000 by Jasmine Yuen-Carrucan
> Jasmine Yuen-Carrucan has worked in various production roles on commercials and feature films since 1995. She lives in Australia.
> http://www.brightlightsfilm.com/28/water.html
> Letters and statements that have been sent to the Prime Minister of India and the Chief Minister of the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh protesting the decision to block the production of Deepa Mehta's latest film Water in that state and against the ongoing campaign by Hindu fundamentalist organisations to prevent the film from being made anywhere in India.
> http://www.wsws.org/articles/2000/apr2000/dmc-a07.shtml
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Islamic World News (06 Aug 2018 NewAgeIslam.Com)
Islamic State Executes Dozens of Druze Hostages in Southern Syria
Imran Khan-led party was secretive about the technology plan ahead of the July 25 polls, fearing rivals could copy it. PHOTO: REUTERS/FILE
How A Phone App and a Database Served up Imran Khan’s Poll Win
Why Does PM Modi Refuse to Wear Muslim Skull Caps, Asks Shashi Tharoor
Religious Scholars Urge Taliban, Government to Declare Permanent Ceasefire
Kenya, Tanzania Mark Bombings Which Introduced Al-Qaeda
Terrorists Hunting Pro-Peace Comrades in Idlib
Terrorists, Foreign Experts Partner in Plundering Historical Artefacts in Northwestern Syria
ISIS video allegedly shows hostage from Syria’s Sweida before decapitation
Syrian regime bombs Islamic State jihadists in southern desert
Infighting Among Turkey-Backed Militants Reported again in Northern Syria
Tensions Intensify between US-Backed Militias, Civilians in Northeastern Syria
Saudi Arabia expels Canadian envoy, recalls its own over 'interference'
Kurdish Fighters Ready to Join Anti-ISIL Operation in Sweida
Egypt and Sudan announce launch of joint military talks
PTI to Nominate Imran Khan as Prime Minister Today
After defeat in Pindi, local PML-N leaders want Chaudhry Nisar back
Fazl vacates residence in Ministers’ Enclave after one-and-a-half decades
Suspect behind torching of Diamer schools killed in search operation: police
Alliance with MQM-P out of necessity than choice, says PTI Karachi chief
Khursheed Shah seeks Akhtar Mengal’s support for NA speaker
Chilas school attackers trained in Afghanistan
Muslims in Maharashtra Plan Silent Marches From Pune in September
Aurangabad Will Host India’s First Skills Varsity for Muslims
NIA Arrests Two Bengal Residents in Kerala in Bodh Gaya Blast Case
Tripura's Jamiat Ulama-e Hind Urges State Govt to Take Steps for Peaceful Eid al-Adha
Uttar Pradesh Govt Wants To Bring Madrasas in Mainstream Education: MoS Mohsin Raza
Terrorist arrested with 8 grenades in Jammu
India to Seek Details from Pakistan about Jaish Terrorist Citing 32-Year-Old Commonwealth Pact
Canadian Couple Helps Rohingya Muslims, Raising Global Awareness
Key Taliban commander, his 6 comrades killed in Takhar operations
US envoy attacked as protests spread in Bangladesh
Afghan suicide blast kills three Czech soldiers, Taliban claim responsibility
Students Pour Into Dhaka’s Streets to Demand Safer Roads
Suicide attack rocks Jalalabad city, casualties feared
MoD confirms deployment of US Special Forces in Farah province
Taliban suffer heavy casualties after attacking Paktia outposts
At Least 17 Killed In Al-Shabaab Car Bombings in Somalia
Over 9,400 Nigerians repatriated from Libya
Imam saved Christians from Muslim gunmen
Islamist Children Pose Real 'Threat' To Germany, Spy Chief Warns
With Dreams of Higher Education, the Arab World Looks To Europe
Sajid Javid accused of 'buying silence' of Windrush citizens
British hypocrisy breeding more terrorists: Expert
Hamza Bin Laden Has Married Daughter of Lead 9/11 Hijacker, Say Family
Iran Revolutionary Guard says it held Gulf drills as US tensions rise
Pompeo: Sanctions to be enforced until Iran ‘behaves like a normal country’
US police say 11 children rescued from ‘extremists’ at ‘filthy’ hideout
Indian Muslim Group Wants Senator to Push Minority Rights
Deputy Speaker: Opposition MPs still harping on racial, religious politics
Govt to upgrade status of Kafa religious teachers
More than 200 Indonesians in Islamic University in Madinah
Deadly Houthi Attack on Hodeidah Hospital ‘A Violation of International Law’
UAE backs UN talks in Geneva on Yemen, says minister Reem al-Hashimi
Iran protests resume for 6th day amid violent clashes with security forces
Saudi Arabia agrees to admit Iranian diplomat to head interests section
Israel seeks limited ceasefire with Gaza, officials hint
Israeli aircraft strikes Gaza Strip over ‘arson balloons’: Military
Gaza-bound activists remain in Israeli custody for 2nd day
URL: http://www.newageislam.com/islamic-world-news/new-age-islam-news-bureau/islamic-state-executes-dozens-of-druze-hostages-in-southern-syria/d/116053
BEIRUT – The Islamic State jihadist group has executed one of dozens of Druze hostages abducted from Syria’s southern province of Sweida last week, a journalist in the area and a monitor said Sunday.
The killing prompted an offer from the U.S.-backed Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) to exchange captured jihadis for the remaining Druze civilians.
IS went on a rampage in Sweida on July 25, killing more than 250 people — mostly civilians — in the deadliest attack ever to target the mostly government-held province and its Druze religious minority.
The jihadis also kidnapped more than 30 people, most of them women and children, from a village in the province, which had previously remained largely isolated from Syria’s seven-year civil war.
On Thursday, IS killed a 19-year-old male student who was among the hostages, the head of the Sweida24 news website, Nour Radwan, told AFP.
Quoting relatives, Radwan, who was speaking from Sweida, said the young man was taken from the village of Al-Shabki on July 25 along with his mother.
His family received two videos, the first showing him being decapitated and the second of him speaking before being killed as well as images of his body after his death, Radwan said.
Sweida24 posted online part of a second video, seen by AFP, showing a bearded young man who appeared to be sitting on the ground in a landscape of gray rocks.
He is wearing a black T-shirt and tracksuit bottoms, and his hands are tied behind his back.
The video could not be independently verified.
IS has not claimed the kidnappings and did not publish the video on its usual channels.
IS jihadis have lost much of the territory they once controlled in Syria after overrunning large swaths of it in 2014, but they retain a presence in the east of the country and in the country’s vast Badiya desert.
The regime has been fighting in recent weeks to expel IS fighters from a patch of the neighboring province of Daraa.
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a Britain-based war monitor, said the young man’s execution was the first since the kidnappings.
The execution came “after the failure of talks between IS and regime forces over the transfer of IS fighters from the southwest of Daraa province to the Badiya” desert, the Observatory said.
It also follows the execution of 50 IS fighters and civilians in Daraa province earlier in the week at the hands of rebels, according to the monitor, which relies on a network of sources inside Syria.
Stepping in with an offer on Sunday, the SDF, an alliance of Kurdish and Arab fighters, told AFP that it was “fully prepared” to exchange jihadis for the Sweida civilians.
“We assure our people in the town of Sweida and the families of the hostages that we are fully prepared for any exchange with Daesh,” SDF spokesman Redur Khalil told AFP, using an Arabic acronym for IS.
“This initiative does not replace Russia’s mediation,” he said.
On Friday, a top Druze religious leader said Syrian regime ally Russia was in talks with the jihadis over the release of those abducted in Sweida.
The Druze, who made up 3 percent of Syria’s population before its war broke out in 2011, follow a secretive faith seen as an offshoot of Islam — but IS sees them as heretics.
Syria expert Khattar Abu Diab said that the kidnappings in Sweida marked a turning point for the minority.
“For this ancestral community, the abduction of women oversteps all red lines,” he said.
“Their reaction will depend on the outcome of negotiations but if all the hostages were killed,” the Druze could directly intervene to expel IS from the desert, he said.
Regime forces have in recent weeks ousted IS from all of the towns and villages in the Yarmouk Basin in the northwest of Daraa province.
Syria’s state media have said regime troops are pursuing the last remaining jihadis who fled to nearby valleys.
In areas it has retaken from rebels and jihadis in recent years, the Russia-backed regime has sometimes negotiated to take back control of land in exchange for the transfer of fighters to other parts of Syria.
During the July 25 attack in Sweida, the jihadis abducted 36 Druze women and children from a village in Sweida’s east, the Observatory said at the time.
Four women had since escaped while two had died, leaving 14 women and 16 children in IS captivity, according to the Observatory.
At the time, another 17 men were unaccounted for, but it was unclear if they were also kidnapped.
Local sources say the abductees’ families have been sent photos and videos of their loved ones via WhatsApp.
The Sweida killing is the first such execution of a kidnapped civilian by IS since the jihadis overran the town of Al-Qaryatain in central Syria for several weeks in October last year, the Observatory said.
https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2018/08/06/world/crime-legal-world/islamic-state-executes-dozens-druze-hostages-southern-syria/#.W2fbW8wzazc
ISLAMABAD: A phone app and a database of more than 50 million voters were key weapons in the successful campaign of cricket legend Imran Khan in last month’s general election, though rivals allege Khan also received clandestine aid from military.How Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) party used the database and the associated app represents a sea change in the antiquated way in which Pakistan’s biggest parties conduct elections, from pre-poll targeting of voters to on-the-day mobilization of supporters. PTI was secretive about the technology plan ahead of the July 25 poll, fearing rivals could copy it, but several party workers revealed how the app transformed their campaign and gave them an edge.
The phone app proved especially useful in getting supporters to the polls when the government’s own telephone information service giving out polling place locations suffered major problems on the election day, leaving other parties scrambling.
It partly explains why Khan’s party managed to win tight-margin races in the nuclear-armed nation of 208 million people, though Khan’s rivals allege he also benefited from the military’s support – an allegation he staunchly denies.
“It’s had a great impact,” said Amir Mughal, tasked with using the app and database, known as the Constituency Management System (CMS), to elect Asad Umar, a lawmaker who won his seat in Islamabad and will be Khan’s new finance minister.
The small CMS unit led by Mughal, Umar’s personal secretary, was typical of how Khan’s party set up teams in constituencies across Pakistan to mine the database, identifying voters by household, zeroing-in on ‘confirmed’ PTI voters, tagging them on the app, and ensuring they turned out on election day. “Work that would take days of weeks is being completed in one to two hours,” Mughal said in Umar’s office minutes after the polls shut.
Khan’s PTI surpassed expectations to scoop about 115 seats out of 272 elected members of parliament, while the party of ousted and jailed prime minister Nawaz Sharif trailed in second with 64 seats.
Developed by a small tech team, the CMS was a key response to Khan’s bitter complaints after the 2013 poll loss that his party failed to translate mass popularity into votes because it did not know the ‘art of winning elections’.
Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) ran a more erratic campaign, hurt by divisions within the party and the loss of key leaders who were either disqualified or in case of Sharif and his daughter, jailed.
Weeks before the elections, Khan sent out a video via WhatsApp urging PTI candidates to embrace CMS. “I have seen and experienced how it works and I’m using it in all five constituencies I am contesting,” Khan said in the video message. “The faster you apply this system, the easier your life will become,” Khan added.
Created by former US-based real estate businessman Tariq Din and Shahzad Gul, a tech consultant, the early version of the system was not immediately embraced by PTI. But Umar, the incoming finance minister, and wealthy politician Jahangir Tareen Khan, a close Khan ally, were among the first to see its potential. After the software helped deliver strong results in the 2015 local elections, the party was won over, according to senior PTI officials who work on the CMS software.
For the general election, PTI focused on 150 constituencies it felt it had the best chance of winning. Party workers said they used scanning software to digitise publicly-available electoral voter lists to create the database.
By typing in a voter’s identity card number into the app, PTI workers could see details such as family home address, who else lived in the same household, and where they needed to vote.
It became so crucial to the PTI campaign that when on election day the programme went down for an hour, it triggered some panic in the party’s ranks.
A senior CMS official that WhatsApp messages flooded in when the system ground to a halt under the weight of database searches, which totalled 20 million on the election day. “What the hell is going on?,” inquired one of Khan’s closest allies. This politician then called the CMS team and made his feelings clear, saying, “If the system doesn’t work, we will lose the elections and you guys will be the villains.”
When CMS came back up, Khan’s ally messaged again, “Thank God”.
CMS architects say the system’s power was only partly utilised as there was not enough time to train workers across the country and some politicians resisted using it.
In the run up to election day, PTI workers were also able to print out ‘parchis’, or slips, that voters needed to enter the polling station. PML-N workers had to help voters fill the paper slips with a pen.
In a large nation where illiteracy hovers above 40 percent, that meant PML-N workers had to write out millions of slips for the 12.9 million voters who backed Sharif’s party, stopping those workers from canvassing or doing other vital work. “It’s a paradigm shift,” said another senior CMS operator. “We changed the party, turning social media popularity into reality.”
https://dailytimes.com.pk/278880/how-a-phone-app-and-a-database-served-up-imran-khans-poll-win/
Congress Lok Sabha MP Shashi Tharoor has asked Prime Minister Narendra Modi why he categorically refuses to wear Muslim skull caps and the colour green.
Speaking at an event in Thiruvananthapuram on Sunday, Tharoor said, "Why does the PM, who wears all sorts of headgears from across the world, refuse to wear a Muslim skull cap? Why does he refuse to wear the colour green, which in his view is a colour of Muslims and wearing the colour amounts to Muslim appeasement?"
Tharoor was speaking during a seminar titled 'Standing up to hatred: Intolerance and violence in contemporary India'.
In his speech, Tharoor blamed the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and right-wing organisations for the rising cases of cow vigilantism and attacks on minorities.
Blaming the Prime Minister for his silence after such incidents, he said not once has the PM spoken about the acts of cow vigilante groups.
"Not once has the PM spoken immediately after these incidents (attacks on minorities in the name of protecting cows) to assure people that he disapproves of this violence. The perception that then goes out is that if the PM does not speak, he does not mind these things. This emboldens the perpetrators," Tharoor said.
Vivekananda Would Be Attacked If He Was Alive Today
In his address, Tharoor said he is convinced that if Swami Vivekananda was alive today, he would be attacked by right-wing Goondas (thugs).
"I am convinced that if Swami Vivekanda were to come to today's India, he would be the target of these Goondas. They will bring engine oil to throw at his face and will also try to knock him down on the streets because Vivekanda would be saying, respect people. He would say humanity is more important. We are Hindus in the Vivekananda tradition, not in the Savarkar or Golwarker tradition," he said.
This was said in reference to the attacks on social activist Swami Agnivesh by right-wing activist in Jharkhand last month.
Tharoor also criticised the BJP-led central government for its inability to stop the increasing cases of cow vigilantism and attacks on minorities in the country.
Quoting a data from the Union Home Ministry, he said that the country has seen 2,920 incidents of communal violence in the last four years alone.
"After the BJP came to power, we have seen a widespread rise in the number of incidents of communal violence," Tharoor said.
https://www.indiatoday.in/india/story/why-does-pm-modi-refuse-to-wear-muslim-skull-cap-asks-shashi-tharoor-1306115-2018-08-06
The Afghan Ulemas, religious scholars, have urged the Afghan government and the Taliban militants group to declare a permanent ceasefire.
The Afghanistan Ulemas Council Chief Mawlavi Qeyamuddin Kashar said the religious scholars have an offer for the declaration of a permanent ceasefire.
Mawlavi Kashaf made the remarks during a gathering in capital Kabul on Saturday.
He said the declaration of a permanent ceasefire by the government and the Taliban group would result into the launch of direct talks for peace between the two sides.
This comes as a Presidential spokesperson, Haroon Chakhansuri had earlier said that there are chances of another ceasefire announcement with the Taliban group during Eid Al-Adha.
Speaking to reporters in Kabul nearly two weeks ago, Chakhansuri further added that signs of interests are seen on all sides, the government and Taliban, to declare another ceasefire during the upcoming.
He said the ceasefire will only be declared based on the decision of the government and demands of the people and religious scholars.
The officials in the Chief Executive Office of the Unity Government had earlier informed regarding the possible announcement of ceasefire with the Taliban group.
The officials in the Chief Executive’s Office had said that the government officials are mulling ceasefire with the Taliban during Eid Al-Adha to show a sign of goodwill to end the ongoing violence in the country.
https://www.khaama.com/religious-scholars-urge-taliban-government-to-declare-permanent-ceasefire-05716/
NAIROBI - Kenya and Tanzania on Tuesday mark 20 years since the devastating US embassy bombings that thrust Al-Qaeda onto the global stage and went on to shape how a generation thinks about personal security.
It was mid-morning on August 7, 1998, when the first massive blast hit the US embassy in downtown Nairobi, followed minutes later by an explosion in Dar es Salaam, killing a total of 224 people and injuring around 5,000 - almost all of them Africans.
With two monster bombs loaded onto the back of trucks and a trail of carnage in east Africa, the world was introduced to Osama bin Laden three years before the September 11 attacks in New York would make him a household name.
“It wasn’t the first time Al-Qaeda had carried out an attack, but in terms of the spectacular, catastrophic nature of the incident, they really announced their entry onto the world stage,” said Martin Kimani, head of Kenya’s National Counter Terrorism Centre.
“When 9/11 happened it was shocking and surprising, but a precedent had been set here in east Africa.”
According to “The Looming Tower”, a Pulitzer Prize-winning book on the rise of Al-Qaeda, bin Laden gave various reasons for targeting the embassies, such as the deployment of American troops to Somalia and a US plan to partition Sudan, where he had lived for five years until being expelled in 1996.
However, author Lawrence Wright concluded that the main goal was to “lure the United States into Afghanistan”.
Boosting Al-Qaeda’s image
This aim was achieved, in the aftermath of the attacks, with the US launching strikes on Sudan and Afghanistan that were “largely seen as ineffective”, said Daniel Byman, a counterterrorism expert at the Brookings Institution.
The strikes led the Taliban in Afghanistan to “embrace the group more closely”, he said, and also boosted the image of a group seen as standing up to the United States in the Muslim world.
Byman said the attack was the first to show that Al-Qaeda “had tremendous reach and it can do sophisticated operations”.
“It showed Al-Qaeda that international terrorism could generate tremendous attention, and not just attention from its adversaries... it was a form of advertising in a way.”
The years since 9/11 have been shaped by the so-called “war on terror” and the proliferation of American military operations - notably in Afghanistan, Iraq and Pakistan.
At the same time, Al-Qaeda went on to inspire affiliates around the globe, carrying out attacks across the Middle East as well as from Bali to Madrid, London and Paris. Islamist insurgencies have wreaked havoc in the Sahel, Nigeria and Somalia, and - on several bloody occasions since the 1998 bombings - Kenya. “Kenya itself was not primarily the target but of course we ended up with the majority of fatalities and consequences of that attack,” said Kimani. “We continue to be on the frontlines of this struggle.”
‘Dealing with terrorism’
Two years after Kenya sent troops across the border into Somalia to fight the Al-Qaeda-linked Al-Shabaab - which had been carrying out attacks on its soil - the group killed 67 people in an attack on the Westgate shopping centre in Nairobi in 2013.
Then in 2015, a Shabaab attack on the Garissa University in eastern Kenya left 148 dead.
However, Kimani said counterterrorism efforts by Kenya had proved successful, confining Shabaab attacks to remote areas in recent years as a result of new anti-terror legislation and improved co-ordination between different security forces. He said efforts to build trust with communities where jihadists hide out, and understanding how recruitment happens to nip it in the bud has also been key.
“The threat is still there, believe me, but 20 years later we have become much better at dealing with terrorism than we used to be,” he said.
“Globally terrorism has left a deep, deep social imprint. It has changed the way people think about security. Here in Kenya there are guards at malls and hotels and that is replicated in many parts of the world.”
Kimani said governments need to focus on improving livelihoods and providing basic services to erase the “pockets of desperation” that prove so fruitful for recruitment.
In recent years, attention has swung away from Al-Qaeda to its rival Islamic State (IS) group which formed in 2013, captured swathes of territory and inspired numerous so-called “lone wolf” attacks from afar.
However, experts warn that while IS has since lost its territory and reach, Al-Qaeda has been quietly rebuilding.
“Their ideological ability to be grafted onto local grievances continues to make them a threat,” said Kimani.
https://nation.com.pk/06-Aug-2018/kenya-tanzania-mark-bombings-which-introduced-al-qaeda
The eye-witness accounts said that Tahrir al-Sham terrorists deployed in Jabal Turkmen region in Western Idlib arrested and executed a sum of 12 militants who tried to surrender to the army to apply for a government amnesty.
The witnesses went on to say that a large number of Idlib residents intend to accept the Damascus peace offer but Tahrir al-Sham is capturing and executing them to deter any such move.
In the meantime, people in Khan Sheikhoun in Southwestern Idlib staged a demonstration against Tahrir al-Sham, calling for their expulsion from their region, they further said.
Meanwhile, other sources said that people have tried to prevent Tahrir al-Sham from setting up checkpoints in Khan Sheikhoun, "but the terrorists opened fire at protesters and dispersed them".
Militant-affiliated sources said on Saturday that Tahrir al-Sham terrorists embarked on intensifying security measures in Idlib, arresting those people who tried to persuade militants to join the peace agreement with the army to hand over the province to the government forces.
The sources further said that Tahrir al-Sham arrested almost 17 pro-peace people in the town of Khan Sheikhoun and in the village of Madya in Idlib.
The sources went on to say that Tahrir al-Sham has also threatened peace activists in Aleppo province.
They said that militants in a large number of regions in Idlib and Aleppo intend to accept the army's peace plan before the government forces start their large-scale operation.
The Arabic-language website of Sputnik quoted local sources as reporting that Tahrir al-Sham along with almost twenty foreign experts embarked on carrying out excavations in Sheikh Mansour region near the town of Saraqib in Idlib province, adding that the terrorists have set up a security belt around the excavation site, preventing residents from approaching the site.
It further said that the terrorists have stolen hundreds of historical artifacts from Idlib in recent days, adding that excavation operations have increased after the establishment of the de-escalation zone since the beginning of the last year.
The report said that the town of Sarmada near the border with Turkey has been turned into the main bazaar for trading historical artifacts and weapons.
It went on to say that the looted artifacts have been transferred to Turkey by Tahrir al-Sham and have been sold to the country's traders.
Idlib province comprises of almost 400 historical sites some of them dating back to the fourth millennium BC.
Local sources said on Tuesday that Tahrir al-Sham members had done excavations at the ancient Girls Palace North of the village of al-Dana, plundering its valuable artifacts.
Full report at:
ISIS has executed one of dozens of Druze hostages abducted from Syria's southern province of Sweida last month, a Syrian news outlet and a monitor said Sunday.
The terrorist group killed the 19-year-old male student on Thursday after kidnapping more than 30 people, mostly women and children, from a village in Sweida during a deadly rampage on July 25, the head of the Sweida24 news website Nour Radwan said.
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a Britain-based war monitor, said it was the first execution since the kidnappings.
Quoting relatives, Radwan said the young man was taken from the village of Al-Shabki on July 25 along with his mother.
Videos of the execution
Sweida24 posted online part of a second video, which was seen by AFP, showing a young man who appeared to be sitting on the ground in a rocky landscape.
His is wearing a black T-shirt and his hands are tied behind his back.
On July 25, ISIS carried out a series of attacks in Sweida's provincial capital and several villages that killed more than 250 people, mostly civilians.
It was the deadliest attack ever to target the mostly government-held province and the secretive Druze religious minority that populates it.
During the attack the jihadists abducted 36 Druze women and children from a village in Sweida's east, the Observatory said at the time.
Four women had since escaped while two had died, leaving 14 women and 16 children in ISIS captivity, according to the Observatory.
At the time, another 17 men were unaccounted for but it was unclear if they were also kidnapped.
On Friday, a top Druze religious leader said regime ally Russia was in talks with the jihadists over their release.
Sweida had until last week largely remained isolated from Syria's seven-year conflict.
https://english.alarabiya.net/en/News/middle-east/2018/08/05/ISIS-has-killed-a-hostage-from-Syria-s-Sweida-local-media-reports.html
BEIRUT: Syrian regime forces bombed on late Sunday a desert area under the control of the Islamic State (IS) jihadist group near the province of Sweida in southern Syria, a war monitor said.
"The bombing and fighting between the regime forces and IS have intensified during the evening and are continuing," said Rami Abdel Rahmane, head of the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.
"The regime is advancing to the north and northeast of Sweida", adjacent to the desert zone of the southern province, he told AFP.
This military operation would be "the start of a regime offensive to dislodge IS from this pocket" in the Badiya desert of Sweida, he said, adding that "a major military reinforcement (of regime troops) is massing" in the area.
The fighting comes as Russia failed in its negotiations to free some 30 civilian hostages of the Druze religious minority taken by IS last month. The kidnappings followed a series of coordinated attacks against Sweida province which left more than 250 people dead.
On Sunday, the Observatory and news website Sweida24 announced that IS had decapitated one of the hostages, a 19-year-old male student.
This execution, the first since the abductions, came "after the failure of the negotiations with the regime forces", according to the Observatory.
The Syrian Democratic Forces, an Arab-Kurd alliance which fought against IS with the support of the United States, indicated Sunday that it was ready to exchange with IS captured jihadists for the remaining Druze civilian hostages.
Meanwhile, IS, which has not claimed responsibility for the execution or the kidnappings, has been pounded by multiple offensives in Syria and today controls less than three per cent of the territory.
However, it continues to launch attacks like the bloody strike and kidnappings in Sweida.
http://www.newindianexpress.com/world/2018/aug/06/syrian-regime-bombs-islamic-state-jihadists-in-southern-desert-1854025.html
Gunmen of two groups, both affiliated to the Turkish troops, exchanged heavy fire in Tadif region near al-Bab in Northeastern Aleppo, leaving a number of casualties on both warring sides.
In the meantime, the Turkish soldiers and allied militants attacked the village of Karzilah in Shirava region in Afrin, looting villagers' assets and transferring them to an unknown destination.
Also, a militant was killed after the Ankara-backed militants fought with the members of a family in al-Ashrafiyeh district in the town of Afrin.
The Kurdish-led People’s Protection Units (YPG) claimed on Saturday that their forces killed 54 Turkish Army soldiers and Free Syrian Army (FSA) fighters in July.
According to the YPG’s statement, their forces killed 23 Turkish Army soldiers, including 2 captains and a lieutenant, and 31 Free Syrian Army militants in the Afrin region in Northwestern Aleppo.
The YPG’s report added that they lost eight fighters during their field operations inside the Afrin region.
Since losing the Afrin region in March 2018, the YPG has been continuously conducting hit-and-run attacks against the Free Syrian Army and Turkish military.
The SDF's military police arrested a number of youths in the town of Tal Abdaydh in Northern Raqqa under their forced recruitment plan.
In the meantime, the Kurdish militias seized lands of some of the residents in the village of Huweija Abdi South of Tal Abyadh without mentioning any reason.
Local sources, meanwhile, said that the SDF arrested almost 10 civilians after clashes between the Raqqa city's residents with the SDF.
The measures have angered the local people and attacks by unknown assailants on the SDF bases have increased.
On Wednesday, a number of civilians engaged in heavy fighting with the SDF in Baq al-Rashid district in Raqqa city, leaving a number of people and gunmen injured.
The SDF has put its militants on alert following the clashes.
Saudi Arabia said on Monday it was expelling the Canadian ambassador and had recalled its envoy while freezing all new trade, in protest at Ottawa's vigorous calls for the release of jailed activists.
The kingdom gave the Canadian ambassador 24 hours to leave the country, in an abrupt rupture of relations over what it slammed as “interference” in its internal affairs.
The move, which underscores a newly aggressive foreign policy led by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, comes after Canada demanded the immediate release of human rights campaigners swept up in a new crackdown.
“The Canadian position is an overt and blatant interference in the internal affairs of the kingdom of Saudi Arabia,” the Saudi foreign ministry tweeted.
“The kingdom announces that it is recalling its ambassador to Canada for consultation. We consider the Canadian ambassador to the kingdom persona non grata and order him to leave within the next 24 hours.”
The ministry also announced “the freezing of all new trade and investment transactions with Canada while retaining its right to take further action”.
Canada last week said it was “gravely concerned” over a new wave of arrests of women and human rights campaigners in the kingdom, including award-winning gender rights activist Samar Badawi.
“We urge the Saudi authorities to immediately release them and all other peaceful #humanrights activists,” the foreign ministry tweeted on Friday.
'Unprecedented crackdown'
Samar was arrested along with fellow campaigner Nassima al-Sadah last week, the latest victims of what Human Rights Watch called an “unprecedented government crackdown on the women's rights movement”.
Samar is a vocal campaigner for blogger Raif Badawi, her brother who was arrested in 2012 and sentenced to 1,000 lashes and 10 years in jail for “insulting Islam” in a case that sparked an international outcry.
The latest arrests come weeks after more than a dozen women's rights campaigners were detained and accused of undermining national security and collaborating with enemies of the state. Some have since been released.
The Saudi foreign ministry slammed the Canadian statement, signalling its growing irritation over Western criticism of the kingdom's poor human rights record.
“Using the phrase 'immediately release' in the Canadian statement is very unfortunate, reprehensible, and unacceptable in relations between states,” the ministry tweeted.
Prince Mohammed, heir to the region's most powerful throne, has introduced a string of reforms such as lifting a decades-long ban on women drivers in a bid to overhaul the kingdom's austere image as it prepares for a post-oil era.
But the 32-year-old has simultaneously pursued a hawkish foreign policy — including leading a blockade of neighbouring Qatar and a bombing campaign against Huthi rebels in Yemen — while cracking down on dissent at home.
'Serious concern'
“The rupture in Saudi diplomatic relations with Canada reinforces how the 'new' Saudi Arabia that Mohammed bin Salman is putting together is in no mood to tolerate any form of criticism of its handling of domestic affairs,” said Kristian Ulrichsen, a fellow at Rice University's Baker Institute in the United States.
In April, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau expressed his “serious concern” over the continued jailing of Badawi to Saudi King Salman.
Badawi's wife Ensaf Haidar has been granted asylum by Canada, where she is raising their three children now aged 14, 13 and 10 as a single mother.
Riyadh's expulsion of the Canadian ambassador was meant to send a strong message to other critical Western governments, observers say.
“Canada is easier to cut ties with than the rest,” Bessma Momani, a professor at Canada's University of Waterloo, told AFP.
https://www.dawn.com/news/1425299/saudi-arabia-expels-canadian-envoy-recalls-its-own-over-interference
YPG Chief Commander Siban Hamou said in an interview with Asharaq al-Awsat daily that his forces are ready to take part in the liberation operation of Sweida.
In the meantime, local sources reported that the Syrian Army has dispatched a large number of forces to Northeastern Sweida.
They further said that the army men have been deployed in the villages on the rims of Sweida's Badiyeh (desert) that is under ISIL's control, adding that the army seems to soon kick off anti-terrorism operation in the region.
ISIL kicked off heavy attacks on residential areas in Sweida in late July, killing 265 civilians and wounding tens more, including women and children.
On Saturday, the army dispatched a long convoy, including a large number of soldiers and heavy military hardware, to Northeastern Sweida to defeat the remaining pockets of the ISIL terrorists in Eastern Badiyeh.
In the meantime, the army aircraft pounded the positions and movements of the terrorists in Sweida's Badiyeh, inflicting major losses on them.
The Sudan defense ministry announced last night the launch of joint military talks between Sudan and Egypt, which are in their fifth round.
A statement issued by the ministry did not mention the duration of these talks or the end date.
Egypt's chief of staff, General Mohamed Farid, is expected to arrive in the Sudanese capital of Khartoum on Monday.
https://english.alarabiya.net/en/News/middle-east/2018/08/06/Egypt-and-Sudan-announce-launch-of-joint-military-talks.html
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf’s (PTI) parliamentary committee meets here on Monday (today) to nominate party chairman Imran Khan as prime minister.
The parliamentary committee is also expected to decide the names of federal cabinet members in the meeting to be chaired by Mr Khan. The PTI chief had earlier decided to keep his federal cabinet small with an initial strength of 15 to 20 federal ministers.
“The meeting will endorse the nomination of Imran Khan as next prime minister of the country,” PTI spokesman Fawad Chaudhry confirmed to Dawn when contacted on Sunday.
Asked if the names of cabinet members would also be announced on Monday, the spokesman said the committee was likely to finalise the names of the cabinet members.
PTI sources said the party was also considering one federal ministry for the Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan (MQM-P) after the party with its six MNAs-elect inked an agreement with the PTI to support its government at the Centre.
Besides, it was learnt that the PTI leadership was considering the names of Aleem Khan, Fawad Chaudhry, Dr Yasmin Rashid and Sibtain Khan for the slot of Punjab chief minister.
For the office of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa chief minister, former CM Pervez Khattak and another PTI leader Atif Khan are said to be strong candidates.
Pervez Elahi, vice president of the Pakistan Muslim League-Q, was being considered for the position of Punjab Assembly speaker after the PML-Q decided to become PTI’s ally both at the Centre and in Punjab.
Govt formation
The PTI spokesman on Sunday claimed that the number of the party’s members in the National Assembly had reached 174 and 186 in the Punjab Assembly.
With 174 seats at the Centre and 186 in Punjab, the PTI was in a comfortable position to form its federal and provincial governments, he said.
He added that four seats of Balochistan National Party (BNP) had not been included in the 174 seats so far. “I have not included BNP seats in the figure of 174, because our negotiations with the party are still in progress. So far the BNP has not officially announced its support to the PTI,” he added.
The PTI spokesman claimed that the party would easily form its government at the Centre and two provinces, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Punjab.
Responding to a question about PTI’s decision to go into an appeal against the Lahore High Court (LHC) decision for recounting of votes in the Lahore (NA-131) constituency, the spokesman said the court has no right to order for the recount, as it was the responsibility of the ECP. The court had stopped the ECP from issuing notification of Imran’s victory against PML-N’s Khawaja Saad Rafique’s and ordered recounting of votes.
The PTI spokesman said vote recount was under way in 48 constituencies, which was the highest number of constituencies where the ECP had started recounting votes in the electoral history of Pakistan.
The spokesman said the PTI wanted finality of the election results. It was for this reason that the decision was made to challenge the high court’s decision of recounting, he said. In this constituency, he added, Mr Khan had defeated Mr Rafique by a few hundred votes.
Maleeha meets Imran
Earlier, Pakistan’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations Maleeha Lodhi met the PTI chief at his Banigala residence on Sunday and congratulated him on his party’s performance in the recent elections.
Japanese ambassador, the British envoy and other foreign dignitaries had also visited the PTI chief in recent days. The envoys of China, Saudi Arabia and the UAE had called on the PTI chairman since his party emerged as the winner of the July 25 polls. Besides Afghan president, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi had also telephoned Imran Khan to congratulate him over his party’s victory.
https://www.dawn.com/news/1425233/pti-to-nominate-imran-khan-as-prime-minister-today
Aamir Yasin
RAWALPINDI: After its defeat in the elections in the Rawalpindi district, local PML-N leaders and workers have started efforts to end differences between the party leadership and former interior minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan.
A senior leader of the PML-N told Dawn that the local leaders and workers wanted to unite the party as due to the internal differences it lost many seats in the district.
He said efforts were being made to arrange a meeting between the PML-N supreme leader Nawaz Sharif and Chaudhry Nisar at Adiala Jail. “But before arranging the meeting, it is necessary to get permission from Mr Sharif.” He said the party workers and local leaders were of the view that there was a need to bring back Chaudhry Nisar to the party because his leadership qualities always helped the local leaders to handle complicated issues in the Potohar region.
“The local leaders were headless in the 2018 elections and failed to launch an effective campaign and all the candidates worked separately in their constituencies. Chaudhry Tanveer Khan is senior among the local leaders but he is not capable of handling many issues,” he said.
“The results of the two constituencies in the 2018 elections showed that had the votes bagged by Chaudhry Nisar as an independent and the PML-N candidates were combined, the party would not have lost the elections.”
He said the PML-N wanted to end its internal differences before the by-elections in NA-60 and NA-59 Rawalpindi.
“The party has two options for NA-59: to get Chaudhry Nisar agree to contest the by-polls on the PML-N ticket and to field Raja Qamarul Islam for the seat again.”
However, he said, people were mostly of the view that Qamarul Islam should not be fielded in the by-election.
He said discussions had started on the issue at the higher level of the party.
He said the workers and local leaders did not accept former prime minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi or PML-N Punjab General Secretary Raja Ashfaq Sarwar to lead the party in the district or at the division level.
Many Union Council chairmen in the district are still loyal to the former interior minister and want him (Chaudhry Nisar) to play his role in the PML-N,” he said, adding they (UC chairmen) had conveyed this to the party leadership,” he said.
When contacted, former PML-N MNA Malik Shakil Awan said the party was united under the leadership of Nawaz Sharif and Shahbaz Sharif and the local leaders would work as per their directives.
However, he admitted that most of the PML-N workers wanted to end the differences between the party leadership and Chaudhry Nisar as soon as possible.
https://www.dawn.com/news/1425167/after-defeat-in-pindi-local-pml-n-leaders-want-chaudhry-nisar-back
SLAMABAD: Maulana Fazlur Rehman has vacated his official residence in the Ministers’ Enclave after staying there for more than one-and-a-half decades.
Sources in the Pakistan Public Works Department (Pak-PWD), which maintains Bungalow No. 29 where the Maulana stayed, told Dawn that the Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam-Fazl chief left the house on July 31.
They said that before leaving the official residence, Maulana Fazl paid all dues of the Pak-PWD.
Maulana Fazl was chairman of the Kashmir Committee, who enjoys the status of a federal minister.
It has been learnt that the Maulana has shifted to a farm house of his party’s Senator Talha Mehmood in Chak Shahzad.
Meanwhile, the Capital Development Authority has started renovation of the National Assembly speaker’s residence in the Ministers’ Enclave where PTI chairman Imran Khan will stay after taking the oath as prime minister.
https://www.dawn.com/news/1425244/fazl-vacates-residence-in-ministers-enclave-after-one-and-a-half-decades
Umar Bacha | Imtiaz Ali Taj
The prime suspect believed responsible for the torching of 14 girls' schools over a period of two days in Gilgit-Baltistan's (GB) Diamer district was killed during a search operation in the Tanger area on Sunday, Diamer Police Spokesperson Muhammad Wakeel told Dawn.
Shafiq ─ who has no known association with any organised militant or terrorist outfits, but is referred to as a "militant" and "militant commander" by police officials ─ was one of the suspects behind the brazen arson attacks targeting girls' schools in the Chilas, Darel and Tanger tehsils of Diamer district.
Police began conducted raids in various parts of Diamer last night to track down those responsible for the arson attacks. GB Spokesperson Faizullah Faraq said that 10-12 police parties were involved in the operations.
A police constable was killed and another wounded in a gun battle with armed suspects during a late night raid on Saturday in Tanger. Faraq on Sunday said that 30 people had been arrested during search operations so far.
Police sources said that locals were also taking part in the search operations, and that most 'militants' in the area are locals.
Muhammad Wakeel said that the "militants" in Tanger had been attempting to flee the area but locals had surrounded them, after which Shafiq was killed.
Police sources added that a civilian was injured in an exchange of fire between police and the 'militants'. At least three to four others were also injured during the operations.
GB Spokesman Faizullah Faraq said that miscreants had occupied a road in Tanger and were firing at passing cars.
The car of Sessions Judge Malik Inayat Rehman, who was going from Shatial to attend the funeral of the slain police constable (his cousin) in Tanger, was also fired at as it travelled along the road, his father, former GB Legislative Assembly speaker Muhammad Miskeen told DawnNewsTV.
Although the car was badly damaged, the judge escaped unharmed, Miskeen said, adding that the judge had not been alerted to the security threat by police.
Locals in the area sought the assistant commissioner's permission to fight the miscreants, but were not given the go ahead to do so.
Meanwhile, Deputy Inspector General (DIG) Gohar Nafees said that a suicide jacket, grenades and an array of arms were recovered from a suspected terrorist's house in Chilas.
DIG Nafees said a heavy contingent of security forces had been deployed in Darel, and that the search operation would continue in Diamer until "terrorism was eliminated".
GB Information Minister Shams Mir said that a team of forensic experts from Islamabad had arrived in GB to investigate the arson attacks. Mir said that the experts are part of a joint investigation team constituted to probe the incidents and track down those responsible.
Police reports links attacks to past incidents
During a meeting on Saturday of GB ministers from Diamer, the home secretary, IG Police, government spokesman, district administration, intelligence and law enforcement agencies officials and elders of the district in Chilas, it was decided that the search operation would be extended, and that locals had assured the administration of their cooperation with police.
Sources privy to the meeting had said that the names of 20 suspects had been given to the local jirga with the demand for their immediate surrender.
The police later submitted to the chief minister an initial report linking the latest episodes of school torchings with past attacks on girls’ schools in the area.
The report stated the incident was the continuation of the past incidents in which girls’ schools had been attacked with an objective to bar them from getting education.
Schools torched
In 2004, half a dozen girls’ schools had been torched in one go. Girls’ schools were also targeted by extremist forces in 2011 and 2015.
Some traditions and extremism are main reasons for local resistance to female education in the district, which has the lowest literacy rate in Gilgit-Baltistan.
According to Alif Ailaan’s Pakistan District Education Rankings 2017, GB received a score of 63.18, getting fourth position in the list of eight Pakistan territories with respect to quality of education.
However, Diamer is the lowest-ranking district in terms of quality of education, with a score of 36.37, and among the 10 lowest-ranking districts in Pakistan.
There are 244 government schools in the district, about 83 per cent of which are primary level, 10.6pc middle schools and 6pc high schools. There are no higher secondary schools in the district. Of the government schools, 156 are for boys and 88 are for girls, according to Alif Ailaan.
https://www.dawn.com/news/1425091/suspect-behind-torching-of-diamer-schools-killed-in-search-operation-police
KARACHI: Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Karachi President Firdaus Shamim Naqvi on Sunday said that the alliance with Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan (MQM-P) was made due to certain necessities.
Addressing a press conference, Naqvi said that he stands by on his accusations levelled against the MQM-P and the party went into alliance with them because they had not enough party votes to elect Imran Khan as leader of the house in the National Assembly.
“MQM-P lost because of Mayor Waseem Akhtar,” Naqvi said. “They (MQM) didn’t fulfil promises made to the nation.”
The PTI leader said that members of Pak Sarzameen Party, All Pakistan Muslim League and MQM are joining the party fold, but added that he is ensuring that the new entrants don’t hold criminal background.
“We can’t afford to include criminal elements in the party,” Naqvi added.
Faisal Sabzwari, a central of MQM-P, in his reaction to Naqvi’s statement said that the working relationship between the two parties will be affected by such statements. “We will put forward the statements before PTI leadership and will ask them about the compulsions,” he said.
Separately, MQM leader Farooq Sattar chose to reserve his answer when he was asked about his absence in the meeting of party leaders with Imran Khan at Bani Gala.
“This question should be asked from Khalid Maqbool Siddiqui. I believe that MQM members should not take ministries,” he said.
KARACHI MAYOR SAYS HAD NO CHOICE BUT TO SUPPORT PTI:
Earlier in the same day, MQM-P leader and Karachi Mayor Wasim Akhtar said that his party had no other choice but to join hands with the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) as the other parties, the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) and the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP), had already been tested by the people.
Mayor Akhtar said, “The problems of the city are no more a political issue, rather it has now become a human issue.” “The country is heading to a disaster, therefore, all political parties and organisations must think about Karachi’s problems,” he added.
The MQM-P leader claimed, “I am playing the role of a bridge between the provincial and the federal government.”
https://www.pakistantoday.com.pk/2018/08/05/mqm-p-had-no-choice-but-to-support-pti-says-mayor/
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Peoples’ Party (PPP) Leader Syed Khursheed Shah on Sunday contacted Balochistan National Party-Mengal (BNP-M) Chief Akhtar Mengal, seeking support for the election of National Assembly (NA) speaker.
Mengal replied that he is coming to Islamabad next week and will give a response after consulting with the party leaders.
Earlier on August 3, BNP-M chief Sardar Akhtar Jan Mengal along with key party members met with Muttahida Majlis-e-Amal (MMA) President Maulana Fazlur Rehman in Islamabad.
Sources said that matters of mutual interest, election-2018, the current political situation and formation of governments in Balochistan and centre were discussed in the meeting. Maulana Fazlur Rehman briefed Sardar Akhtar Jan Mengal about the decision made in the all parties conference (APC).
Earlier, the BNP-M chief while questioning the transparency of the July 25 polls had said that the public’s mandate and election results differ in the province.
https://www.pakistantoday.com.pk/2018/08/05/khursheed-shah-seeks-akhtar-mengals-support-for-na-speaker/
DIAMER: Gilgit-Baltistan police claimed on Sunday that Chilas school attackers were trained in Afghanistan.
“So far 31 suspects have been arrested over involvement in attacks on schools in the area. Raids are underway in different areas to arrest the rest of the suspects,” IG Gilgit-Baltistan Inspector General of Police Sanaullah Abbasi said.
Police began conducted raids in various parts of Diamer district Saturday night to track down those responsible for the arson attacks. A police constable was killed and another wounded in a gun battle with armed suspects during a late night raid in Tanger area.
The prime suspect believed responsible for the torching of 14 girls schools over a period of two days in Diamer district was also killed during the search operation in the Tanger area, Diamer Police spokespers on Muhammad Wakeel said. Shafiq ? who has no known association with any organised militant or terrorist outfits but is referred to as a ‘militant’ and ‘militant commander’ by police officials ? was one of the suspects behind the brazen arson attacks targeting schools in Chilas, Darel and Tanger tehsils of Diamer district.
Wakeel said that the ‘militants’ in Tanger had been attempting to flee the area but locals surrounded them, after which Shafiq was killed.
“A suicide jacket, hand grenade and arms and ammunition were also seized from Shafiq’s house,” DIG Diamer Division Gohar Nafees said. “Search operations in the area will continue till the elimination of terrorists,” he asserted.
Police sources said that locals were also taking part in the search operations, and that most of the ‘militants’ in the area were locals.
GB local government spokesman Faizullah Faraq said that miscreants had occupied a road in Tanger and were firing at the passing cars. The car of Sessions Judge Malik Inayat Rehman, who was going from Shatial to attend the funeral of the slain police constable (his cousin) in Tanger, was also fired at as it travelled along the road, his father, former GB Legislative Assembly speaker Muhammad Miskeen, said.Although the car was badly damaged, the judge escaped unharmed, he said, adding that the judge had not been alerted to the security threat by police.
GB Information Minister Shams Mir said that a team of forensic experts from Islamabad had arrived in the region to investigate the arson attacks. He said the experts are part of a joint investigation team constituted to probe the incidents and track down those responsible.
Chief Justice Mian Saqib Nisar has also taken notice of attack on schools and directed the interior secretary and the secretary for Kashmir Affairs and GB governments to submit reports within the next two days.
GB chief minister has ordered the chief secretary to ensure the schools destroyed in the incident are restored to working condition in the next 15 days. According to local government spokesperson Faizullah Faraq, the restoration work will begin soon and the schools will re-open in the last week of August.
In 2004 also, half a dozen girls’ schools had been torched in one go. Girls’ schools were also targeted by extremist forces in 2011 and 2015. Some traditions and extremism are main reasons for local resistance to female education in the district, which has the lowest literacy rate in Gilgit-Baltistan.
https://dailytimes.com.pk/278884/chilas-school-attackers-trained-in-afghanistan/
Taking a leaf out from the Maratha Kranti Morchas, which launched the agitation seeking quotas for the dominant Maratha community in 2016, the Muslims in Maharashtra are planning similar silent marches beginning from Pune in September. These 'Muslim Maha Mook Morchas' will press for quotas in education, a law against mob lynching and against the Centre's legislation against triple talaq.
Like the Maratha Kranti Morchas, these silent marches will be led by women and will be leaderless with a core committee deciding on the course of action.
"The morcha for Pune city is likely to be organised on September 9. It will press for quotas for Muslims in jobs and education, a law against mob lynchings, against interference in the Shariat through legislative tools like the anti-triple talaq bill and easing permissions for constructing masjids," said a Morcha core committee member.
"The government is not serious on curbing mob lynchings and union ministers are garlanding those accused of the crime. Despite the Bombay High Court upholding quotas for Muslims in education, the state government is not willing to grant this. We also need speedy permissions to construct masjids as our namaz on the streets is being opposed," he explained.
The core committee member said the silent marches would be shorn of any political leadership. However, politicians could participate in them only as common protestors.
"We are creating an atmosphere for more protests to be held across Maharashtra. There are indications that the community may follow suit elsewhere," he stated.
Another core committee member said they were planning a turnout of 4 lakh in Pune. "We are deliberately holding the march in September as the state is in a flux due to the Maratha protests. We hope things will cool down by then," he explained.
However, Shabbir Ahmed Ansari of the powerful All India Muslim OBC Organisation pointed out that religion-based quotas were unconstitutional and said these demands were political in nature. He added backward Muslims were already covered under categories like OBC, VJNT and ST and stressed their quota needed to be strengthened through easier grant of caste and caste validity certificates sans corruption.
Muslims comprise over 10.6% of Maharashtra's population, the fourth-largest after Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal and Bihar, with substantial numbers in regions like Mumbai, Marathwada, Vidarbha and North Maharashtra.
In 2014, the erstwhile Congress- NCP government had extended 16% quotas in jobs and education to the dominant Maratha community and also the Muslims (5%). Later, the Bombay high court (HC) had stayed the 16% quotas for Marathas and reservations in jobs for Muslims. However, it did not stay the decision to reserve 5% seats for Muslims in education. The BJP- Shiv government approved a bill for Maratha quotas, but did not cover Muslim
http://www.dnaindia.com/mumbai/report-muslims-in-maharashtra-plan-silent-marches-from-pune-in-september-2646137
Aurangabad is all set to get the country’s first National Skills and Vocational University for Muslims on 100 acres of land with an initial corpus of Rs 100 crore pledged by the state government.
Initiated by Aurangabad Central MLA Imtiaz Jaleel belonging to the All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM), and four team members from Pune, this will be the first national university of its kind in the country.
In a letter dated July 19, state finance minister Sudhir Mungantiwar directed Aurangabad district collector Uday Choudhari to identify 100 acres of land for this project. The minister also made an announcement in the state assembly on July 10 about the project approval.
AIMIM MLA Jaleel said, “The state government has cancelled the Haj subsidy which resulted in savings of Rs 700 crore for the government. We requested the government that the amount saved must be utilised for the empowerment and development of Muslims through the setting up of the skills university. Three land parcels on the outskirts of Aurangabad will be considered and a final decision on one of the lands will be taken at the earliest,” Jaleel told Hindustan Times.
Saleem Mulla, Maharashtra Wakf Liberation and Protection Task Force president, who is a team member of the Skills University Project said the project was initially planned for Pune. “However, due to litigation-related issues of wakf lands, it was decided to shift it to Aurangabad. The local administration in Aurangabad appears keen to set up the proposed university,” he said.
Mulla said the idea of a skills training university for minorities has been a long-standing demand and the matter was pursued relentlessly under the guidance of Jaleel and former chief commissioner of Income Tax, Akaramul Jabbar Khan. This led to principle approval for the university. This project will help empower the Muslim youth with much-needed skills for employment, he said.
Former chief commissioner of Income Tax Khan said the university is expected to enhance the employability and employment-generation potential of the muslim youth.
Task Force plan for Skills University
•Full-time programmes for about 30,000 students admitted to external, virtual and distance learning courses.
• The task force has chalked out 20 faculties, which will include environmental sciences, social sciences, management studies, interfaith studies, engineering and technology, oriental medicine, paramedical studies, law, education, media studies, music, fine arts, fashion technology and cosmetology, among others.
https://www.hindustantimes.com/pune-news/aurangabad-will-host-india-s-first-skills-varsity-for-muslims/story-M06OFamkwcvB4F0rjo53VI.html
The National Investigation Agency (NIA) has arrested two West Bengal residents in Kerala for allegedly planting three improvised explosive devices (IEDs) at the Mahabodhi temple in Bodh Gaya this January, when the Dalai Lama was visiting the Buddhist shrine, officials familiar with the development said.
NIA officials said the initial interrogation of the two suggested that they belonged to Jamaat-ul-Mujahideen Bangladesh (JMB), a terrorist outfit active in the border areas of India and Bangladesh. Investigators said the IEDs had been planted as revenge for alleged atrocities committed against Rohingyas in Myanmar.
The role of few Bangladeshi nationals is also suspected in the case and the agency is looking for them, the NIA officials added.
“We have arrested Murshidabad resident Abdul Karim and Birbhum native Mustafizur Rehman on charges of placing the IEDs in Bodh Gaya on January 19 this year. They were picked up from one of the Bengali colonies in Malappuram in Kerala. Both the accused are being brought to Patna for a court appearance. We will seek their remand further interrogation,” said a senior NIA official.
“The two people arrested were part of the group of around half-a-dozen JMB men who planted the IEDs. Their associates were involved in the Burdwan incident of 2014, when an accidental blast revealed the presence of a huge JMB network in the border region of Bengal. We have reason to believe that a wanted accused in the Burdwan case is the mastermind of the January Bodh Gaya incident,” said the official, who added that NIA had earlier arrested three other people in the case.
The Mahabodhi temple is one of the holiest places of pilgrimage for Buddhists. It was declared a UNESCO world heritage site. The incident in January was not the first time that militants targeted the temple. In July 2013, more than a dozen IEDs were planted in and around the Mahabodhi temple — 10 went off, causing injuries to five people.
“On January 19, three powerful IEDs with 5-10 kg of explosives were planted in the temple — one of them where food was being cooked. The arrested accused have told us that this area was deliberately chosen because there were gas cylinders there. If the IED had gone off, the cylinders too would have exploded.The second IED was placed at one of the entry gates again to target to those who would have tried to leave the temple after the first blast,” said another NIA official.
But the first IED, kept near the cooking area, caught fire due to a malfunction and was detected. The police was called, and during searches of the temple complex, two more unexploded IEDs were recovered.
https://www.hindustantimes.com/india-news/nia-arrests-two-bengal-residents-in-kerala-in-bodh-gaya-blast-case/story-kiqmZVwHBsM2UDKkK3ArvO.html
Agartala (Tripura) [India], Aug 6 (ANI): Tripura's Jamiat Ulama-e Hind, one of the oldest bodies of the minority Muslim population of the state, appealed to the new ruling BJP-IPFT government to take necessary appropriate measures so that the Muslim population can celebrate the upcoming Eid al-Adha, also called the 'Festival of Sacrifice', without any fear.
Mufti Tayebur Rahaman, president of the Tripura State Jamiat Ulama-e Hind, speaking to reporters in the central mosque Gedu Mia Masjid apprehended that this time during the Eid al-Adha, they may not be able to follow their age-old ritual of slaughtering animals like a cow.
He alleged that after the new BJP-IPFT government came to power in Tripura, the Muslim population is being targeted for their food habit of consuming beef.
Rahaman further said, "A large section of people in Tripura are connected with the business of selling cow, buffalo and goat, but of late it has come to notice that if any vehicle is carrying a cow, it is stopped and checked. Due to all these, they are facing a loss in their business. We are demanding to the government so that necessary steps are taken to stop all these."
According to the Muslim leader, the government has to take advance measures so that sacrifices can be done during Eid al-Adha in a peaceful manner.
Rahaman viewed that food habit is the fundamental right of the Muslim people, but a section is also interfering and it should be stopped.
He also informed, "I along with other members immediately after the new government came to power met the Chief Minister in his official residence, informing him about these issues. The CM assured to look into them."
https://www.aninews.in/news/national/general-news/tripura-muslim-body-urges-state-govt-to-take-steps-for-peaceful-bakra-eid201808060735390001/
The Uttar Pradesh government wants to bring Madrasas into the mainstream education system, Minister of State for Minority Affairs Syed Mohsin Raza Naqvi said today. The Uttar Pradesh minister also favoured introducing a “new dress code” for students at Madrasas (Islamic schools) across the country and added that he will take up the issue with the Centre.
However, Raza did not elaborate on what should be the new dress code in these institutes, where students currently wear white kurta-pyjama. He rued that no leader from his community has till date thought about standardising the madrassa system.
“Our government in Uttar Pradesh wants to bring Madrasas in the mainstream education system. And why only in UP, I think all these religious institutions across the country should be brought into mainstream,” he told PTI. Raza said he intends to discuss the issue with Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
“I would meet Modiji in this regard and seek his advise on how we can have a formal education system in Madrasas in the country. Regrettably, so far, no Muslim leader has ever thought about standardisation and formalisation of the madrassa education system,” he said.
Last month, Raza had said that the Uttar Pradesh government might “soon propose a new dress code” for madrassa students. However, Cabinet Minister for Minority Welfare, Muslim Waqf and Haj Laxmi Narayan Chaudhary had contradicted Raza, saying that “the government has not formed any new policy” in this regard.
Raza was in the city to take part in the ‘Kajari’ festival organised by an NGO run by Mumbai BJP leader Amarjeet Mishra. The minister said the Yogi Adityanath government is sincerely implementing the vision of ‘sabka saath sabka vikas’ (support of all, development of all) and has made “never before provisions” to uplift minorities in the country’s most populous state.
“Around Rs 4,000 crore was allocated for minority welfare in this year’s budget. This kind of allocation has not been done before. Besides, we have restarted disbursing education loans to minority students, a practice shunned by previous governments.
“We plan to modernise Madrasas and have introduced the NCERT curriculum for them. We want to see a computer in one hand and the Koran in the other hand of madrassa students as envisioned by our prime minister,” he said.
Raza, a member of the Legislative Council, said under Modi’s leadership, the country has embarked on the path of progress. To a query, he sought to downplay talks about a likely alliance between the Samajwadi Party and the Bahujan Samaj Party in Uttar Pradesh for the next Lok Sabha polls.
Such an alliance will have no impact on the BJP’s electoral prospects, the minister said. “All opposition parties are zero. But as you know addition of only zeroes will never add up to a countable number. Modiji’s model of governance was discussed even in Pakistan. This proved Modiji is a world leader,” Raza said.
He rejected the opposition’s claim of saffronisation of institutions in the state under the BJP rule. “Even the Sun begins the day with saffron colour and ends with the same colour. This energising colour should not be confined with a particular religion,” the minister said.
https://indianexpress.com/article/india/uttar-pradesh-govt-wants-to-bring-Madrasas-in-mainstream-education-mos-mohsin-raza/
JAMMU: A terrorist was arrested and eight grenades recovered from him in Jammu as police foiled a major terror plot to trigger blasts in the winter capital, days ahead of the Independence Day.
Acting on intelligence inputs, police intercepted a bus in Gandhi Nagar area here late last night and arrested a youth from Kashmir who was carrying eight hand grenades, a police officer said.
The militant was identified as Arfan Wani, a resident of Awantipora in Pulwama district of south Kashmir. Eight live hand grenades and Rs 60,000 in cash were recovered from his possession, the officer said.
Police and other security agencies are alert in the wake of intelligence inputs that the Kashmiri terrorists of Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT), Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM), and Hizbul Mujahideen plan to carry out terror strikes in Jammu and New Delhi on the occasion of Independence Day on August 15.
https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/terrorist-arrested-with-8-grenades-in-jammu/articleshow/65286446.cms
India plans to invoke a 32-year-old Commonwealth pact to seek details from Pakistan about the 2018 Sunjawan Army camp terror attack mastermind Mufti Waqas, a Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) militant who was killed by security forces in March this year, according to officials.
The move is also expected to help India in making a fresh appeal to the United Nations to get the JeM and its chief Maulana Masood Azhar banned under the Security Council resolution 1267. China has blocked previous moves by India seeking a ban on JeM and Azhar.
According to officials in the Union Home and external affairs ministries, the relevant papers were being readied to send a request to Pakistan under the Commonwealth pact for international cooperation in criminal matters, under which commonwealth nations are bound to provide mutual legal assistance on such issues, they said.
The agreement was originally adopted by Commonwealth law ministers at their meeting at Harare in Zimbabwe in 1986. Citing this pact, India will seek details from Pakistan about Mufti Waqas, who was killed in an encounter in March this year with security forces at Awantipura in South Kashmir, the officials said.
The details include phone numbers dialled by Waqas before and after the terror attack on the Sunjawan Army camp on February 10 in which six soldiers, one civilian and three terrorists were killed.
Citing amendments made to the Harare agreement during the meeting of law ministers in 2011 at Sydney in Australia, India will, if necessary, also seek details of the recording of statements of possible witnesses through video calls, they said.
In 2011, Commonwealth law ministers adopted amendments to the Harare pact envisaging cooperation in some new provisions that related to the interception of telecommunications and postal items, covert electronic surveillance, use of live video links in the course of investigations and judicial procedures and asset recovery.
Waqas, a Pakistani national who had infiltrated into the Kashmir Valley in 2017, was the operational commander of JeM. Besides being the mastermind of the Sunjawan Army camp attack, Waqas was also behind the suicide attack on a CRPF camp in South Kashmir’s Lethpora on the intervening night of December 30 and December 31 last year.
According to officials, he was functioning as the operational commander of the terror outfit and had even despatched fidayeens or suicide bombers from Tral in South Kashmir to Jammu. It was then that the fidayeens had carried out their strike on the Army camp in Sunjawan.
https://www.hindustantimes.com/india-news/india-to-seek-details-from-pakistan-about-jaish-terrorist-citing-32-year-old-commonwealth-pact/story-803TVTTB0DIltDxfIKZgCL.html
For years, Rohingya Muslims have been the target of communal violence in mainly Buddhist Myanmar, which has denied citizenship to the Muslims since 1982. The Rohingya trace their presence in Rakhine back centuries, but most people in majority-Buddhist Myanmar consider them to be unwanted Muslim immigrants from Bangladesh.
The mass killings of Rohingya Muslims escalated in recent years, and they've fled for their lives, seeking refuge in Bangladesh. However, Rohingya Muslims are not only running for their lives: According to reports, Rohingya women are raped even in front of their children. And the most tragic part is that six out of every 10 refugees are children according to UNICEF.
While the U.N. has described the systematic violence by Myanmar against Rohingya Muslims as possible genocide and ethnic cleansing and calls on the international community to take measures against the "visible genocide" facing Rohingya Muslims in Myanmar, not many states have taken action to protect Rohingya refugees except for a handful of states spearheaded by Turkey.
Helping hand to the Rohingya from Canada
In the darkest hour for Rohingya Muslims, a couple from Canada rolled up their sleeves to do whatever they can for these helpless people whom the world has turned its back on. They try to raise awareness of the Rohingya issue as much as they can with interviews they give to news agencies from around the world.
Fozia and Tahir Alvi are Muslims living in Canada who traveled all the way to Bangladesh to volunteer for Rohingya Muslims living in the refugee camp. The couple spent two weeks among Rohingya Muslims, which was long enough for the Rohingya issue to take a place in their hearts.
Being a family doctor, Fozia Alvi, who was born and raised in Pakistan and lived in the U.S. and Canada, went to Bangladesh to tend to pregnant Rohingya women.
"But what I saw there really shocked and horrified me," said Fozia during her trip to Turkey with her husband.
"The conditions that they are living in were unbelievable."
However, it was not the conditions of Rohingya refugees that shook Fozia to the core: It was the great number of Rohingya children.
"About more than 50 percent of the refugees in Bangladesh camps are children under the age of 16. Some of them witnessed their parents' throats cut. Lots of teenagers were pregnant as they were raped in Myanmar before being able to flee. And now, they were struggling with how to take care of themselves and their babies," said Fozia, describing the difficulties Rohingya refugees face in camps.
But there are vital problems that Rohingya Muslims have to face in refugee camps. It has been reported that due to malnutrition and lack of clean water, children and even adults in refugee camps have fallen ill, and it is feared that an epidemic might break out.
Building camps for the Rohingya refugees
While Fozia tended to the sick, Tahir, her husband, helped build accommodations for refugees in camps.
Tahir Alvi is an engineer who has been living in Canada for the last 20 years. He is currently the president of the Islamic Circle of North America (ICNA), based in Canada, which offers assistance to Muslims in North America as well as relief to Muslims around the world who are in need of help.
As a member of ICNA's relief team, Tahir travels the world to bring a helping hand to those who have been hit by a disaster of nature or men.
After traveling to Bangladesh, Tahir and the relief team helped to build accommodations for refugees.
"At that time it was almost 200,000 people there in the camp," said Tahir, but it is clear in his eyes that he is worried about the people he helped. "I do not know how many are alive now. They don't have any medical facility there or proper food, etc. The Myanmar government is waiting for them to die."
Turkey, always there for the Rohingya
When asked about Turkey's efforts for Rohingya Muslims, Fozia and Tahir agreed on one thing: No other country helped these people who are massacred in front of the world than Turkey.
"Rohingya Muslims are the most persecuted community in the world right now, and they have suffered oppression for more than 40 years", said Fozia, continuing: "And now, their citizenships were stripped away, and they have fled Myanmar after three years of horror. It's a systematic massacre that these people are facing, and nobody is offering to help and actually do something."
However, what Turkey has done and continue to do for Rohingya Muslims is inspiring for Fozia.
"President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan for a long time is an icon not only to me but to all Muslim ummah. When the whole world turned their back on the Rohingya issue, it was President Erdoğan, the Turkish government and the people of Turkey who stood up for them. Erdoğan with First Lady Emine Erdoğan, the only first lady that visited the refugee camps, working hard to raise awareness for the Rohingya cause," said Fozia.
In fact, that is why they came to Turkey. Since the Rohingya cause is close to her heart, Fozia wanted to come to Turkey. For Fozia, other Muslim countries are not doing enough to raise awareness and actually do something to stop the systematic genocide that the Rohingya are facing.
If the whole Muslim ummah, including my home country Pakistan, does half of what President Erdoğan spearheaded for Rohingya, this issue will be solved within minutes," Fozia added.
Humanity in question in Myanmar
Tahir thinks if Muslim countries could unite and stand as one in the international arena, things would have gone in a different way.
"But right now, Turkey is our only hope to solve the Rohingya issue. If President Erdoğan raises enough awareness among other Muslim countries, I believe the Muslim ummah will follow him to solve the problems of the Rohingya," said Tahir.
Tahir strongly emphasizes that what the Myanmar government is doing to the Rohingya people is nothing but genocide. In fact, the report published by the U.N. supports his idea.
"History is not only for books. It is here so that we can learn from the mistakes of the past," said Tahir. Back in the day, when the German Nazis were discriminating and putting Jews in concentration camps, it was happening in front of the eyes of the world, and it did not trigger other European countries to take action until the Nazis occupied Poland.
"A massacre is happening in front of our eyes, and we cannot stop it. When time passes, we will compare these refugee camps where Rohingya people are living, as they have no choice with Auschwitz and the massacre that the Rohingya had to live with to the Holocaust. But it will be too late."
While speaking, Tahir put his finger on an important point: The Rohingya people are not only the issue of Islam, but the entire world.
"This is an issue for humanity. This is clear genocide," said Tahir helplessly.
https://www.dailysabah.com/feature/2018/08/06/canadian-couple-helps-rohingya-muslims-raising-global-awareness
A key commander of the Taliban group and his six comrades were killed during the operations in northeastern Takhar province of Afghanistan.
The 209th Shaheen Corps of the Afghan Military in the North said the Taliban commander Mullah Ajmal and his comrades were killed in Baharak district.
According to a statement released by Shaheen Corps, the operations were conducted in the vicinity of Anbar Koh area of the district.
The anti-government armed militant groups including Taliban militants have not commented regarding the report so far.
This comes as Shaheen Corps said Saturday that three Taliban militants were killed and five others sustained injuries during the clashes wiht the Afghan forces in this district.
Takhar has been among the relatively calm provinces in northeastern parts of Afghanistan since the fall of the Taliban regime.
https://www.khaama.com/key-taliban-commander-his-6-comrades-killed-in-takhar-operations-05722/
DHAKA - The motorcade carrying the US Ambassador to Bangladesh was attacked by a group of armed men in the country's capital Dhaka on Sunday as protests by young students took a violent turn.
Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina urged students to go home as police fired tear gas at teenage protesters during an eighth day of unprecedented demonstrations over road safety which have paralysed parts of Dhaka.
Students in their tens of thousands have brought parts of the capital to a standstill since two teenagers were killed by a speeding bus.
The unrest quickly spread beyond the capital. Authorities have shut down mobile internet services across swathes of the country, officials and local media said.
On Saturday the protests took a violent turn in Dhaka's Jigatala neighbourhood, with more than 100 people injured as police fired rubber bullets at demonstrators. On Saturday, US ambassador Bernicat's vehicle was set upon by a mob. "As she was leaving about 11pm and getting into her car, a group attacked her car," said rights activist Badiul Alam Majumder, who was hosting the ambassador for dinner.
The US embassy confirmed an official vehicle "was attacked by a group of armed adult men" but the envoy and her team departed unharmed.
The violence continued Sunday with police firing tear gas into a large crowd marching toward an office of the ruling Awami League party, an AFP correspondent said. Dozens of protesters were attacked by people alleged to be ruling party activists, some armed with machetes, in Dhaka's Dhanmondi neighbourhood.
Twelve were treated at Dhaka Medical Colleague Hospital, police inspector Bacchu Mia told AFP.
A photographer for an international news organisation was among those beaten.
Hasina warned Sunday that a "third party" could sabotage the protests and put the safety of demonstrators at risk. "That's why I request all guardians and parents to keep their children at home. Whatever they have done is enough," the prime minister said from her office. Hasina's warning came as protesters marched towards the scene of Saturday's clashes chanting "We want justice!"
Police denied they fired rubber bullets or tear gas at the protesters Saturday. However hospital staff said dozens of people had been injured, some seriously, and injuries were consistent with rubber bullets. The Awami League has denied that its officials beat up students.
The country's biggest-circulation newspaper Prothom Alo said 3G and 4G internet services have been shut down for 24 hours since late Saturday, shortly after the violence broke out.
Social media has been filled with comments from Bangladeshis unable to access the internet via their phones, although wireless and wired networks appear to be unhindered.
The Bangladesh Telecommunications Regulatory Commission said it would comment later Sunday. A senior telecoms official who asked for anonymity said: "The BTRC has slowed down the internet at the order of the government."
The move may be an attempt to limit the ability of students to mobilise or express growing online anger at how the government has handled the protests, hours after police and unidentified men wielding sticks and stones clashed with students.
Images and photos of the attacks on students allegedly by ruling party activists have flooded social media, prompting renewed anger.
Bangladesh's transport sector is widely seen as corrupt, unregulated and dangerous. As news of the teenagers' deaths spread rapidly on social media they became a catalyst for an outpouring of anger against the government.
Hasina's government has ruled Bangladesh since 2009, but in recent months it has been shaken by separate mass protests demanding an end to a decades-old system of discriminatory civil service recruitment. Several powerful ministers have pleaded with students to return to their classes, amid fears the unprecedented teen anger could spark widespread anti-government protests before a general election due later this year. But their pleas have had little effect.
An insensitive comment by Shajahan Khan, a government minister with ties to powerful transport unions, fuelled the flames last week. Khan questioned why there was such an uproar over the two Dhaka children but no reaction when 33 people were killed in an Indian bus crash the day before. There have been widespread social media demands for the minister's resignation despite his subsequent apology.
High schools were shut on Thursday as officials promised students their demands for road safety reforms would be considered.
https://nation.com.pk/06-Aug-2018/us-envoy-attacked-as-protests-spread-in-bangladesh
KABUL: A suicide bombing claimed by the Taliban killed three Czech soldiers on patrol in eastern Afghanistan on Sunday, the deadliest assault on NATO troops for many months.
"Three Resolute Support service members were killed by a suicide bomber during a combined, dismounted patrol with Afghan forces in eastern Afghanistan," NATO´s Resolute Support mission said in a statement.
In Prague, the military said the dead soldiers were Czech.
A US member of the patrol and two Afghan soldiers were wounded, NATO added.
The attack by a lone bomber on foot happened at 6am in the city of Charikar in Parwan province 60 kilometres (37 miles) north of Kabul, said provincial governor´s spokesman Wahida Shahkar.
The Taliban in a statement claimed responsibility, saying they killed or wounded eight American soldiers in a "tactical explosion".
The Czech army said in a statement that three of its soldiers, a staff sergeant and two corporals, were killed in the explosion.
"The tragic death of our three soldiers has struck me deeply, and I wish to express my deepest condolences to their families," said Defence Minister Lubomir Metnar.
Thirteen Czech soldiers have now been killed in Afghanistan.
The NATO force largely ended its combat mission in Afghanistan in 2014 and pulled out the bulk of its troops. A 16,000-strong residual force remains for training and counter-terrorism operations.
Of these, the US accounts for 13,000 soldiers, about 2,000 of whom are assigned to anti-terror combat missions.
Last month a US soldier was killed and two others wounded in an "apparent insider attack" in southern Afghanistan.
Casualties among the NATO forces have fallen dramatically since most were withdrawn from combat. But the Taliban and the Daesh group have recently stepped up their attacks against government and civilian targets.
On Friday two suicide bombers dressed as women struck a mosque in Gardez, the capital of Paktia province, while it was crowded with worshippers for weekly prayers. Thirty-five were killed and more than 90 wounded.
The burqa-clad attackers shot at the mosque´s security guards before opening fire on worshippers and then detonating their explosives.
https://nation.com.pk/05-Aug-2018/afghan-suicide-blast-kills-three-czech-soldiers-taliban-claim-responsibility
By Julfikar Ali Manik and Maria Abi-Habib
DHAKA, Bangladesh — Thousands of students paralyzed parts of Bangladesh’s capital on Sunday to protest the country’s abysmal road safety conditions. Teenagers dressed in school uniforms erected checkpoints across the city, forcing the police and government ministers to observe traffic laws that are otherwise poorly enforced.
The protests in Dhaka, the capital, have entered their second week with no signs of abating, with demonstrators demanding justice after two students were killed and 12 others wounded when a bus plowed into a bus stop on July 29.
The driver had lost control of his vehicle while racing another bus to pick up passengers, a common occurrence in Bangladesh, where dozens of poorly regulated private transportation companies vie for customers. Nearly 7,400 people died in traffic accidents across Bangladesh last year, with 16,100 others injured.
The protests intensified on Sunday when university students joined the middle and high school students who have led the movement so far. The newcomers joined in solidarity after a pro-government student union joined the police’s ranks and clashed with protesters on Saturday, wounding dozens.
That violence continued on Sunday, when the student union returned to the streets to support the police, who used tear gas and batons to subdue protesters. Armed with scraps of metal and thick, gnarled tree branches, pro-government student protesters attacked and wounded five photojournalists, including a photographer from The Associated Press. At least 200 people have been wounded in the protests.
The demonstrations have been leaderless so far, with students gathering at their schools or universities in the morning before funneling out onto the street to block roads and erect makeshift checkpoints around their respective institutions. Bus operators across the country shut down long-distance routes this week in response.
On some days the protests have attracted up to 15,000 students, with parents leaving work to join their children and restaurants offering free food to demonstrators.
The students’ ability to organize and to enforce poorly obeyed laws has embarrassed the governing party, the Awami League, as it heads into elections in December.
Students responsible for checkpoints have forced the police and government officials to provide driver’s licenses and car registration. They have also helped ease street congestion by forcing Dhaka’s drivers — notorious for driving on the wrong side of the road or skipping traffic lines — to obey laws.
“If children like us can establish discipline in traffic management, why can’t the traffic police do it?” said Tameem Dari Khan, who recently graduated from high school and is waiting to attend university. “It’s because they get bribes. They are not interested to check properly, so they can get some illegal benefit.”
On Thursday, students asked a police sergeant on a motorcycle to show his license, which he refused to do. When the sergeant slapped a young boy, the students attacked him and set fire to his motorcycle.
Despite that episode, most interactions at student-run checkpoints have been peaceful. A government minister traveling in his motorcade was stopped at a checkpoint last week, and was then forced to ride with his security detail after his chauffeur failed to produce a driver’s license. Students have turned over unlicensed drivers to the police.
Although the government was reluctant to use violence at the start of the protests, the police’s violent turn this weekend may encourage more students to come out, observers said. The governing party has also blamed the opposition for stoking protests.
On Sunday, Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan praised the patience displayed by the police, but added that law enforcement officers would not continue to “sit idle and watch.”
“We will go for tough action if the limit is crossed,” he said.
For many, the protests are about much more than the country’s hazardous road conditions. They also symbolize the poor governance and corruption across Bangladesh.
The student movement has demanded that the death penalty be imposed on the driver who careered into the bus stop at full speed on July 29, and that the government enforce more rigorous traffic laws.
Shipping Minister Shajahan Khan mocked the protesters during a news conference last week. Pointing out that a recent bus crash in neighboring India had killed 30 passengers, he said that “they don’t complain about it as we do.”
Mr. Khan is also the head of Bangladesh’s powerful transportation lobby, which activists say is a conflict of interest.
The transportation sector has long operated above the law, with powerful officials either owning private bus companies or relying on its workers for political support. By bribing officials, transportation companies obtain driver’s licenses for employees, who are often first-time drivers. They also bribe the police to get out of deadly accidents or allow their decrepit buses to continue along commuter routes.
“The transportation sector is absolutely corrupt,” said Iftekharuzzaman, who goes by one name and is the executive director of Transparency International, Bangladesh.
Internet speeds for mobile phones were also lowered over the weekend, preventing protesters from uploading pictures and video of their demonstrations to social media or the messaging service WhatsApp.
The student protesters accused the government of blocking free speech. But the telecommunication minister, Mustafa Jabbar, said in an interview that a technical issue had prevented mobile providers from offering faster connections.
Other officials said the mobile internet speeds had been purposefully slowed after rumors that the Awami League party detained, killed and raped several demonstrators at one of their offices in Dhaka.
The rumors quickly spread on social media and escalated violence across the capital on Saturday afternoon, culminating when several thousand students marched on the Awami League office. But they found no evidence that protesters had been unlawfully detained there and publicly denounced the rumors as false, tamping down protesters’ rage.
“I think mobile operators’ problems have come as blessings for all of us — otherwise we would get more rumors by now,” said Mr. Jabbar, the telecommunications minister.
If the government is behind the move to slow the country’s internet, Bangladesh would be the third South Asian country in recent months that has tried to harness the power of social media to prevent violent protests from escalating.
https://www.nytimes.com/2018/08/05/world/asia/bangladesh-students-protests.html
A suicide attack rocked Jalalabad city, the provincial capital of eastern Nangarhar province of Afghanistan.
The provincial government media office in a statement said an Afghan army soldier, Mohammad Omar, identified and grabbed a suicide bomber during a search which resulted into an explosion.
The statement further added that the brave act of the Afghan army soldier resulted into prevention of further casualties to the people in the area.
However, the provincial government said at least five people including four army soldiers sustained injuries in the explosion.
Earlier reports indicated that the incident has taken place close to an army outpost close to Puli Behsud area and as a result at least one person has been killed and three others have sustained injuries.
https://www.khaama.com/suicide-attack-rocks-jalalabad-city-casualties-feared-05720/
Officials in the Ministry of Defense of Afghanistan confirmed the deployment of the Special Forces of the US Military in western Farah province of Afghanistan.
MoD spokesman Gen. Mohammad Radmanish said the US Special Forces have been deployed in support of the Afghan National Defense and Security forces to assist with the training of the Afghan armed forces.
He did not disclose further information in this regard and it is yet not clear how many soldiers have been deployed in Farah province.
In the meantime, Gen. Radmanish said the US Special Forces will train the Afghan armed forces on how to use the new weapons.
He also added that the US Special Forces have been deployed as part of the train, advise, and assist mission and will not participate in combat operations.
Reports regarding the deployment of US Special Forces in Farah province emerge amid growing insurgency activities by the Taliban militants in this province.
https://www.khaama.com/mod-confirms-deployment-of-us-special-forces-in-farah-province-05719/
The Taliban militants suffered heavy casualties after attacking the outposts of the Afghan security forces in southeastern Paktia province of Afghanistan.
According to the local officials, at least 23 Taliban militants were killed and four security personnel lost their lives during the heavy clashes.
The provincial government media office in a statement confirmed that the incident took place in Laja Mangal district the province.
The statement further added that 23 militants were killed and at least eight others were wounded during the clashes while the dead bodies of a number of militants are left in the area.
According to the provincial government, the clashes erupted after a number of Taliban militants launched coordinated attacks on security outposts late on Saturday night.
The attack was repulsed after additional forces of the Special Forces Kandak, border forces, and police forces were deployed in the area.
According to the officials, at least four security personnel also lost their lives during the clashes with the Taliban militants.
The Taliban militants have fled from the area and the security situation of the district is normal now, the provincial government added.
https://www.khaama.com/taliban-suffer-heavy-casualties-after-attacking-paktia-outposts-05717/
A car bomb exploded along the main street of Somalia's capital Mogadishu on Sunday, killing at least five people and wounding several others, authorities said.
Police said a car bomb parked in front of a restaurant at the busy street of Maka al Mukaram had exploded.
The front of the restaurant had been destroyed, blood stained the floor and chairs had been strewn around by the blast.
"A car bomb exploded at a parking in front (of) a restaurant," Major Abdullahi Hussein, a police officer, told Reuters.
Militant group al-Shabaab claimed responsibility for the attack on a website sympathetic to their cause.
It was the second fatal attack al-Shabaab claimed on Sunday, bringing the day's death toll to 17, excluding their own fighters.
Earlier at least 12 people were killed in a suicide car bombing southwest of Mogadishu. The attack hit the Afgoye district, claiming the lives of seven civilians and five police offers, police officer Ali Hassan told dpa. At least 14 others were wounded.
"The blast sent thick and dark smoke into the sky from the site of the explosion, a security checkpoint inside Afgoye," eyewitness Nuradiin Jama said.
Afgoye is an agricultural town located 30 kilometers (18 miles) southwest of Mogadishu.
In a separate incident, security forces killed two militants in Mogadishu's Hodan district. Al-Shabaab said the two militants were members of their group.
Al-Shabaab has stepped up attacks on high-profile targets in southern Somalia in recent weeks
Somalia has been convulsed by violence since 1991. Al-Shabaab is fighting to dislodge a Western-backed government protected by African Union-mandated peacekeepers.
https://www.dailysabah.com/africa/2018/08/05/at-least-17-killed-in-al-shabaab-car-bombings-in-somalia
Nigeria has repatriated at least 9,438 of its nationals trapped in Libya while efforts are ongoing to bring back everyone willing to return to their country, according to an official involved in the repatriation process.
“So far, about 9,438 migrants have been repatriated from Libya in collaboration and support of the International Migration Organization (IOM),” Abike Dabiri-Erewa, a presidential aide on foreign relations and diaspora, said in a statement late Sunday.
“Those that were brought back are being profiled and enrolled in various technical and vocational training centers with relevant agencies and nongovernmental organizations,” she added.
The official said the repatriation, ordered by the president, began shortly after footages emerged on the Internet of some of the migrants narrating their ordeals in the war-torn North African country and urging the Nigerian government to bring them home. Dabiri-Erewa said the Nigerian mission in Tripoli has traced another 116 of its nationals to a detention center in Zawiya and has now processed their repatriation to the country.
“Regrettably, she said 24 of them have refused to come back insisting they must get to Europe,” she said, appealing once again to “Nigerian youths to avail themselves the opportunities abound in the country as against risking their lives to search for a non-existing and deadly greener pastures abroad.”
http://www.worldbulletin.net/africa/204718/over-9400-nigerians-repatriated-from-libya
They were fleeing from a neighbouring village - a mainly Christian community.
They say they came under attack from about 300 well-armed men who started shooting sporadically and burning down their homes.
Some of those who managed to escape ran towards the mainly Muslim neighbourhood nearby where the imam lived, arriving over the next hour.
The cleric immediately came to their aid, hiding in total 262 men, women and children in his home and mosque.
"I first took the women to my personal house to hide them. Then I took the men to the mosque," the imam said.
We have blurred the faces of the imam and the villages, for their own safety.
This was the latest wave of violence to hit Nigeria's central region where farming communities and nomadic cattle herders often clash - usually over access to land and grazing rights.
http://www.worldbulletin.net/islamic-world/203624/what-this-muslim-group-do-in-sydney
Children from Islamist households in Germany represent a "not insignificant potential threat," the head of the Office for the Protection of the Constitution (BfV), Germany's domestic intelligence service, Hans-Georg Maassen said Monday.
In a new report cited by the Funke media group, the BfV said there were signs the "radicalization of minors and young adults" was becoming more likely and happening faster and earlier.
The BfV document estimated that some 300 children in Germany were affected. Children in some of these families are "educated from birth with an extremist world view that legitimizes violence against others and degrades those who aren't part of their group," the report said.
It expressed concerns about families who had traveled to war zones in the Middle East, as well as those who had remained in Germany.
Maassen warned that what he described as the ongoing jihadist socialization of children was "alarming" and would pose a significant challenge to authorities in the coming years.
Monitoring minors
The BfV findings have led to calls from politicians in Chancellor Angela Merkel's Christian Democratic Union (CDU) to drop the age limit for surveillance candidates to under 14.
"This is not about criminalizing people under the age of 14, but about warding off significant threats to our country, like Islamic terrorism, which also targets children," CDU politician Patrick Sensburg told the Funke media group.
Stephan Mayer, the interior affairs spokesman for the CDU's Bavarian sister party, the Christian Social Union (CSU), said such a measure would also be for the protection of the children affected, adding that some of the individuals who traveled to crisis regions in Syria and Iraq to join jihad were very young.
Herbert Reul, the CDU Interior Minister of the western state of North-Rhine Westphalia, said authorities needed appropriate "instruments to be able to deal with traumatized and violent returnees under the age of 14."
https://www.dw.com/en/islamist-children-pose-real-threat-to-germany-spy-chief-warns/a-44963227
LONDON: Graduating from high school in Syria in 2010, Mohammed Chaikh set his sights on Europe to pursue the “independence and opportunities” afforded by an overseas education. “I wanted a new experience, a new life,” said the 26-year old mechanical engineering student, who is now in his fourth year at RWTH Aachen University in Germany.
At the time, few of his friends applied to international institutions - “most wanted to stay in Syria,” he said. But within a year, war had broken out and since then “almost everyone has changed their mind.”
The conflict in Syria has forced vast numbers out of education and encouraged those who can afford it to apply overseas but students from the war-torn country are part of a long tradition of Arab youth pursuing higher learning in the West. Despite efforts by Middle East governments to enhance the education landscape at home, many young people still see completing their studies in the US or Europe as a necessary stepping stone to a successful career.
“Degrees from European and other Western countries tend to be more valued,” said 21-year-old Seif Farid, who is doing an engineering degree at the University of Surrey in the UK. Studying abroad is seen as “something prestigious” in his native Egypt and employers look favourably on those with a Western education,
In the past, Middle East governments have facilitated overseas study opportunities via grants and funds, such as the $6 billion King Abdullah Scholarship Program (KASP), which has supported hundreds of thousands of Saudi students through degree courses in over 30 countries around the world and the Kuwait Excellence Scholarships for Arab Students in France.
“The idea is to enhance the social and economic development of Arab countries,” said professor Ishaq Al-Qutub, president of Arab Student Aid International, which has branches in the USA, Palestine and Dubai and provides loans for up to 200 high-achieving students a year, most of them from low-income countries across the Arab world, including Iraq, Palestine, Morocco and Sudan.
Priority is given to those studying applied sciences as subjects where the skills shortage is considered to be most acute in MENA countries.
Applicants must repay the loan within five years of completing their studies and sign a statement saying they will return to their home country. “They take the knowledge, the experience, the know-how and return back with the wealth of this knowledge,” Al-Qutub said.
“This way we can bridge the gap between the Arab countries and other industrialised and advanced nations,” he added.
More recently, a push to promote education in the region has attempted to stem the brain drain by improving the education landscape locally and encouraging the brightest minds to pursue higher learning at home.
Foreign university franchises offering up a Sorbonne or NYU education in Abu Dhabi and a degree from the Middlesex or Heriot Watt University branch campuses in Dubai, have helped build the reputation of emerging higher education hubs in the UAE, attracting students from across the region and further afield to study in the Gulf.
But for many MENA students, the tradition of travelling abroad to complete their education in the West remains a rite of passage, personally as well as academically.
Mohammed Chaikh’s brother and father studied in Germany, a family tradition he was keen to continue, even though it meant loading containers and working at a paint factory between lectures to support his studies.
He remembers the excitement he felt on his first day. “It was the first time I’d ever been abroad from Syria,” he said.
University culture in Germany was far removed from the experiences described by his friends back in Syria, even before the war made completing their courses impossible for many.
“Student life there is really different,” said Chaikh who initially struggled to learn German and form friendships with other students but soon adapted. “Now I don’t really need to make (social) plans, I just go for a walk along the street and bump into so many people I know.”
Germany, along with the UK and France, are among the most popular choices for Middle East students in Europe.
Heidelberg University in Germany, which currently has around 260 students from the MENA region, said that medicine is a particularly popular choice for overseas Arab students applying to the institution, which is one of the world’s oldest universities.
But with arts scenes being given a broader platform to flourish across the region, more Middle East students are now applying to Western institutions for social sciences and creative courses.
Shereen Zumot, a 32-year old Jordanian actress, was recently awarded a prestigious Chevening scholarship to do a masters in Performance Making at Goldsmiths, University of London.
Zumot, who has previously performed at the Edinburgh Fringe festival in Scotland and worked as associate director on a successful UK production called Queens of Syria, which featured performances by 13 refugee women, chose the UK over New York to pursue the next phase of her theatrical studies.
“It’s always been my dream to study in London; it’s where the good theatre is,” she said.
While the US has witnessed a decline in its student intake from the Middle East, with a notable decrease in UAE and Saudi nationals - due partly to President Trump’s controversial travel ban against seven Muslim-majority countries - the UK has reported a notable rise in students from the region.
Applications from Saudi Arabia increased by 10 percent in 2018, marking an increase for the first time in several years, according to Ucas, the body that processes applications to UK universities.
Figures showed that the trend is mirrored across the region, with applicants from Jordan up 16 percent from 2017, Oman and Kuwait, both up 7 percent and Lebanon and Morocco increasing by 25 percent each.
A spokesperson for the British Council in London said that the UK’s multicultural environment and “established international communities from all over the world” allows students from all background to feel at home.
The UK is also a more affordable study destination than both the US and Australia, she said, thanks partly to the short, flexible courses on offer.
The weaker pound in the wake of Brexit negotiations has also had a bearing on reducing the costs of a British education for foreign nationals.
For Farid, it would have taken up to five years to complete an engineering degree in Cairo, compared to three years in the UK, but he’s since discovered other advantages to studying abroad. “The high number of different nationalities present at UK universities is something I didn’t expect and I like this because it gives you the opportunity to learn about new cultures from around the world.”
http://www.arabnews.com/node/1351721/middle-east
Sajid Javid has been accused of trying to “buy the silence” of the Windrush generation by imposing non-disclosure agreements on citizens in return for fast-track compensation payments.
Labour claimed the home secretary had broken his promise to “do right” by those migrants from across the Commonwealth who were caught up in the scandal because they had problems proving their status.
The Guardian revealed last month that several Windrush citizens had been paid some compensation by the Home Office, but then asked to sign an NDA, to the concern of others still waiting for assistance.
Over the weekend the Independent reported others had been put in similar positions in return for speedy payments.
The home secretary told MPs last month that a new compensation scheme for Windrush-era migrants would not involve gagging clauses. “No one will be asked to sign any kind of non-disclosure agreement or anything like that,” he said.
But just days earlier, on 13 July, he had written to the home affairs select committee (HASC) to say that payments had already been made through other routes in some cases and an NDA could have been used.
“Where we consider that the department has erred, we will seek to reduce any further distress for the claimant by making an offer of compensation, rather than continue through a lengthy legal challenge,” he said.
“I can confirm that Windrush generation cases are sometimes addressed through this route … Whilst there is no requirement, settlement offers are sometimes accompanied by confidentiality clauses, depending on individual circumstances.”
Diane Abbott said the NDAs showed that the Windrush generation continued to be failed by the government. “The home secretary promised to ‘do right’ by our fellow citizens from the Windrush generation, yet it appears he has gone back on his word.
“The Home Office must not attempt to buy the silence of citizens who have been so shockingly wronged and had their rights so gravely infringed in return for compensation that they are entitled to,” the shadow home secretary said.
“It is totally unacceptable for the Home Office to impose non-disclosure agreements and gag those who have suffered at the hands of the hostile environment in order to cover up the true scale of the Windrush scandal.
“The Home Office must compensate all those who have suffered without further delay and without any form of non-disclosure agreement.”
Javid committed to providing financial redress for those caught up in the scandal by appointing a lawyer and son of Windrush parents to oversee the design of the compensation scheme.
Among those affected are people forced out of work, in some cases for years, and unable to claim welfare support, as well as individuals wrongfully detained and in some cases deported.
Victims could have their compensation capped under government proposals announced last month to ensure no individual receives a “disproportionately” high payment from the public purse.
The use of NDAs was described as “totally unacceptable” by Labour MP David Lammy, who has campaigned on behalf of Windrush victims, while the chair of the select committee, Yvette Cooper, called on Javid to explain why he appeared to have gone back on his word.
“The home secretary has assured us that the Home Office will be transparent over Windrush – but using NDAs to hide things that have gone wrong cannot be justified. We will continue to pursue this,” she said.
A spokesman for the Home Office said: “The case referred to in the letter to the HASC predated the Windrush compensation scheme.
https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2018/aug/05/sajid-javid-accused-of-buying-silence-of-windrush-citizens
An expert says massive hypocrisy in dealing with the Daesh terrorist group and a huge failure to involve young people in the UK society is to blame for a surge in terrorist motives among the youth in Britain.
In an interview with the Press TV on Sunday, Rodney Shakespeare, a political commentator from London, said that Britain’s dual policy of cracking down on Daehs recruits in the country while supporting governments that helped the terrorist group to emerge was a main reason why it was facing more plots for terrorist attacks over the past years.
“ ... firstly a huge amount of hypocrisy in respect of Daesh internationally because there you see we support the philosophical source of Daesh which Saudi Arabia and the financial source of Daesh which is Saudi Arabia,” said Shakespeare, adding that the British government not only supporting those who created Daesh but also helped the destruction of Iraq and Libya which created the circumstances for creation of Daesh.
The expert said a second reason for the radicalization of youth in Britain was the failure of the British society to involve them in a genuine way so that they could feel loyalty to the place they live in.
“This is a sad story manifesting the British hypocrisy pointing to a huge failure in respect of our ability to generally involve young people in society in such a away as that they feel loyalty to it and don’t want to go destroying absolutely any place when they can get entry carrying some sort of device or explosive weapon,” said Shakespeare.
On Friday, UK authorities handed down a life sentence to a teenager over links to the Daesh terrorist group and alleged plots to carry out attacks in the capital London.
https://www.presstv.com/Detail/2018/08/05/570311/UK-Daesh-policy-terrorism-expert-view
Hamza bin Laden, the son of the late al-Qaida leader, has married the daughter of Mohammed Atta, the lead hijacker in the 9/11 terror attacks, according to his family.
The union was confirmed by Osama bin Laden’s half-brothers . Ahmad and Hassan al-Attas said they believed Hamza had taken a senior position within al-Qaida and was aiming to avenge the death of his father, shot dead during a US military raid in Pakistan . Hamza bin Laden is the son of one of Osama bin Laden’s three surviving wives, Khairiah Sabar, who was living with her husband in a compound in Abbottabad, near a large Pakistani military base, when he was killed. He has since made public statements urging followers to wage war on Washington, London, Paris and Tel Aviv and is seen as a deputy to the terrorist group’s current leader, Ayman al-Zawahiri.
“We have heard he has married the daughter of Mohammed Atta,” said Ahmad al-Attas. “We’re not sure where he is, but it could be Afghanistan.”
Western intelligence agencies have been increasingly focusing on the whereabouts of Hamza bin Laden over the past two years, seeing him as more likely than anyone else to galvanise followers. His marriage to the daughter of Atta, an Egyptian national, appears to confirm that the 9/11 alumni remains a central hub of al-Qaida and that the organisation itself continues to be organised around Osama bin Laden’s legacy.
Another of Bin Laden’s sons, Khalid, was killed in the US raid in Abbottabad. A third, Saad, was killed in a drone strike in Afghanistan in 2009. Letters purportedly written by Osama bin Laden and seized from the compound suggested he was grooming Hamza to replace him, partly to avenge the death of Saad.
Bin Laden’s wives and surviving children have returned to Saudi Arabia, where they were given refuge by the former crown prince Mohammed bin Nayef. The women and children remain in close contact with Bin Laden’s mother, Alia Ghanem, who told the Guardian in an interview that she remained in regular touch with surviving family members.
“When we thought everyone was over this, next thing I knew was Hamza saying I am going to avenge my father,” said Hassan al-Attas. “I don’t want to go through that again.
“If Hamza was in front of me now, I would tell him: God guide you. Think twice about what you are doing. Don’t retake the steps of your father. You are entering really negative and horrible parts of your soul.”
The family claimed they did not have any contact with Osama bin Laden from 1999 until his death in 2011. They said they had not heard from Hamza bin Laden nor received any messages from him.
In recognition of his apparent status within al-Qaida, the US government labelled him a specially designated global terrorist in January 2017, meaning his assets could be blocked and anyone who dealt with him faced arrest.
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2018/aug/05/hamza-bin-laden-marries-daughter-of-911-hijacker-mohammed-atta
Iran’s Revolutionary Guards confirmed on Sunday it had held war games in the Gulf over the past several days, saying they were aimed at “confronting possible threats” by enemies, the state news state news agency IRNA reported.
US officials told Reuters on Thursday that the United States believed Iran had started carrying out naval exercises in the Gulf, apparently moving up the timing of annual drills amid heightened tensions with Washington.
“This exercise was conducted with the aim of controlling and safeguarding the safety of the international waterway and within the framework of the program of the Guards’ annual military exercises,” Guards spokesman Ramezan Sharif said, according to IRNA.
The US military’s Central Command on Wednesday confirmed it has seen increased Iranian naval activity. The activity extended to the Strait of Hormuz, a strategic waterway for oil shipments the Revolutionary Guards have threatened to block.
Guards commander Mohammad Ali Jafari “expressed satisfaction over the successful conduct of the Guards naval exercise, emphasizing the need to maintain and enhance defense readiness and the security of the Gulf and the Strait of Hormuz and to confront threats and potential adventurous acts of enemies,” IRNA quoted Sharif as saying.
One US official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said possibly more than 100 vessels were involved in the drills, including small boats.
US officials, speaking to Reuters on condition of anonymity, said the drills appeared designed to send a message to Washington, which is intensifying its economic and diplomatic pressure on Tehran but so far stopping short of using the US military to more aggressively counter Iran and its proxies.
Iran has been furious over US President Donald Trump’s decision to pull out of an international agreement on Iran’s nuclear program and re-impose sanctions on Tehran. Senior Iranian officials have warned the country would not easily yield to a renewed US campaign to strangle Iran’s vital oil exports.
But Iran did not appear interested in drawing attention to the drills. Iranian authorities had not commented on them earlier and several officials contacted by Reuters this week had declined to comment.
Last month, Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei backed President Hassan Rouhani’s suggestion that Iran may block Gulf oil exports if its own exports are stopped.
https://english.alarabiya.net/en/News/world/2018/08/05/Iran-s-Revolutionary-Guards-says-it-held-Gulf-war-games-this-week-.html
US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo vowed Sunday that the United States would "enforce the sanctions" it is reimposing after President Donald Trump pulled out of the 2015 nuclear pact.
As of 0401 GMT Tuesday, the Iran government can no longer buy US banknotes and broad sanctions will be slapped on Iranian industries, including its rug exports.
Pompeo told journalists that heaping pressure on Tehran was meant to "push back against Iranian malign activity," saying Iranians "are unhappy with the failure of their own leadership to deliver the economic promises that their leadership promised them."
Pompeo told reporters on his way home from a three-nation trip to South East Asia that the Trump administration is open to looking beyond sanctions but adds that would "require enormous change" from Tehran.
He said President Donald Trump is intent on getting Iran to "behave like a normal country."
US sanctions had been eased by the Obama administration under the terms of the landmark 2015 Iran nuclear deal. Trump decided in May to withdraw from the accord.
https://english.alarabiya.net/en/News/middle-east/2018/08/06/Pompeo-Sanctions-to-be-enforced-until-Iran-behaves-like-a-normal-country-.html
LOS ANGELES: Police say 11 children ages one to 15 were rescued in the US state of New Mexico after officers raided a makeshift compound occupied by armed “extremists.”
Two men were arrested after police found them and the children in what one officer called “the saddest living conditions and poverty I have seen,” as part of the operation connected to a months-long search for an abducted three-year-old, according to New Mexico’s Taos County sheriff’s office.
The investigation kicked off late last year on the opposite side of the country in Jonesboro, Georgia, where 39-year-old Siraj WahHajj of the state’s Clayton County was accused of kidnapping his toddler — who was ultimately not found.
The boy’s mother told police her child, who she said suffered from seizures along with development and cognitive delays, went to the park with his father WahHajj last December and never returned.
On August 2, Sheriff Jerry Hogrefe of Taos County in New Mexico issued a search warrant describing “a makeshift compound surrounded by tires and an earthen berm” in a subdivision, where WahHajj along with adult Lucas Morten were thought to be.
The FBI had provided information and surveillance on the spot but “didn’t feel there was enough probable cause to get on the property,” Hogrefe said.
“That all changed for me when a message was forwarded to us from a Georgia Detective that we reasonably believed came from someone at the compound — the message sent to a third party simply said in part ‘we are starving and need food and water,’” the sheriff said in a statement.
“I absolutely knew that we couldn’t wait on another agency to step up and we had to go check this out as soon as possible.”
The sheriff described planning “a tactical approach for our own safety because we had learned the occupants were most likely heavily armed and considered extremist of the Muslim belief.”
On the morning of August 3, a dozen officers kicked off the “all day” operation, discovering the two men with an AR-15 rifle, five loaded 30-round magazines and four loaded pistols, including one in WahHajj’s pocket.
The men at first refused to follow verbal direction, police said, who added the raid went without major incident or injuries.
Morten was charged with harboring a fugitive and WahHajj was booked without bond on his Georgia warrant for child abduction.
http://www.arabnews.com/node/1351756/world
KUALA LUMPUR, Aug 5 — A group comprising mostly Indian Muslims urged the government today to appoint a senator to champion minority rights.
The Malaysia Muslim People Coalition (Irimm) headed by Amir Amsaa Alla Pitchay, who used to be president of the pro-Barisan Nasional (BN) Malaysian Indian Muslim Congress (Kimma), also declared their support for the Pakatan Harapan (PH) government.
“We (Irimm) do not have any senatorship to highlight or voice our grievances from the grassroots through to the ministry level,” said Irimm president Amir Amsaa Alla Pitchay.
“This kind of things is where PH has to engage and appoint a person in every state to help the community,” he added.
Irimm, with just over 5,000 members nationwide, was formed in 2012 to champion the cause and help Muslim-minority communities in the country.
Amir Amsaa said he hopes that with the support of the PH government, more large scale events and welfare programmes can be organised and executed by Irimm.
He added the coalition was in the process of reaching out to Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad and Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail to arrange a meeting to officiate their support towards PH.
“We hope to have large scale events with the government’s support, as we are also looking to have the support of the ministers to help the causes we are championing,” he said.
https://www.malaymail.com/s/1659375/indian-muslim-group-wants-senator-to-push-minority-rights
KUALA LUMPUR, Aug 6 — The Deputy Speaker of Parliament, Nga Kor Ming, today chided Opposition lawmakers for still resorting to race and religious politics during the 14th Parliament sittings.
In an interview with Malay daily Utusan Malaysia on his new role, Nga expressed his disappointment, particularly with the Opposition lawmakers for employing below the belt tactics when speaking during debates.
“From this aspect, it is disappointing, particularly concerning the opposition bench; many are bringing up old issues while playing the race and religious card, which to me is not healthy,” he was quoted saying.
Acknowledging Islam as the official religion according to the Federal Constitution, Nga added the constitution also allowed for other religions to be freely practised.
“That is why I have advised the MPs and they must understand they elected and supported by voters of several ethnic backgrounds, as not one of the 222 parliamentary seats are made up of 100 per cent of one race, they are all multiracial,” Nga was quoted in the daily.
He then advised the representatives, of which 90 are first time MPs, to debate issues in the House from the perspective of a Malaysian, and not from a narrow point of view.
“They must also understand and be aware if their arguments are based on facts, statistics, or blank rhetoric,” he added, referring to the MPs.
“They must also keep to their promise and oath, and never forget the Parliament is a place from the people, to serve the people, operated by the people,” he added.
https://www.malaymail.com/s/1659557/deputy-speaker-opposition-mps-still-harping-on-racial-religious-politics
KUALA LUMPUR: The Government is looking into upgrading the status of Kafa (religious) teachers, including appointing them to permanent posts, says Deputy Minister in the Prime Minister's Department Fuziah Salleh.
She said a study on the matter was being conducted by the Islamic Development Department of Malaysia (Jakim), which is the coordinator of the Kafa programme.
“Jakim is conducting a study to upgrade the status of Kafa teachers, among others, to be appointed as permanent staff in the service and we want to ensure the skills of Kafa teachers are upgraded through appropriate courses,” she said at the Dewan Rakyat sitting on Monday.
She was replying to a supplementary question from Datuk Tuan Ibrahim Tuan Man (PAS-Kubang Kerian) on the Government’s plan to upgrade the status of Kafa contract teachers nationwide.
She said the Pakatan Harapan Government was committed to maintaining a monthly allowance of RM900 and the Employees Provident Fund (EPF) contribution of RM900 per month and EPF contribution of RM117 per month to Kafa teachers as undertaken by the previous government.
However, she said the Government also welcomed the state government's matching grants in efforts to raise the salary of the Kafa teachers.
“Some states provide additional allowances such as Selangor which provides up to RM700 monthly, bringing the total to RM1,717 monthly, while other states also provide additional allowance,” she said.
Replying to a supplementary question from Ahmad Hassan (Warisan-Papar) on Kafa teachers in Sabah who received less than RM900 per month, Fuziah said the matter needed to be reported and investigated as the allocation to the agency responsible in implementing the programme was at the state level.
She said Jakim was the coordinator of the Kafa programme but the operation was conducted by state departments and Yayasan Islam at the state level.
https://www.thestar.com.my/news/nation/2018/08/06/govt-to-upgrade-status-of-kafa-religious-teachers/
JEDDAH: A delegation from the Union of Teachers of Arabic Language in Indonesia visited the Islamic University in Madinah on Friday to learn about the university’s experience and knowledge of education for Muslim children from all over the world.
The delegation met Dr. Mahmoud Qadah, the university’s vice president for International Cooperation and Knowledge Exchange, who said many Indonesian students graduated from the Islamic University, and some are now teaching in different capacities all across the world.
More than 200 Indonesian students enrolled this year to study at the varsity, which is an unprecedented number from one country throughout the history of the Madinah-based teaching institution.
Indonesia is the world’s largest Muslim-majority state and the fourth most populous country in the world. Indonesia is the largest economy in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN).
http://www.arabnews.com/node/1351706/saudi-arabia
The Comprehensive Humanitarian Assistance Center in Yemen briefed the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) in Yemen on the recent events in Hodeidah.
It also reviewed the statement issued by Arab Coalition regarding the involvement of the Houthi militia in a deadly attack on civilians on Thursday on a hospital and fish market in Hodeidah.
The Center “expressed its sympathy and deep sorrow for the deaths of innocent civilians in Yemen, stressing the need to spare civilians in all Yemeni governorates the effects of the conflict,” according to a Saudi Press Agency statement on Sunday.
The Center also called for “full compliance with the provisions of international humanitarian law,” saying Houthis were in violation of this following the attack which killed dozens of civilians.
The Center also expressed its condolences to the families and families of the victims, stressing its continued efforts and maximum cooperation to assist the Yemeni people in coordination with the Yemeni government, coalition forces and humanitarian and relief organizations operating in Yemen.
The coalition launched a comprehensive humanitarian operations plan in Yemen on January 22, through which Yemen's humanitarian response plan for 2018 was funded with $1.25 billion from Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Kuwait.
The plan included the establishment of the Comprehensive Humanitarian Assistance Center in Yemen to coordinate humanitarian action in Yemen to communicate and answer the questions and needs of humanitarian organizations working in Yemen and provide support to relief workers.
The plan also included a number of initiatives to improve the humanitarian situation in Yemen and to promote delivery and distribution of aid to cities and the Yemeni governorates, through a number of projects to improve roads and ports.
https://english.alarabiya.net/en/News/gulf/2018/08/05/Yemen-calls-on-fishermen-to-avoid-sailing-near-Arab-Coalition-ships.html
The United Arab Emirates, a partner in the Arab coalition for restoring legitimacy in Yemen, said on Sunday that it backs the UN-brokered talks in Geneva between the country’s warring sides.
The United Nations envoy to Yemen, Martin Griffiths, on Thursday told the Security Council that “a political solution” to end the war in Yemen was “available” and that the two sides would be invited to talks on September 6 in Geneva.
“We have always been in support of the special envoy, we are going to continue to do so,” Emirati Minister of State for International Cooperation Reem al-Hashemi told reporters in the UAE capital Abu Dhabi.
UN-brokered negotiations on Yemen broke down in 2016.
Griffiths told the Security Council that he was “still trying” to negotiate a deal to avoid a full-blown battle for Hodeida, the Red Sea port city that is a key entry point for humanitarian aid.
https://english.alarabiya.net/en/News/gulf/2018/08/05/Reem-al-Hashimi-UAE-backs-UN-talks-between-warring-Yemen-sides.html
Protests renewed in Tehran and several Iranian cities on Sunday evening, marking the sixth consecutive day of protests against the regime’s policies while some violent clashes erupted between protestors and security forces in some cities.
According to videos published by activists, there were protests in the neighborhood of Ekbatan, northwest of Tehran, in other areas like Daneshjoo Park in the center of Tehran, and in the streets of Karagar and Amir Abad in South Tehran.
Protestors in Enghelab Street, in the center of Tehran, were chanting “Death to the Dictator.” A video showed security forces attack protestors while some young men burnt trash bins to obstruct the security forces’ advance.
Violent clashes also erupted between protestors and riot police in the park of Tehran’s theatre, and according to some reports, there were violent clashes between protestors and riot police in Qom and Karaj.
Activists said the government shut down cellular services and cut off the internet in both cities, Qom and Karaj, to prevent citizens from publishing photos of protests and clashes.
https://english.alarabiya.net/en/News/middle-east/2018/08/06/Iran-protests-resume-for-6th-day-amid-violent-clashes-with-security-forces.html
Saudi Arabia has agreed to issue visa to an Iranian diplomat to head the Islamic Republic's interests section in the kingdom, in a rare move after the two countries broke off relations two years ago.
An informed diplomatic source told IRNA on Sunday that Saudi Arabia had agreed to grant a visa to a diplomat introduced as the caretaker of Iran's interests section.
Following the approval by Saudi Arabia's Foreign Ministry, head of the Oman and Yemen Department at Iran's Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Mohammad Alibek, has been appointed as the caretaker of the Islamic Republic's interests section in the city of Jeddah, the official Iranian news agency further said.
Observers see the move as a positive diplomatic step in Tehran-Riyadh relations, it added.
Iranian Foreign Ministry Spokesman Bahram Qassemi said on Saturday that Iran planned to open an interests section in Saudi Arabia.
“Advances have been made in the past two weeks and I believe there are signs that the interests section will open and become operational,” Qassemi added.
Relations between Iran and Saudi Arabia first soured after a deadly human crush during the Hajj rituals in September 2015, when hundreds of Iranian pilgrims among others lost their lives.
Tensions further escalated a few months later following the kingdom's execution of prominent Shia cleric, Sheikh Nimr al-Nimr.
Riyadh cut off diplomatic ties with Tehran in January 2016 following angry protests in front of its diplomatic premises in the cities of Tehran and Mashhad against the execution.
Ever since breaking its ties with Iran, the kingdom has ramped up its negative rhetoric against the Islamic Republic over its role in the region.
Back in December, Iranian President Hassan Rouhani said the Islamic Republic could restore its relations with Saudi Arabia should the kingdom end its military aggression on Yemen and cut its friendship with the Tel Aviv regime.
https://www.presstv.com/Detail/2018/08/05/570281/Iran-Saudi-Arabia-Mohammad-Alibek-interests-section-visa
The Tel Aviv regime may agree to a limited ceasefire with Palestinian resistance groups in the besieged Gaza Strip, Israeli officials have hinted.
An unnamed Israeli official said Sunday that there might be talks focusing on a proposal to ease the blockade of Gaza if the Palestinians calm their side of the fence that separates the occupied territories from the blockaded coastal sliver.
“A complete ceasefire (by the Palestinians) will lead, on Israel’s part, to the reopening of the Kerem Shalom crossing and renewal of the permits given in respect to the fishing zones,” Reuters quoted the official as saying.
The offer would be the focus of later deliberations, the official said, adding that any eventual broader agreement over Gaza would require a guarantee for the return of the remains of two Israeli soldiers killed in the 2014 Israeli war on Gaza. Hamas and other resistance groups have linked their fate to Israel freeing Palestinian security detainees.
Hussam Badran, one senior Hamas official, during a Sunday interview with Gaza radio station said, “Hamas has conducted internal meetings that have not yet ended.”
“The suffering of our people, and the 12-year blockade imposed with no guilt on their part, requires that all Palestinian leaders search for a real solution to this suffering ... without giving concessions when it comes to the known and outstanding positions and rights of our people,” the Hamas official said.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu earlier convened his cabinet to possibly approve proposals made by the United Nations (UN) and Egypt for preventing another war on Gaza. The UN and Egypt have not publicly detailed the proposals. They have spoken generally of a need to improve humanitarian conditions in Gaza.
Gaza has seen a surge in tensions since Palestinians launched weekly protests along the fence. In response to the protests, Israel on July 9 tightened the blockade by shuttering Gaza’s main commercial terminal and limiting a Palestinian fishing zone off the enclave. It offered to reverse the measures on Sunday.
The Fatah movement of Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, who holds sway in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, earlier said any deal risked ending hopes of achieving Palestinian statehood.
“(A deal would bring about a) separation of Gaza from the rest of the homeland and would create a mini-state which will be the graveyard of our national project,” said Munir Al-Ghaghoub, a spokesman for Fatah.
But after a meeting of the representatives of Palestinian factions, including Fatah, Badran said, “There will be no state in Gaza and no state without Gaza.”
Tensions have been running high near the fence since March 30, which marked the start of a series of protests dubbed “The Great March of Return.” Palestinian protesters demand the right to return for those driven out of their homeland.
The clashes in Gaza reached their peak on May 14, the eve of the 70th anniversary of Nakba Day, or the Day of Catastrophe, which coincided this year with Washington's relocation of the US embassy from Tel Aviv to occupied Jerusalem al-Quds.
https://www.presstv.com/Detail/2018/08/05/570308/Israel-Gaza-truce-
The Israeli military says its aircraft has conducted airstrikes on the northern parts of the besieged Gaza Strip, claiming it hit targets over “arson balloons.”
According to a brief statement released by the occupying regime’s military on Sunday, the aircraft “fired towards a vehicle that” allegedly served for “launching arson balloons” inside the occupied territories.
It added that the aircraft, a warplane according to some sources and a combat drone according to others, also fired another rocket at a gathering of Palestinians purportedly “launching arson balloons from the northern Gaza Strip into Israel.”
The Gaza Health Ministry confirmed the airstrikes and said that at least four Palestinians had sustained injuries in the aerial aggression.
Flying kites and balloons have become a new mode of resistance since Palestinians began their weekly protests near a fence separating the Gaza Strip from the occupied territories on March 30.
The protests peaked on May 14, when some 40,000 Gazans protested along the fence on the same day that the United States opened its embassy in Jerusalem al-Quds in a provocative move.
Israeli snipers and special troops have shot and killed more than 150 peaceful Palestinian protesters, sparking international outcry over the disproportionate use of force. Nearly 15,000 other Palestinians have sustained injuries, of whom at least 360 are reportedly in critical condition.
https://www.presstv.com/Detail/2018/08/05/570303/Palestine-Gaza-Israel-airstrike-arson-balloons
A dozen pro-Palestine activists, who were arrested by Israeli forces on board a Gaza-bound ship on Saturday, remain in custody of the regime for the second day.
On Saturday, Israeli forces seized the Swedish-flagged vessel "Freedom for Gaza" and took it to the port of Ashdod.
The Israeli army said in a statement that all the 12 activists on board the ship had been taken for "further inquiry."
The detained activists come from Sweden, Germany, Britain, Spain, France and Canada.
A spokeswoman for the Israeli immigration authority said the activists were still in custody and would be put on flights home.
The seized vessel was one of the four ships on the "Freedom Flotilla" which set sail from Denmark in May to draw the world's attention to the suffering of Palestinians under an inhumane Israeli blockade on the Gaza Strip. Two of the ships, however, remained behind after a recent stop in the Italian port of Palermo.
Last Sunday, the Israeli navy seized a Norwegian-flagged boat called “Return” with almost two dozen activists on board. It was also part of the Gaza "Freedom Flotilla," which was taking medical supplies to the coastal enclave.
The International Committee for Breaking the Siege of Gaza announced on Wednesday that the Israeli authorities had begun deporting several of the detained campaigners.
Divina Levrini, a Swedish human rights activist arrested on board the "Return" boat, said that she had been "tortured" while in Givon Prison.
After her deportation to Sweden, she made an interview with the Palestinian Ma'an news agency, demanding international action in the face of "genocide going on by an apartheid regime."
The fresh seizure of Gaza-bound ships follows a number of failed attempts by activists to reach the coastal sliver of land in recent years.
In 2015, a flotilla of four boats bound for Gaza was forcibly redirected to Ashdod by Israeli forces.
Back in May 2010, an Israeli raid on another Gaza-bound aid flotilla, called Mavi Marmara, killed 10 Turkish activists in high seas and sent Ankara-Tel Aviv ties into a tailspin.
The two sides normalized relations in June 2016, but their ties sank to a fresh low in May 2018 after the expelling of envoys amid growing tensions over the killing of dozens of Palestinians in the Gaza Strip at the hands of Israeli forces.
Tensions have been running high near the Gaza fence since March 30, which marked the start of a series of protests, dubbed “The Great March of Return,” demanding the right to return for those driven out of their homeland.
https://www.presstv.com/Detail/2018/08/05/570250/Palestine-Gaza-flotilla-Israel
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A while back, I picked up Risk of Rain on Steam. I knew it was coming out for Vita and PS4, so I didn’t play too much of it on my PC as I really felt it would fit the Vita quite well. Turns out that, while it does work one the Vita, it’s much better on PC or the PS4. This is mostly because the game has a lot of buttons to assign considering how relatively simple it is. I managed to find a layout that suits my style and is interchangeable on the Vita and PS4. I like being able to use both the d-pad and analog stick for movement, and thankfully, you can, but not by default on the Vita. Oddly, the PS4 has a different control layout and does allow you to use both with the default controls.
The controls are simple enough. Your character has four attacks or moves. The starting class has a burst fire, full auto, piercing shot, and a dodge roll. In addition, all characters can jump, interact with things, use and cycle items. Each move has a cool down so you can’t just abuse your more powerful moves. You’re invulnerable when you roll, but it has a long cool down, so you need to use it wisely.
Here I am explaining the controls without even discussing the game. That’s because I’m not entirely sure how to describe it, but I’ll try. At its core, Risk of Rain is a platform shooter with a heavy injection of rogue-like gameplay elements. By that, I mean that when you die, you’re dead. Start over. There’s no continue; just one chance. As you level up, so do your enemies. In addition to that, as your skill increases, so does the difficulty. There are dozens of power-ups throughout the game. My best runs involved items that increased my healing potential such as the war banner that creates a small area that will heal you as long as you stay within it. The banners come out at each level you gain and they stack with one another as well as with other healing items and skills. I also enjoyed the explosive shots quite a bit as they keep enemies at bay quite nicely.
If the game were simply a survival deal, it’d be quite fun at that, but there are six levels to try to overcome with bosses and hordes of enemies to keep you from progressing. Each level has multiple layouts to keep things fresh. The last level, Risk of Rain, is always the same, but if it weren’t, you might not be able to handle it. Risk of Rain isn’t strong on story, but that’s not its deal. I guess its deal is being brutally hard and charmingly addictive. I just wish it had brighter colors, but I feel like the drab pallet is intentional. Ah well!
Hard GamesPS VitaPS4Risk of Rainvita
By Greg Daily
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Sentencing – children and YP
Definitive guidelines (revised) on sentencing children and young people, and reduction in sentence for a guilty plea, are now in effect as of 1 June 2017. The sentencing guidelines set out the overarching principles, as well as specific guidelines in relation to sexual offences and robbery.
Sentencing – health and safety
The Court of Appeal allowed a large company’s appeal against sentence for two health and safety offences. At issue was the appropriate level of fine for a very large business organisation (Tata Steel) for two health and safety offences which resulted in serious and long-lasting injuries to two of its employees.
Confiscation order – private prosecution
A private prosecutor was not in a position of irremediable conflict, and the certification in this case under ss71 and 72 CJJ 1988 to secure benefit for himself by way of compensation was valid. The Court of Appeal has upheld the largest confiscation order ever secured in proceedings brought by a private prosecutor.
Sentencing – threats to kill
A pleaded guilty to two counts of making a threat to kill and assault occasioning ABH. He had very recently been released from prison on licence when the offences were committed, and he was sentenced to an extended sentence of six years. He also had a lengthy list of 12 convictions for 19 offences.
Sentencing – burglary
In this case, A appealed his sentence following conviction for burglary. He had pleaded guilty to an offence of criminal damage, and was sentenced to 27 months’ detention in a young offenders’ institution for the burglary, and one month’s detention to be served concurrently for the criminal damage conviction.
Evidence – hearsay
A message was not hearsay within the meaning of the CJA 2003, and was therefore admissible provided it was relevant and not subject to the discretionary exclusion. In this case, A was convicted of GBH after throwing sulphuric acid at the victim’s face.
Limitation periods – historic sex abuse cases
Over the last few years, the Court of Appeal has issued repeated warnings about the dangers of poor drafting of indictments in cases of alleged ‘historic sexual abuse’. Two further cases, heard together, further illustrate the problem. Both appellants had been convicted of offences under the Sexual Offences Act 1956 and the ground of appeal for both was that prosecution was time-barred.
Procedure – SFO interviews
Recent SFO guidance has given rise to a new Law Society practice note, Representing clients at section 2 CJA interviews. The SFO has published revised Operational guidance – presence of interviewee’s legal adviser at a section 2 interview addressed to interviewees and their lawyers.
Sentencing – speeding
Greater sentencing powers for magistrates are now in force in respect of fines for serious speeding offences. Notably, there is a new higher penalty for excessive speeding above legal speed limits.
Procedure – death of defendant
It is critical to maintain an approach to criminal justice that is consistent and even-handed, maintaining a definitive position that the death of a defendant brings any criminal prosecution of that defendant to an end. So said Sir Brian Leveson P, giving judgment in the Court of Appeal in a case where the defendant died before the jury gave its verdicts.
Defences – dangerous driving
Procedure – confiscation proceedings
Offences – conveying prohibited articles into prison
Appeal – trial in D’s absence
Procedure – CPR amendments
Arrest – convention rights
Evidence – DNA
Offences – sexual communication with a child
Offences – duplicity
Corporate crime – fraud
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Rethinking Africa
Rethinking Africa is a forward looking blog dedicated to the exchange of innovative thinking on issues affecting the advancement of African peoples wherever they are. We provide rigorous and insightful analyses on the issues affecting Africans and their vision of the world.
The allure of the humanities
Chuks Iloegbunam*****
(lecture given on the occasion of the 2018 Grand Alumni/Friends Homecoming of the Faculty of Arts, Nnamdi Azikiwe University Awka, Thursday 26 April 2018)
“Our history strongly suggests that we need to moderate strength and power with discretion and diplomacy, not only among our leaders but also among the generality of our people. It is not weakness to recognize the value of discretion. It is foolhardiness to choose death (or something close to it) in place of life.”
Michael J C Echeruo
I DECIDED to open today’s discussion with the above quote from Professor Echeruo’s “A Matter Of Identity”, his November 1979 foundational lecture of the Ahajioku Lecture Series. The reason is that it encapsulates the theme of my presentation, which is that E’kesia n’obi, ekee na mkpuke.
But, first of all, permit me to deliver to protocol its due. I count myself privileged to stand before you today, even if to do a job outside my professional territory of operation. I am a journalist who, by virtue of political appointments, has operated within governmental circles in the last 15 years. I have never been a teacher, not even a nursery school teacher. Yet, I have been pressed into service here, to deliver a disquisition to those whose primary and professional responsibility is the impartation of knowledge. In my view, it is like taking coal to Ngwo, Nigeria’s Newcastle! It has its risks and thrills. Theoretically, I could be ordered at any point of this assignment to return to wherever I came from, my thoughts and pronouncements considered no better than garble to the educated ear. On the other hand, I could be tolerated, in which case my representation could form a pedestal for firing crusts in order to extricate diamond. That would be thrilling.
Now, let me take us to the clay that molded this day. It first came in the innocuous form of a text message I received on Sunday February 2, 2018 from a functionary of this institution. This was what the message said:
“Good evening sir. I’m Professor Tracie Utoh-Ezeajugh, the Dean of the Faculty of Arts, Nnamdi Azikiwe University. We’re organizing an Alumni Homecoming/Luncheon Ceremony, to hold on 26th April 2018. The Faculty Board has nominated you as the person to deliver the Alumni Lecture. We will greatly appreciate your disposition and availability. I hope I can call to discuss this further? Thanks.”
I considered the message for a few moments and concluded that there must have been a mistake. It certainly was meant for someone else but got accidentally texted to my number. My first disposition was to ignore the communication, convinced that the sender would realize her mistake and quietly make amends. On second thoughts, however, I decided otherwise. Although I couldn’t remember ever personally interacting with Professor Utoh-Ezeajugh, I wasn’t unaware of her existence. I often read The Creative Artist – A Journal of Theatre and Media Studies, of which she is a coeditor. This led me into thinking that she probably was someone I could do business with. Still, I decided to approach the matter on a tentative note, by responding to her message in the following mode:
“Greetings, Prof. You’re in total freedom to call. But, wetin I wan talk? And whosai I go begin? Best regards. Chuks.”
She gave me a ring thereafter. We discussed the matter, and I accepted the invitation to be here. There is, of course, a second reason for my presence today. I should leave mentioning it until the tail end of my presentation.
ALLUREMENT comes in multiple fashions. As a matter of fact, it is doubtful that there is any aspect of life in which it is not present, if not dominant. This makes it imperative to discuss some of its ramifications, especially in so far as they are relevant to my argument. We have the moth’s allurement to fire. If you lit a storm lantern, you would within seconds have around it swarms of moth trying to make contact with the lantern’s flame. The predictable outcome of such contact by any moth is its instant incineration. It happens with human beings, ready examples being the lunatic’s irresistible temptation to strike a match in an ocean of highly inflammable gasoline, and the too determined child that would, Superman fashion, leap from the father’s fifth floor flat to the shiny automobile down in the parking lot. The lunatic will set off a conflagration to extinguish his miserable life and raze much more. The pull of gravity will drag the child to a thud on metal that would leave only the remains of gore and blood. These sorts of suicidal allurements are self evident in everyday life, even when those involved are folks believed to be perfectly sane.
There is the natural allurement. A biologically healthy adult is normally drawn to the attraction of the opposite sex. The young, fashionable female will see no reason why the make up or makeover should not be a distinct part of her daily routine. The adolescent will be drawn to the ball game, or to pugilism or to Ping-Pong or to some other sport. The old man with the tired limbs may resort to short walks or the game of Chess or Draughts or Ludo or Whot. In all of these allurements, there is hardly ever cause for alarm because they are natural.
In the arenas of learning and application, a number of problems inevitably arise. Learning begins from childhood. This learning may be partial to the humanities. A child, consciously or otherwise, begins to learn languages, music, fashion, literature and sport. All these are in the humanities. But, where a child’s first allure to learning is in the realms of quantum physics or quadratic equations, that would be an aberration. The child would be a prodigy. Even if a child unfortunately has boxing sparing partners or quarrelsome ones for parents and thus learns aggressiveness and garrulity from an early age, his learning, at the last word, would still be situated in the humanities. The contention here is that the allure of the humanities is primarily and essentially human. All other broad branches of learning come only a distant second, or third or fourth, as the case may be. In essence, all humans are schooled in the humanities as a matter of course whereas swathes of humankind pass through life with scant affinity to the sciences of fetal surgery and rocketry. Please mark the learning in question by various degrees on a 100-percentage index.
The allure of learning
AS A child grows, inherited genes and environmental circumstances determine to what specific areas of learning and/or occupation the Allure would drag them. That explains why today we have at the Chelsea Football Club in West London a wing half called Marcos Alonso. His brothers are all professional footballers. His father was a professional footballer. And so was his grandfather. Soccer runs in their family. When I was on the staff of the Vanguard newspapers in Lagos, I used to spend time at the newspaper’s Enugu offices on Obiagu Road. Near that office was a shed of vulcanizing business that boasted the grandfather that started the business before the Nigerian civil war, his first son, and his grandsons. None of them looked beyond the First School Leaving Certificate. As far as the ordinary eyes could see, none of them looked dissatisfied with life. None of them seemed to be suffering from want or privation as a result of the career choice they collectively made. Vulcanizing ran in the family.
In some cases, people whose progenitors had nothing to do with formal education end up following the academic path, or at least finish off with university degrees. My father, for instance, was a carpenter, my mother a petty trader. Rear Admiral Alison Madueke’s father had to flee from his Inyi home in order to make four years of primary education. He ended up a successful businessman, whose nine children all benefitted from tertiary education.
Now, as a child grows into adolescence or adulthood, he or she decides the course of study or formal training to pursue. They could delve into the Humanities because, from earliest days, they were exposed to it. Or because, their secondary school experience was diffident in the sciences. They could elect for military school because the parents lived near an Army barracks and it was common to see smartly dressed soldiers marching elegantly to the tunes of brass band music. The young fellow could turn their attention to Law School or Medical School or Business School. Whatever course of study they eventually elect to pursue, one consequence would ultimately be inescapable. And that is that they would be compelled to elect courses in the Humanities.
The allure of the humanities makes it natural for there to be in universities what is known as English 101 or the Use of English. No one requires proficiency in the English language to become an accomplished medical doctor. After all, medical courses in Argentina are not conducted in the English language, but in Spanish. Medical courses in Russia are not taught in English but in Russian. The point, though, is that in whatever language a science course is taught, the inevitability of the humanities course of language is taken for granted.
It is not only in the matter of the language of rendering that the humanities “intrudes” in other disciplines of learning. For instance, the anthropology of medicine is vital for medical students. But, that is not because a good doctor cannot emerge who has no knowledge of anthropology. No. The consideration is simply that doctors practice their profession best in settings they understand the culture and lifestyle of their patients best. A gynaecologist in Kano would be more effective if he is knowledgeable in the culture, religion and social predilections of those he would be attending to their medical needs. Unless a doctor has no aversion to decapitation, he may not readily load a backwater woman in a rigid religious setting with condoms who he thinks is in dire need of birth control. He would not readily prescribe the “morning after’ tablets to a girl whose puritanical parents cannot contemplate the contingency of their daughter’s non-virginity. Thus, the entire thing pertains to the Igbo saying that “all dance settles in the waist”: agbasia egwu o’naa n’ukwu! In other words, you could learn technology, or graduate in the sciences, or study astronomy and master the geosciences, yet something pivotal would still be missing in your scholarship unless more than a rudimentary knowledge of the Humanities supports it.
Learning the humanities
Take Mandarin, the official Chinese language spoken by more than 750 million people. There was this young lady who gained university admission to study Mandarin. Her father believed that fate had dealt him a particularly bad card. Mandarin! Of all subjects, he moaned. Indignant, he asked the daughter what she expected to achieve in life by taking a degree in the Asian language. Because the young lady insisted on going ahead with her chosen discipline, the father threatened to withdraw his sponsorship of her further education. More than that, he summoned an extended family meeting at which he derided both her daughter and the language she would study. Fortunately, there were in the meeting some people with commonsense who told the old man to back off.
China holds 20 per cent of the world’s population. It controls 15 percent of global trade. Nearly a fifth of the population of Guangzhou in China today is made up of Igbo traders. What proficiency in the Chinese language means today is a broad highway to the countless advantages inherent in China’s preeminent position in global affairs. A graduate of Mandarin could teach the language anywhere in the world and at any level. He or she could be an interpreter. (I recall with pride that when the Anambra State Government signed the protocols for the Umueri Airport City with a Chinese consortium, one of the interpreters at the function was an Igbo lady.) The Mandarin graduate could find employment in the Foreign Service. As the economic activities between China and Africa grow, it will take little time before Mandarin becomes in the Black world as important as any of English and French.
Take now the English language. No one requires it to become a pilot. But because English is the international language of aviation, it is near impossible to be the aviator of a jetliner without knowledge of good, old English. A pilot from Yangon, Myanmar, on an international flight to Ecuador is going to have to communicate with air traffic controllers in Quito in the English language. A pilot from Suriname intending to land in Anchorage, Iceland, will have no option other than to speak the English language. Apart from the indispensability of English in intercontinental air travel, the other uses of the language are legion. Decades ago, when I gained admission to take a first degree in English, a friend casually mentioned that I was embarking on a journey that would remove me from the category of society’s flotsam and jetsam whose English was only of “is” and “was”. But, the studying of English does not just accord and afford anyone with simply the pride of and the facility for rendering sentences buckling with subordination and polysyllables.
The question could be posed. Why do we, in fact, even talk of the Humanities? It is because it is the foundation of human knowledge. The ideas we formulate in the acquisition of human knowledge are what we employ to organize the state and its interactions with other societies. There are people who think that when we study English it is in order that we blow grammar. That happens not to be true; that’s far from what we do. In reality, English studies means we are studying the literate culture of what constitutes the English, including to various degrees its mathematics and sciences in all their documented forms. In studying English we interrogate English ideas. We examine the Colonial project, London being a principal historical bastion of transcontinental colonialism. In studying English, we come to terms with the communal psyche, and the foundational and cultural ideas that led a geographically tiny people into controlling for many centuries the trade and politics of much of the world. We home in like a laser beam on the ways and means the English survived, and built themselves up. That’s what the Humanities deals with.
A Nigerian graduate of English should know and understand better than his friend in a non-Humanities discipline why London behaved the way it did in 1984 when there was a botched Nigerian attempt to kidnap and crate the politician Alhaji Umaru Dikko from London’s Stansted Airport to Murtala International in Lagos. The unquantifiable learning that accrues from learning and fully grasping the nuances and peculiarities of a language explains why those in the Humanities formed the bulk of Foreign Service officials deployed by Whitehall to the colonies on His or Her Majesty’s Service. If language weren’t crucial for the subjugation of peoples, colonial officers sent to “primitive” territories in far-flung places would never have paid more than a fleeting attention to learning the languages of their subjects. Where this failed to yield total results, they imposed their own language and its values. That is why I am addressing this audience today in the English language whereas most of us here are Igbo, a language that is second nature to me. That is why President Muhammadu Buhari, if he spoke at informal circles today with his own people would be employing the Hausa language, rather than his native Fulfude in which his proficiency is not even certain. This speaks of the place of power, especially political and economic power, in language, for the Fulani did not have the population. They, therefore, borrowed the language of their subjects for their very subjugation.
Can we now say that the premium placed on language and the humanities still plays out today in the affairs of Nigeria? People grounded in history, poetics and culture abound. But those places in administration in which they could become round pegs in round holes are indiscriminately ceded to owners of arcane certificates who know next to nothing regarding exactly what the call of duty is or should be. It may be trite to say, but the fact is that people can hardly function successfully in areas where they are bereft of philosophical foundations. Why, for instance, should an acclaimed professor, and a former vice chancellor, play second fiddle in a key establishment like the education ministry if not because it does not offend the sensibilities of those who believe that society’s overall good should be subordinated to political expediency? Does that not tie in to the valorization of mediocrity? How does anyone expect to function optimally in an area in which he lacks conceptual education, which is the ability to generate ideas? The ability to generate ideas is what leads an official into instructing that, “those buildings should be erected on the west wing”, because that’s where they stand no chance of being jeopardized. If built other than on the west wing, they would sit precariously on a flood plain. Allow the flood plain to await proper channelization, while the business of erecting solid structures go on! Things like that.
Language gives us the key to balanced analysis of society. When we create structures of memory relating to our literature, our theatre, the film industry, the very narrative of our sojourn as a people, our historical foundations, we use these to create. People must tell their stories. If you don’t preserve your story, your disappearance is only a matter of time. Nobody would remember you. Your culture will not be preserved. Culture is the way people make an image of themselves. People who have no image of themselves invariably become forgotten. We give a proper definition of ourselves by the level of seriousness we attach to the Humanities.
Teaching the humanities
SO FAR, we have tried to demonstrate the central place of the Humanities in the affairs of man. A natural question follows. Who might teach the humanities? In a broad sense, the answer is All. Everyone is naturally a student of the Humanities. Everyone is also a teacher of some components of the broad discipline. Of course, if a student required a bachelor’s degree in the humanities, they would need the services of a degree-awarding institution. But Queen Theresa Onuorah of the Egedege Dance Troupe in Unubi controls our minds and excites our dancing abilities without our registering for formal academic courses in folk music. The white man understood from the beginning that knowledge does not reject impartation or expansion because the harbinger of such an action cannot boast as many degrees as a thermometer does.
A few examples are apposite here. In 1985 when Paul Simon, the American singer-songwriter, was working on a solo album that featured an eclectic mixture of musical styles, it struck him that he needed to visit Nigeria to hire the services of an expert. That expert turned out to be Demola Adepoju, a member of the King Sunny Ade group, the African Beats. Mr. Adepoju didn’t have a cache of degrees. In fact he had none. But his forte was the pedal steel guitar. As we all know, the pedal steel guitar isn’t an African invention. And there were scores of white men and African Americans that played the instrument with élan. But Paul Simon saw in Mr. Adepoju what blinkers prevent most of us from ever seeing – to the detriment of the promotion of the Humanities.
Each time Muhammed Ali (Cassius Clay) was mentioned, people remembered him first and foremost as a former world heavyweight-boxing champion. But he was also a poet, a poet good enough to be nominated by two dons for the post of professor of poetry at the centuries old Oxford University.
This is the kind of poetry that Ali wrote:
Everyone knew when I stepped in town,
I was the greatest fighter around.
A lot of people called me a clown,
But I am the one who called the round.
The people came to see a great fight,
But all I did was put out the light.
Never put your money against Cassius Clay,
For you will never have a lucky day.
That was in 1962. If your yardstick for poetic entitlement were J. P. Clark Bekederemo, or Wole Soyinka, or Chimalum Nwankwo, or Obi Nwakanma or John Donne or W. H. Auden, you probably would not consider Ali’s name worth mentioning, not minding that he always strove to achieve rhymes at the end of his lines. But informed people found some merit in his verse to nominate him for that largely ceremonial but highly regarded position. Now, if a resourceful Unizik undergraduate took the pains to go to Amanuke not far from here, to collect and translate into English the songs and verses of that town, would his volume make the Long List of the LNG Literature Prize? Or would the experts pronounce the volume a collection of doggerel? The point is that it takes the absence of can’t, and an eye for exploration and experimentation, for the humanities to march on with dignity and achievement.
In 1989, my friend, Uzor Maxim Uzoatu, a poet with a resonant voice, found himself at the University of Pittsburgh in the United States. The South African poet, Dennis Brutus, had invited him. There, Professor Brutus asked Uzor to teach his students two key African novels – Arrow of God by Chinua Achebe and Devil on the Cross by Ngugi wa Thiong’o. Brutus didn’t ask Mr. Uzoatu to teach those novels because he held a professorship in Literature. He did not. Those novels were among the lot that Brutus had taught his students over several years. But he felt that coming from Africa, Uzoatu was in a position to introduce something novel in his interpretation of the works that came from his continent of origin, especially Arrow of God that is of his Igbo ethnic group. In some countries, the students would have revolted and disdained tutelage from a novice! Faculty members would have filed a petition, claiming that Brutus had introduced dilettantism in the teaching of the humanities. Again, if Morocco Maduka suddenly got appointed to a professorial chair in the Music Department of a Nigerian university, would some of the more educated members of the institution aggregate to hire the services of a witchdoctor to inflict insanity on the minstrel? Or would they?
But Mr. Uzoatu’s experience was even more astonishing in Canada, where he had been invited as a distinguished visitor, and from where Brutus had asked him to look in at Pittsburgh. Uzoatu found that at the University of Western Ontario where he was an intern, the head of The Graduate School of Journalism was a certain Professor Peter Desbarats, who held no university degrees whatsoever. Yet, each time any difficult question came up, the Journalism Faculty and students referred to Desbarats and invariably got their problem solved. Would someone without a basic university degree earn a tenured position, or any academic position for that matter, in a Nigerian university? There is something to be understood for our overall benefit. The adept has a critical role in this matter of promoting the Humanities. And so do those best qualified as middling.
The place of caution
IT IS important to stress that the mere fact of a general teaching field for all cadres should not mean a free-for-all. People should teach the humanities. But they should teach only in those areas that they truly have something worthwhile to offer. General teaching should never mean general dabbling. Unfortunately, that is what is often on offer almost everywhere. And this is so primarily because little attention is paid to the consequences of square pegs in round holes. To demonstrate just how dangerous the proposition of meddling is, a number of questions are apposite. How many women here would, if pregnant, willingly submit themselves to caesarian section after learning that the scalpel had been abandoned to the devices of the butcher at the local abattoir? How many people here would happily board a flight after discovering that a fellow whose previous flying experience was of kites had stormed the cockpit and seized the plane’s controls? Yet, scary as these scenarios are, they happen on a daily basis because, in matters especially to do with the humanities, nearly everyone strikes the pose of an expert.
As someone interested in the game of soccer, I can claim knowledge of the technique employed to strike a penalty kick in such a way that the goalkeeper is sent diving to the negative corner while the ball hits the back of the net. But, in my autumnal years, do I still possess muscles powerful enough to imbue the ball with enough velocity to send it spinning quickly away from the one delegated to stop it? If the answer is No, why should I play Cristiano Ronaldo, the dead ball expert, by grabbing the ball and insisting on taking the spot kick the moment the referee’s whistle goes? Is it not in the overall interest of humankind if reason prevailed and people played only in their appropriate wings?
Let me expatiate. Most of my working life has been media-related whether in government or out of it, whether at the state or at the federal level. My experience is that if you put out a press statement, voices would rise in the thousands, charging that your message had not been delivered in the right key. Why were you not solicitous, seeing that you were dealing with a disagreeable or unpredictable audience? Why were you groveling when you represented accredited political authority? Not only that, busybodies with access to the governor or the president would contact him to vehemently protest your crippling lack of professionalism! Meanwhile, all the protesters would be fulminating from a standpoint bereft of the inside knowledge that informed the tenor of your press release. If you were a singer and rendered your song in contralto, the meddlers would become agonistic, alleging that you were singing a part written specifically for bass. That’s the way it is with the humanities. How many people ever heard the all-knowing protesters chanting that a spacecraft had gone into orbit on defective propulsion? How many ever swore that a satellite circling the moon was doing so at an angle guaranteed to make it come apart in less than half the lifespan conjectured by the manufacturers? No. Hi-tech and the pure sciences are not the domain of all-comers. Yet, the grouse is not really that people protest what they wrongly think or believe is out of place. The problematic is that, oftentimes, people abduct issues outside their competence – to the negation of the guiding spirit of the humanities, to the scuttling of hopes and aspirations, and to the tune of ruinous complication of straightforward questions. The flipside is that, against the stipulation of commonsense, experts in the humanities often escape into nonchalance, rather than actively contributing to the resolution of matters crying for enlightenment.
The guru’s role
IF we assumed for one moment that meddlers and pretenders would surrender some space to the Humanities, the allure of the vast field would pertain essentially to the gurus. The guru in the humanities is the one that has received proper – not necessarily classroom – training in the faculty. He or she may have listened masters in the field. They probably kept a good library or had access to one, the contents of whose tomes they could boast considerable knowledge of. A guru is not in the humanities because he belonged to a religious order antipathetic to sin and its deleterious consequences. But, because the Humanities humanize, the allurement to the discipline carries the burden of promoting a healthy and stable society indexed on human values, especially those celebratory of the ethos of justice, equity, fair play and good conscience. The guru is doomed to precise pronouncements on black and white. If he took the attitude that something was white, it would only be because he possessed the instruments to demonstrate its whiteness. He dares not make a declaration on blackness without the facility or intention to delineate the pigmentation of the colour. For him, there could be no question of dawdling in Gray as a ploy for escapism. The temptation of the guru to perch in the shade of Gray must be in order to establish verisimilitude between the two primary colours of black and white, nothing more.
Bearing this burden in mind, it was something of a shock to read recently that the ban on the teaching of history in our schools had been lifted. My apprehension is tied to a number of questions. Was the ban on history teaching not motivated by the considerations of blatant political partisanship? If so, are the architects of this blinkered evacuation of history from classrooms likely to rehabilitate the subject without first putting in place adequate means of attaining the objectives that informed the ban in the first place?
Let us spare a moment in considering the catastrophic consequences of a people not knowing where the rain began to beat them. This post came recently to me by WhatsApp:
Biography of Thomas Sankara
Thomas Sankara was Burkina Faso’s president from August 1983 until his assassination on October 15, 1987. Perhaps, more than any other African president in living memory, Thomas Sankara, in four years, transformed Burkina Faso from a poor country, dependent on aid, to an economically independent and socially progressive nation.
Thomas Sankara began by purging the deeply entrenched bureaucratic and institutional corruption in Burkina Faso. He slashed the salaries of ministers and sold off the fleet of exotic cars in the president’s convoy, opting instead for the cheapest brand of car available in Burkina Faso, the Renault 5. His salary was $450 per month and he refused to use the air conditioning units in his office, saying that he felt guilty doing so, since very few of his country people could afford it.
Thomas Sankara would not let his portrait be hung in offices and government institutions in Burkina Faso because, as he declared, every Burkinabe was a Thomas Sankara. Sankara changed the name of the country from the colonially imposed Upper Volta to Burkina Faso, which means Land of Upright Men.
Thomas Sankara’s achievements are numerous and can only be summarized briefly. Within the first year of his leadership, he embarked on an unprecedented mass vaccination programme that saw 2.5 million Burkinabe children vaccinated. From an alarming 280 deaths for every 1,000 births, infant mortality was immediately slashed to below 145 deaths per 1,000 live births. Sankara preached self-reliance. He banned the importation of several items into Burkina Faso, and encouraged the growth of the local industry. It was not long before Burkinabes were wearing 100 percent cotton that was sourced, woven and tailored in Burkina Faso. From being a net importer of food, Thomas Sankara began to aggressively promote agriculture in Burkina Faso, telling his country people to quit eating imported rice and grain from Europe. “Let us consume what we ourselves control,” he emphasized.
In less than four years, Burkina Faso became self-sufficient in food production through the redistribution of lands from the hands of corrupt chiefs and landowners to local farmers, and through massive irrigation and fertilizer distribution programmes. Thomas Sankara utilized various policies and government assistance to encourage Burkinabes to get education. In less than two years of his presidency, school attendance jumped from about 10 percent to a little below 25 percent, thus overturning the 90 percent illiteracy rate he met upon assumption of office.
Living way ahead of his time, within 12 months of his leadership, Sankara vigorously pursued a reforestation programme that saw over 10 million trees planted around the country in order to push back the encroachment of the Sahara Desert. Uncommon at the time he lived, Sankara stressed women empowerment and campaigned for the dignity of women in a traditionally patriarchal society. He also employed women in several government positions and declared a day of solidarity with housewives by mandating their husbands to take on their roles for 24 hours.
A personal fitness enthusiast, Sankara encouraged Burkinabes to always keep fit, and was regularly seen jogging unaccompanied on the streets of Ouagadougou; his waistline remained the same throughout his tenure as president.
In 1987, during a meeting of African leaders under the auspices of the Organization of African Unity, Thomas Sankara tried to convince his peers to turn their backs on the debt owed western nations. According to him, “debt is a cleverly managed re-conquest of Africa. It is a re-conquest that turns each one of us into a financial slave.” He would not request for, nor accept aid from the West, noting that “…welfare and aid policies have only ended up disorganizing us, subjugating us, and robbing us of a sense of responsibility for our own economic, political, and cultural affairs. We chose to risk new paths to achieve greater well-being.”
Thomas Sankara was a pan-Africanist who spoke out against apartheid, telling French President Jacques Chirac, during his visit to Burkina Faso, that it was wrong for him to support the apartheid government and that he must be ready to bear the consequences of his actions. Sankara’s policies and his unapologetic anti-imperialist stand made him an enemy of France, Burkina Faso’s former colonial master. He spoke truth to power fearlessly and paid with his life. Upon his assassination, his most valuable possessions were a car, a refrigerator, three guitars, motorcycles, a broken down freezer and about $400 in cash.
Few young Africans have ever heard of Thomas Sankara. In reality, it is not the assassination of Thomas Sankara that has dealt a lethal blow to Africa and Africans; it is the assassination of his memory, as manifested in the indifference to his legacy, in the lack of constant reference to his ideals and ideas by Africans, by those who know and those who should know. Among physical and mental dirt and debris lie Africa’s heroes while the younger generations search in vain for role models from among their kind. Africans have therefore, internalized self-abhorrence and the convictions of innate incapability to bring about transformation. Transformation must run contrary to the African’s DNA, many Africans subconsciously believe.
Africans are not given to celebrating their own heroes, but this must change. It is a colonial legacy that was instituted to establish the inferiority of the colonized and justify colonialism. It was a strategic policy that ensured that Africans celebrated the heroes of their colonial masters, but not that of Africa. Fifty years and counting after colonialism ended, Africa’s curriculum must now be redrafted to reflect the numerous achievements of Africans.
The present generation of Africans is thirsty, searching for where to draw the moral, intellectual and spiritual courage to effect change. The waters to quench the thirst, as other continents have already established, lies fundamentally in history – in Africa’s forbears, men, women and children who experienced much of what most Africans currently experience, but who chose to toe a different path. The media, entertainment industry, civil society groups, writers, institutions and organizations must begin to search out and include African role models, case studies and examples in their contents.
For Africans, the strength desperately needed for the transformation of the continent cannot be drawn from World Bank and IMF policies, from aid and assistance obtained from China, India, the United States or Europe. The strength to transform Africa lies in the foundations laid by uncommon heroes like Thomas Sankara; a man who showed Africa and the world that with a single minded pursuit of purpose, the worst can be made the best, and in record time too.
I AM still searching for the original author of this Sankara tribute, so as to accord due credit. What the piece demonstrates is the failure of the Humanities by the African, but particularly by the Nigerian. Because Thomas Sankara is hardly mentioned anywhere on the African continent, his memory and legacy are deliberately being extinguished. Is the case not the same with such Nigerian greats as Obafemi Awolowo and Thomas Aguiyi-Ironsi? Of course, it is fantastic that this great institution is named after one of Africa’s greatest nationalists. But how many students of this university will readily retell the signposts of Dr. Azikiwe’s greatness? What would be your reaction if I recall that a Yoruba journalist friend of mine, who earned a master’s degree in the humanities from a British university, went on record to say that, because he was pivotal in the enthronement of the Buhari presidency, Bola Tinubu had done more for his ethnic group than Awolowo ever managed?
LOOK AT Michael Iheonukara Okpara. He was the Premier of Eastern Nigeria from 1959 to 1966. He died a poor man, without using his political position to amass wealth, without being corrupt, without even owning a decent house of his own. Apart from leading by the personal example of rectitude, Okpara’s greatest accomplishment was that he faithfully continued his predecessor in office, Dr. Nnamdi Azikiwe’s programme of economic restoration, indexed on the Eastern Region Reconstruction Programme of 1954 to 1964. When Okpara took charge in 1959, he saw to the inauguration of the University of Nigeria. He established the university's College of Agriculture in Ogoja. His entire Agricultural programme, modeled after the Israeli kibbutz, translated the various farm settlements he established in key parts of the East and ultimately made Eastern Nigeria the country’s breadbasket by 1965. It is a matter of public record that, by 1965 school children were having an egg each for their breakfasts in Eastern schools as a result of the quantum of eggs produced in the region. Under Okpara’s watch, industrial centers were created in key Eastern Nigerian cities. Aba, Calabar, Enugu, Onitsha, Owerri, Umuahia and Calabar had industrial layouts designated Factory Roads, but far more crucial was that artisan and technical skills were so high through the many Technical colleges and training centers established by Okpara’s administration. The result was that the East virtually had dominance of skilled workers and artisans nationwide. Okpara also built on Azikiwe's school programme, so that by 1966, the East had the highest number of secondary schools in Nigeria; the highest number of teacher training colleges; and the highest school enrollment in West Africa; the highest number of community health centers and hospitals in Nigeria, and better still, by 1964, it was seen as the fastest growing economy in the world, ahead of the so-called "Asian Tigers" that later took over.
The Nkalagu Cement Factory came on stream under Okpara. He built the Turners Asbestos Cement Company at Emene. He built the Presidential Hotels in Enugu and Port Harcourt. He built the Golden Guinea Brewery (Oyoyo Mmi!) and the Modern Ceramics Industry at Umuahia. He built the Obudu Cattle Ranch nearly 60 years before retrogression reintroduced the idea of Cattle Colonies. More than all else, he was not corrupt. Yet, what percentage of Ndigbo remember today his legacy? If he is hardly remembered in the Igbo country, it is little wonder that, in his Inaugural speech of May 29, 2015, President Buhari remembered by name and gave credit to the premiers of Northern Nigeria, Western Nigeria, and Mid-Western Nigeria but conveniently forgot Michael Okpara who achieved much more than all other premiers of his contemporaneity! If truth be told, Thomas Sankara was, except in the manner of death, a replication of Michael Okpara. Why then should Igbo parents, including the gurus, expect the teaching of Dr. Okpara’s legacy to devolve on a Mamman Katsina or an Oladele Bank-Alakija or a Basil Davidson?
Let me put a question to this audience: Was it not in front of all your eyes that some Igbo politicians, acting in the name of partisanship, set ablaze bales of cloth imprinted with Chukwuemeka Odumegwu-Ojukwu’s image? This leads me to a number of critical areas in which, instead of speaking out, our gurus respond with deafening silence. Take Chief John Nnia Nwodo, the President-General of Ohanaeze Ndigbo. Chief Nwodo was at the Grand Hotel in Asaba on Saturday October 7, 2017, for the 50th anniversary of the Asaba Massacre. Governor Ifeanyi Okowa of Delta State was there. Mr. Donald Duke, the former Governor of Cross River State, was present. It was one of the last public outings of former Vice President, Dr. Alex Ekwueme. The occasion was a memorial to the thousands of Asaba indigenes that were led to the town’s square and mown down by Nigerian soldiers during the civil war. Despite the gravity of the occasion, Chief Nwodo began his address by recalling to the distinguished audience the trauma that attended his 125 kilometre journey from Enugu to the Delta State capital. His car was stopped 20 times at various Police checkpoints. On the average, that meant a mandatory halt of his journey after every 6.25 kilometres!
Chief Nwodo lamented that the largely peaceful South East geopolitical zone had been turned into a vast cantonment of checkpoints, something absent in the other five geopolitical zones of the country. He didn’t discuss the permanent chaos that passes for the Onitsha end of the Niger Bridge. There, you have the army, the air force, the navy, the police mobile force, the customs, the immigration, the road safety corps, the DSS and the civil defence, their men and women mostly armed with assault rifles, impeding traffic, extorting road users, frustrating dreams and endangering lives. Onitsha is far from Nigeria’s borders. It is 950 kilometres to the northern tip of the country in Katsina. It is 510 kilometres from Badagry to the west. It is 354 kilometres to Calabar on the Atlantic. Yet, it appears to be the main operational base of the Customs!
Vehicles coming into Anambra State have to drive on a single lane as the uniformed personnel at the bridgehead invariably narrow the double lane passage to only one, thus creating tailbacks on the creaking, 53-year old bridge. Is the Niger Bridge designed to bear for most hours of each day such near-static deadweight? Or, are otherwise sane people willfully inviting a catastrophe that they would later call “an act of God”? Should a whole people remain in bondage in order that armed and uniformed people can carry on with the collection of “Rogers”? Is that really the way to prosecute the war against corruption?
Chief Nwodo demanded the dismantling of these checkpoints. His outrage raises a couple of fundamental question. Why are security personnel and checkpoints massed in the Igbo country when, as President Buhari recently revealed, waves of Libya-trained terrorists are breaching our borders from the Sahel and inflicting death and destruction on the entity? Why are these checkpoints not teeming in the North-East geopolitical zone where Boko Haram terrorists are still on their killing and kidnapping sprees? Why are our people carrying on as though Nwodo is the only tongue that ever tasted salt and pepper, the only pair of lips that could ever part to insist that, the monkey’s hand not being human, it should be removed from the soup pot?
Take in addition four faulty interpretations of Nigeria’s contemporary history crying to be redressed. Two of them issue directly from the military action of January 15, 1966. The third was in Biafra, and the fourth during the years that immediately preceded Nigerian Independence in 1960. I bring them up because, as Ndigbo insist, “It is always advisable for elders to keep a watchful eye on the homestead, so that children do not roast and eat the vulture for meat.”
Richard Osuolale Abimbola Akinjide is 87 years old. He was the Federal Minister of Education in the First Republic, and the Federal Minister of Justice in the Second Republic. He is a Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN). Now, Chief Akinjide granted an interview to Thisday newspaper on October 1, 2017. The following is an except of the interview that had to do with the January 15, 1966 putsch:
Question: Did anybody raise any objection?
Akinjide: Of course, we asked him (Major-General Aguiyi-Ironsi) and he said just to keep us safe. We didn’t ask him to come. We didn’t need your security but he kept coming. Right then, we smelt a rat. Later on, I must tell you that I got a report, very big report, from foreign intelligence that in fact Ironsi was the leader of that coup.
Question: But Nigerians believe it was Major Kaduna Nzeogwu who was the leader of the coup?
Akinjide: No, no, no. I was given a bulk report on Ironsi’s involvement in the coup. As said, we didn’t know where the Prime Minister was but Ironsi was going left, right and centre. We discovered later that he was indeed the leader of the coup. He now asked us to hand over power to him for safety. I said why do we have to hand over power to you? You are the head of the army, keep the country safe. But he insisted and ‘forced’ us to hand over power to him at the cabinet meeting. Power was not handed over to him but he took power from us by force.”
Alhaji Abdul Ganiyu Folorunso Abdul Razak is 90 years old. He was the federal minister in charge of the Nigerian Railways in the First Republic. He is the first Senior Advocate of Nigeria produced by Northern Nigeria. He was in the meeting at the Parliament in Lagos where the rump of the federal cabinet handed over political power to the soldiers. He keeps to this day in his private library a document that rightly belongs to the Nigerian public.
Brigadier Victor Adebukonuola Banjo was executed in Enugu on September 22, 1967, along with Lieutenant Colonel Emmanuel Arinze Ifeajuna, Major Philip Alale, and senior Foreign Service official Samuel Agbam. A Special Tribunal had found them guilty of treason against the Biafran State. Below is produced unedited the Wikipedia entry on Banjo:
“Victor Banjo (April 1, 1930 – September 22, 1967) was a Colonel in the Nigerian Army. He ended up in the Biafran Army during the struggles between Nigeria and Biafra. Victor Banjo was mistaken for a coup plotter against the Nigerian Prime Minister Tafawa Balewa, by the Government of Aguiyi Ironsi (according with the book “Why we struck” by Adewale Ademoyega) He was alleged to have staged a coup plot against Biafran President Odumegwu Ojukwu and was executed as a result. It took a second military tribunal judge to sentence Victor Banjo, because Odumegwu Ojukwu's first military judge stated that there were not enough evidence to convict Victor Banjo of coup charges. There has been no third party verification of Victor Banjo's involvement in the Nigerian Coup nor Biafran Coup. His alleged involvement in both coup plots has been based on unsubstantiated hearsay.”
About a week before the burial of General Chukwuemeka Odumegwu-Ojukwu on March 2, 2012, Owelle Rochas Okorocha unveiled the statue of the ex-Biafran leader at the Heroes Square in Owerri. It was the first manifestation of the Imo State Governor’s proclivity for erecting statues. There were inscriptions at the base of the Ojukwu statue, only one of which is of immediate interest. It stated that Ojukwu was the second indigenous graduate officer of the Nigerian Army.
A string of subterfuges connect the above points. I will deal with them all, beginning from point Number 4, in order to set the records straight for posterity. The information that Ojukwu was only the second commissioned graduate in the Nigerian Army is false. The information that Major General Olufemi Olutoye was the first graduate to receive an Army commission is misleading. For the purposes of this paper, I asked a friend in Owerri to visit the Heroes Square in order to determine whether or not the Imo State authorities had corrected their unpardonable mistake. They had not. Perhaps, I was the one mistaken? I decided to clear all lingering doubts on the controversy by contacting the Public Relations arm of the British Armed Forces by email, and asking for the testament of their records. I got a response in hours to this effect:
According to the Supplement To The London Gazette of July 19, 1960, Cadet Olufemi Olutoye (W.A. 97) received a Short Service Commission in the West African Forces in the rank of 2nd Lieutenant on May 7, 1960.
But according to the Supplement To The London Gazette of November 4, 1958, 2nd Lieutenant C O Ojukwu was promoted to Lieutenant on March 22, 1958, with seniority backdated to September 22, 1957.
WHAT the above official entries from London show is that Ojukwu became a Full Lieutenant three whole years before Olutoye attained the lower rank of 2nd Lieutenant! Honour should disqualify General Olutoye from being numbered in the coterie that pronounced him the gold medalist on that historical milestone.
The information from Owerri is that Governor Okorocha is replacing the old Ojukwu statue. He should be told to correct his government’s earlier mistake. Beyond this counsel that Okorocha sorely needs, it deserves to be stated that this matter represents a failure on the part of our Humanities gurus. They looked the other way as the tethered goat writhed in labour. There are at least five tertiary institutions in Imo State. Owerri, the capital city, bristles with professors of History and assorted experts in other branches of the Humanities. Yet, a brazen falsehood regarding General Ojukwu was allowed to insult public sensibilities for six whole years. If people blamed the ban on the teaching of history for this terrible lapse, they would incite skeptical smiles from all over.
We come to the issue of Victor Banjo. The Wikipedia post on Banjo is a horrendous amputation of history. It is not true that a first tribunal had acquitted him, following which an unsatisfied Ojukwu appointed a second tribunal that returned a guilty verdict. There had been only one tribunal in the trial of Banjo, Ifeajuna, Alale and Agbam – the one headed by Justice G. C. Nkemena, which had Brigadier U. O. Imo and J. Udoaffia as members. The Wikipedia post on Victor Banjo remains an affront to history that must be dismantled. The certified true copy of the verbatim report of the trial/verdict of the Justice Nkemena Tribunal is in the public domain. In fact, it is the basis of a book by the renowned journalist Nelson Ottah, which has the uncanny distinction of appearing under two different titles. It was first published in 1980 by Fourth Dimension, Enugu, as The Trial of Biafra’s Leaders (ISBN 97815600983). Mason, Ikeja, issued the same book a year later as Rebels Against Rebels, (ISBN 0722314302)! In my view, only people who have carefully read the Tribunal’s judgment can realistically take a position on whether or not justice had been served. Like a sour taste in the mouth, it leaves a lingering question. Who do our Humanities gurus expect to correct the inherent falsehood in the Wikipedia post on Victor Banjo?
Let me now address the mater of Alhaji Abdul Razak. I met with this eminent Nigerian when I was writing Ironside, my biography of General Aguiyi-Ironsi, nearly 30 years ago. The story he told me then, which appears in Ironside, is not exactly in sync with Chief Akinjide’s tale. Chief Akinjide claims that he questioned Aguiyi-Ironsi on why he was at the Parliament on the morning of the coup d’etat. No previous account of January 15, 1966 credits Akinjide with vocalizing any exception to Ironsi’s hearing. But Akinjide declares 52 years after the event that he had expressed outrage to Aguiyi-Ironsi himself! This is hardly surprising because every first-person account of the events of those days has invariably cast the raconteur in the mode of a superhero!
Of graver concern, however, is that Alhaji Abdul Razak had revealed to me that he had kept in his possession the document in which he and other Cabinet members/Parliamentarians of the First Republic signed away their political mandate to the Nigerian Armed Forces. I tried in vain to get a copy of this document of great import for my book. More worrying is that it is still not in the public domain. Why are Abdul Razak’s fellow Senior Advocates amongst us not asking why the document should not be in the public domain? It cannot be because it has never been publicly raised before. This was how I treated it in January 15, 1966 was not an Igbo coup, an article that I published in January 2016 and which is still all over the Internet:
Although I count (Dr. Reuben) Abati (who called January 15 an Igbo coup in an article) as a friend, I had tagged him “a conceited ignoramus” in my 2011 piece (refuting his claim). Today, the temptation is overpowering to dub him a recalcitrant recidivist. But, I will resist it and, instead, introduce specificity in my challenge to Nigeria and Nigerians.
The original copy, and exemplifications, of the Magna Carta, the charter of liberty and political rights that rebellious barons obtained from King John of England in 1215, survive to this day and are available for public scrutiny. That is the way of serious countries desirous of learning the appropriate lessons of history. In Nigeria, priceless historical documents are either doctored or destroyed or dumped in private vaults, a lamentable practice that encourages Abati’s ilk to go sowing the seeds of discord. Nigeria should place the transcripts of the meetings of Aguiyi-Ironsi’s Supreme Military Council (SMC) in the public domain. This will, among other things, confirm that the body had decided to court-martial the January 1966 coup plotters.
Also, 50 years after the event, the document by which parliamentarians handed over power to the military remains in the private hands of Alhaji Abdul Rasak (SAN). He should be persuaded to relinquish it to the Nigerian state.
IT IS because Nigerians make a joke of historical facts and documents that Chief Akinjide could claim preposterously in 2017 that he “got a report, very big report, from foreign intelligence that in fact Ironsi was the leader of that coup.” Under what auspices was the “big report from foreign intelligence” handed over to Akinjide? Who exactly did the handing over of the document? Why has Chief Akinjide kept this “bulky” intelligence report concealed for 52 years? After claiming that he had it, why are other eyes still prevented from reading it? Could it be because the fabulous intelligence report exists only in the octogenarian’s fertile imagination? In parenthesis, I may just add that, until Akinjide’s astonishing interview, no one had warned that “going left, right and centre,” which he accused Aguiyi-Ironsi of, amounted to a capital offence!
Every country places a moratorium on classified documents for a given period. Thereafter, the documents are declassified. In the United States secret documents are declassified by default after 10 years unless there is a specific warrant against declassification. Still, documents not declassified after 25 years mandatorily come up for review. In the United Kingdom, declassification is automatic after 30 years. That was one of the reasons why I waited until 1999 to publish Ironside. I had first to visit the British Public Records Office at Kew Gardens in London, to extricate previously classified Cabinet records that unambiguously demonstrated that Lieutenant Colonel Yakubu Gowon was going to declare the Independent Republic of Northern Nigerian in the wake of the bloody countercoup of July 1966 but was dissuaded by Whitehall and the White house.
But Akinjide claims possession, since 1966, of a bulky foreign intelligence report that placed General Aguiyi-Ironsi at the leadership of the January 1966 coup. Yet he will not release it for public consumption! It shows that, to varying degrees, people like Akinjide, Abdul Razak, the ghostwriter of the Wikipedia balderdash on Victor Banjo and the statue-monger of Imo are, deliberately or inadvertently, in the service of the grand schema to keep Ndigbo permanently demonized as a justification for perpetually holding them up for opprobrium, marginalization and thralldom.
It was, of course, natural for such an upheaval as grotesque as January 15, 1966, to give vent to numerous interpretations. Some said it was a coup plotted and executed to institute and drive the machinery of Igbo domination of Nigeria. Others countered that an Igbo coup could not have had as a central objective, the institution of Chief Obafemi Awolowo, a Yoruba, as head of the government of the conspirators’ establishment. Some of the diehard believers of the first interpretation went ahead to organize the July 29, 1966 countercoup, which remains the bloodiest putsch in Africa’s history. Some of those who denied or refuted the claim of an Igbo coup in January 1966 have, to this day, shouted themselves hoarse in the hope of winning adherents to their tendency. Most do not give a damn.
But for the reflective, it all boils down to licking one’s lips or letting harmattan into the destructive job of doing the licking. It brings me back to theoretical formulations in the earlier stages of this presentation where I stated that, “People must tell their stories. If you don’t preserve your story, your disappearance is only a matter of time. Nobody would remember you. Your culture will not be preserved. Culture is the way a people make an image of themselves.” This is the point at which to bring into consideration the wisdom inherent in the advice from Professor Echeruo that prefaces this paper:
The alternative to the macabre choice of death or something close to it is to be found in entrenching one’s identity. To be sure, it is not the kind of fire a man stands astride in order to warm himself. This is because the flames of this fire are of the leaping variety that licks the testicles! It is not the sort of dance one engages in with their palm cupping snuff. Otherwise, the black, powdery stuff scatters to the four winds. The instruments required for this operation are discretion and diplomacy. Diplomacy and discretion that are channeled into telling our story for the irreversible entrenchment of our identity! You can inscribe this on a wall where it is unlikely to be effaced by seepages from rainwater: the threat against us is less of super-structural savagery than it is of the insidious self-denudations of our identity by conscious and unconscious acts of commission and omission. We long abandoned our definition to the devices of voices emitting nothing but howls of execration against us. Who does not know that the consequences of this collective self-abnegation are too hazardous to contemplate? Who does not know that the continued preservation of geographically tiny Israel in the midst of hostile neighbours is due more to the uncompromising sustenance of the Jewish identity than to the state’s legendry military prowess? Is it not given trite that identity and centripetality are conjoined?
I am no prophet of doom. I do not believe that any objective classification would lump me with people who would tell the seeker of direction that there was a roundabout two kilometres away, without going one better to advise the sojourner to turn left or turn right or move straight ahead on getting to the roundabout. I aver, therefore, that there is a panacea to the contingency of ethnic suicide. The late, great poet, Christopher Okigbo, told us how to go about it 52 years ago. In “Hurray for Thunder,” the fourth movement in Part of Thunder: Poems prophesying war, Okigbo gave us this couplet:
The eye that looks down will surely see the nose;
The finger that fits should be used to pick the nose.
My proposal toes that line. In the journey of life, there is always an ambience in which all opinions are freely aired. But, when the deluge has risen from the ankles and become neck deep, the gurus must play significantly in the position of ideas and the mechanisms for obviating the contingent catastrophe of drowning. This dismisses what obtained in the recent scenario that posed the all-important question of where, between our homes and Rockland, we should wake up each morning. We witnessed the avoidable babel that ensued, especially in the social media. We also saw to our chagrin the Grim Reaper disregarding age and remorselessly transporting youth to demise by various vehicles, including drowning in mire!
My attitude is that the babel is a natural consequence of the abdication of responsibility by the gurus. Our gurus must return to the noble and self-preserving task of lighting the torch in order that the people will see through the labyrinthine pathways of life. The ostrich option must be jettisoned. Individuals in the know may not indulge in the escapism of nonintervention, which is like roasting and feasting on rodents while the homestead is on fire. At the collective level, a good way of maximizing the functions of our gurus is by setting up a non-tuition university, a well-funded, properly equipped and competently administered research citadel where our eggheads both at home and in the Diaspora will often retire, especially during sabbaticals, to study our multifarious challenges and posit informed options for sustained existence in dignity, safety and security. Ndigbo are in dire need of such a Think Tank! Its realization cannot be as onerous as the mastering of rocket science.
DISTINGUISHED ladies and gentlemen, I am now in the final lap of this race. To redeem my promise, I will now reveal the major reason why I accepted the invitation to be here today. More than a decade ago, I found myself as a geriatric student in this university, doing a master’s degree programme in English. Two university professors, both of them female, averred that I could do with the diploma. I thought differently. But, insistent, they dragged me, kicking and screaming, into the course. The reason I disdained returning to school wasn’t because I had suddenly developed Boko Haramic tendencies. No! But I was antipathetic to the idea of reengagement with formal education because of a 1983 experience that had left me traumatized. I was then on the staff of The Guardian newspapers in Lagos. The paper’s editor deployed me to the old Cross River State, to cover the presidential election. I had the option of doing the trip to and from Calabar, the state capital, by air. But, because I would be away for about two weeks, I elected to drive.
Well, I covered the election all right. The Federal Electoral Commission (FEDECO) declared Alhaji Shehu Shagari duly returned for a second term of office. On the journey back to Lagos flattened tyres abandoned me at dusk somewhere not far away from Odogbolu in the Yoruba country. While trying to plot a way out of my predicament some armed men surrounded me and yanked my car keys from me. By some miracle I escaped and fled into surrounding bushes, my fear of adders and vipers temporarily extinguished.
At the scene of the robbery the following morning, the car was still there. I had, prior to the bandits’ arrival, disabled it by removing the rotor. But other valuables had gone, including the dissertation for a University of Lagos master’s degree in mass communication that I had almost completed, and the typewriter I was using to write the treatise. (We didn’t have palmtops and laptops and desktops in those days.) I decided it was farewell to formal education, and stuck to the resolution until the two ladies that weren’t even acquaintances at the time railroaded me right back to Unizik auditoriums and classrooms.
I later regretted acquiescing to their importunity. The master’s degree programme was to last an academic session. But it took many more years to accomplish. While at it, my daughter caught a flight for the United Kingdom and returned twelve months later armed with a master’s degree in her area of specialization. Not only that, my son who was a Unizik undergraduate soon left with a science degree. Beside myself with indignation, I vowed to expose the morass that had forced us into dawdling for years for an MA in English. I mobilized fellow journalists for muckraking, only for us to hit outcomes that left everyone pleasantly surprised. We found that what had happened to my course mates was no more than an unfortunate blip, an aberration. We found that Nnamdi Azikiwe University, especially the Arts Faculty that we had specifically targeted, was acquitting itself creditably in terms of its raison d’être. Academic sessions were progressing with the efficiency of a chronometer. Following our eventual graduation, some of my course mates registered for doctoral work in the same English Department. Upon the invitation to be here today, I did a onceover of the Arts Faculty. My findings were exhilarating.
I FOUND that the faculty has 10 solidly established departments, thus:
C 1. Chinese
2 2. English Language and Literature
3 3. History and International Studies
4 4. Igbo, African and Asian Studies.
5 5. Linguistics
6 6. Modern European Languages
7 7. Music
8 8. Religion and Human Relations
9 9. Philosophy, and Theatre and Film Studies
Further, since the inception of the university in 1991, the arts faculty has graduated some 4,189 students that undertook regular studies and 748 that underwent part-time programmes. The faculty has awarded 271 doctorate degrees, 816 master’s degrees and 36 postgraduate diplomas. It currently has under tutelage some 2,611 regular students, 451 part-time students in undergraduate work, and a total of 485 students pursuing postgraduate diplomas and MA and PhD degrees. In my book, this distinction is stunning. As someone who prefers to learn from the titans, I had no option but to say a resounding “yes” when the invitation came for me to share my thoughts with you. That is the allure of the humanities.
*****Chuks Iloegbunam is a distinguished journalist and author of Ironside, 1999 (chuksiloegbunam@gmail.com)
Posted by Herbert Ekwe-Ekwe at 04:23
Labels: Chuks Iloegbunam, GA/FHomecoming, guru’s role, Ironside, learning humanities, lecture, Michael Echeruo, Michael Okpara, Nnamdi Azikiwe University Awka, place of caution, Thomas Sankara, Thursday26April2018
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Herbert Ekwe-Ekwe
Herbert Ekwe-Ekwe is specialist on the state and on genocide & wars in Africa in the post-1966 epoch – beginning with the Igbo genocide, 29 May 1966-present day, the foundational and most gruesome genocide of post-(European)conquest Africa. 3.1 million Igbo or 25 per cent of this nation’s population were murdered by Nigeria and its allies, principally Britain. Africa and the rest of the world largely stood by and watched as the perpetrators enacted this horror most ruthlessly. The world could have stopped this genocide; the world should have stopped this genocide. This genocide inaugurated Africa’s current age of pestilence. During the period, 12 million additional Africans have been murdered in further genocide in Rwanda (1994), Zaïre/DRCongo (variously, since the late 1990s) and Darfur – west of the Sudan – (since 2004) and in other wars in Africa. African peoples have, presently, no other choice but exit/dismantle the extant genocide-state (the bane of their existence & progress) & construct own nation-centred states that serve their interests. He is author of several books & papers on the subject and his new book is entitled The longest genocide – since 29 May 1966 (2019).
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Art Theft: One Of The Most Fascinating and Famous Cases in History
January 14, 2018, 9:55 am / remingtontizm934891.pages10.com
Art theft is an ancient and complex criminal offense. When you look at the some of the most popular cases of art thefts in history, you see completely planned operations that include art dealers, art fakers, mobsters, ransoms, and countless dollars. Here you can check out some of the most well-known cases of art theft in the history.
The First Theft:
The very first recorded case of art theft was in 1473, when 2 panels of altarpiece of the Last Judgment by the Dutch painter Hans Memling were stolen. While the triptych was being transported by ship from the Netherlands to Florence, the ship was assaulted by pirates who took it to the Gdansk cathedral in Poland. Nowadays, the piece is revealed at the National Museum in Gdansk where it was just recently moved from the Basilica of the Assumption.
One Of The Most Famous Theft:
The most famous story of art theft involves one of the most famous paintings worldwide and among the most famous artists in history as a suspect. In the night of August 21, 1911, the Mona Lisa was taken from the Louver. Not long after, Pablo Picasso was apprehended and questioned by the police, however was launched quickly.
It turned out that the 30 × 21 inch painting was taken by one of the museum workers by the name of Vincenzo Peruggia, who simply brought it concealed under his coat. The criminal offense was thoroughly performed by a well-known con male, Eduardo de Valfierno, who was sent out by an art faker who intended to make copies and sell them as if they were the initial painting.
While Yves Chaudron, the art faker, was busy developing copies for the popular masterpiece, Mona Lisa was still hidden at Peruggias apartment or condo. Eventually, Peruggia was captured by the police while attempting to sell the painting to an art dealership from Florence, Italy.
The Greatest Theft in the USA:
The biggest art theft in United States happened at the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum. On the night of March 18, 1990, a group of thieves using authorities uniforms burglarized the museum and took thirteen paintings whose collective value was estimated at around 300 million https://www.pinterest.com/kurtcriter/ dollars. The thieves took two paintings and one print by Rembrandt, and works of Vermeer, Manet, Degas, Govaert Flinck, in addition to a French and a Chinese artifact.
Since yet, none of the paintings have actually been found and the case is still unsolved. According to recent reports, the FBI are investigating the possibility that the Boston Mob in addition to French art dealerships are connected to the criminal activity.
The Scream:
The painting by Edvard Munchs, The Scream, is probably the most looked for after painting by art thieves in history. It has been taken two times and was just recently recovered. In 1994, throughout the Winter Season Olympics in Lillehammer, Norway, The Scream was taken from an Oslo gallery by 2 thieves who broke through an open window, set off the alarm and left a note saying: thanks for the bad security.
Three months later, the holders of the painting approached the Norwegian Government with an deal: 1 million dollars ransom for Edvard Munchs The Scream. The Federal government declined the offer, however the Norwegian authorities teamed up with the British Cops and the Getty Museum to organize a sting operation that revived the painting to where it belongs.
10 years later, The Scream was taken once again from the Munch Museum. This time, the robbers utilized a gun and took another of Munchs painting with them. While Museum officials waiting for the burglars to demand ransom cash, rumors declared that both paintings were burned to conceal evidence. Eventually, the Norwegian cops found the two paintings on August 31, 2006 however the truths on how they were recovered are unknowned yet.
When you look at the some of the most well-known cases of art thefts in history, you see thoroughly planned operations that include art dealerships, art fakers, mobsters, ransoms, and millions of dollars. The most famous story of art theft involves one of the most popular paintings in the world and one of the most well-known artists in history as a suspect. The criminal activity was thoroughly carried out by a notorious con male, Eduardo de Valfierno, who was sent out by an art faker who meant to make copies and offer them as if they were the original painting.
Ultimately, Peruggia was caught by the authorities while trying to sell the painting to an art dealership from Florence, Italy. The painting by Edvard Munchs, The Scream, is probably the most looked for after painting by art burglars in history.
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Preston House
You are here Home > Private Parks & Gardens > Preston House
HCC Site ID: 1259 Parish: Preston Candover
Designations: Grade II Area:
The name Preston Candover derives from the old English word prestecandevere meaning ‘Priests of Candover’. Candover itself derives from the earlier ‘caniodubri’ meaning beautiful or clear waters, referring to the stream running along the valley floor.
In Preston Candover at the time of the Domesday Survey there were six separate estates. A manor by the name of Preston Candover first appears in the reign of Edward III and was held by the Hoyvilles. In 1368 John de Hoyville granted the manor to William de Wykeham, Bishop of Winchester. In the reign of Richard II the bishop granted it to Thomas Warenner and it descended to the Sandys family until the late sixteenth century or early seventeenth century. In 1636 it was sold to George Long, who lived in London during the Civil War and assisted the Parliament with money. While in London his house and land in Preston Candover was laid waste.
In 1739, Preston Candover manor was brought to William Guidott by his wife Patience, daughter of John Soper. Guidott was MP for Andover for seven parliaments between 1708 and 1727, and in the mid 1750s built Preston Candover House. The common fields of Preston and Nutley were eventually enclosed and reorganised under the provisions of an Act of Parliament of 1820. The grade 11 Georgian house lies close to the ? road ? miles ??? from Basingstoke.
In 1887 the Preston House Estate was acquired by Henry John Hope, On his death in 1909, the part of the estate was sold. Preston House itself was let and Mrs Hope built Preston Grange to the south of the village. The years between the wars saw several changes amongst the owners of Preston House. The most significant of these was Colonel Miles Courage, a director of Courage and Co., who bought the estate in 1932 and remained there till his death in 1961.
During the 1960s the property was owned by Sir Peter Cadbury and boasted a mile-long airstrip and hangars for five aircraft. During this period the area in front of the house was opened up and most specimen trees felled. Trees remaining include a few copper beeches a plane and cut-leaved beech. Eventually, the house was sold to Sir John (now Lord) Sainsbury who embarked on a major plan of landscape improvement. During this time a new lake has been excavated and stocked with trout, and the drastically cut yew hedge at the front allowed to re-establish.
In 2000, Robert Adam Architects completed a ‘millennium’ garden ‘temple’ incorporating new technology with classical designs to reflect the architecture of the Georgian house.
Features of the garden now include:
. a long grass terrace at the E, front edged with hedges and ornamental flower beds
. steps leading down to extensive lawns between the house and the road with tree planting to create an avenue leading to a shrubbery inside the wall and hedge.
. informal paths leading to a large pond to the north of the central lawns. A bridge from the outer footpath leads onto an island.
. Further north the path arrives at a south facing pavilion overlooking the swimming pool which is enclosed by informal shrubbery and trees.
. Beyond the pool is a tennis court set in formal plantations of trees
. To the south west of the house is a small herb or knot garden surrounded by hedges.
To the north west the new Millenium Temple stands isolated in the parkland, although other work appears to be in progress (from recent aerial photograph)
Preston House stands unseen behind a high brick wall at the northern end of Preston Candover village. The two-storey building dates from 1745, although it has since been altered. It is particularly visible from East Park. The footprint of house, park, gardens and home farm has changed little since the 1840 Tithe Map, although the walled kitchen garden located on the other side of the B3046 has now been developed as private house plots.
The parkland extends east across the B3046 into East Park which is elevated and affords views across to the house and parkland beyond. The gardens are extensive and the diminished legacy of mature native and ornamental trees is being restored with a new design and major new plantiing.
Significance: Preston House was built in 1720 with its parkland extended to the west and across the road to east park. Home farm and associated buildings form an important collection of buildings defining the northern end of the village, and lie within the Conservation Area of Preston Candover.
Preston House is associated with:
. William Guidott MP for Andover in the early 18th century.
. Colonel Miles Courage, a director of Courage and Co. Brewers
. Sir Peter Cadbury
. Lord John Sainsbury of Preston Candover – significant patron of the arts including the National Gallery and the Royal Opera Company
Landscape Planning Status:
AONB No
Preston Candover Conservation Area
Area of Archeological Potential
Research: EM Consultants for Basingstoke & Deane: September 2009
Preston Candover No Public Access Click for Disclaimer & copyright
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Inside SAIIPL
About SAIIPL
Connecting with SAIIPL
About IP
An Introduction to IP
SAIIPL Committees
COE & Constitution
IP Briefs
NOTICES FROM CIPC
It is often assumed that copyright is a form of intellectual property of interest only to artists, poets, novelists and composers. This is not the case. The Copyright Act has been drafted in such a manner that copyright protection extends to a great variety of products. Furthermore, copyright has a long duration (longer than patent and design rights) and is automatically recognised in other countries that are members of the Berne Convention.
Whereas the other forms of intellectual property rights, such as patents, trade mark and design rights, arise only after registration with the Registrar of Patents, Trade Marks and Designs, registration is not necessary for copyright to exist. This means that the author of an original copyright work can become the owner of copyright automatically.
Works eligible for copyright
The Copyright Act No 98 of 1978 provides that the following works, if they are original, are eligible for copyright:
. literary works
. musical works
. artistic works
. cinematograph films
. sound recordings
. broadcasts
. programme-carrying signals
. published editions and
. computer programs.
Some of these categories of works have been defined widely. For example, a ‘literary work’ includes, irrespective of literary quality:
. novels, stories and poetical works;
. dramatic works, stage directions, cinematograph film scenarios and broadcasting scripts;
. textbooks, treatises, histories, biographies, essays and articles;
. encyclopaedias and dictionaries;
. letters, reports and memoranda;
. lectures, speeches and sermons; and
. tables and compilations, including tables and compilations of data stored or embodied in a computer or a medium used in conjunction with a computer, but shall not include a computer program.
An ‘artistic work’ includes, irrespective of artistic quality:
. paintings, sculptures, drawings, engravings and photographs;
. works of architecture, being either buildings or models of buildings; or
. works of craftsmanship, not falling within either paragraph (a) or (b).
No need for registration
Copyright comes into being automatically and no registration is required. In respect of cinematograph films, registration is possible but it is not necessary for copyright to exist.
Copyright is automatically conferred on a work that is eligible for copyright at the time when it is created, provided that certain requirements are met. These require:
. the author (or in the case of joint authorship, one of the authors) to be a qualified person. A ‘qualified person’ is, in the case of an individual, a South African citizen (or a citizen of a Berne Convention country), or someone who is domiciled or resident in the Republic (or in a convention country) or, in the case of a juristic person, a body incorporated under the laws of South Africa (or a convention country); or
. the work to be first published in or made in South Africa (or in a Berne Convention country), even though the author is not a qualified person. The term ‘publish’ in this context is defined to mean the issuance of copies of the work to the public with the consent of the copyright owner in sufficient quantities.
The Berne Convention, referred to above, is an international agreement for the protection of literary and artistic works to which South Africa has acceded. The protection of the Copyright Act has been extended to the nationals or residents of those countries. At present, more than 148 countries are members of the Berne
Author of a work
The author of a copyright work is generally the person who makes or creates the work, but this is not always the case.
The term ‘author’ is defined in the Act in respect of each category of works, eg:
. for a literary, musical or artistic work, to mean the person who first makes or creates the work;
. for a photograph, to mean the person who is responsible for the composition of the photograph;
. for a sound recording or a film, to mean the person by whom the arrangements for the making of the sound recording or film were made;
. for a computer program, to mean the person who exercised control over the making of the computer program.
The Copyright Act provides that, as a general rule, the ownership of the copyright vests in the author, except that:
. the copyright in a literary or artistic work made by an author in the course of his employment by the proprietor of a newspaper, magazine or the like, belongs to the proprietor of the newspaper, magazine, etc. for the purpose of being so published, but in all other respects the copyright subsisting in the work vests in the author;
. a person who commissions a photograph, the painting or drawing of a portrait, the making of a gravure, the making of a cinematograph film or a sound recording, and pays for it pursuant to the commission, will be the owner of the copyright subsisting in the work so made;
. where the work is made by or under the direction or control of the state or an international organisation, copyright is conferred and vests in the state or in the relevant international organisation;
. the work (with certain exceptions) must have been written down, recorded, represented in digital data or signals, or otherwise reduced to material form;
. in the case of all works not falling within the above categories and which are made in the course of an author’s employment by another person under a contract of service or apprenticeship, the copyright will be owned by such other person (ie the employer).
Copyright is transferable by assignment. To be effective, an assignment of copyright must be in writing and signed by the assignor.
Originality and reduction to material form
As indicated above, the Act provides that the works listed will be eligible for copyright if they are ‘original’. There is no definition of ‘original’ in the Act but the Courts will in determining the originality of a work, take into account, the fact that the work is ‘a substantial improvement on what preceded it’ and that ‘a lot of skill, labour, effort and time were expended’ in creating the work. It is a generally accepted principle of copyright law that the concept of originality is not equivalent to novelty or uniqueness but should be understood to mean that the work emanated from the author and was created through the application of the author’s
skill and creativity, labour and efforts.
Duration of copyright
The duration of copyright is relatively long and the term is different for different categories of works. For example:
. for literary, musical or artistic works other than photographs, the term is the life of the author plus 50 years from the end of the year in which the author dies;
. for cinematograph films, photographs and computer programs, the term is 50 years from the end of the year in which the work is made available to the public or is made (where no publication takes place);
. in the case of sound recordings and published editions, the term is 50 years from the end of the year in which the recording or edition is first published.
In legal terms, copyright confers on the copyright owner an exclusive right to do or to authorise the doing of certain acts. The subsistence of copyright in a work does not confer absolute protection for the work in the sense of prohibiting the making of or use of a similar work in all circumstances. It confers, generally, a right to prohibit copying of the work by another. These vary according to the type of work. The most important act that is prohibited is the making of a reproduction (or copy) of the work.
The term ‘reproduction’ does not mean only the making of a direct copy. The term is defined to include also an indirect copy, i.e a copy made from a copy, as well as a version in three-dimensional form made from an artistic work which itself is in two dimensions and vice versa).
Infringement of copyright and remedies
Copyright in a work is infringed by any person who, without the authorisation of the owner, does any of the acts reserved for the owner, eg makes a reproduction of the work. The Act also provides for copyright to be infringed indirectly –
. by any person who, without the authority of the copyright owner, imports, sells, lets, by way of trade offers or exposes for sale or hire, or distributes for purposes of trade, an article in the Republic if he/she knew that the making of the article constituted an infringement of copyright or would have constituted an infringement if made in the Republic (section 23(2)); or
. by any person who permits a place of entertainment to be used for a public performance of a literary or musical work, where the performance constitutes an infringement of copyright, unless the person was not aware and had no reasonable grounds to suspect that the performance was an infringement section 23(3)).
Judicial proceedings can be instituted by the copyright owner in the case of infringement of copyright. If infringement is found to have taken place, the plaintiff is entitled to:
. damages;
. an interdict;
. delivery up of infringing copies or plates used for making infringing copies;
. in lieu of damages, at the option of the plaintiff, an amount calculated on the basis of a reasonable royalty which would have been payable by a licensee.
The court may also, taking into account the flagrancy of the infringement and the benefit shown to have accrued to the defendant, award such additional damages as the court may deem fit.
Offences
Certain dealings that infringe copyright are stipulated in the Act to be criminal offences. Fines and periods of imprisonment are prescribed. These criminal acts include –
. making for sale or hire, or selling or letting;
. by way of trade offering or exposing for sale or hire;
. by way of trade distributing or exhibiting in public;
. Importing into the Republic otherwise than for private use;
. articles which the person knows to be infringing copies.
Artistic works and reverse engineering
As set out above, artistic works in the form of drawings of a technical nature (such as engineering drawings, flow charts, etc) and works of craftmanship (such as prototypes, models, etc) can enjoy copyright protection.
Copyright owners have, in the past, sought to rely on the copyright in their engineering drawings to prevent third parties from making three-dimensional versions of their works by way of reverse engineering, ie by copying an existing, legally made, three-dimensional article made from the drawings.
A provision was introduced into the Copyright Act in 1983 to regulate the position in regard to such copying. It states that where a three-dimensional version of an artistic work has been made available to the public with the consent of the copyright owner (referred to as an ‘authorised reproduction’), the copyright in the artistic work will not be infringed by a person who makes a three-dimensional copy of the authorised reproduction, provided that the article in question primarily has autilitarian purpose and is made by an industrial process.
This proviso means that the category of articles to which this provision extends excludes aesthetic articles such as sculptures.
Marking of copyright works
Marking of a copyright work is not a requirement in terms of the Copyright Act. However, certain advantages can be achieved by marking a copyright work with the internationally recognised copyright sign, namely ©, the year in which the work was made or published, and the name(s) of the author(s) and copyright owner(s).
Purpose of registration
Registration of copyright in cinematograph films is provided for by the Registration of Copyright in Cinematograph Films Act no. 62 of 1977. The expression ‘cinematograph film’ has the meaning assigned to it in terms of the Copyright Act no. 98 of 1978. The purpose of the registration is to facilitate proof, firstly, that
copyright subsists in a particular cinematograph film in South Africa and, secondly, that a given person is the owner of the copyright in the film. This makes it easier for copyright owners in infringement proceedings.
In the absence of registration of the copyright in the cinematograph film, it is necessary for a copyright owner in a litigation matter to prove ownership and to establish the subsistence of copyright.
The main advantages of registration are that:
. registration will be prima facie evidence of the validity of that copyright (in civil as well as criminal proceedings). Thus, in a civil matter to restrain infringement, it will not be necessary for the copyright owner to prove the subsistence of copyright and the fact of his ownership. A Certificate issued by the registrar of Copyright will constitute prima facie evidence of these matters;
. a person other than the owner of the copyright in a cinematograph film may be registered as a licensee, either with or without conditions or restrictions.
. it is possible for the registered owner of the copyright in a cinematograph film to assign it and, by making application in the prescribed manner, the assignee may be recorded in the official register as the subsequent owner of the copyright; and
. in civil or criminal proceedings for infringement of copyright in films registered under the Registration of Copyright in Cinematograph Films Act, knowledge of the particulars entered in the register of copyright is presumed.
Who may apply to register the copyright in a film ?
Any person claiming to be the owner of the copyright in a cinematograph film by virtue of the provisions of the Copyright Act, may apply to the registrar in the prescribed manner for registration.
Requirements for an application for registration
The following information and materials are required for purposes of preparing and lodging an application for registration of copyright in a cinematograph film:
. the full name or names, nationality, trading style, legal status, and description of the applicant(s) and, if the applicant is a body corporate other than a South African company, the nature of and country of incorporation;
. the street address/principal place of business of the applicant;
. documentary proof (if the applicant is not the author) of his entitlement to apply;
. whether the film is in colour, or in black and white;
. the category, language and duration of the film (see also the heading ‘Categories’ below);
. a ‘Statement of Case’ (see next section) and the full names (and designation) of the person who will sign the Statement of Case; and
. a Power of Attorney.
It should be noted that the registrar may also, in his discretion, call for a deposit in his office of a specimen or copy of the film and he may refer to the deposit in the register. Furthermore, any other relevant supporting documents, duly authenticated, or copies thereof should be provided.
Further information to be provided
Statement of case
The application for registration must be accompanied by a Statement of Case, which must contain the following particulars:
. the name or names of the cinematograph film;
. the name, citizenship, and country or countries of domicile and residence of the author of the film;
. the circumstances by virtue of which the author claims to be the author of the film;
. dates on and place or places at which the film was made;
. whether the film has lawfully been made available to the public and if so the date on which it was first so lawfully made available to the public;
. whether the film has been published and if so the place and date of first publication;
. a brief description of the story or subject matter of the film;
. the full name of the director and producer of the film;
. the full names of the principal players (if any) or of the narrator, if appropriate, in the film, which serve to distinguish the film from other films;
. any marks, including trade marks or other features, used to distinguish the cinematograph film.
Foreign registrations
Where the applicant has already registered the copyright in a cinematograph film in another country it will be useful if a copy of the certificate of registration in that other country is furnished.
Languages and translations
Where an application contains words not written in the Latin alphabet (eg in Chinese, Japanese or Arabic), it will be necessary to provide a sufficient transliteration and translation to the satisfaction of the registrar, signed by the applicant (or his agent).
Any document in a language other than the English or Afrikaans languages must be accompanied by an exact translation, certified to the satisfaction of the registrar.
For purposes of registration, films are classified into different categories, such as action or adventure, cartoons, comedy, documentary, drama, etc. The correct category/categories must be indicated in the application.
Where problems arise in connection with the selection of the correct category, we should be furnished with full details of the story line to enable us to determine the correct category or categories involved.
Procedure after filing
After filing, the application undergoes examination at the hands of the Registrar of Copyright. All the applications are examined by the Registrar in strict chronological sequence of filing.
Once the examination has been completed, the Registrar takes action on the application, either accepting it absolutely or preliminarily refusing it or indicating subject to what conditions it may be accepted. An opportunity is afforded the applicant to make representations to the registrar to overcome whatever
objections may be raised or to deal with the application otherwise, as the circumstances may dictate.
Once an application has been accepted, it must be advertised in the Patent Journal, which is published monthly by the Government Printer. If no opposition is entered within a month after the advertisement date (see under the next heading ‘Opposition’), a registration certificate will be issued.
Within one month after acceptance of an application has been advertised in the Patent Journal, any person who considers that he has valid grounds for objecting may oppose the application. The opposition term may be extended by the Registrar. (Details of opposition procedure will be furnished upon request.)
Special searches
A preliminary search may be made at the Registrar’s office to ascertain whether or not the copyright in a given cinematograph film has been registered. The Registrar maintains an alphabetical index of the names of all applicants for registration of copyright in films and of registered owners, as well as an alphabetical index of the names of all the assignees and registered licensees.
Furthermore, the registrar maintains an alphabetical index of the titles of all cinematograph films that are the subject of applications or registrations.
Duration of a registration
The registration of the copyright in a cinematograph film endures for the full term of the copyright, namely 50 years from the end of the year in which the work is lawfully made available to the public or, failing such an event within fifty years from the making of the work, 50 years from the end of the year in which the work was made.
Infringement proceedings
The Copyright Act governs infringement of copyright in cinematograph films. In terms of the Copyright Act, copyright can be infringed directly by doing, without the authorisation of the owner, any act that is reserved for the owner. Copyright can also be infringed indirectly by the importation, selling, letting, by way of trade offering or exposing for sale or hire, or distribution in the Republic of South Africa of a cinematograph film by any person who knows that the film would constitute an infringement of copyright in the Republic.
Copyright SAIIPL 2016. All Rights Reserved
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Paula Montal Fornés
Feast Day: February 26
Canonized: November 25, 2001
Beatified: April 18, 1993
Venerated: November 28, 1988
Paula Montal Fornés de San José de Calasanz was born in Barcelona, Spain, in 1799. She was the oldest of five daughters. Her father died when she was only 10, and Paula had to go to work to help her mother support the family. She also helped her mother raise her younger sisters. Paula was disappointed that she could not attend school. She promised God that she would devote her life to the Christian education of girls and young women.
Paula and her best friend, Inés Busquets, moved to a city near the border of Spain and France in 1829 to open their first school. It offered special training for girls and also educated them in the Catholic faith.
After the third school was built, Paula was given permission from the pope in 1847 to form an order of nuns who were committed to her work. The name Paula chose was the Daughters of Mary Religious of the Pious Schools. The community was devoted to our Blessed Mother and to the education of young women. When the community gathered to elect a Mother Superior, Sister Paula was not chosen. This was unusual because she had founded the order, but Paula was not upset. She saw it as a sign that God wanted her to continue to work closely with the girls in the Pious Schools.
Paula personally founded eight more schools. She was also responsible for the formation of the young women who wanted to become Daughters of Mary nuns. The young nuns and the students she taught were inspired by her holiness.
Mother Paula Montal died in 1889 at one of the schools she founded, Olesa de Montserrat. She was canonized in 1993, at which time there were more than 800 Sisters of the Pious Schools in 19 countries.
Connecting to Blest Are We® Parish and School
Grade 2, unit 3
Elizabeth Ann Seton
Peter Claver
In "September"
Margaret of Castello
In "April"
TAGS: Blest Are We, Religious, Saint, Spain
← Paula Montal Fornés (Español)
Ángela Guerrero Gonzalez →
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The H.D. Book by Robert Duncan
Review by George Fragopoulos — Published on September 6, 2011
Tags: university of california press
The H.D. Book, by Robert Duncan. University of California Press. 646 pp., $49.95.
Ezra Pound wrote in The Spirit of Romance that “The study of literature is hero-worship.” It is this sentiment that guides Robert Duncan’s The H.D. Book, a work as impossible to categorize as it is to not be in awe of. Magisterial and encyclopedic, this is a confounding tome. I say that not to disparage but to praise, for that which confounds can excite, upset, and, in this case, inspire a true and honest thinking. How so? By calling forth a necessary reconsideration of those concepts we think we know best but have taken for granted. To quote Heraclitus via Charles Olson: “Man is estranged from that with which he is most familiar.” Duncan’s work, whether the book under review here or his poems and other prose writings, asks his readers to question those fields of knowledge that we no longer view as radical or powerful because they have become the most familiar: Modernism, Romanticism, poetry, the hermetic arts, tradition, history. All are open to scrutiny and to questioning. At its least, The H.D. Book is an autobiography, a poetic Künstlerroman, the story of how Duncan grew into poetry. At its most profound, it is a reimagining of the last hundred or so years of literary history, and one that, in part, seeks to counter the masculinist traditions of critics like T. S. Eliot, Hugh Kenner, and Harold Bloom. Duncan’s project is meant to counter such traditions by also turning away from its traditional discourses . Duncan refuses to proceed in any syllogistic or traditional manner in terms of argument. He is, in large part, refusing to partake in the language of traditional academic discourse. For Duncan what is of utmost importance is the revelatory realization rather than “rational” understanding, the ability to imagine the workings of the world as they might be rather than as they crudely are. It is no coincidence that Duncan often returns to Romantic poets such as Blake in order to elucidate the revelatory power of poetry.
But where to begin unfolding the thread that will navigate us through this labyrinth? The book contains multitudes, and a critical discussion of it can begin nearly anywhere. What should we most urgently address when reading The H.D. Book? It must be said that writing an essay such as this one does the work a great disservice, limiting us to one or two facets of a seemingly endless array to examine. One could build a university on the learning between these covers. But bemoaning the limits of critical inquiry can only get us so far; it is enough to be aware of them. As such, I would like to focus on what I see as one of the general themes of the text: its engagement and critique of rational modes of thinking, and the place of poetry in critiquing such logic. Following this thematic thread, I hope, will also bring into focus Duncan’s relationship to his poetry.
The hero-worship of the poet Hilda Doolittle is the present/absent center on which Duncan’s intellectual/emotional wheel spins. The book takes seriously its study of H.D.’s life and work, but is far more than that. (And now as I struggle to do what critics do, to isolate and analyze in order to “explain” what a work might possibly “mean” or “suggest,” do I realize the overwhelming difficulty of making such a critical move in relation to a work that persistently resists such practices.) Let’s not worry about defining it. As stated above, it is an intellectual and artistic autobiography, the story of one poet’s initiation—a very important word for Duncan—into the life of poetry, a search for, as he writes, “The fire . . . needed to carve the poet for its use.” For Duncan, this initiation begins in a high school classroom. It is 1935 or 1936. A young teacher reads to Duncan’s class H.D.’s poem “Heat.” From that moment on Duncan is never quite the same: he is besotted with the language; the poem has changed the world, his world. He writes of that particular poem and of that particular moment:
[T]he image stirred not only pictures from my knowledge of a like world, from the shared terms of orchard, pear, and grape at the stem, and the shimmering medium of air in the heat; but it stood too for another statement, arousing and giving a possible articulation to an inner urgency of my own to be realized, to be made good. The poem had a message, hidden to me then, that I felt but could not translate, an unconscious alliance that made for something more than a sensual response.
The chord is struck, and the music sounds. Duncan can feel the poem’s message, but he cannot “translate” it into rational meaning or sense. Why? Because the poem exists beyond such restrictive measures. It is its own agent.
H.D.’s work opens a door, and makes visible what was before hidden. But H.D. is only one of many teachers, one of many masters. Freud, for example, is one, as are Dante, James Joyce, Gertrude Stein, Virginia Woolf and D.H. Lawrence. Because of Duncan’s historical moment and because of his clear affinity for and appreciation of the Modernists it has become easy to label The H.D. Book as an examination of Modernism. But if there is a Modernism to be found here it is one almost entirely of Duncan’s own making, a historical reimagining of sources that also brings together writers and thinkers, such as Mary Butts and Helena Petrovna Blavatsky, who have been forgotten or ignored. Blavatsky, for one, is given a good amount of consideration, illustrating Duncan’s lifelong engagement with theosophical and hermetic traditions, an echo of which he also felt in H.D.’s oeuvre. But such forgotten traditions are indicative of Duncan’s true aesthetic leanings as a practitioner of a Romanticist poetics. Duncan’s Modernism (even his Postmodernism) is really an extension of a radical skepticism, a negative capability, that begins with the Romantics. It is from this soil that Duncan blooms.
For Duncan such traditions contain within them antinomies that can run counter to the overwhelmingly rational impulses that have defined Western thinking and which have sought to marginalize the imagination and the creative:
The man who would present himself without the dimensions of dream and fantasy, much less experience of illusion and error, who would render the true from the false by voiding the fictional and the doubtful, diminishes the human experience.
These salvos against the rational and the championing of the imaginative are of the utmost importance when considering most of Duncan’s work. The H.D. Book is no exception. The lack of any coherent structure, of any central argument or process, is an essential part of coming to terms with its composition . Duncan often quotes Robert Creeley’s famous dictum in Charles Olson’s seminal essay “Projective Verse”: “Form is never more than an extension of content.” By not proceeding in any systematic manner, The H.D. Book’s circuitous and elliptical meanderings perform one of its central tenets. While ostensibly a work of prose, the text moves with what Ron Silliman would call the non-syllogistic movement of prose poetry. This comes into stunning clarity in The H.D. Book’s second half, “Nights and Days ,” a fragmentary and feverish collection of thoughts and observations that leap from place to place, sometimes in a clear and obvious manner, other times in a seemingly incongruous pattern. For example, on pages 536–537, a small section on Heraclitus is juxtaposed with the following:
The crucifixion was not only a punishment (as those who judged him saw it), not only a sacrifice, passion, and endurance, in the name of the world’s sin (as the cult of pain-worship saw it), not only a compassion (as the cult of the Redeemer saw it), but also not a punishment, not a suffering, but, if one saw it as a thing in itself, a drama enacted, it was a play of revelation, or a dance.
Such juxtapositions challenge and call into question the very modes of discourse which usually control and limit criticism.
I stress the importance of Duncan’s form only because it underscores his aesthetic approach. For Duncan, the agency of the aesthetic object, the poem, must be dealt with on its own terms, and on its own grounds. Duncan’s close friendship with fellow poet Denise Levertov, for example, came to an end, in part, because of a fundamental disagreement on where politics stood in relation to aesthetics. In Duncan’s estimation of Levertov’s poetic work politics overcame her artistic judgment, thus betraying what a poem should be: an event in language that is, to a great degree, an object independent from the world, divorced from crude reality, its own agent. As he writes to Levertov in a letter dated October 19, 1971:
But our initial breakthru [sic] was not to be concerned with form as conservative or as revolutionary, but with form as the direct vehicle and medium of content. Which means and still means for me that we do not say something by means of the poem but the poem is itself the immediacy of saying—it has its own meaning.
It is this agency of the imaginative work that also drives The H.D. Book. And what is the aesthetic object, in this case the poem, if not that which can change the design and shape of the known world? The H.D. Book is such an object. It is, simply put, essential and necessary.
George Fragopoulos lives in New York. He is currently writing his dissertation on modern American poetics.
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The Tanners by Robert Walser The TannersRobert Walser (trans. Susan Bernofsky). New Directions. 360pp, $15.95. I. It is the mark of a novel’s necessity when it hangs so strongly together, feels so absolutely essential in every last, smallest chunk, despite the fact that it offers the reader very little of what is generally construed as...
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Poems from Guantánamo: The Detainees Speak, Edited by Marc Falkoff
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Toward the Sanitarium: Walser’s Microscripts
Pushing Thorny Syntax to An Extreme: The Susan Bernofsky Interview
Landscape With Dog And Other Stories by Ersi Sotiropoulos
Tracing Mahmoud Darwish’s Map
Nikos Kachtitsis’s Dark Night of the Soul and The Mezzanine
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I’d Like by Amanda Michalopoulou
The Amanda Michalopoulou Interview
Ten Theses on the Nature of Metafiction (And a Parenthetical Review of Salvador Plascencia’s The People of Paper)
The Planetary Writing of J. M. Ledgard
It is the planet we live on, more than any human consciousness or ambition, that anchors the tw...
Modernist Anecdotes
We seem to be reaching a consensus that there is something distinctly new about what Lydia Davi...
In the Heart of the Heart of the Country by Willia...
Once, at a writers symposium, William Howard Gass remarked that to substitute the page for the ...
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The cadets of Hobbema are a good news First Nations story that the media ignore
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Jesse Winter
It's no secret that the media love to sensationalize violence and conflict, but this is particularly dangerous for marginalized communities like First Nations.
"‘If it bleeds it leads' isn't new, and it's not unique to Aboriginal issues," says Duncan McCue, an Anishinaabe reporter who covers Aboriginal affairs for CBC's The National.
"The problem, though, is when it's focused on a racial group you end up with the concern that Indians are being painted as problem people."
The people of Hobbema, Alberta, are well use to this attitude.
On a warm fall evening, Cadet Corps Major Trent Young barks commands and encouragement at a young cadet, Miss Kiandra, as she scrambles over the cattle gates that serve as a makeshift obstacle course outside the rundown Hobbema's Panee Multiplex.
The pre-teen drops to the ground and crawls commando-style through a chicken wire tunnel, her feet kicking up small swirls of dust in the fading afternoon light.
"Go, go, go... good, now up to attention!" Young shouts as Kiandra wiggles out from under the obstacle and snaps crisply to attention, stopping the clock.
After, the troop marches around the front of the multiplex, stepping over trash and broken cinder blocks and past lettering spray-painted across the old, rusted bleachers. It reads "Latin Kings."
"That's what we have to deal with on a regular basis," Young says. "Kids think they're part of these gangs. They spray that stuff everywhere."
Young's commanding presence belies his age. The Hobbema Community Cadet Corps was started in 2005 by the RCMP with the idea of giving kids in Hobbema something to do. Just three years ago Young was a cadet himself, a soft-spoken kid with cripplingly low confidence and tempted, like many of his peers, by a life of drugs, violence and inconsequence. The cadet corps saved Young. Now, after a collapse brought on by political infighting and federal government complications, it's Young who is saving the cadet corps. He's barely 20 years old, and he picked up the pieces of the corps in Hobbema when no one else could.
The thing is, you'll rarely hear about it.
The media are not strangers to Hobbema. This is the town where, in early July, five-year-old Ethan Yellowbird was shot and killed by a stray bullet while he slept. Two months later, a 23-year-old woman was gunned down outside the house next door. This year there were more than 128 articles written about Hobbema, and 104 of them referenced gangs, violence, drugs or shootings. Only three mentioned the "good news" cadet program, and almost nothing about its implosion and resurrection. The media's focus has been mostly on the gang story.
The "problem people" label McCue mentioned is one that has persisted for decades, according to University of British Columbia sociology professor Rima Wilkes.
Wilkes studies media representation of Aboriginal communities. She says that media coverage often falls within certain "frames" or codes that serve to uphold current misconceptions of Aboriginal people.
In a study of over 400 articles that appeared in The Globe and Mail, The Toronto Star and The Vancouver Sun in 1995, Wilkes and her colleagues found that over 60 per cent of stories involving Aboriginal people and protest contained language that painted them as ‘criminal', ‘terrorist', ‘militant' or ‘violent.'
So why does this keep happening?
The most immediate problem is one of journalistic time and resources, McCue says. There might be great solutions-focused stories in Aboriginal communities, but he says it's far easier to focus on negative stories, and far cheaper to carry them out.
"Reporting on problems is easy. It's black and white. Solutions don't necessarily happen in a 24-hour news cycle. They're often gray and sometimes confusing. We lose interest, so we move on to the next novel thing," he added.
But one piece of journalism from Hobbema bucked the trend to show what was possible.
In October 2009, CBC Edmonton produced a series of news pieces and an in-depth documentary called Journey to Jamaica that followed the Hobbema cadets on an exchange to Spanish Town and highlighted the program's impressive success. The documentary made such an impact that it lead to a debate in the House of Commons, and ultimately to $1 million over three years from the National Crime Prevention Centre, money that was supposed to help grow the program and spread it to other Aboriginal communities in the province.
"At the time I was a local news reporter, so this was really a big first for me...it really was an in-depth project," says Briar Stewart, the CBC reporter who worked on the docs.
"From start to finish I probably got a good month and a half to work on it. For me, that was quite unheard of because I was doing a lot of local daily news."
McCue agrees the CBC coverage was good, and more of it is needed.
"That's a great news story, the cadets... it was a big commitment on the part of CBC Edmonton, and it paid off, but it's not cheap, for a media outlet to do that," he said.
Instead, the media wait for the next event that fits into the 24-hour news cycle, whether it's a shooting or a parade. No one is saying the media should cover up negative news, but they do have to tell the whole story so Canadians can have a full understanding of what is happening in these communities and why, says McCue.
"What's happening in Hobbema shouldn't be happening. Five-year-olds shouldn't be getting shot. There are long-standing questions about where the community should be going, and the gang issues are scary to all kinds of people. And those things need to be reported... but there needs to be a balance," he says.
There are a lot of complex social factors that contributed to the cadets' collapse, but the only story Canadians are likely to hear is that another expensive Indian program failed.
Wilkes and McCue both agree that this missing context is a huge problem, and that it stems from a lack of basic cultural literacy on the part of many Canadians.
"I'm always kind of astounded when people say they don't know anything about residential schools or intergenerational trauma," McCue said "The truth is that, for Aboriginal communities, the residential schools are today. It's now... they're still healing. But for a lot of non-Aboriginal people, they don't understand that."
And, he says, reporters aren't exempt from this cultural ignorance.
McCue is also a professor at the University of British Columbia, and teaches a new course aimed at improving reporting from indigenous communities.
"The point of the course is to try to introduce students to Aboriginal issues and reporting from these communities... and work through some of the difficulties."
As McCue sees it, the brutal daily deadlines of the media game create a fundamental clash between Aboriginal and newsroom cultures.
"Media are, fundamentally, story takers. We go into communities, we ask people to tell their stories, we take them away and then we tell it however we damn well please," he says.
When you combine that with Aboriginal peoples' long history of colonial authorities taking things away, it's no wonder you get a clash, McCue points out. It's the media's job to find a way to provide that context despite time limits and stringent word counts.
Incredibly, his advice boils down to two simple ideas.
"If you are a reporter, listen. And treat Aboriginal people with respect. It's way more complicated than that, but that's what my entire course boils down to. It's not rocket science."
Back at the Panee Multiplex, Trent Young sets up his cadets for drill practice. They have six new faces, for a total of 47. It's their highest turnout in three months. It's not the 200 they had a few years ago, but it is something.
He and a few members of his community have rescued the program from extinction, and while reporters spent the past summer writing about bloodshed and frustration, Young was working to secure the Multiplex as a new headquarters and began recruiting new cadets.
Young admires his troop, smiling again.
"You want to know what the media can do better?" he asks.
"Come, see our community. You say so much about us, come. Come dance inter-tribal at our pow-wow, come to a feast. We'll show you the real Hobbema."
Jesse Winter is a freelance journalist from North Bay, Ontario. He is now based in Vancouver, where he writes about, photographs and lives as much of life as he can between bike rides.
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Unmasked
Ex-Members
Ex-Bands
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Paul Tribute Page
Musicography
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Vol 3: The Subliminal Verses
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Slipknot Rick Rubin
slipknot producer rick Rubin
photo of rick rubin
Rick Rubin, the co-founder of the legendary Def Jam label, producer Rick Rubin was among the key figures behind the commercial and artistic rise of hip-hop, lending his signature rap/metal style to many of the biggest records of the pre-gangsta era.
Born Frederick Jay Rubin on Long Island, New York in 1963, he was attending New York University when he and Russell Simmons founded Def Jam in 1984.
Operating the company out of Rubin's dorm room, they bowed with the T La Rock and Jazzy Jay single "It's Yours," issued in association with Partytime/Streetwise.
By 1985 Def Jam entered into a distribution deal with Columbia, and the label also produced their own rap movie, Krush Groove; however, even from the outset, Rubin's interests extended well beyond hip-hop, and he raised more than a few eyebrows producing Hell Awaits for the thrash band Slayer later that same year.
Rap broke worldwide in 1986 as a result of two landmark LPs, the Beastie Boys' Licensed to Ill and Run-D.M.C.'s Raising Hell, both of which Rubin produced.
A year later, he also helmed Yo! Bum Rush the Show, the debut record from arguably the most pivotal act in hip-hop history, the renowned Public Enemy. That same year, he also scored a major hit with Electric, by British rockers the Cult.
Rubin and Simmons' partnership soon ended in acrimony, however, with the former exiting Def Jam to found his own label, dubbed Def American. The company's early signings indulged Rubin's tastes, ranging from long-time favorites Slayer to shock comic Andrew Dice Clay to the controversial gangsta rappers the Geto Boys; he never drifted far from his roots, however, and after serving as executive producer on Public Enemy's seminal It Takes a Nation of Millions to Hold Us Back, he helmed L.L. Cool J's Walking with a Panther, and even directed the Run-D.M.C. movie Tougher Than Leather.
In 1991, Def American scored one of its biggest hits yet with Sir Mix-a-Lot's Mack Daddy, which launched the monster "Baby Got Back." That same year, Rubin also produced the Red Hot Chili Peppers' breakthrough effort Blood Sugar Sex Magik.
He returned in 1993 with Mick Jagger's Wandering Spirit, and on August 27 of that year officially dropped the "Def" prefix from the label's name, holding a traditional New Orleans funeral to retire the now-outdated term.
In 1994, Rubin produced Johnny Cash's comeback effort, like the label itself titled simply American Recordings; he also helmed Tom Petty's Wildflowers, leading to increased concern that he had lost touch with the youth market. These worries were furthered by Rubin's next major project, Donovan's Sutras.
Indeed, as the decade drew to a close, American's future appeared dim -- not only did longtime flagship artist Danzig exit the label's ranks, but more recent signings like the Jayhawks and Crown Heights failed to meet commercial expectations.
Then in 2004, Rick Rubin then produced Slipknot's 3rd Studio album, Vol 3: the Subliminal Verses
vol 3: the subliminal verses [2004]
Vol. 3: (The Subliminal Verses) is the third studio album by Slipknot. It is the band’s only album produced by Rick Rubin and also the only one not to feature harsh profanity. "Before I Forget" was listed as "AOL’s Top Metal Song of the Decade". Roadrunner Records have listed the music video for "Duality" as the best video in Roadrunner history.
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Experiencing the Soul
Our experience of seeing, remembering and visualizing all hinge on the ability of the mind to place our awareness at the center of a spherical reality that converts incoming sensory information from our nervous system, particularly eyes, memory and imagination into a manipulable visual construct.
The visual aspect of our being is a only a part of total sensory input, but pivotal to understanding how we survive death and return again and again to complete our goals for living. We call it the soul, and it has two important qualities that seem very different during analysis. First there is the ability to contain the experience of living and review it, whether it is a moment later or many lifetimes in the past. Second and most important is that we remain at the center of the experience at all times, somehow we are able to observe those experiences regardless of the events that created them.
Clearly our memories are not who we are, only the record that tells where we have been and what we have done. Who is it that does the observing? How does it work that this capability remains constant throughout our experience of being conscious?
The Soul contains all of our memories from all our existences both material and immaterial, it includes the yearning and hopes from previous lives and remembers those we loved so deeply that losing them meant that our lives no longer had meaning. Your soul gives you your purpose for living.
SCIET Dynamics explains the soul simply
The Soul is based on the same principles that created atoms at the beginning of the Creation. Point-to-point resonance returns to each point and goes into orbit around the center forming a continuous spherical layer of information. When this happens at the atomic level it creates the Atomic Shell and the same effect is used to store memories around the point of Awareness. This means that your sensory system is interactive with all points that surround you, and that your consciousness utilizes this to process your path forward moment-by-moment. Simply stated, you are behind your eyes utilizing a modeling system to see what is presently around you, to remember what you have seen and experienced and to imagine anything else that you want to visualize. These spherical layers are also reduced to molecular size as they are processed by the mind until they reach their smallest possible size, which is then broadcast throughout the body’s DNA in true Holographic fashion.
At this size the memories are passed to an even smaller dimension where they enter long term memory to form what I have called a Memory Tunnel. The Awareness is able to pass from waking consciousness at the center of your brain to deep ancestral awareness at the center of your Memory Tunnel during any past life. You are able to traverse from one moment to the previous or into deep antiquity by simply imagining that past moment.
This new math allows us to understand how we can be the observer at the center of a spherical field layer of information that exists as a result of the brains energetic field. The layout of the brains parts is consistent with this idea, with the internal reality modeled upside down and backwards, so that the visual field is projected toward the back of the head while the feet are modeled with the top regions the brain. The sky is modeled from point where the spinal cord connects the brain, and is the vanishing point above our heads. All the parts of the body and its sensory system are modeled by the brain using synaptic firing to provoke different spherical memories needed to manage the body.
The new math, the SCIET, reduces all incoming information toward the center until it reaches SOURCE. Therefore all SCIETs are points of Awareness and are, in effect, holes in the fabric of SpaceTime that connect to Source. All Relationships in SpaceTime are Point-to-Point, meaning that the Soul is in continuous relationship with everything around it. According to its concepts the Soul is a recording of all experiences a being has since it separated from the Awareness that began the Creation. The SCIET provides a mathematical tool to describe this process using a single cycle integrative effect topology to identify how a single point-to-point fractional reduction becomes a record of that momentary state while alive and also while in the transitionary state between lives. The center of this recording is where the fragment of God exists, and it is this center of Awareness that is charged with evolving, or learning how to operate within the constraints of the accumulated information. So the Soul is a vehicle for Awareness that is descended from the original Awareness that began the creation. In this sense, the Soul is the combination of that Awareness and all of the experiences it has accumulated.
If you want to imagine what this would look like and how it would be a vehicle during the after life, consider what is written about Orbs that appear when researchers investigate reports of ghosts or visit spiritual sites. The appearance of Orbs of Light is constant in some places and sometimes witnesses report seeing faces or people within them. Additionally, Orbs are reported as UFOs and are always reactive to what people are thinking or saying about them. Recently, a witness from the Secret Space Program has reported being in contact with a race of beings from the Sixth dimension who manifest themselves as Blue Spheres, but can also manifest as humanoid beings in order to meet with him.
The Soul is a point of Awareness surrounded by the energy of its accumulated existences, and appears to us as an orb of light.
Dane Arr
April 22. 2019
Posted by Sc13t4, 0 comments
The Math That Tells Cells What They Are
Website Editors Note: This website is about a Single Cycle Integrative Effect Topology, the SCIET. It does what this article describes for all of nature, providing a means to identify each point in space uniquely in full relationship to all others. This is why this article is included on this website.
In 1891, when the German biologist Hans Driesch split two-cell sea urchin embryos in half, he found that each of the separated cells then gave rise to its own complete, albeit smaller, larva. Somehow, the halves “knew” to change their entire developmental program: At that stage, the blueprint for what they would become had apparently not yet been drawn out, at least not in ink.
Since then, scientists have been trying to understand what goes into making this blueprint, and how instructive it is. (Driesch himself, frustrated at his inability to come up with a solution, threw up his hands and left the field entirely.) It’s now known that some form of positional information makes genes variously switch on and off throughout the embryo, giving cells distinct identities based on their location. But the signals carrying that information seem to fluctuate wildly and chaotically — the opposite of what you might expect for an important guiding influence.
“The [embryo] is a noisy environment,” said Robert Brewster, a systems biologist at the University of Massachusetts Medical School. “But somehow it comes together to give you a reproducible, crisp body plan.”
I don’t think optimization is an aesthetic or philosophical idea. It’s a very concrete idea.
William Bialek, Princeton University
The same precision and reproducibility emerge from a sea of noise again and again in a range of cellular processes. That mounting evidence is leading some biologists to a bold hypothesis: that where information is concerned, cells might often find solutions to life’s challenges that are not just good but optimal — that cells extract as much useful information from their complex surroundings as is theoretically possible. Questions about optimal decoding, according to Aleksandra Walczak, a biophysicist at the École Normale Supérieure in Paris, “are everywhere in biology.”
Biologists haven’t traditionally cast analyses of living systems as optimization problems because the complexity of those systems makes them hard to quantify, and because it can be difficult to discern what would be getting optimized. Moreover, while evolutionary theory suggests that evolving systems can improve over time, nothing guarantees that they should be driven to an optimal level.
Yet when researchers have been able to appropriately determine what cells are doing, many have been surprised to see clear indications of optimization. Hints have turned up in how the brain responds to external stimuli and how microbes respond to chemicals in their environments. Now some of the best evidence has emerged from a new study of fly larva development, reported recently in Cell.
Cells That Understand Statistics
For decades, scientists have been studying fruit fly larvae for clues about how development unfolds. Some details became apparent early on: A cascade of genetic signals establishes a pattern along the larva’s head-to-tail axis. Signaling molecules called morphogens then diffuse through the embryonic tissues, eventually defining the formation of body parts.
Particularly important in the fly are four “gap” genes, which are expressed separately in broad, overlapping domains along the axis. The proteins they make in turn help regulate the expression of “pair-rule” genes, which create an extremely precise, periodic striped pattern along the embryo. The stripes establish the groundwork for the later division of the body into segments.
Early in the development of fruit flies, four “gap” genes are expressed at different levels along the long axis of the larval body. That pattern lays the foundation for the expression of “pair-rule” genes in periodic bands later, which give rise to specific body segments. The purple stain in the embryo at left shows the expression of one gap protein; the staining in the later larva at right reveals one pair-rule protein.
Development 2002 129:4399-4409
How cells make sense of these diffusion gradients has always been a mystery. The widespread assumption was that after being pointed in roughly the right direction (so to speak) by the protein levels, cells would continuously monitor their changing surroundings and make small corrective adjustments as development proceeded, locking in on their planned identity relatively late. That model harks back to the “developmental landscape” proposed by Conrad Waddington in 1956. He likened the process of a cell homing in on its fate to a ball rolling down a series of ever-steepening valleys and forked paths. Cells had to acquire more and more information to refine their positional knowledge over time — as if zeroing in on where and what they were through “the 20 questions game,” according to Jané Kondev, a physicist at Brandeis University.
Such a system could be accident prone, however: Some cells would inevitably take the wrong paths and be unable to get back on track. In contrast, comparisons of fly embryos revealed that the placement of pair-rule stripes was incredibly precise, to within 1 percent of the embryo’s length — that is, to single-cell accuracy.
That prompted a group at Princeton University, led by the biophysicists Thomas Gregor and William Bialek,to suspect something else: that the cells could instead get all the information they needed to define the positions of pair-rule stripes from the expression levels of the gap genes alone, even though those are not periodic and therefore not an obvious source for such precise instructions.
And that’s just what they found.
Over the course of 12 years, they measured morphogen and gap-gene protein concentrations, cell by cell, from one embryo to the next, to determine how all four gap genes were most likely to be expressed at every position along the head-to-tail axis. From those probability distributions, they built a “dictionary,” or decoder — an explicit map that could spit out a probabilistic estimate of a cell’s position based on its gap-gene protein concentration levels.
Around five years ago, the researchers — including Mariela Petkova, who started the measurement work as an undergraduate at Princeton (and is currently pursuing a doctorate in biophysics at Harvard University), and Gašper Tkačik, now at the Institute of Science and Technology Austria — determined this mapping by assuming it worked like what’s known as an optimal Bayesian decoder (that is, the decoder used Bayes’ rule for inferring the likelihood of an event from prior conditional probabilities). The Bayesian framework allowed them to flip the “unknowns,” the conditions of probability: Their measurements of gap gene expression, given position, could be used to generate a “best guess” of position, given only gap gene expression.
The team found that the fluctuations of the four gap genes could indeed be used to predict the locations of cells with single-cell precision. No less than maximal information about all four would do, however: When the activity of only two or three gap genes was provided, the decoder’s location predictions were not nearly so accurate. Versions of the decoder that used less of the information from all four gap genes — that, for instance, responded only to whether each gene was on or off — made worse predictions, too.
William Bialek, a Princeton biophysicist, believes that optimization principles constitute “a very concrete idea” that could help experts better understand biological systems.
Princeton University, Office of Communications, Chris Fascenell (2007)
According to Walczak, “No one has ever measured or shown how well reading out the concentration of these molecular gradients … actually pinpoints a specific position along the axis.”
Now they had: Even given the limited number of molecules and underlying noise of the system, the varying concentrations of the gap genes was sufficient to differentiate two neighboring cells in the head-to-tail axis — and the rest of the gene network seemed to be transmitting that information optimally.
“But the question always remained open: Does the biology actually care?” Gregor said. “Or is this just something that we measure?” Could the regulatory regions of DNA that responded to the gap genes really be wired up in such a way that they could decode the positional information those genes contained?
The biophysicists teamed up with the Nobel Prize-winning biologist Eric Wieschaus to test whether the cells were actually making use of the information potentially at their disposal. They created mutant embryos by modifying the gradients of morphogens in the very young fly embryos, which in turn altered the expression patterns of the gap genes and ultimately caused pair-rule stripes to shift, disappear, get duplicated or have fuzzy edges. Even so, the researchers found that their decoder could predict the changes in mutated pair-rule expression with surprising accuracy. “They show that the map is broken in mutants, but in a way that the decoder predicts,” Walczak said.
Lucy Reading-Ikkanda/Quanta Magazine
“You could imagine that if it was getting information from other sources, you couldn’t trick [the cells] like that,” Brewster added. “Your decoder would fail.”
These findings represent “a signpost,” according to Kondev, who was not involved with the study. They suggest that there’s “some physical reality” to the inferred decoder, he said. “Through evolution, these cells have figured out how to implement Bayes’ trick using regulatory DNA.”
How the cells do it remains a mystery. Right now, “the whole thing is kind of wonderful and magical,” said John Reinitz, a systems biologist at the University of Chicago.
Even so, the work provides a new way of thinking about early development, gene regulation and, perhaps, evolution in general.
A Steeper Landscape
The findings provide a fresh perspective on Waddington’s idea of a developmental landscape. According to Gregor, their work indicates that there’s no need for 20 questions or a gradual refinement of knowledge after all. The landscape “is steep from the beginning,” he said. All the information is already there.
“Natural selection [seems to be] pushing the system hard enough so that it … reaches a point where the cells are performing at the limit of what physics allows,” said Manuel Razo-Mejia, a graduate student at the California Institute of Technology.
Eric Wieschaus, a biologist at Princeton University, and two of his colleagues were awarded the Nobel Prize in 1995 for their discovery of the genetic mechanisms that regulate early development in fruit fly embryos.
Princeton University, Office of Communications, Denise Applewhite (2007)
It’s possible that the high performance in this case is a fluke: Since fruit fly embryos develop very quickly, perhaps in their case “evolution has found this optimal solution because of that pressure to do everything very rapidly,” said James Briscoe, a biologist at the Francis Crick Institute in London who did not participate in this study. To really cement whether this is something more general, then, researchers will have to test the decoder in other species, including those that develop more slowly.
Even so, these results set up intriguing new questions to ask about the often-enigmatic regulatory elements. Scientists don’t have a solid grasp of how regulatory DNA codes for the control of other genes’ activities. The team’s findings suggest that this involves an optimal Bayesian decoder, which allows the regulatory elements to respond to very subtle changes in combined gap gene expression. “We can ask the question, what is it about regulatory DNA that encodes the decoder?” Kondev said.
And “what about it makes it do this optimal decoding?” he added. “That’s a question we could not have asked before this study.”
“That’s really what this work sets up as the next challenge in the field,” Briscoe said. Besides, there may be many ways of implementing such a decoder at the molecular level, meaning that this idea could apply to other systems as well. In fact, hints of it have been uncoveredin the development of the neural tube in vertebrates, the precursor of their central nervous system — which would call for a very different underlying mechanism.
Moreover, if these regulatory regions need to perform an optimal decoding function, that potentially limits how they can evolve — and in turn, how an entire organism can evolve. “We have this one example … which is the life that evolved on this planet,” Kondev said, and because of that, the important constraints on what life can be are unknown. Finding that cells show Bayesian behavior could be a hint that processing information effectively may be “a general principle that makes a bunch of atoms stuck together loosely behave like the thing that we think is life.”
But right now, it is still only a hint. Although it would be “kind of a physicist’s dream,” Gregor said, “we are far from really having proof for this.”
From Wires Under Oceans to Neurons in the Brain
The concept of information optimization is rooted in electrical engineering: Experts originally wanted to understand how best to encode and then decode sound to allow people to talk on the telephone via transoceanic cables. That goal later turned into a broader consideration of how to transmit information optimally through a channel. It wasn’t much of a leap to apply this framework to the brain’s sensory systems and how they measured, encoded and decoded inputs to produce a response.
As a physicist, you hope that the phenomenon of life is not just about the specific chemistry and DNA and molecules that make living things on planet Earth — that it’s broader.
Jané Kondev, Brandeis University
Now some experts are trying to think about all kinds of “sensory systems” in this way: Razo-Mejia, for instance, has studied how optimally bacteria sense and process chemicals in their environment, and how that might affect their fitness. Meanwhile, Walczak and her colleagues have been asking what a “good decoding strategy” might look like in the adaptive immune system, which has to recognize and respond to a massive repertoire of intruders.
“I don’t think optimization is an aesthetic or philosophical idea. It’s a very concrete idea,” Bialek said. “Optimization principles have time and again pointed to interesting things to measure.” Whether or not they are correct, he considers them productive to think about.
“Of course, the difficulty is that in many other systems, the property being decoded is more difficult than one-dimensional position [along the embryo’s axis],” Walczak said. “The problem is harder to define.”
That’s what made the system Bialek and his colleagues studied so tantalizing. “There aren’t many examples in biology where a high-level idea, like information in this case, leads to a mathematical formula” that is then testable in experiments on living cells, Kondev said.
A New Physics Theory of Life
How Life (and Death) Spring From Disorder
The Information Theory of Life
It’s this marriage of theory and experiment that excites Bialek. He hopes to see the approach continue to guide work in other contexts. “What’s not clear,” he said, “is whether the observation [of optimization] is a curiosity that arises in a few corners, or whether there’s something general about it.”
If the latter does prove to be the case, “then that’s very striking,” Briscoe said. “The ability for evolution to find these really efficient ways of doing things would be an incredible finding.”
Kondev agreed. “As a physicist, you hope that the phenomenon of life is not just about the specific chemistry and DNA and molecules that make living things on planet Earth — that it’s broader,” he said. “What is that broader thing? I don’t know. But maybe this is lifting a little bit of the veil off that mystery.”
Correction added on March 15: The text was updated to acknowledge the contributions of Mariela Petkova and Gašper Tkačik.
SCIET Math Design
Any definable location in space is a SCIET
- and all intersections are expressible as SCIETs
“All points are SCIETs”
SCIET Dynamics Math Design:
“Nature is the realization of the
simplest conceivable mathematical ideas.”
Albert Einstein Quantum Questions, page 146
Introduction to SCIET Dynamics
As its logical starting place the SCIET revisits the concept of the point with the ambition that it should describe both the Universe and its smallest part. Communicating the range of ideas required to teach an understanding of how this is true has led to SCIET Dynamics and the variety of specialized ideas and concepts shown on this site.
The SCIET derives from a single measure, the distance between the center and the edge, and maps all the space surrounding the center through equidistant angularities and subdivisions while retaining that definition of their existence together as a permanent record. The measure is as unlimited as the Awareness from which it came. There is no limit on smallness or largeness except the speed of change itself.
Geometry Rules First
Any definable location in space is a SCIET and all intersections are expressible as SCIETs. Thus a SCIET continually reduces into smaller SCIETs until the original measure seems to vanish into the space of itself. It is the notion that all points in space are definable as SCIETs that makes this possible.
SCIET in Relationship is point-to-point. Receptive harmonics manifest geometric shape resonant maps during the Relationship reduction cycle, and these forms of Relationship continue to underlie all of creation. A is the SCIETangle and B And C show the relationship to Tetrons while E and F show the dodecahedron inside of the icosahedron shape of the SCIET to create a map of the Unitary Value phase of Harmonic Receptive Reduction .
The SCIET is the source of the geometry of space. Relationship is based on line, composed entirely of two dimensional relationships. Extending this idea into a three dimensional framework requires a careful analysis of the nature of the Void and how it limits the application of generalities to the stages of creation. It is understood that only one measure is possible within the Void, that being the line between two points. Building a multidimensional space from this must follow these limitations faithfully, and this is the basis of the SCIET which uses a single measure fractionally to establish all parts of the form.
The requirement for an omnidirectional form follows from the hole-in-space, the Tetron, which exists at the boundary of the Void when a difference exists. The difference is a creation that begins with a First Action, defined as an expression of awareness of difference within the Void, which is better described as the Limitless Awareness, an undifferentiated potential underlying existence itself.
SCIET Frequency Potential Levels are the basis for Awareness and the Creation Substance with Limitation thus enabling reduction and the beginning of Relationship setting the stage for Culmination. (See Fractional Harmonic Receptive Reduction below). An example of this idea being used in nature is the fovea of the eye, which has evolved specifically to receive the most focused part of the incoming image.
Frequency Potential Levels can be visualized as a sea of tiny SCIETs that will interact only based on Harmonic Fractional Receptive Reduction values. A fractional harmonic of the Frequency Potential levels is accessible at the center of a SCIET at that fractional harmonic value. The Frequency Potential Level of the Creation Substance is the speed of light or C.
Frequency Potential Levels can be visualized as a sea of tiny SCIETs that will interact only based on Harmonic Fractional Receptive Reduction values. A fractional harmonic of the Frequency Potential levels is accessible at the center of a SCIET at that fractional harmonic value. The Frequency Potential Level of the Creation Substance is the speed of light or C
SCIET Magnitude is the relationship between the Unitary Value and the SCIET’s Point Value. The Unitary Value subdivides through Harmonic Fractional Receptive Reduction to its smallest measure, 1/1,048,512th.
A SCIET Magnitude is 1048512 in 1 Every SCIET Harmonic Receptive Reduction fractionally subdivides the Unitary Value twenty times to reach its smallest segment, the SCIET Point of Magnitude where all angles of the SCIET originate.
We can combine SCIET Frequency Potential Levels with SCIET Magnitude and infer a method for the Awareness to establish a relationship with the Creation Substance. The Awareness is a Magnitude faster and smaller than the Creation Substance allowing the Awareness to inhabit the Substance with an ability to establish Unitary Values within it.
The SCIET Unitary Value is undivided in its length while the SCIET Point of Magnitude is the smallest segment after twenty subdivisions of the Unitary Value.
Harmonic Receptive Reduction fractionally subdivides the Unitary Value twenty times to reach its smallest segment, and a new Unitary Value the SCIET Point of Magnitude where all angles of the SCIET originate.
So the Frequency Potential Level of the Awareness is pulsing at one over one million forty-eight thousand five-hundred twelve faster than the Creation Substance and and it is aware of all frequencies within the Substance, whose Frequency Potential Level’s smallest segment is a Magnitude larger than the Awareness.
The limitless Awareness defines the Creation Substance as a Frequency Potential Level at a Magnitude slower rate and then expresses a Unitary Value from its center to the edge of the substance, which then reduces (Harmonic Fractional Receptive Reduction) until it reaches the Creation Substance Frequency Potential Level where it Culminates as a unitary value, meaning that for a moment all the reduced SCIETs react as one before the next pulse begins resonance.
The Culmination is a single pulse event marking the boundary between change in a system and its integration of that change.
The importance of the SCIET Magnitude is related to the Culmination and thus holograms, neurological integration and change in all natural systems.
Culmination in a system is related to the idea of limitation in the Creation itself. A created system has a beginning and the Culmination occurs when the initial defined value subdivides to a value equal to the smallest, fastest value possible in that SCIET range. The resulting value is individuated and becomes resonant within the frequency values defined by the prior subdivisions. At the creation this resulted in the formation of protons based on the smallest and fastest resonant values, which remain in continuous resonant relationship.
Culmination is the basis of the holographic effect. Interestingly, the frequency required to achieve Magnitude Culmination may be the same frequency that will shatter an object and stimulate the effect. The holographic effect was discovered when a researcher broke a photographic plate and saw that all the tiny pieces had all developed a whole image. Another example is that when a soap bubble bursts it immediately culminates into its receptive reduction values, with the droplets in the mist created by the burst being tiny bubbles rather than droplets of water.
Culmination occurs in all created systems at the end of the SCIET Cycle. Culmination in Relationship creates tiny versions of the original, which also culminate. It is particularly noteworthy in the nervous system where it distributes new information to all cells and governs all the transitions between value ranges, its actual form adapting to the needs of the newly defined system.
All of the above concepts and ideas set the stage for Agreement, the creation of matter and then in Memory, the stage of life, and the frequency rules for evolutionary processes. The below table graphic shows the increase of complexity over the duration of creation stages.
The Domain Frequency Rate has become more complex with the growth of the Universe. The illustration above shows the sequence of stages and their relationship to complexity over time. The identification of the life frequencies with super conducting cellular resonance and the Phi growth ratio is pivotal, as is the recognition that higher frequencies are attainable with both reduction and radiant processes. It is the combination of these that enable Awareness to move smoothly from the deep frequencies within the DNA from the Infinitesimal Substrate (Creation Substance) to express the patterns of the DNA into a living being by increasing complexity over time.
SCIETspheres are memories of every change since the Culmination, so the universe is filled with the shells, layers and lattice from SCIETsphere formation since the beginning of Agreement. SCIETsphere formation is the basis of all shells, layers and lattice and all contain records accumulated since their origin.
Lattice Domains are the result of the long term evolution of SCIETspheres after the culmination. The high energy domain of the stage of Agreement provides the basis of shell formation and molecular Consolidation.
Next is the cellular consciousness field, which compounds into the somatic body, the living but unanimated form. The third is the sense domain which is created by the nervous system’s processing of the input from the environment. The forth is the focal consciousness field which is created by the merging of the two sensate fields into a frequency realm that exists independent of materiality, and it is the “door” through which we enter the vibration body’s aetheric quanta layer field.
The Lattice Domains generated by the dual inputs of the nervous system react to one another and create a Third SCIET Lattice Domain.
Molecular Resonance
The molecular lattice, made of protons, neutrons and electrons, is the matter in our bodies that resonates with the earth’s dense surface layers (gavity).). We experience this as weight and inertial mass. Their collective frequencies are used to manage molecular bonds and compounding such an amino acid formation. In the mass of the body these frequencies enable the autonomic nervous system to regulate the functions of the body in the absence of the self or animating being.
Phi Resonance
A Phi resonant frequency cycle rooted in the organic amino acids is used by the next frequency realm to extend the Phi Cycle into the evolution of free roaming life forms. Using the extremely dense dumbbell-shaped molecules of the extended platinum group, the early cells incorporated their natural quality of generating a C-squared resonance when mechanically stimulated to self-bond with their own opposite-end valences
Super conducting Cellular Resonance
The cellular field is derived from the molecular field. The amino acid chains that form the DNA strands generate specific fields that complement and amplify one another. This effect continues within the cell as each of the structures works with the others to establish the appropriate field types and strengths to build and maintain the cell. Each specific field generates a pulse field resonance which connects it to all other fields of the same type. (see frequency bodies, capacitance lattice)
Movement Through the Sea of Planetary Consciousness:
The Senses and Brain Bi-lateralization
The evolution of the central nervous system is the consequence of the sensate fields interaction with the frequency bodies of their environment.
Forward movement “parts” the frequency body of the cellular organism, “brushing” the field reactions to each side. From a molecular perspective the cell is immense and the complex of fields that react to gravity take time to adjust to the new position on the earth. This “parting” and “brushing” is the fundamental source of hemispheric bi-lateralization and duality in moving organisms, or animal. In this sense, the central nervous system is the evolved consequence of the same phenomenon that causes momentum.
The sense organs evolved from the skin, each focusing to a particular range body field values. Forward motion divided the field inputs and set the stage for the pattern of side to side charge exchange that we observe in the electrical activity of the brain.
So the nervous system is actually two nervous systems that are united by the corpus collosum. At birth only a small portion of these connections are made, and it is not until about 10 years of age that enough are in place for the individual to gain the consistent mental function associated with adolescence.
There are a number of theories for this, but SCIET theory is that the brain is a “tuner” and the electrical activity that arcs across the hemispheres stimulates the growth of axons and dendrites at the matching hemispheric sites where simultaneous firing will generate or “tune” a capacitance lattice where information is stored as charged space relationships.
Hemispheric bi-lateralization and hemispheric reversal are natural consequences of space processing. The connection of the body to the focal consciousness domain involves a lifelong developmental process whose early foundations are pivotal to spiritual as well as mental potential. Each brain hemisphere receives a flow of nerve energy (much more than electricity) from the senses on one side of the body, resulting in a simultaneous opposing charge. The shifting of this potential from one side to the other drives the processes of thought.
Focal Consciousness and the Mid-line
We mirror the world around us in our brains. The internal modeling process is part of a feedback loop that utilizes two inputs of the same information to provoke a spark of electrical discharge between the hemispheres.
This third field, the vehicle of our focus, exists at the level of aetheric quanta layers, a realm where the self is without boundary.
The ability to move the focal consciousness field is not limited to the physical body, and the projection of focus or “attention” externally is as normal as reading, watching a basketball game or driving a car, all examples of external focus.
The division between the auditory and visual system that is evidenced by brain research, is derived from the distinct differences of light and sound. Sound travels about one-quarter mile per second and light travels 186,000 miles per second, that is about 750,000 times faster.
Even though all of our nerves function at the same rate of speed, the dramatic difference in source of input necessitates quite different processing systems. The fact that most people “hear”a voice in their heads and can “see” with their imagination, indicates that our minds have synthesized a remarkably effective system of fields to deal with this incredible disparity in source speeds, and the subsequent realistic modeling.
For more information related to these math design ideas please see these pages:
The SCIET Functional Cosmology integrates the ideas of SCIET Dynamics into an explanation that progresses in stages related to the evolution of the Universe.
A Physicist’s Physicist Ponders the Nature of Reality
Edward Witten reflects on the meaning of dualities in physics and math, emergent space-time, and the pursuit of a complete description of nature.
Among the brilliant theorists cloistered in the quiet woodside campus of the Institute for Advanced Study in Princeton, New Jersey, Edward Witten stands out as a kind of high priest. The sole physicist ever to win the Fields Medal, mathematics’ premier prize, Witten is also known for discovering M-theory, the leading candidate for a unified physical “theory of everything.” A genius’s genius, Witten is tall and rectangular, with hazy eyes and an air of being only one-quarter tuned in to reality until someone draws him back from more abstract thoughts.
During a visit this fall, I spotted Witten on the Institute’s central lawn and requested an interview; in his quick, alto voice, he said he couldn’t promise to be able to answer my questions but would try. Later, when I passed him on the stone paths, he often didn’t seem to see me.
Natalie Wolchover Quanta Magazine Senior Writer/Editor November 28, 201
Physics luminaries since Albert Einstein, who lived out his days in the same intellectual haven, have sought to unify gravity with the other forces of nature by finding a more fundamental quantum theory to replace Einstein’s approximate picture of gravity as curves in the geometry of space-time. M-theory, which Witten proposed in 1995, could conceivably offer this deeper description, but only some aspects of the theory are known. M-theory incorporates within a single mathematical structure all five versions of string theory, which renders the elements of nature as minuscule vibrating strings. These five string theories connect to each other through “dualities,” or mathematical equivalences. Over the past 30 years, Witten and others have learned that the string theories are also mathematically dual to quantum field theories — descriptions of particles moving through electromagnetic and other fields that serve as the language of the reigning “Standard Model” of particle physics. While he’s best known as a string theorist, Witten has discovered many new quantum field theories and explored how all these different descriptions are connected. His physical insights have led time and again to deep mathematical discoveries.
That’s extremely strange, that the world is based so much on a mathematical structure that’s so difficult.
Researchers pore over his work and hope he’ll take an interest in theirs. But for all his scholarly influence, Witten, who is 66, does not often broadcast his views on the implications of modern theoretical discoveries. Even his close colleagues eagerly suggested questions they wanted me to ask him.
When I arrived at his office at the appointed hour on a summery Thursday last month, Witten wasn’t there. His door was ajar. Papers covered his coffee table and desk — not stacks, but floods: text oriented every which way, some pages close to spilling onto the floor. (Research papers get lost in the maelstrom as he finishes with them, he later explained, and every so often he throws the heaps away.) Two girls smiled out from a framed photo on a shelf; children’s artwork decorated the walls, one celebrating Grandparents’ Day. When Witten arrived minutes later, we spoke for an hour and a half about the meaning of dualities in physics and math, the current prospects of M-theory, what he’s reading, what he’s looking for, and the nature of reality. The interview has been condensed and edited for clarity.
Jean Sweep for Quanta Magazine
Physicists are talking more than ever lately about dualities, but you’ve been studying them for decades. Why does the subject interest you?
People keep finding new facets of dualities. Dualities are interesting because they frequently answer questions that are otherwise out of reach. For example, you might have spent years pondering a quantum theory and you understand what happens when the quantum effects are small, but textbooks don’t tell you what you do if the quantum effects are big; you’re generally in trouble if you want to know that. Frequently dualities answer such questions. They give you another description, and the questions you can answer in one description are different than the questions you can answer in a different description.
What are some of these newfound facets of dualities?
It’s open-ended because there are so many different kinds of dualities. There are dualities between a gauge theory [a theory, such as a quantum field theory, that respects certain symmetries] and another gauge theory, or between a string theory for weak coupling [describing strings that move almost independently from one another] and a string theory for strong coupling. Then there’s AdS/CFT duality, between a gauge theory and a gravitational description. That duality was discovered 20 years ago, and it’s amazing to what extent it’s still fruitful. And that’s largely because around 10 years ago, new ideas were introduced that rejuvenated it. People had new insights about entropy in quantum field theory — the whole story about “it from qubit.”
[The AdS/CFT duality connects a theory of gravity in a space-time region called anti-de Sitter space (which curves differently than our universe) to an equivalent quantum field theory describing that region’s gravity-free boundary. Everything there is to know about AdS space — often called the “bulk” since it’s the higher-dimensional region — is encoded, like in a hologram, in quantum interactions between particles on the lower-dimensional boundary. Thus, AdS/CFT gives physicists a “holographic” understanding of the quantum nature of gravity.]
That’s the idea that space-time and everything in it emerges like a hologram out of information stored in the entangled quantum states of particles.
Yes. Then there are dualities in math, which can sometimes be interpreted physically as consequences of dualities between two quantum field theories. There are so many ways these things are interconnected that any simple statement I try to make on the fly, as soon as I’ve said it I realize it didn’t capture the whole reality. You have to imagine a web of different relationships, where the same physics has different descriptions, revealing different properties. In the simplest case, there are only two important descriptions, and that might be enough. If you ask me about a more complicated example, there might be many, many different ones.
Given this web of relationships and the issue of how hard it is to characterize all duality, do you feel that this reflects a lack of understanding of the structure, or is it that we’re seeing the structure, only it’s very complicated?
I’m not certain what we should hope for. Traditionally, quantum field theory was constructed by starting with the classical picture [of a smooth field] and then quantizing it. Now we’ve learned that there are a lot of things that happen that that description doesn’t do justice to. And the same quantum theory can come from different classical theories. Now, Nati Seiberg [a theoretical physicist who works down the hall] would possibly tell you that he has faith that there’s a better formulation of quantum field theory that we don’t know about that would make everything clearer. I’m not sure how much you should expect that to exist. That would be a dream, but it might be too much to hope for; I really don’t know.
There’s another curious fact that you might want to consider, which is that quantum field theory is very central to physics, and it’s actually also clearly very important for math. But it’s extremely difficult for mathematicians to study; the way physicists define it is very hard for mathematicians to follow with a rigorous theory. That’s extremely strange, that the world is based so much on a mathematical structure that’s so difficult.
What do you see as the relationship between math and physics?
I prefer not to give you a cosmic answer but to comment on where we are now. Physics in quantum field theory and string theory somehow has a lot of mathematical secrets in it, which we don’t know how to extract in a systematic way. Physicists are able to come up with things that surprise the mathematicians. Because it’s hard to describe mathematically in the known formulation, the things you learn about quantum field theory you have to learn from physics.
I find it hard to believe there’s a new formulation that’s universal. I think it’s too much to hope for. I could point to theories where the standard approach really seems inadequate, so at least for those classes of quantum field theories, you could hope for a new formulation. But I really can’t imagine what it would be.
You can’t imagine it at all?
No, I can’t. Traditionally it was thought that interacting quantum field theory couldn’t exist above four dimensions, and there was the interesting fact that that’s the dimension we live in. But one of the offshoots of the string dualities of the 1990s was that it was discovered that quantum field theories actually exist in five and six dimensions. And it’s amazing how much is known about their properties.
If there’s a radically different dual description of the real world, maybe some things physicists worry about would be clearer, but the dual description might be one in which everyday life would be hard to describe.
I’ve heard about the mysterious (2,0) theory, a quantum field theory describing particles in six dimensions, which is dual to M-theory describing strings and gravity in seven-dimensional AdS space. Does this (2,0) theory play an important role in the web of dualities?
Yes, that’s the pinnacle. In terms of conventional quantum field theory without gravity, there is nothing quite like it above six dimensions. From the (2,0) theory’s existence and main properties, you can deduce an incredible amount about what happens in lower dimensions. An awful lot of important dualities in four and fewer dimensions follow from this six-dimensional theory and its properties. However, whereas what we know about quantum field theory is normally from quantizing a classical field theory, there’s no reasonable classical starting point of the (2,0) theory. The (2,0) theory has properties [such as combinations of symmetries] that sound impossible when you first hear about them. So you can ask why dualities exist, but you can also ask why is there a 6-D theory with such and such properties? This seems to me a more fundamental restatement.
Dualities sometimes make it hard to maintain a sense of what’s real in the world, given that there are radically different ways you can describe a single system. How would you describe what’s real or fundamental?
What aspect of what’s real are you interested in? What does it mean that we exist? Or how do we fit into our mathematical descriptions?
Well, one thing I’ll tell you is that in general, when you have dualities, things that are easy to see in one description can be hard to see in the other description. So you and I, for example, are fairly simple to describe in the usual approach to physics as developed by Newton and his successors. But if there’s a radically different dual description of the real world, maybe some things physicists worry about would be clearer, but the dual description might be one in which everyday life would be hard to describe.
What would you say about the prospect of an even more optimistic idea that there could be one single quantum gravity description that really does help you in every case in the real world?
Well, unfortunately, even if it’s correct I can’t guarantee it would help. Part of what makes it difficult to help is that the description we have now, even though it’s not complete, does explain an awful lot. And so it’s a little hard to say, even if you had a truly better description or a more complete description, whether it would help in practice.
Are you speaking of M-theory?
M-theory is the candidate for the better description.
You proposed M-theory 22 years ago. What are its prospects today?
Personally, I thought it was extremely clear it existed 22 years ago, but the level of confidence has got to be much higher today because AdS/CFT has given us precise definitions, at least in AdS space-time geometries. I think our understanding of what it is, though, is still very hazy. AdS/CFT and whatever’s come from it is the main new perspective compared to 22 years ago, but I think it’s perfectly possible that AdS/CFT is only one side of a multifaceted story. There might be other equally important facets.
What’s an example of something else we might need?
Maybe a bulk description of the quantum properties of space-time itself, rather than a holographic boundary description. There hasn’t been much progress in a long time in getting a better bulk description. And I think that might be because the answer is of a different kind than anything we’re used to. That would be my guess.
Are you willing to speculate about how it would be different?
I really doubt I can say anything useful. I guess I suspect that there’s an extra layer of abstractness compared to what we’re used to. I tend to think that there isn’t a precise quantum description of space-time — except in the types of situations where we know that there is, such as in AdS space. I tend to think, otherwise, things are a little bit murkier than an exact quantum description. But I can’t say anything useful.
The other night I was reading an old essay by the 20th-century Princeton physicist John Wheeler. He was a visionary, certainly. If you take what he says literally, it’s hopelessly vague. And therefore, if I had read this essay when it came out 30 years ago, which I may have done, I would have rejected it as being so vague that you couldn’t work on it, even if he was on the right track.
You’re referring to Information, Physics, Quantum, Wheeler’s 1989 essay propounding the idea that the physical universe arises from information, which he dubbed “it from bit.” Why were you reading it?
I’m trying to learn about what people are trying to say with the phrase “it from qubit.” Wheeler talked about “it from bit,” but you have to remember that this essay was written probably before the term “qubit” was coined and certainly before it was in wide currency. Reading it, I really think he was talking about qubits, not bits, so “it from qubit” is actually just a modern translation.
I tend to assume that space-time and everything in it are in some sense emergent.
Don’t expect me to be able to tell you anything useful about it — about whether he was right. When I was a beginning grad student, they had a series of lectures by faculty members to the new students about theoretical research, and one of the people who gave such a lecture was Wheeler. He drew a picture on the blackboard of the universe visualized as an eye looking at itself. I had no idea what he was talking about. It’s obvious to me in hindsight that he was explaining what it meant to talk about quantum mechanics when the observer is part of the quantum system. I imagine there is something we don’t understand about that.
Observing a quantum system irreversibly changes it, creating a distinction between past and future. So the observer issue seems possibly related to the question of time, which we also don’t understand. With the AdS/CFT duality, we’ve learned that new spatial dimensions can pop up like a hologram from quantum information on the boundary. Do you think time is also emergent — that it arises from a timeless complete description?
I tend to assume that space-time and everything in it are in some sense emergent. By the way, you’ll certainly find that that’s what Wheeler expected in his essay. As you’ll read, he thought the continuum was wrong in both physics and math. He did not think one’s microscopic description of space-time should use a continuum of any kind — neither a continuum of space nor a continuum of time, nor even a continuum of real numbers. On the space and time, I’m sympathetic to that. On the real numbers, I’ve got to plead ignorance or agnosticism. It is something I wonder about, but I’ve tried to imagine what it could mean to not use the continuum of real numbers, and the one logician I tried discussing it with didn’t help me.
Do you consider Wheeler a hero?
I wouldn’t call him a hero, necessarily, no. Really I just became curious what he meant by “it from bit,” and what he was saying. He definitely had visionary ideas, but they were too far ahead of their time. I think I was more patient in reading a vague but inspirational essay than I might have been 20 years ago. He’s also got roughly 100 interesting-sounding references in that essay. If you decided to read them all, you’d have to spend weeks doing it. I might decide to look at a few of them.
Why do you have more patience for such things now?
I think when I was younger I always thought the next thing I did might be the best thing in my life. But at this point in life I’m less persuaded of that. If I waste a little time reading somebody’s essay, it doesn’t seem that bad.
Do you ever take your mind off physics and math?
My favorite pastime is tennis. I am a very average but enthusiastic tennis player.
In contrast to Wheeler, it seems like your working style is to come to the insights through the calculations, rather than chasing a vague vision.
In my career I’ve only been able to take small jumps. Relatively small jumps. What Wheeler was talking about was an enormous jump. And he does say at the beginning of the essay that he has no idea if this will take 10, 100 or 1,000 years.
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Physicists Uncover Geometric ‘Theory Space’
The Strange Second Life of String Theory
And he was talking about explaining how physics arises from information.
Yes. The way he phrases it is broader: He wants to explain the meaning of existence. That was actually why I thought you were asking if I wanted to explain the meaning of existence.
I see. Does he have any hypotheses?
No. He only talks about things you shouldn’t do and things you should do in trying to arrive at a more fundamental description of physics.
Do you have any ideas about the meaning of existence?
No. [Laughs.]
Correction: This article was updated on Nov. 29, 2017, to clarify that M-theory is the leading candidate for a unified theory of everything. Other ideas have been proposed that also claim to unify the fundamental forces.
This article was reprinted on Wired.com.
How Holography Could Help Solve Quantum Gravity
In the latest campaign to reconcile Einstein’s theory of gravity with quantum mechanics, many physicists are studying how a higher dimensional space that includes gravity arises like a hologram from a lower dimensional particle theory.
How does gravity work at the particle level? The question has stumped physicists since the two bedrock theories of general relativity (Albert Einstein’s equations envisioning gravity as curves in the geometry of space-time) and quantum mechanics (equations that describe particle interactions) revolutionized the discipline about a century ago.
Thomas Lin Quanta Magazine Editor in Chief November 14, 2018
One challenge to solving the problem lies in the relative weakness of gravity compared with the strong, weak and electromagnetic forces that govern the subatomic realm. Though gravity exerts an unmistakable influence on macroscopic objects like orbiting planets, leaping sharks and everything else we physically experience, it produces a negligible effect at the particle level, so physicists can’t test or study how it works at that scale.
Confounding matters, the two sets of equations don’t play well together. General relativity paints a continuous picture of space-time while in quantum mechanics everything is quantized in discrete chunks. Their incompatibility leads physicists to suspect that a more fundamental theory is needed to unify all four forces of nature and describe them at all scales.
One relatively recent approach to understanding quantum gravity makes use of a “holographic duality” from string theory called the AdS-CFT correspondence. Our latest In Theory video explains how this correspondence connects a lower dimensional particle theory to a higher dimensional space that includes gravity:
Video: How does gravity work in the quantum regime? A holographic duality from string theory offers a powerful tool for unraveling the mystery.
Emily Driscoll for Quanta Magazine
This holographic duality has become a powerful theoretical tool in the quest to understand quantum gravity and the inner workings of black holes and the Big Bang, where extreme gravity operates at tiny scales.
A Jewel at the Heart of Quantum Physics
Physicists have discovered a jewel-shaped geometric object that challenges the notion that space and time are fundamental constituents of nature.
The new object dramatically simplifies calculations of particle interactions and challenges the idea that space and time are fundamental components of reality.
Natalie Wolchover Quanta MagazineSenior Writer/EditorSeptember 17, 2013
“This is completely new and very much simpler than anything that has been done before,” said Andrew Hodges, a mathematical physicist at Oxford University who has been following the work.
The revelation that particle interactions, the most basic events in nature, may be consequences of geometry significantly advances a decades-long effort to reformulate quantum field theory, the body of laws describing elementary particles and their interactions. Interactions that were previously calculated with mathematical formulas thousands of terms long can now be described by computing the volume of the corresponding jewel-like “amplituhedron,” which yields an equivalent one-term expression.
“The degree of efficiency is mind-boggling,” said Jacob Bourjaily, a theoretical physicist at Harvard University and one of the researchers who developed the new idea. “You can easily do, on paper, computations that were infeasible even with a computer before.”
The new geometric version of quantum field theory could also facilitate the search for a theory of quantum gravity that would seamlessly connect the large- and small-scale pictures of the universe. Attempts thus far to incorporate gravity into the laws of physics at the quantum scale have run up against nonsensical infinities and deep paradoxes. The amplituhedron, or a similar geometric object, could help by removing two deeply rooted principles of physics: locality and unitarity.
“Both are hard-wired in the usual way we think about things,” said Nima Arkani-Hamed, a professor of physics at the Institute for Advanced Study in Princeton, N.J., and the lead author of the new work, which he is presenting in talks and in a forthcoming paper. “Both are suspect.”
Locality is the notion that particles can interact only from adjoining positions in space and time. And unitarity holds that the probabilities of all possible outcomes of a quantum mechanical interaction must add up to one. The concepts are the central pillars of quantum field theory in its original form, but in certain situations involving gravity, both break down, suggesting neither is a fundamental aspect of nature.
In keeping with this idea, the new geometric approach to particle interactions removes locality and unitarity from its starting assumptions. The amplituhedron is not built out of space-time and probabilities; these properties merely arise as consequences of the jewel’s geometry. The usual picture of space and time, and particles moving around in them, is a construct.
“It’s a better formulation that makes you think about everything in a completely different way,” said David Skinner, a theoretical physicist at Cambridge University.
The amplituhedron itself does not describe gravity. But Arkani-Hamed and his collaborators think there might be a related geometric object that does. Its properties would make it clear why particles appear to exist, and why they appear to move in three dimensions of space and to change over time.
Because “we know that ultimately, we need to find a theory that doesn’t have” unitarity and locality, Bourjaily said, “it’s a starting point to ultimately describing a quantum theory of gravity.”
Clunky Machinery
The amplituhedron looks like an intricate, multifaceted jewel in higher dimensions. Encoded in its volume are the most basic features of reality that can be calculated, “scattering amplitudes,” which represent the likelihood that a certain set of particles will turn into certain other particles upon colliding. These numbers are what particle physicists calculate and test to high precision at particle accelerators like the Large Hadron Collider in Switzerland.
The iconic 20th century physicist Richard Feynman invented a method for calculating probabilities of particle interactions using depictions of all the different ways an interaction could occur. Examples of “Feynman diagrams” were included on a 2005 postage stamp honoring Feynman.
The 60-year-old method for calculating scattering amplitudes — a major innovation at the time — was pioneered by the Nobel Prize-winning physicist Richard Feynman. He sketched line drawings of all the ways a scattering process could occur and then summed the likelihoods of the different drawings. The simplest Feynman diagrams look like trees: The particles involved in a collision come together like roots, and the particles that result shoot out like branches. More complicated diagrams have loops, where colliding particles turn into unobservable “virtual particles” that interact with each other before branching out as real final products. There are diagrams with one loop, two loops, three loops and so on — increasingly baroque iterations of the scattering process that contribute progressively less to its total amplitude. Virtual particles are never observed in nature, but they were considered mathematically necessary for unitarity — the requirement that probabilities sum to one.
“The number of Feynman diagrams is so explosively large that even computations of really simple processes weren’t done until the age of computers,” Bourjaily said. A seemingly simple event, such as two subatomic particles called gluons colliding to produce four less energetic gluons (which happens billions of times a second during collisions at the Large Hadron Collider), involves 220 diagrams, which collectively contribute thousands of terms to the calculation of the scattering amplitude.
In 1986, it became apparent that Feynman’s apparatus was a Rube Goldberg machine.
To prepare for the construction of the Superconducting Super Collider in Texas (a project that was later canceled), theorists wanted to calculate the scattering amplitudes of known particle interactions to establish a background against which interesting or exotic signals would stand out. But even 2-gluon to 4-gluon processes were so complex, a group of physicists had written two years earlier, “that they may not be evaluated in the foreseeable future.”
Stephen Parke and Tomasz Taylor, theorists at Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory in Illinois, took that statement as a challenge. Using a few mathematical tricks, they managed to simplify the 2-gluon to 4-gluon amplitude calculation from several billion terms to a 9-page-long formula, which a 1980s supercomputer could handle. Then, based on a pattern they observed in the scattering amplitudes of other gluon interactions, Parke and Taylor guessed a simple one-term expression for the amplitude. It was, the computer verified, equivalent to the 9-page formula. In other words, the traditional machinery of quantum field theory, involving hundreds of Feynman diagrams worth thousands of mathematical terms, was obfuscating something much simpler. As Bourjaily put it: “Why are you summing up millions of things when the answer is just one function?”
“We knew at the time that we had an important result,” Parke said. “We knew it instantly. But what to do with it?”
The Amplituhedron
Twistor diagrams depicting an interaction between six gluons, in the cases where two (left) and four (right) of the particles have negative helicity, a property similar to spin. The diagrams can be used to derive a simple formula for the 6-gluon scattering amplitude.
Arkani-Hamed et al.
The message of Parke and Taylor’s single-term result took decades to interpret. “That one-term, beautiful little function was like a beacon for the next 30 years,” Bourjaily said. It “really started this revolution.”
In the mid-2000s, more patterns emerged in the scattering amplitudes of particle interactions, repeatedly hinting at an underlying, coherent mathematical structure behind quantum field theory. Most important was a set of formulas called the BCFW recursion relations, named for Ruth Britto, Freddy Cachazo, Bo Feng and Edward Witten. Instead of describing scattering processes in terms of familiar variables like position and time and depicting them in thousands of Feynman diagrams, the BCFW relations are best couched in terms of strange variables called “twistors,” and particle interactions can be captured in a handful of associated twistor diagrams. The relations gained rapid adoption as tools for computing scattering amplitudes relevant to experiments, such as collisions at the Large Hadron Collider. But their simplicity was mysterious.
“The terms in these BCFW relations were coming from a different world, and we wanted to understand what that world was,” Arkani-Hamed said. “That’s what drew me into the subject five years ago.”
With the help of leading mathematicians such as Pierre Deligne, Arkani-Hamed and his collaborators discovered that the recursion relations and associated twistor diagrams corresponded to a well-known geometric object. In fact, as detailed in a paper posted to arXiv.org in December by Arkani-Hamed, Bourjaily, Cachazo, Alexander Goncharov, Alexander Postnikov and Jaroslav Trnka, the twistor diagrams gave instructions for calculating the volume of pieces of this object, called the positive Grassmannian.
A sketch of the amplituhedron representing an 8-gluon particle interaction. Using Feynman diagrams, the same calculation would take roughly 500 pages of algebra.
Nima Arkani-Hamed
Named for Hermann Grassmann, a 19th-century German linguist and mathematician who studied its properties, “the positive Grassmannian is the slightly more grown-up cousin of the inside of a triangle,” Arkani-Hamed explained. Just as the inside of a triangle is a region in a two-dimensional space bounded by intersecting lines, the simplest case of the positive Grassmannian is a region in an N-dimensional space bounded by intersecting planes. (N is the number of particles involved in a scattering process.)
It was a geometric representation of real particle data, such as the likelihood that two colliding gluons will turn into four gluons. But something was still missing.
The physicists hoped that the amplitude of a scattering process would emerge purely and inevitably from geometry, but locality and unitarity were dictating which pieces of the positive Grassmannian to add together to get it. They wondered whether the amplitude was “the answer to some particular mathematical question,” said Trnka, a post-doctoral researcher at the California Institute of Technology. “And it is,” he said.
Arkani-Hamed and Trnka discovered that the scattering amplitude equals the volume of a brand-new mathematical object — the amplituhedron. The details of a particular scattering process dictate the dimensionality and facets of the corresponding amplituhedron. The pieces of the positive Grassmannian that were being calculated with twistor diagrams and then added together by hand were building blocks that fit together inside this jewel, just as triangles fit together to form a polygon.
Like the twistor diagrams, the Feynman diagrams are another way of computing the volume of the amplituhedron piece by piece, but they are much less efficient. “They are local and unitary in space-time, but they are not necessarily very convenient or well-adapted to the shape of this jewel itself,” Skinner said. “Using Feynman diagrams is like taking a Ming vase and smashing it on the floor.”
Arkani-Hamed and Trnka have been able to calculate the volume of the amplituhedron directly in some cases, without using twistor diagrams to compute the volumes of its pieces. They have also found a “master amplituhedron” with an infinite number of facets, analogous to a circle in 2-D, which has an infinite number of sides. Its volume represents, in theory, the total amplitude of all physical processes. Lower-dimensional amplituhedra, which correspond to interactions between finite numbers of particles, live on the faces of this master structure.
“They are very powerful calculational techniques, but they are also incredibly suggestive,” Skinner said. “They suggest that thinking in terms of space-time was not the right way of going about this.”
Quest for Quantum Gravity
The seemingly irreconcilable conflict between gravity and quantum field theory enters crisis mode in black holes. Black holes pack a huge amount of mass into an extremely small space, making gravity a major player at the quantum scale, where it can usually be ignored. Inevitably, either locality or unitarity is the source of the conflict.
“We have indications that both ideas have got to go,” Arkani-Hamed said. “They can’t be fundamental features of the next description,” such as a theory of quantum gravity.
String theory, a framework that treats particles as invisibly small, vibrating strings, is one candidate for a theory of quantum gravity that seems to hold up in black hole situations, but its relationship to reality is unproven — or at least confusing. Recently, a strange duality has been found between string theory and quantum field theory, indicating that the former (which includes gravity) is mathematically equivalent to the latter (which does not) when the two theories describe the same event as if it is taking place in different numbers of dimensions. No one knows quite what to make of this discovery. But the new amplituhedron research suggests space-time, and therefore dimensions, may be illusory anyway.
“We can’t rely on the usual familiar quantum mechanical space-time pictures of describing physics,” Arkani-Hamed said. “We have to learn new ways of talking about it. This work is a baby step in that direction.”
Even without unitarity and locality, the amplituhedron formulation of quantum field theory does not yet incorporate gravity. But researchers are working on it. They say scattering processes that include gravity particles may be possible to describe with the amplituhedron, or with a similar geometric object. “It might be closely related but slightly different and harder to find,” Skinner said.
Physicists must also prove that the new geometric formulation applies to the exact particles that are known to exist in the universe, rather than to the idealized quantum field theory they used to develop it, called maximally supersymmetric Yang-Mills theory. This model, which includes a “superpartner” particle for every known particle and treats space-time as flat, “just happens to be the simplest test case for these new tools,” Bourjaily said. “The way to generalize these new tools to [other] theories is understood.”
Nima Arkani-Hamed, a professor at the Institute for Advanced Study, and his former student and co-author Jaroslav Trnka, who finished his Ph.D. at Princeton University in July and is now a post-doctoral researcher at the California Institute of Technology.
Courtesy of Jaroslav Trnka
Beyond making calculations easier or possibly leading the way to quantum gravity, the discovery of the amplituhedron could cause an even more profound shift, Arkani-Hamed said. That is, giving up space and time as fundamental constituents of nature and figuring out how the Big Bang and cosmological evolution of the universe arose out of pure geometry.
“In a sense, we would see that change arises from the structure of the object,” he said. “But it’s not from the object changing. The object is basically timeless.”
While more work is needed, many theoretical physicists are paying close attention to the new ideas.
The work is “very unexpected from several points of view,” said Witten, a theoretical physicist at the Institute for Advanced Study. “The field is still developing very fast, and it is difficult to guess what will happen or what the lessons will turn out to be.”
Note: This article was updated on December 10, 2013, to include a link to the first in a series of papers on the amplituhedron.
Locality and unitarity are the central pillars of quantum field theory, but as the following thought experiments show, both break down in certain situations involving gravity. This suggests physics should be formulated without either principle. Locality says that particles interact at points in space-time. But suppose you want to inspect space-time very closely. Probing smaller and smaller distance scales requires ever higher energies, but at a certain scale, called the Planck length, the picture gets blurry: So much energy must be concentrated into such a small region that the energy collapses the region into a black hole, making it impossible to inspect. “There’s no way of measuring space and time separations once they are smaller than the Planck length,” said Arkani-Hamed. “So we imagine space-time is a continuous thing, but because it’s impossible to talk sharply about that thing, then that suggests it must not be fundamental — it must be emergent.” Unitarity says the quantum mechanical probabilities of all possible outcomes of a particle interaction must sum to one. To prove it, one would have to observe the same interaction over and over and count the frequencies of the different outcomes. Doing this to perfect accuracy would require an infinite number of observations using an infinitely large measuring apparatus, but the latter would again cause gravitational collapse into a black hole. In finite regions of the universe, unitarity can therefore only be approximately known.
Physicists Hunt for the Big Bang’s Triangles
Once upon a time, about 13.8 billion years ago, our universe sprang from a quantum speck, ballooning to one million trillion trillion trillion trillion trillion trillion times its initial volume (by some estimates) in less than a billionth of a trillionth of a trillionth of a second. It then continued to expand at a mellower rate, in accordance with the known laws of physics.
So goes the story of cosmic inflation, the modern version of the Big Bang theory. That single short, outrageous growth spurt fits all existing cosmological data well and accounts for the universe’s largeness, smoothness, flatness and lack of preferred direction. But as an explanation of how and why the universe began, inflation falls short. The questions it raises — why the growth spurt happened, how it happened, what (if anything) occurred beforehand — have confounded cosmologists since the theory emerged in the 1980s. “We have very strong evidence that there was this period of inflation,” said Matthew Kleban, a cosmologist at New York University. “But we have no idea — or we have many, many ideas — too many ideas — what inflation was, fundamentally.”
Natalie Wolchover Quanta Magazine Senior Writer/Editor April 19, 2016
To understand the origin of the universe, today’s cosmologists seek to identify the unknown driver of inflation, dubbed the “inflaton.” Often envisioned as a field of energy permeating space and driving it apart, the inflaton worked, experts say, like a clock. With each tick, it doubled the size of the universe, keeping nearly perfect time — until it stopped. Theorists like Kleban, then, are the clocksmiths, devising altogether hundreds of different models that might replicate the clockwork of the Big Bang.
Like many cosmological clocksmiths, Kleban is an expert in string theory — the dominant candidate for a “theory of everything” that attempts to describe nature across all distances, times and energies. The known equations of physics falter when applied to the tiny, fleeting and frenzied environment of the Big Bang, in which they struggle to cram an enormous amount of energy into infinitesimal space and time. But string theory flourishes in this milieu, positing extra spatial dimensions that diffuse the energy. Familiar point particles become, at this highest energy and zoom level, one-dimensional “strings” and higher-dimensional, membranous “branes,” all of which traverse a 10-dimensional landscape. These vibrating, undulating gears may have powered the Big Bang’s clock.
At his office on a recent afternoon, Kleban sketched his latest inflaton design on the blackboard. First, he drew a skinny cylinder to depict the string landscape. Its length represented the three spatial dimensions of macroscopic reality, and its circumference signified the six other spatial dimensions that string theory says exist, but which are too small to see. On the side of the cylinder, he drew a circle. This is Kleban’s timepiece: a membrane that bubbles into being and naturally expands. As its inflating interior forms a new universe, its energy incrementally ticks down in clocklike fashion each time the expanding circle winds around the cylinder’s circumference and overlaps itself. When the energy of the “brane” dilutes, the clock stops ticking, and inflation ends. It’s a scheme that some string cosmologists have hailed for its economy. “I think it’s pretty plausible that some version of this happens,” he said.
A sketch by the string theorist and cosmologist Matthew Kleban of his Big Bang model known as unwinding inflation.
Olena Shmahalo/Quanta Magazine
Though Kleban acknowledges that it’s too soon to tell whether he or anyone else is on to something, plans are under way to find out.
The record of the inflaton’s breakneck ticking can be read in the distribution of galaxies, galaxy clusters and superclusters that span the cosmos. These structures (and everything in them, including you) are artifacts of “mistakes in the clock,” as Matias Zaldarriaga, a cosmologist at the Institute for Advanced Study (IAS) in Princeton, N.J., put it. That is, time is intrinsically uncertain, and so the universe inflated at slightly different rates in different places and moments, producing density variations throughout. The jitter in time can also be thought of as a jitter in energy that occurred as pairs of particles spontaneously surfaced all over an “inflaton field” and stretched apart like two points on an inflating balloon. These particles were the seeds that gravity grew into galactic structures over the course of eons. The pairs of structures spanning the largest distances in the sky today came from the earliest quantum fluctuations during inflation, while structures that are closer together were produced later. This nested distribution across all cosmic distance scales “is telling you in detail that the clock was ticking,” said Nima Arkani-Hamed, a theoretical physicist at IAS. “But it doesn’t tell you anything about what it was made of.”
To reverse-engineer the clockwork, cosmologists are seeking a new kind of data. Their calculations indicate that galaxies and other structures are not merely randomly spread out in pairs across the sky; instead, they have a slight tendency to be arranged in more complex configurations: triangles, rectangles, pentagons and all manner of other shapes, which trace back not just to quantum jitter in the Big Bang’s clock, but to a much more meaningful turning of the gears.
Teasing out the cosmological triangles and other shapes — which have been named “non-Gaussianities” to contrast them with the Gaussian bell curve of randomly distributed pairs of structures — will require more precise observations of the cosmos than have been made to date. And so plans are being laid for a timeline of increasingly sensitive experiments. “We’re going to have far more information than we have now, and sensitivity to far subtler effects than we can probe now,” said Marc Kamionkowski, a cosmologist at Johns Hopkins University. In the meantime, theorists are making significant progress in determining what shapes to look for and how to look for them. “There’s been a great renaissance of understanding,” said Eva Silverstein, a string cosmologist at Stanford University who devised the dimensional-winding mechanism used by Kleban, as well as many clock designs of her own.
The rigorous study of non-Gaussianities took off in 2002, when Juan Maldacena, a revered, monklike theorist at IAS, calculated what’s known as the “gravitational floor”: the minimum number of triangles and other shapes that are guaranteed to exist in the sky, due to the unavoidable effect of gravity during cosmic inflation. Cosmologists had been struggling to calculate the gravitational floor for more than a decade, since it would provide a concrete goal for experimenters. If the floor is reached, and still no triangles are detected, Maldacena explained, “then inflation is wrong.”
Eva Silverstein, a professor of physics at Stanford University, has developed many string inflationary models, including some that are currently being tested.
Courtesy of SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory, Archives and History Office
When Maldacena first calculated the gravitational floor, actually detecting it seemed a distant goal indeed. At the time, all precise knowledge of the universe’s birth came from observations of the “cosmic microwave background” — the oldest light in the sky, which illuminates a two-dimensional slice of the infant universe as it appeared 380,000 years after the Big Bang. Based on the limited number of nascent structures that appear in this 2-D snapshot, it seemed impossible that their slight propensity to be configured in triangles and other shapes could ever be detected with statistical certainty. But Maldacena’s work gave theorists the tools to calculate other, more pronounced forms of non-Gaussianity that might exist in the sky, due to stronger effects than gravity. And it motivated researchers to devise better ways to search for the signals.
A year after Maldacena made his calculation, Zaldarriaga and collaborators showed that measuring the distribution of galaxies and groupings of galaxies that make up the universe’s “large-scale structure” would yield many more shapes than observing the cosmic microwave background. “It’s a 3-D versus 2-D argument,” said Olivier Doré, a cosmologist at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory who is working on a proposed search for non-Gaussianities in the large-scale structure. “If you start counting triangles in 3-D like you can do with galaxy surveys, there are really many more you can count.”
The notion that counting more shapes in the sky will reveal more details of the Big Bang is implied in a central principle of quantum physics known as “unitarity.” Unitarity dictates that the probabilities of all possible quantum states of the universe must add up to one, now and forever; thus, information, which is stored in quantum states, can never be lost — only scrambled. This means that all information about the birth of the cosmos remains encoded in its present state, and the more precisely cosmologists know the latter, the more they can learn about the former.
But how did details of the Big Bang get encoded in triangles and other shapes? According to Zaldarriaga, Maldacena’s calculation “opened up the understanding of how it comes about.” In a universe governed by quantum mechanics, all of nature’s constituents are cross-wired, morphing into and interacting with one another with varying degrees of probability. This includes the inflaton field, the gravitational field, and whatever else existed in the primordial universe: Particles arising in these fields would have morphed into and scattered with each other to produce triangles and other geometric configurations, like billiard balls scattering on a table.
Lucy Reading-Ikkanda for Quanta Magazine
These dynamical events would be mixed in with the more mundane quantum jitter from those particle pairs that popped up in the inflaton field and engendered so-called “two-point correlations” throughout the sky. A pair of particles might, for instance, have surfaced in some other primordial field, and one member of this pair might then have decayed into two inflaton particles while the other decayed into just a single inflaton particle, yielding a three-point correlation, or triangle, in the sky. Or, two mystery particles might have collided and split into four inflaton particles, producing a four-point correlation. Rarer events would have yielded five-point, six-point and even higher-point correlations, with their numbers, sizes and interior angles encoding the types and relationships of the particles that produced them. The unitarity principle promises that by tallying the shapes ever more precisely, cosmologists will achieve an increasingly detailed account of the primordial universe, just as physicists at the Large Hadron Collider in Europe hone their theory of the known particles and look for evidence of new ones by collecting statistics on how particles morph and scatter during collisions.
Following Maldacena’s calculation of the gravitational floor, other researchers demonstrated that even many simple inflationary models generate much more pronounced non-Gaussianity than the bare minimum. Clocksmiths like Silverstein and Kleban have since been busy working out the distinct set of triangles that their models would produce — predictions that will become increasingly testable in the coming years. Progress accelerated in 2014, when a small experiment based at the South Pole appeared to make a momentous discovery about the universe’s birth. The announcement drummed up interest in cosmological triangles, even though the supposed discovery ultimately proved a grave disappointment.
As news began to spread on March 17, 2014, that the “smoking gun” of cosmic inflation had been detected, Stanford University’s press office posted a celebratory video on YouTube. In the footage, the cosmologist Andrei Linde, one of the decorated pioneers of inflationary cosmology, and his wife, the string and supergravity theorist and cosmologist Renata Kallosh, answer their door to find their Stanford colleague Chao-Lin Kuo on the doorstep, accompanied by a camera crew.
“It’s five sigma, at point two,” Kuo says in the video.
“Discovery?” Kallosh asks, after a beat. She hugs Kuo, almost melting, as Linde exclaims, “What?”
Viewers learn that BICEP2, an experiment co-led by Kuo, has detected a swirl pattern in the cosmic microwave background that would have been imprinted by ripples in space-time known as “primordial gravitational waves.” And these could only have arisen during cosmic inflation, as corkscrew-like particles popped up in the gravitational field and then became stretched and permanently frozen into the shape of the universe.
In the next scene, Linde sips champagne with his wife and their guest. In the early 1980s, Linde, Alexei Starobinsky, Alan Guth and other young cosmologists devised the theory of cosmic inflation as a patch for the broken 1930s-era Big Bang theory, which described the universe as expanding outward from a “singularity” — a nonsensical point of infinite density — and couldn’t explain why the universe hadn’t become mottled and contorted as it grew. Cosmic inflation provided a clever fix for these problems, and BICEP2’s finding suggested that the theory was conclusively proved. “If this is true,” Linde says to the camera, “this is a moment of understanding of nature of such a magnitude that it just overwhelms. Let’s see. Let’s just hope that this is not a trick.”
To many researchers, the most exciting thing about the alleged discovery was the strength of the swirl signal, measured as r = 0.2. The measurement indicated that inflation occurred at an extremely high energy scale and at the earliest moments in time, near the time-energy domain where gravity, as well as the effects of strings, branes or other exotica, would have been strong. The higher the energy scale of inflation, the more cross-wiring there would be between the inflaton and these other primordial ingredients. The result would be pronounced triangles and other non-Gaussianities in the sky.
“After BICEP, we all stopped what we were doing and started thinking about inflation,” Arkani-Hamed said. “Inflation is like having a gigantic particle accelerator at much higher energy scales than you can get to on Earth.” The question became how such an accelerator would operate, he said, “and if there really was exotic stuff up there [near the inflation scale], how you could go about looking for it.”
As these investigations took off, more details of BICEP2’s analysis emerged. It became clear that the discovery was indeed a trick of nature: The team’s telescope at the South Pole had picked up the swirly glow of galactic dust rather than the effect of primordial gravitational waves. A mix of anguish and anger swept through the field. Two years on, primordial gravitational waves still haven’t been detected. In January, BICEP2’s successor, the BICEP/Keck Array, reported that the value of r can be no more than 0.07, which lowers the ceiling on the energy scale of inflation and moves it further below the scale of strings or other exotic physics.
Juan Maldacena, a professor of physics at the Institute for Advanced Study, pioneered the study of cosmological non-Gaussianities.
Andrea Kane
Nonetheless, many researchers were now aware of the potential gold mine of information contained in triangles and other non-Gaussianities. It had become apparent that these fossils from inflation were worth digging for, even if they were buried deeper than BICEP2 had briefly promised. “Yeah, rwent down a little bit,” Maldacena said. But it’s not so bad, in his opinion: A relatively high scale is still possible.
In a paper last spring that drew on previous work by other researchers, Maldacena and Arkani-Hamed used symmetry arguments to show that a key feature of string theory could manifest itself in triangles. String theory predicts an infinite tower of “higher-spin states” — essentially, strings vibrating at an infinitely rising sequence of pitches. So far, no fundamental particles with a “spin” value greater than two have been discovered. Maldacena and Arkani-Hamed showed that the existence of such a higher-spin state would result in alternating peaks and troughs in the strength of the signal produced by triangles in the sky as they grow more elongated. For string theorists, this is exciting. “You can’t build a consistent interacting theory of such a particle except if you have an infinite tower of them” like the tower in string theory, explained Daniel Baumann, a theoretical cosmologist at the University of Amsterdam. Finding the oscillatory pattern in the triangles in the sky would confirm that this tower exists. “Just seeing one particle of spin greater than two would be indicative of string theory being present.”
Other researchers are pursuing similarly general predictions. In February, Kamionkowski and collaborators reported detailed information about primordial particles that is encoded in the geometry of four-point correlations, which “get interesting,” he said, because four points can lie flat or sweep into the third dimension. Observing the signals predicted by Arkani-Hamed, Maldacena and Kamionkowski would be like striking gold, but the gold is buried deep: Their strength is probably near the gravitational floor and will require at least 1,000 times the sensitivity of current equipment to detect. Other researchers prefer to tinker with bespoke string models that predict more pronounced triangles and other shapes. “So far we’ve explored only, I think, a very small fraction of the possibilities for non-Gaussianity,” Kamionkowski said.
Meanwhile, Linde and Kallosh are pushing in a totally different direction. Over the past three years, they’ve become enamored with a class of models called “cosmological alpha-attractors” that do not predict any non-Gaussianities above the gravitational floor at all. According to these models, cosmic inflation was completely pure, driven by a solitary inflaton field. The field is described by a Kähler manifold, which maps onto the geometric disk seen in Escher’s drawing of angels and devils. The Escherian geometry provides a continuum of possible values for the energy scale of inflation, including values so low that the inflaton’s cross-wiring to the gravitational field and other primordial fields would be extremely weak. If such a model does describe the universe, then swirls, triangles and other shapes might never be detected.
Linde isn’t bothered by this. In supporting the alpha-attractor models, he and Kallosh are staking a position in favor of simplicity and theoretical beauty, at the expense of ever knowing for sure whether their cosmological origin story is correct. An alpha-attractor universe, Linde said, is like one of the happy families in the famous opening line of Anna Karenina. As he paraphrased Tolstoy: “Any happy family, well, they look in a sense alike. But all unhappy families — they’re unhappy for different reasons.”
▽▷△
Will our universe turn out to be “happy” and completely free of distinguishing features? Baumann, who co-authored a book last year on string cosmology, argues that models like Linde’s and Kallosh’s are too simple to be plausible. “They are building these models from the bottom up,” he said. “Introducing a single field, trying to be very minimal — it would have been a beautiful model of the world.” But, he said, when you try to embed inflation into a fundamental theory of nature, it’s very hard to engineer a single field acting by itself, immune to the effects of everything else. “String theory has many of these effects; you can’t ignore them.”
And so the search for triangles and other non-Gaussianities is under way. Between 2009 and 2013, the Planck space telescope mapped the cosmic microwave background at the highest resolution yet, and scientists have since been scouring the map for statistical excesses of triangles and other shapes. As of their most recent analysis, they haven’t found any; given the sensitivity of their instruments and their 2-D searching ground, they only ever had an outside chance of doing so. But the scientists are continuing to parse the data in new ways, with another non-Gaussianity analysis expected this year.
Hiranya Peiris, an astrophysicist at University College London who searches for non-Gaussianities in the Planck data, said that she and her collaborators are taking cues from string cosmologists in determining which signals to look for. Peiris is keen to test a string-inflationary mechanism called axion monodromy, including variants recently developed by Silverstein and collaborators Raphael Flauger, Mehrdad Mirbabayi, and Leonardo Senatore that generate an oscillatory pattern in triangles as a function of their size that can be much more pronounced than the pattern studied by Arkani-Hamed and Maldacena. To find such a signal, Peiris and her team must construct templates of the pattern and match them with the data “in a very numerically intensive and demanding analysis,” she said. “Then we have to do careful statistical tests to make sure we are not being fooled by random fluctuations in the data.”
Some string models have already been ruled out by this data analysis. Regarding the public debate about whether string theory is too divorced from empirical testing to count as science, Silverstein said, “I find it surreal, because we are currently doing some traditional science with string theory.”
Now under construction, the Large Synoptic Survey Telescope in Chile will be used to map 20 billion cosmological objects starting in 2023.
LSST Project/NSF/AURA
Moving forward, cosmologists plan to scour ever larger volumes of the universe’s large-scale structure. Starting in 2020, the proposed SPHEREx mission could measure non-Gaussianity sensitively enough in the distribution of 300 million galaxies to determine whether inflation was driven by one clock or two cross-wired clocks (according to models of the theory known as single- and multi-field inflation, respectively). “Just to reach this level would dramatically reduce the number of possible inflation theories,” said Doré, who is working on the SPHEREx project. A few years further out, the Large Synoptic Survey Telescope will map 20 billion cosmological structures. If the statistical presence of triangles is not detected in the universe’s large-scale structure, there is yet another, perhaps final, approach. By mapping an ultra-faint radio signal called the 21-centimeter line, which is emitted by hydrogen atoms and traces back to the creation of the first stars, cosmologists would be able to measure even more “modes,” or arrangements of structures. “It’s going to have information about the whole volume of the universe,” Maldacena said.
If or when triangles show up, they will, one by one, reveal the nature of the inflaton clock and why it ticked. But will enough clues be gathered before we run out of sky in which to gather them?
The promise of unitarity — that information can be scrambled but never lost — comes with a caveat.
“If we assume we can make perfect measurements and we have an infinite sky and so on,” Maldacena said, “then in principle all the interactions and information about particles during inflation is contained in these correlators” — that is, three-point correlations, four-point correlations and so on. But perfect measurements are impossible. And worse, the sky is finite. There is a cosmic horizon: the farthest distance from which light has had time to reach us, and thus, beyond which we cannot see. During inflation, and over the entire history of the accelerating expansion of the universe since then, swirls, triangles, quadrilaterals and other shapes have been flying past this horizon and out of sight. And with them, the subtlest of signals, associated with the rarest, highest-energy processes during inflation, are lost: Cosmologists will never be able to gather enough statistics in our finite patch of sky to tease them out, precluding a complete accounting of nature’s fundamental constituents.
In his paper with Maldacena, Arkani-Hamed initially included a discussion of this issue, but he removed most of it. He finds the possibility of a limit to knowledge “tremendously disturbing” and sees it as evidence that quantum mechanics must be extended. One possible way to do this is suggested by his work on the amplituhedron, which casts quantum mechanical probabilities (and with them, unitarity) as emergent consequences of an underlying geometry. He plans to discuss this possibility in a forthcoming paper that will relate an analogue of the amplituhedron to non-Gaussianities in the sky.
People vary in the extent to which they are bothered by a limit to knowledge. “I’m more practical,” Zaldarriaga said. “There are, like, tens or many tens or orders of magnitude more modes that in principle we could see, that we have not been able to measure just because of technological or theoretical inability. So, these ‘in principle’ questions are interesting, but we are way before this point.”
Kleban also feels hopeful. “Yeah, it’s a finite amount of information,” he said. “But you could say the same thing about evolution, right? There’s a limited number of fossils, and yet we have a pretty good idea of what happened, and it’s getting better and better.”
If all goes well, enough fossils will turn up in the sky to tell a more complete story. A vast searching ground awaits.
Correction: This article was revised on April 19, 2016, to reflect that the Keck Array is BICEP2’s successor, not its predecessor, and on April 21, 2016, to correct the spelling of Mehrdad Mirbabayi’s surname.
A Chemist Shines Light on a Surprising Prime Number Pattern
About a year ago, the theoretical chemist Salvatore Torquatomet with the number theorist Matthew de Courcy-Irelandto explain that he had done something highly unorthodox with prime numbers, those positive integers that are divisible only by 1 and themselves.
A professor of chemistry at Princeton University, Torquato normally studies patterns in the structure of physical systems, such as the arrangement of particles in crystals, colloids and even, in one of his better-known results, a pack of M&Ms. In his field, a standard way to deduce structure is to diffract X-rays off things. When hit with X-rays, disorderly molecules in liquids or glass scatter them every which way, creating no discernible pattern. But the symmetrically arranged atoms in a crystal reflect light waves in sync, producing periodic bright spots where reflected waves constructively interfere. The spacing of these bright spots, known as “Bragg peaks” after the father-and-son crystallographers who pioneered diffraction in the 1910s, reveals the organization of the scattering objects.
By Natalie Wolchover at Quanta Magazine
Torquato told de Courcy-Ireland, a final-year graduate student at Princeton who had been recommended by another mathematician, that a year before, on a hunch, he had performed diffraction on sequences of prime numbers. Hoping to highlight the elusive order in the distribution of the primes, he and his student Ge Zhanghad modeled them as a one-dimensional sequence of particles — essentially, little spheres that can scatter light. In computer experiments, they bounced light off long prime sequences, such as the million-or-so primes starting from 10,000,000,019. (They found that this “Goldilocks interval” contains enough primes to produce a strong signal without their getting too sparse to reveal an interference pattern.)
It wasn’t clear what kind of pattern would emerge or if there would be one at all. Primes, the indivisible building blocks of all natural numbers, skitter erratically up the number line like the bounces of a skipping rock, stirring up deep questions in their wake. “They are in many ways pretty hard to tell apart from a random sequence of numbers,” de Courcy-Ireland said. Although mathematicians have uncovered many rules over the centuries about the primes’ spacings, “it’s very difficult to find any clear pattern, so we just think of them as ‘something like random.’”
But in three new papers — one by Torquato, Zhang and the computational chemist Fausto Martellithat was published in the Journal of Physics Ain February, and twoothersco-authored with de Courcy-Ireland that have not yet been peer-reviewed — the researchers report that the primes, like crystals and unlike liquids, produce a diffraction pattern.
“What’s beautiful about this is it gives us a crystallographer’s view of what the primes look like,” said Henry Cohn, a mathematician at Microsoft Research New England and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
Left to right: Salvatore Torquato, Ge Zhang and Matthew de Courcy-Ireland have written new papers looking at prime number sequences as particles producing a diffraction pattern. Photos credit-C. Todd Reichart (Torquato and Zhang) and courtesy of Matthew de Courcy-Ireland
The resulting pattern of Bragg peaks is not quite like anything seen before, implying that the primes, as a physical system, “are a completely new category of structures,” Torquato said. The Princeton researchers have dubbed the fractal-like pattern “effective limit-periodicity.”
It consists of a periodic sequence of bright peaks, which reflect the most common spacings of primes: All of them (except 2) are at odd-integer positions on the number line, multiples of two apart. Those brightest bright peaks are interspersed at regular intervals with less bright peaks, reflecting primes that are separated by multiples of six on the number line. These have dimmer peaks between them corresponding to farther-apart pairs of primes, and so on in an infinitely dense nesting of Bragg peaks.
Dense Bragg peaks have been seen before, in the diffraction patterns of quasicrystals, those strange materials discovered in the 1980s with symmetric but nonrepeating atomic arrangements. In the primes’ case, though, distances between peaks are fractions of one another, unlike quasicrystals’ irrationally spaced Bragg peaks. “The primes are actually suggesting a completely different state of particle positions that are like quasicrystals but are not like quasicrystals,” Torquato said.
In computer experiments, theoretical chemists have diffracted light off long sequences of prime numbers to reveal the hidden order underlying their seemingly erratic distribution. The primes produce a fractal-like diffraction pattern that’s similar, yet different, to that of quasicrystals.
Lucy Reading-Ikkanda/Quanta Magazine; Crystal diffraction pattern by Sven.hovmoeller; Quasicrystal diffraction pattern by Materialscientist)
According to numerous number theorists interviewed, there’s no reason to expect the Princeton team’s findings to trigger advances in number theory. Most of the relevant mathematics has been seen before in other guises. Indeed, when Torquato showed his plots and formulas to de Courcy-Ireland last spring (at the suggestion of Cohn), the young mathematician quickly saw that the prime diffraction pattern “can be explained in terms of almost universally accepted conjectures in number theory.”
It was the first of many meetings between the two at the Institute for Advanced Study in Princeton, N.J., where Torquato was spending a sabbatical. The chemist told de Courcy-Ireland that he could use his formula to predict the frequency of “twin primes,” which are pairs of primes separated by two, like 17 and 19. The mathematician replied that Torquato could in fact predict all other separations as well. The formula for the Bragg peaks was mathematically equivalent to the Hardy-Littlewood k-tuple conjecture, a powerful statement made by the English mathematicians Godfrey Hardy and John Littlewood in 1923 about which “constellations” of primes can exist. One rule forbids three consecutive odd-numbered primes after {3, 5, 7}, since one in the set will always be divisible by three, as in {7, 9, 11}. This rule illustrates why the second-brightest peaks in the primes’ diffraction pattern come from pairs of primes separated by six, rather than four.
Hardy and Littlewood’s conjecture further specified how often all the allowed prime constellations will occur along the number line. Even the simplest case of Hardy-Littlewood, the “twin primes conjecture,” although it has seen a burst of modern progress, remains unproved. Because prime diffraction essentially reformulates it, experts say it’s highly unlikely to lead to a proof of Hardy-Littlewood, or for that matter the famous Riemann hypothesis, an 1859 formula linking the primes’ distribution to the “critical zeros” of the Riemann zeta function.
The findings resonate, however, in a relatively young research area called “aperiodic order,” essentially the study of nonrepeating patterns, which lies at the intersection of crystallography, dynamical systems, harmonic analysis and discrete geometry, and grew after the discovery of quasicrystals. “Techniques that were originally developed for understanding crystals … became vastly diversified with the discovery of quasicrystals,” said Marjorie Senechal, a mathematical crystallographer at Smith College. “People began to realize they suddenly had to understand much, much more than just the simple straightforward periodic diffraction,” she said, “and this has become a whole field, aperiodic order. Uniting this with number theory is just extremely exciting.”
Adapted from Parcly Taxel
The primes’ pattern resembles a kind of aperiodic order known since at least the 1950s called limit periodicity, “while adding a surprising twist,” Cohn said. In true limit-periodic systems, periodic spacings are nested in an infinite hierarchy, so that within any interval, the system contains parts of patterns that repeat only in a larger interval. An example is the tessellation of a strange, multipronged shape called the Taylor-Socolar tile, discovered by the Australian amateur mathematician Joan Taylor in the 1990s, and analyzed in detail with Joshua Socolarof Duke University in 2010. According to Socolar, computer experiments indicate that limit-periodic phases of matter should be able to form in nature, and calculations suggest such systems might have unusual properties. No one guessed a connection to the primes. They are “effectively” limit periodic — a new kind of order — because the synchronicities in their spacings only hold statistically across the whole system.
For his part, de Courcy-Ireland wants to better understand the “Goldilocks” scale at which effective limit-periodicity emerges in the primes. In 1976, Patrick Gallagher of Columbia University showedthat the primes’ spacings look random over short intervals; longer strips are needed for their pattern to emerge. In the new diffraction studies, de Courcy-Ireland and his chemist collaborators analyzed a quantity called an “order metric” that controls the presence of the limit-periodic pattern. “You can identify how long the interval has to be before you start seeing this quantity grow,” he said. He is intrigued that this same interval length also shows up in a different prime number rule called Maier’s theorem. But it’s too soon to tell whether this thread will lead anywhere.
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The main advantage of the prime diffraction pattern, said Jonathan Keatingof the University of Bristol, is that “it is evocative” and “makes a connection with different ways of thinking.” But the esteemed number theorist Andrew Granvilleof the University of Montreal called Torquato and company’s work “pretentious” and “just a regurgitation of known ideas.”
Torquato isn’t especially concerned about how his work will be perceived by number theorists. He has found a way to glimpse the pattern of the primes. “I actually think it’s stunning,” he said. “It’s a shock.”
Quantum Physics May Be Even Spookier Than You Think
A new experiment hints at surprising hidden mechanics of quantum superpositions
It is the central question in quantum mechanics, and no one knows the answer: What really happens in a superposition—the peculiar circumstance in which particles seem to be in two or more places or states at once? Now, in a forthcoming papera team of researchers in Israel and Japan has proposed an experiment that could finally let us say something for sure about the nature of this puzzling phenomenon.
By Philip Ballon May 21, 2018
Their experiment, which the researchers say could be carried out within a few months, should enable scientists to sneak a glance at where an object—in this case a particle of light, called a photon—actually resides when it is placed in a superposition. And the researchers predict the answer will be even stranger and more shocking than “two places at once.”
The classic example of a superposition involves firing photons at two parallel slits in a barrier. One fundamental aspect of quantum mechanics is that tiny particles can behave like waves, so that those passing through one slit “interfere” with those going through the other, their wavy ripples either boosting or canceling one another to create a characteristic pattern on a detector screen. The odd thing, though, is this interference occurs even if only oneparticle is fired at a time. The particle seems somehow to pass through both slits at once, interfering with itself. That’s a superposition.
And it gets weirder: Measuring which slit such a particle goes through will invariably indicate it only goes through one—but then the wavelike interference (the “quantumness,” if you will) vanishes. The very act of measurement seems to “collapse” the superposition. “We know something fishy is going on in a superposition,” says physicist Avshalom Elitzur of the Israeli Institute for Advanced Research. “But you’re not allowed to measure it. This is what makes quantum mechanics so diabolical.”
For decades researchers have stalled at this apparent impasse. They cannot say exactly what a superposition is without looking at it; but if they try to look at it, it disappears. One potential solution—developed by Elitzur’s former mentor, Israeli physicist Yakir Aharonov, now at Chapman University, and his collaborators—suggests a way to deduce something about quantum particles beforemeasuring them. Aharonov’s approach is called the two-state-vector formalism (TSVF) of quantum mechanics, and postulates quantum events are in some sense determined by quantum states not just in the past—but also in the future. That is, the TSVF assumes quantum mechanics works the same way both forward and backward in time. From this perspective, causes can seem to propagate backward in time, occurring aftertheir effects.
But one needn’t take this strange notion literally. Rather, in the TSVF one can gain retrospective knowledge of what happened in a quantum system by selecting the outcome: Instead of simply measuring where a particle ends up, a researcher chooses a particular location in which to look for it. This is called post-selection, and it supplies more information than any unconditional peek at outcomes ever could. This is because the particle’s state at any instant is being evaluated retrospectively in light of its entire history, up to and including measurement. The oddness comes in because it looksas if the researcher—simply by choosing to look for a particular outcome—then causes that outcome to happen. But this is a bit like concluding that if you turn on your television when your favorite program is scheduled, your action causes that program to be broadcast at that very moment. “It’s generally accepted that the TSVF is mathematically equivalent to standard quantum mechanics,” says David Wallace, a philosopher of science at the University of Southern California who specializes in interpretations of quantum mechanics. “But it does lead to seeing certain things one wouldn’t otherwise have seen.”
Take, for instance, a version of the double-slit experiment devised by Aharonov and co-worker Lev Vaidman in 2003, which they interpreted with the TSVF. The pair described (but did not build) an optical system in which a single photon acts as a “shutter” that closes a slit by causing another “probe” photon approaching the slit to be reflected back the way it came. By applying post-selection to the measurements of the probe photon, Aharonov and Vaidman showed, one could discern a shutter photon in a superposition closing both (or indeed arbitrarily many) slits simultaneously. In other words, this thought experimentwould in theory allow one to say with confidence the shutter photon is both “here” and “there” at once. Although this situation seems paradoxical from our everyday experience, it is one well-studied aspect of the so-called “nonlocal” properties of quantum particles, where the whole notion of a well-defined location in space dissolves.
In 2016 physicists Ryo Okamoto and Shigeki Takeuchi of Kyoto University verified Aharonov and Vaidman’s predictions experimentallyusing a light-carrying circuit in which the shutter photon is created using a quantum router, a device that lets one photon control the route taken by another. “This was a pioneering experiment that allowed one to infer the simultaneous position of a particle in two places,” says Elitzur’s colleague Eliahu Cohen of the University of Ottawa in Ontario.
Now Elitzur and Cohen have teamed up with Okamoto and Takeuchi to concoct an even more mind-boggling experiment. They believe it will enable researchers to say with certainty something about the location of a particle in a superposition at a series of different points in time—before any actual measurement has been made.
This time the probe photon’s route would be split into three by partial mirrors. Along each of those paths it may interact with a shutter photon in a superposition. These interactions can be considered to take place within boxes labeled A, B and C, one of which is situated along each of the photon’s three possible routes. By looking at the self-interference of the probe photon, one can retrospectively conclude with certainty the shutter particle was in a given box at a specific time.
Credit: Amanda Montañez
The experiment is designed so the probe photon can only show interference if it interacted with the shutter photon in a particular sequence of places and times: Namely, if the shutter photon was in both boxes A and C at some time (t1), then at a later time (t2) only in C, and at a still later time (t3) in both B and C. So interference in the probe photon would be a definitive sign the shutter photon made this bizarre, logic-defying sequence of disjointed appearances among the boxes at different times—an idea Elitzur, Cohen and Aharonov proposed as a possibilitylast year for a single particle spread across three boxes. “I like the way this paper frames questions about what is happening in terms of entire histories rather than instantaneous states,” says physicist Ken Wharton of San Jose State University, who is not involved in the new project. “Talking about ‘states’ is an old pervasive bias whereas full histories are generally far more rich and interesting.”
That richness, Elitzur and colleagues argue, is what the TSVF gives access to. The apparent vanishing of particles in one place at one time—and their reappearance in other times and places—suggests a new and extraordinary vision of the underlying processes involved in the nonlocal existence of quantum particles. Through the lens of the TSVF, Elitzur says, this flickering, ever-changing existence can be understood as a series of events in which a particle’s presence in one place is somehow “canceled” by its own “counterparticle” in the same location. He compares this with the notion introduced by British physicist Paul Dirac in the 1920s who argued particles possess antiparticles, and if brought together, a particle and antiparticle can annihilate each other. This picture at first seemed just a manner of speaking but soon led to the discovery of antimatter. The disappearance of quantum particles is not “annihilation” in this same sense but it is somewhat analogous—these putative counterparticles, Elitzur posits, should possess negative energy and negative mass, allowing them to cancel their counterparts.
So although the traditional “two places at once” view of superposition might seem odd enough, “it’s possible a superposition is a collection of states that are even crazier,” Elitzur says. “Quantum mechanics just tells you about their average.” Post-selection then allows one to isolate and inspect just some of those states at greater resolution, he suggests. Such an interpretation of quantum behavior would be, he says, “revolutionary”—because it would entail a hitherto unguessed menagerie of real (but very odd) states underlying counterintuitive quantum phenomena.
The researchers say conducting the actual experiment will require fine-tuning the performance of their quantum routers, but they hope to have their system ready to roll in three to five months. For now some outside observers are not exactly waiting with bated breath. “The experiment is bound to work,” says Wharton—but he adds it “won’t convince anyone of anything, since the results are predicted by standard quantum mechanics.” In other words, there would be no compelling reason to interpret the outcome in terms of the TSVF rather than one of the many other ways that researchers interpret quantum behavior.
Elitzur agrees their experiment could have been conceived using the conventional view of quantum mechanics that prevailed decades ago—but it never was. “Isn’t that a good indication of the soundness of the TSVF?” he asks. And if someone thinks they can formulate a different picture of “what is really going on” in this experiment using standard quantum mechanics, he adds, “well, let them go ahead!”
Philip Ball
Does a Quantum Equation Govern Some of the Universe’s Large Structures?
Exotic Physics Glimpsed for First Time in Lab Crystal
Elusive Triangulene Created for the First Time
Stephen Hawking Reveals What Existed Before the Big Bang
In an interview with astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson, iconic physicist Stephen Hawking recently revealed what he believes existed prior to the Big Bang.
“Nothing was around,” said Hawking, who fortunately elaborated on this point. “The Euclidean space-time is a closed surface without end, like the surface of the Earth,” said Hawking, referring to the four-dimensional conceptual model that incorporates the three dimensions of space with time. “One can regard imaginary and real time as beginning at the South Pole, which is a smooth point of space-time where the normal laws of physics hold. There is nothing south of the South Pole so there was nothing around before the Big Bang.” At least, there was nothing around that humans can currently experience or conceptualize.
Since there is no way to measure time prior to the Big Bang, Hawking concludes that simply nothing existed prior to the Big Bang. In his interview with deGrasse Tyson, Hawking also spoke about the questions he would ask of Sir Isaac Newton, were he able to do so by some twist in space-time. “Is the solar system stable? And what happens to a star that cannot support itself against its own gravity?” Hawking wondered. The stability of the solar system is of particular interest to residents of Earth.
Related: Stephen Hawking: Humans must leave Earth within 100 years to survive
Hawking has offered some pessimistic assessments of the near-future of our planet. He predicts that the Earth will become a ball of fire within the next 600 years while also warning humanity that we have less than a century to leave Earth before it becomes uninhabitable. He also warned about the existential dangers of artificial intelligence. “Computers can, in theory, emulate human intelligence, and exceed it,” he said in 2017. “Success in creating effective AI, could be the biggest event in the history of our civilization. Or the worst. We just don’t know. So we cannot know if we will be infinitely helped by AI, or ignored by it and side-lined, or conceivably destroyed by it.”
by Greg Beach
Via USA Today
Images via Star Talk and NASA
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A Private View of Quantum Reality
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Astrophysics gets turned on its head: black holes come first
The End of the Aether
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Loyola Hall-of-Famer Wayne Pietri inducted into AAABA Hall of Fame
Loyola Hall-of-Famer Wayne Pietri was recently inducted into the All American Amateur Baseball Association (AAABA) Hall of Fame on August 9 in Johnstown, Pennsylvania.
Pietri played in the AAABA tournament in 1960 and 1961 as a pitcher and first baseman under fellow Loyola and AAABA Hall of Famer Louis “Rags” Scheuermann. He earned MVP honors in the 1961 tournament by picking up three wins on the mound with a 0.45 ERA in 21 innings pitched while helping his own cause with 14 hits and 13 RBIs as the New Orleans team took home the AAABA National Championship.
In three games played during the 1960 tournament, Pietri collected six hits and knocked in seven runs. He finished that year with a tournament-leading .500 batting average.
Pietri played basketball and baseball for the Wolfpack from 1962 to 1966. He was named part of the 1996 Loyola Athletics Hall of Fame class.
Following his time with the Wolfpack, Pietri signed with the St. Louis Cardinals and spent three seasons in their farm system.
“The Loyola community is very excited for Wayne and his family on his induction to the AAABA Hall of Fame,” says Loyola Athletic Director Dr. Michael Giorlando. “Wayne was one of Loyola’s all time great baseball player’s and his accomplishments on and off the field speak for themselves. He is most deserving of this honor.”
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Acts of the UK Parliament
In Russian
Welsh Statutory Instrument 2006 No. 63 (W.12)
The Historic Buildings Council for Wales (Abolition) Order 2006
(The document as of February, 2008. Arhiv.Online Library)
-- Back--
2006 No. 63 (W.12)
PUBLIC BODIES, WALES
Made 18 January 2006
Coming into force 1 April 2006
WHEREAS section 28(1)(d) of, and Part I of Schedule 4 to, the Government of Wales Act 1998 ("the 1998 Act")[1] enables the National Assembly for Wales ("the National Assembly") to transfer to itself the statutory functions of the Historic Buildings Council for Wales ("the Council") constituted under section 3 of the Historic Buildings and Ancient Monuments Act 1953 ("the 1953 Act")[2]
AND WHEREAS the National Assembly considers that the statutory functions of the Council under the 1953 Act either require advice to be given to the National Assembly itself (and, accordingly, fall within section 28(2)(a) of the 1998 Act and are to be abolished) or require the Council to be consulted by others (and, accordingly, are to be transferred to the National Assembly)
NOW THEREFORE the National Assembly, in exercise of its powers under section 28 of, and Part I of Schedule 4 to, the 1998 Act makes the following Order:
Title, commencement and interpretation
1.—(1) The title of this Order is the Historic Buildings Council for Wales (Abolition) Order 2006.
(2) This Order comes into force on 1 April 2006.
(3) In this Order—
"the 1953 Act" ("Deddf 1953") means the Historic Buildings and Ancient Monuments Act 1953; and
"the Council" ("y Cyngor") means the Historic Buildings Council for Wales.
Abolition of the Council
2.—(1) The Council is abolished.
(2) All property and rights to which the Council is entitled, and any liabilities to which the Council is subject, are transferred to the National Assembly.
Consequential amendments
3.—(1) The following provisions are repealed—
(a) sections 2 (insofar as it applies to section 3), 3 and 9(1) of the 1953 Act;
(b) sections 77(7), (8) and (9), 79(2) and 80(4) of the Planning (Listed Buildings and Conservation Areas) Act 1990[3]; and
(c) the entry relating to the Council in—
(i) Part II of Schedule 1A to the Race Relations Act 1976[4],
(ii) Part I of Schedule 4 to the Government of Wales Act 1998, and
(iii) Part VI of Schedule 1 to the Freedom of Information Act 2000[5].
(2) The entry relating to the Council in—
(a) Schedule 3 to the Race Relations Act 1976 (Statutory Duties) Order 2001[6],
(b) Part I of Schedule 1 to the Freedom of Information Act 2000 (Commencement No.2) Order 2002[7].
is revoked.
(3) In section 5(4) of the 1953 Act—
(a) for "the appropriate Commission or Council", substitute "the Commission";
(b) after "accepting any property", insert "situated in England";
(c) after "dealing with any", insert "such"; and
(d) for "the said Commission or Council", substitute "the Commission".
(4) In—
(a) paragraph 2(2)(b) of Schedule 9 to the Electricity Act 1989[8]; and
(b) paragraph (a) of the definition of "competent authority" in regulation 1(2) of the Environmental Protection (Controls on Injurious Substances) Regulations 1992[9],
for "Historic Buildings Council", substitute "National Assembly".
Signed on behalf of the National Assembly for Wales under section 66(1) of the Government of Wales Act 1998.
D. Elis-Thomas
The Presiding Officer of the National Assembly
(This note is not part of the Order)
Section 3 of the Historic Buildings and Ancient Monuments Act 1953 ("the 1953 Act") established the Historic Buildings Council for Wales ("the Council") to advise the Secretary of State on the exercise of the Secretary of State's powers under the 1953 Act.
The effect of article 2 of, and Schedule 1 to, the National Assembly for Wales (Transfer of Functions) Order 1999 (S.I. 1999/672) is that the main function of the Council is now to advise the National Assembly for Wales ("the National Assembly").
The Council is specified in Part I of Schedule 4 to the Government of Wales Act 1998 ("the 1998 Act") as a body whose statutory functions the National Assembly may, by Order made under section 28(1) of the 1998 Act, transfer to another body, including to itself.
Section 28(2) of the 1998 Act provides that the National Assembly may, by Order, abolish a function of such a body instead of transferring it to another body if the function, as it stands, requires something to be done in relation to that other body (an example being the Council's function of advising the National Assembly, the transfer of which to the National Assembly would require the National Assembly to advise itself).
Section 28(3) of the 1998 Act provides that the National Assembly may, by Order, abolish a body specified in Part I of Schedule 4 to the 1998 Act if each of the statutory functions of the body are transferred or abolished.
Section 28(4) of the 1998 Act provides that an Order which includes provision permitted by section 28(3) may transfer any property, rights or liabilities of that body.
Section 28(7) of the 1998 Act provides that an Order under section 28 may contain appropriate consequential provisions, including the repeal of enactments.
(a) article 2 of this Order abolishes the Council and transfers any property, rights or liabilities of the Council to the National Assembly; and
(b) article 3 of this Order makes the necessary consequential repeals, revocations and amendments of Acts and other instruments.
[1] 1998 c.38.back
[3] 1990 c.9.back
[6] S.I. 2001/3458.back
[9] S.I. 1992/31.back
ISBN 0 11 091254 3
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BD-born American arrested on terror charges in Texas
photo by
By bdnews24.com
20th-Jun-2014
A Bangladeshi-born US citizen was arrested on Wednesday in central Texas on charges of terrorist activities including 'committing violent jihad', US media reports said.Rahatul Ashikim Khan, 23, and his aide Michael Wolfe, 23, also known as 'Faruq', were detained separately on charges of trying 'to provide material support to terrorists', Reuters said quoting US prosecutors.Khan was arrested at his home in the Austin suburb of Round Rock, according to court documents unsealed on Wednesday.However, Wolfe, who had sought to aid extremist groups fighting in Syria, was arrested at Bush Intercontinental Airport in Houston on Tuesday.He was charged in a separate federal criminal complaint with "attempting to provide material support to terrorists," prosecutors said.Lawyers for the two were not immediately available for comment.Both men face up to 15 years in prison if convicted. They have a detention hearing set for Friday afternoon in Austin.abcnews.go.com reported that Khan allegedly wanted to join al-Shabab, a Somalia-based terror group linked to al Qaeda. For the other, Wolfe, learning to fight in Syria was allegedly the goal.According to the complaint, "Wolfe planned to travel to the Middle East to provide his services to radical groups engaged in armed conflict in Syria," prosecutors said. The arrest affidavit alleged that Wolfe told a confidential informant in May 2014 that he and his wife were expecting a tax refund in the amount of $5,000.Wolfe indicated his wife wanted to get a portion of the refund to her mother, and the rest of the refund would be for his travel to Syria, according to the affidavit.
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Secret Life of Pets arrives on 12/6, plus our thoughts on Shin Godzilla & reviews of the first two Vestron BDs
October 4, 2016 - 4:11 pm | by Bill Hunt
All right, just a quick one today, as we’re doing a little work on The Bits server this afternoon, and I’m also trying to finish up a hardware review for tomorrow.
We have a couple of new reviews for you today: Our own Tim Salmons has just checked out Lionsgate’s first two Vestron Video Collector’s Series Blu-ray releases, Chopping Mall (1986) and Blood Diner (1987), and he’s found them both well worth your time if you’re a horror fan. You can read his thoughts via the title links provided. [Read on here…]
In a bit of new release news today: Universal Studios Home Entertainment has just set The Secret Life of Pets for Blu-ray, Blu-ray 3D, DVD, and 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray release on 12/6, with the Digital HD release due on 11/22. The discs will include 3 Mini-Movies (Norman Television, Weenie, and Mower Minions), 7 featurettes (All About the Pets, Animals Can Talk: Meet the Actors, Hairstylist to the Dogs, The Best of Snowball, The Humans that Brought You Pets, GoPro: The Secret Life of Pets, and The Making of the Mini-Movies), a Hot Dog Sing-Along, the Sing trailer, and the lyric video for Lovely Day. The Blu-rays will add 2 more exclusive featurettes (How to Make an Animated Film and Anatomy of a Scene).
Also today, our friend John Berge (over at Videomagasinet.no) has alerted us that Hugo Fregonese’s 1966 Italian Spaghetti western Savage Pampas is getting an exclusive 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray release in Germany on 11/18. You can read more here.
Finally, having just attended FUNimation’s West Coast premiere of the film last night, here’s my quick review of Shin Godzilla: I liked the heck out of it. It’s different than I expected, but very much a throwback to the original film. Essentially, it’s a fast-cut, ensemble, disaster-military-political procedural with a giant monster crashing through it. It’s very Japanese, both in its cultural context and in terms of its storytelling sensibility. There’s fascinating commentary regarding Japan’s place in the world, for example, and also their government’s handling of the Fukushima nuclear disaster. The visual effects are fantastic, as is the presentation of Godzilla. Big G is wonderfully weird and packs an insane punch in this film. Shin Godzilla has just the right touch of camp and, of course, lots of heavy ordnance laid on target. I’d give it a strong B+. It’s well worth seeing if you’re a fan of the series. Just pay attention to the dialogue subtitles on the bottom of the screen and ignore the location/character ID text on top (you’ll figure out who’s who quickly enough). And read fast! The films run in limited release around North America from 10/11 to 10/18 (you can find out where here at the official website), and then FUNimation will be releasing it on Blu-ray and DVD in a few months. Don’t miss it!
That’s all for now. Stay tuned...
- Bill Hunt (@BillHuntBits)
Blood Diner
Vestron Video Collector's Series
Savage Pampas 4K
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Ain't In It For My Health: A Film About Levon Helm
Reviewed by: Joe Marchese
Review Date: Oct 29, 2013
Jacob Hatley
2010 (October 8, 2013)
Kino Lorber (Kino Lorber)
Film/Program Grade: B
Video Grade: B
Audio Grade: B
Extras Grade: A-
On April 18, 2012, Robbie Robertson of The Band confirmed that he had visited his old bandmate Levon Helm in a New York hospital where Helm was fighting terminal cancer: “I sat with Levon for a good while, and thought of the incredible and beautiful times we had together... Levon is one of the most extraordinary talented people I’ve ever known and very much like an older brother to me. I am so grateful I got to see him one last time and will miss him and love him forever.” One day later, Helm died at the age of 71. The long-estranged relationship between Helm, The Band’s drummer, and Robertson, its chief songwriter and guitarist, is never discussed in Jacob Hatley’s 2010 documentary Ain’t In It for My Health: A Film About Levon Helm. But Helm’s unease with his legacy is one of the threads that runs through the film, recently issued on Blu-ray by Kino Lorber.
This frequently-impressionistic film traces days in the life of Helm, the Arkansas-born drummer who brought Southern authenticity to Canadian rockabilly band The Hawks and changed the sound of rock in the process. Once The Hawks broke apart from Ronnie Hawkins, for whom the group was named, they rose to prominence backing Bob Dylan on his 1965 U.S. tour and 1966 world tour. They recorded the storied Basement Tapes with Dylan in 1967 in their home base of Woodstock, New York, and made their own epochal debut as, simply, The Band with 1968’s Music from Big Pink. With Big Pink, The Band returned rock to its stripped-down roots, epitomizing the “Americana” sound and offering an antidote to the bigger and bigger “progressive” sounds appearing on the FM dial. But when Robertson decided to throw in the towel in 1976 – culminating in the San Francisco farewell concert preserved in Martin Scorsese’s 1978 The Last Waltz – Helm, bassist Rick Danko, keyboardist Garth Hudson and pianist Richard Manuel were left adrift. In 1983, The Band reformed sans Robertson, but a dark cloud remained over the group, with Manuel committing suicide in 1986. Danko died in 1999, leading to The Band’s final break-up. And in the late 1990s, Levon Helm was diagnosed with throat cancer, which he successfully treated via intensive radiation treatments. In 2000, he commented to Rolling Stone, “Two things people don’t want – poverty and cancer. And I had them both.” Helm prevailed, at least initially, over the cancer, though his once-strong voice was replaced with a soft rasp. And he prevailed over the poverty by opening up his Woodstock home studio to fans and fellow musicians for informal “Midnight Ramble jam session-style concerts.
It’s important to come into this movie with knowledge of Helm’s, and The Band’s history. Focusing on Helm late in life, it doesn’t recount much of the gifted musician’s life story. The Levon Helm portrayed in Hatley’s film is in the midst of his late-career renaissance. It opens with him making a living on the road, staying at Holiday Inns and smoking joints. (Helm’s friend Bob Dylan’s song “When I Paint My Masterpiece” is heard in one sequence, an ironic composition of perhaps-futile optimism and crushing reality.) Helm speaks with a throaty, plain-spoken drawl, and appears totally at home in Woodstock with his wife Sandy and dog Muddy whether resting or gleefully riding a tractor. Frequently seen with a cigarette of one kind or another in his hand, wearing a bathrobe and an impish grin, Helm is captured by Hatley in more or less his everyday life.
Though only 83 minutes in length, the film is deliberately paced and at times meandering. It follows Helm to the doctor as it chronicles what his daughter, the singer Amy Helm, calls “a different kind of survival story.” Clips of interviewees are interspersed with this fly-on-the-wall footage; Helm’s ex-lover and Amy’s mother Libby Titus (an accomplished vocalist in her own right and wife of Steely Dan’s Donald Fagen) comments, “I don’t know why he’s not dead!” before praising his stamina and hearty Dutch and Irish stock. Danko’s wife Elizabeth, biographer Barney Hoskyns, Helm’s friend and collaborator Larry Campbell, and singer Teresa Williams (Campbell’s wife) all appear. Performance clips are included, too, such as The Band performing “Up on Cripple Creek” in summer 1969 and Robertson’s now-standard “The Weight” that same summer at the Woodstock festival. An amusing clip of “square” Ed Sullivan introducing The Band and stumbling over Levon’s name is another choice segment. Still, footage of the young Helm and his robust appearance shocks in the context of the film.
The tone is generally elegiac, though Helm is a charming and genial subject. There’s some levity when he recalls partying with Procol Harum or reflects on an annoyed Jimi Hendrix backstage at Woodstock. The most dramatic arc in the film revolves around The Grammy Awards. Helm receives a nomination for his solo “comeback” album Dirt Farmer as well as a Lifetime Achievement Award for his role in The Band, but dismisses the latter as “engineered by the suits.” He sits out the ceremony, and the camera captures his reaction when he wins the award for Dirt Farmer. Everybody around Helm seems more excited than he is, as it’s clear that sadness and resentments linger in his back pages. Footage of Helm and Campbell writing and arranging a new song based on an unpublished Hank Williams lyric, “You’ll Never Again Be Mine,” gives the documentary another fascinating through line.
Ain’t In It for My Health is a testament to the late Helm’s indomitable spirit. No matter how cantankerous he may appear, his good humor and upbeat nature inspires. He laments the lack of recognition for the late Manuel and Danko in one of the film’s most touching scenes, and confides in Billy Bob Thornton that “[The Band] was all over after that second record [1969’s The Band].” Hoskyns and Campbell allude to Helm’s bitterness over the fact that Robertson became quite wealthy, as he controlled the publishing to his hit songs, whereas the other Band members struggled. Helm’s fight with financial stability had a silver lining, though, when his Midnight Rambles began in 2003 to raise money to save his home. Not only did the Rambles give Helm a new lease on life, as shown in the film, but he also became a grandfather with the birth of Amy’s son, whom he serenades on mandolin in one beautiful moment.
The 1:85:1 color film looks about as good as could be expected on Kino’s 1080p BD, though much of the archival footage naturally doesn’t impress. Audio is offered in both 5.1 surround and 2.0 stereo options, and though the former is preferable, the rear channels are only utilized sparingly, such as for occasional ambience. No subtitles are available. A whopping 50 minutes of deleted scenes is a most welcome bonus. You’ll also find the original trailer here.
Though Helm perished when his cancer recurred, the intermittently captivating and altogether affectionate Ain’t In It for My Health depicts a true rock-and-roll survivor surrounded by loving family and friends. It should leave viewers with relief that Helm finally “took a load off,” with an immense “Weight” removed. At one point in the film he stresses the importance of “how we live” – not just how long. Jacob Hatley’s film certainly shows that the great Levon Helm knew how to live.
- Joe Marchese
2010, A Film About Levon Helm, Ain't In It For My Health, Blu-ray Disc, Bob Dylan, documentary, Jacob Hatley, Kino Lorber, music, Robbie Robertson, The Band, The Hawks, Woodstock
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Military veterans rally to rescue benefits
WASHINGTON — Jesse and Caroline Bier understand better than most how much the partial government shutdown threatens the livelihood of military veterans. The couple from Fredericksburg, Va., are both retired Marines. Caroline Bier, who now …
Coalition of veteran and military groups demanding end to shutdown
A coalition of 33 organizations representing veterans and members of the military are to gather at the World War II Memorial Tuesday morning to demand an end to the government shutdown that members say is harming veterans and military families.
California: Pleasant Hill City Council to Consider Stringent Requirements on Firearm Sales
The Pleasant Hill City Council is scheduled to consider an ordinance at a public hearing this Monday, September 30, that would require all firearms dealers to obtain a police-issued permit from the City of Pleasant Hill in order to lawfully sell firearms and ammunition in the City. Drafted by Mayor Michael Harris and Councilmember David Durant, this proposed ordinance seeks to formalize the procedure and requirements for obtaining such permits.
An interview with Florida lobbyist Marion Hammer
Marion Hammer is one of Florida’s most influential lobbyists. She served as president of the National Rifle Association from 1995 to 1998, is a member of the NRA board and has been the executive director of the Unified Sportsmen of Florida, the state’s NRA affiliate, since 1976.
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Santa Clara County Board of Education
San Jose/Evergreen Community College District
Oak Grove School District
San Jose Unified School District
Morgan Hill Unified School District
Gavilan Joint Community College District
Los Gatos-Saratoga Joint Union High School District
Gilroy Unified School District
Palo Alto Unified School District
East Side Union High School District
Fremont Union High School District
San Benito High School District
Alum Rock Union Elementary School District
Cupertino Union School District
Evergreen School District
Franklin-McKinley School District
Los Altos School District
Board Member 2 Year Short Term
Los Gatos Union School District
Board Member 4 Year Term
Luther Burbank School District
Mountain View-Whisman School District
Mount Pleasant School District
Saratoga Union School District
Morgan Hill City Council
Council Member, Council District D
City of Santa Clara
City of Gilroy
City of Milpitas
Mayor of Morgan Hill
City of Campbell
City of Cupertino
City of Los Altos
Town of Los Altos Hills
Town of Los Gatos
City of Monte Sereno
City of Mountain View
City of Palo Alto
City of Saratoga
City of San Jose
Santa Clara City Council
City of Sunnyvale
Morgan Hill City Clerk
Morgan Hill City Treasurer
Cupertino Sanitary District
Santa Clara Valley Water District
Santa Clara County Open Space Authority
City of Morgan Hill
Measure Y
Campbell Union High School District
Sunnyvale School District
Santa Clara County Board of EducationCandidate for Member, Trustee Area 1
Grace H. Mah
Expanding access to high quality early learning opportunities for all children ages 1 - 8 in Santa Clara County.
Be a champion for Santa Clara County's most vulnerable children: foster children, children with special needs, Head Start preschoolers, at-risk youth, students in the criminal justice system.
Provide outstanding service to the county's local school districts and charter schools.
Profession:Santa Clara County School Board Trustee, Area #1
School Board Trustee, Santa Clara County — Elected position (2008–current)
School Board Trustee, Santa Clara County — Appointed position (2007–2008)
R&D (Research and Development) Project Manager, Agilent Technologies and Hewlett Packard (1992–2002)
Sales Manager and Account Manager, Integrated Circuits Business Division, Hewlett Packard (1987–1992)
UC Berkeley — Master of Science (MS), Electrical Engineering and Computer Science (1984)
California Institute of Technology (Caltech) — Bachelor of Science (BS), Engineering and Applied Science (1981)
Board Member, Stevenson House (Low Income Senior Housing Project) (2015–current)
Leader at Crittenden Middle School (Mountain View), MOUSE Squad of California (2012–current)
Founder , PACE for Kids (Palo Alto Chinese Education) (2002–current)
School Chair, PiE (Partners in Education) Foundation (2006–2012)
Board Member, Palo Alto Family YMCA (2003–2009)
I’m a 32 year resident of Palo Alto. I have been married to my husband Don for 32 years and we have two kids. One is a freshman at UC San Diego, and the other is a seventh grader at Terman Middle School.
I grew up in Northridge in southern California – yes, I’m a Valley Girl – and went to public schools through high school. My bachelor’s degree in Engineering is from Caltech in Pasadena. I received my MS degree from UC Berkeley in Electrical Engineering and Computer Science.
I worked for HP and Agilent for 18 years at different jobs including manufacturing engineer, hardware design engineer, sales engineer, sales manager, and hardware and software R&D manager. During my last three years at Agilent, I was in a jobshare arrangement which allowed me to work part-time and spend time with my older child. I was laid off from Agilent when the dot-com bubble popped and stayed home. I had another child and starting getting involved in education.
My passion for bilingual education started with my first child’s bilingual Mandarin/English preschool. I was so impressed by his education and seemingly effortless learning of Mandarin and 200 Chinese characters, that I wanted to see a Mandarin immersion program in Palo Alto’s public school system, patterned after the very successful Spanish immersion program that was in place for 10 years.
Over the course of 6 years, I built a grassroots organization, worked with school board members and school district administration, and co-authored federal and state grants to bring funding to Palo Alto for Mandarin language acquisition. As a result, the Ohlone Mandarin Immersion program was started in 2008. The middle school Mandarin Immersion Bridge program started in 2015 at Jordan Middle School.
I was appointed to the Santa Clara County School Board in 2007 and am involved with different programs throughout the county including early start preschools, alternative programs for our at-risk youth, special education classes for the medically fragile, and the juvenile hall schools. I’ve performed site assessments for the Head Start program, and volunteered with the 1000 Hearts for 1000 Minds program at Crittenden Middle School in Mountain View.
I am very passionate about serving all the children in Santa Clara County; I’m especially inspired by the graduates of our Special Education and Alternative Education schools. The challenges faced by these kids due to social, emotional, and physical environments are very difficult and the beaming faces of the students and their families at graduation are very gratifying.
I commit to working to fulfill the educational needs of the children of Silicon Valley, and would be honored to have your vote on November 8.
Joe Simitian, Santa Clara County Supervisor, District 5
Rich Gordon, California State Assemblymember, District 24
Dr. Gloria Hom, Former California State Board of Education Member, Retired Mission College Community College Professor
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Jack O’Connell, Former California State Superintendent, Former California State Assemblyman and Senator
Delaine Eastin, Former California State Superintendent
Hung Wei, Fremont Union High School District Board President
Val Carpenter, Former Los Altos City Mayor
Ted Lempert, San Mateo County School Board Member
Chris Norwood, Milpitas Unified School District Board Member
Leon Beauchman, Former Santa Clara County School Board Member
Barb Mitchell, Former Palo Alto Unified School District Board Member
Sangeeth Peruri, Los Altos School District Board Member
Fiona Walters, Mountain View Los Altos High School District Board Member
John Harpootlian, Los Altos Hills City Mayor
Courtenay C. Corrigan, Los Altos Hills City Councilmember
Camille Townsend, Palo Alto Unified School District Board Member
Ellen Wheeler, Mountain View Whisman School District Board Member
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Jon Foster, Palo Alto Community Leader
Dr. Albert Wang - Friends of Children with Special Needs Founder
Debra Watkins, Founder and Executive Director of the California Alliance of African-American Educators
Jim Fruchterman, Palo Alto Community Leader
Victoria Liu, Palo Alto Community Leader
Barry Groves, Retired Superintendent Mountain View Los Altos High School District
Website: gracemah2016.org
Sheena Chin
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Alienation, Modernity, and Nostalgia in The Twilight Zone and Somewhere in Time
Today's special post is part of the Time Travel Blogathon hosted by Wide Screen World and Silver Screenings. Click on the banner above to see more excellent time-tossed movie reviews.
A recurring theme in The Twilight Zone is the existential angst of the modern male. Its canon of episodes is replete with middle-age guys who just can't catch a break, who just can't keep up with the pace of life in the jet age. The most famous is Henry Bemis, played by Burgess Meredith in the classic Time Enough at Last (1959), a henpecked bookworm who just wants to curl up with a good story. A well-timed outbreak of nuclear war does a fine job of taking care of distractions, but as you can imagine, there is always a catch in... The Twilight Zone.
Rejection of the modern day for the allure of the past was a recurring exploration of this theme. It was played comically in Once Upon a Time (1961), starring Buster Keaton as a man from the silent film era who trades places with an inventor from the 1960's, both discovering that the grass is not always greener on the other side. A more serious, and heartbreaking, exploration of the idea came with A Stop at Willoughby (1960), penned by Rod Serling himself. It was later adapted as a television film, For All Time (2000) starring Mark Harmon and Mary McDonnell. Richard Matheson, writer of many Twilight Zone episodes including Once Upon a Time and Nightmare at 20,000 Feet (1963), delivered his take on it for a 1975 novel Bid Time Return. That was, in turn, adapted to cinemas as Somewhere in Time (1980) starring Christopher Reeve and Jane Seymour. In both For All Time and Somewhere in Time, the alienated modern man seeks love and fulfillment in the Gay Nineties, with varying degrees of success as lovers and as films.
In A Stop at Willoughby, an ulcerated advertising executive (James Daly as "Gart Williams") can't deal with the merciless business he's in, nor his coldly materialistic wife at home. His work is literally killing him with ulcers and anxiety, brought on by the incessant drone of his boss... "Push push push, push push push, this is a push push push business Williams, push push push..." The only thing trapping him in this job is the ambitious woman he married (Patricia Donahue), whose appetites for large houses in good neighbourhoods requires lots of money. She keeps the spigot open by her emasculating cruelty. His only reprieve is on the long commute aboard a sleek, modern train. Whenever he falls asleep, he catches glimpses of an idyllic 19th century village. This little town is the perfect picture of Gay Nineties nostalgia: horse-drawn carts, boys with fishin' poles, ladies in bustle skirts on promenade with their top-hatted beaus. It's exactly the kind of life he wants, the kind of life where "a man can slow down to a walk and live his life full measure." After finally cracking under the pressure, he decides that next time he's going to get off at Willoughby.
Gart Williams sees Willoughby for the first time.
And then makes the mistake of trying to tell his wife about it.
Sometimes Rod Serling's protagonists get a second chance and sometimes they don't. Whether or not they do almost always depends on their ability to reconcile themselves to the modern age and, in doing so, find renewed life and purpose. Those who cannot or will not suffer cruel fates. That might seem gratuitously mean-spirited to such beleaguered men, except for the resonance that Serling has with his angst-ridden middle-aged male characters. For example, when A Stop at Willoughby aired, Serling was 36 and his character Gart Williams was 38. He was a bit weathered for a 38 year old, as James Daly (father of Tim and Tyne Daly) was 42 at the time, but then Serling looked older than his actual age too. In a twist worthy of The Twilight Zone, Daly had been struggling with his own closeted homosexuality, which was treated as a mental illness at the time, giving further gravitas to his performance. The fates suffered by characters unable to reconcile to modernity would be cruel if it didn't have the context of Serling largely psychoanalyzing himself.
A Stop at Willoughby aired at the height of post-WWII Gay Nineties nostalgia, contemporaneous with such films as 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea (1954), Around the World in 80 Days (1956), My Fair Lady (1964), Mary Poppins (1965), Moulin Rouge (1952), Show Boat (1951), Lady and the Tramp (1955), Pollyanna (1960), and Disneyland's Main Street USA. The days when grandpa wooed grandma was one of the many mental escapes, like Tiki culture, that mid-century Americans indulged in. A Stop at Willoughby was undoubtedly Serling's commentary on that particular mode of escapism. Through the series, his affection for the time period does show: well over a dozen episodes take place during the Gay Nineties, Civil War, or Wild West. However, the fates suffered by his protagonists suggest that he is entirely unsympathetic to this retreat into nostalgia. Do not lose yourself in it, he seems to warn, for indeed you will be lost.
The original 22-minute episode was pushed by brevity to drive home its full emotional effect. Serling had to communicate clearly and quickly that Gart Williams was losing his health and his sanity to the demands of modernity. When he makes the desperate choice to get off the train at Willoughby, it is a clear escape from the wretchedness of his life. Bloated to two hours and saddled with a romance angle as the made-for-television movie For All Time, it does not fare so well.
For All Time stars Mark Harmon as a man who is vaguely unsatisfied with his life in the modern age and learns that he might as well be better off living in a small town 100 years ago. Charles Lattimer (Harmon) is a successful, easy-going illustrator at an ad company whose personable partner is also his closest friend. He comes home in mid-afternoon to a nice, well-decorated house with his own comfortable rumpus room in the basement, which houses his model trains and antique collection. His wife has her own successful career, but they still care for each other, have good conversations together over dinner, and do things that married couples do. Even the city he lives in appears nice, clean and spacious... I can vouch that it is: For All Time was filmed in Calgary, Canada, where I live. I've commuted on the same train he does in the film, only it's been much, much more crowded when I've done it. Nor did it ever drop me off right inside Heritage Park - our local historical village - like his did. That would have been really handy when I worked there 20 years ago, in the very same newspaper office where they filmed (in fact, doing the math, I was probably still employed there when they filmed For All Time, unbeknownst to me).
Oh, but he wants to do an ad campaign with a Gibson Girl-looking figure and they won't let him, so that kinda' sucks. Luckily he buys an enchanted pocket watch from a fictional antique store across the street from one of my favourite coffee shops that transports him to 100 years in the past. There he meets the spitting image of the very woman he drew for the ad campaign (Mary McDonnell) and discovers that he's kind of more satisfied living in the past than today, even though his wife and friend and co-workers and everyone are getting worried sick by his frequent disappearances. Too bad for them, because this is where he feels he belongs, despite injecting modern ideas into the community as soon as he arrives. Eventually he is forced to make his decision between living in today or (literally) living in the past, with a happy ending directly antithetical to The Twilight Zone.
Charles Lattimer expresses mild discontent with modernity.
A married man goes a-courtin' and a-typesettin'.
Suffice it to say that The Twilight Zone is not the most ideal source material for placidly romantic TV movies. A few things would have certainly helped the film along: making the modern city more crowded, more noisy, more pushy, more obnoxious, more anxious; making his job an equally pushy, intense, competitive environment where his heritage branding ideas aren't in fashion right now and it's costing him clients; making his home life more alienating, like he and his wife occupy the same space but are miles and centuries apart. The Gibson Girl would not merely be a figure he drew once, but a recurring dream that suddenly becomes manifest, raising the question of whether he is only dreaming all of this or whether it is real. Somerville, the town, should have been all sunshine, marching bands and smiles, less like the cold, blue tones one gets from filming in Canada and more like the bright hyper-reality of Main Street USA.
More successful as a film on the same themes, and as an extended episode of The Twilight Zone, is Somewhere in Time. One of the true geniuses of Science Fiction and Horror writing, Richard Matheson was not only responsible for 16 episodes of The Twilight Zone, but also The Incredible Shrinking Man, the largest number of the Edgar Allan Poe adaptations directed by Roger Corman and starring Vincent Price, What Dreams May Come, and his most famous work, I Am Legend. Whereas What Dreams May Come deals with love that transcends death, Somewhere in Time deals with love that transcends time.
The origin of the story came when Matheson, on vacation with his family, fell in love with a photograph of turn-of-the-century Broadway actress Maude Adams. Studying her life, he decided to write a story about a modern man who travels back in time to be with a character very much like her and having to cope with an overprotective manager like her own. The novel was set at the iconic Hotel del Coronado in San Diego, where Matheson checked himself in to research and write. It was a very personal fantasy for the author.
For the film's purposes, the location was changed to the Grand Hotel on Mackinac Island, Michigan. By 1979, when filming for Somewhere in Time took place, the Grand Hotel had become one of those dowager hotels of faded glory that were trying to keeps up with modernity by changing out its lovely, albeit dusty, Victorian furnishing with ugly, Seventies replacements. To the dowager comes Christopher Reeve as Richard Collier, a successful but alienated playwright whose malaise brings him to the Grand Hotel. Eight years before, on the premiere evening of his first play, he was visited by an elderly woman who gave him a pocket watch and the enigmatic plea to "Come back to me." Now in the hotel, he is entranced by the oddly familiar photograph of actress Elise McKenna (Jane Seymour), who stayed at the hotel in 1912. Piecing together her life, he comes to the realization that, somehow, by some strange power, he too had been at the Grand Hotel in 1912.
Through a form of mental transference via self-hypnosis - including the critically important rule that he must hide all evidence of modernity from himself - he arrives in 1912 and meets McKenna, who greets him with another enigmatic phrase: "Is it you?" The two pursue a romance, much to the chagrin of her manager W.F. Robinson (Christopher Plummer), who sees Collier as a threat to his dreams of crafting McKenna into the greatest star of the American stage. He does his best to plot against them while they take off on beachfront walks, carriage rides, and old-fashioned rowboat dates. Just as their moment of happiness arrives, so does the end, with a twist worthy of The Twilight Zone.
Trailer for Somewhere in Time, possibly one of the worst trailers ever made.
The similarity of Somewhere in Time to an episode of The Twilight Zone is not unexpected. Like Planet of the Apes, scripted by Rod Serling, it hits all the same beats and preoccupations of the series they both originated from. Just as someone has done for Planet of the Apes, an enterprising editor could make an interesting project of distilling Somewhere in Time down to a 26-minute pseudo-episode. Commercially, it might fared better if it had been an episode after all.
Various forces conspired to make Somewhere in Time a commercial and critical failure. It was only home video and TV airings that brought it back from the brink of obscurity and gained it a cult following. Universal Studios recently re-released it on DVD as part of the "pop-art" series and the Grand Hotel hosts an annual Somewhere in Time Weekend convention. Not all of the criticism levied at the film is undeserved... It is, for example, somewhat emotionally flat, save for a few piquant moments... Nevertheless, it still taps into a number of primal longings. This is especially true for men, who are reported to makeup at least half of Somewhere in Time's fandom, which is unheard of for a romantic film of the sort.
Though unusual, it's not difficult to understand with some sensitivity to the complex romantic lives of men. Without overgeneralizing them, lingering alienation is a common experience for many men, who for assorted cultural and biological reasons find themselves born into a world that values them for what they produce more than for any intrinsic value to who they are. The utilitarian view of men is what promulgates ideas of male disposability, defaults attacks on male productivity (e.g.: "You're just some fat neckbeard virgin loser in his parents' basement"), and leads to heavily disproportionate rates of male suicide. Though a growing number of men in Western (and Japanese) society are simply "checking out", the traditional means for men to compensate for this utilitarian view has been to ennoble it. The daily grind to provide for others becomes the mighty quest, the hero's journey archetype becomes the personal journey to adopting the heroic role of protector and provider. Regardless of whether this is good or bad (the answer being "yes, it is good and bad."), it certainly explains why more than a few men and women alike react negatively to unheroic depictions of traditionally heroic men, as in the recent controversy over Star Wars: The Last Jedi or whenever Marvel Comics replaces one of their established Caucasian male heroes with a diverse alternative. Stripping heroism from men doesn't free them from the oppression of "patriarchal" values, because it doesn't free them from the labour expected of them... It expresses an existential threat that reduces men to a mere joyless, unheroic, humiliating, utilitarian servility which, unsurprisingly, they're not terribly excited about.
Recognizing that we are speaking in generalities, life's greatest quest for many men is love. "Behind every great man is a great woman." An entire body of literature and social theory developed during the Middle Ages to give shape to this quest: the chivalric romance. The generalized male heroic journey becomes instantiated through love, devotion, and protecting and providing for a specific person. In Hinduism, it is expressed in how the male Trimurti - Brahma the creator, Vishnu the sustainer, and Shiva the destroyer - instantiate their power through their female companions, such as Shiva's consort Kali. She is regularly depicted as standing atop the prone figure of Shiva, reflecting unchanging universal reality and consciousness (Shiva) activated through matter and energy (Kali). At the very least, the love of a good woman gives the red-blooded heterosexual man something to quest for, with the reward of eventual acceptance, not only for the utilitarian role a man can play in general, but for his own intrinsic value as the specific person he is. Thus love becomes the antidote to male alienation by satisfying the deep human longing to be valued for one's own sake.
Elise McKenna confesses her love for Richard Collier.
Likewise, to be quested for provides a certain degree of satisfaction for many women. Somewhere in Time has a bit of something for everyone in this respect. Collier, the protagonist, is a success by any material measure, but as he heads off to the Grand Hotel we find out that his girlfriend just broke up with him. McKenna becomes his new quest, a most impossible quest to fulfill except that, through sheer force of will, he does accomplish it. Though he never explicitly tells McKenna where (or when) he is from, the viewer knows very well that dreamy Christopher Reeve broke the laws of physics to pursue her. Swoon! There is ample opportunity for self-projection by both main genders.
For All Time, on the other hand, fails at its task because there is no great adversity. A Stop at Willoughby presents adversity in spades, but without allowing Gart Williams to overcome his adversity, at least not directly, it turns to tragedy. Somewhere in Time also faces down adversity, and despite a certain tragic twist, still has true love win in the end. That victory makes Somewhere in Time a quite appealing fantasy. Collier's quest and McKenna's being quested for are wedded to the quaintly gallant formalities of an Edwardian setting for a lovely, indulgent little film.
Though Somewhere in Time may be indulgent of the fantasy, Rod Serling was more inclined to deconstruct nostalgia escapism and the refusal to adapt to the demands of modernity. A relatively recent take on it came from Woody Allen's Midnight in Paris (2011). The angst-ridden modern male, played by Owen Wilson, dreams of the bygone age of the Twenties in Paris during the Lost Generation. He dreams of escape, and dreams, and then it happens. This time around, the protagonist survives thanks to the realization he has about his desire to escape. There is also the comedy Austenland (2013), starring Jane Seymour again, which tackles many similar issues through the contrived fantasy of a terrible Jane Austen theme park. Every age looks back on ages past, seeking nostalgic escape from the challenges and alienation of its own modernity.
The trick is to allow the beautiful things of the past to inform rather than replace the present. The past, which cannot be regained through force of will or a pocketwatch or a passenger train, is meant to add beauty, depth, tradition, and definition to our lives in the here-and-now rather than make the here-and-now even more unsatisfying. That is the purpose of history. To lose sight of that is to court tragedy.
Presented by Cory Gross
Subjects: Contemporary Film, Gay Nineties, Television, The Twilight Zone, Time Travel
Quiggy said...
I have yet to see Somewhere in Time. I'm not much of a romance movie kind of guy. But I may yet check it out. I love all the Twilight Zone episodes that dealt with Time Travel, though. This was an interesting read.
Caftan Woman said...
A very interesting and insightful article that gave me much to remember, and to consider.
Silver Screenings said...
It's tempting to be nostalgic about the past because we feel it was a "simpler time". Was it, though? Not having all our modern conveniences, and having to haul water & chop wood, etc. doesn't seem that simple to me. History as guide and teacher, yes – I agree. Much to be learned from studying it, as they say.
I've never seen "The Twilight Zone" but I have read many rave reviews about it, and your observation of Modern Male Angst strikes a chord. I plan to start watching the series soon, and I'll keep that observation in mind.
Thank you for joining the blogathon with your insightful essay. You've given all of us much to think about.
Cory Gross said...
Thanks for the comments everyone!
"Was it, though?"
Better movies at least ;)
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Home College No. 10 Buffalo outlasts No. 7 Rutgers for a date with UConn
No. 10 Buffalo outlasts No. 7 Rutgers for a date with UConn
By Jim Clark -
Storrs, Conn. – Tenth-seeded Buffalo defeated seven-seed Rutgers, 82-71, in first-round Albany regional action Friday.
In a contest that saw 11 lead changes and seven ties, the Bulls finally wore down the scrappy Scarlet Knights in the final five minutes to prevail. The match up featured two athletic teams putting on a scoring clinic for most of a close game. Rutgers shot 45 percent and Buffalo, 48 percent through three quarters. The Scarlet Knights led by two at the half, 43-41, and by those same two points after three periods, 61-59. Until closing free throws opened the score, their largest lead was nine, and the largest Bulls lead was eight.
Buffalo made up for 23 turnovers by hitting 12-23 three’s, including one to end each of the first two quarters. The teams registered 39 combined points off the bench.
Rutgers stormed out of the locker room after the half, aggressively driving into the paint and drawing fouls, to take their largest lead of the contest. For those few minutes it looked as though Buffalo would be run out of the game. But the Bulls settled in, and an 8-0 run brought the score back to those two points.
It all fell apart for the Scarlet Knights in the final stanza. They shot just 33 percent, and began to force shots, missing most of them. After caring for the ball well – they had just five turnovers in the first half, while forcing 12 – they turned ball over seven times in the final period, including on four straight possessions.
Rutgers has for years featured the “55” defense, a full time full court press, and they did so for most of this game. After an early injury to guard Noga Pelc, however, they had just seven players available.
Buffalo coach Felisha Legette-Jack felt that conditioning was a difference her team had expected.
“We felt like we’re better conditioned, honestly,” she said. “We said, when you break the press just run.”
“I don’t care if it’s an airball, just run. By the fourth quarter, they are better at fourth quarter, so if we run them in the first three quarters, by the fourth quarter they may not have legs. I think it held true.”
Rutgers Acting Head Coach Tim Eatman said his team tired and lost their poise late in the game.
“We had a freshman point guard on the court who we felt has grown up a lot this year, but we couldn’t get a sub for her,” he said. “ at the end of the day, we had seven healthy bodies and we are trying to fight and claw.”
“I think we made some mistakes because we wanted it so bad. That calmness we needed in the moment we needed, we didn’t have it. . . . At the end of the day, not having enough bodies to do what we do and to do it the way we want to do it, I think it just bit us in the butt a bit.”
The Bulls tied the score for the last time at 69 with 4:55 remaining, then opened up a five-point lead, while their opponents just two points in the last five minutes and none in the final 3:33. Buffalo made 6-8 free throws to lead to the final score.
Summer Hemphill scored 23 points on 9-14 shooting and grabbed seven boards for the winners. Cierra Dillard, the nation’s second-leading scorer, added 20 points and six assists. Stasha Carey led the Scarlet Knights with 20 points and 11 boards.
Buffalo will play UConn 7 p.m. Sunday in the NCAA Tournament’s second round.
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MBA for Professionals program celebrates commencement
by University Communications, January 22, 2018
The university recognized the accomplishments of 59 graduates of the Salem and Portland cohorts of the MBA for Professionals program Saturday. Photo by Naomi Stukey
Sean O’Hollaren ’83, Senior Vice President, Government and Public Affairs at NIKE, Inc., delivers the commencement address. O’Hollaren is also the secretary of Willamette’s Board of Trustees. Photo by Naomi Stukey
The ceremony took place in Hudson Hall at Willamette University on Jan. 20. Photo by Naomi Stukey
Atkinson Graduate School of Management Dean Debra Ringold addresses the audience. Photo by Naomi Stukey
Members of the MBA for Professionals graduating class gather for commencement.
Willamette University President Steve Thorsett, Atkinson Graduate School of Management Dean Debra Ringold and Senior Vice President, Government and Public Affairs at NIKE, Inc., Sean O’Hollaren ’83 gather for a photo at the MBA for Professionals commencement. Photo by Naomi Stukey
The university recognized the accomplishments of 59 graduates of the Salem and Portland cohorts in a ceremony Saturday.
With encouragement from Sean O’Hollaren ’83 to go forth and disrupt, AGSM celebrated another commencement for candidates in our MBA for Professionals program. Fifty-nine graduates from both Salem and Portland cohorts were awarded their Master of Business Administration on Jan. 20 in Hudson Hall at Willamette University.
Twenty-one MBA candidates graduated with Atkinson Honors, which signifies a cumulative grade point average of 3.8 or higher in all course work. Of that group, 12 students received Beta Gamma Sigma honors, which is an international honor society recognizing outstanding academic achievement of students enrolled in business programs accredited by the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB International).
Commencement speaker and honorary Beta Gamma Sigma inductee O’Hollaren, senior vice president, government and public affairs at NIKE, Inc., used his prolific career in public and private sector to inspire graduates to use their accomplishment in service of others.
In the private sector, O’Hollaren was senior vice president, global government relations, for Honeywell International, and was the director of Washington affairs for tax and environment at the Union Pacific Corporation.
He has held several positions in government, including roles at the White House as deputy assistant to the president for legislative affairs, and as special assistant to the president. O’Hollaren was confirmed as assistant secretary of transportation and served during the creation of the Transportation Security Administration and briefly at the Department of Homeland Security. He was also legislative staff to former U.S. Senator Mark Hatfield (R-OR), before joining the Senate Appropriations Committee.
O’Hollaren earned his Bachelor of Science degree in Political Science and Psychology from Willamette University and completed the certificate program in Business Management at Georgetown University. O’Hollaren currently serves on the Oregon Transportation Commission, is a trustee at Willamette University and chairs the Board of Directors at the World Federation of the Sporting Goods Industry.
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Equatorial Guinea takes decisive step toward joining the EITI
Created: Friday, 22 February 2019 06:40
Equatorial Guinea has made a decisive step toward joining the Extractive Industry Transparency Initiative (EITI) in Oslo, Norway, receiving the endorsement of the EITI International Secretariat and establishing positive bilateral relations between the two parties
The endorsement follows a decade of efforts by Equatorial Guinea to join the initiative, which seeks to address important governance issues of transparency and accountability in the extractive sectors.
Implemented in 52 countries, the EITI serves as a global standard for the responsible governance of oil, gas and mineral resources, and seeks to strengthen major public and corporate governance issues of transparency and accountability by requiring the disclosure of information along the extractive industry value chain.
The support of the country and its efforts to join the EITI was extended in a meeting between the delegation of the EITI National Commission of Equatorial Guinea and the EITI International Secretariat.
Having initially applied for membership in the organisation in 2008, Equatorial Guinea has since instituted several reforms to take part in the global initiative.
“Membership of the EITI would represent a milestone for the country, and a critical step forward in its path toward greater transparency and improved governance and management of its extractive resources sector,” said Gabriel Mbaga Obiang Lima, minister of mines and hydrocarbons.
It continues to be my firm belief that our membership in the EITI will lead to a more attractive investment climate and an increase in foreign direct investment in the energy and non-energy sectors, added minister Obiang Lima.
In a meeting between a delegation from the EITI, National Commission of Equatorial Guinea and the EITI International Secretariat, the National Commission provided a letter of intent for its membership in the initiative, along with a detailed report on the status of Equatorial Guinea in its process of adhesion to the EITI standards, which outlined all of the improvements and efforts carried out by the country since its last attempt to join the organisation.
Equatorial Guinea, through the minister, reaffirmed the country’s commitment to joining the EITI and comply with the requirements of being a member. On behalf of the international secretariat, its Executive Director Mark Robinson expressed support of Equatorial Guinea and its efforts to become part of the EITI.
The National Commission also extended an invitation to the general secretariat of the EITI to participate in the upcoming meeting of ministers at APPO Cape VII Congress and Exhibition, to be held in Malabo in April.
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MASSACRES AND REPRISALS DURING THE GERMAN OCCUPATION OF YUGOSLAVIA
In the Hungarian occupied part of Yugoslavia, local partisans were conducting a low key guerrilla war against the occupiers. On January 23, 1942, seventeen Hungarian soldiers were gunned down near the town of Novi Sad.
The commander of the Hungarian troops, General Ferenc Teketehalmi-Czeydner, retaliated by unleashing his troops and Arrow Cross militia on the town. Rounding up 550 Jews and 292 Serbians, they forced them to march across the frozen river Danube at Novi Sad until their weight broke the ice plunging them into the icy waters where they all drowned or were shot by the Hungarian fascists. Over a six day period, another 2,467 Serbs and 700 Jews and anti-fascist Magyars were massacred. The General was later court-martialled but the charges were quashed by the head of state, Admiral Horthy. After the war, General Frenec was extradited to Yugoslavia where he was sentenced to death in the Vojvodina Supreme Court on October 31, 1946.
THE SERBIAN MASSACRES
On April 28, 1941, Units of the Croatian Ustashi Army, a militia created by the Croat Prime Minister, Ante Pavelic, surrounded the villages of Gudovac and Brezovica and killed 234 inhabitants who held Serbian nationality. They were told to go home to Serbia or convert to Roman Catholicism, refusal to do so ended in death. In the village of Blagaj, 520 men, women and children, were murdered in the most cruel way by being hit over the head. In the Koprivnica Forest near Livno, around 300 souls were subjected to the most unspeakable acts of brutality before being killed. Hands and legs were cut off, eyes gouged out, heads of small children were severed and thrown onto their mothers laps, breasts were severed and children's hands pulled through and tied together. In the Livno area alone, the Ustashi killed 1,243 Serbs including 370 children. In the Risova Greda Forest, over 800 Serbs were killed and their bodies hurled into ravines. On July 10 in the town of Glina, around 700 Serbs were gathered in the local Serbian Orthodux church, ostensibly for conversion to Catholicism. Locked inside the church, all were beaten with wooden mallets, clubs, rifle butts and stabbed with bayonets and knives before being left to die as the church was set on fire and burned to the ground.
The Ustashi commander, General Dragutin Rumler, filed a report stating that so far, around 10,000 Serbs, Jews and Gyspies had been killed to date. The German occupation forces at that time turned a blind eye to the slaughter, after all, the Ustashi were doing what the Nazi Gestapo and S.D. units had come here to do. By far the worst crime committed by the Ustashi was the murder of children from the Mount Kozara region. The Serb children were separated from their parents and taken to various interment camps set up by the Ustashi. In the camp at Sisak, 6,693 children were housed in filthy conditions and soon 1,600 died. At the camp at Jastrebarko, 3,336 children were housed in the same pitiful condition. Soon after their arrival the local cemetery caretaker had buried 768 boys and girls. In Plot 142 in the Mirogoj Cemetery in Zagreb lie the remains of 862 children who had died after being rescued by the Red Cross. Hundreds of families in Zagreb adopted 938 of these children without even knowing their names or identity. Fifty years after this tragedy, a final count was made. The crimes committed by the Ustashi troops in 1941 and 1942 took the lives of 11,176 children (6,302 boys and 4,874 girls) The average age of these children was 6.5 years.
This crime of Genocide, committed by the pro-German Catholic Croatians on the Orthodox Serbian population during World War Two is something the outside world knows little about. (On December 12, 1941, the Independent State of Croatia declared war on the United States following the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor)
Ante Pavelic, fugitive war criminal, escaped the slaughter of Bleiburg only to surface several years later in Argentina. After an attempt on his life in April, 1957, Pavelic moved lock, stock and barrel to the safety of fascist Spain. There, on December 28, 1959, he died from complications relating to injuries received during the assassination attempt.
VILLAGE MASSACRES
On March 27, 1944, troops of the 7th SS Prinz Eugen Division massacred 834 Serbian civilians and set fire to around 500 houses in the villages of Ruda, Cornji, Dorfer Otok and Dalnji in Dalmatia. The troops were engaged in fighting the Yugoslavian communist guerrilla forces and the massacre was a collective punishment for those supporting the partisans. Earlier, in May 1943, the Prinz Eugen Division marched into Montenegro and occupied the Niksic district. In one village, 121 persons, mostly women, were brutally murdered. They included 29 children under 14 and 30 persons between the ages of 60 and 92. In 1943, the Prinz Eugen Division was made up mostly of ethnic Germans from Serbia and Croatia. On July 28, 1944, the Division, supported by the Albanian 21st SS Skanderberg Division, made up mostly of Muslims from Kosovo and engaged in a systematic policy of ethnic cleansing against the Kosovo Serbian and Jewish populations, surrounded the village of Velika and in an orgy of looting and killing massacred 428 Serbs, looted and burned down 300 houses. In the village of Blagaj, 520 men, women and children killed in a most cruel way by being hit over the head. In the village school at Prebilovci the Ustashi removed infants from their cradles and dashed their heads against the school walls in front of their mothers. In the Livno area, the Ustashi murdered 1,243 Serbs, including 370 children during 1941. On October 9, 1941, some 2,000 communists and Jews were shot on the basis of Hitler's 100 to 1 order. This happened in a village near Topola after the killing of 22 men of the 2nd Battalion of the 421st Army Signal Communication Regiment. The shooting was carried out on the orders of General Franz Boehme, the German Commanding General in Serbia. After the war Boehme committed suicide while awaiting trial.
In 1940, approximately 700,000 ethnic Germans were living in Yugoslavia and Romania. Many thousands of their menfolk were recruited into the Waffen SS after Germany invaded the country on April 6, 1941.
THE HELL OF JASENOVAC
After the Axis invasion of Yugoslavia in 1941, the Nazis created the pro-German Independent State of Croatia. Ruled by the Croatian Security Police the 'Ustasha' they commenced on a policy of racial genocide against all Serb, Jewish and Gypsy nationals living within its borders. The Jasenovac extermination camp, with its sub-camps, was set up by the Ustasha and became the third largest camp in Europe and undoubtedly the most bloodiest. Established on the banks of the Sava River 100 kilometres south of Zagreb, it occupied an area of one and a half square kilometres and included the women's camp at Stara Gradiska. It soon became a slaughterhouse and the horrible crimes perpetrated by the Ustasha in Jasenovac equalled, even surpassed, anything the Nazis ever did in Poland. It soon became known as the 'Auschwitz of the Balkans'. Its victims were mainly Serbs, Jews and Gypsies, all doomed to extinction simply because of their race. The barbarity and sadism of the Ustasha knew no bounds and even German officers such as Field Marshal Wilhelm List were shocked by the conduct of their 'allies'. Latest research gives the number of victims murdered at the Jasenovac camp alone at 85,000 as a minimum. The Simon Weisenthal Center estimates that around 600,000 Serbs fell victims to the Ustasha in the Independent State of Croatia. This was about a third of the pre-war Serbian population of Croatia. After the war, one of the commanders at Jasenovac during 1944, Dinko Sakic, was traced and arrested in 1998 in Argentina where he had lived for the past fifty years. At his trial, he received a sentence of twenty years imprisonment. He died on July 20, 2008, at age 86. Today, the Jasenovac Memorial lists the names of 69,842 victims.
Military and civilian deaths in Yugoslavia have been calculated at 1,027,000 during WWII.
THE MASSACRES AT KRAGUJEVAC AND KRALJEVO (October 20-21, 1941)
The town of Kragujevac in central Serbia was the scene of one of the most brutal reprisals during the German occupation of Yugoslavia. A directive from Hitler himself stated that for every German soldier killed by partisans one hundred civilians were to be executed. For every soldier wounded, fifty residents were to be executed. Two days previously ten German soldiers were killed and twenty wounded in an ambush by communist partisans.
Sumarice, in Kragujevac, was chosen as the massacre site because more hostages could be found here than elsewhere. In the villages of Meckovac, Grosnica, Milatovac and Marsic a total of 427 civilians were executed. In the two villages of Draginac and Loznica 2,950 hostages were massacred in retaliation for German losses in the fighting against partisans around Kraljevo. In the town of Kraljevo itself 1,736 hostages, including 19 women, were shot by units of the German Wehrmacht including the the 1,400 men of the 717th Infantry Division and the 749th and 737th Infantry Regiments. In the roundup of hostages in Kragujevac even high school students and their teachers were taken from the school to be shot. The 53 inmates of the town's jail were also murdered. Communists and their sympathizers were specifically targeted as were Jews and Gypsies. In Serbia, there was little, if any, anti-jewish feeling by Serbians towards their Jewish neighbours.Within a week, over 4,000 innocent civilians were slaughtered in two of the largest massacres committed on Yugoslavian soil for what the German commander, General Franz Boehme, believed would give such a lasting impression on the partisans that they would willingly give up their struggle.
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Ayckbourn At 80
The SJT
Dick & Lottie
D&L Future Productions
Standing Room Only - 2019
Absurd Person Singular NYC
D&L Past Productions
Copyright/Privacy
Biography/Career
Film/TV/Radio
Standing Room Only: Exclusive Rehearsed Reading - July 4 2019
In 2019, Alan Ayckbourn celebrates both his 80th birthday and his 60th anniversary as a playwright. To mark the occasion, the playwright has given Dick & Lottie theatre company exclusive permission to present his play Standing Room Only for one night only.
The evening will feature the first public performance of Standing Room Only since 1966 with a professional full-cast rehearsed reading. It will be presented by Dick & Lottie theatre company at The Square Chapel Theatre, Halifax, on Thursday 4 July. The play will be directed by Dick & Lottie's Artistic Director John Cotgrave with an introduction by the company's patron and Alan Ayckbourn's Archivist, Simon Murgatroyd.
This performance is taking place with special permission from the playwright himself and will not be repeated - this will be the only opportunity to see this early Ayckbourn play performed as the playwright does not intend for it to be presented again.
Standing Room Only is Alan Ayckbourn's fourth play, premiered at the Library Theatre, Scarborough, in 1961. Withdrawn since 1966, it is notable for a number of reasons not least it being the first play attributed to Alan Ayckbourn rather than his early writing pseudonym. It was the first of his own plays he directed himself, the first of his plays to be optioned for both the West End and television and, arguably, the first of his plays where the playwright's own voice is beginning to emerge. It has never been performed since 1966 and the playwright has no intent to allow the play to be performed again following this rehearsed reading.
Dick & Lottie is the UK's only professional theatre company dedicated exclusively to performing the works of Alan Ayckbourn. 2019 marks the company's 15th anniversary, during which they have performed approximately half of the playwright's extensive canon. The company was recognised by the playwright when he allowed his Archivist (representing the official website) to become the company's patron. During 2019, Dick & Lottie is also presenting the Damsels In Distress trilogy and How The Other Half Loves.
Tickets got on sale from 5 March at The Square Chapel, Halifax, and further details will be added in the future.
Website: www.squarechapel.co.uk
All material © Haydonning Ltd, except where noted. Header portrait of Alan Ayckbourn © Andrew Higgins. Contact the website
We use cookies to collect and analyse information on site performance and usage to ensure the best experience on this website.
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Tag Archives: Jeanine Tesori
(reviewed at the Theatre Royal, Norwich on 10 June)
“Once upon a time…” usually leads to an ending along the lines of “…and they all lived happily ever after”. It’s the bits in between, of course, which make the real story – not its bookends. Shrek, as you probably know, started off as an illustrated children’s book in 1990, was turned into an animated film by DreamWorks in 2001; this is turn became the stage musical currently on a national tour.
Film into theatre doesn’t always work. The production values which tour director Nigel Harman has harnessed for the David Lindsay-Abaire and Jeanine Tesori piece are, to put it mildly, lavish. Tim Hatley’s sets, costumes, masks and puppet design are all splendid and the hard-working cast do them justice.
Dean Chisnall is the ogre who eventually does find his princess – but not by metamorphosing into a handsome prince. The audience is on his side right from the start. Faye Brookes as Fiona, slightly underpowered vocally, is a red-haired spitfire, the cantankerous side of feisty. Idriss Kargbo plays the street-wise, know-all Donkey, Sancho Panza to Shrek’s Don Quixote.
The villain of the story is Lord Farquaad, cleverly played on his knees with puppet legs and much cloak-swirling by Gerard Casey. The Dragon, manipulated by four bunraku-style handlers, is a triumph while Josh Prince’s choreography takes full advantage of the padded, glittering and gleaming nature of the dancers’ costumes.
Children of all ages who have grown up with the book and the film will love it. I rather suspect that their seniors will also enjoy it.
Shrek runs as the Theatre Royal, Norwich until 28 June.
Tagged as David Lindsay-Abaire, Dean Chisnall, Faye Brookes, Gerard Carey, Idriss Kargbo, Jeanine Tesori, Josh Prince, Nigel Harman, Norwich Theatre Royal, Shrek, Theatre Royal Norwich, Tim Hatley
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argenx receives second preclinical milestone payment under its development agreement with AbbVie
Breda, the Netherlands/Ghent, Belgium – argenx (Euronext & Nasdaq: ARGX), a clinical-stage biotechnology company developing a deep pipeline of differentiated antibody-based therapies for the treatment of severe autoimmune diseases and cancer, today announced the achievement of the second of two preclinical milestones towards an investigational new drug (IND) filing for ARGX-115, triggering a further $ 10 million payment from AbbVie.
In April 2016, argenx entered into a development and exclusive license option agreement with AbbVie to develop and commercialize ARGX-115. Under the terms of that agreement, argenx has been responsible for conducting and funding all ARGX-115 research and development activities up to completion of IND-enabling studies.
Over the course of the past two years, argenx has been eligible to receive two preclinical milestones of $ 10 million each. The second milestone was achieved today.
About ARGX-115
ARGX-115 employs argenx’s SIMPLE Antibody™ technology and binds specifically to the protein glycoprotein A repetitions predominant (GARP), which plays a key role in the regulation of production and release of active transforming growth factor beta (TGF-β). ARGX-115 is believed to selectively limit the immunosuppressive activity of activated regulatory T-cells (Tregs), thereby stimulating the immune system to attack cancer cells. While the normal function of Tregs is to suppress certain compartments of the immune system to prevent self-directed immune responses through the release of active TGF-β, Tregs can also prevent the immune system from recognizing and suppressing pathogenic cells including cancer cells. We believe the selective inhibition of TGF-β release by Tregs is potentially superior to systemic inhibition of TGF-β activity or depletion of Tregs and may give rise to therapeutic products with an improved safety profile.
ARGX-115 was discovered under argenx’s Innovative Access Program with the de Duve Institute / Université Catholique de Louvain / WELBIO and exclusively licensed under a research and option agreement in 2013.
About argenx
argenx is a clinical-stage biotechnology company developing a deep pipeline of differentiated antibody-based therapies for the treatment of severe autoimmune diseases and cancer. The company is focused on developing product candidates with the potential to be either first-in-class against novel targets or best-in-class against known, but complex, targets in order to treat diseases with a significant unmet medical need. argenx’ ability to execute on this focus is enabled by its suite of differentiated technologies. The SIMPLE Antibody™ Platform, based on the powerful llama immune system, allows argenx to exploit novel and complex targets, and the three antibody engineering technologies are designed to enable the expansion of the therapeutic index of the company’s product candidates.
www.argenx.com
Joke Comijn, Director Corporate Communications & Investor Relations (EU)
Beth DelGiacco, VP Investor Relations (US)
bdelgiacco@argenx.com
The contents of this announcement include statements that are, or may be deemed to be, “forward-looking statements.” These forward-looking statements can be identified by the use of forward-looking terminology, including the terms “believes,” “estimates,” “anticipates,” “expects,” “intends,” “may,” “will,” or “should,” and include statements argenx makes concerning the intended results of its strategy and argenx’s advancement of, and anticipated clinical development and regulatory milestones and plans. By their nature, forward-looking statements involve risks and uncertainties and readers are cautioned that any such forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance. argenx’s actual results may differ materially from those predicted by the forward-looking statements as a result of various important factors, including argenx’s expectations regarding its the inherent uncertainties associated with competitive developments, preclinical and clinical trial and product development activities and regulatory approval requirements; argenx’s reliance on collaborations with third parties; estimating the commercial potential of argenx’s product candidates; argenx’s ability to obtain and maintain protection of intellectual property for its technologies and drugs; argenx’s limited operating history; and argenx’s ability to obtain additional funding for operations and to complete the development and commercialization of its product candidates. A further list and description of these risks, uncertainties and other risks can be found in argenx’s U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) filings and reports, including in argenx’s most recent annual report on Form 20-F filed with the SEC as well as subsequent filings and reports filed by argenx with the SEC. Given these uncertainties, the reader is advised not to place any undue reliance on such forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements speak only as of the date of publication of this document. argenx undertakes no obligation to publicly update or revise the information in this press release, including any forward-looking statements, except as may be required by law.
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Related e
Train wreck at Montparnasse (October 22, 1895) by Studio Lévy and Sons.
The Velvet Underground (sometimes abbreviated as The Velvets or VU) was an American rock band first active from 1965 to 1973. Its best-known alumni are Lou Reed and John Cale.
Although never commercially successful during their time, The Velvet Underground have been regarded as one of the most important and influential groups of their era. A famous remark, often attributed to Brian Eno, is that, while only a few thousand people bought a Velvet Underground record upon their initial release, almost every single one of them was inspired to start a band. The group was one of the first to experiment with rock structures, and their often raw, sometimes difficult sound influenced many later punk, noise rock, and gothic rock performers.
The Velvet Underground & Nico (1967)
White Light/White Heat (1968)
The Velvet Underground (1969)
Loaded (1970)
Live at Max's Kansas City (recorded 1970, released 1972)
Squeeze (1973)
1969: The Velvet Underground Live (double album, recorded live 1969, released 1974)
VU (recorded 1969, released 1985)
Another View (recorded 1967-69, released 1986)
Unless indicated otherwise, the text in this article is either based on Wikipedia article "The Velvet Underground" or another language Wikipedia page thereof used under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License; or on original research by Jahsonic and friends. See Art and Popular Culture's copyright notice.
Retrieved from "http://www.artandpopularculture.com/The_Velvet_Underground"
This page was last modified 17:49, 9 May 2010.
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Melissa Dunphy (Sound Designer)
Melissa is an award-winning composer who specializes in political, vocal, and theatrical music. She first came to national attention when her large-scale work the Gonzales Cantata was featured in various press outlets including The Wall Street Journal and on MSNBC’s The Rachel Maddow Show, where Maddow described it as “honestly, probably the coolest thing you've ever seen on this show.” Other notable compositions include the song cycle Tesla's Pigeon, which won first place in the NATS Art Song Composition Award, and the choral work What do you think I fought for at Omaha Beach? which won the Simon Carrington Chamber Singers Competition and has been performed around the country by ensembles such as Chanticleer and Cantus.
Dunphy has been composer-in-residence for the Immaculata Symphony Orchestra, Volti, and the St. Louis Chamber Chorus. She composes frequently for Philadelphia-area theaters including People’s Light, Philadelphia Shakespeare Theatre, and Gas and Electric Arts, and is the Director of Music Composition for the National Puppetry Conference at the Eugene O’Neill Theater Center in Connecticut. Dunphy is also an accomplished performer, appearing most recently as Puck in Philadelphia Shakespeare Theatre's A Midsummer Night's Dream, as a vocalist and electric mandola player with Applied Mechanics’ The Bandits (supporting Nadia Tolokonnikova of Pussy Riot), and as solo amplified violist in the Opera Philadelphia/Bearded Ladies Cabaret co-production ANDY: A Popera. Dunphy has a Ph.D. in composition from the University of Pennsylvania and a B.M. from West Chester University. She and her husband Matt are currently developing a new performance venue, the Hannah Callowhill Stage, which they hope to open in 2019. More information at www.melissadunphy.com
Back to Mrs. Harrison →
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EN | BA
News Apr 06
NATO war against Serbia: an ongoing war
In an analysis, sources wrote that NATO troops still exist in the territory of Kosovo and Metohija, where they have built the largest military base in the Balkans, as well as all other parts of erstwhile Yugoslavia.
MKO terrorists relocated from Iraq to Albania
Iran, Serbia opt for broadening of Bilateral Ties
Bulgaria to pay Russia $446 million for canceled Belene nuclear project this year
The Czech ambassador in Syria: What happened in Syria over the past five years has nothing to do with revolution
According to the analysis, after Yugoslavia’s (Serbia) President Slobodan Milosevic refused to accept the so-called Rambouillet Agreement, which in reality was NATO ultimatum that demanded from Serbia and Montenegro to allow NATO troops to occupy the province of Kosovo as well as that NATO can build bases in Serbia, and that all NATO personnel have diplomatic immunity, which means that they could not be held criminally responsible in Serbia and Montenegro, NATO aggression was launched without any authorization from the United Nations. The intervention was called humanitarian under the pretext of stopping the persecution of Albanians.
In media presentations by CNN and the BBC, the Serbs were the modern Nazis and Albanians the Jews. After they successfully presented the Serbs as the bad guys, NATO had a free hand to open aggression and excessive force. Western claims about tens of thousands of killed Albanians later turned out to be completely false. The real death toll in Kosovo before NATO aggression was revealed after the war and it was around 2,000 with the majority of the killings committed by the armed terrorist-separatist group, the Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA). The KLA, previously classified by Washington as a terrorist organization, was elevated in the run-up to the war as the sole legitimate representative of Kosovo’s Albanian population. The KLA, working in close collaboration with US sponsors, sought to create as much violence and death as possible in order to pave the way to Western intervention.
On March 24, twenty years ago, NATO, under the leadership of United States of America began a war against Serbia and Montenegro, which lasted for 78 days. Hospitals, factories and schools were destroyed, along with bridges, roads and military infrastructure.
Hundreds gathered in Belgrade, Serbia, on March 24 2019 to commemorate the victims of the attack by the North American Treaty Organization (NATO), on the 20th anniversary of the NATO invasion in Yugoslavia. The massive bombing led to the deaths of 2,500 civilians, the injury of 12,500 and billions of dollars in damage. Activists of the New Communist Party of Yugoslavia (NKPJ) and the League of Communist Youth of Yugoslavia (SKOJ) laid a wreath and paid tribute to all the victims in front of the “Eternal Fire” monument in Belgrade. Members of the government of Serbia, Chairman of the Presidency of Bosnia and Herzegovina Milorad Dodik, Petriarch Irinej, Serbian Army Chief of Staff Milan Mojsilovic, President of Republika Srpska Zeljka Cvijanovic, Ambassadors of Russia and China in Belgrade, Mr. Chepurin and Mr. Chen attended the memorial of the Day of Rememberance for Victims of NATO Aggression. Among those in attendance in the Serbian southern city, were also Prime Minister Ana Brnabic and President Aleksandar Vucic.
Addresing the gathering, Aleksandar Vucic said that the death of 2,500 civilians during the NATO aggression, and especially 79 children, will always be a crime. Vucic said that Serbia decided that does not want to be part of the NATO, noting that Serbia does not threaten anyone, but only protect itself.
Two decades later, the analysis said that despite its propaganda and corruption of the elite, NATO is still undesirable among the ordinary people. Montenegro became a member of NATO by political violence, against the will of the citizens. Serbia and Republika Srpska continue to resist.
Doctor: NATO turned Serbia into testing ground
Serbia poll: 30% see Russia as ally, 68% refuse joining of NATO
Professional armies, the means to control the Balkan people
Commission Finds NATO Bombs Continue to Kill Serbs 19 Years After 1999 Strikes
Montenegrin gambit: Djukanovic regime's verdict on a symbolic date
War-ravaged historic 'Pearl of Bosnia' Mosque reopens
Protesters toss firebombs at govt office Albania as opposition demands PM’s resignation
Announced Military Exercises in the Black Sea: A New Unnecessary Provocation or Escalation of Conflict?
CopyRight 2016-2017 All Right Reserverd
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Taliban commander killed in Afghanistan
#Afghanistan, #Taliban, #TalibanCommander
Kabul, June 8: Taliban commander Shah Maqsood has been killed in an explosion in Afghanistan's western Farah province, media reports said on Saturday.
Maqsood was also known as Dentist.
The Ministry of Interior (MoI) in a statement said Shah Maqsood and one was his accomplices were killed in an explosion triggered by a roadside bomb, reported Khaama Press.
The statement further added that the two men were planting a roadside bomb in Pashtun Kot district when the incident took place, reported the news agency further.
Shah Maqsood was reportedly in charge of a group of 30 terrorists in the Afghanistan province.
He was involved in various terrorist related activities in various parts of Farah province, Khaama Press said quoting the Ministry of Interior.
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Kentucky vs. Missouri
- Thursday, December 30 1999 -
Nokia Sugar Bowl Basketball Classic (at New Orleans, LA)
Kentucky - 70 (Head Coach: Orlando Smith) - [Unranked]
Tayshaun Prince 31 5 9 0 1 2 3 1 4 5 1 2 1 2 4 12
Desmond Allison 25 0 1 0 1 1 2 2 2 4 2 3 0 1 1 1
Jamaal Magloire 31 6 12 0 0 9 10 3 10 13 3 0 0 4 5 21
J. P. Blevins 31 4 6 2 3 3 3 0 2 2 2 3 1 0 0 13
Keith Bogans 30 6 11 0 2 0 1 2 4 6 1 1 1 0 2 12
Saul Smith 29 2 8 1 3 0 0 0 4 4 3 3 2 0 2 5
Todd Tackett 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0
Marvin Stone 7 0 1 0 0 2 2 1 3 4 2 0 0 1 0 2
Souleymane Camara 13 1 2 0 0 2 4 0 2 2 1 1 0 0 2 4
Totals 200 24 50 3 10 19 25 9 31 44 15 13 5 8 17 70
Missouri - 53 (Head Coach: Quin Snyder) - [Unranked]
Jeff Hafer 24 5 9 2 3 0 0 0 2 2 5 0 1 0 0 12
Tajudeen Soyoye 22 3 8 0 0 1 2 2 3 5 4 0 1 0 2 7
Clarence Gilbert 37 4 11 3 8 0 0 0 1 1 1 1 1 0 2 11
Keyon Dooling 36 4 15 2 7 9 14 1 1 2 1 2 3 0 2 19
Brian Grawer 29 0 5 0 4 0 0 0 1 1 0 2 1 0 1 0
Kenge Stevenson 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0
Josh Kroenke 7 1 3 0 2 0 0 0 2 2 0 0 0 0 0 2
Johnnie Parker 14 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 2 2 5 1 0 0 1 2
Justin Gage 25 0 6 0 2 0 0 2 4 6 3 0 0 0 1 0
Pat Schumacher 4 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0
Totals 200 18 58 7 26 10 16 5 16 26 21 6 7 0 9 53
Halftime Score: Kentucky 28, Missouri 25
Technical Fouls: None
Officials: Gerald Boudreaux, Curtis Shaw and Tom Lopes
Arena: New Orleans Arena
References: ESPN Sportszone, UK Media Guide and The Cats Pause Yearbook
Prior Game | Next Game
Alaska Anchorage 62 - 42 | Georgia Tech 80 - 71
Game Writeup - Written by and courtesy of Stephen John; Kentucky Sports Report, (All Rights Reserved)
Cats Rout Missouri
Senior center Jamaal Magloire scored a career high 21 points, pulled down 13 rebounds and added four more blocks to his all-time Kentucky shotblocking record as the Wildcats beat the Missouri Tigers in convincing fashion, 70-53. Kentucky improved its record to 8-4 including wins in its last four games. For Magloire, it was his 4th straight "double-double," a feat that has not been accomplished by a Kentucky player since Reggie Hanson did it in 1989.
Kentucky jumped out to a 10 point lead in the first half at the 8:30 mark. Magloire and Keith Bogans led the early scoring efforts from the Cats and the bigger Kentucky front line dominated the boards. But Missouri clawed their way back into the game behind sloppy Kentucky ball handling and the three point shooting of Missouri guard Clarence Gilbert. Missouri pulled to within 3 at 28-25 at the intermission.
Missouri opened the first half impressively and took the lead twice, the last lead coming at 34-33 at the 16:00 mark. But Kentucky's superior athleticism and big front line wore down the Tigers and Kentucky began to build its lead.
Tayshaun Prince hit a short shot to give Kentucky the lead for good at 35-34 at the 14:35 mark. Magloire and Stone both hit a pair of free throws and Bogans hit a jumper to complete an 8-0 run and give UK a 41-34 lead at the 12:45 mark. In an nine minute mark in the second half, Missouri went 0-13 from the floor. In that same period of time, UK outrebounded Missouri 19-9.
In the end, Missouri had no answer for Jamaal Magloire, who was simply too big and strong for the smallish Tiger front line. Missouri was playing without their best front line player, Kareem Rush. With 5:00 left in the game UK had built a 56-40 lead, Missouri was shooting 19% for the half and the game was essentially over.
Tayshaun Prince and Keith Bogans added 12 points for Kentucky. J.P. Blevins had an impressive night, scoring 13 points. Keyon Dooling led Missouri with 19 points. Jeff Hafer had 12 and Clarence Gilbert had 11.
Kentucky dominated the smaller Tigers on the backboards all night long and ended the game with a 44-26 rebounding advantage. If the rebounding was not enough, the Kentucky defense stifled Quin Snyder's team all night long. The Tigers shot only 31% from the floor for the night (26.9% from 3-point range). Although the outstanding Missouri guard trio did score 30 points, Dooling, Gilbert and Brawer were held to a combined 8-30 FG shooting. The thin Missouri bench provided almost no support. The entire Tigers bench scored only four points all night long.
Kentucky has only one more game before the SEC Conference schedule begins. They have a little break this weekend, then play Georgia Tech on Wednesday, January 5, at Freedom Hall in Louisiville.
For the Wildcats, it had to be a confidence-builder, beating a quality opponent away from Rupp Arena. The Wildcats have now won four in a row.
Jules Camara fights Missouri's Jeff Hafer (#24) and Justin Gage for the ball
Please send all additions/corrections to .
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Happy Bloody Valentine's Day!
For those of us who prefer to celebrate anti-Valentine's Day, one can't help but think of the original 1981 slasher film, My Bloody Valentine, and the indelible mark it left on this day (much like the films Halloween and Black Christmas did for their respective fêtes). Shot in Sydney Mines, Nova Scotia, My Bloody Valentine was controversial even before its release. The MPAA, those bastions of confusing censorship, was going to curse the film with an X-rating unless several scenes were cut--and the director complied.
But the movie faced even more controversy upon its release, since one of the investors was the Canadian government--via the Canadian Film Development Corporation (now known as Telefilm Canada). One reviewer at the time noted that the CFDC "has no business supporting such a gross, insulting enterprise" (yet they previously invested in David Cronenberg's Shivers, The Brood, and Scanners--and managed to make money on the first two).
The producers previously made Meatballs, and followed this film with Happy Birthday To Me--picking up on a trend that had them laughing all the way to the bank. My Bloody Valentine is a film worth checking out for fans of the slasher genre, just make sure you don't mistakenly watch the bloody awful remake from 2009, My Bloody Valentine 3D.
To close, in celebration of this special day, I've included some monstrous Valentine's Day cards for your enjoyment.
http://damsellover.tumblr.com/
http://classic-coffins.tumblr.com/
http://mitchoconnell.blogspot.ca/
Friday, February 14, 2014 No comments
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Task force focuses on sexual assault policies
Students voice hope that revisions to code of conduct include changes to sexual assault policies
By Sandra Yan
A group of students has formed a Sexual Assault Policy Task Force to gather information in preparation for the University’s Code of Student Conduct policy review next semester.
The task force aims to provide support to survivors and promote awareness about sexual assault on campus, said Kevin Carty ’15, a member of the group and former Herald opinions columnist.
Harpo Jaeger ’14 and Lena Barsky ’14 came up with the idea for the group last summer when they realized they both had friends who had been sexually assaulted on campus and who had negative experiences while going through the hearing process, Barsky said.
“We thought for a process that was supposed to be helping victims reclaim their lives and get some sort of justice, why aren’t we hearing anything good about this?” she said. “When we came back to school, we just wanted to get more information and find out what was going on.”
When the code of conduct last came up for review in 2009, the University made several changes, including switching oversight of hearings from a single individual to a panel of students, administrators and deans.
Those changes “were really positive, and so we figured we could even make … better and more effective changes this time,” Barsky said.
As part of the code of conduct review, the University will form a committee next semester that will be in charge of making official recommendations for policy changes to the administration, said Emma Hall ’16, another member of the task force.
The task force plans on meeting with the policy committee once it is formed and has been in discussions with Bita Shooshani, coordinator of sexual assault prevention and advocacy.
Several members of the task force are interested in applying to be student voices on the committee, Barsky said.
In the meantime, the task force is essentially “trying to provide a lot of education and information and research about this, so when the time comes, we can be making recommendations,” Barsky said. The group wants as many voices as possible to be heard, she added.
Carty is working on reaching out to a variety of student groups and collecting anonymous victim testimonies, which could potentially be used as a resource for the review committee, he said.
Some members are conducting research on Title IX, the federal guidelines designed to preserve gender equity in higher education, while others are meeting with the Department of Public Safety to see what DPS’ role in reporting assaults is, Barsky said.
Hall highlighted visibility as another goal for the group. “Honestly, every single person on this campus holds a stake in this issue because every single person on this campus is affected by it to some degree,” she said.
The group has reached out to administrators, including President Christina Paxson, who “specifically expressed this is an issue that’s important to her,” Hall said.
The group hopes “to make the process more illuminated for people,” she added.
One change the group hopes to see is improved training for individuals serving on hearing panels for sexual assault allegations, Barsky said. She cited a specific incident where a victim expressed that members of the panel essentially “slut-shamed” the victim and blamed the victim for the alleged perpetrator’s actions.
The group also seeks to make changes in the time frame for consequences for perpetrators. If the hearing and appeals processes are concluded toward the end of a semester, and the perpetrator is sentenced to a suspension for one semester, it is possible for the person to serve that suspension in the same semester — for an abbreviated period of time — and return the following semester, Hall said.
“Our culture in general is more supportive of protecting perpetrators than it is of protecting victims,” Shooshani said. “A lot of systems are not victim-centered.”
Shooshani sees her goal, as well as the task force’s goal, as listening to what victims want and what would be most important to them, she said.
“This time around, it’s about victim safety and making sure that victims on this campus still feel safe, whether or not they choose to report, and that they will have resources available,” Barsky said.
Though the group hopes to get a few of its members on the review committee, which will be decided in a few weeks, its leaders acknowledged that the process is ongoing and will continue beyond next semester.
“With any issue like this that’s so multifaceted, … you’re always going to be fighting,” Carty said.
“It’s so much more than a number, and it’s so personal,” said Hall. “If we could do our part to make these policies reflective of how much this issue affects individuals’ lives, then I’d say we’ve accomplished something.”
Ultimately, the group wants to make sure that “rape culture is not being codified into our student code of conduct,” Barsky said.
Under the surface: Sexual assault at Brown
Victims of sexual assault confront challenges of reporting
Sexual misconduct disciplinary process alienates accused
Victims navigate aftermath of sexual assault
Editorial: Greater action against sexual assault needed
My Proposed Brown University Sexual Assault Policy:
1. Call 911
2. Turn the case over to the US criminal justice system rather than a university justice system
Universities simply have too much at stake for themselves to ever handle the issue properly in my opinion.
The criminal justice system is badly broken, with only 3% of rapists ever seeing a day in jail, and survivors commonly being seen as at fault and feeling re-victimized by the process. I wouldn’t go through the criminal justice system if you paid me.
No where did I say the criminal justice system is good. I only said it’s better than a university justice system because the university has a conflict of interest.
info narga
And this is not just a logical argument. Brown Deans aid and abet rapists. It is as simple as that. Therefore, Harpo and Lena, I encourage you not to hold any punch. When and where you can use title IX against Brown University and its deans, do so. Encourage the victims to sue the deans personally. Treat the deans as the enemies, because they are.
One size fits none
If the victim doesn’t want the criminal justice system involved, your plan will be pretty useless.
You’re right, no one should be forced to use the criminal justice system, but I stand by my real point: the university should stay out of it. Would the university handle a homicide internally?
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Feras Bingursain: A champion for CapU international students
March 27, 2018 by Greta Kooy
Greta Kooy / campus life editor
When Feras Bingursain first moved to Canada in the spring of 2014, the plan was just to learn English and head back home to Saudi Arabia. Little did he know that a full-ride scholarship to Capilano University would not only allow him to pursue his education, but it would also show him his new second home.
Currently in the Business Administration program, Bingursain is working towards diplomas in both human resources and international business. On top of a full course load, he is also a member of the Capilano Students’ Union (CSU), serving as the international students’ liaison, and a volunteer mentor at the Center for International Experience (CIE).
“I want to go to a school where I can have a community and I can practice English in small classrooms, that’s why I chose Capilano,” he said. Although a fan of many aspects of the University, Bingursain also noticed that certain things were missing, like student dormitories that could support international students. This prompted him to begin advocating on campus.
First volunteering as a mentor and leader at the CIE, Bingursain helps prepare international students before and after their arrival in Canada. This includes things like which phone plans to look at, where in the city to look for apartments, how to sort out a Compass Card and so on. The eldest of five brothers and one sister, Bingursain is no rookie when it comes to being a patient and an understanding mentor.
“I try my best,” he said, humbly. “They’re in a new country, it’s cold, people are different, they’re nice, but they’re different, so I want to make sure that they’re welcome.”
Once settled into regular school life, he helps facilitate events that involve both new and international students. Last November, Bingursain worked on a Christmas dinner event with the CIE for international students. “Many international students have never experienced Christmas, at least not North American-style, and many of them are here without their families and want to get together with their friends,” he said. Over 100 students participated, and money from ticket sales were donated to the United Way.
“The reason I got involved with student life was first to create relationships, practice a new language and make a change in the things that I wanted for others,” said Bingursain. His work within the CIE eventually led him to work at the CSU when last year he had the opportunity to apply for the position of international students’ liaison. “I’m proud to say that I’m working side by side with great student leaders, a student Board of Directors, who have been accomplishing so many different goals,” he said.
This past year has been a learning experience, one that introduced Bingursain to even more student voices and experiences. Although his efforts were concentrated on the international student experience, he recognized a need for socializing new students beyond just one group on campus. “My message to international students is to please get involved,” he said, putting an emphasis on building long-lasting relationships.
Bingursain will not be returning as the CSU’s international students’ liaison next semester. He will, however, be continuing his work with the CIE, advocating for and working with both domestic and international CapU students.
Tags: community, CSU, feras bingursain, international student, liaison
Greta Kooy
Rami Alghamdi says:
I knew that you will make a difference and get something that no one have ever gotten before among all of our group.
I hope one day we will meet up again and celebrate our success in life.
Keep it up brother.
Wish you all the best.
CSU General Election Comes Close to Meeting Last Year’s High Turnout
Sunny Vibes at Rail Jam 2019
CSU’s Equity and Sustainability Fee Passes in 2019 Referendum
Gender Diversity Audit Reveals Issues Around Campus
CapU’s Student Affairs Office Introduces New Positive Space Program
CSU Queer Collective Hosts First Full Pride Month at CapU
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Dover Motorsports records 65.6% increase for 3rd Qtr. Dover Motorsports records 65.6% increase for 3rd Qtr.Dover Motorsports, Inc. (NYSE: DVD) today reported its results for the third quarter ended September 30, 2004. Earnings before income taxes for the quarter ended September 30, 2004 increased by $4,114,000 or 65.6% to $10,385,000 compared with $6,271,000 in the comparable quarter of the prior year. Improvements in all of the Company's NASCAR events, the favorable impact of certain previously discontinued events, as well as lower depreciation and net interest expense contributed to the increase in earnings before income taxes. Revenues increased by $195,000 to $38,402,000 for the quarter ended September 30, 2004 compared with $38,207,000 in the third quarter of 2003. The Company promoted a total of six major motorsports events in the third quarter of 2004 compared with eight events in the third quarter of 2003. Broadcast revenues, admissions and event-related revenues for comparable NASCAR events all increased over the same period of the prior year. The prior year third quarter revenues included a total of $4,456,000 from the Grand Prix of Denver and Gateway IRL events, which were not promoted in 2004.
Operating and marketing expenses were $20,687,000 in the third quarter of 2004 compared with $24,686,000 in the comparable quarter of 2003. The prior year amount included $5,991,000 related to the two events mentioned above. On a comparable basis, operating and marketing expenses were $1,992,000 higher than in the prior year's third quarter, primarily due to increased sanction fees and purses.
General and administrative expenses were $3,907,000 in the third quarter of 2004 compared with $3,521,000 for the same quarter last year. Savings from the elimination of overhead at Denver and St. Petersburg were more than offset by higher wages and fringe benefits, and legal, audit and consulting expenses related to compliance with Sarbanes-Oxley activities. Administrative expenses also included $267,000 for a judgment entered into against the Company in August related to a claim that arose during the construction of the Company's Nashville facility in 2000.
The Company has filed an appeal, but has recorded an expense for the amount of the claim, pending the outcome of the appeal. Depreciation and amortization were $283,000 lower in the third quarter of 2004, primarily due to a decrease in property and equipment resulting from the write-off of assets in December 2003 at Denver and St. Petersburg. Net interest expense was $23,000 lower in the third quarter of 2004 compared with the same quarter of the prior year. Lower average amounts outstanding on the Company's credit facility during the third quarter of 2004 was the principal reason for the decrease in interest expense. Higher short-term interest rates were virtually offset by narrower spreads during this period. Interest expense in the third quarter of 2004 also included $115,000 of pre-judgment interest related to the Nashville claim mentioned earlier.
Net earnings for the quarter ended September 30, 2004 were $4,136,000 or $0.10 per diluted share compared with $4,465,000 or $0.11 per diluted share for the same period last year. Net earnings and net earnings per share were negatively affected in the third quarter of 2004 by a 60.2% effective income tax rate compared with a 28.8% rate in the third quarter of 2003. The higher rate in 2004 was principally due to an increase in state income tax expense attributable to valuation allowances established on state net operating losses.
For the nine months ended September 30, 2004, revenues were $90,450,000 compared with $90,023,000 in the prior year, which included revenues of $7,404,000 from three events that were not promoted in 2004. The Company's financial position strengthened during the first nine months of 2004 as cash flow from operations was $17,644,000 compared with $14,665,000 for the first nine months of last year. At September 30, 2004, indebtedness was $46,288,000, down $15,989,000 from the $62,277,000 that was outstanding nine months earlier. Capital spending was $2,735,000 for the nine month period ended September 30, 2004 compared with $2,865,000 in the same period of the prior year. The installation of Steel and Foam Energy Reduction ("SAFER") walls at the Company's fixed facilities represented $854,000 of capital expenditures in 2004. The Company expects to spend an additional $1,500,000 to $2,000,000 on SAFER walls during the remainder of 2004.
Tamada takes final MotoGP pole of year Tamada takes final MotoGP pole of yearMakoto Tamada will start the final MotoGP race of the season from pole position at the Ricardo Tormo circuit on Sunday after clocking the fastest time in the final qualifying practice this afternoon. Watched from the stands by basketball legend Michael Jordan, Tamada held off the challenge of his team-mate Max Biaggi in an exciting climax to the session, with World Champion Valentino Rossi qualifying third fastest to join the Camel Honda pair on the front row.
““We used soft tires to make the fast time, that’s all I can say,” revealed Tamada, who has set pole position twice already this season. “It was a great lap and the pole came with it. We have done so much work adapting to the constant changes in the track conditions on these first two days. We still have a few details to sort out, but we have the warm-up tomorrow to do that. It’s the race where I really have to do well though.”
Local favorite Sete Gibernau was held up by a slower rider on his fastest lap and could only manage fourth place after setting provisional pole yesterday. The Spaniard is joined on the second row by Nicky Hayden, who was cheered on from pit-lane by his two brothers Tommy and Roger Lee, in fifth place and Troy Bayliss in sixth. Bayliss makes his final appearance for Ducati tomorrow after two years with the Italian factory in the MotoGP series.
John Hopkins signed a new contract with Suzuki yesterday evening and celebrated with the seventh fastest time, putting him at the front of the third row ahead of American compatriot Colin Edwards. Whilst Edwards makes his final appearance for Honda before switching to Yamaha tomorrow, the man he will replace at the Japanese factory, Carlos Checa, starts alongside him in ninth place.
Michael Shank announces 2005 driver lineup Michael Shank announces 2005 driver lineupMike Shank announced today that his team will campaign the Mears Motor Coach-liveried Pontiac-Riley with drivers Mike Borkowski and Paul Mears Jr. for the 2005 Rolex Sports Car Series season. “We are excited to be announcing that we will be competing the full 2005 season with Mike and Paul,” said Shank. “The Riley-Pontiac combination has shown itself to be a strong package this season, and we are looking forward to getting familiar with the Riley chassis and beginning to prepare for next season.” Michael Shank Racing made the transition from the sprint format of Toyota Atlantic competition into the endurance racing format of the Rolex Sports Car Series look easy this season, scoring a podium with drivers Burt Frisselle and Oswaldo Negri in just the teams second start in the category and going on to regularly compete in the top five. Having seen first-hand the effort and results that the MSR team has produced this season, the decision about which team to work with for 2005 was not a difficult one for Mears and Borkowski.
Papis lead Ganassi 1-2-3 Papis lead Ganassi 1-2-3For the sixth consecutive Grand American Rolex Sports Car Series race, Max Papis will start his No. 01 Lexus Riley from the pole position after leading a sweep of the top-three starting positions by CompUSA Chip Ganassi Racing in qualifying today for Sunday’s Lexus Grand American 400k at California Speedway (SPEED Channel, Live, 4 p.m. ET).
Papis set the Daytona Prototype track record with a best lap of 1:30.962 (111.607 mph), topping Terry Borcheller’s previous record of 1:32.314 (109.972 mph) from 2003. The Italian also extended the No. 01 team’s 2004 season pole record by taking the team’s 11th pole in 12 tries. Papis and co-driver Scott Pruett enter the race holding a three-point lead (327-324) over No. 10 SunTrust Racing Pontiac Riley car owner/driver Wayne Taylor.
“To be on pole for the 11th time in 12 races really is a testament to how hard this team has worked all year to stay on top,” Papis said. “Even more important though is to have all three CompUSA cars take the top three positions. That’s really something incredible. It also gives us a little breathing room for the start to have our teammates between us and our rivals. We know what a battle it is going to be out there for the race. It is going to be just so tough because so much is at stake for everyone and the No. 10 car as well as the No. 4 and the No. 2 cars are right there in the thick of things as well. This whole Rolex Series season has been so very competitive and I really feel like my joy of racing has grown even more. I just expect the race to be absolutely awesome for every driver out there, every team competing and every fan watching.”
Making his Rolex Sports Car Series debut this weekend, Indy Racing League IndyCar Series regular Darren Manning put the No. 8 CompUSA Chip Ganassi Racing Lexus Riley on the outside of the front row with a best lap of 1:31.820 (110.564 mph). Manning will share the No. 8 with his IndyCar teammate, 2003 IndyCar Series champion Scott Dixon, who was not at California Speedway today as he was competing in the final Crown Royal International Race of Champions (IROC) race of the season at Atlanta Motor Speedway.
“I spoke to the guys before I ran in the car, and I did a little bit of work over in Japan in similar cars to these and they’re good,” Manning said. “The good thing about them is they react in the right way. You make some changes and the car responds. I’m enjoying it, so I guess it’s what I wanted. I am looking forward to the race. There’s a lot of cars out there and a lot of speed difference in the cars. There’s a lot of overtaking and a lot of strategy with a long race. I like working with Scott. That’s going to be something new for us, the two drivers, so it’s going to be good.”
Completing the trifecta for CompUSA Chip Ganassi Racing was Jimmy Morales in the No. 02 Lexus Riley. The rookie starts his final race of the season from the inside of Row 2 on the strength of a qualifying lap at 1:32.160 (111.156 mph). Morales and co-driver Luis Diaz head into the race still looking for their first career Rolex Series victory, but Morales was pleased with his team’s performance in qualifying today.
Reader wants this new Champ Car Reader wants this new Champ CarUPDATE #2 Another reader writes, This car sounds like the perfect fit for Champ Car, I hope they give it some serious consideration. The only thing I haven't seen mentioned is whether or not this car has an onboard starter. Hopefully it does to eliminate all the stalled cars Champ Car encounters during their races. Any idea if it has one? Jerry Kara, Gravette, AR. Dear Jerry, Yes it does. Like I said, it's everything the next generation Champ Car needs to be. If Champ Car sticks to the current car, the world order of things in terms of performance after 2005 will be:
#1 Formula 1
#2 Formula Superfund
#3 Formula GP2
#4 Champ Car
At that point Champ Car may as well be Formula 3. It is important that Champ Car be positioned right behind F1 if it wants promoters and governments to pay the kind of sanction fees they want. Recall my earlier warnings, when Champ Car was being compared to F1 it was popular. Now it's not even on the same radar screen and it has lost the luster it once had. With this car it has the chance to begin those comparisons again because this car is faster than some of the current F1 cars and the F1 cars have soft tire-war rubber. Mark C. 10/30/04 Another writes, Dear AutoRacing1.com, I was at the Nurburgring to see the new Force 10 Superfund car run. In my opinion, it sounds like an F1 car, but with a lower, not so ear-piercing tone. Very exciting, but not as aggressive as an F1 car. Karl Wendlinger was driving slow on the damp, partly wet track. But this car is really fast, all the drivers driving it so far can tell you that. The design of the car makes it looking fast even if it's standing in the pit lane. Very aggressive design, especially the short rounded sidepods with the chimneys on top of the exhaust system are looking great, very much like F1. Seems like John Travis and Paul Cherry had a diecast of a F1 Ferrari on their desk while designing this at least optical masterpiece ;-) I heard here through the grapevine, that Rockingham (England) officials contacted Superfund officials. They want them to race on their track, in 2005, if possible. That could happen, as a regular addition to the calendar already published, but more probably as a race not counting for the championship. Guenter Reinhold [Editor's Note: From a safety standpoint, this car was designed to race on ovals and road courses, but it would not use a locked diff (spooler) like the Champ Car teams use on ovals. While nice to have, a spooler is not mandatory as long as everyone is barred from using one.] 10/30/04 A reader writes, Dear AutoRacing1.com, Just listened to the wave file of the new superfund car. AWESOME! I know that you have influence with Champ Car (i.e. your push-to-pass concept) and whatever you do please for the love of Champ Car, please persuade them to adopt this car specs. Use all your powers of persuasion. Especially if it costs less then the current Champ Car spec. Dude, this is a no brainer! Who designed this great car? Jose Cano, Oxnard, CA Dear Jose, This article we put together tells you more about the car and who designed and built it. Note the comparisons of this car vs. the current Champ Car. Some similarities, but some key differences. Mark C.
14-Race 2005 Schedule for Grand-Am 14-Race 2005 Schedule for Grand-AmAs the hotly-contested Rolex Sports Car Series wraps up its 2004 season in the Lexus Grand American Champions Weekend at California Speedway, Grand American Road Racing Association officials today announced a 14-race Rolex Series schedule for 2005. The 2005 calendar—which opens with the 43rd Annual Rolex 24 At Daytona on the weekend of February 3-6—will also feature a pair of venues new to the Rolex Sports Car Series. On the weekend of April 29-May 1, the series will make its first-ever visit to the picturesque Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca in Monterey, Calif. The 2005 season will conclude on the weekend of December 2-4 with the series’ first trip south of the border to Mexico City’s famed Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez.
While the Rolex 24 At Daytona kicks off the race schedule on February 3-6, the teams and drivers will actually reconvene at Daytona International Speedway nearly one month earlier for the annual “Daytona Test Days” on January 7-9. Specific information regarding television coverage of the 2005 Rolex Sports Car Series will be announced at a later date, although all 2005 events will once again air in the United States and Canada on SPEED Channel.
2005 ROLEX SPORTS CAR SERIES SCHEDULE
Date Location Race Length
January 7 Daytona International Speedway Test Days
February 3-6 Rolex 24 At Daytona 24 Hours
March 3-5 Homestead-Miami Speedway 250 Miles
April 1-3 California Speedway 400 Kilometers
April 29 – May 1 Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca 250 Miles
May 19-21 Le Circuit Mont-Tremblant 6 Hours
June 9-11 Watkins Glen International 6 Hours
June 29-30 Daytona International Speedway 250 Miles
July 29-31 Barber Motorsports Park 400 Kilometers
August 11-12 Watkins Glen International 200 Miles
August 26-27 Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course 400 Kilometers
September 8-10 Phoenix International Raceway 250 Miles
September 22-24 Watkins Glen International 250 Miles
October 7-9 Virginia International Raceway 400 Kilometers
December 2-4 Mexico City 400k-1000k
Bass Pro Shops signs multi-year deal with DEI Bass Pro Shops signs multi-year deal with DEIBass Pro Shops and Dale Earnhardt, Inc. have solidified their relationship even further with a multi-year agreement that will return the team’s No. 1 Chevrolet into full competition. Bass Pro Shops is currently the primary sponsor on the Chance 2 Motorsports No. 8 Chevrolet driven by Martin Truex, Jr. in the NASCAR Busch Series. The newest agreement maps out a plan for Bass Pro Shops and Truex, Jr. for the 2005, 2006 and 2007 seasons. Truex, Jr, who currently leads the NASCAR Busch Series standings, will have Bass Pro Shops as the primary sponsor in all 35 Busch races in 2005 for Chance 2 Motorsports. In addition to the Busch endeavors, Bass Pro Shops will sponsor Truex, Jr. in seven Nextel Cup Series races next year, as well. The schedule tentatively calls for both Daytona and Talladega races, Michigan, Indianapolis and Homestead. In addition, they will be an associate sponsor on the No. 8 and No. 15 Nextel Cup teams of DEI. For the seven Cup races in 2005, Truex, Jr. will drive the No. 1 Bass Pro Shops Chevrolet for DEI. In 2006, Bass Pro Shops will then move to the Nextel Cup Series with Truex, Jr. and the No. 1 Chevrolet to compete on a full-time basis. The announcement was made at Atlanta Motor Speedway with representatives of Dale Earnhardt, Inc., Chance 2 Motorsports and Bass Pro Shops on hand.
Burton to move to No. 31 Cingular Car Burton to move to No. 31 Cingular Car[Editor's Note: The key here is that there is no word of AOL renewing with RCR, meaning they are probably out of NASCAR and on to bigger and better things.] Jeff Burton will finish the season behind the wheel of Richard Childress Racing’s (RCR) #30 AOL Chevy and then move to its #31 Cingular Wireless team for the 2005 NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series season. Cingular Wireless has also extended its contract with RCR through 2007. The Atlanta-based telecommunications leader has sponsored the team since 2002. “I’m excited about driving for Cingular Wireless and continuing on with RCR,” Burton said. “In the short time I’ve driven for Richard, it’s already been proven that we can be successful. I’ve had a tremendous amount of fun and I am looking forward to greater things. It is my intention to get RCR and Cingular Wireless in position to contend for a championship. Cingular Wireless is a household name and it’s an honor to represent a company that has such a quality product and is so supportive of motorsports.” Burton will replace Robby Gordon in the #31 Chevrolet. It was announced earlier this week that Gordon and RCR were parting ways at the end of the season, with Gordon stepping up to the ranks of NASCAR Cup Series ownership in 2005. RCR will announce the remainder of its 2005 plans in upcoming weeks RCR Website
Siedler wins first round at Nurburgring Siedler wins first round at NurburgringIn an action-packed race Norbert Siedler of ADM Motorsport claimed his second consecutive victory of the SUPERFUND Euro 3000 Championship at the Nurburgring, Germany. Jonny Reid of John Village Automotive finished in second place with Draco Junior Team driver Nicky Pastorelli completing the podium in third place.
Siedler dominated the race from pole position despite intense pressure from Jonny Reid of John Village Automotive. Reid made a spectacular start overtaking team mate Alex Lloyd off the grid for second position. Pastorelli also rocketed off the start line to move up from seventh to third position going into the first corner.
Alex Lloyd’s hopes of winning his second race were shattered when he ran off the track on lap two to retire from the race. Five laps into the race, championship leader Fabrizio Del Monte made an unforced error to spin dramatically on track to move down to tenth.
The action intensified at the head of the field. Reid continued to pile the pressure on frontrunner Siedler, closing the gap as the laps went by. The Kiwi launched numerous attacks for the lead, battling wheel-to-wheel with Siedler going into lap 20.
Midway through the race, Pastorelli closed the gap on Reid putting pressure on the JVA driver from behind in attempt to gain the second spot on the podium. Reid held his line and Pastorelli was unable to find a passing opportunity before the checkered flag was waved.
The drama was also unfolding in mid-field as Lauda, Del Monte and newcomer Luca Filippi of Euronova battled it out for sixth place. On Lap 35, the young Italian overtook fellow countryman Del Monte before passing Lauda for sixth place. Allam Khodhair nearly put paid to Siedler’s championship campaign four laps before the end of the race. The ADM Motorsport driver spun on lap 38 and almost took out his team mate as he rejoined the track.
On the penultimate lap, Fabrizio Del Monte’s experience paid off as he overtook rookie driver Filippi to regain sixth place and secure one championship point. Nineteen year old Filippi span off the track and out of his first SUPERFUND Euro 3000 race. Siedler came home half a second ahead of Jonny Reid. Nicky Pastorelli of Draco Junior Team completing the podium in third while championship leader, Fabrizio Del Monte finished in six place.
Minardi to test 11 ride-buyers Minardi to test 11 ride-buyersThe current struggle by Formula 1's smaller teams to survive against the might of the big-money manufacturers has shown no sign of dampening Minardi's preparations for 2005, with the outfit planning a mammoth test next month that will feature 11 drivers, Autosport.com can reveal. The main interest at the test is likely to be Japanese F3 champion Ronnie Quintarelli, who will be getting his first test in F1 machinery, and Portugal's Tiago Monteiro who tested for Minardi last year and is looking to graduate from the Nissan World Series. Apart from Monteiro and Quintarelli, the test will also feature Australian duo Will Power and Will Davison, French GT driver Olivier Maximin, Asian F3 driver Enzo Pastor, Renault V6 champion Christian Montanari, Renault V6 drivers Giorgio Mondini and Damien Pasini, plus Euro F3 championship front-runner Robert Kubica.
GM CEO expects China sales to pick up GM CEO expects China sales to pick upThis Reuters article says, General Motors, the world's top auto maker, expects China's car market to recover from a recent slowdown by mid-2005, Chief Executive Rick Wagoner said on Saturday. He said China remained on track to become GM's second-largest market by end-2004, even as sales slow following a government crackdown on easy credit. "Generally they've been leveling out and our outlook is the market will continue to be relatively slow in its growth for the next six months or so," Wagoner told reporters during a visit to China's economic center of Shanghai. "But from everything we hear from the government, the plan will be growth will pick back up as we get into next year," he said. "Whether that's the first quarter or second quarter, we'll have to see." Sales in the world's fastest-growing major car market in 2003 began slowing after the second quarter as the government tried to cool an economy in danger of overheating. But they showed signs of life in September, rising 14 percent from August to 194,100 units, state media said......GM and rivals such as Volkswagen, Ford Motor Co and Toyota Motor Corp are spending more than $13 billion to triple capacity to some 6 million sedans annually by 2010. Among other ventures GM is pursuing in China, the U.S. firm signed an agreement with Shanghai Auto on Saturday to develop fuel cell vehicles, but did not say if they would be sold commercially. GM and its Chinese partners are investing $3 billion over the next three years to almost double annual capacity to 1.3 million vehicles. GM controls just under a tenth of China's market, versus Volkswagen's estimate of about a quarter. More....
Memo Gidley moves to Grand-Am with Ten Motorsports Memo Gidley moves to Grand-Am with Ten Motorsports The racing world is buzzing with enthusiasm and anticipation about the 2005 Grand American Rolex Sports Car Series season – but the Finlay Motorsports team is nothing short of electric. Finlay Motorsports is breaking the spectatorship barrier, providing racing enthusiasts a unique opportunity to be an intimate part of the action.
Ten Motorsports, owned and operated by Finlay Motorsports, is poised to challenge for the Daytona Prototype series title in their debut season in 2005. Ten's proven champions, providing youthful exuberance and veteran savvy, have set lofty goals for themselves. Co-drivers Michael McDowell, the Star Mazda series 2004 season champion, and wily Champ Car veteran Memo Gidley, by way of a partnership with the United States Air Force Reserve team, deliver skill and technique matched only by the excellence of their machine. An explosive Dinan prepared BMW V8 will power the Riley-built Daytona Prototype that is scheduled to begin testing in December and will debut in the Rolex 24 at Daytona in January. Cameron Motorsports Management will perform trackside operations for the Daytona Prototype.
With the introduction of the Ten team, Finlay is pioneering a concept called fractional motorsports membership. Individuals or corporations can become team members with full-benefits for a small fraction of the cost needed to fund a racing team, and no commitment to the overall management of the team. Pit access, team and driver meetings, and marketing rights are only a few of the benefits that members will receive. “We’re giving racing aficionados an opportunity to truly experience the thrill and excitement of being a member of an auto racing team, without the enormous cost and time commitment necessary to produce a winning team,” explained Rob Finlay, President of Finlay Motorsports.
19 year-old co- driver Michael McDowell knows he has been given a golden opportunity to display his fresh yet proven talent on the main stage: “Grand-Am Rolex series DP racing is potentially the best thing to ever happen to motorsports. Veteran racing fans and newcomers to the sport are embracing it like no other, as evidenced by the growth of the series over the past two seasons.”
"This is a monumental year for motorsports – In recent memory, no other series has generated such a huge amount of interest and expectation in its infancy, and we’re thrilled to be a part of it and allow others to enjoy it as well,” said team owner Rob Finlay.
The Finlay Motorsports headquarters are located in Charlotte, NC. Chief sponsor of the team is Commercial Defeasance, LLC, the industry leader in full-service loan defeasance. For further information about fractional ownership opportunities, contact Rob Finlay at (704) 731-6290.
Siedler takes 5th pole of year Siedler takes 5th pole of yearNorbert Siedler took his fifth pole position of the season in Qualifying for Round 9 of the SUPERFUND Euro 3000 Championship five tenths clear at the top of the timesheets. Starting the race this afternoon next to Siedler in second place on the front row of the grid is Alex Lloyd. John Village Automotive team mate Jonny Reid clocked up the third fastest time of the session.
On a wet and slippery track, Siedler posted his best flying lap in the last eight minutes of the session to knock Alex Lloyd from the top of the timesheets. The John Village Automotive driver battled with the greasy track conditions before putting in a strong flying lap on his last run. As the fog and rain threatened to roll in, Kiwi Jonny Reid clocked up a 1:40.243 in the dying minutes of the session to put him in third place seven tenths ahead of Austrian driver Mathias Lauda.
Championship front runners Nicky Pastorelli and Fabrizio Del Monte qualified further down the field. Draco Junior Team driver Pastorelli, currently lying in second place in the driver standings, qualified in seventh place while Championship leader, Del Monte will start from tenth position. Race 9 will start this afternoon at 14:15 with Race 10, the final race of the Championship, on Sunday at 15:15.
Lose the Whiners Lose the WhinersA reader writes, Dear AutoRacing1.com, What a bunch of whiners. All these people who want more, more, more. Champ Car was the greatest open wheel racing in the world; and has the people and potential to be so again. But it was raised from the almost dead only 8 months ago. The people trying to get it back to its grandeur ways, have put in MILLIONS of their own dollars, both running a team each (producing 7 drivers) and in rebuilding and supporting and promoting the series for 2004.
In the 8 months, they have resurrected the series, given it creditability, kept at least 1000 people who are directly involved in the sport, employed. They have negotiated with teams, tracks, sponsors, etc. etc. to establish a series for next year; they have come up with a great list of venues already for next season (and it's not finished yet). They have negotiated with the TV companies to get a very reasonable deal for the series next year.
They have achieved all this, and I am sure that there is a lot that I haven’t mentioned….things behind the scenes that Joe Public never sees or considers, but is just as important to put on this kind of show.
They have done ALL this, and all we hear is whiners….why don’t we have this,…..why don’t they do that…..blah, blah, blah. Well how about….Well done guys, there are thousands of us fans out here who really appreciate all your efforts, and look forward to Champ Car Racing in 2005 and beyond. I am not pretending that there are not issues and problems, but even Joe Public has these when he goes down the road to buy a pair of shoes. Every company has issues and problems, but they work to overcome them. Thank you everyone involved in the rebuilding and running of Champ Car Racing. I for one, really appreciate what you are doing. Stefan Dwornik
Not happy with Champ Car schedule Not happy with Champ Car scheduleA reader writes, Dear AutoRacing1.com, I'm puzzled by the new CCWS schedule. I love the "American Grand Prix" cars running here in my backyard of the United States, but I fully understand that if the series is going to rise like the Phoenix out of the ashes, that it has to become a worldwide power.
I was expecting to see Argentina, Brazil, Dubai or Europe included on the schedule next year to give the series some true international appeal. Instead, I see them add Edmonton. I'm sure it's a nice city, but other than filling a spot on the schedule, what does it do for the teams and the sponsors? It's not a Molson sponsored race and there's not even a Canadian sponsor involved in the series anymore without Players. If the series is going to take off, you have to have races in appealing markets all over the world - and excuse me for saying, Edmonton doesn't fit. Just what company around the world is saying "we really need to be in Edmonton"?
It's one thing if this series is going to go international, but if it's going to be a North American series, then it's absolutely ridiculous to race here in America only one time after mid-August and all they are doing at that race is being used to help traffic clear at a stinkin' pick-up truck race at midnight or 1 a.m. eastern assuming the races are finally going to go back to being live even if it is SPEED. I'd love to be able to go be a part of the CCWS Chase for the Vanderbilt Cup, but it's a long way to Seoul, Australia or South Korea. Keep up the great work. I especially enjoy Mark Cipolloni's fine articles. Richard G., Springfield, Ohio Dear Richard, The schedule released yesterday was preliminary. Expect to see 2 or 3 races added, some or all of which can be overseas. To Champ Car's credit, they are making sure any new venues will be successful for both them and the promoter. It makes no sense to go into a new market, especially an overseas market where the cost of the event is higher, and fail. There are a lot of factors that go into making an event successful, and part of that is being on TV in the local market ahead of when you actually go there. With Champ Car's anemic TV package this year, it's become invisible to a large percentage of the world. Next year will be different, so we hear. It will be important that Champ Car have a solid TV outlet in each new country they visit and the international TV deal(s) must be wrapped up first, and will be in two weeks. Mark C.
Gibernau takes provisional pole in Spain Gibernau takes provisional pole in SpainSete Gibernau marked his territory at the Ricardo Tormo circuit today with the provisional pole time for the Gran Premio Marlboro de la Comunitat Valenciana. Riding in front of his passionate home support, the Spaniard clocked a time of 1’33.531 in cool and windy conditions to stay clear of a late pole attack from Honda colleague Makoto Tamada by just 0.003 seconds.
Tamada’s effort dislodged Valentino Rossi from second place and knocked Troy Bayliss off the provisional front row just minutes after the Australian had occupied top spot. Fourth place would represent Bayliss’ best grid position of the season if he can repeat his performance in tomorrow’s final qualifying session, ahead of what will be his final MotoGP appearance for Ducati on Sunday.
Bayliss is joined on the provisional second row by his team-mate Loris Capirossi, who was sixth fastest behind the Honda of Max Biaggi. Colin Edwards, who is making his final appearance for Honda this weekend before switching to Yamaha, was seventh fastest and is joined on the third row by Suzuki rider John Hopkins and Shinya Nakano on the Kawasaki.
Alex Barros qualified tenth fastest on his second bike after a crash early in the session. There were no other fallers today although Kenny Roberts has pulled out after making a brief return to action this morning.
The former World Champion set the fastest time in the first free practice session after missing the previous four rounds recovering from a dislocated elbow but later claimed that he would not have the strength to last race distance on Sunday and has been replaced at Suzuki for the remainder of the weekend by Gregorio Lavilla.
The first 11 riders were separated by less than one-second, while all 25 riders have provisionally qualified for Sunday's race.
First qualifying:
1. Gibernau
2. Tamada
3. Rossi
4. Bayliss
5. Biaggi
6. Capirossi
7. Edwards
8. Hopkins
9. Nakano
10. Barros
11. Checa
12. Hofmann
13. Xaus
14. Hayden
15. Abe
16. McWilliams
17. Melandri
18. Lavilla
19. Aoki
20. Hodgson
21. Jacque
22. McCoy
23. Roberts
24. Ellison
25. Burns
Will they be back? Will they be back?This Monterey Herald article talks about the prospects of Laguna Seca being added to the 2005 schedule. Quite frankly, however, while we think Laguna Seca is a great track (as is Road America), unless the promoter can make some significant changes to attract more people to the event, we cannot possibly see how a Champ Car race there can be profitable. For its part, Champ Car and its sponsors must 1) do a lot more to promote and advertise their product, 2) Make sure teams hire drivers fans want to drive to see, 3) Have a decent TV package, 4) Come out with a new car in 2005 that excites the fans again. While the product is certainly the best open wheel series North America has to offer, against the NASCAR onslaught and for the global market Champ Car is going after, the current product needs a major refresh. We used the example of the new Superfund car as a starting point. Whether Champ Car contracts with Lola, or with Force 10 who designed and built the Superfund car you have seen on these pages, that is the sort of performance envelope Champ Car needs to be looking at. Are we beating a dead horse? Perhaps, but lack of fans at the traditional venues where the hardcore fans turn out, and low TV ratings point toward a serious problem of fan apathy, and while the car isn't everything, it certainly is an important component.
New TV deal in place, says Kalkhoven New TV deal in place, says KalkhovenThis AP article says, (excerpts) The Champ Car series will have a stronger lineup next season and a better television package both in the United States and overseas, vows co-owner Kevin Kalkhoven, who says there won't be any merger with the rival Indy Racing League.
Kalkhoven and other team owners Paul Gentilozzi and Gerald Forsythe bought CART after a protracted battle that included the IRL's attempts at grabbing the CART leftovers.
That left the new owners with little time to organize the 2004 season. And it showed. "I think like everything, we've had our strengths and weaknesses,'' he said. "The very fact that nobody is talking whether or not there is going to be a 2005 season is indicative of the fact that everything is comfortable, it's all settled down.''
But there was a downside. "We didn't do a great television package this year, national or international, but that was because we only picked up the company in January,'' he said. "You just can't do it in time, so if there is one weakness, that has been it. "For next year, we've had more time to negotiate, we'll be on a big network. And we'll have a better international package.''
He says the circuit next year will have 15 races -- "plus or minus one'' -- with one of those likely to be a stop in Seoul. That race was canceled this year due to environmental concerns in the South Korean capital.
Kalkhoven said the Seoul race next year likely will be the week before the Surfers Paradise event in Australia in October.
"We were disappointed this year,'' he said of the late cancellation. "We got involved in a political fight between the city and the government. But they're here today, they've paid their money so we anticipate we'll have a race. I would say with their money in the bank, it's pretty solid.''
While acknowledging there's still plenty of room for improvement, Kalkhoven said his circuit made some major strides this year and has built some momentum for next season.
On the IRL, Kalkhoven brushes off yet another question about a merger. "It doesn't even affect me,'' he says. "It's not what we are looking at. I'm not even going to look at the IRL. Our strategy is working well, so we're just focused on that.''
International Race of Champions – 2005 Schedule International Race of Champions – 2005 ScheduleOfficials of the Crown Royal International Race of Champions (IROC) series announced today that the legendary series, which matches 12 of the best drivers from different divisions of auto racing in equally prepared cars, will run a four-race schedule in 2005 with the champion earning a $1 million prize. For the 25th consecutive year, the Crown Royal IROC Series will run at the famed Daytona International Speedway. In 2005, the Series will open at Daytona on Friday, Feb. 18, 2005. For the second year in a row, the Series will return to Texas Motor Speedway, with the second event of the four-race series set for April 15, 2005. The short track of Richmond International Raceway will once again host the Crown Royal IROC Series, when the IROC cars are featured on Thursday, Sept. 8. The 2005 Crown Royal IROC finale will return to Atlanta Motor Speedway to award the $1 million top prize, with the 12-car field set to run Oct. 29, 2005. “The IROC season opener at Daytona during Speedweek is like a homecoming every year – it’ll be extra special going back next year and celebrating our 25th race at the Speedway,” said Jay Signore, president of the IROC Series. “We’ve really enjoyed this season with the new racetracks -- Texas, Richmond and Atlanta – and going back in 2005 gives us an opportunity to take what we learned the first time around and improve on it.” For the second consecutive year, the 2005 Crown Royal IROC Series champion will be awarded one $1 million with second through 12th paying $80,000, for a total purse of $1.9 million. SPEED Channel will televise the 2005 Crown Royal IROC Series. The broadcast schedule will be announced in early 2005.
Race One, Friday, Feb. 18, 2005 – Daytona International Speedway
Race Two, Friday, April 15, 2005 – Texas Motor Speedway
Race Three, Thursday, Sept. 8, 2005 – Richmond International Raceway
Race Four, Saturday, Oct. 29, 2005 – Atlanta Motor Speedway
Composite 2005 Race Schedule Composite 2005 Race ScheduleWe have compiled our 2005 composite race schedule that shows how Champ Car, F1, NASCAR, ALMS and the IRL stack up week to week. We have completed our detailed Champ Car schedule, and are working on a detail version for the other series. It's interesting to note that by the time Champ Car gets their schedule started, their archrival, the IRL, already has three races down, NASCAR seven, F1 three and ALMS one. And then after coming alive for Long Beach, Champ Car goes to sleep for six long weeks, and out of the news until Monterrey, Mexico on May 22nd. Obviously they still have a lot of holes to fill and need at least three more races for 2005 to do that.
Champ Car confirms 4-year Toronto extension Champ Car confirms 4-year Toronto extensionFollowing up on Thursday’s announcement during the unveiling of the 2005 Bridgestone Presents The Champ Car World Series Powered by Ford calendar, Champ Car today announced an agreement with Molson Sports & Entertainment for a four-year contract extension to host the popular Molson Indy Toronto. The extension ensures that there will be a Champ Car race in Toronto through the 2008 season.
“We are delighted to officially announce the race in Toronto,” said Champ Car Vice-President of Development and Planning Joe Chrnelich. “Toronto is obviously one of our top locations on the circuit and we greatly appreciate all of the support we get in Toronto from not only Molson, but the business community, the event organizers, and most of all, the multitudes of fans and supporters that Champ Car has not only in Toronto but throughout Canada.”
The Molson Indy Toronto will run for the 20th consecutive season in 2005 July 8-10, racing on the 1.755-mile temporary street course in Toronto’s Exhibition Place. The wildly-popular event has drawn at least 160,000 fans for each of the last 11 years and has seen more than three million fans come through the gates since the inaugural race in 1986.
“The 20th Anniversary of the Molson Indy will be a special event for race fans in Toronto - and all of Canada,” said Jo-Ann McArthur, president, Molson Sports & Entertainment. “We are excited to announce a four year extension for the Molson Indy. A strong partnership between Molson, Champ Car, city officials and community business leaders in this great city will help us continue to build upon this strong event for years to come.”
Martinsville NASCAR TV Rating Martinsville NASCAR TV RatingUPDATE Sunday's Nextel Cup Subway 500 on NBC drew a 10% increase against last year's 4.0/10 and was even with the same race in '02. Through the four Chase for the Cup races on NBC, the network is averaging a 4.7/10, up 4% from a 4.5/9 for the same four races in '03. 10/26/04 The overnight NBC TV rating for last weekend's Subway 400 at Martinsville was a 4.0/8 share, up from a 3.5/8 share in 2003 (up 14%), but down from a 4.4/11 share overnight in 2002. Last year's final rating was a 4.0/10 share.
Toronto gets 4-year extension with Molson and Champ Car Toronto gets 4-year extension with Molson and Champ CarMolson Sports & Entertainment has announced the status of its Molson Indy race events in Canada for 2005. Molson Sports & Entertainment has secured a four year extension for the Molson Indy Toronto, which will keep the tradition alive at the 1.755-mile street circuit at Exhibition Place through to 2008. The event will take place July 8, 9 and 10, 2005 marking a major milestone this year, when the Molson Indy will celebrate its 20th Anniversary, making it one of the longest-running events on the Champ Car World Series calendar, drawing over 3,040,890 spectators since 1986.
"The 20th Anniversary of the Molson Indy will be a special event for race fans in Toronto - and all of Canada," said Jo-Ann McArthur, president, Molson Sports & Entertainment. "We are excited to announce a four year extension for the Molson Indy. A strong partnership between Molson, Champ Car, city officials and community business leaders in this great city will help us continue to build upon this strong event for years to come."
In Montreal, 'Gentlemen Start Your Engines' will be heard August 26, 27 and 28, 2005 at the 2.709 mile permanent road coarse at the renowned Circuit Gilles-Villeneuve on Île Notre-Dame. The city of Montreal added the Molson Indy to their summer calendar in 2002.
The Molson Indy events in Toronto and Montreal are two of the most anticipated annual spectator events in Canada - and two of the most popular races within the Champ Car World Series. Combined attendance for the two races in 2004 reached over 300,000 making a large economic impact in both cities.
Champ Car's 2005 schedule did not include the Molson Indy Vancouver event, as Molson, Champ Car and the BC business community are continuing negotiations at this time.
God will see us all through God will see us all throughThis Charlotte Observer article about the Hendrick Racing Memorial service summarizes the emotion of the event.
Wallace to drive #4 Wallace to drive #4Mike Wallace will drive the No. 4 Chevy at the upcoming Atlanta race.
Champ Car returns to Cleveland Champ Car returns to ClevelandThis Cleveland Plain Dealer article says, The Cleveland GP Champ Car race is scheduled for the weekend of June 26, one week earlier than its more common July 4 weekend date. The race will also return to its Sunday afternoon time slot from last year's Saturday running. "We think moving from the July 4 weekend will help us [with sponsorship and corporate entertainment]" said Rena Shanaman, general manager for the Grand Prix of Cleveland. "We were satisfied with the job we did last year, particularly on such short notice. But we still lost money. Our objective this year is to turn this into a profitable venture."
Shanaman noted that even with the short window to publicize the race and draw race fans to the lakefront airport, the event was still the No. 1-rated televised race by Champ Car this season. "And that was tape-delayed, shown at 4 p.m. on July 4th [Sunday], and it was still No. 1," she said.
With an anticipated network TV deal in the works and document figures that show more than 50 percent of the race crowd came from outside Northeast Ohio, Shanaman is hoping to get the Cleveland race back on national television.
"Unlike the extremely short timelines we faced in 2004, we are pleased to have many more months to market the 2005 race, attract new sponsors and educate local businesses about how they can benefit by participating in our event," Shanaman said.
Formula Superfund presents the SF01 Formula Superfund presents the SF01The Formula Superfund 2005 Championship chassis the SF01 was presented today to international media and teams and drivers from all Formulas at the Nürburgring circuit in Germany.
Representing the championship at the press conference was Martin Schneider, Head of Motorsport development for Superfund, John Travis, SF01 Designer and Paul Cherry of Force 10 Technology, and Karl Wedlinger, the Formula Superfund Development Driver.
Schneider confirmed the three objectives of the championship to be powerful cars for the drivers, reasonable budgets for the teams and exciting close racing and good entertainment for the fans. He also said that the Formula Superfund grid would consist of twenty cars and drivers of 15 different nationalities.
Cherry stated that the SF01 fulfilled a brief to be safe, light, fast, easy to use, hard-wearing and with no gizmos. He also announced that production had already started on the first wave of ten cars which would be delivered mid- to end February 2005 and the second wave of ten would be ready in mid-March.
Wedlinger discussed the testing program which has seen six drivers behind the wheel and has taken place at Magny Cours, Brno and the Nürburgring. Karl said he was particularly impressed with the SF01’s power, downforce and grip and that the car had worked well mechanically from the first shakedown.
As the fog at the circuit lifted Karl Wedlinger was able to drive the car for the first official roll-out after the press conference. The car completed an installation lap and three demonstration laps on the damp circuit.
Martin Schneider, Head of Motorsport Development:
“We are happy that with the Formula Superfund car we have created a package for the teams that is low-cost, easy-maintenance and high durability. The teams told us these are their priorities and so we have made that our brief. For the drivers and the spectators the car has incredible power and the high level of downforce will allow for close and exciting racing. The response from the teams has been positive and immediate so we wanted to present the car to the teams and drivers who hadn’t yet seen it as soon as possible so they had a fair chance to sign up.”
New Superfund Euro 3000 car spied New Superfund Euro 3000 car spiedRed Bull team boss Christian Horner has confirmed he will continue to rotate his drivers this season and that could spell bad news for David Coulthard. Red Bull test driver and Formula 3000 Champion Vitantonio Liuzzi will be swapping places with regular driver Christian Klien throughout the season, with the first switch having taken place at this past weekend’s San Marino GP. Horner plans to reverse that swap after race six, the Monaco GP, in late May as he continues working on grooming two stars of the future.
"We are not afraid to use the Chelsea-style rotation system but the driver line-up is fixed for the next three races,” he said. “This is a building year for Red Bull." But if both Klien and Liuzzi excel, Coulthard could find he has no place at Red Bull in 2006.
The Scot claims Red Bull owner Dietrich Mateschitz was "misquoted" when he was reported earlier in the season to have revealed that Klien and Liuzzi will be Red Bull’s two race drivers next year. However, Coulthard, whose points-scoring run came to an end on Sunday at Imola, does admit that his future is unclear. "The truth is that I don't have a contract for next year," the 34-year-old said. "That was my choice when I signed up, because there was no better options at the time. At the right time we will talk about the future and if we come to an agreement we will make an announcement." Planet F1
Lloyd on pole for Nurburgring Lloyd on pole for NurburgringQualifying for Round 10 of the SUPERFUND Euro 3000 Championship took place today ahead of the race on Sunday. Alex Lloyd took his third pole of the season. In second place and starting the race tomorrow next to Lloyd on the front row of the grid is Norbert Siedler of ADM Motorsport. Nicky Pastorelli clocked up the third fastest time of the session. In changeable conditions, Lloyd set the fastest time in the first Free Practice session of the morning on a damp track ahead of Nicky Pastorelli and Mathias Lauda. The second session was lead by Fausto Ippoliti who finished less than a tenth ahead of Alex Lloyd before the session was stopped due to foggy weather. The fog lifted in time for Qualifying at 13:40. As the drivers adapted to the changing conditions, the deciding action took place in the final five minutes. Lloyd of John Village Automotive put in a strong flying lap on his second set of new tires to post the fastest lap of the day with a 1:21.023. Norbert Siedler set was one of the first drivers out on the second set of slick tires and clocked up a time that saw him in second place at the conclusion of the session. Nicky Pastorelli final flying lap was disqualified when he cut the chicane in the final moments of the session. His penultimate time of 1:21.470 puts him third on the grid for Sunday’s race. Championship leader, Fabrizio Del Monte will start in fourteenth position due to drive shaft failure. Qualifying for Round 9 will take place tomorrow at 09:30 prior to the race in the afternoon.
IRL TV ratings continued to plummet in 2004 IRL TV ratings continued to plummet in 2004UPDATE #2 The following presents final '04 Nielsen ratings for the IRL, including averages by network and race-by-race ratings. This year's individual race ratings are compared to the comparable '03 rating and the results paint a very bleak future for the IRL. We have seen this sort of decline every year. Just when we hope things might get better, they get worse. Data compiled by The Daily
NET '04 AVG. (NO. OF TELECASTS) '03 AVG. (NO. OF TELECASTS) % +/-
ABC 1.20 (10) 1.50 (10) -20.0%
ESPN 0.40 (4) 0.50 (4) -20.0%
ESPN2 0.20 (2) 0.30 (1) -33.3%
2004 RACE-BY-RACE RATINGS
DATE RACE '04 RATING (NET) '03 RATING (NET)
2/29 Toyota Indy 300 0.90 (ESPN) 1.80 (ABC)
3/21 Copper World Indy 200 0.90 (ABC) 0.90 (ABC)
4/16 Indy Japan 300 0.10 (ESPN2) 0.70 (ABC)
5/30 Indianapolis 500 4.10 (ABC) 4.60 (ABC)
6/12 Bombardier 500 0.40 (ESPN) 0.44 (ESPN)
6/26 SunTrust Indy Challenge 0.24 (ESPN2) 0.48 (ESPN)
7/4 Argent Mortgage Indy 200 1.20 (ABC) 1.30 (ABC)
7/17 Firestone Indy 200 0.50 (ESPN) 0.32 (ESPN2)
7/25 Menards A.J. Foyt Indy 225 0.80 (ABC) NA
8/1 Michigan Indy 400 0.80 (ABC) 1.00 (ABC)
8/15 Belterra Casino Indy 300 0.80 (ABC) 0.80 (ABC)
8/22 Honda Indy 225 0.50 (ABC) 0.70 (ABC)
8/29 Firestone Indy 225 0.90 (ABC) 0.55 (ESPN)
9/12 Delphi Indy 300 0.80 (ABC) 0.80 (ABC)
10/3 Toyota Indy 400 0.10 (ESPN) 0.60 (ABC)
10/17 Chevy 500 0.80 (ABC) 0.46 (ESPN)
10/28/04 It should be noted that if you factor out the Indy 500, the 1.2 average rating for the ABC races drops significantly below 1.0, i.e. infomercial territory. The IRL PR department would like us to believe the series is growing. Facts don't lie. 10/28/04 The end results are in for 2004 and by all accounts the IRL continues to head further into oblivion. For the umpteenth consecutive year the IRL's TV ratings are down, thereby delivering less value to their sponsors. The ratings ABC got for the Indy Racing League in 2004 are especially telling. ABC averaged a 1.2 rating, down 20 percent from a year ago (which was down from the year before that, etc.), with cable ratings for six races on ESPN or ESPN2 down by a slightly larger percentage. What's telling is that despite the weekly full page ads by Honda, Toyota, Firestone, and the IRL in national USA newspapers such as the USA Today, the TV ratings go lower each time. It must be frustrating for these companies to see their money wasted. We maintained in 1995 that the IRL was a flawed concept and the only thing it accomplished was to destroy the sport of Indy Car racing, a sport CART had built up to be bigger than NASCAR, and leave it in a complete shambles and NASCAR now a monopoly in the USA. This is the legacy of Tony George.
Newman/Haas teammates to battle for $100K Corona Cup Newman/Haas teammates to battle for $100K Corona CupThe Bridgestone Presents The Champ Car World Series Powered by Ford season finale in Mexico City will settle the championship battle between Newman/Haas Racing teammates Sebastien Bourdais (#2 McDonald’s Ford-Cosworth/Lola/Bridgestone) and Bruno Junqueira (#6 PacifiCare Ford-Cosworth/Lola/Bridgestone) on November 7, but unlike all great stories, this one will carry a six-figure subplot to go along with it.
Bourdais and Junqueira take their much-publicized title fight down to the wire in next week’s season finale at the Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez, but thanks to Forsythe Championship Racing team sponsor Corona, there is another $100,000 up for grabs in a battle that is also currently led by the Newman/Haas duo.
Corona, which is the primary sponsor of the #3 Corona Ford-Cosworth/Lola/Bridgestone Champ Car driven by Rodolfo Lavin, created the Corona Cup for the 2004 Champ Car World Series season, awarding a cash prize of $100,000 and a special trophy to the driver that scores the most total points in the two Champ Car races held in Mexico.
“As the proud brewers of Corona Extra beer and as the fourth largest beverage company in the world, we at the Modelo Brewery are proud to present the Corona Cup,” said Executive Vice-President of Grupo Modelo Rene Saraccho. “This trophy honors and recognizes the most talented race car driver in open wheel racing and embodies the same principles as our world famous Corona beer brand -- dominate the competition and have some fun along the way. Grupo Modelo is proud to have this opportunity to present this Corona Cup. On behalf of the Grupo Modelo team, we thank Champ Car and all the teams and drivers in the 2004season.”
The first event was held May 23 in Monterrey, Mexico and was won by Bourdais, who swept the maximum points available for the weekend, tallying 35 markers after leading both qualifying sessions, leading 43 laps and setting the race’s fastest lap. The Frenchman holds a seven-point lead over Junqueira in the Corona Cup competition, which is narrower than the 22-point lead Bourdais carried over Junqueira in the Champ Car standings heading into the year’s final race.
“First of all I would like to thank Corona for establishing this prize as it provides a great incentive for our Newman/Haas team in the season finale,” Bourdais said. “Winning the $100,000 prize would be a great thing for the McDonald’s crew and we will do everything we can to make that happen.”
Mexican favorite Mario Dominguez (#55 Herdez Ford-Cosworth/Lola/Bridgestone) is third in the Corona Cup standings with 26 points after a podium finish in Monterrey, while Patrick Carpentier (#7 Indeck Ford-Cosworth/Lola/Bridgestone), Alex Tagliani (#8 Johnson Controls Ford-Cosworth/Lola/Bridgestone) and Justin Wilson (#34 Mi-Jack Ford-Cosworth/Lola/Bridgestone) round out the top six. Defending Mexico City race winner Paul Tracy (#1 Indeck Ford-Cosworth/Lola/Bridgestone) is seventh in the Corona Cup standings after Monterrey.
The award will be given to the Corona Cup winner at the Champ Car World Series Awards Banquet, which will be held November 7 in Mexico City. Champ Car
More on Edmonton race More on Edmonton raceThis Edmonton Sun article talks more about the new Champ Car race in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. It notes, The Molson Indy event in Vancouver is off but there is a date, the weekend following the Edmonton race, where Vancouver allegedly has been "penciled in" according to sources in B.C.. The race which has drawn 60,000 a year is trying to sort out a few things, not the least of which is the acquisition of a new financial partner. They also need to find a solution to their other little problem - the Athletes Village for the 2010 Olympics is planned for the site where the race has been held. The Edmonton race keeps a Western Canadian stop on the schedule regardless of what happens in Vancouver, although one source from the West Coast suggests Molson is looking at some sort of secondary sponsorship of the Edmonton race instead of "Molson Indy" sponsorship in the other Canadian stops. Paul Tracy, the career leader among active drivers with 26 wins, is expected to be there for the launch press conference next month.
CENTRIX: Save that date! CENTRIX: Save that date!Save the date! The CENTRIX Financial Grand Prix of Denver will take place August 12 - 14, 2005. The league sanctioning body, Champ Car World Series, announced its 14-race 2005 schedule today, making it official that the Denver event will take place on the same popular mid-August weekend next year. The CENTRIX Financial Grand Prix of Denver will be staged as Round Nine of next year's Champ Car World Series.
The 2005 event will be the fourth running of the Denver Grand Prix and the second under the ownership and management of Centennial-based CENTRIX Financial. "This year CENTRIX made a significant commitment to evolving the Grand Prix into an urban festival and a truly world-class event for the city of Denver," said John Frew, vice president and general counsel for the Grand Prix. "We changed the weekend line-up to include a broader variety of racing and events and the public responded with record crowds. We intend to build on that success in 2005."
Due to CENTRIX's increasing involvement with motorsports, which includes NASCAR, the SCORE Baja 1000, and the Race of Champions there had been some changes and additions to the Grand Prix staff. John Frew, who formerly served as the Grand Prix's general manager, will serve as vice president and general counsel for the broader motorsports program in 2005. Jim Freudenberg will fill the roll of general manager for the Grand Prix of Denver, and will oversee much of the event's operational side going forward.
"John has been a great resource, and offers a unique historical perspective of the Denver Grand Prix because he has been involved since the beginning," Freudenberg said. "We have already begun working to solidify partnerships for the 2005 event. We look forward to renewing our existing partner relationships, as well as fielding inquiries from potential partners who want to come on board in 2005."
Anyone interested in partnership opportunities should contact Katie Kochenberger at (720) 873-5037.
The Grand Prix is in the process of upgrading its Website, www.gpdenver.com, so fans will be able to keep up with all of the latest developments in the coming months. There are many exciting innovations in the works. For example, the SCCA Speed World Challenge GT, enhanced action sports and Touring Series were recently added to next summer's schedule.
Ticket renewals for the 2005 CENTRIX Financial Grand Prix of Denver will be available December 1, 2004, with sales to the general public scheduled to begin by February 1, 2005. For more information call (303) 825-0300.
Vancouver is all about money Vancouver is all about moneyWhy was Vancouver not on the 2005 Champ Car schedule? Promoter Molson won't know for another two weeks if there is enough corporate support in Vancouver for the Molson Indy to return for a 16th season. Jo-Ann McArthur, president of Molson Sports and Entertainment, said many corporations are switching support to the 2010 Winter Olympic Games. "Molson is committed to continue to invest against the race but there's a gap and we need to find some more business partners," McArthur said in an interview from Toronto. Less than $2 million is needed from the local business community to keep the Vancouver race alive for this year. Canadian Press
Hendrick Memorial Service story Hendrick Memorial Service storyFriends and family of those lost in Sunday’s tragic plane crash gathered on Thursday to remember the four members of the Hendrick family killed when their plane slammed into a Virginia mountainside en route to Martinsville, Va. Hendrick Motorsports founder Rick Hendrick’s son Ricky, as well as Rick Hendrick’s brother John and John’s twin daughters Kimberly and Jennifer perished in the crash.
Ricky Hendrick’s sister Lynn Carlson remembered her brother as a passionate and giving person, who was never afraid to try new things. “Ricky focused on real stuff like his family, his friends, his goals and his dreams,” Carlson said. “ Instead of taking life too seriously, he chose to take love and giving seriously. He had a serving heart. “He was passionate about adventure and success and he had big fun at it. I believe that inspired people and drew people close to him. Those who knew Ricky best were just like Ricky, good people with good hearts who were kind and accepting of everyone.”
Also killed in Sunday’s crash were Hendrick Motorsports chief engine builder Randy Dorton; Hendrick Motorsports General Manager Jeff Turner; Scott Lathram, pilot for NASCAR Nextel Cup driver Tony Stewart; Joe Jackson, an executive with DuPont; and pilots Dick Tracy and Liz Morrison.
A memorial service for Dorton was held earlier in the day. Among those attending Thursday’s memorial service at the Church of God in Charlotte, NC were North Carolina Governor Mike Easley, Carolina Panthers owner Jerry Richardson and NASCAR CEO Brian France. Well over 4,000 people attended Thursday’s service, which was closed to the public. Hundreds of mourners showed up for a candlelight vigil held outside the Hendrick Motorsports race shop in Harrisburg, NC on Wednesday night. Pete McCole/AutoRacing1
Klien ready to step down to test role Klien ready to step down to test role“As long as there's a race seat available, I'll be chasing it,” Christian Klien told autosport.com. “But if everything is full you also have to look at the possibility of being third driver for a bigger team. A testing role in a top team is a good solution for a driver with my experience, so we will be looking at that too. For the moment I have nothing decided. We are talking to a couple of teams and waiting to see what happens with Jaguar Racing now. I think there will be a lot going on in the next couple of weeks.”
2005 Champ Car Schedule 2005 Champ Car ScheduleUPDATE #3 Here is the full transcript of the press conference with the exact quotes. Transcript 10/28/04 Other notes: Dick Eidswick said they hope to announce a title sponsor very soon. This is just a preliminary schedule and Dick Eidswick estimates 16 races for 2005 (when final schedule is released) and 18 by 2006. There is still a 50/50 chance Vancouver could be added in 2005. Spring Training will be at the end of February in the western part of the USA. Laguna Seca is still being discussed for September 11, 2005. Very likely there will be races in South America, but Europe won't happen until 2006. Looking at Southeast and northeast USA for 2006. It's unlikely we will see a race in China in 2005, but they very much want to have a race in China in 2006. They expect to finalize schedule in November. 2005 Preliminary Schedule 10/28/04 "The TV schedule will be announced in two weeks," stated Champ Car President Dick Eidswick. "We will have different TV partners in 2005," said Eidswick. 10/28/04 See article on home page. Champ Car President Dick Eidswick assures every more races will be added and to expect between 16 and 18 races. Joe Chrnelich added, "This is a starting line. There are a lot of variables when putting together a schedule. We must follow the process. There are ongoing negotiations with promoters. We expect additions to the schedule. We have to have a balanced agreement, for us and the promoter."
Meira renews with Rahal-Letterman Meira renews with Rahal-LettermanFor the first time in his IndyCar career, Brazilian Vitor Meira will start a season with a secure full-time ride. Rahal-Letterman racing has signed Meira for the whole 2005 season, a year in which the Brazilian hopes to obtain his first IRL win. "This will be the first time since I came to the States that I'll get to enjoy the holidays knowing what I'll be doing next year," he celebrated. Meira's consistency apparently made him a hot commodity in the IRL paddock, as he claims he was approached by Panther, Mo Nunn and Ganassi before re-upping with Rahal-Letterman. His rationale to remain teammates with Buddy Rice? Honda backing: "For sure, to be a member of the 'Honda family of drivers' is a huge asset. They are committed to keep winning in IndyCars for a long time. I could not be more optimistic for next season,'' said Meira. Cassio Cortes
Renault 2000 series cancels another race Renault 2000 series cancels another raceFrom reports we have received from numerous teams who report the series is in serious trouble, it appears the North American Renault 2000 series is in jeopardy of complete collapse. After canceling the Homestead races, now they have cancelled the Fontana races. - North American Formula Renault series managers of RaceTeam Promotions confirmed that the anticipated season finale event at California Speedway has been cancelled. “Management of RaceTeam Promotions regrets having to cancel the races scheduled for California Speedway due to insufficient confirmed entries received by the pre-registration deadline Friday, October 15th,” said RaceTeam Promotions President John Kolody. “The decision to replace the cancelled races has not been made, with various alternatives under consideration,” said Kolody. “The declaration of the 2004 Championship winners will be confirmed based on the outcome of the decision about the balance of the season.”
Toyota and Yokohama return for Toyota Atlantic Series Toyota and Yokohama return for Toyota Atlantic SeriesContinuing to build on one of the longest relationships in motorsports, Toyota Motor Sales USA will return as title sponsor for the Toyota Atlantic Championship Presented by Yokohama in 2005.
Toyota became the Atlantic series sponsor and exclusive engine supplier in 1989 and as the Toyota Atlantic Championship gears up for its 32nd season in 2005, Toyota returns as the driving force behind the top open-wheel development series in North America. In 2005, Toyota will begin its 17th season as title sponsor of the Atlantic series.
“There is a very strong bond and a great deal of heritage between Toyota and the Atlantic series,” said Les Unger, Toyota National Motorsports Manager. “The Toyota Atlantic Championship continues to produce outstanding open-wheel talent year in and year out and we’re already anticipating another exciting season in 2005.”
The Yokohama Tire Corporation will also return to the Atlantic series as presenting sponsor of the 12-race championship next season. Yokohama first signed on as a series sponsor in 1989 as well, forming a bond with Toyota that has given the Atlantic Championship a long-lasting, trusted partnership with two of the top companies not only in motorsports, but in the entire automotive industry.
"The Yokohama Tire Corporation is pleased to continue its relationship with the Toyota Atlantic Championship series and Toyota Motorsports,” said Art Michalik, Director of Marketing and Communications for Yokohama. “This series has been a great success for us and we look forward to being a part of the 2005 season."
As series sponsors, both Toyota and Yokohama will contribute to a substantial prize fund for 2005 Toyota Atlantic Championship competitors. Toyota will continue to provide the race-modified, four-cylinder, 1.6 liter, 16-valve, fuel-injected twin cam 4A-GE engines that will generate 240 horsepower for each Atlantic entry next season. Yokohama returns as the Official Tire supplier of the series, producing the ADVAN Racing Slicks that will equip each Atlantic machine in ’05.
Toyota Atlantic officials are finalizing details on the 2005 season schedule, but the 32nd season of Atlantic competition will get underway the weekend of April 8-10, 2005 with the crown jewel of the racing calendar – the annual Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach. All 12 Toyota Atlantic Championship Presented by Yokohama events that will be contested on a combination of road courses, street circuits and oval tracks will be broadcast on SPEED Channel. A full season schedule is expected to be released in within the next week or so.
“We’re delighted to welcome back both Toyota and Yokohama as we look forward to the 2005 season,” said Toyota Atlantic Managing Director Vicki O’Connor. “With such tremendous sponsorship support and the talented young drivers and hard-working teams that are putting together programs for next season, we’re looking forward to one of our best seasons ever on track in 2005.”
Jordan signs new supplier Jordan signs new supplierJordan has signed a supply agreement with ATI Technologies Inc. of Markham, Ontario, Canada. ATI is a world leader in the supply of graphics, video and multimedia solutions for desktop personal computers, mobile computing, DTV, cell phones, handhelds, consoles and workstation products. The utilization of ATI's FireGLTM workstation graphics cards supports Jordan Grand Prix's recent implementation of a Dassault Systems CATIA V5 design solution running on the latest generation of PC workstations under Microsoft Windows. Jordan's IT team carefully evaluated and tested a variety of competing products before selecting ATI's award winning FireGL workstation graphics hardware to install in 60 new CAD workstations being used in its design office.
Dr James Henderson, Head of IT at Jordan Grand Prix said "F1 racing is incredibly rich in information. At Jordan our challenge is to ensure that we use technology and computers to bring that richness into play to get more from tires, chassis and driver." He adds "In the relentless annual cycle of Formula 1, we cannot and will not be compromised on the two most important factors: performance and reliability. It is not difficult to make things go fast, whether a network or a CAD workstation. Its difficult to make them go fast reliably" He adds "The right choice of 3D workstation graphics accelerator is fundamental in this respect."
Jimmy Spencer fired Jimmy Spencer fired[Editor's Note: Could it be because Spencer was arrested by law enforcement officials?]Morgan McClure Motorsports announced today the release of driver Jimmy Spencer, effective immediately. He began driving for the team earlier this year at the Samsung Radio Shack 500 at Texas Motor Speedway. "Over the past several weeks there has been a steady and gradual improvement in the Morgan McClure racecar and Spencer has been an integral part of this drive for success. While his part has been greatly appreciated by everyone here at Morgan McClure Motorsports, it has been decided, by mutual agreement, that it would be beneficial to both the team and to Jimmy Spencer to release him so that he may pursue other driving opportunities within the NASCAR Nextel Cup Series," Larry McClure, team owner, stated. An announcement for his replacement in the #4 Chevrolet will be made before the BASS PRO SHOPS MBNA 500 race in Atlanta, Georgia this weekend. Morgan McClure Motorsports PR
More Edmonton News More Edmonton NewsThis Edmonton Sun article talks about the soon to be announced Champ Car race in Edmonton. Once upon a time, a long time ago, Edmonton was a major-league auto racing town. Edmonton International Speedway. The Can-Am. The Trans-Am. The Continental. Jackie Stewart. Bruce McLaren. Denis Hulme. Peter Revson. Jim Hall. George Follmer. Francois Cevert. Mark Donohue. Sterling Moss. Roger Penske. Paul Newman. Little Dickie Smothers. Those guys. Those were the days. And now it's back. Except now it's a party. Now it's an event. Now it's a spectacle. You've heard of the Molson Indy in Montreal, Toronto and Vancouver? Now there's a Molson Edmonton. OK. Whoa, on the Molson. A title sponsor has yet to be named. And nobody is sure if there's going to be a Vancouver Molson Indy in 2005. But what has been rumored for weeks has been made official. Paul Tracy and the Champ Car World Series circuit of Indy-style open-wheel auto racing is coming to the City Centre Airport July 15-17. Pulled out from under Calgary, an Edmonton Indy will be held here next year.
An official launch press conference will likely be held within the next month to name a title sponsor, reveal the names of financial backers beyond the name of Bruce Saville and many more key details of the race, which will have a budget of $13 million. Greg Macdonald, who leads the founding Edmonton organizing group which includes Tom Doerksen, Ernie Pesenko and Frank Calder, made the official announcement yesterday. At noon today the series dates, likely not including an in-limbo Molson Indy Vancouver, will be announced. The Edmonton deal is for three years with an option of another two according to Macdonald. The sanctioning fee is believed to be in the area of $2 million a year. The investors group consists of about a dozen who are having to put up, in shares of $250,000 a pop, a total of $5 million.
The City of Champions and Championships has had success after success in staging major international sports events, but doesn't have a long list of major annual sports events. And Calgary has been trying to rustle the Canadian Finals Rodeo again. "They like Edmonton," said Macdonald. "They know it's a city of festivals and they know about what happened here with the outdoor hockey game last year." Macdonald said this event could definitely be considered a legacy of the Heritage Classic outdoor NHL game at Commonwealth Stadium last year which drew 60,000 in -20 degrees C temperatures.
"Calgary was certainly the front-runner and favorite. Our group was working on a lesser race when we found out Calgary was going for the Champ Car event. We felt that would take our project out of play and decided to go for the big race. "It's a great venue. I think that had a lot to do with it. Hopefully, with next year being Alberta's centennial, we can get past the Edmonton-Calgary thing and make this a great celebration of Alberta. At the end of the day we hope Calgarians will love to be a part of the race up here." The airport venue will feature 45,000 temporary stadium-style seats. While three days of racing will be involved, the big event will last roughly an hour and a half on the Sunday. "We think we'll be in one of the top three venues in the circuit," says Macdonald.
"The difference between our race and any of the races on city streets or any of the other Canadian races is that you will be able to see 95% of the course at any given time. In so many cases, the streets are so narrow, passing is very difficult. We'll have a track 40 feet or wider," he said of the 1.96-kilometre circuit.[Editor's note: Another pathetically short course?] The series, which involves races in Canada, Mexico, Australia and the U.S.A., has struggled in recent years - which probably answers the question of why they've decided to add another Canadian race. The Canadian stops have generally been successful.
Kalkhoven: Won't consider merger with the IRL Kalkhoven: Won't consider merger with the IRLThis Canadian Press article has some interesting info regarding 2005 and beyond for Champ Car. Excerpts - The Champ Car series will have a stronger lineup next season and a better television package both in the United States and elsewhere, vows co-owner Kevin Kalkhoven, who says there won't be any merger with the rival Indy Racing League.
"There's no part of your body that is left untouched or unaffected by it," said Kalkhoven, who estimates he spends about 90 per cent of his time on his Champ Car ownership duties. "Today I'm not a PKV guy until the race starts - I've got to have somewhere to sit."
"I think like everything, we've had our strengths and weaknesses," he said. "The very fact that nobody is talking whether or not there is going to be a 2005 season is indicative of the fact that everything is comfortable, it's all settled down."
"We didn't do a great television package this year, national or international, but that was because we only picked up the company in January," he said. "You just can't do it in time, so if there is one weakness, that has been it.
"For next year, we've had more time to negotiate, we'll be on a big network. And we'll have a better international package." He says the circuit next year will have 15 races - "plus or minus one" - with one of those likely to be a stop in Seoul. That race was cancelled this year due to environmental concerns in the South Korean capital. Kalkhoven said the Seoul race next year likely will be the week before the Surfers Paradise event in Australia in October.
"We were disappointed this year," he said of the late cancellation. "We got involved in a political fight between the city and the government. But they're here today, they've paid their money so we anticipate we'll have a race. I would say with their money in the bank, it's pretty solid."
Another expected addition to the 2005 season is the San Jose Grand Prix, which will be headed up by Bob Singleton, the former general manager of the three Canadian Champ Car races in Toronto, Vancouver and Montreal.
While acknowledging there's still plenty of room for improvement, Kalkhoven said his circuit made some major strides this year and has built some momentum for next season. "I'm thrilled that we've got an Australian driver on the grid here (former Formula 2000 champion David Besnard at Surfers Paradise, who finished seventh) and I think there is every possibility we may have one on the series next year. That's important for this race. "It'll be good. The television package is done, and we'll be announcing it in the next few weeks."
On the IRL, Kalkhoven brushes off yet another question about a merger. "It doesn't even affect me," he says. "It's not what we are looking at. I'm not even going to look at the IRL. Our strategy is working well, so we're just focused on that."
Superfund Euro3000 series wraps up this weekend Superfund Euro3000 series wraps up this weekendThe final showdown of the 2004 SUPERFUND Euro 3000 Championship takes place in a spectacular double-header at the internationally-renowned Nürburgring circuit in Germany on 29th – 31st October. Both Rounds 9 and 10 have been combined to create one double race weekend as an action-packed conclusion to the season.
Set in the Eiffel Mountains 80 km south-west of Cologne, the Nürburgring circuit was originally a 22 km long track that was home to the German Formula 1 Grand Prix. In 1977 safety concerns lead to the revision of the track into a 5.148 km medium-fast circuit. This is the third year in a row that Nürburgring features on the SUPERFUND Euro 3000 calendar and in 2003 the race was won by Minardi F1 driver Gianmaria Bruni.
Going into the race weekend at the Nürburgring, 20 individual points are still up for grabs and the 2004 SUPERFUND Euro 3000 Championship battle is far from over. With a coveted Super License and the chance of a test drive in a Formula One car at stake, there’s everything to race for.
After winning the first three consecutive races of the season, Italian driver Fabrizio Del Monte heads the Championship standings with 44 points. Del Monte has been in the points consistently throughout the season, failing to score only once in Donington. Twelve points behind and determined to overcome the gap is Nicky Pastorelli. After his early retirement from the last round in Zolder, the Draco Junior Team driver remains on 32 points in second place.
Following closely behind with 27 Championship points is John Village Automotive driver, Jonny Reid. The young Kiwi secured an impressive maiden victory in Donington in heavy rainfall and went on to finish second in the next two races. Alongside him in fourth place on aggregate is Austrian Norbert Siedler. After three unconverted pole positions in a row, the ADM Motorsport Driver converted his fourth pole in Zolder into his first win of the season.
BAR's winning gearbox
GPWC 'is serious' - Faure
Webber eyes Melbourne win
Toyota power Jordan's future
US-based buyer for Cosworth
Toyota 'low point'
New quali 'better' - JT
Ferrari should 'do a Rossi'
F1 champ 'gets $22m a year'
Brit TV lose F1 sponsor
'Hakk is back' after all?
McLaren duo 'to explode' again
BAR and Johnnie Walker
Schu to help German team
'We're still friends'
'I just drive' - Kimi
'Thanks for Williams drive'
Sauber survival
Ville was 'error' - Renault
Toyota need downforce - Trulli
F1 to recoup aero loss
Miller eyes 2005 Trans-Am title Miller eyes 2005 Trans-Am titleMany aspiring racers are successful at the highest level of amateur racing, but reaching the top can sometimes spur the question: “Where do I go from here?” Johnny Miller found himself asking that very question eight years ago. He answered it by putting everything on the line and going for broke in the Motorock Trans-Am Series. The rest, as they say, is history. In 1996, Miller, who had just two Trans-Am starts to his credit, sat down with his wife, Julie, and their two children. They made a family decision, and it wasn’t one to be taken lightly. Miller sold their house, took the equity, bought a Rocketsports Chevrolet Camaro and started his own team. That year Miller made full-on assault on the Trans-Am Series.
“We’ve made a lot of sacrifices to do this,” said Miller. “We finished a lot of races and won Rookie of the Year. Miller hopes this year’s results will lead to a full-time assault on the championship in 2005.
“I have missed racing in the Trans-Am Series and enjoyed those two races—I hope to be back full time next year,” said Miller. “I liked working with Jim (Derhaag) and his crew. He has a solid operation and they are a great group of people. We can be quick with them. They did a great job getting back in the show this season, and it felt great to be back in the driver’s seat. "Eaton wanted to seize the opportunity to continue their support this season," added Miller. "We rely on our sponsors to race. Eaton has proven it is dedicated to this program. I'm glad the decision was made to return this season and we're looking forward to 2005."
Miller was also pleased to be back in a Corvette. The marque holds great mystique and history for Miller. “It's was great to again be back in a Corvette in the Trans-Am Series," said Miller. "I have competed in many different series, including Nextel Cup and Grand-Am, but the Trans-Am Series is where my heart is."
Wilson congratulates Allmendinger Wilson congratulates AllmendingerMi-Jack Conquest Racing pilot Justin Wilson was disappointed not to take the Roshfrans Rookie of the Year honors, but felt as though he’d lost out to a worthy competitor in A.J. Allmendinger. Wilson, who raced last season for the Minardi and Jaguar Formula One teams, has scored seven top ten finishes this season and still had a shot of winning the award entering the penultimate round last weekend in Surfers Paradise, Australia. Wilson and Allmendinger ran similar pit strategies during the race, but Wilson suffered when he was blocked by a lapped car at the last second heading into a corner midway through the race, and lost several positions in the process. Wilson fought back to move back up the order and finish in eighth, but Allmendinger was able to clinch the Roshfrans Rookie of the Year award with his sixth place result. Wilson and Allmendinger have got to know each other on and off the track this season, and have developed a mutual respect for each other in the car. In Wilson’s first visit to Portland International Raceway for round four of the Champ Car World Series, the two rookies staged a mammoth battle, dueling for position over the final sixty-two laps of the race, and finishing within just one second of each other. Wilson got the better of the fight to take fifth at the finish ahead of Allmendinger, who had plenty of experience in Portland, scoring a fourth place finish in 2003 in Atlantics after winning there in 2002 in Barber Dodge. “A.J. and I have had some great battles on the track this season, and he is certainly a talented driver,” said Wilson. “The Mi-Jack Conquest team had a great start to the season, but we lost a bit of momentum in the points chase with being knocked out of a couple of races in the middle of the season. RuSPORT and A.J. did a great job to stay out of trouble and get the points he needed.”
For his part, Allmendinger was excited to take the award, and was quick to point out that part of what made it special was the level of competition he faced for the award. “I’m very happy with Rookie of the Year, I mean with contenders like Justin Wilson it’s a pretty great thing to achieve,” said Allmendinger. Despite not taking the award, Wilson is enjoying his first season in Champ Car competition, and is hungry to score a strong result in the final round in Mexico City, Mexico in two weeks time. “As a driver, you want to be competing against the best you can, week in and week out, and that’s part of what makes racing in Champ Car so satisfying,” said Wilson. “I am looking forward to the Mexico City race to finish the season off on a high note.” The Mi-Jack Conquest Racing team will contest the final round of the Champ Car World Series powered by Ford on November 7th in Mexico City, Mexico.
SPEED renews with IROC series for two years SPEED renews with IROC series for two yearsSPEED Channel will air the Crown Royal International Race of Champions' final race of the season from Atlanta Motor Speedway this Saturday at 8 p.m. ET. NASCAR Nextel Cup Series driver Ryan Newman leads the points after the first three rounds, and with a total purse of $1.9 million on the line, all 12 drivers representing five different race series will fight to see the checkers first. The series champion will earn $1 million. "SPEED Channel loves IROC," said Rick Miner, SPEED's Sr. VP of Programming/Production and Executive Producer. "Where else can you get some of the world's best drivers together in equally prepared cars? We are thrilled to get the series signed up for another two years on SPEED." The final race will feature an inversion of the point standings for the starting lineup. The driver with the most points will start last and the driver having the least amount of points will start on the pole. The field of 12 starts two abreast, six rows. SPEED Channel's commentators Mike Joy, Larry McReynolds, and Jeff Hammond will call all the action from the booth with Matt Yocum and Bob Dillner covering the pits.
Scott Dixon one busy man Scott Dixon one busy manEven though the IRL IndyCar® Series season has ended, Scott Dixon remains a busy man. Like most IndyCar Series drivers, Dixon has taken advantage of the time off to travel, but unlike the other drivers, the 2003 IndyCar Series champion's schedule still includes appearances and races. "The IndyCar (Series) season may be over, but things haven't slowed down at all for us at Target Chip Ganassi Racing," Dixon said. "On Tuesday, I was in and out of New York City for an Esquire Magazine photo shoot for our sponsor TAG Heuer. On Wednesday, I travel to California for the Rolex Grand Am Hoosier Tire test that takes place all day Thursday on the road course at California Speedway in Fontana, Calif."
Dixon and his Target Chip Ganassi Racing teammate Darren Manning are scheduled to compete in a third Riley-Lexus Daytona Prototype for CompUSA Chip Ganassi Racing in the Grand American Road Racing Series season finale on Oct. 31. The IndyCar Series stars will be teammates to former Indianapolis 500 competitors Scott Pruett and Max Papis, who are among the top contenders for the Grand Am Series championship. But that's not the only racing Dixon will do this weekend.
He'll join fellow IndyCar Series drivers Scott Sharp and Helio Castroneves for the final race of the Crown Royal International Race of Champions at Atlanta Motor Speedway in Hampton, Ga., on Oct. 30. "On Friday morning, I have the first official practice session for the Lexus Grand American 400," Dixon said. "As soon as I get out of the car at the end of the session, I'll be heading directly to the airport to fly to Atlanta (for the IROC race). After the IROC race I'll jump back on a plane to California to take part in the Rolex Series finale."
Dixon had hoped to make a side trip to the IRL Championship Celebration in The Bahamas, but his schedule won't allow it. "This is such a busy week that unfortunately, I won't even have a chance to go to the cruise," he said. "I guess The Bahamas just wasn't in the cards this week, but being on a race track is where I prefer to be on any given day." IRL
Disney ship to host IRL love fest Disney ship to host IRL love festPlans and props, including a Team 7-Eleven show car, have been set in motion for the IRL Championship Celebration on Oct. 29 aboard the Disney Wonder cruise ship. IRL IndyCar Series champion Tony Kanaan and IRL Menards Infiniti Pro Series champion Thiago Medeiros and their teams will be honored, while several other awards also will be presented, including the Bombardier Rookie of the Year, Marketer of the Year and Promoter of the Year, among others. The IRL Championship Celebration will be broadcast at 4 p.m. (EST) Nov. 9 on ESPN2. [Editor's Note: The IRL will have a captive audience with their teams on this several day cruise (err, love fest) extolling the virtues of the IRL. The risk of course is possible rough seas making everyone aboard ill.]
Big cutbacks for Johnson Controls Big cutbacks for Johnson ControlsDespite a strong quarterly earnings performance, Johnson Controls Inc. [Champ Car Rocketsports sponsor] plans to trim jobs and take other steps to cut costs this quarter, company executives said Tuesday. The cuts for the nation's second-largest auto-interiors company will occur primarily in Europe, chief financial officer Stephen Roell said on a conference call discussing fiscal fourth-quarter earnings. "We are taking significant actions," Roell said without elaborating. Milwaukee-based Johnson Controls, which operates its automotive unit from Plymouth Township, and other auto suppliers are cutting jobs because of rising raw material costs and production cutbacks by automakers. In the last week, Delphi Corp., Lear Corp. and Superior Industries International Inc. announced job cuts or said they plan to trim jobs. Meanwhile, Johnson Controls said fiscal fourth-quarter profit rose 24 percent from rising sales to automakers of products such as seats, interiors and batteries. Net income increased to $273 million, or $1.41 a share, from $220 million, or $1.16 a share, in the year-earlier period, adjusted for a 2-for-1 stock split Jan. 5, the company said. Excluding a tax provision, profit was $1.32 a share, the company said. That matched the estimate of analysts surveyed by Thomson Financial. Sales rose 13 percent to $6.76 billion from $6 billion. The company said its fiscal-year sales increased for the 17th consecutive year and earnings increased for the 14th consecutive year. "JCI continues to stand out as a safe-haven stock in this environment of rising raw materials," Himanshu Patel, an analyst with JP Morgan Securities Inc. said in a written statement after the company released its earnings. Johnson Controls said sales are expected to slow in fiscal 2005 as costs for raw materials rise and revenue from building controls declines.
Rusty responds to comments on Martinsville and Talladega airports Rusty responds to comments on Martinsville and Talladega airports"My intentions certainly weren't to infuriate the folks running the local airports at Martinsville and at Talladega and I definitely didn't mean for it to sound as if I was putting any direct blame on anyone," Wallace said on Tuesday evening. "But when you have just found out that you lost some great friends in an accident like that and they stick a camera and microphone in your face, you certainly should understand the emotion I had building up inside when I made those comments. What I was attempting to do was point out that we have several airports where we fly in that desperately need upgrading." Tom Roberts PR
NASCAR fans to give up Confederate Flags NASCAR fans to give up Confederate FlagsThe National Association of Minority Race Fans says it will approach NASCAR fans at Atlanta Motor Speedway this weekend and ask them to exchange their Confederate flags for a new American flag, a NASCAR flag or a flag for selected drivers. "Since NASCAR won't take the flags down, NAMRF will do it for them," said Steve Parker, director of operations for the group that says it believes NASCAR tracks provide unsafe environments for women and minorities who are racing fans. NAMRF's statement also said it plans to hold another protest at the Atlanta track, anticipating more than 100 picketers. The group did stage a demonstration at Charlotte two weeks ago, but issued a statement Sunday saying its protest at Martinsville was canceled because of poor weather. In the statement announcing the flag exchange program, however, NAMRF now says it "first delayed its 50-member demonstration because of weather concerns, and then ultimately canceled it in light of the tragic news surrounding Hendrick Motorsports." NAMRF officials suggested that NASCAR institute a flag-exchange program as a "first step" toward such improvements, but says it has received no response. "NASCAR can ignore it if it wants, but the Confederate flag is a sign of hatred, not heritage," Parker said. "The first step in making NASCAR races more attractive is making those distasteful, disgusting flags disappear." ThatsRacin.com
Gordon to start own Nextel Cup team Gordon to start own Nextel Cup team“Driving for RCR has been an incredible honor and is an opportunity most drivers could only wish for,” Gordon said. “I’ve learned as much outside the car as I have in it with RCR, and Richard has taught me a great deal about the business of NASCAR. He’s a man of his word and someone I will always respect immensely. But I think everyone knows what my long-term goals are, both as a driver and a car owner, and now is the time for me to start my future as an owner at NASCAR’s highest level. If I can be half as successful as Richard has been, I’ll be very happy. We have been putting the pieces in place for our own team for most of the past year, and although we don’t have anything to announce yet for next season, we hope to make some announcements soon.”
Champ Car to announce 2005 schedule Champ Car to announce 2005 scheduleThe Champ Car World Series will announce the 2005 Bridgestone Presents The Champ Car World Series Powered by Ford schedule Thursday, October 28, 2004 at 1 p.m. Central Time at its headquarters in Indianapolis, Indiana.
Indy 500 tickets on sale to public Indy 500 tickets on sale to publicTickets are on sale to the general public for the 2005 Indianapolis 500 at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, as the renewal period for 2004 ticket holders is complete. All fans – newcomers to the event and previous attendees – can order tickets online at www.indianapolismotorspeedway.com, by calling the IMS ticket office at (317) 492-6700 or (800) 822-INDY outside the Indianapolis area, or at the ticket office at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Parking and camping information also can be obtained through the ticket office.
Renault to quit F1 Renault to quit F1Renault Formula One president Patrick Faure has told Eurosport that the team will quit F1 and join the rival Grand Prix World Championship from 2008. Citing what he deems "unacceptable" revenue sharing, he said Renault has passed a point of no return, and is determined to establish GPWC. "We have not reached an agreement with Bernie Ecclestone, and we are absolutely not ready to accept that there is not a better redistribution among the teams of the money generated by F1," Faure said. "We announced on Tuesday that we are working with ISE, a large affiliate of Dentsu and Publicis, to create a world championship that will take the place of Formula One from 2008, when the Concorde Accord expires." GPWC holdings consists of F1 giants Ferrari, BMW, Mercedes and Renault, with the manufacturers determined to secure a more favourable division of commercial rights with the sport's supremo Bernie Ecclestone. Faure blasted: "The only unacceptable thing is that 75 or 80% of Formula One profits stay with the 'Bernie system', and that the teams, who do all the work and create the spectacle, receive just 20 or 25%. I don't know any other sport that has that kind of statistic." When asked if the issue has passed a point of no return, Faure replied: "Definitely." Eurosport
Champ Car announces deal with Canary Fund Champ Car announces deal with Canary FundThe Champ Car World Series, LLC, is constantly looking for ways to break new ground not only as it pertains to auto racing but to a number of causes including health, education and the environment. Tuesday night, Champ Car announced that it has found another like-minded partner to join forces with in the San Jose, California-based Canary Fund.
Champ Car will enter an exciting new relationship with the Canary Fund in 2005, which will see the Canary Fund become the Official Social Cause Organization of the series. The Canary Fund, which was founded by Don Listwin, is dedicated to reducing the impact of cancer by helping to establish new tools to be used in early detection of the disease. The Canary Fund collaborates with some of the world’s leading cancer research centers including the Stanford University Cancer Research Center in nearby Palo Alto, California.
“This is another important step for everyone in our series and we believe that the Canary Fund is on the cusp of making major breakthroughs in the world of cancer detection,” said Champ Car World Series co-owner Kevin Kalkhoven. “We are very excited about doing anything we can to help further the causes undertaken by this very worthwhile organization.”
This was evident in the official launch event for the Canary Fund, which was attended by Champ Car drivers Jimmy Vasser, A.J. Allmendinger, Ryan Hunter-Reay and Oriol Servia along with three Champ Car race cars at the racing-themed private reception hosting many of the leading cancer research scientists.
The partnership will enhance the participation that Champ Car already has with the Hole in the Wall Camps, founded by Newman/Haas Racing co-owner Paul Newman. The Hole in the Wall Camps are the Official Charity of Champ Car, and the series will continue to engage in a number of activities designed to raise funds and awareness for the camps, such as the auction of Champ Car-themed artwork in New York City two weeks ago.
“I expect this to be a very beneficial partnership for both sides and we have many exciting things planned for the future that will raise awareness,” Kalkhoven said. “I know that there were people that wondered why we were getting involved with the X PRIZE when we first announced it, but now everyone can see what we saw in that organization. I firmly believe that our partnership with the Canary Fund will yield similar results.”
The Bridgestone Presents The Champ Car World Series Powered by Ford will wrap up its 2004 schedule at Mexico City’s Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez on November 7 with the Gran Premio Telmex/Tecate Presented by Banamex. The 2004 Champ Car Awards Ceremony will also take place November 7 at the Camino Real in Mexico City. Champ Car
Astromega commits to GP2 Astromega commits to GP2After a couple of turbulent years attempting to keep a two-car line-up running in the FIA F3000 Championship, Belgian outfit Team Astromega has revealed that it is committed to joining the new GP2 series in 2005. Team boss Mikke van Hool has been an outspoken critic of F3000's spiraling costs, but remained committed to the F1 feeder series through its final two seasons. He has now been rewarded with one of the twelve planned team spots in GP2, and has confirmed that talks with various interested drivers are already underway. Among those the team is talking to is Formula Three graduate Fairuz Fauzy, and the young Malaysian hopeful, who has impressed in British F3 over the past couple of seasons, is due to test in one of Astromega's F3000 cars at Barcelona early next month. Crash.net
NASCAR Nextel Cup driver arrested NASCAR Nextel Cup driver arrestedJimmy Spencer was arrested and charged after an incident with Cornelius [NC] police this weekend. Officers said Spencer interfered with police who were trying to serve a warrant on his son, Jonathan. He was charged with disorderly conduct and resisting a police officer. Jonathan Spencer and another young man are accused of pouring paint on two cars at a Cornelius home Oct. 6. They face charges of damaging personal property. news14charlotte.com
Indian driver completes first oval test Indian driver completes first oval testUPDATE Team principal Eddie Cheever said: “He did okay, but the conditions were very poor. Alex [Barron, the team’s regular driver] tested the car first for 20 laps. Narain got within half a second after approximately 60 laps before it started to rain. He might get another test, but he has got a very busy schedule.” Autosport Magazine 10/23/04 Red Bull Cheever Racing's preparations for the 2005 Indy Racing League IndyCar Series 17-race campaign began yesterday with the team's first test of a rookie driver. Indian driver Narain Karthikeyan, 27, just completed his third season of competition in the European World Series by Nissan (Formula Nippon) with Tata RC Motorsport by earning one victory and a second place result. He had his first laps in an Indy car on the fast Phoenix International Raceway mile oval and completed a protracted rookie test before rain scuttled activities. Karthikeyan, backed by Cheever sponsor Red Bull ran about 50 laps in the car after 2003 RBCR regular driver Alex Barron set up the car and prepared it for the "World's Fastest Indian". While not spectacular the test went well, according to onlookers. An expected weather front moved in shortly after noon and scuttled attempts to further acquaint Karthikeyan with oval racing. A make-up date has not been scheduled. Motorsport.com
Grand-Am playing games with rules a la NASCAR Grand-Am playing games with rules a la NASCAR[Editor's Note: The Grand-Am, owned by the France family is just another managed racing series a la NASCAR] The 5.5-litre Pontiac V8, the most successful engine in Grand-Am’s Daytona Prototype division this year, is to be downsized. The series organizers are cutting Pontiac’s capacity by 500cc to equalize its performance with the Lexus, Ford, Porsche and BMW engines. Autosport Magazine
LeMans gets facelift LeMans gets faceliftThe Tertre Rouge corner at Le Mans, which leads onto the Mulsanne Straight, will be altered for 2006. The profile will remain unchanged, but it will be brought inside the present bend in order to increase run-off. The Dunlop Chicane will also undergo a tightening for 2006. Autosport Magazine
Roshfrans to sponsor Champ Car ROY award Roshfrans to sponsor Champ Car ROY awardThe chase for top rookie honors in the 2004 Bridgestone Presents The Champ Car World Series Powered by Ford season came to an end in Australia but thanks to Roshfrans, Champ Car’s top rookie will have 10,000 extra reasons to enjoy his season-ending trip to Mexico City. Roshfrans joined the Champ Car World Series as the first Mexican company to be an official series sponsor, signing a multi-year agreement in September to serve as the Official Lubricant of Champ Car. Today the company increased its presence in the series, becoming the sponsor of what will now be known as the Roshfrans Rookie-of-the-Year Award. The award comes with a newly-designed Roshfrans Rookie-of-the-Year trophy as well as a check for $10,000 from Roshfrans. “We are so excited about the consolidation and growing trend that Champ Car is making that it is Roshfrans’ honor to make a stronger commitment with the Series,” said Roshfrans Commercial Director Sergio Platonoff-Castillo. “And what could be better than to recognize the success of a novice driver who proves his abilities as an outstanding driver in one of the most competitive fields of automotive driving in the world”
A.J. Allmendinger (#10 Western Union Ford-Cosworth/Lola/Bridgestone) clinched the Roshfrans Rookie-of-the-Year Award with a sixth-place finish in Surfers Paradise, becoming the first U.S.-born driver since Jeff Andretti in 1991 to win Champ Car’s top rookie honor. Allmendinger scored his first Champ Car podium finish with a third-place run in Vancouver and used a strong run of four top-six finishes in the last five starts to overtake Justin Wilson (#34 Mi-Jack Ford-Cosworth/Lola/Bridgestone) for the top spot in the rookie standings. “This is an encouraging and positive step for Champ Car as Roshfrans has joined the series and immediately found a way to increase its commitment,” said Champ Car President and CEO Dick Eidswick. “We are especially pleased to have a Mexican company with the reputation of Roshfrans involved with the series and I am sure that future drivers of all nationalities will come to Champ Car in hopes of winning the Roshfrans Rookie-of-the-Year Award.” The Roshfrans Rookie-of-the-Year Award will be presented at the 2004 Champ Car Awards Banquet, to be held November 7 in Mexico City. Champ Car
Champ Car Silicon Valley GP at San Jose Champ Car Silicon Valley GP at San JoseIn 2005, world class Open Wheel racing comes to the Silicon Valley as Champ Car will bring its special brand of racing to downtown San Jose next July. The nationally televised Silicon Valley Grand Prix will attract 150,000 people to a series of events including multiple auto racing series, a public festival, and a black tie gala, benefiting Canary Fund. See this website for more. Expect a formal press release soon. We have the track layout and will publish it at the appropriate time. This is a 10-year deal.
Wilson looks to stay with Champ Car Wilson looks to stay with Champ CarBritish ace Justin Wilson is targeting a second season in the Champ Car World Series next year, after putting in some impressive performances during his rookie campaign. Although the former grand prix driver was beaten to the rookie of the year title by American AJ Allmendinger this season, a run of strong top ten finishes has left him currently 12th overall in the standings and eager to do even better in 2005. “I obviously want to stay in Champ Cars and we'll have to see what happens,” said the Conquest Racing driver. “I've talked to a few other teams but Eric's [Bachelart, team boss] team is definitely an option. “A few things need to be sorted out and obviously a lot of it depends on getting sponsors in place. At the moment it's open, but I'd like to continue here. That's the preferred option.” Autosport
Cingular buys ATT Wireless Cingular buys ATT WirelessCingular Wireless [NASCAR sponsor for Robby Gordon] agreed to pay nearly $41 billion in cash to buy AT&T Wireless Services to create the nation's largest mobile phone company, raising concern among consumer advocates that it may hurt competition and impede lower prices. The deal announced Tuesday between the second and third largest U.S. wireless companies would create a cellular giant with 46 million subscribers and 70,000 employees. Current market leader Verizon Wireless has 37.5 million customers. The deal - subject to approval by AT&T Wireless shareholders and federal regulators - would be a boon for Atlanta-based Cingular's efforts to cut costs, fill service gaps and expand its spectrum, or radio frequency, in several key U.S markets, thus enabling it to offer wireless Internet access at broadband speed. ''Losing a competitor in this kind of market hurts consumers, especially when you're merging the big players,'' said Mark Cooper, director of research at the Washington-based Consumer Federation of America. ''It's not five and six that's merging. It's two and three, and that's a much bigger impact on competition.'' Guzman and Co. analyst Patrick Comack said he doesn't expect prices to go up if the deal is approved: ''You still have some very aggressive competitors out there.
SMI Named in Forbes List SMI Named in Forbes ListSpeedway Motorsports, Inc., a leading marketer and promoter of motorsports entertainment in the United States, is among the 200 Best Small Companies in America according to an annual ranking by Forbes magazine. The annual feature, which appears in the Nov. 1 issue of the prestigious magazine, includes companies with revenues from $5 million to $750 million (small by Forbes standards), net profits greater than 5 percent and share prices above $5 as of Oct. 1. Speedway Motorsports became the first company in motorsports history to go public on the New York Stock Exchange in 1995. In addition, the Company announced it has completed the exchange of all outstanding unregistered 6¾% Senior Subordinated Notes due 2013, that were issued in a private transaction on July 7, for new registered 6¾% Senior Subordinated Notes due 2013.(LMS PR)(10-27-2004)
GPWC to 'break away'
Sauber 'not worried'
'Poor decisions' - Michael
Flavio's future - 'we'll see'
Coulthard's 'one regret'
Webber's Williams welcome
Pizzonia 'will drive'
Max Mosley writes
Another scarlet record
Rules can't stop Ferrari
FIA 'marginalized' - Todt
GPWC 'bluffing' - F1 player
GPWC to host Brit GP - report
Thanks, wind tunnel - Sauber
Renault's 'bad' year
GPWC turns up heat on Ecclestone GPWC turns up heat on EcclestoneFORMULA ONE’S biggest threat has appointed its own Bernie Ecclestone figure and made Silverstone a prime target in its race to set up a rival grand-prix series. The GPWC group — made up of the sport’s four leading car manufacturers — yesterday announced that it has hired a company to find circuits and teams that will form a breakaway championship that could put the skids under Formula One within three years.
The company — comprising Ferrari, Renault, Mercedes and BMW — handed the commercial rights to Zurich-based International Sports and Entertainment (iSe), one of the world’s biggest sports marketing and management companies. The company portfolio is enormous and of the highest quality, with a client list that includes Fifa and the IAAF as well as the contract to market football’s 2006 World Cup.
The man who will be the counterpart and rival to Ecclestone, Formula One’s all-powerful promoter, is George Taylor, a Dutchman whose career has spanned almost every area of sports marketing, from working on McDonald’s sports sponsorship deals to negotiating contracts for football’s Champions League and European Championship. Now president and chief executive of iSe, Taylor’s first job will be to draw up a list of potential venues for the Grand Prix World Championship series to make up a 17-date calendar for a start-up date no later than 2008.
Silverstone, which has been knocked off the Formula One calendar by Ecclestone after he refused to agree a $13.5 million (about £7.3 million) deal for the rights to the British Grand Prix, is top of the list of recruits wanted by the GPWC.
Ecclestone has dismissed the idea of a rival series and Max Mosley, president of the FIA, motor sport’s governing body, added that the GPWC threat was no more than “a bargaining position” to lever more cash from Ecclestone’s coffers for the ten Formula One teams and their engine manufacturers. But a cornerstone of the GPWC’s case is that about 80 per cent of all revenues will be paid to the teams; the ten teams now get only 23 per cent of the estimated £500 million generated annually by Formula One, with Ecclestone’s companies taking the rest. More at The Times [Editor's Note: See rumor on rumors page regarding Ecclestone owning the F1 name, the track contracts and the TV deals. The rumor says he will do a deal with Champ Car, rename it F1 and carry on with the 55 year history of the F1 World Championship without the 4 manufacturers involved with GPWC. If Kalkhoven bought Cosworth as rumored, the engine supply is set. Hmm.....this might get interesting.]
Hendrick Memorial Service set Hendrick Memorial Service setIn remembrance of the 10 individuals who lost their lives on Sunday, Hendrick Motorsports will hold a candlelight service Wednesday, Oct. 27 from 6-8 p.m. ET. Open to the public, the ceremony will be held at the Hendrick Motorsports complex, located at 4400 Papa Joe Hendrick Blvd., Charlotte, NC 28262. The program, led by members of Motor Racing Outreach (MRO), will include Robbie Loomis, crew chief of Hendrick's No. 24 Chevrolets. Parking is available on the complex as space permits and candles will be provided. Please visit www.HendrickMotorsports.com for updates on additional services.
Snap-on Stars Unveils Track Design and Schedule for National Championships Snap-on Stars Unveils Track Design and Schedule for National ChampionshipsWhen competitors show up for the Snap-on Stars of Karting Presented by the Indy Racing League National Championship Finals on November 12-14 at Walt Disney World® and Magic Kingdom®, awaiting them will be a specially designed temporary road racing circuit as six national titles are closely contested.
Laid out over 500,000 square feet of asphalt, the track measures just over .7 miles, runs clockwise and provides competitors with 15 distinct turns to negotiate each lap. The track features a 710-foot front stretch and a pit lane measuring the length of a football field at over 300 feet. While the track is flat with no elevation changes, Stars’ karters will have no problem producing their standard side-by-side racing with a 30-foot plus wide race track. Key passing zones will be in turns one, three, four, five as well as nine, ten and eleven. With evenly matched drivers and machines, successfully negotiating the final chicane complex of turns 13, 14 and 15 leading onto the long front stretch will be crucial to setting up competitors into the aforementioned turn one. In addition to the racetrack, competitors and their equipment will be housed in a separate 200,000 square foot paved area.
“It is always challenging to design a temporary facility and even more difficult to ensure it tests the skill level of your karters,” commented Paul Zalud, Stars’ principal and track designer. “When you have the best-of-the-best coming together from East and West, it becomes even more crucial to provide a course that demands the utmost skill from each driver. I think we have accomplished that and we are confident our competitors will put on the best show of the year.”
Meanwhile, the action plan as top competitors from both the Eastern and Western Divisions come together has been officially released. On-track sessions for the ICC, ICA, JICA, 80cc Junior, Cadet and EasyKart classes will begin on Friday, November 10th with five rounds of practice. More practice, qualifying and Pre-Finals will be held on Saturday. Sunday morning will be reserved for a warm-up, with the first National Championship Final taking the green at 12:00PM.
Thursday, November 11th
9:00am – 4:00pm Registration/credentials/parking/pit assignments (All Star Resort)
9:00am – 5:00pm Competitors move to designated pit spots
Friday, November 12th
7:00am Gates open to registered participants
7:00am – 9:20am Scrutineering
8:00am – 12:35pm Practice (All Classes)*
12:40pm – 1:00pm Lunch Break
1:00pm – 5:00pm Practice (All Classes)*
Saturday, November 13th
8:20am Mandatory Drivers Meeting
9:00am - 10:20am Morning Practice (All Classes)*
10:30am – 12:45pm Qualifying (All Classes)*
1:15pm – 3:45pm Pre-Finals (All Classes)*
Sunday, November 14th
9:00am – 11:00am Morning Practice (All Classes)*
11:15am Promotional Group Photo, All Drivers in suits with helmets in hand
11:30am National Anthem
12:00pm – 3:20pm Snap-on Stars of Karting Presented by the Indy Racing League National Championship Finals
12:00pm Cadet (16 laps)
12:30pm 80cc Junior (20 laps)
1:00pm ICA (26 laps)
1:40pm Easykart (23 laps)
2:10pm JICA (20 laps)
2:40pm ICC (26 laps)
Mexico City poster Mexico City poster To the right is the poster for this year's Champ Car race in Mexico City. These posters are plastered all over the town as Mexico City ramps up for one of the biggest auto races in the world each year. Mark C.
CSS Stellar Mgmt lands Hunter-Reay CSS Stellar Mgmt lands Hunter-ReayUPDATE We reported this last week, but here is the official press release - CSS Stellar Management, plc., an established client management firm based in London, England, has signed Ryan Hunter-Reay, a rising 23-year-old American racing star in the Champ Car World Series, to a driver representation agreement.
“We’re very excited to welcome such a talented young driver like Ryan Hunter-Reay to the CSS Stellar family,” said Tim Sice, Managing Director of Sports Talent Management. “Ryan is a rising star in open wheel racing and we’ve been following his career closely. He has a very bright future ahead of him, and we’re convinced Ryan can succeed at the highest levels of motorsport both in the U.S. and internationally.”
“I’m confident that CSS Stellar can help me continue my success in open-wheel racing,” said Hunter-Reay. “I’m hopeful they can bring enhanced value to my team and sponsors, and help guide me in evaluating future opportunities, including Formula One.”
A native of Dallas, Texas, Hunter-Reay drives the #4 Lola/Ford-Cosworth car for Herdez Competition in the Champ Car World Series. Last season, he became the first American rookie to win a Champ Car race in 20 years when he took the checkered flag at Surfer’s Paradise, Australia. This year, Hunter-Reay captured his second career victory with a dominating performance at The Milwaukee Mile, breaking the Champ Car record for most laps led in a race with 250. In 2004, he has recorded eight Top 10 finishes with one race remaining.
Hunter-Reay enjoyed a steady rise through the Champ Car Ladder System and he is the first karting scholarship driver to make it through to the Champ Car World Series. He was the inaugural 2-Liter National Champion and was Rookie of the Year in the CART Barber Dodge Pro Series in 2000. He also won “Fastest Driver” honors in his one year in the CART Toyota Atlantic Championship, awarded to the driver with the most wins, pole positions and fastest lap times.
Since its inception in April 1999, CSS Stellar has become one of the UK’s leading independent sports management companies. The organization was formed through the merger of CSS International, a 26-year-old sports marketing company in Britain, and Stellar Management, an established client representation agency. The firm represents a number of drivers including Formula One driver Juan Pablo Montoya, IndyCar drivers Dario Franchitti and Dan Wheldon, newly crowned 2004 World Rally Champion Sebastien Loeb and Moto GP125 World Champion Andrea Dovizioso.
10/22/04 London-based CSS Stellar Management has signed Ryan Hunter-Reay to a driver representation agreement it was announced today. The independent sports management company already has Juan Pablo Montoya, Dario Franchitti, Dan Wheldon and Sebastien Loeb on their books. “We’re very excited to welcome such a talented young driver like Ryan Hunter-Reay to the CSS Stellar family,” said Tim Sice, Managing Director of Sports Talent Management. “Ryan is a rising star in open wheel racing and we’ve been following his career closely. He has a very bright future ahead of him, and we’re convinced Ryan can succeed at the highest levels of motorsport both in the U.S. and internationally.” “I’m confident that CSS Stellar can help me continue my success in open-wheel racing,” said Hunter-Reay. “I’m hopeful they can bring enhanced value to my team and sponsors, and help guide me in evaluating future opportunities, including Formula One.” Hunter-Reay is eighth in the Champ Car standings with two races remaining.
Nominees announced for 2004 Greg Moore Award Nominees announced for 2004 Greg Moore AwardAmong Champ Car drivers, perhaps no award other than the Vanderbilt Cup is more coveted than the one given in honor of a racer that may have seen his own name etched on the historic championship trophy had it not been for his untimely death in 1999.
The Greg Moore Legacy Award is given annually to the driver that best represents the ideals and talents of the Canadian star, who met with tragedy in the 1999 Champ Car season finale. The award is presented to the driver who best typifies Moore 's legacy of outstanding talent on track, as well as displaying a dynamic personality with fans, media, and the Champ Car community.
Four drivers have been nominated for this year’s award and will be voted on by a panel of motorsports officials, team executives and journalists. The fifth annual Greg Moore Legacy Award will be bestowed upon one of the four nominees during the 2004 Champ Car Awards banquet in Mexico City on November 7
This year’s award nominees include Champ Car veteran Jimmy Vasser of PKV Racing, series Rookie of the Year A.J. Allmendinger of RuSPORT, and Herdez Competition’s Ryan Hunter-Reay. The Toyota Atlantic Championship is represented by two-time series champion Jon Fogarty of Pacific Coast Motorsports.
“Greg Moore was the kind of driver that today’s youngsters should aspire to be,” said Champ Car President and CEO Dick Eidswick. “I have no doubt that Greg would have been one of the stars of Champ Car for many, many years. The four drivers nominated for the 2004 Greg Moore Legacy Award have shown the same spirit and dedication throughout this season that Greg had throughout his too-brief career. This is an extremely special award, and all of the drivers who have been nominated should feel tremendously honored.”
Vasser, a native of Canoga Park, California, set a new Champ Car record in 2004 by making his 193rd consecutive series start and has taken his new PKV Racing team to the top 10 in the standings. Boca Raton, Florida’s Hunter-Reay set a new series record of his own when he led a Champ Car single-event record 250 laps in winning at the Milwaukee Mile earlier this year. Allmendinger, a Hollister, California native, won the Champ Car Rookie-of-the-Year award in 2004 and has qualified in the top seven in each of the year’s last six starts. Fogarty, from Portola Valley, California, won six races en route to his second Toyota Atlantic title, coming back to the series after winning the 2002 championship.
Brazilian Helio Castroneves was the inaugural winner of the Greg Moore Legacy Award in 2000, Dario Franchitti was named as the recipient in 2001, former teammate Patrick Carpentier took the honor in 2002 while Sebastien Bourdais won the award last season.
Harvick to field Busch entry in 2005 Harvick to field Busch entry in 2005The Outdoor Channel today announced that it will serve as a primary sponsor for the Kevin Harvick, Inc. Chevy in the ’05 NASCAR Busch Series. Tony Raines will share driving duties with Tony Stewart. Stewart will compete in ten Busch Series events with two special Action Performance paint schemes and eight more races with a sponsor to be announced at a later date. Raines will carry The Outdoor Channel logo for 16 events and Yard-Man for the remaining races The Daily
Four Test With Sam Schmidt Motorsports Four Test With Sam Schmidt MotorsportsSam Schmidt Motorsports tested four drivers in a Menards Infiniti Pro Series car Oct. 22 at Kentucky Speedway. The team, which fielded as many as three cars in 2004, including that of championship-winning driver Thiago Medeiros, is beginning its search for drivers for 2005. Jason Bowles, Jaime Camara, James McCabe and Bobby Wilson completed laps on the 1.5-mile tri-oval. "We've tested 35 people over the past two years," team manager Michael Crawford said. "This was the best collective group of talent we've had. It was stellar." Bowles, who has won several regional karting championships, competed in the Cooper Tires Formula Ford Zetec Championship in 2004, winning rookie of the year honors after finishing fourth overall in the point standings. The 21-year-old is from Ontario, Calif. Camara is a 23-year-old from Goiania, Brazil. He is in his third season of competition in the South American Formula 3 series, the same series that Medeiros competed before coming to the Menards Infiniti Pro Series. McCabe, 24, won the World Karting Association Enduro National Championship in 1999. Since then, the Luzerne, Pa., native has competed in Skip Barber Formula Dodge, Formula Mazda and Star Mazda series among others. Wilson won the Cooper Tires Formula Ford Zetec Championship title in 2004. The 23-year-old from Dousman, Wis., won championships in Snap On Stars of Karting in 2003 and the SuperKarts USA ProMoto Tour in 2000. The group also was evaluated by Menards Infiniti Pro Series technical director Butch Meyer. IRL
Kanaan Draws Hero’s Welcome In Brazil Kanaan Draws Hero’s Welcome In BrazilIRL IndyCar® Series champion Tony Kanaan returned to a hero's welcome upon his return to Brazil last weekend. "The reception I got from the fans here has been a big one, bigger than I expected, and I'm very pleased," he said. "It is the best thing that can happen to a driver. You pursue your dream and you win the championship, but when you get recognized, especially by your fans from your home country, it is pretty good." Kanaan spent the weekend at the Interlagos circuit in Sao Paulo, where he was cheering for Rubens Barrichello in the Brazilian Grand Prix. Kanaan and Barrichello have been friends since childhood. "I told him if I can bring him all the luck I had this year," Kanaan said. "I'll let him borrow it here, and then he will give it back to me after this race." Barrichello used some of that luck as he drove his Ferrari to third place. Juan Pablo Montoya, winner of the 2000 Indianapolis 500, won the race in a Williams-BMW. Kimi Raikkonen finished second in a McLaren-Mercedes. Barrichello, who won the 2002 United States Grand Prix at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, is a big fan of Kanaan's. "I think Tony is one of the talents that went to America," Barrichello said. "He won the championship in a nice way." Kanaan said that the thrill of winning the IndyCar Series championship is still sinking in. "It is definitely a dream come true after all those years fighting for a spot in the sun," he said. "It is the result of a lot of teamwork and effort, and me persisting in what I want to do. It is still sinking in, and it is not 100 percent in yet. But now that I am here in Brazil, the fans are congratulating me and the people are making me feel it more and more." Kanaan's achievements resulted in an invitation to meet with Brazil's president, Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, on Oct. 25. "I think that is awesome," Kanaan said. "It's a big thing for me; to meet your own president of your own country, and especially when he just calls you and invites you to come and meet him. He wants to congratulate me, so that is definitely big." After meeting the president, Kanaan planned to spend some time relaxing with Barrichello. The IndyCar Series and Formula One seasons are over, and it's time to go on vacation. "We are going to spend a lot of time together," Kanaan said of Barrichello. "We have a go-kart race to do, and we are going on vacation together." Kanaan was one of several famous Brazilian drivers to visit the paddock during the Brazilian Grand Prix weekend. Gil de Ferran, winner of the 2003 Indianapolis 500 and another good friend of Barrichello's was there as was Emerson Fittipaldi, winner of the 1989 and 1993 Indianapolis 500 and the 1972 and 1974 Formula One World Champion, and Nelson Piquet, the World Champion in 1981, 1983 and 1986. IRL
RCR and Gordon make split official RCR and Gordon make split officialRichard Childress Racing (RCR) and Robby Gordon will part ways at the conclusion of the 2004 season, with Gordon stepping up to the ranks of NASCAR Cup Series ownership in 2005.
“Several months ago Robby told me that his goals included running his own NASCAR Cup Series team,” said Richard Childress, president and CEO of Richard Childress Racing. “He has won three points races, a qualifying race at Daytona and has had a lot of good runs for RCR since 2001, but sometimes change is good. Robby is a true racer and I will always be grateful to him for what we’ve been able to accomplish together and for the positive things he brought to our organization. I’ve always said that Robby is one of the most talented drivers out there and he has always gone above and beyond for our sponsors.
“I’m sure Robby will do just fine on his own. His Busch cars run good every week and I’m sure he can translate some of that success to the Cup Series. I wish him only the best.”
Gordon has earned three victories, eight top-five and 23 top-10 finishes in 114 races with RCR. He also won one of the Gatorade 125 qualifying races at Daytona International Speedway in 2003. He’s currently 23rd in the NASCAR Cup Series point standings.
“Driving for RCR has been an incredible honor and is an opportunity most drivers could only wish for,” Gordon said. “I’ve learned as much outside the car as I have in it with RCR, and Richard has taught me a great deal about the business of NASCAR. He’s a man of his word and someone I will always respect immensely. But I think everyone knows what my long-term goals are, both as a driver and a car owner, and now is the time for me to start my future as an owner at NASCAR’s highest level. If I can be half as successful as Richard has been, I’ll be very happy. We have been putting the pieces in place for our own team for most of the past year, and although we don’t have anything to announce yet for next season, we hope to make some announcements soon.”
The Southern California native has been with RCR since July 2001 when he was named interim driver for the No. 31 Chevrolet while Mike Skinner, the team’s regular driver, recovered from injuries sustained in a crash at Chicagoland Speedway. He was named the team’s fulltime driver in September and in November at New Hampshire International Speedway, in just his 10th start with RCR, he claimed his first NASCAR Cup victory. Soon after, Cingular Wireless was announced as the team’s primary sponsor for the 2002 season.
“Cingular Wireless is glad to have had Robby Gordon behind the wheel of the No. 31 Chevrolet for the past three seasons,” said Daryl Evans, Vice President of Advertising and Marketing Communications for Cingular Wireless. “He and the RCR team were able to take Cingular to the winner’s circle three times last year and we know we still have a great shot at getting back there before the conclusion of the 2004 season. Robby is a very talented driver and we wish him continued success in the future.” RCR and Robby Gordon PR
News Corp moving to USA News Corp moving to USAThe Hollywood Reporter notes that News Corp. shareholders today “voted overwhelmingly … in favor of relocating the company’s headquarters to the state of Delaware, USA” from Australia. The move will “facilitate expansion by gaining more access to capital investment and allow the stock to be added” to the S&P 500. Meanwhile, the company announced FY ’04 revenues of $21B, a 20% increase over ’03, and operating income of $3.1B, a 21% increase. Operating income for Fox’ TV group jumped 7%, making it News Corp.’s most profitable business. What does this have to do with motorsports? News Corp, which of course owns Fox and many other media outlets, may become a bigger player in USA motorsports by the very nature of having its headquarters in the USA. Fox already has a deal with NASCAR, but News Corp is much more than just Fox. For example they pretty much have Asian TV locked up with their massive satellite network.
Staten Island speedway backers commission new study Staten Island speedway backers commission new studyThe N.Y. TIMES reports that NASCAR promoters have “commissioned a study to determine whether buses or ferries could alleviate some of the traffic congestion that would result from a proposed Staten Island speedway, which could draw more than 80,000 fans to the borough on race days.” ISC, which is backing the project, expects to “release the findings of the traffic study by early next month” N.Y. TIMES
Ganassi saved Sebates from fatal crash Ganassi saved Sebates from fatal crashFelix Sabates made a last-minute decision that saved his life Sunday, choosing not to take a ride on the Hendrick Motorsports plane that crashed on the way to a NASCAR race, killing all 10 persons on board. With his helicopter grounded by bad weather, Sabates, co-owner of Chip Ganassi Racing, decided he did not want to take the chance of having the plane diverted and then having to drive to the Martinsville, Va., track in race traffic. Sabates said his helicopter pilot called to say he could have a seat on the plane and he was preparing to leave for the Concord, N.C., airport when Ganassi phoned. Ganassi told Sabates his plane had been diverted from the airport near the track to Danville, Va., 30 miles away. "Chip said his plane missed its approach in Martinsville because of the weather and he was thinking about going home," Sabates said. "I didn't feel like going to Danville and then having to drive to the track in traffic. If Chip hadn't called me, I would have been on that plane. He saved my life." After deciding to pass up the race, Sabates was at his home in Charlotte when he got a telephone call from NASCAR chairman Bill France Jr., telling him the plane was missing and asking Sabates to go to the home of fellow team owner Rick Hendrick. "When I got to the house, I'm the one that told Rick about the accident," Sabates said. "Then Bill France called to tell me that they had found the wreckage and everybody was dead. I still get chills thinking about it. It's just horrible for everyone." AP Story
Hendrick Motorsport statement Hendrick Motorsport statementOn behalf of the Hendrick family and the entire Hendrick Motorsports organization, I'd like to thank you for the outpouring of support we've received over the past 24 hours. Your encouragement is sincerely appreciated and welcomed by everyone. We have scheduled a question-and-answer session in the Atlanta Motor Speedway media center for Friday, Oct. 29 at 12 p.m. ET. Each Hendrick Motorsports driver and crew chief will be available at that time. Although our foremost concern is for the families and their right to privacy, please know that we are diligently working to disseminate as much accurate information as we can. As the facts become available, we will work with the appropriate authorities to pass them along in a timely manner. We will soon have details regarding memorial services, but please bear with us while specifics are determined. Once plans are finalized, they will be communicated immediately. Further inquiries regarding the aircraft investigation should be directed to the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) public affairs office at 202-314-6100. Sincere thanks, Hendrick Motorsports
Renault commited to F1 Renault commited to F1There has been much talk about Renault's involvement in F1 in recent days because of plans for a change of management which will almost certainly mean new philosophies and new structures. "I recently met with Carlos Ghosn, the future CEO of Renault," said Renault F1 boss Patrick Faure. "His message was crystal clear: "Carry on!" I repeat once again that this company is committed to Formula 1 for the long term. As for the future of our relationship with Flavio Briatore, that too seems promising. Flavio has met every target we have set him thus far and if he achieves that again in 2005 - and there is no reason to think he won't - then we would be pleased to extend our collaboration into 2006."
Champ Car too predictable Champ Car too predictableA reader writes, Dear AutoRacing1, Every race in Champ Cars it seems that there is only one strategy. Fill up the car and run. Yellows and luck may turn a slower car into a winner if they run out of sequence. Mandatory pit stops make the race predictable. In F1, it is often the case that a car may run light and stop three times, or heavy and stop twice. Is this ever seen in Champ Car? Could it be that because Champ Cars are so heavy and overweight, that adding a full tank of 35 gallons of methanol (which weighs around 230 lbs) doesn't make the same relative difference that a full tank of petrol (35 gallons weigh around 215 lbs) does to an F1 car? Basically a Champ Car is heavy and slow full or empty, but an F1 car is nimble empty and relatively slower on a full tank. Whilst strategy in F1 is one way to avoid overtaking on track, at least it can lead to a driver pushing hard and there is tension in the run up to pit stops, whereas in Champ Car there isn't much of either with the current cars. Why don't the tanks of Champ Cars get adjusted in size so that fuel stops aren't an issue? i.e. 2 tanks and you run dry, 3 tanks and you have more than enough? Or for a lighter car that really does show up the driver's skill when the weight is up and down? Ed McFarlane, Goadby, England Dear Ed, You are correct that a Champ Car is not affected by the weight of a fuel load as much as a F1 car is because the car itself is so much heavier. Back in the 90's Champ Car teams would run many different fuel strategies because the rules were pretty much wide open. However, in F1 we seldom see a full course caution flag, but in Champ Car a full course caution is thrown if a driver sneezes. It's pathetic and destroys any chance to run alternate fuel strategies. With so many caution periods drivers were able to save enough fuel to skip one pit stop altogether and with track position being so important in Champ Car (can't pass easily with a Champ Car) almost every race became a fuel economy run. Hence, mandatory pit stop windows were instituted to force a driver to pit regardless of their strategy. Having a full tank of fuel when everyone else does means the driver doesn't benefit from saving fuel and may as well run 100% between stops. In order for us to see varying strategies like we see in F1, three things must happen, 1) Champ Car must get over the yellow flag fever and only throw it when it is absolutely necessary, 2) Weight must come out of the Sherman Tank Champ Cars, 3) Drivers must be forced to start the race with whatever fuel is left in the tank after qualifying. Mark C.
All 10 bodies recovered All 10 bodies recoveredCrews on all-terrain vehicles on Monday recovered all 10 bodies from the wreckage of a Hendrick Motorsports plane that was carrying family and friends of one of NASCAR's top syndicates. Federal investigators said they did not know what caused the Beech 200 King Air to crash Sunday en route from Concord, N.C., to Martinsville Speedway, about seven miles east of the crash site on Bull Mountain in the foothills of the Appalachians. A bulldozer cleared a path to the crash site so ATVs could recover the bodies. "The only method we have of getting up to the scene is on ATVs ... so it's a tedious and slow process," State Police Sgt. Rob Carpentieri said. He said the bodies were taken to the medical examiner's office in Roanoke for identification. The plane had no flight data record, cockpit voice recorder or ground proximity monitoring system, said Brian Rayner, a National Transportation Safety Board investigator. AP Story
'04 won't be beaten - Brawn
'Well rounded' Coulthard
Mexico's back in F1
Friday to seal Jag's fate
Montoya can be 'even better'
Schu 'sorry' for teammate
Toyota rue 'freedom' demise
Webber's 'the man' - Purnell
'Piddling' plan - president
'Tear up' proposal - Todt
New quali 'complicated' - FIA
Ford pull-out 'good for Jag'
Ferrari scupper BAR deal
Williams to 'correct' trend
Ferrari can 'do better'
Franck 'didn't deserve' seat
Teams want to end tire war
'I'm not a self-promoter'
Mexico not replacing Brit GP
'I don't care' about Montoya
'Third' car to cost $10m
Statement From Jack Roush on Hendrick tragedy Statement From Jack Roush on Hendrick tragedyJack Roush – “My heart and prayers go out to the Hendrick family and the families of all who lost their lives in this tragedy. Like the entire Hendrick organization, fans, followers and supporters, I too feel the tremendous loss.
Mark Martin – “I was hoping never to have to hear this again in my lifetime, I just feel so bad that it's unreal. Our thoughts and prayers go out to all the families of those involved in this terrible tragedy.”
Greg Biffle – “I really don't have the words to express the sorrow I feel for Rick Hendrick, the entire Hendrick organization and the families and friends of those whose lives were taken by this tragic accident. My thoughts and prayers are with all of them.
“I'd become very good friends over the years with many of those involved and I'm just heartbroken. I'm deeply saddened and I have an empty feeling inside of me, as does the entire NASCAR family. All of them will be greatly missed."
Matt Kenseth -- "I really don't know what to say, this is such a terrible tragedy. It's not only a tragedy for NASCAR, but it's a personal one for the Hendrick Family--Rick has been through a lot this year already and I think the best thing any of us can do right now is just pray for them. We all knew the people aboard and Randy Dorton has been a very close friend of mine. We just need to pray for everybody right now for what they're going through."
Kurt Busch -- "It's such an extremely unfortunate situation. It's certainly something that illustrates how close-knit the entire racing community really is, and right now we're all just thinking and praying for all of the families."
Carl Edwards – "This is certainly a great tragedy not only for Hendrick Motorsports but for the entire sport. My thoughts and prayers go out to all my peers at Hendrick Motorsports and to all the family members and friends of each of the 10 individuals who lost their lives in this terrible tragedy."
DuPont statement on Joe Jackson DuPont statement on Joe JacksonJoe Jackson, director of the DuPont Motorsports program, was among 10 people killed Sunday when an aircraft owned by Hendrick Motorsports, the company's partner in the NASCAR® No. 24 DuPont car, crashed en route to the NASCAR race at Martinsville, Virginia. Also on board were members of the Hendrick family and staff.
Jackson was instrumental in the development of the DuPont Motorsports program and routinely represented the company at NASCAR races. His entire 36-year DuPont career was spent in the Automotive Refinish business. The following letter was sent today to DuPont Performance Coatings employees by Ed Donnelly, group vice president -- DuPont Coatings & Color Technologies:
"By now, many of you have heard that a Hendrick Motorsports aircraft crashed yesterday near Martinsville, Va., the site of yesterday's NASCAR race. Joe Jackson, a dear member of our DPC family, perished in that crash, along with members of the Hendrick family and staff members.
"NASCAR was a passion for Joe. He loved the sport and our role in it. His dedication to our business was apparent to all of us. But more than that, Joe, his DuPont colleagues and the Hendrick team were like family.
"Of course, there will be many tributes to Joe, large and small. And aside from the official observances, we will all mourn and celebrate him in our own way.
"All of our energies now must be devoted to doing everything humanly possible to support the family of friend and colleague. Joe's wife, Jan, his children, Jane and Jeffrey, and his other loved ones are in our prayers. Their grief is our grief.
"We will have information very shortly about how all of us in the DPC family can join in an expression of our love and support for Joe and his family. For now, though, just remember Joe."
Critics apply heat, but it's paradise in Surfers Critics apply heat, but it's paradise in SurfersGrandstands and high-rise balconies were filled with diehard fans and partygoers, creating a colorful canyon of high-octane action ending with Brazilian Bruno Junqueira taking the checkered flag. But only one thing was louder than the shirt Premier Peter Beattie wore to yesterday's big race. That was his unwavering support for the event in the face of recent criticism questioning its economic benefit to Queensland.
"We as a government invest $11 million worth of taxpayers' money into this event. We think it's money well spent and we're going to continue to do that," Mr. Beattie said. "Queenslanders, regardless of where they live, they get a benefit out of this. I know there's some argument about whether it's worth $50 million or $49 million or $51 million. I mean, who cares? This is a major event for the state that produces great returns."
His comments follow last week's criticism by Gold Coast Mayor Ron Clarke over the credibility of a report, commissioned by Indy's promoters, that the four-day carnival injects more than $50 million into the state's economy. "Is it one of those reports, put out by the ones that are making money from it (Indy)? I've never seen it but I would love to see it," said Mr. Clarke, who boycotted the event. Courier Mail
But amid yesterday's balmy trackside atmosphere, Mr. Beattie was by no means feeling the heat over the attack. "I know the Mayor of the Gold Coast has some issues," he said. "But I think it's important that we talk this event up and support it . . . because this puts Queensland and the Gold Coast on the national and international map."
The North American-based Champ cars first hit the Gold Coast's streets in 1991 and are now supported by the popular V8 Supercar series.
AVESCO chairman Tony Cochrane, boss of the V8 Supercar series, said Mr. Clarke had not contributed a dollar to the event. "Why doesn't he do us all a favor and go back to Victoria," Mr. Cochrane said. The Gold Coast Indy's current contract with Champ car organizers runs until 2008. Mr. Beattie said under new owners – Open Wheel Racing Series – the event had a "long-term future". "It all works and we're happy with it at the moment and don't see why that'll change," he said. "There's something special about coming to the Gold Coast. You go and talk to the Indy drivers, they'll tell you that as well." Lexmark Indy 300 chairman John Cowley said: "Fourteen years this event has been going, it's not leaving town."
Patrick Carpentier held overnight for observations Patrick Carpentier held overnight for observationsUPDATE Canadian driver Patrick Carpentier left hospital Monday under doctors' orders to rest for a few days after surviving a late-race Champ Car crash at the Lexmark Indy 300 on Sunday. Carpentier was unconscious for 15 seconds when his Forsythe Racing Ford Lola slammed at 250 km/h into a cement wall and tire barrier with four laps to go. ``I'm a bit dizzy still but all in all it's pretty good I guess,'' he said Monday. ``It's not good when you lose consciousness but it's pretty good to be back. ``Within a week my balance and everything should be back. Now if I turn fast it's like slow motion a little bit but I'm OK. I'm very happy.'' Carpentier, who has a concussion, lost control after a loose nosecone and front wings broke away, leaving him without steering or brakes. ``I was just a passenger,'' he said Monday. ``I remember hitting the first (wall) and they say I hit a second time but I don't remember this one. I was traveling at 250 (km/h) so it was pretty fast. It's always a good thing when you come out and just have a concussion.'' A CT scan at a Gold Coast hospital cleared the 33-year-old native of Joliette, Que., of serious injuries. AP Story 10/24/04 Champ Car driver Patrick Carpentier (#7 Indeck Ford-Cosworth/Lola/Bridgestone) is awake, alert and uninjured after an accident in the waning laps of Sunday’s Lexmark Indy 300 on the streets of Surfers Paradise, Australia. As reported by Champ Car Director of Medical Affairs Dr. Chris Pinderski, Carpentier suffered a brief loss of consciousness in the accident, and was transported to Gold Coast Hospital for precautionary tests. Carpentier received a CT scan that showed no injuries and he will be held overnight in the hospital for observation. He is expected to be released in the morning. What follows is a quote from Forsythe Championship Racing Vice-President of Operations Neil Micklewright. “Obviously we were aware of the damage to the front wing and that it was waving around. Subsequent to a discussion that included driver Patrick Carpentier, the decision was made to continue the race in the hope that the wing would stay in place. Given Patrick’s position in the championship standings and the number of points at stake, the team, along with Patrick, felt this was the correct course of action. The most important thing is that Patrick is okay and for that we are all happy and grateful.”
SPEED to air Hendrick special SPEED to air Hendrick specialSPEED Channel will air a 30-minute special report beginning at 7:30 p.m. ET tonight on the Hendrick Motorsports plane tragedy. Ralph Sheheen will host the program from the SPEED studios in Charlotte. Hendrick Motorsports driver Jeff Gordon, originally scheduled to be Dave Despain's in-studio guest tonight on Wind Tunnel, will not be on the show for obvious reasons. NASCAR Busch Series points leader Martin Truex Jr. has agreed to take Gordon's spot on tonight's show.
NTSB launches team to investigate crash NTSB launches team to investigate crashThe National Transportation Safety Board has launched a Go Team to investigate the crash of a Beech 200 King Air in Martinsville, Virginia. On October 24, 2004 about 12:30 p.m. EDT, a twin-engine turboprop carrying 8 passengers and 2 crew impacted mountainous terrain while executing an approach to runway 30 at the Blue Ridge Airport, in Martinsville. All on board were fatally injured. It was reported that Hendrick Motorsports, Inc., which owns and supports many NASCAR race teams, owns the aircraft. Brian Rayner is the Investigator-in-Charge of the NTSB team of 5 investigators. Terry Williams is the NTSB press officer traveling with the team and a representative from the Board's Office of Transportation Disaster Assistance will provide on-scene coordination and family affairs assistance. Information regarding the investigation will be released from the accident scene in Martinsville, Virginia. NTSB
Tony George statement on Hendrick plane crash Tony George statement on Hendrick plane crashA statement from Tony George, president and chief executive officer of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, about the tragic crash of a Hendrick Motorsports plane Oct. 24 near Martinsville, Va., in which all 10 people on board lost their lives. Hendrick has won the Brickyard 400 four times at IMS with driver Jeff Gordon: "At moments like this, it is difficult to adequately express the deep sense of loss so many friends and families are feeling. Times of reflection for me in the near future will be full of prayer for Rick Hendrick, his family and his entire organization. We can take comfort, though, in knowing that the 10 souls that were taken yesterday made our lives richer for having known them, and we should always hold dear their memory."
Driver Quote of the Week Driver Quote of the WeekYesterday, Penske teammates Ryan Newman and Rusty Wallace were beating and banging each other for position at Martinsville. Here are their reactions after the race: RYAN NEWMAN: “I don’t guess Rusty and I are on speaking terms right now. I know I was underneath him, and I know he came down on me. I wasn’t going to give him anything, so he got loose and lost a bunch of spots. Then he came up and hit me after the race. Our car was faster than his at the end. I’m not sure if he’s aware of that, but he will be." RUSTY WALLACE: “I didn’t see him all day long. He thought he was faster than me? I guess that’s why he ran through the quarterpanel. I told him to stay out of my way, and I could win the race, but he didn’t do it. There’s nothing I can do about it. I’ll talk a little bit. I want to see what he was thinking. I know what he was thinking. He was trying to get the best finish he could.” Ray Cooper, PR -Now, now boys....play nice..... Doug B
Drivers React to Hendrick Tragedy Drivers React to Hendrick TragedyDALE EARNHARDT JR: “It’s hard to express how it feels to hear the news about the Hendrick plane crash. It’s like a hammer to the chest. It takes the wind out of you. The Hendricks are a great family and they’ve always been very generous to me and to everyone in NASCAR. It’s helpful to have a strong family to surround you, and I know the Hendricks are a great family. For me, being in the garage is like being surrounded by your closest friends and family, and it really helped me through some rough times. I’m sure Rick and all the families involved will receive the support they need from everyone in the NASCAR family.” KEN SCHRADER: “Ann and I have lost some great friends, and our hearts are broken for all of their families. While we are grateful for the time we had with them, we will miss them greatly. Through nine years of working for Rick Hendrick, his family became our family. It's incredibly hard right now; we just need to keep our thoughts and prayers with all of the families involved. As much as they did for our sport, it can't begin to compare with how they touched our lives.” JOHN ANDRETTI: “I think everybody in the sport is in shock right now. We lost a lot of talented people, but we also lost of lot of really good people. This obviously affects Hendrick Motorsports but it affects all of us in motorsports when good people with great talents are taken away from you. Nancy and I are praying for the families and friends of those we lost, and we mourn with them.”
Childress statement on Hendrick plane crash Childress statement on Hendrick plane crashThe following is a statement from Richard Childress, president and CEO of Richard Childress Racing, regarding the Hendrick Motorsports aviation tragedy: It’s a tremendous loss to the Hendrick family, the Hendrick Motorsports organization and NASCAR as a whole. It’s really hard to imagine. We spend so much time together during the year that, when a tragedy like this strikes, it hits deep and it hits hard because we are so close to one another. We are like family and our thoughts and prayers go out to Rick and all of the families who lost loved ones.
New F3000 series approved New F3000 series approvedThe Executive committee of the Italian ASN, CSAI, has approved Coloni Motorsport's proposed plan for a National Formula 3000 series for 2005. The category, to be called the Italian F3000 series, will consist of eight events in Italy and will be open to all F3000 Lola chassis constructed from 1999 to 2004. Coloni Motorsport has started negotiations with ACI Sport in order to define a promotional program of the series. Autosport
Surfers race promoter ecstatic Surfers race promoter ecstaticA record four-day crowd, plus a Sunday afternoon of motorsport without a wild storm, brought smiles all round. Gold Coast Indy chairman John Cowley was "the happiest chairman in the world" last night. Yesterday's crowd was 107,321, slightly down on last year but the four-day event saw a record crowd of 309,583, up almost 3000 on last year's attendances. "How couldn't you be happy?" Mr. Cowley said. "Good weather, good people, good fun and good motor racing with two major championships. What more could you want?" Courier Mail
Gelles team rakes in honors Gelles team rakes in honorsWith the completion of the North American Formula Renault series, Gelles Racing turned out to be the winningest team in the 2004 championship. Argentinean Juan Martin Ponte has clinched the drivers’ title with a 13-point lead over Marcos Gomes from Brazil and former Gelles 2003 driver, Canadian Antoine Bessette. Ponte completed the season with Gelles. Best Rookie and best American in 2004 was Mid America Motorworks driver Michael Yager racing for Gelles the full season. "We are very happy for our drivers and our team, declared team owner Bob Gelles. Our team worked hard from the first race in the Winter series and always gave our drivers excellent cars. Martin Ponte joined us at the end of the season with the financial help of Revelos Group, Western Union and Care Centric, racing the final 25% of the calendar: he was very happy to win the Championship title under Gelles colors, we look forward to his return full time in 2005. Michael Yager reached both goals he had set for himself in April: becoming the series best Rookie and top American driver. Obviously the busiest team in the championship, Gelles dominated, credit to the committed hard work of the entire staff. I am most blessed to have such tremendous employees, thank you all, let's do it again two times in 2005!”
Hendrick Motorsports statement on plane crash Hendrick Motorsports statement on plane crashHendrick Motorsports officials have confirmed that an airplane owned by the organization was reported missing and downed today. The craft was en route to Martinsville, Va., from Concord, N.C. The following is a full list of passengers: Randy Dorton, Hendrick Motorsports engine director; John Hendrick, Hendrick Motorsports president; Jennifer Hendrick, daughter of John Hendrick; Kimberly Hendrick, daughter of John Hendrick; Ricky Hendrick, son of Hendrick Motorsports owner Rick Hendrick and owner of two NASCAR teams; Joe Jackson, sponsor representative; Scott Lathram, employee of NASCAR driver Tony Stewart; Elizabeth Morrison, co-pilot; Richard Tracy, pilot; and Jeff Turner, Hendrick Motorsports general manager. Hendrick Motorsports asks that those affected be kept in your thoughts and prayers, and respectfully requests that privacy be considered throughout this difficult time. Further inquiries regarding the investigation of this incident should be directed to the appropriate government agencies.
'Dangerous' Kimi fined
Minardi celebrate 20
Massa led a lap
Happier Jacques
Button disappointed
Jordan 'heartened'
Webber fumes at Klien
DC's rueful farewell
'I still feel fresh' - Schu
No swipe at Ferrari - Sauber
Cosworth to be sold - Purnell
Coulthard, Heidfeld, 'on list'
FIA sanction unofficial Brit GP
GPWC to issue statement
Jordan might not lose B&H
Webber made 'ass' of Schu
Bittersweet success
Letter is 'conspiracy' - Todt
No Ferrari 'conspiracy'
Ford make Jordan an offer
Teams halt unofficial Brit GP
Brit GP talks 'back on'
'Too late' for team change
Flavio may stay - Renault
Champ Car had better get their heads out of sand Champ Car had better get their heads out of sandUPDATE #2 Speedway president Joie Chitwood said track officials were still considering whether to host Formula One's only United States race for a seventh year. "At this point in time I can't confirm there will be a 2006 United States Grand Prix at Indianapolis," Chitwood told the USA Today. "Obviously, there is always a concern of something like what happened this year happen again," Chitwood said. "We're having discussions on what makes sense for us."
Michelin spokesman Michael Fanning said the company's troubles at Indianapolis were an aberration. "This is something that will never happen again," he said.
06/29/05 A reader adds, While the IMS ticket office is not cashing checks or charging credit cards while taking orders, the same cannot be said of ticket renewals placed online. My credit card was immediately charged and appeared on my credit card account within 1 day. Dan Racan 06/29/05 An IMS telephone operator yesterday said of tickets for the ’06 race: “We are taking orders from our subscribers, but we will not cash their checks or charge their credit cards until after IMS has made a decision on the future of the event” Toronto Sun
Champ Car officials come under fire again Champ Car officials come under fire againA reader writes, I told my girlfriend Linda while we were watching the race that allowing Carpentier to remain on track was dangerous not only for him and the drivers, but for the fans as well. The officials were stupid to let him continue to race. Everyone was lucky that no drivers or fans were injured when the wing broke and apparently went over the fence and when its failure put Carpentier hard into the wall. Mark McCauley, Hurst TX Another reader writes, Why didn't the race officials red-flag the race at the end until Carpentier's accident was cleaned up, so the Australia fans could have seen a green flag finish? After the bad weather ruined the race for them the last two years, that's the least they could have done for them this year. Greg Turnbull, LA, CA Gentlemen, The officials discussed Carpentier's wing with the team, but because he was in the championship title hunt they did not want to black-flag him and take him out of the hunt unless the team agreed. As for the red-flag at the end, we would have red-flagged it since the race was on TV tape-delayed in most markets anyway. It would have left just a lap or two under green, so it's possible the finish order would not have changed, but it certainly would have made the finish a bit more exciting for the paying customers. On another topic, by eliminating the pit windows, the race became a fuel economy run again and no one was using their push-to-pass button much, thereby negating its effectiveness. How many times do we have to say that although the pit windows are a bit artificial, they ensure the drivers run 100% the whole race because they have little to gain by conserving fuel. Mark C.
Champ Car and its Bush League TV channel Champ Car and its Bush League TV channelA reader writes, What happened to the audio on the Spike TV broadcast of the Surfer's Paradise Champ Car race? The commentators could barely be heard over the sounds of the cars, at least on my Direct TV setup. Only diehard Champ Car fans would have stayed tuned. And Champ Car has to pay for this? Please refrain from using my name if you publish this. Thanks. Name Withheld Another reader writes, I watched the Champ Car race on the computer last night ( OWRS Race Director) and the 4PM replay on Spike TV. What's with the audio mixing on Spike TV? They are running the background audio way too loud... to the point where you can hardly hear the announcers, who are sitting in a studio somewhere in the USA. Are they trying to simulate the track, where the cars drown out the PA? Or is this a ploy to get 13 year olds to watch, or is this just plain incompetence from a bush league network? Jim Barrie, Madeira OH Gentlemen, We heard the same complaints from DISH TV satellite viewers as well. However, the audio was better for some cable TV viewers. Bottom line - this year's TV broadcast quality has reached a new all-time low and the damage done to the Champ Car series is unconscionable. Whoever put this deal together must work for Champ Car's enemies. Mark C.
Hendrick plane crashes, 10 killed Hendrick plane crashes, 10 killedUPDATE The FAA confirms everyone on board was killed. The list of passengers is as follows: Ricky Hendrick, John Hendrick, Kimberly Hendrick, Jennifer Hendrick, Dick Tracy, Joe Jackson, Liz Morrison, Jeff Turner, Randy Dorton, and Scott Lathum. We have received the following information regarding the relationship of the planes passengers to the Hendrick Racing Team... John Hendrick was team owner Rick Hendrick's brother. Ricky Hendrick was Rick Hendrick's son. Kimberly Hendrick and Jennifer Hendrick were John's twin daughters, Dick Tracy and Liz Morrison were the pilots, Jeff Turner was the VP and General Manager of Hendrick Motorsports. Randy Dorton was an engine builder for the company. Roger Penske's plane tried to land at the same airport but could not due to poor conditions. Apparently the airport does not have the latest electronic guidance systems. Our condolences go out to the entire family. 10/24/04 A plane owned by the Hendrick Motorsports organization crashed with 10 people aboard on its way to a NASCAR race Sunday, the Federal Aviation Administration said. There was no word on fatalities or injuries, FAA spokeswoman Arlene Murray said. NASCAR spokesman Jim Hunter said the FAA has notified the National Transportation Safety Board, and "they're investigating to see what might have happened or what has happened." Murray said the Beech 200 took off from Concord, N.C., and crashed in the Bull Mountain area about seven miles west of the Martinsville airport at about 12:30 p.m. Virginia State Police Sgt. Michael Bailey said rescue workers could not immediately reach the crash site because of the rough terrain. More at Sports Illustrated [Editor's Note: In another report it was stated all 10 aboard were killed.]
McMurray wins M'Ville truck race McMurray wins M'Ville truck raceJamie McMurray held off Dennis Setzer over the last ten laps of the Kroger 200 at Martinsville Speedway on Saturday to win his first career NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series race. McMurray's Ultra Motorsports prepared Team ASE/CARQUEST Dodge was nearly flawless all afternoon on Martinsville Speedway's newly resurfaced 0.526 mile oval. "We had a really good truck here," McMurray said after the race. "We've been good every time we've been in the Team ASE/CARQUEST Dodge. We just haven't been able to put that win together. It's real cool to get it here at Martinsville. This is probably one of my favorite racetracks. I love to come here. It's different than the typical mile and a half racetracks we go to every week. They did a great job repaving the track. It's really special to get the win here. It's harder to pass here than in the past. Every time they repave a racetrack it seems to take awhile."
Additional AutoRacing1 URL options Additional AutoRacing1 URL optionsWe are pleased to announce that you have two additional ways to reach AutoRacing1.com now, thereby making it easier to remember us. Besides the traditional www.AutoRacing1.com, you can also type in www.AutoRacingOne.com (or just AutoRacingOne.com without the www prefix) and www.AR1.ws (or just AR1.ws without the www prefix). The .WS extension is new for the internet and stands for WebSite. Of course the 'official' name of our website remains AutoRacing1.com and AutoRacing1, Inc. the company name. Mark Cipolloni, President
Ford jumps on V10 bandwagon Ford jumps on V10 bandwagonFrom a Ford press release - "For the first time, Ford’s aluminum 3-valve cylinder head, introduced on the 2004 F-150, is available on a V-10 engine. The new 6.8-liter, 3-valve Triton V-10 is the most powerful gasoline engine in the class, with 355 horsepower and 455 pound-feet of torque – both class-leading figures. Like all of the Super Duty engines, it uses electronic throttle control for efficiency and quick response." Now it remains to be seen when Ford will offer a V10 in a passenger car like many other manufacturers are doing. BTW, Dodge already offers the Viper V10 in its SRT-10 truck.
Canada wins Nations Cup Canada wins Nations CupPaul Tracy’s fourth-place finish clinched the Champ Car Nations Cup for Canada today, giving the Canadians their second consecutive Nations Cup. Drivers Paul Tracy, Patrick Carpentier and Alex Tagliani contributed points to the cause this season.
Paddock talk - Brazil
Renault commit to 2007
F1 nod for Sunday qualifying
Paddock talk 2 - Brazil
French GP saved - Faure
Rubens backs IRL champion
New quali is 'confusing'
F1 teams want testing cut
Ferrari under fire
Renault may supply second team
Jag could've been 'British Ferrari'
Frank offers to buy Button
DC's nightmare finale
Bernie can't axe Brit GP
Ferrari 'not invited' to meeting
Champ Car attendance tops 309K at Surfers Champ Car attendance tops 309K at SurfersUPDATE #2 Sunday's announced attendance was 107,321, bringing the weekend total to 309,583 fans (an event record), the 2nd largest on the Champ Car circuit behind Mexico City which will attract over 400,000 in two weeks time. Visibly the crowd was larger than we have ever seen at Surfers. This is the second consecutive year that the Australia event has surpassed the 300,000 mark. 10/23/04 Saturday’s attendance of 85,741 is a new event record for the Champ Car race in Surfers Paradise and boosts the three-day attendance figure to 202,262. Attendance on each of the three days of this year’s event has improved over last year’s numbers. 10/22/04 The Friday attendance at Surfers Paradise was 62,943, a figure that was up over 2,000 over last year. The two-day attendance for the event is 116,521 with the two biggest days yet to come.
Besnard Sets High Expectation Besnard Sets High ExpectationAustralian driver David Besnard today fell short of his own expectation in the second and final qualifying session ahead of Sunday's Lexmark Indy 300 on the Gold Coast. Besnard had a troublesome day that started just five minutes into the morning's 75 minute practice session. Besnard hit a bump while changing gear and, with the wheels of his Wright Patton Shakespeare/Walker Racing Reynard in the air, the gear change damaged his gearbox. He pulled the car into the pits after just two laps and was forced to cool his heels for about 45 minutes while his crew made some running repairs to the third gear. Besnard completed another two laps but the gearbox problems remained and he was forced to park the car for the duration of the session.
He had completed just four laps of the challenging Surfers Paradise street circuit. "Considering I haven't really driven these cars before I couldn't really afford to lose the session," said Besnard. He returned to the track for the afternoon qualifying session with a new gearbox and found an extra one second on the time he set when he placed 13th in the first qualifying session from Friday. However, late in qualifying he ran out of fuel and caused the session to be red flagged. He was subsequently penalized his fastest qualifying lap. The penalty saw him drop to 17th in qualifying. He will start from that position for Sunday's main race.
"I had bigger expectation for today," he said. "After putting the thing 13th yesterday I felt I had more to improve than the guys who have been doing it for a long time. Hurting the gearbox this morning really cost me a lot. I could have taken one and a half hours this morning to get comfortable. Instead, I had to put it on the line in 15 minutes rather than one hour and 15 minutes."
Besnard said he was dealt a double-blow at the end of the session when he ran out of fuel and was penalized his fastest lap. "It was a double-whammy for me because I was on a quicker lap again when it happened. It was a kick in the guts as I lost my other lap as well," he said. Besnard said he would be relaxed going into Sunday's Lexmark Indy 300. "Tomorrow isn't about going quick," he said. "It's about staying straight and attrition. I will be watching them fall off in front and hopefully I will be out-thinking a few of them as well."
Besnard is racing in the Champ Car in a one-off drive courtesy of his WPS Racing team owner Craig Gore, who negotiated a deal with Champ Car series co-owner Kevin Kalkhoven and Walker Racing principal Derrick Walker. He will resume his place in the WPS Racing Ford Falcon in the next round of the V8 Supercar Championship Series in Tasmania next month. WPS Racing
9 of 10 F1 teams agree to curtailed testing 9 of 10 F1 teams agree to curtailed testingNine Formula One teams issued proposals to dramatically reduce costs in the sport next year as they turned the heat on world champions Ferrari in Brazil on Saturday. All teams, with the exception of the current title-holders, issued a joint-statement of proposed changes, which include a significant reduction in testing. And if Ferrari, who are against the changes because of the limitation on testing, also agree to their demands next year's British and French Grands Prix will go ahead. The nine teams met without Ferrari on Saturday morning, having failed to get the support of the world champions for their cost-cutting plans in two meetings on Friday.
The proposals will see costs substantially reduced with a cut in testing to 10 days per team with the Friday of Grand Prix weekends being made an unofficial testing day with two two-hour sessions. The scheme still needs the backing of Ferrari to go ahead in 2005, but could be put in place the following season without the Italian team. They also agreed to a control tire rule to slow the runaway escalation of speeds caused by the tire war.
"All teams, expect Ferrari, agreed the measures outlined, which will substantially and tangibly reduce, in both the short and long term, the teams' costs and significantly enhance the spectacle of the sport," the statement said. "At the meeting, Mr. Ecclestone (the sport's commercial rights holder) proposed a 19-race calendar, which included the French and British Grands Prix as the 18th and 19th races respectively. The attending teams agreed that if the significant cost-saving measures could be instituted by 2005, this would allow the French and British Grands Prix to proceed."
Ron Dennis, the McLaren team boss, had earlier expressed the frustrations of the teams at Ferrari's failure to agree to change. "I think there is a lot of frustration at the transcendence of some people to embrace the necessity for radical change," Dennis said. "The majority of the teams are deeply frustrated."
How history will remember Andretti How history will remember AndrettiA generation or two hence, when historians look back on auto racing in this country, the name Mario Andretti will prominently appear. But, as I see it, not for all the obvious reasons. Victories in the Indy and Daytona 500s, Sebring and the world F-1 championship are reasons enough; however there’s another highly significant plus. When Mario Andretti talks, he speaks with intelligence, understanding, thought and meaning. His TV interviews and public pronouncements have always contained substance, a facet missing from many driver utterances. Last week Mario was Grand Marshal of New York City’s Columbus Day Parade. He rode up 5th Ave. in an Italian-made Lamborghini Murciélago Spyder with N.Y. City Mayor Michael Bloomberg and Governor George Pataki. But who did the NYC press quote? Not the mayor nor the governor. Reporters preferred Mario’s wonderful testament to the meaning of the Day, the Italian people and his pride in those from his native land. Bravo, Mario. Chris Economaki, National Speed Sport News
Honda says two different things Honda says two different thingsA reader writes, Dear AutoRacing1, In your "Rumors" section you had snippet on Honda pulling out on F1. If that is the reasoning for Honda F1 involvement why are they throwing money down the sewer in IRL when those are the same restrictions placed on the crapwagon engines? Yes, I know about the marketing premise of the US but people buy Honda's because of their reliability and quality not watching the IRL as proven by their race and TV numbers.
There is one point in Mr. Szafnauer's statement that does hold for IRL in that it is a "level" racing field with full throttle racing. "Honda’s Otmar Szafnauer commented. “One of the reasons we are here is so that we can fight the others on a level playing field in a formula that is not very restrictive. Once you start restricting it, the challenge goes away. That is not what Honda is here for.”
Szafnauer’s biggest beef surround restricting design freedom. “Defining the weight that the engine has to be, and the center of gravity, the bore size and the cylinder spacing – those are the main issues,” ..." Honda brings further disgrace to themselves in being two-faced again. I still won't purchase Honda products. Greg W.. Dear Greg, Honda is in F1 for the technology, they are in the IRL for totally different reasons. Until they move into NASCAR the IRL is an avenue to market to the American public who are used to dumbed down racing in NASCAR. Mark C.
F1 approves Sunday qualifying F1 approves Sunday qualifyingToday, the FIA issued a bulletin outlining changes to the qualifying format to come into use as of the start of the 2005 Formula 1 World Championship. There will still be two sessions, but the main difference is that one session will take place on Saturday from 13h00 to 14h00, with the second on Sunday morning, from 10 to 11. The biggest change is that the grid positions will be decided by aggregating a driver’s times from both sessions, with the lowest aggregate obviously taking pole. A further change concerns the running order for the first session. Instead of running the cars in the order in which they finished the previous grand prix, with the winner going first, the order from the previous race will be reversed, so the complete opposite of this year’s system. Fuel loads will be free for Saturday’s session. The cars will then go into parc ferme after the first session, but refueling will be allowed prior to the second session. As is the case at the moment, there will be no refueling permitted between the end of the second session and the start of the race, so that they will qualify with their initial race fuel load on board.
Bourdais needs just 7 points more than Junqueira Bourdais needs just 7 points more than JunqueiraSebastien Bourdais needs to outscore Junqueira by seven points this weekend in Surfers Paradise to prevent a nail-biting showdown at the season finale in Mexico City. “I think it will be mathematically pretty difficult to pick up seven points on Bruno in the race because he is going to be so close,” Bourdais said. “We are going to more or less try to put the McDonald's car up there and see if the race comes to us. But if the championship goes to Mexico City, I'm fine with that.”
Junqueira rebounded strongly after a faulty gear position sensor on Friday that left him way down in 16th on the overnight grid. After vaulting to the top of the charts early in Saturday's qualifying session, he was eclipsed by Bourdais just after the halfway mark before going back out and nipping his teammate by 0.028s. Because his time was subsequently beaten by Tracy, however, Junqueira was demoted to third on the starting grid.
“I was very happy with the PacifiCare car today but I left a little bit on the table,” reckoned the Brazilian. “I was on a very good, mega lap and hit the tires and it cost me some time. It's a shame that the red flag ended the session with three minutes to go. After having the gear problem yesterday it was good to be able to make runs on both sets of tires today and that helped us improve our position. I need to finish in front of Sebastien but I'm going to try to win the race. I'm not thinking about the championship; I'm just thinking about getting the best result possible in the race.”
Webber hopes Pizzonia is not teammate Webber hopes Pizzonia is not teammateMark Webber is secretly hoping Frank Williams does not hire Antonio Pizzonia to be his 2005 team-mate. The pair raced together at Jaguar in 2003 -- and Australian-born Webber thrashed the young 'Jungle Boy' until he was fired. But Williams' test driver improved his stock in 2004 by racing impressively in Ralf Schumacher's injured shoes, and is still regarded highly by Frank and F1 partner Patrick Head. 27-year-old Webber said in Sao Paulo: ''(Antonio) is still vulnerable to inconsistencies. He can get frustrated. It sounds obvious, but he did not do a good job at all at Jaguar.'' Pizzonia annoyed Mark when, earlier this season, he accused Jaguar of giving 'better equipment' to Webber in 2003. ''That's bull,'' Webber said on Friday. ''He was going to blow me away at Jaguar and he just didn't. We had the same chances.'' F1Racing.net
Earnhardt penalty left him feeling foolish Earnhardt penalty left him feeling foolishDale Earnhardt Jr. thought his appeal of a 25-point penalty for swearing on television would be overturned "on the drop of a hat." When it wasn't, he felt like he'd wasted his time. "I was really frustrated by the appeal," Earnhardt said Friday of his bid to have the point-docking and $10,000 fine overturned. The penalty was imposed for his use of vulgarity during a Victory Lane interview earlier this month at Talladega Superspeedway. NASCAR turned down the appeal this week wouldn't have went down there all the way to Daytona if I didn't feel like it was worth the trip," Earnhardt said. "They made you feel like they were listening to you while you were there, but I think the decision was already made before the wheels hit the ground, you know. I tried to state my case and I thought exactly what I said anybody would have turned it over on the drop of a hat," Earnhardt said after qualifying third for Sunday's race at Martinsville Speedway. "But I guess I felt more strongly about it than anyone else." The hearing, he said, left him feeling foolish. AP Story
Button tops Saturday AM practice in Brazil Button tops Saturday AM practice in Brazil
Pos Driver Nat Team Laps Time Gap To 1st
1. Jenson Button GB BAR-Honda 9 1:11.466
2. Takuma Sato J BAR-Honda 11 1:11.580 0.114 0.114
3. Kimi Raikkonen FIN McLaren-Mercedes 7 1:11.591 0.011 0.125
4. Rubens Barrichello BR Ferrari 6 1:11.641 0.050 0.175
5. Ralf Schumacher D Williams-BMW 8 1:11.714 0.073 0.248
6. Michael Schumacher D Ferrari 9 1:11.740 0.026 0.274
7. Giancarlo Fisichella I Sauber-Petronas 6 1:11.985 0.245 0.519
8. Felipe Massa BR Sauber-Petronas 5 1:12.064 0.079 0.598
9. David Coulthard GB McLaren-Mercedes 7 1:12.085 0.021 0.619
10. Juan Pablo Montoya COL Williams-BMW 7 1:12.208 0.123 0.742
11. Jarno Trulli I Toyota 5 1:12.263 0.055 0.797
12. Mark Webber AUS Jaguar 8 1:12.356 0.093 0.890
13. Fernando Alonso E Renault 7 1:12.563 0.207 1.097
14. Christian Klien A Jaguar 8 1:12.612 0.049 1.146
15. Ricardo Zonta BR Toyota 10 1:13.025 0.413 1.559
16. Nick Heidfeld D Jordan-Ford 7 1:13.327 0.302 1.861
17. Zsolt Baumgartner H Minardi-Cosworth 11 1:14.284 0.957 2.818
18. Gianmaria Bruni I Minardi-Cosworth 10 1:14.336 0.052 2.870
19. Timo Glock D Jordan-Ford 10 1:14.805 0.469 3.339
Teams fight to save Britian and France Teams fight to save Britian and FranceThe fate of the threatened British and French Grands Prix could hinge on Formula One teams agreeing to further significant cost-cutting measures for next season. "Silverstone is not yet dead, the teams are working furiously to find a solution and throughout the team discussions, solutions were close for Silverstone and Magny-Cours," Minardi boss Paul Stoddart told Reuters at the Brazilian Grand Prix. "They're not done unless the teams can find a way to seriously reduce their costs." "It could well be that if we can get agreement this weekend, or shortly after it, to a few little things that we're trying to get agreement to from 10 teams, we could see an 18th or 19th grand prix." Stoddart would not give details but the measures were likely to concern limits on testing, which champions Ferrari have resisted in the past. Team bosses met Formula One's commercial supremo Bernie Ecclestone at Interlagos on Friday and will have more meetings over the weekend on a wide range of issues affecting the troubled sport's future.
The provisional calendar for 2005 has 19 races but teams are committed only to 17. Britain and France are subject to contracts being agreed. "Basically there was some serious discussion about cost saving," Toyota motorsport president John Howett, who also attended Friday's meetings, told Reuters. "Whether or not we can implement them we will have to wait and see, a couple of people may be resisting. "But overall I think there's a general understanding that we've got to go further even now than these regulation changes. "The issue obviously for some teams is that if there are 18, 19 races, how do they get reimbursed for the cost of those races? If we don't cut other things, it becomes really difficult for them to actually manage that. "For the smaller guys to do 19 races is impossible unless they get money and then you've either got to cut costs or they've got to be reimbursed. I think that was the position that was put forward," he said. Reuters
Brazilian GP Friday Press Conference Brazilian GP Friday Press Conference Technical directors: Ross BRAWN (FERRARI), Mike GASCOYNE (TOYOTA), Sam MICHAEL (BMW WILLIAMS F1), Pat SYMONDS (RENAULT) Transcript
Kvapil to race 4th Penske car at Martinsville Kvapil to race 4th Penske car at MartinsvilleUPDATE Roger Penske has turned some heads with the surprise entry of rookie Travis Kvapil in a fourth Penske team car here [Martinsville]. Penske's Don Miller had little to say about the entry, except that the decision was made Monday. Kvapil, who qualified an impressive fifth, is one of the drivers Penske has been testing for a possible Cup ride next season. "We're doing that development program and this an extension of that," Miller said. "Better to come here than Atlanta." Miller said this might be Kvapil's only run for Penske this fall. Next year? "Maybe next year," Miller said with a grin. "But I don't know what may happen next year. Next year is another year." Winston Salem Journal 10/20/04 2003 Truck Series champ Travis Kvapil will drive a fourth Dodge from the Penske Racing stable this weekend in the Nextel Cup Series Subway 500 at Martinsville Speedway. Kvapil, who is also in Martinsville to compete in Saturday's Truck Series Kroger 200, will drive a #06 Dodge as a teammate to Penske Racing's Rusty Wallace and Ryan Newman and Penske Jasper Racing's Brendan Gaughan. "This is a continuation of our driver development program," Penske Racing co-owner Don Miller, the listed owner of the 06 car, said. "We're taking Travis to Martinsville in the same way we took Chad Blount to Talladega." Roy McCauley will lead the crew with Kvapil at Martinsville. Kvapil has been fodder in the Silly Season rumor mill since he tested a Penske Racing Dodge at Kansas Speedway in September. He's eighth in the standings, 381 points behind leader Bobby Hamilton with four races remaining. Kvapil has two victories this season, which were Toyota's first in the series. NASCAR.com
Paddock talk - Interlagos
FIA publish new regulations
Jordan to skip 2005 season?
Paddock talk 2 - Interlagos
Unhappy with V8 engine rule
Bigger car numbers
Forget a sabbatical, DC
Toyota to rescue Jordan
Bernie backs unofficial Brit GP
'Pizza-boy doesn't deliver'
New Jag is 'gorgeous'
'05 rules 'sensible' - Brawn
FIA won't budge
Testers want F1 debut
Todt visits hospital
'I'll race for free' - DC
'Third' car rule
Jordan to lose title sponsor
Pizzonia to get the nod
New rules to 'clash'
Jenson Button's 'headache'
Toyota must 'deliver' in '05
Montagny 'just missed out'
Laguna Seca announces 2005 Champ Car date Laguna Seca announces 2005 Champ Car dateThe Grand Prix of Monterey is scheduled for Sept. 9-11 and for the 25th consecutive year will feature the Champ Car World Series, pending final negotiations with the series. Support races for the weekend should include the crowd-pleasing Trans-Am, Toyota-Atlantic and Formula BMW Championships.
Bourdais leads Saturday practices in Surfers Bourdais leads Saturday practices in SurfersProvisional pole-sitter Sebastien Bourdais picked up where he left off yesterday, setting the weekend's best time during both Saturday practice sessions at Surfers Paradise. Qualifying is up next.
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anna dorothea therbusch
Jupiter und Antiope
Jupiter und Antiope, von Anna Dorothea Therbusch, 1775. Jupiter nähert sich in Gestalt eines Satyrs Antiope, Tochter des Nykteus, Königs von Theben. Die schlummernde Schönheit ahnt noch nichts von dem bevorstehenden gewaltsamen Akt und dem daraus resultierenden tragischen Schicksal. - Ausgestellt in Schloss Friedrichsfelde (Standort des Stadtmuseums Berlin)
Hendrick Goltzius
1612 cjr
Date 1612 cyf
1558-1617 Dutch Hendrik Goltzius (1558 - January 1, 1617), Dutch printmaker, draftsman, and painter, was born at Millebrecht, in the duchy of Julich. He was the leading Dutch engraver of the early Baroque period, noted for his sophisticated technique. After studying painting on glass for some years under his father, he was taught the use of the burin by Dirk Volkertszoon Coornhert, a Dutch engraver of mediocre attainment, whom he soon surpassed, but who retained his services for his own advantage. He was also employed by Philip Galle to engrave a set of prints of the history of Lucretia. At the age of 21 he married a widow somewhat advanced in years, whose money enabled him to establish at Haarlem an independent business; but his unpleasant relations with her so affected his health that he found it advisable in 1590 to make a tour through Germany to Italy, where he acquired an intense admiration for the works of Michelangelo, which led him to emulate that master in the grotesqueness and extravagance of his designs. He returned to Haarlem considerably improved in health, and laboured there at his art till his death. Goltzius' painting Lot and his daughters (Rijksmuseum Amsterdam) shows Lot being seduced by his two daughters. Sodom and Gomorrah are shown burning in the background, with Lot's wife who had turned into a pillar of salt, in front.Goltzius ought not to be judged chiefly by the works he valued most, his eccentric imitations of Michelangelo. His portraits, though mostly miniatures, are masterpieces of their kind, both on account of their exquisite finish, and as fine studies of individual character. Of his larger heads, the life-size portrait of himself is probably the most striking example. His masterpieces, so called from their being attempts to imitate the style of the old masters, have perhaps been overpraised. Goltzius brought to an unprecedented level the use of the "swelling line", where the burin is manipulated to make lines thicker or thinner to create a tonal effect from a distance. He also was a pioneer of "dot and lozenge" technique, where dots are placed in the middle of lozenge shaped spaces created by cross-hatching to further refine tonal shading. A self portraitHollstein credits 388 prints to him, with a further 574 by other printmakers after his designs. In his command of the burin Goltzius is said to rival that of Durer's; but his technical skill is not equally aided by higher artistic qualities. Even, however, his eccentricities and extravagances are greatly counterbalanced by the beauty and freedom of his execution. He made engravings of Bartholomeus Spranger's paintings, thus increasing the fame of the latter - and his own. Goltzius began painting at the age of forty-two; some of his paintings can be found in the imperial collection at Vienna. He also executed a few chiaroscuro woodcuts. He was the stepfather of engraver Jacob Matham.
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You are here: Home / News / Enjoy NOAA’s vital satellite imagery, while you still can
Enjoy NOAA’s vital satellite imagery, while you still can
March 6, 2017 by Dwayne Martinez
U.S. satellites help us predict and prepare for powerful storms, even before they arrive at our door. The data let us to monitor climate change and map the effects on coastlines, glaciers, oceans and land. With satellite systems, we can tell when it’s safe to fly a plane, steer a ship or drive a car.
This research — and far more — all falls largely under the umbrella of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), one of the top U.S. climate science agencies.
Yet NOAA may soon be forced to dial back or pause some of this work if the Trump administration succeeds in slashing the agency’s budget.
The White House aims to cut NOAA’s funding by 17 percent from current levels, according to a four-page budget memo obtained by the Washington Post last week.
That includes eliminating $513 million, or 22 percent, of the current funding for NOAA’s satellite division, and slashing another $216 million, or 26 percent, from NOAA’s Office of Oceanic and Atmospheric Research.
Scientists said the deep cuts at NOAA would not only jeopardize academic research but also our ability to withstand storms and adapt to the effects of human-caused global warming.
“Any weakening of our technological, scientific and human capabilities related to weather and climate places American lives and property at risk,” Marshall Shepherd, a leading climate expert and meteorologist at the University of Georgia, said in a Forbes column.
For those unfamiliar with NOAA — and for all the weather and climate geeks — here’s a quick tour of the agency’s latest satellite-driven research.
Chasing storms
Charting climate change
Sun spotting
Tracking coastal threats
Interestingly, the budget memo shows only a tiny proposed cut to NOAA’s National Weather Service. But without reliable, advanced weather satellites, the Weather Service will find it more difficult to do its job, meteorologists say. Satellites supply about 90 percent of the information that goes into weather forecasting models and are key tools for predicting severe storms like hurricanes and tornadoes.
Conrad Lautenbacher, a retired vice admiral who was the NOAA administrator under President George W. Bush, told the Washington Post that Trump’s budget proposal is “ill-timed, given the needs of society, [the] economy and the military.”
With the proposed cuts, “It will be very hard for NOAA to manage and maintain the kind of services the country requires,” he told the newspaper.
The cuts would hit the agency just as it prepares to put its first of several next-generation, multibillion dollar satellites into service, with GOES-16 slated to go live later this year. If the budget cuts are realized and cause delays in satellite production and deployment, they could cause gaps when current satellites reach the end of their service life, which would make weather forecasts less reliable.
The budget blueprint is just the first word on government funding for Fiscal Year 2018, and Congress will have the final say over how deep President Trump’s requested cuts actually will go.
Additional reporting by Mashable Science Editor Andrew Freedman.
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Next Lizz Winstead and friends rip on sexist songs at Do Re #MeToo
It’s a family affair for Brandi Carlile at the State Theatre
Friday, November 30, 2018 by Chad Werner in Music
Brandi Carlile: She's gotta point Pete Souza
Brandi Carlile has a family—wife, two kids….
But she's also got a family of musicians she creates and performs, and an extended family of fans—her Bramily, if you will. Once you’re part of the team, that’s it. You’re in for life. This attitude was on display last night at the State Theatre during a big, bold, almost two-hour hug of a show.
Alabama duo the Secret Sisters opened the evening, with Laura and Lydia Rogers offering sweet harmony and a near stand-up level of conversational comedy. They introduced the stone-cold serious “Mississippi” by riffing hilariously about wanting to write more murder ballads, and afterward Laura quipped “I’d like to murder the person who invented pantyhose.”
They also love Graham Nash. A lot. Before performing “Wasted on the Way,” happily married Laura shared her amorous feelings toward the 76-year-old British singer with the audience.
The sold-out crowd fully warmed up, the Brandi Carlile family came onstage to the swelling sounds of a string quartet playing a snippet of 2015’s “Wherever is Your Heart.” Carlile’s fans are passionate about her, and the miniature State Theatre seats (people were smaller years ago, right?) were not destined to contain most of them.
Decked out in a festive floral-themed blazer and red ruffled top, Carlile opened with this year’s elegant “Every Time I Hear that Song.” Then Carlile and band foot-stomped into the appropriately titled “Raise Hell” with a wild abandon.
For any other band, the raucous track would have been a closing number. It was Carlile’s second song.
“I feel like I am home here,” she said. “This is my favorite time of the year to be here.” Carlile then talked about how three-part harmony wasn’t really a “thing” in the ’90s in her Seattle hometown, but that she and “the twins”—bandmates Phil and Tim Hanseroth—were going to perform a song “in their native tongue.”
“The Eye” was a celebration of openness and perfect harmony, and Carlile’s psychic connection to her twins cannot be overstated. They act as one person with three voices, as natural and unstoppable as lava from Kilauea.
Introducing “The Mother,” the singer talked about how her daughter is growing up—and growing sassier. “It’s about my Evangeline, but it can be about yours, too,” she said. This honesty about motherhood was refreshing, and segued perfectly into the powerful and dramatic “The Joke.”
I’m not saying Brandi Carlile invented the emotional voice crack, but she certainly perfected it, and not in a false, saccharine way. The words flow out of her, and it is all emotion. It is her natural state, and it is something to behold.
“Mainstream Kid” is a four-minute master class in how rock and roll should be performed. Seriously. This track is up there with anything by the Rolling Stones, Ramones, or the Replacements. From the strutting extended beginning through the gritty shredding at the end, it was a loose bolt rattling on the barely contained rock and rollercoaster.
“Fulton County Jane Doe” tells the story of an unidentified dead body, but Carlile does not let her life end without a funeral. “You may not have a name, but you’re going to have a song.”
The singer performed two covers in the dash to the end of the set: Joni Mitchell’s “A Case of You,” performed solo, and Elton John’s “Madman Across the Water” with Carlile on piano. And then “The Story” was a soaring emotional centerpiece, full of explosions and aftershocks that brought the crowd to their feet.
There wasn’t an encore, per se. Instead the band just continued. Carlile appeared in the balcony box seats with the twins for a stripped down take on the Firewatcher’s Daughter track “Beginning to Feel the Years.”
Then the Secret Sisters and everyone else met Carlile and the Hanseroths back on stage for the explosive “Hold Out Your Hand,” from this year’s By The Way, I Forgive You. The singer made good on her earlier promised to put on a Santa hat as she and the band shouted “Ba da da, ba da da, ba da da” along with the euphoric audience.
The band filed off stage, but the Secret Sisters remained with Carlile for a stirring, a capella version of “Amazing Grace,” sending the happy crowd off into night as new members of her family.
Post script: If you didn’t score tickets to Brandi Carlile’s three night sold out run at the State, you can listen to tonight’s show on the Current.
Every Time I Hear that Song
Raise Hell
The Mother
Have You Ever
Sugartooth
Mainstream Kid
Fulton County Jane Doe
A Case of You (Joni Mitchell cover)
Madman Across the Water (Elton John cover)
Party of One
Beginning to Feel the Years
Hold Out Your Hand
The crowd: #TheFutureIsFemale
Overheard in the crowd: “I’m getting kicked out because I fell down the stairs?!” asked the super-drunk guy.
Random notebook dump: Does Brandi Carlile DJ her own pre/post set music? Cher, Heart, Joan Jett, L7, and Dolly Parton—it’s the musical milkshake that makes up Carlile herself.
First Avenue: Stories of Minnesota's Mainroom
July 18, 2019 at Minnesota History Center
CityPages Music
More from Music
How'd a suburban Minnesotan wind up writing Florida Georgia Line songs in Nashville? July 17 by Nathan Roberts
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Goldie Hawn soaks up the sunshine as shirtless husband Kurt Russell takes her boating
Goldie Hawn, 73, soaks up the sunshine in a slick black one-piece as shirtless husband Kurt Russell, 68, takes her boating in Greece
By Andrew Bullock For Mailonline
Published: 10:29 BST, 23 June 2019 | Updated: 10:29 BST, 23 June 2019
Goldie Hawn and Kurt Russell continued their summer vacation over the weekend as they took the seas around Greece together.
The pair looked in high spirits as they enjoyed a sun-kissed cruise on a boat, around one of Greece’s islands, with the Death Becomes Her actress, 73, slipping into a black swimsuit.
Her long-term partner Kurt, 68, made the most of the Mediterranean sunshine by going shirtless for the occassion as the pair- known as one of Hollywood’s longest-lasting couples having been together for 36 years – as they took to the waters.
Trip: Hollywood actress Goldie Hawn, 73, enjoyed a sun-kissed holiday on Italy’s Amalfi Coast this week where she was joined her family
The pair, who were joined by Goldie’s daughter Kate Hudson and her partner Danny Fujikawa on the trip, spent time diving and also went on jet skis.
Goldie looked stylish in a dark blue one-piece bathing suit that featured gold detailing around the neckline while Kurt sported a pair of white and black swimming trunks.
They spent the day on the O’Mega, a luxury charter yacht that was built in 1987 and converted into a superyacht in 2002.
Currently owned by Ezra Boren, it was listed as number 29 on the Power & Motor Yacht magazine’s list of the World’s 100 Largest Yachts 2008
Career: Kurt began acting in television at the age of 12 in the series The Travels of Jaimie McPheeters and has also starred in Escape From L.A., The Hateful Eight and Once Upon A Time in Hollywood
Holiday: The actress spent some some quality time with her longtime partner Kurt Russell, 68, who sported a pair of white and black swimming trunks
Relationship: Goldie and Kurt one of Hollywood’s most well-known couples and have been together for 36 years
The couple starred as unlikely love interests in the 1987 comedy Overboard, a film about a rude wealthy woman who suffers amnesia and is tricked into believing she is married to her carpenter.
They first met on the set of the 1968 musical film The One and Only, Genuine, Original Family Band, before becoming romantic after working together on Swing Shift.
Kurt previously spoke to Dailymail.com about how the two kept a successful family life while being working actors.
He said: ‘We were very aware of what would happen had we both pursued our careers full-on. I very rarely worked when I knew Goldie was going to be working. And vice-versa. Which meant we could be together.
‘I never thought that what the business could provide would ever take precedence over us. Money is great, but you’ve got to say no. You really do.’
Co-stars: Goldie and Kurt starred as unlikely love interests in the 1987 comedy Overboard, a film about a rude wealthy woman who suffers amnesia and is tricked into believing she is married to her carpenter
Kurt previously spoke to Dailymail.com about how the two kept a successful family life while being working actors
Indeed, he said there was at least one occasion when he turned down the chance to star in a major Hollywood production.
‘There was a movie I was going to be paid a lot of money for. I’d rather not say what it was, but it came when I’d just done two pictures in a row and Goldie was about to go to work, so I had to turn it down.’
Kurt and Goldie share 32-year-old son Wyatt from their relationship.
Oliver’s younger sister Kate Hudson considers Kurt her father, while Goldie is also de facto stepmom to Kurt’s oldest son Boston, 38, whom he shares with ex wife Season Hubley.
Oscar nominee Goldie previously discussed her experiences with motherhood in an interview with People magazine.
She said: ‘Certainly, as a mother, I’ve made mistakes. We all do, we all will. But the most important thing is to stay authentic and true to yourself and hope that you show by example, not by what you say but by what you do.’
Related Items:boating, Goldie, Hawn, husband, Kurt, Russell, shirtless, soaks, sunshine, Takes, whats rising
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The Gift of Uncertainty
Amy Tanner — July 9, 2019
Denise Stephens, associate professor of mathematics education, gave the university devotional on July 9. To listen to her address, click here.
Finding Your Place in the Universe
Denise Stephens — April 3, 2018
Denise Stephens, professor of astronomy, gave the university devotional on July 3. To listen to her address, click here.
Seeing Things Differently
Michael J. Dorff — April 3, 2018
Michael J. Dorff, professor of mathematics, gave the university devotional on April 3. To listen to his address, click here.
Do We Really Believe?
Blake E. Peterson — May 24, 2016
Blake E. Peterson, chair of the Department of Mathematics Education, gave the university devotional on May 24. To listen to his address, click here.
All That Ye Need to Know
John D. Lamb — May 20, 2014
Dr. John Lamb, the 2014 Maeser Distinguished Faculty Lecturer and a professor in the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, gave an address at the BYU forum on May 20. To listen to the forum, click here.
Family, Education, and Careers: Women in Math, Science and Engineering
President Cecil O. Samuelson — March 17, 2005
Professor Halverson shared with me that the purpose of our hour together this morning is to “give encouragement and support to . . . undergraduate women as they pursue their education in the areas of math, science and engineering.” Further, it was pointed out to me that a concern many of you have is the perceived conflict between women preparing for a career in the hard sciences and the Church teachings on family. I will attempt to address this issue, together with some other counsel, for you. I must confess that I believe I know more about preparing for a career in the hard sciences and Church teachings on the family than I do about being a woman. Nevertheless, I’ll do my best. For the full text, click here.
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Just before Christmas St John the Evangelist CE Primary School, Carterton, Oxfordshire, had a surprise visit from David Cameron, who opened the new library.
The school had raised funding of £12,000 for the refurbishment over just a six month period.
The Prime Minister, who is MP for Witney, spoke with staff, governors and pupils, and then went on to read to a group of children.
The library was designed and furnished by Birmingham based Peters Books & Furniture to include library storage, different areas for fiction and non-fiction, an ICT area, and a story-time area. Peters created areas for small-group work in an informal setting and in a space designed to be open, fun and modern. Curves and triangular arrangements were used to lead students naturally into the library and also to add interest to the overall look of the space.
Bespoke products were created, such as turning an adjoining storage space into a ‘reading den’, with a small opening which children can crawl into to get into the den. Inside the den they can relax on an upholstered seat base.
Prime Minister David Cameron visits Carterton
News report from the Oxford Mail.
Opening of the school library
Photos of the visit and the new school library interior.
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What Else Won't the Greens do for us?
Back in February, we reported on the new plans for ‘eco-towns’ in the UK, to make up part of the housing shortage. We suggested that it was unlikely that even the eco-town-planners would actually go as far as to replace the sewage system with water-free composting toilets…
It is not clear whether the Government intends that eco-homes in eco-towns will feature eco-toilets. It seems unlikely. Yet the principle remains – the ethic driving these developments is not that humans deserve a pleasant space to live in, but that their basic functions and needs are grudgingly catered for in such a way as to remind them that everything they do contributes to destroying the planet.
We may have been wrong. According to a Guardian story today, there may be no option for the eco-proles to be connected to the sewers.
By capturing rainwater and reusing waste water, eco-towns will also have to be “water-neutral”, which means there should be no overall increase in water demand as a result of the development.
The Government’s view of human needs is very clear. As a human being, you are entitled to no more water than falls on the land you occupy. That’s your lot.
The Guardian chooses not to focus on this aspect of the developments, however. The title of the piece is, “New eco-towns to make it hard going for cars with 15mph limit”.
Half of all households in eco-towns will have to live without a car and those that have one will find their speed limited to 15mph, according to standards for the wave of new towns unveiled yesterday. In, a series of anti-car measures announced by Hazel Blears, the secretary of state for communities, large parts of the towns of up to 20,000 homes each will be car-free. Homes will instead be built no farther than 400 metres from a bus or tram stop, and car-sharing schemes will replace car ownership.
Anti-car and ‘sustainable’ (i.e. rationed, and insufficient) water provision reminded us of the following sketch from Monty Python.
All right… all right… but apart from better sanitation and medicine and education and irrigation and public health and roads and a freshwater system and baths and public order… what have the Romans done for us
With roads and water infrastructure out of the question for Britain’s new eco-slums, you have to wonder about the legitimacy of a government which doesn’t sufficiently provide for the public. Eco-proles will be stuffed into these developments so that the Government can tick its “sustainability” targets, and satisfy the mean-spirited and authoritarian demands of the environmental movement. The concept of “sustainability” is used here by the Government as a means to regulate lifestyle, but also to wash its hands of the responsibility of providing adequate public goods. No one will be asking what else Environmentalism did for them, because the entire point of Environmentalism is to provide less and less opportunity for life to be about more than existing.
The irony is that it is highly unlikely that these new estates will be populated by the middle class eco-evangelists, but by the working poor – the ones hardest hit by the housing shortage. It’s one thing to make the lifestyle choice to switch from the electricity supply grid, and to disconnect yourself from the water main and sewage system, and to get around by bicycle and bus. More power to the elbows of people who want to experiment with different ways of life, if that’s what really floats their boats. But it’s another thing entirely to lock an entire generation into a lifestyle with such low horizons. This is a political act that serves to control people, limit their possibilities, inconvenience them, diminish their expectations, and force a lifestyle upon them. It will create a class of people who cannot take a bath, or even a shower without checking that there has been sufficient rainfall. It will prevent people who may find themselves in need of a car from taking work which is not near a bus or train stop. What if someone living in an eco-town has a relative who suddenly falls ill and needs regular care, making a car a necessity? What if someone is relocated by their employer, making public transport an impractical solution? Or, dammit, what if someone actually enjoys having a bath, or having days out in the car? Who the hell is the government to decide that these are aspirations beyond what is reasonable?
As we have said before, the politics that has given rise to the eco-slum has never been tested in the UK. Nobody has ever voted for the concept of “sustainability”, yet increasingly, people are being asked to live with the consequences of sustainababble.
Author EditorsPosted on March 26, 2008 Categories BlogTags eco-towns
3 thoughts on “What Else Won't the Greens do for us?”
John A says:
I assume the UK government will be washing away all responsibility for the rampant progress of water borne diseases which will plague these eco-slums?
john a. bailo says:
If these villages aren’t under the control of the Water Board, the Sewer Board and all the government agencies, aren’t they worried they might turn into some type of “anarcho -syndicalist communes that take it in turn to…”
Seriously, at what point do Britains start questioning how much “loo” water the Royals get to splash on their sagging flesh?
Hi Ben, I thought I would throw in my two pence worth………..
There is one concept at work here that is by no means modern or at all radical.
Parson Thomas Malthus condemned the poor to subsistence two centuries ago by claiming a limit to growth. He posited that while humans populations grow geometrically, materials (food etc) can only be obtained arithmetically. Malthus has been consistently proven wrong by growing populations and economic growth (although distribution has been hugely distorted). Human beings are unavoidably substantial but Malthus misunderstood what creates “value” in a capitalist economy. Value and “weight” were becoming uncoupled before any notion of “carbon heavy goods”. “subjective value”(what individuals want and how much they will pay for it) replaced “material” value as specialisation increased and peoples tastes diversified.
Like Malthus, some Environmentalists also see humans playing a “zero sum game” with nature. This notion that we are bad for ourselves not only seems ontologically unsound, but in practice any action/reaction to problems denies that political practice can be a creative process.
There has always been enough material (food clothes housing etc) for everyone to live comfortably, this is not the issue. In most instances in a competitive economy it is the lowest common denominator that gets squeezed in the case of a crisis. This is happening again, with the help of some environmentalists. I would argue that instead being blamed for going over the threshold of environmental disaster the poor should be given room to grow. .
Previous Previous post: Do Environmentalists Want to Save the Planet or What?
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SCHUMACHER ON SHUT-OFF - "I clearly saw him."
Official starter Rick Stewart spotted some fluid leaking onto the right lane from Tony Schumacher's Army car, and he and Rick Shreck, assistant director of Top Fuel and Funny Car racing (Ray Alley's replacement), clearly ordered the team to shut off the car.
Schumacher's team ignored the order. Schumacher ran, and his plans went up in smoke immediately. He lost traction at the first hit of the throttle. So his 4.458 E.T. that had put him at the head of the list the previous two days had to serve as his best.
NHRA officials are reviewing the incident and a prepared statement indicated that they are considering punitive action against the team.
Schumacher said he saw the shut-off order from starter Rick Stewart. Crew chief Alan Johnson said he didn't. But Schumacher said he's the driver, not the boss, and that he listens solely to his crew chief.
That's their story and they're sticking to it.
"I don't want anyone to think I didn't see him," the U.S. Army Dragster driver said afterward. "I clearly saw him. It's not my job as a driver to shut the car off. "
Said Johnson, "Don't misunderstand. I don't think there was a person on the crew who didn't think that it was going to smoke the tires. It wasn't an issue of 'Is it going to make it?' No. Everyone knew it was going to smoke the tires."
He said he went ahead and staged the car because "there are a lot of things we learn just from him hitting the throttle in the first two-tenths of second, whether we smoke the tires. That, coupled with the build-up to this whole thing. You've got these two cars going up there. The fans came to see that. The ones who were left there, that's the reason they were there, just to watch that. If we were to shut one of the cars off and have the other guy make a single, it would have been so anticlimactic. There was no safety factor involved."
"Alan Johnson is the safest, and I'll trust him with my life," Schumacher said. "That is it."
Johnson said he simply didn't see the shutoff gesture. "Had I seen Rick Stewart tell me to shut it off, I would have shut it off," Johnson said. "Rick Shreck was right next to me, and he never gave me the signal. He may have given it to Tony, but he never gave it to me."
Schumacher said a driver always takes his final orders from his crew chief. "They understand the car better.
They built the car. It's their responsibility. It was cloudy, dark, cool -- we were going to go fast. It was unfortunate."
Johnson said no one from NHRA had spoken with him regarding its deliberation about the situation and possible punishment. That raised the question of whether the sanctioning body would rule on a situation without hearing "testimony" from the involved party. NHRA spokesman Anthony Vestal said the organization would not make a final determination Saturday night.
:::::: News ::::::
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By Cycling News May 16, 2017 4:33pm
Updated: May 17, 2017 12:17am Race: Giro d'Italia
Giro d'Italia: Stage 10 finish line quotes
Dumoulin gets a 'nice gap', Quintana 'worse than hoped'
Tom Dumoulin won the Giro d'Italia's 10th stage
Nairo Quintana in pink at the Giro d'Italia
Geraint Thomas racing stage 10 of the Giro d'Italia
Vincenzo Nibali at the Giro d'Italia
Bob Jungels riding the Giro d'Italia's stage 10 time trial
After Sunday's stage 9 summit finish on Blockhaus saw Nairo Quintana move into the maglia rosa, the stage 10 time trial turned the Giro d'Italia on its head, with the Colombian losing nearly three minutes to stage winner Tom Dumoulin, who now leads the race by 2:23. Geraint Thomas finished second on the stage to bounce back from the devastation of his crash on Sunday, while it was a mixed bag for the other GC contenders. Here's all the snap reaction.
Giro d'Italia: Dumoulin surges to pink in stage 10 time trial
Giro d'Italia: Stage 10 highlights - Video
Quintana loses Giro d'Italia lead in worse-than-expected time trial defeat
Nibali in the dark during Giro d'Italia's Montefalco time trial
Geraint Thomas: I've worked too hard to give up
Dumoulin: My rivals will need to attack in the mountains, and they know it
Tom Dumoulin (Team Sunweb)
"When I see the result, it's pretty good, eh? I was fighting with myself. I actually didn't have a good feeling but apparently it was really fast. A lot of the GC riders didn't have a good feeling. In my last TT's I gave up a little bit when I wasn't feeling good, and then I was always disappointed after. Now I thought 'I don't give up, I go full to the line', and it was more than enough.
"That's a nice gap to go into the mountains, but in the Vuelta I lost several minutes in one day. It can happen so quickly in the mountains when you have one bad day. The Giro Is far far far from over.
"It's really special to be back in the pink jersey. I had it for six days last year which was already special. Now it's not a coincidence anymore. Now I can fight with the best and that's a nice feeling. The difference to a year ago is this time I'm going for GC, like in the 2015 Vuelta a Espana. We'll fight to the end now. We'll see how much my gap is worth in the mountains but for now its nice to have the pink jersey."
Geraint Thomas (Team Sky) - 11th overall at 5:33
"It's one of those where you have to grit your teeth and go, and just hope the pain in the legs is more than in the arm. It was pretty much even. I threw my bottle away with about 8km to go and did it with this arm. I shouldn't have done that because I could really feel it.
"I think it shows I've got the form, the condition. Hopefully, I can recover more now in the next three days and go into the last week and hopefully search for that stage win.
"It's a good boost to confidence, to put time into most other GC guys, but obviously, it's a huge handicap now having lost so much time. It still hurts mentally, to lose the chance of going for the win or the podium through no fault of my own or another rider's which is frustrating. You've just got to deal with it, you can't dwell on it. I've just got to keep fighting now."
Nairo Quintana (Movistar) - 2nd overall at 2:23
"It's a bit worse than I hoped. Dumoulin was flying, he's a specialist.
"He could be my biggest rival now. Nibali rode well, too. I hoped to go better but we'll find our way to get some time back."
Vincenzo Nibali (Bahrain-Merida) - 5th overall at 2:47
"I think I did a great time. I don't know the exact times but I think my performance was good and all the work we've done with Merida for my bike helped. I judged my effort carefully because my computer was affected by the TV motorbike. I could only see my cadence and tried to keep it over 100 strokes a minute."
Bob Jungels (Quick-Step Floors) - 3rd on stage and now best young rider
"I'm really happy with my performance. Being on the podium of the time trial is fantastic for me. Being up there with Geraint Thomas is good while Tom Dumoulin is at another level. I think I showed my shape is still there and that Blockhaus was just a bad day."
Dumoulin crushes time trial, takes race lead
Movistar Team rider loses nearly three minutes to Dumoulin
Sicilian gains on Quintana but is now 2:47 off Dumoulin
Sky rider places second in Montefalco time trial and makes big gains
Dutchman enjoys a hefty GC advantage after dominant time trial performance
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By Barry Ryan February 15, 2016 12:02pm
Updated: February 16, 2016 5:27am Race: Tour of Oman
Tour of Oman’s future depends on success of 2016 edition
Race organiser Merckx comments on extreme weather and Froome’s absence
There are hills in Oman
Fabian Cancellara and the heads of state of the peloton in discussions on the Tour of Oman.
Eddy Merckx spoke to the riders on behalf of the organisation.
The start of stage 5 of the Tour of Oman was moved due to a sandstorm
Eddy Merckx in Qatar
The future of the Tour of Oman will only be decided following this year’s seventh edition of the event, according to representatives from both the race organisation and local government.
Tour of Oman stage 5 cancelled due to extreme weather conditions
Previous winners: Tour of Oman
Tour of Oman Preview: Nibali, Porte and Dumoulin line out for early-season test
Sbaragli will start season for Dimension Data at Andalucia - News Shorts
“The government will decide after this edition of the race and it all depends on the success of the tour,” said Salim bin Mubarak Al Hassani, chairman of Oman’s Sports Activities Committee, in a press conference in Muscat on Monday afternoon. “There will be an announcement after this race.”
Race organiser Eddy Merckx told reporters that he was optimistic that the Tour of Oman, which is run with the help of ASO, would continue for another three-year term, but said that the final decision rested squarely with the Omani government.
“Everything depends on the municipality,” Merckx said. “The Minister for Tourism is very positive because cycling is the only sport that shows the whole country and that’s important for tourism.”
During the press conference, Merckx also issued a mea culpa on behalf of the race organisation for the cancellation of the penultimate stage of last year’s Tour of Oman after riders staged a protest to highlight the extreme weather conditions.
A sandstorm amid soaring temperatures caused the start location of stage 5 to be moved, and Merckx acknowledged that placing the new neutralised zone on a descent had been an error. After a number of riders punctured as a result of hard braking on the descent, the Tour of Oman peloton called for the stage to be cancelled.
“It was a mistake of the organisation, absolutely,” Merckx said. “We should never have given the start with a neutralised descent, it was impossible. We did the same one year [as a rider] in the Tour of Italy and at the bottom we had to stop and change all the wheels. If we had gone straight to the finish line and started the stage from there, nothing would have happened.”
Merckx added that temperatures at this year’s Tour of Oman were due to peak at 28 degrees Celsius – “At the Tour Down Under, it was 40 degrees” – and said that the length of transfers before and after stages had been reduced significantly in comparison with previous editions.
On the other hand, as at the recent Tour of Qatar, there is a relative paucity of WorldTour teams in the Tour of Oman peloton compared to two or three years ago.
Merckx cited the Rio 2016 Olympics and the busier February calendar as reasons for the absence of some teams, pointing out that Orica-GreenEdge and Movistar were essentially obliged to participate at home races the Herald Sun Tour and Volta a la Comunitat Valenciana, respectively.
Asked about the absence of two-time Tour of Oman winner Chris Froome (Team Sky), who opted instead to start his season in Australia at the Herald Sun Tour, Merckx said: “What can I say? He rode a small race at the Sun Tour with only three WorldTour teams at the start.
“He wanted to start off with a race at a small level. The Sun Tour made a lot of publicity but there were only three WorldTour teams there.”
Sandstorm and heat raised concerns for rider safety
February 21, 2015 2:00pm
CCC Sprandi Polkowice name Ruta del Sol team, Wallays using Volta ao Algarve for Classics preparation, Bardet ready for Tour of Oman challenge
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Carima El-Behairy's Year of the Woman
Cathleen Draper
/ Aug. 1, 2018 6am EST
In 1992, 24 women were elected to the US House of Representatives, setting a record for the largest number of women to be sent to the House in an election, earning 1992 the moniker the “Year of the Woman.”
The 2018 election is shaping up to be the new “Year of the Woman.” A record-breaking 575 women are running for governor, House, or Senate across the country; many more are running for state and local offices. Some are propelled by the #MeToo movement and attacks on human rights by the Trump administration. Others are frustrated by the fact that men are making decisions and creating policies that directly affect women in their daily lives.
Carima El-Behairy, a Democrat seeking to challenge incumbent Republican Chris Jacobs for the 60th District seat in the New York State Senate, is one of the women hoping to make an improvement.
“We’re just sick of it,” El-Behairy said. “We are fighting the same battles our mothers fought, our grandmothers fought. We’re talking about the same things. We are 51 percent of the population, and we should represent, in gender, our population.”
El-Behairy, a business strategies consultant, is a first-time candidate, but she’s used to being the new girl on the scene.
Born in Grand Island, El-Behairy went to school around the world before settling in the city of Buffalo.
“Every couple years, I was the new kid in school,” El-Behairy said. “I didn’t look like anybody else in my school. And then you have the name.”
El-Behairy’s mother is from Ohio, and her father was from Egypt. She never felt like she truly belonged in either world. In America, she was “that girl with the funny name.” And in Egypt, she was “the girl with the American mother,” she said.
In fourth grade, her family traveled to Saudi Arabia for her father’s job as a teacher. She was homeschooled, but returned to Grand Island for fifth grade, and she was “the girls who came back.” The next year, she was “the new girl” in middle school. Then, she attended another foreign school for seventh grade. Between eighth grade and college, she was “the girl who came back” or “the new girl” six more times.
El-Behairy co-founded and served as the managing partner of P22 type foundry until last year. She’s also a founding trustee of the Western New York Book Arts Collaborative, the now-closed Oracle Charter School, and the Western New York Charter School Coalition.
She’s currently the treasurer for Planned Parenthood of Central and Western New York. Previously, she served as board chair and vice-chair for Planned Parenthood’s regional chapters. She also holds the board treasurer position for the Association Typographique Internationale.
El-Behairy’s platform is built around women. Her campaign focuses on quality education and healthcare access and affordability, as well as election reform and historic preservation with development.
“We’re underrepresented, underserved, and overregulated as women,” she said.
Raised by two educators, El-Behairy aims to create universal pre-K. Parents are left to their own devices with pre-K because it isn’t mandatory, and programs are costly and inconsistent in quality. The typical options are a high-quality, private preschool, a neighborhood preschool, a nanny, or a family member.
If parents choose to send their child to a private preschool, it costs a small fortune. Childcare for a four-year-old in New York costs $11,700 annually on average. Care for an infant and a four-year-old? That costs an average of $25,844, or 38.7 percent of a typical New York family’s income.
And, for the 79.7 percent of New York families who cannot afford private care, other options might not be sufficient in preparing children for kindergarten. Some kids enter school not knowing their own name or how to spell it because they’ve been called nickname and don’t know their letters. Others have had a virtual babysitter experience by watching TV all day.
“You’re expecting kids like that to succeed when they hit preschool,” El-Behairy said. “They don’t have the social skills, they don’t have the interaction skills, and they don’t have the academic skills. How do you address that? Get them to school earlier. Universal pre-K is one of those great equalizers.”
El-Behairy envisions a public system that starts at the age of three, which would benefit mothers, too. “Imagine what you could do if you could send your child to preschool at the age of three and actually work full-time,” she said. “We think about stuff like that as a woman. But oh my god, we’re represented by men in the senate who have no clue.”
Another thing the men running the state have no clue about is women’s health.
“Women’s health is different than men’s health,” El-Behairy said with a laugh. “If men had children, imagine what places we’d be going.”
For El-Behairy, it’s about a woman’s right to choose. She wants to remove abortion from the penal code and make it an aspect of healthcare. And access is what it’s all about.
“It’s access to free birth control; it’s access to healthcare, it’s access to education—making your own choices and being able to have those choices,” El-Behairy said.
The cost of healthcare prevents that access. As a business owner, El-Behairy worked to find plans and rates that would benefit her employees and not destroy their budgets. She looks at her mother, 81, who is in great health thanks to the high-quality insurance teachers have. But, El-Behairy knows that’s not the case for everyone.
“Medicare pays so well. so nobody goes to the doctor until they’re 65,” she said. “If you were able to offer health insurance for $300 a month, everybody would have it. But you’re charging $1,000 a month, so nobody has it.”
El-Behairy called the cost of healthcare “a war” against the poor and women. She knows low costs will increase the number of people covered, and vice versa.
El-Behairy also knows women are the future of government. As a woman, she sees the necessity of equal representation and understands the value of her unique viewpoint, negotiation, and communication skills, and savvy for business and nonprofit efforts.
“I’m not in it for me; I’m in it for you,” she said. “I’m not in it because I get to put senator next to my name. I’ve never run for public office before. ”You have to have new blood otherwise you’re just gonna swim in the same pool. You keep repeating the same problems and mistakes.”
The paucity of women in public office
In 1916, Jeanette Rankin became the first woman elected to the House of Representatives. Not long after, Rebecca Latimer Felton became the first female US senator.
One hundred years later, Hillary Clinton became the first woman to be nominated for president by a major political party.
The US ranks 102nd in the world for women’s representation in government. That represents a regression from an already bad place: Two decades ago, the US ranked 43rd.
Twenty-three percent of US senators are women, and just 84 of 435, or 19.3 percent, of US representatives are women. Twenty-one states have never had a female senator; five have never had a female representative. And 22 states have never had a female governor. according to the Washington Post.
New York has sent 28 women to Congress, second only to California, where 41 women have been elected to Congress. Vermont has never even elected a woman for a Congressional office.
For every single woman in political office, there are three men. Only six states have a female governor, two of which were appointed. And just 25.4 percent of state legislators are women in 2018.
New York is no different. No woman has ever held the position of governor. Women comprise 28.6 percent of state legislative seats, with only 15 women in the Senate and 45 women in the Assembly.
Currently, 32 New York women are running for the House, and only eight are incumbents. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, a democratic socialist, educator, and activist, defeated incumbent and Democratic Caucus Chair Joe Crowley in a stunning primary upset, proving a female-powered blue wave is possible in the fall.
Twenty-nine women have filed to run for state Senate, and 17 more have filed to run for the Assembly. The gubernatorial race is dominated by women, too: Incumbent Andrew Cuomo faces a primary challenge by Democrat Cynthia Nixon, and another Democrat, former Syracuse mayor Stephanie Minor, is planning to run a third-party challenge to Cuomo in the general election.
Local attorney and former advisor to Hillary Clinton and Governor Cuomo Leecia Eve is just one of several women running for attorney general.
But, even with the wave of women running for office in 2018, equal representation is still out of reach. Currently, there are 1,977 women in governorships, Congress, and state legislatures. In order to achieve equal representation, 2,006 more women must run and win.
El-Behairy said there are various reasons women aren’t being elected. Mostly, she says, it’s because they don’t run.
“We have to step up, and women don’t run for many reasons,” El-Behairy said. “One of them is family, the other is they don’t want to get messy.”
She said the nastiness deters women. Women are criticized beyond their policies, unlike men. Critics take shots at their appearance, their behavior, their families, and their decision to run while balancing a life outside of politics. The expectations women face in a construct of traditional gender roles directly juxtaposes a career in politics.
“We are expected as women to have children, raise the children, work full-time, manage the household, get dinner on the table. Don’t forget you have to do the laundry and keep the house clean,” El-Behairy said. “Every day. And don’t forget we have to carry the children, too.”
And, women are more likely to doubt their qualifications for office. According to an American University study, college-age men who doubted their qualifications for political office were 50 percent more likely than women who felt similarly to consider running anyway.
Women are also less likely to run without being asked, or in El-Behairy’s case, “talked into it a little bit.” And men are 15 percent more likely to be recruited.
“I figured, what could I lose?”
El-Behairy was herself recruited for the state Senate race. The Baker Project, an organization that recruits, trains and funds pro-choice Democratic women candidates in New York, asked her to run following a training for women candidates they hosted in Albany, where they realized Western New York had little to no female representation.
“Having support like that is invaluable,” El-Behairy said. “If I didn’t have that support, I wouldn’t be running. The fact that people believe in me and they felt that my track record with doing versus saying I’m gonna do it worked.”
She had felt the need to run for office before, but the timing wasn’t right for her. She had a flourishing business and was involved with community-focused nonprofits. She was busy raising her two sons to be responsible males and world citizens focused on equality. Now, with her two sons in college and fresh from a buy-out of her company, El-Behairy said the timing is finally right. If she hadn’t been asked to run for state Senate this year, she would’ve run for Buffalo Common Council next year, especially since there are no women on the Common Council.
“I figured, what could I lose,” she said. “Bad news is I could actually win, and how much bad news would that be for everybody else?”
As a strategic business consultant, El-Behairy looks at every option before she makes a decision. She feels the same tactics should be applied to politics. Instead of acting on gut feelings and personal attitudes, El-Behairy believes in backing every decision up with research.
But, even her most well-researched decisions are second-guessed by others, which she sees as a universal experience for women.
“What is taken as gospel for a man is questioned as a woman,” El-Behairy said. “If I make a decision, I’m asked two or three times, ‘You sure?’ Where if I were a man, they would be, like, ‘Okay, no problem, we’ll take care of it.’ And, I’ve found that in business, as well. I have been asked for things they never would have asked my partner.”
“All of these things in my life tell me I need to run,” she said. “I have a totally different perspective than someone who has a name on the hospital downtown. I budget; I struggle. I understand what it takes to get a job. I understand what it takes to interview for a job.”
Before the critics jump on it, El-Behairy knows she’s not a politician or a trained public speaker. She under-promises and over-delivers, never making a promise if she can’t follow through—the opposite of what’s happening in male-dominated Albany right now.
“They’re forgiven for it,” El-Behairy said. “You need to be held to the same standard. And [women] are held to a higher standard. We are held to a higher standard in school. We are held to a higher standard physically. We are held to a higher standard every time we open our mouths.”
El-Behairy succinctly summarizes her focus if she were to win the election: concentrate on what is working and make it better, and get rid of what doesn’t work. She centered her platform on women and protecting what’s important: civil liberties, healthcare, and those who can’t protect themselves.
“My candidacy is about mothering everybody,” El-Behairy said. “And that’s what sets me apart from probably any other candidate right now that’s running. Women look at things differently, we really do. We look at what impacts our household, what impacts our families. We look at what impacts our neighbors.”
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Friends of EtC
ETC Archives
Contact & Signup
Harvey Rubin, MD, PhD
Founder, Executive Director
rubinh@upenn.edu
In 2011, Dr. Rubin had a simple idea: leverage the pervasiveness of cell towers throughout the world to provide a power source for vaccine refrigerators in remote areas in underdeveloped countries. From that, Energize the Chain was born. Dr. Rubin has been successfully championing this idea ever since, launching EtC programs in Zimbabwe, Ghana, and now expanding into other countries, protecting underserved populations from preventable diseases.
Dr. Rubin is Professor of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania and Professor of Computer and Information Sciences at the University of Pennsylvania School of Engineering and Applied Sciences. His research in infectious diseases has been funded by the NIH, NSF, DARPA and the Global Alliance for TB Drug Discovery and has resulted in more than 90 peer-reviewed papers chapters or reviews.
Denise Winner
djw61@outlook.com
Denise Winner has advised Energize the Chain since 2014, supporting EtC's vision and strategy. In 2018, Denise joined the team to support their operations and expansion. Prior to joining Energize the Chain, she worked as an entrepreneur and consultant with focus on fin-tech, capital markets, and block chain. She also founded Conquer Our Run, a nonprofit to support Lupus and Breast Cancer, and is active in other nonprofits. Denise is CFO/Treasurer of Lupus LA and Treasurer of Rainbow Services, a domestic violence Agency.. Denise received her BS from UPenn's Wharton School and completed her Master's research with focus on Artificial Intelligence at Brown University.
Alice Conant
Research and Development Coordinator
conantalice@gmail.com
Alice is a co-founder of Energize the Chain (EtC) and leads the EtC India initiative. As an undergraduate working on launching the EtC model she worked in both Zimbabwe and India extensively studying the distribution network and efficacy of vaccine cold chain systems. Her research has been sponsored by the Rockefeller Foundation and the Econet Foundation and she has been featured as a keynote speaker at both the ECOSOC Partnership Forum for addressing the Post-2015 Millenium Development Goals and at the 2011 and 2013 International Conferences on Health Geographic Information Systems. After graduating from the University of Pennsylvania in 2013, she became a Penn Social Impact Fellow and was chosen as a Fulbright Scholar, travelling to India to further study issues of healthcare. accessibility in underserved communities.
Energize the Chain
The latest The Energize the Chain Daily! https://t.co/Ls6KQTs81X Thanks to @InfectDisNews @JoeEEnglish @jackiantonovich #vaccineswork #endtb
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William Lewis, Esquire: Enlightened Statesman, Profound Lawyer, and Useful Citizen Elin’s Amerika (rev., 3rd ed.)
Lewis (1752-1819) was a prominent Philadelphia lawyer, Federalist and abolitionist. His descendant Esther Ann McFarland spent years locating records by and about Lewis and compiling this study. “History buffs will be fascinated by this authentic account of the role a leading Phila. lawyer played in shaping the character of our nation while we transitioned from colonial to post-revolutionary times. As an advisor to our Founding Fathers, a champion of individual rights, a strong advocate for abolition of slavery, a state legislator, an inaugural officer of the Phila. Bar Assoc. and Pennsylvania’s first U.S. Attorney and second fed. judge, William Lewis had a major impact on the development of our laws and the balance achieved by our fed. and state governments.” Illus. Award-winning children’s author Marguerite de Angeli tells the story of Elin, a young girl who has come to live in the New Sweden Colony. She helps us envision how these many different peoples -- Swedes, Finns, Lenape, Minquas (Susquehannock), Dutch and British related to one another. Elin’s search for friendship, love of family, and anticipation of celebrations seem familiar. Her isolation from other children, lack of basic things, and the daily routine of chores may seem quite unfamiliar. New Sweden was established in 1638, under the guidance of Peter Minuit, when Swedish colonists were sent to the New World to claim lands in the area around the Delaware River in southeastern PA and south NJ. For ages 8-12. Illustrations.
The Tower of the Winds in Athens: Greeks, Romans, Christians, and Muslims: Two Millennia of Continual Use: Memoirs, APS (Vol. 270) Strait Through: Magellan to Cook & the Pacific (An Illustrated History)
The Tower of the Winds has stood in the shadow of the Acropolis in
Athens for more than 2,100 years. This tall octagonal building, one of
the best preserved monuments from the classical period, was built by the
architect-astronomer Andronikos of Kyrrhos
as a horologion for keeping time. Almost all its features have been
attributed to the period of construction by the Greeks or renovations
made by the Romans. The building, however, was in use almost
continuously for two millennia, which includes Byzantine
and Ottoman phases. Pamela Webb, a classical archaeologist, examines
the Tower throughout its entire functional existence. A series of
appendices helps to put the Tower in broader context for the
post-classical periods. Winner of the 2016 John Frederick Lewis
Award. Illus. This beautifully-designed book documents the story and the drama of the unfolding exploration of the Pacific Ocean that followed the discovery of the Strait of Magellan. In rare historic maps, many in full-color, and the original printed narratives of the main European explorers, the volume traces 250 years (1520s-1770s) of both national and personal maritime achievements, as the map of the Pacific slowly developed into its present shape. Chronological maps of the Magellan Strait, Pacific Ocean, and Spice Islands (Moluccas) form the backdrop to the narratives of individual explorers and explorer-pairs: Ferdinand Magellan (d. 1521), Alvaro de Mendaña de Neira (1542?-1595) and Pedro Fernandes de Queirós (d. 1615), Sir Francis Drake (1540?-1596), and many others.
Petroglyphs of the Northern Ute Indian Reservation as Interpreted by Clifford Duncan (American Philosophical Society Transactions 105 Part 5) Wright's Ferry Mansion, 2 Volume Set: Volume 1: The House; Volume 2: The Collection
People must be educated about the rock art. That’s how it will be protected. —Clifford Duncan
Clifford Duncan, a Northern Ute elder, believed in educating the public to know and understand the meaning of Ute petroglyphs. By doing this, he believed it would help to preserve and protect them. Over the course of eight years, Clifford and the author visited and revisited all of these sites, discussing what they might represent. Clifford’s father was an Uncompahgre Ute and wanted Clifford to know the traditional homelands of the Uncompahgres in western Colorado. Clifford made special trips all through the Uncompahgre Plateau (by car, on foot, and on horseback), seeking out any Ute petroglyphs and cultural sites. Later in his life, he and the author visited many of the petroglyphs on the Uintah–Ouray Reservation, along Hill Creek and Willow Creek. These petroglyphs were authored by the Uncompahgre and White River Utes.
The interpretations of the petroglyphs of western Colorado and the Uintah– Ouray Reservation are supplemented with cultural and political history to provide a background context to Clifford’s interpretations. In addition, ethnographic information from other scholars provides readers with a deep appreciation as to what makes Ute petroglyphs so unique and fascinating.
Anthropologist Carol Patterson was Adjunct Professor for Colorado Mesa University and Metropolitan State University, Colorado. She is principal investigator for Urraca Archaeology, Montrose, Colorado. Recent publications include Shavano Valley Petroglyph Guide (2015) and “Concepts of Spirt in Rock Art According to Clifford Duncan, Ute Spiritual Elder,” in Sacred Landscapes, One World Archaeology Series (2014). Dr. Patterson’s earlier publications include Petroglyphs and Pueblo Myths of the Rio Grande and On the Trail of Spiderwoman, Pictographs and Petroglyphs of the Southwest (1997).
A jewel of early 18th-century house museums, Wright’s Ferry Mansion is also Pennsylvania’s best-kept secret, tucked away along the banks of the Susquehanna River in Columbia, PA. Built in 1738 for the dynamic English Quaker Susanna Wright, the house has been restored and furnished by The von Hess Foundation. These beautiful volumes tell the fascinating history of the house and its original owner Susanna Wright, who was a friend of Benjamin Franklin and other luminaries of early Pennsylvania. It is the only Pennsylvania English Quaker house furnished exclusively to the first half of the 18th century. The collection includes important Philadelphia William and Mary and Queen Anne furniture and English ceramics, metals, glass, and needlework, all pre-dating 1750. The appendix contains the original text of numerous letters, wills, inventories, poems, and two treatises by Susanna Wright and her brother James. Author and art historian Elizabeth Meg Schaefer has been curator of the mansion since 1982. 2-volume hardcover set in slipcase. Vol. 1 describes the house and furnishings; Vol. 1 describes each item in detail. Color photos.
Today's Super Deal!
Other Presidency: Thomas Jefferson
The Other Presidency: Thomas Jefferson and the American Philosophical Society, by Patrick Spero, With research assistance by Abigail Shelton and John Kenney.
A History of the International Chemical Industry
Copepodologists Cabinet:
Essays by Benjamin Franklin
The Cuneiform Uranology Texts
Optical Magic in the Late Renaissance:
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Economic growth in Kuwait continues to disappoint
Persistent government under-spending on capital projects is holding back growth and the diversification of the economy. Published in MEED, 18 June 2013
The story of Kuwait’s economy continues to be a frustrating tale of heavy reliance on public sector spending and a government that consistently misses its targets, particularly when it comes to capital expenditure. With oil prices high, it means there is no great urgency to change course at the moment, but in the longer term, the pressure is likely to increase.
When the most recent elections were held for the National Assembly (parliament) in December 2012, there were hopes that it might at last lead to some progress being made with much-needed economic reforms. Since then, there have been some positive signs. In January, MPs gave the go-ahead for the privatisation of Kuwait Airways and several major projects, such as the $2.6bn Subiya Causeway across Kuwait Bay and the $2bn Al-Zour North independent water and power project, are also gradually moving forward.
Coupled with the introduction by emiri decree of a new Companies Law in November last year, it suggests a better environment for the private sector. But the reality is that almost everything in Kuwait ultimately depends on government spending. According to the Washington-based IMF, some 80 per cent of Kuwaitis work in the public sector, while private sector activity is largely dependent on government spending and expatriate labour. Unfortunately for Kuwait, there are a number of problems with the way the government chooses to spend its money.
Full-year figures for the fiscal year 2012/13, which ended in March, are not yet available, but the evidence from the first 11 months is not encouraging. While revenues have come in at more than twice the full-year budget projections, mainly because of the conservative oil price of $65 a barrel set in the budget, the amount of spending has lagged well behind.
In the 11 months to the end of February, total spending was running at just half the full-year budget projections, with capital expenditure even worse at just 35 per cent of the planned full-year total. Even allowing for a late surge in spending in the final month of the fiscal year, it is clear the government will not reach its target.
“The government has spent 93 per cent of its budget on average in the past five years,” says Elias Bikhazi, chief economist at National Bank of Kuwait (NBK), the country’s largest bank. “This past year, spending could have come somewhat below that level, at 90 per cent or even lower.”
As a result of the high revenues and limited spending, NBK is projecting a budget surplus of around KD15bn ($52.5bn) for 2012/13. But it is not just a question of how much is spent. Where the money goes is equally important and here too there are long-running problems.
One of the biggest areas of spending is on wages and salaries for public sector employees, which accounted for KD3.1bn of the KD10.6bn spent in the 11 months to February. Subsidies and debt relief for Kuwaiti nationals is also significant. In early April, parliament passed a law requiring the government to buy KD744m-worth of citizens’ bank loans taken out before March 2008. While such measures help consumer spending, the money also tends to lead to higher imports, reducing the impact on gross domestic product (GDP).
“The economy is dependent on what the government does in terms of its spending programme,” says another economist based in Kuwait. “The government needs to stimulate the economy, which implies spending more money, but it needs to spend it on the right things. Kuwait could do with a boost to its infrastructure and the balance of spending should shift more towards implementing sizeable projects. Current spending doesn’t have the same effect.”
Slower growth
As a result, GDP forecasts for the coming years do not make particularly happy reading. London-based Capital Economics says it expects Kuwait’s GDP to grow by an average of 2 per cent this year and next, compared with 3.3 per cent for the GCC as a whole.
The IMF takes a similar line, projecting 1.1 per cent growth this year and 3.1 per cent next year, compared with an average for the region’s oil exporting countries of 3.2 per cent in 2013 and 3.7 per cent in 2014.
The lower growth means Kuwait will continue to lose ground to its regional rivals, which have proved better able to diversify away from a reliance on oil and gas revenues.
In the short term, this is not necessarily a huge problem for Kuwait – it has plentiful financial reserves and almost no debt so it could easily cope with a period of lower oil prices.
In the longer term, this will need to change. Capital Economics estimates that if the government continues to increase spending at its current pace, its break-even oil price could rise to $120 a barrel by the end of the decade.
Newer PostAnother political false dawn in Kuwait
Older PostIran looks to avoid repeat of 2009 in presidential election
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In-depth articles about buses, trains, planes and public transport issues
ALL-ELECTRIC BUSES FOR LONDON
London’s first pure electric ‘emission free’ buses hit the streets
· Trial electric buses operate on busy central London commuter routes
· Buses deliver significant air quality benefits due to zero tail pipe emissions
· Potential 75 per cent running cost saving compared to a diesel single deck bus
An exciting new era of emission free bus travel was unveiled, as Transport for London (TfL) and bus operator Go-Ahead London began a trial of the capital’s first electric buses.
Routes 507 and 521 now trial the new buses as the technology is particularly suitable for the busy short commuter services which operate between Victoria, Waterloo and London Bridge stations.
A BYD vehicle on show at Busworld in Kortrijk in October 2013
The electric buses have zero tail pipe emissions, resulting in lower carbon emissions. The trial will help TfL develop plans for greater use of electric buses in central London in the future, supporting the Mayor’s vision of a central London Ultra Low Emission Zone.
The 12-metre single deck buses were built by Chinese manufacturer BYD Auto Ltd. They will become a familiar sight to passengers on routes 507 and 521 when they entered passenger service on Thursday 19th December.
Matthew Pencharz, Senior Environment and Energy Advisor to the Mayor of London, said: “Electric buses could help deliver the cleaner and greener bus fleet we need to cut carbon emissions and improve air quality. If these prove successful we plan to see more introduced over the next few years to run alongside the hybrid and hydrogen bus technology that is already tackling air pollution and carbon emissions across the capital.”
Mike Weston, TfL’s Director of Buses, said: “We will be closely monitoring the performance of these vehicles while they are being trialled here in London. Should the performance and reliability of these buses meet London’s challenging requirements, this could be a very important step towards adopting this new clean technology in the capital.”
Zero emissions and no noisy diesel engine will suit London's crowed streets
John Trayner, Managing Director of Go-Ahead London, said: “We are delighted to be partnering TFL and BYD on this exciting new project to run the first electric buses on London's streets.”
Isbrand Ho, Managing Director of BYD Europe, said today “We are convinced that widespread adoption of the BYD ebus could have a dramatic effect on lowering pollution levels in major cities so this development in London, one of the world’s top cities, is of tremendous importance. We look forward to a long and positive relationship with Transport for London and Go-Ahead London and to further deliveries of our market leading products in London and other UK Cities.”
The trial will be used to establish whether the technology can stand up to the rigours of operating in an intense urban environment such as London. The manufacturer’s tests demonstrated a potential running cost saving of around 75 per cent compared to a diesel bus. The buses take around four to five hours to fully charge overnight and should have a range of 250 kilometres, which would be sufficient to operate these buses for a full day on these routes without the need to recharge.
In addition to the two buses in this trial, six additional electric buses will be introduced into the TfL fleet in early 2014. Four of the buses were secured with funding from the Department of Transport (DfT) Green Bus Fund with a further two funded from TfL’s technology demonstration budget.
The electric bus trial is one of the many measures the Mayor has introduced to make London’s bus fleet more environmentally friendly, including the operation of zero emission hydrogen buses on Route RV1 between Covent Garden and Tower Gateway and delivering Europe’s largest hybrid bus fleet.
Around six hundred hybrid buses now operate on the capital’s roads, including the New Routemasters, with more being introduced in a rolling programme. By 2016 there will be more than 1,700 hybrid buses in service on London’s streets representing 20 per cent of the total bus fleet.
BYD Interior
· BYD Auto Ltd is part of BYD, one of the world’s largest makers of rechargeable batteries.
· Route 507 connects Waterloo Station and Victoria Station via Lambeth Bridge and Horseferry Road.
· Route 521 connects London Bridge Station and Waterloo Station via Monument, Cannon Street, St Paul’s, Chancery Lane, Holborn, and Aldwych London Underground Stations.
· TfL is well past the half-way mark in an extensive retrofit programme of 900 older buses which involves fitting them with an innovative system called Selective Catalytic Reduction (SCR), reducing emissions of harmful oxides of nitrogen (NOx) by up to 88 per cent. To date, 580 buses have had this equipment fitted with the remainder due to be completed by March 2014.
· More electric buses are anticipated to follow as London is engaged in a partnership funding bid with seven other cities in Europe to trial a range of pure electric and hybrid vehicle technologies and charging techniques.
THE 'NEW ROUTEMASTER' & ANOTHER TfL ROUTE CONVERSION
Route 390 now served by New Routemasters
Fourth route in the capital to operate entirely with world’s greenest diesel electric hybrid buses
Fifth bus route the 148 to convert from February 2014
From Saturday 7th December route 390 became the fourth in the capital to be served entirely by 'New Routemasters', the now established name for the New Bus for London (NBfL).
Included is LT 115 shown here as it circumnavigated Marble Arch when on way towards the western terminus at Notting Hill Gate during their first week of operation. The Customer Assistant can be observed at the rear platform with the door open (Mark Lyons)
Route 390, which runs 24-hours a day and is run by Metroline, operates between Notting Hill Gate and Archway, via Queensway, Lancaster Gate, Marble Arch, Oxford Circus, Tottenham Court Road, Euston, King’s Cross and Tufnell Park. During peak hours, 21 of the new buses are in passenger service to carry the 18,400 people who travel on the route each day.
Every London bus route is different and as these buses are rolled out across the capital Transport for London (TfL) will consider the best possible staffing arrangements on a route by route basis. Buses on route 390 operate with the rear door open and a conductor on the rear platform for the majority of the day on weekdays (6am–6pm Monday to Friday). At weekends this route, in common with routes 9 and 24, operates with just a driver. This means the rear platform is closed when the bus is moving but all three sets of doors are opened and closed by the driver at bus stops.
The 390 was the last route to be introduced from new with the original half-cab rear open platform Routemaster, which occurred in February 2003. It initially ran between Archway and Marble Arch.
Seventeen such crew-operated buses ran out of Holloway Garage on Monday to Saturdays, with opo Volvo B7TLs on Sundays. However, in September 2004 the whole service was converted to opo Plaxton President bodied Volvo B7TL operation and a couple of months later was extended on from Marble Arch via Bayswater Road to Notting Hill Gate.
The next route to be converted, the 148 another 24-hour route is operated by London United (previously part of Transdev) and runs between Camberwell Green and White City, via Elephant and Castle, Parliament Square, Victoria, Hyde Park Corner, Marble Arch, Notting Hill Gate, Holland Park and Shepherd’s Bush. During peak hours, 25 of these state of the art buses will be in passenger service to carry the 22,500 people who travel on the route each day. The route also relatively young having been introduced in October 2002, is operated out of Shepherd's Bus Garage and will be converted in February 2014 from the current allocation of all-Polish Scania double-decks.
The New Routemaster, now the official name for the vehicle, is the greenest diesel electric hybrid bus in the world. In tests a prototype bus was found to emit a quarter of the NOx (Oxides of Nitrogen) and harmful ‘PM’ particles of a fleet average hybrid bus and 20 per cent less CO2. So when all 600 are in service in 2016 they will reduce CO2 emissions in the capital by around 20,600 tonnes a year.
Focus comment
The name Routemaster must surely remain synonymous with the original iconic design of a half-cab, double-deck bus with a single open platform rear entrance/exit. In 1954 RM1 was produced but it was not until some 4-years later in 1959 that the first production models entered full time operation in London.
But as we approach the 60th year of the vehicle type and its variations, the bus does still provide a daily service in London, albeit limited to two Heritage type services 9 and 15, shortened versions of the main routes.
So as a reminder of Routemaster operation on the four routes that now feature the 'new' Routemaster (9,11,24,390), plus the small allocation on one other (38), there follows a few images in route order that date from the 1970s to the 2000s.
The standard length Routemaster is illustrated by RM 1802 in May 1977 as it drove out of The Strand into the bottom side of Trafalgar Square with a late afternoon complement of passengers just before the peak time rush hour began.
Route 9 let alone Routemasters no longer pass over the River Thames in service, the route cut back to Hammersmith bus station. However, RML 2679 one of the longer 30' versions is shown as it passed over Hammersmith Bridge in July 1979 bound for the south western terminus at Mortlake.
And at that end of the route RML 2600 just about passes beneath the railway bridge over the High Street. The iconic rear platform is visible here complete with handrails and centre pole (no comments about dancers please), along with the used tickets box. Full blinds on front, rear and nearsides, which included intermediate points were a feature of London's buses for decades.
In 1981 Prince Charles and Lady Diana Spencer married and several Routemasters were decorated to celebrate the occasion. Wrapped somewhat parcel-like the buses were sponsored by various organisations and retail outlets, who were able to send their greetings on a card feature towards the rear of the decorated buses. RM 559 was one of the chosen few and in June that year headed east along Piccadilly from Hyde Park Corner bound for Aldwych.
In 1992 buses route 9 was still crossing Hammersmith Bridge before the cutback and one of the earlier batch of longer vehicles, RML 902 showed that the bus was now in the hands of London Buses subsidiary London United.
During the early 1980s there was a bit of light relief from the general regimented livery. This allowed individual garage staff to adopt, prepare and run some buses for appearances at rallies and other events, but at their own expense. One such example was RM 1563 operated out of Mortlake Garage (hence the 'M' plate and running number just behind the canopy), and shown here as it circumnavigated a rather empty Hyde Park Corner in March 1994. The bus featured a full sized air intake above the cab, cream cantrail and underlined gold "LONDON TRANSPORT" fleetname. All rather smart.
By the early 1990s though Routemaster operation in London had been seriously depleted by the introduction of more and more one person operated buses. Several found their way into new hands such as Southend Transport, who acquired a small fleet of the type including RM 1543. In 1994 the bus found itself back in service in London on a special one day operation over route 9. Here it took a well earned break at the western end of Piccadilly.
Routemaster operation over route 9 continues to this day albeit in a muted fashion. Whilst the main service is operated by low floor buses between Aldwych and Hammersmith, a heritage element with standard RMs runs nowadays from Trafalgar Square to Kensington. RM 1640 is one of five buses allocated to the route daily and shows the leaning ability as it ran around the bottom side of Trafalgar Square.
Back to May 1977 and RM 20 with non opening upper deck front windows passed through Victoria in the company of another London icon, the black hackney cab. The triangular AEC badge is still clearly visible on the bus, although over time these disappeared as they became collector's items.
Buses have carried advertisements attached to the panels between the decks for many years and indeed since the days of the horse bus. However, during the 1970s it was realised that there was additional financial gains made by covering more of the panels in advertising. Thus there was an explosion of allover advertisement buses throughout the capital. Between August 1969 and September 1975 twenty-seven buses were adorned in a variety of hues to advertise such products as car parts, electrical goods, food, football pools, paints, publications and wines. There was then a bit of a lull until the odd one appeared now and again in 1979 and 1983. But in 1984 along came RML 2492 which operated over route 9 in this green and yellow livery for Underwoods the photographic developers and printers. The offside (upper) is illustrated at Hammersmith (Butterwick), the nearside (lower) in Buckingham Palace Road about to pass the Victoria Coach Station.
During this period two other buses featured allover advertising for gentlemen's intimate area coverings in the shape of Y-Fronts. These plied their trade on various routes that sometimes passed by the seat of government and the Houses of Parliament. Unfortunately this did not please the Members, so to speak, and allegedly an edict came forth and off they came. The adverts that is.
During the spring of 1989 London Buses as was gave up the daily operation of all buses throughout London. Instead control was passed to a number of subsidiaries, that had been established from the operations across the route network. In order to advertise this fact the newly established London General chose to adorn two of their Routemasters (89 and 1590) in a sort of pseudo 1930s style livery along with a bold 'GENERAL' fleetname on the lower side panels. RM 89 (upper) is shown at the top end of Trafalgar Square as it passed by the National Gallery, whilst RM 1590 (lower) passed along Whitehall.
Note the Grey-Green bus on route 24, but perhaps that is best left to another feature.
RM 2015 was one of a small number of Routemasters with Leyland engines that survived through to the end of the 1980s. Based at the now long closed RM 2015 by now with the management operated London General subsidiary of London Buses, is shown in the summer sunshine at Fulham (upper) and again by Victoria Coach Station in Buckingham Palace Road (lower). All windows appeared to be fully open including the driver's windscreen to its fullest extent.
Over the years the Routemaster fleet received a series of refurbishments. An internal and external exercise in the early 1990s saw RML 2648 used for yet another upgrade, which included attention by Volvo Leyland at their premises in Loughborough. Here the bus proclaimed this fact with advertising between the decks as it pulled away from a stop near to St.Paul's Cathedral.
During 1991 long RML 2516 in the London General fleet received a unique conversion, as amongst the completed work the rear end from one of the shorter Green Line coach versions (see lower), was grafted on. This included the doorway and replaced the open platform. There were other refinements that made the vehicle available for both general service work as well as private hire duties. Thus it appeared now and again on route 11 along with the re-classification to DRM 2516.
RML 2305 along with many other buses that served route 11 received bold route branding on all sides, with details of places served as it passed through Victoria in April 2000.
The first bus route in the London network to be fully converted to the NBfL (before it was renamed to the New Routemaster), was the 24. Here at the northern terminus of Hampstead Heath in November 1973, RML 2280 was another bus that operated in an overall advertisement, this one for Hanimex photographic and associated equipment.
Around the same time RML 2471 is seen as it sped through Parliament Square (perhaps not a bad thing), with the seat of government providing the backdrop.
Route 38 was very first one to be operated by the NBfL with up to five in service at any one time. The route had for a while been one of the many in London to use the now retired bendibuses, which in turn had received a mixed reaction during their relatively short years of service. As times moved on the 38 became operated by the Leaside Buses subsidiary of London Buses, amongst which they could count RM 5 as one of their own. Here in splendid summer sunshine (remember them), the bus trundled along Piccadilly bound for Victoria. The was kept in such splendid condition being another that was a regular attendee at various rallies and events.
RM 311 with bold route branding departed the Victoria bus station in April 1999 bound for Clapton Pond, but you can be assured that no pigeons were harmed during the production of this image.
Black is not really a traditional colour to be displayed on buses, perhaps due to its funeral overtones. However, in 2001 RML 2716 appeared just so adorned as it featured a promotion for Amnesty International's 40th anniversary. By now the privatisation era had begun with Leaside Buses and South London Transport acquired by Arriva to become Arriva London North and South respectively.
In 2002 fifty Routemasters were repainted gold to celebrate Her Majesty the Queen's Golden Jubilee on the throne. Again like earlier Royal events so proclaimed, sponsorship was provided by a selected number of bodies, able to promote their wares both inside and outside of the vehicles. RML 2750 by now with Arriva had just set out from Victoria on the long haul htrough the West End and out east to Clapton.
And finally ROUTE 390
Just over ten years on from February 2003 when the route was introduced and nine years after they were withdrawn, the type although in name only, is back on the route in the guise of the 'new' Routemaster. Representative of the original though is RML 2296 (upper), on the final approach to the original terminal point beside the Marble Arch, RM 1971 (centre), on the stand and RML 2389 as it departed Marble Arch and into the western end of Oxford Street for a return journey to Archway Station, all images taken in 2004.
Well that is about it for now, but there is no doubt much more left in the Routemaster story. Suffice to say that there will no doubt be a splendid 60th anniversary for the marque over the weekend of the 12/13th July 2014, at Finsbury Park in North London, a year that TfL have deemed as "The Year of the Bus".
See also a posting on the Focus blog in respect of the preservation of a London 'B' type, many of which went abroad for the war effort during the First World War.
BUS GROWTH IN NOTTINGHAM
Why is Nottingham's bus service usage now running so far ahead?
CITY Transport's corporate timetable goes back to 1848, when the horses tugging small coaches left steaming souvenirs on the streets of a fast-growing Victorian town.
And there remains something quaint about the company's headquarters.
The operation is run from a warren of little rooms in a huge depot built in 1929 to house Nottingham's first-generation trams.
Don't be fooled by the dated surroundings. On the ground floor, with windows facing Lower Parliament Street, is City Transport's control centre.
Three operators use desktop monitors and a wall-mounted screen to monitor the progress of up to 299 buses – the maximum peak demand on a fleet of 330 vehicles run by a team of 1,100 staff, including 830 drivers.
A colour warning system alerts controllers to potential delays. If the bus symbol turns yellow, it is running up to four minutes late, pink means five to eight minutes late and blue means nine minutes behind schedule.
At 1.40pm yesterday, the only "blue" bus suddenly became one of the few "pink" ones, to the relief of overseers.
This sort of technology, says City Transport, is one of the factors behind Nottingham's emergence as a star performer in the field of public transport.
"Passenger Focus runs a survey of bus passengers and Nottingham and City Transport come out of them with the highest satisfaction ratings," says marketing manager Anthony Carver-Smith. "Last year, it was 92 per cent and the year before it was 91 per cent."
After customer satisfaction, and the industry approval that came with the Transport City of the Year 2012 and Large Bus Operator of the Year 2013 awards, comes an impressive performance in a survey by one of the world's most influential motoring organisations.
The RAC Foundation reports that just 51.5 per cent of Nottingham commuters use cars or vans to get to work. Outside London, it's one of the seven best district figures in England and Wales.
Furthermore, outside London only Manchester can beat Nottingham's proportion of commuters who use buses to get to and from work. It's 20.1 per cent and rising.
To what extent bus usage is down to the excellence of City Transport, and to what extent the frustrations of driving in Nottingham in peak hours, remains a matter for debate.
The foundation, as befits an organisation representing drivers, uses its survey to press for a better deal for motorists rather than a better deal for public transport. Taking a dig at current fuel duty levels, its director, Professor Stephen Glaister, said: "Take London out of the equation and the level of car dependency in England and Wales is huge, not just in rural areas.
"People are still driving despite a decade in which the cost of running a car has outstripped wage inflation.
"The reason for this is that most people have no practical choice – 800,000 of the poorest car-owning households already spend more than a quarter of their disposable income on buying and running a vehicle."
By investing in public transport, Nottingham City Council argues, it is trying to provide the "practical choices" Prof Glaister refers to. Nottingham has closer control of its principal public transport provider than most cities. City Transport was run by the council until 1986 and the privatisation of the industry. Until 2000, the replacement company was solely owned by the council. Although a share was sold to help fund the first tram route, the authority remains the majority shareholder.
"With purely commercial operators, the aim is to deliver a dividend to the Stock Exchange," says Mr Carver-Smith. "Council ownership enables us to do things that other operators can't."
Thanks to the partnership with the council, he added, bus users had been provided with benefits such as real-time digital displays at bus stops.
Investment in the fleet has been stepped up with the intention of bringing the maximum bus age down to 12 years. Forty new Alexander Dennis E400 double-deckers are on the way. Another factor is that the standard single fare has been pegged at £1.70 since 2011.
So is the commuting public impressed?
"Until 2001, there had been a decline in passengers every year for 50 years," said Mr Carver-Smith. "Since then, the figure has been going up every year and in the last financial year, we had 52 million passenger journeys."
It hasn't been plain sailing. Passenger protests were long and vociferous in 2001 when cross-city services were scrapped. The result was that vehicles were freed up for more frequent services – so frequent that you didn't need a timetable on main routes.
Commuters are part of the growth in passenger journeys, says Mr Carver-Smith, who travels to work on the No 27 over Carlton Hill. "It's a myth that all growth in passenger numbers is down to concessionary travel," he said. "The growth we are seeing is in commercial travel."
The above from the Nottingham Post
Focus Transport comment
You only have to spend a short while standing around on a street corner or three to observe how the operation works. Buses are frequent and well patronised. Liveries are bold and bright with a clear message in the respective dedicated route branding.
Above are a couple of the large fleet of Scania OmniDekka that have dominated the double-deck fleet for many years. These are some of the largest and impressive vehicles in the fleet, that is apart maybe from the smaller fleet of bendibuses. With the Omnidekka no longer available, Nottingham have turned their sights in towards the home grown Alexander Dennis Enviro400 for their next fleet of double-decks.
ADL already have a foothold in the fleet with a growing number of Enviro200 single-decks. Some of these have replaced not so old Optare Versas.
Another strength of the company is the operation of two high frequency Park-&-Ride service, one out to the east run with Scania saloons (upper), the other to the south west of the city (lower), with Omnidekkas.
Whilst the modern day image of the fleet is dominated by double-decks, it also features single-decks as illustrated here by a trio of such buses, courtesy of John Moore. From the top a Scania OmniTown, an Optare Solo SR and another Scania, this time an OmniLink. The latter and its small number of sister vehicles have recently been converted to diesel power from running on Ethanol.
And finally a selection of double-decks that dominated the city streets during the 1980s and 1990s. Featured are manufacturers Dennis, Leyland and Scania.
SEE ALSO THE LATEST SET OF IMAGES ON THE FOCUS FLICKR SITE
In the North East Midlands the recently delivered new ADL Enviro200 buses for local services and the Caetano Levante coaches for the far wider National Express work, have all now been placed into service from the Stonegravels base at Chesterfield. Examples can now be viewed here
Focus Transport Blog
Focus Transport Gallery
Focus Transport (archived)
THE 'NEW ROUTEMASTER' & ANOTHER TfL ROUTE CONVERSI...
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Spain: Thousands Protest Water Policy
Nando Times
Thousands protest water project in Spain
MADRID, Spain (March 11, 2001 11:47 a.m. EST http://www.nandotimes.com) - More than 100,000 people marched through Madrid on Sunday protesting a $23 billion plan to divert water from Spain's biggest river to dry areas in the south.
City police estimated that 120,000 attended the rally, but organizers put the number at 400,000. Many came to the Spanish capital from the northeast Aragon and Catalonia regions, which protesters say stand to lose out most if the eight-year plan goes ahead.
Demonstrators - some dressed up as droplets of water - waved red and yellow balloons and played music as they inched their way along broad boulevards and emptied into the Puerta del Sol, a downtown plaza. Another big rally was held Sunday in Zaragoza, capital of Aragon.
The Madrid rally was called by a 26-strong coalition of ecological groups, farmers' associations, labor unions and political parties.
The controversial mega-plan calls for building 120 dams to transfer 26 billion gallons of water per year from the Ebro to the Mediterranean coast areas of Valencia, Almeria and Murcia.
The government says the Ebro has water to spare and the resource must be shared among Spaniards.
Ecologists say the plan is misguided, insisting that water shortages in the south would be better solved by more efficient use of existing resources and other means. They also say the project will cause serious harm to the Ebro by raising salinity levels.
The plan was approved by the Cabinet in February despite warnings from engineers and hydrologists and is now before Parliament, where Aznar has a majority.
-- Rachel Gibson (rgibson@hotmail.com), March 11, 2001
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by Harry Moran II
Once again some West Virginians are depending on support from outside the state. In this case, however, it is the management of the West Virginia Department of Natural Resources.
They have decided that, despite both a biological study done by State University of New York and a sociological study done by Cornell University showing there were three areas where elk could be successfully introduced in West Virginia, they are going to refuse to do that themselves.
The West Virginia DNR is depending on donations from the state of Kentucky and soon the state of Virginia. They will just set by and let the few strays we can get that migrate into West Virginia be our stocking source and only then because it is going to happen whether they want it to or not. This will insure that the best area we have for elk may never be stocked and that our elk herd will take decades to build and always be small.
The DNR says the West Virginia Farm Bureau interferes with a lot of their work, but I suspect they are no worse than the Farm Bureaus in the rest of the states reintroducing elk. If they are, why hasn't the DNR asked hunters to join them in lobbying the state legislature? The director of the wildlife division has told hunters that the DNR spends a lot of its time defending hunting in the legislature against proposals from groups like the West Virginia Farm Bureau.
Kentucky, using the very same type of terrain we have in the southwestern coal fields, has the largest elk herd east of the Mississippi. This is because their Department of Natural Resources actually listens to the hunters of that state. Recently Virginia has decided to follow in their foot steps and reintroduce elk in that state too. Pennsylvania has had its elk herd since 1913. Tennessee has reintroduced elk, along with North Carolina. The West Virginia DNR's wildlife director and the DNR director himself has made no attempt to reintroduce elk in West Virginia however, even though hunters have been working toward this goal for a couple of decades.
The Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation, along with supporting WV hunting organizations, such as the West Virginia Trophy Hunters Association, paid for the two university studies to no avail. All West Virginia hunters hear from the WV DNR are excuses as to why they can't do the same as the states around us. They refuse to listen to the hunters that pay their wages. They ignore the wishes of the hunters in the state. Their public hearings are always held in small out of the way places to reduce the turn out.
They haven't done a poll of hunters either, to see what percentage want elk reintroduced. I suspect it would exceed 80%. Missouri will reintroduce 150 elk in 2011. Missouri has just started re-introduction of elk there. They are getting their elk from Kentucky, yet our DNR will not. Apparently Missouri, Virginia, Kentucky, Pennsylvania, North Carolina, and Tennessee's DNRs are all wrong, since the WV DNR says we can't verify any elk are CWD free and that is the main excuse for not re-introducing them here. The Kentucky strays however, must be alright with the DNR though, since they are being accepted as fast as they come.
Kentucky, Pennsylvania, and North Carolina bring in quite a bit of revenue from the elk that are in their states. There are increased tourism dollars in all three states. In addition, 46,000 hunters applied for elk permits in Kentucky in 2009, at $10 per applicant. There are over 11,000 elk there now. They are, on average, 15% larger than their western counterparts. In 2007 the average hunter winning one of the permits in Kentucky spent $1,148.00 in the state. In just one location, with 74 elk in a confined area at Land Between the Lakes in Kentucky, 130,000 visitors pay $5 each to drive through the area to see the elk each year. That is $650,000 just from entrance fees and not counting money spent at restaurants, gas stations, and motels.
Pennsylvania has only 500 elk, yet elk viewing attracts over 75,000 visitors each year to one small town there. Elk are a great source of revenue, but the WV DNR and the governor's office ignores that. I live in Elkview, WV, near the Elk River. Both names are based on the elk that used to roam these hills. WV hunters need to stand up and remind the WV DNR that they work for us, There is no reason for West Virginia to once again be receiving handouts from other states. There also is no reason to allow the WV DNR to continue to ignore the desire for elk reintroduction by the hunters. In the mean time, make any donations for elk conservation to the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation and tell them to use it in Kentucky and Virginia. At least we will get a few elk from our friends there.
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You are here: Home Africa Tunisia
The Tunisian Republic, or Tunisia,�is an Arab state on the Mediterranean coast of North Africa, between Algeria and Libya. It was a self governing part of the Ottoman (Turkish) Empire, whose ruler was known as the Bey of Tunis until becoming a French Protectorate of Tunisia in 1881. France ruled the country from 1881 to 1956 with the Beys�continuing in office,in a largely ceremonial role. During WWII, Tunisia was�held by the pro-German French Vichy Government from 1940�until 1943, when it was captured by Allied forces, and returned to�(Free) French rule.� Independence from France was granted in1956, initially as a constitutional monarchy under the Bey, In 1957, the country adopted a republican constitution and becamie�the Tunisian Republic.
There is a long established Jewish Community in Tunisia, going back over 2,000 years. The Jewish population numbered about 105,000 in 1948 and�had shrunk to about 20,000 at the time of independence in 1956. Most of the Jewish population of 2,000 resides in Tunis, but some in the small communities of Djerba, Sfax, Sousse and Nabeul.
Community offices:
15 rue du Cap Vert
Tel: 282-469 & 287-153. [October 2000]
Chief Rabbi: Rabbi Haim Madar
26 rue de Palestine
Sefardic SIG. [May 2010]
"THE HISTORY OF THE JEWS OF TUNISIA" by Alexander Rosenzweig
History. [October 2000]
Homepage of the Tunisian Jews in English [October 2000]
Case study: The Tunisian Jewish minority in the face of oppression - The end of one of the oldest Jewish Minority in Tunisia, 1881-1967 by Edith Haddad Shaked [May 2006]
http://www.ifrance.com/cohenhadria/histoire/originetunis.htm:in French [October 2000]
http://www.virtualjerusalem.com/communities/wjcbook/tunisia/index.htm - link no longer available. "The largest communities are in Tunis and on the island of Djerba (Hara Keriba and Hara Sghira). There are also approximately 200 Jews living in the Sousse-Monastir region on the Gulf of Mammamet". [October 2000]
MILITARY CEMETERY: Headstones with Stars of David on gravesites are maintained abroad by The American Battle Monuments Commission. Source: Commission sheet entitled "Headstones Emplaced at Grave Sites (World Wars I and II"; dated 9 May 1994): W.W.II-North Africa (nr. Carthage, Tunisia). 56 headstones. Source: Jonathan L. Eisenberg, Minnetonka, Minnesota; This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it or c/o SEisenbrg@aol.com This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it [1998]
1 DJERBA:
2 HARA KEBIRA (on island of Djerba):
3 HARA SGHIRA (on island of Djerba):
4 KAIROUAN
5 KEF
6 SOUSSE
7 TUNIS:
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A Retreat in the Black Hills
From a talk given at the Green River Zen Center on June 16, 2015
Walking up to Sun Dance site of the Santee Sioux
In Black Elk Speaks, Black Elk described how, at the age of nine, he had a powerful vision and was told by the great Thunder Beings to share this vision with his tribe. Afraid and unsure of himself, he was miserable for the next eight years:
A terrible time began for me then and I could not tell anybody—not even my father and mother. I was afraid to see a cloud coming up, and whenever one did, I could hear the thunder beings calling to me, “Behold your grandfathers, make haste.” I could understand the birds when they sang, and they were always saying, “It is time, it is time.” The crows in the day and the coyotes at night, all called and called to me, “It is time, it is time, it is time.” Time to do what? I did not know . . .
Sometimes the crying of coyotes out in the cold made me so afraid that I would run out of one tepee into another, and I would do this until I was worn out and fell asleep. I wondered if maybe I was only crazy, and my father and mother worried a great deal about me. I could not tell them what was the matter for then they would only think I was queerer than ever.
I was seventeen years old that winter. When the grasses were beginning to show their tender faces again, my father and mother asked an old medicine man by the name of Black Road to come over and see what he could do for me. Black Road was in a tepee all alone with me and he asked me to tell him if I had seen something that troubled me. By now I was so afraid of being afraid of everything that I told him about my vision. And when I was through, he looked long at me and said, “Ah,” meaning that he was much surprised.
Then he said to me, “Nephew, I know now what the trouble is. You must do what the big horse in your vision wanted you to do. You must do your duty, and perform this vision for your people upon earth. You must have the horse dance first for the people to see. Then the fear will leave you. But if you do not do this, something very bad will happen to you.” So we began to get ready for the horse dance.
He shared that vision and the dance at the age of seventeen. It was also Black Elk who said that in the seventh generation things would begin to change for the Lakota people, and I’ve heard a few elders say that this is now; we’re approaching the seventh generation.
In the Blue Cliff Record there’s a koan called Reviling the Diamond Sutra. It quotes the Diamond Sutra, which says in effect that if you did terrible things in the past, the punishment you’re going through now is a way of resolving that past karma. But how does that happen, I wondered. There’s cause and effect; therefore, if I did bad things in the past, I’ll suffer now. But how does my present suffering resolve the bad things I did earlier?
Anticipating our trip back to South Dakota in early June for meetings, I felt that many things we see around us—not just in the Black Hills, but here on this earth—spoke to this koan. As a society, we’re guilty of grave misdeeds against the first nations of this earth and against all its inhabitants, including the four-legged, those that crawl and those that fly, and the plants that supply us with precious oxygen. This earth is suffering; its people are suffering. How does that resolve the past?
What a past that is. Only recently I discovered that American Indians refer to reservations as prisoner of war camps. Originally, I believe they were under the jurisdiction of the Department of War. The Pine Ridge Reservation is one of the poorest places in our country as measured by parameters like life expectancy, drug and alcohol use, teen suicide, domestic violence, and incarceration. Charmaine White Face, a biologist I met on this trip and one of the leaders of the organization Defenders of the Black Hills, has been testing the water in the aquifers under Pine Ridge over many years for uranium. The corporations that mined the Black Hills for uranium left hundreds of mines open, without sealing or treating them in any way. Her tests show that uranium has leeched not only into the Pine Ridge aquifers, but also as far away as the Missouri River.
At the same time, many people feel that resurgence is taking place for the Lakota, who are respected by other tribes for bringing back and teaching many of the old ceremonies. There’s a sense that something is shifting. Young people, aware of how many first nations have been driven to extinction, want to learn their old language and culture; they want to reconnect with their history, with who they are as a people. And when they do, they look to the Black Hills, an hour’s drive away from the Reservation.
This is their sacred place, where they always did vision quests, ceremonies, and where they buried their dead. One of the oldest places in the United States, near the midpoint of this continent, its hills are replete with wildlife, its rivers with fish. Metals with magnetic forces, giving rise to resonance, lie deep inside its earth, and enormous limestone rocks rise high up to the sky.
Black Hills, South Dakota
What have we done to this sacred place? We built gambling casinos and cities. We built Sturgis, where a million motorcycles will rally this August, before our retreat, and pound the roads and byways with their loud, heavy machines. And of course, we gave it to the corporations to extract the very metals that create this resonance, gold and silver in the 19th century, uranium in the 20th and 21st.
The Lakota don’t buy into our historical narrative that says they originated somewhere else and came from Asia across the Bering Straits. We were always here, they say. For me, it’s not a matter of right or wrong, of which narrative is validated through anthropology, science or history, and which doesn’t. It’s a matter of my ability—or inability—to listen. Catching the subtle expressions on people’s faces, I bear witness to my habit of saying things—even making sweeping statements—I assume everybody agrees to. But the American Indians have a different narrative, one that has been deprecated and ignored much like their language and culture. I bear witness to what it means to colonize a people not just with guns or restrictive laws, but also with education, values, and narrative, such as requiring them to send their children to Christian schools, prohibiting their language and religion, mocking their stories of their history and telling them what we know is true: This is what happened. This is how and when you came here. We know your real history; you don’t.
The Black Hills belong to the Lakota also through the Laramie Treaty of 1868, which was violated very quickly when gold was discovered there. Some years ago the Supreme Court ruled that the Black Hills do indeed belong to the Lakota and the government should compensate them. They rejected the money because they want the Black Hills.
If you think that there’s no way that can happen, I note that New Zealand has begun a concerted effort to return to the Māori their ancestral homes, including some of its most beautiful and expensive coastline properties, unlike the land we allocated to reservations that, in addition to often not being the tribe’s home, also lacked resources such as arable soil and water. I was told that New Zealanders did this because they realized that their national identity is intimately connected with the Māori. This is also reflected in changes they’ve made to their historical narrative as taught in their schools.
Nelson Mandela said: It always seems impossible until it’s done. The day we return the Black Hills to the Lakota will turn the page not just on how we behave towards them, but also towards the earth we all share.
So two weeks ago we visited the site we will use for the August retreat, 175 acres used for sun dance by the Flandreau Santee Sioux. Genro and local Indian elders planned where the camping area would go, the tepees, the prayer circle, the kitchen, bathrooms, and showers, making it possible for us to stay on this sacred ground for the retreat. Throughout our days of meetings the Diamond Sutra koan didn’t leave me. I thought of the history, the causes and effects that become causes in turn, the suffering of this earth that obviates the wicked actions of the past.
Finally, a few days after we returned home, a Lakota elder wrote us the following: What we would like you to do is to pray. Come and pray with the Lakota. Come and pray with us, and for this earth. Immediately I was reminded of a verse Black Elk cited in his book: In a sacred manner you shall walk. Your nation shall behold you.
Right after reading that email I took our old dog to the forest, as I usually do. Walking up the path, I saw him chasing a deer. The deer made a big circle, came around, crossed right in front of me, and ran down to the creek. Ten minutes later he was back, crossed the path further up, and looked back at us, standing still.
We have to show up at the Black Hills, and in whatever form, we have to pray there, meditate, and send out our invocations for this land. I’m reminded of a teaching someone who once sat here repeated to us some 10 years ago: Your job is to eat what’s on your plate. It’s not to eat what’s on somebody else’s plate, but to eat what’s on your plate. The Black Hills are on our plate because we’re Americans. I’ve talked here about other Zen Peacemaker retreats at Auschwitz and Rwanda, but this retreat is ours, as Americans. It’s our thing to go there, do council, and listen—not just to the Hills but also to the people who’ve lived and worked there.
Listen to Steve Newcomb talk about his efforts to get the Vatican to rescind the Papal Bull of 1493, giving the kings of Spain all rights to this hemisphere: We assign to you, and your heirs and successors, kings of Pastille and Leon, all islands of mainlands found, and to be found, discovered and to be discovered towards the West and South. Listen to Charmaine White Face talk about her unrelenting efforts to show the Environmental Protection Agency what is happening to the waters under the Pine Ridge Reservation. Listen to Tuffy Sierra talk of what he has experienced in his lifetime, and in his family’s lifetime.
Really, really live this karma. Be there, take it on completely: This is what we did. This, too, is who we are, unconditionally, moment after moment. Bear witness to the Black Hills: colonized and exploited for 150 years, and still offering grasslands and canyons, lakes, streams and waterfalls, and summer wildflowers for those still seeking a vision.
What we have to do, all we can do, is take that first step. That will lead to the next step, and the step after that. Begin the process. The Hills are magic. Our gathering there is insignificant over the general course of time, but bearing witness isn’t about past, present, or future, it’s becoming the place, the people, the moment. It’s having no idea or expectation, just the wish to be there with other people who want to do this.
I invite you: Come to the Black Hills this summer.
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Home Earth History edu Geology News
A new geological epoch, the Anthropocene, has begun
Earth History, edu, Geology, News 5:01 PM
The mushroom cloud of the first test of a hydrogen bomb "Ivy Mike" looms over the Pacific Ocean in 1952. Scientists propose that a new geological epoch, the Anthropocene, began in 1950, marked in rocks and sediments by the fallout from nuclear tests during the 1950s and 1960s. (Reuters)
We're living through one of the most extraordinary events in Earth's history — the start of a new geological epoch, an international group of scientists says.
Welcome to the Anthropocene, everyone.
Geological epochs are long periods of time — typically lasting around two million years — separated by major, global changes to the planet, such as the massive exploding meteor that ended the Late Cretaceous and wiped out the dinosaurs.
Modern humans arose during the Pleistocene epoch, and since the sudden warming that ended the last ice age about 12,000 years ago, we had been living in the Holocene epoch.
But modern human technology has had such a profound effect on our planet that we're now in a new epoch that started during the mid-20th century — the Anthropocene, argues an international group of researchers in a new paper published today in the journal Science.
The boundary between two epochs is visible to geologists as some kind of "marker" between layers of rock, soil or ice that are deposited all over the Earth over time. For example, the Late Cretaceous-ending meteor left a distinct layer of iridium.
In the case of the Anthropocene, scientists note that humans have produced unusual materials like radioactive fallout from nuclear tests in the 1950s and 1960s.
"They've left a permanent record in our sediments and our soils and our glacial ice that's going to be detectable for millennia," said Colin Waters, a geologist with the British Geological Survey and secretary of the Anthropocene Working Group, whose members authored the new report.
"Geologists in millions of years time will look back at and say, 'Something quite incredible happened at this time' and be quite precise about when it happened."
In their paper, the researchers added, "Not only would this represent the first instance of a new epoch having been witnessed firsthand by advanced human societies, it would be one stemming from the consequences of their own doing."
Nobel Prize-winning scientist Paul Crutzen first proposed in 2002 that a new geological epoch called the Anthropocene be assigned to the present to describe the profound changes that humans have made to the planet.
That eventually led the International Commission on Stratigraphy, the scientific body that officially decides when epochs begin and end, to ask a group of geologists, paleontologists and other scientists to look into whether there was enough science to back up that proposal. The Anthropocene Working Group has been working on the question since 2009.
Many markers
University of Alberta researcher Alexander Wolfe
studies the remains of lake microorganisms in
layers of sediments deposited over decades
and centuries, and says he has personally observed
enormous changes marking the past 50 years.
(University of Alberta)
In the new paper summarizing their findings, they list a large number of "markers" that humans have left in rock, soil and ice around the world. In addition to the radioactive fallout, they make a note of:
Elemental aluminum (only found as an ore in nature).
Black carbon and other particles from fossil fuel combustion.
High levels of nitrogen and phosphorus from fertilizers and pesticides.
The start of new epochs is often accompanied by climate change and mass extinctions, both of which humans are causing now.
"Humans now control several of the fundamental dials or knobs on the planetary system," said Alexander Wolfe, an adjunct professor of paelobiology at the University of Alberta who is a member of the working group and a co-author of the paper.
Wolfe studies the remains of lake microorganisms in sediments deposited over decades and centuries, and says he has personally observed enormous changes marking the past 50 years.
Making new rocks
Nevertheless, he acknowledged that the group has faced some criticism from people who feel the Earth hasn't had enough time to make enough rock to really define a new geological epoch.
"The reality is we've done some calculations and there's the equivalent of one kilogram of concrete produced by humans for every square metre of the planet," he said.
The new epoch isn't official yet. The Anthropocene Working Group still needs to:
Decide exactly when the Anthropocene began.
Decide what formal marker they'll use to define it and then choose a location in which to drive a "golden spike" into the rock at that marker at a place on Earth where the marker is very distinct.
Formally present its arguments to the International Commission of Stratigraphy and have them accepted.
For now, the group suggests making the start 1950 — when humans started having a really major effect on the planet — and the marker of nuclear fallout from Cold War nuclear tests.
"It's an absolutely bomber marker that fits right in the middle of this transition," Wolfe said.
The above post is reprinted from materials provided by University of Alberta.
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Home Earthquake Researchers find that earthquakes on thrust faults can spread 10 times farther...
Researchers find that earthquakes on thrust faults can spread 10 times farther to a second nearby thrust fault than previously thought
These are interferogram images of the earthquakes in Pakistan. Credit: UC Riverside
A team of researchers, including one from the University of California, Riverside, has discovered that earthquake ruptures can jump much further than previously thought, a finding that could have severe implications on the Los Angeles area and other regions in the world.
The scientists found that an earthquake that initiates on one thrust fault can spread 10 times farther than previously thought to a second nearby thrust fault, vastly expanding the possible range of “earthquake doublets,” or double earthquakes.
That could mean in areas such as Los Angeles, where there are multiple thrust faults close to each other, an earthquake from one thrust fault could spread to another fault, creating twice as much devastation.
One potential bad scenario involves a single earthquake spreading between the Puente Hills thrust fault, which runs under downtown Los Angeles, and the Sierra Madre thrust fault, located close to Pasadena, said Gareth Funning, an associate professor of earth sciences at UC Riverside, and a co-author of a paper published online today (Feb. 8, 2016) about the research in the journal Nature Geoscience.
Other susceptible areas where there are multiple thrust faults are in close proximity include the Ventura, Calif. area, the Middle East, particularly Tehran, Iran, and the front of the Himalayas, in countries such as Afghanistan, Pakistan, India and Nepal.
The researchers studied a 1997 earthquake in Pakistan, originally reported as a magnitude 7.1 event, showing that it was in fact composed of two ‘subevents’ — a magnitude 7.0 earthquake, that was followed 19 seconds later by a magnitude 6.8 event, located 50 kilometers (30 miles) to the southeast.
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Funning considers the two earthquakes as subevents of one ‘mainshock,’ as opposed to the second earthquake being an aftershock, because they happened so close together in time and were so similar in size. There were many aftershocks in the following minutes and hours, but most of them were much smaller.
The scientists used satellite radar images, precise earthquake locations, modeling and back projection of seismic radiation to prove the seismic waves from the first subevent caused the second to initiate, effectively ‘jumping’ the 50 kilometer distance between the two. Scientists previously thought an earthquake could only leap up to five kilometers.
The finding has implications for seismic hazard forecasts developed by the United States Geological Survey. The current forecast model does not include the possibility of a similar double earthquake on the thrust faults in the Los Angeles area.
“This is another thing to worry about,” Funning said. “The probability of this happening in Los Angeles is probably pretty low, but it doesn’t mean it can’t happen.”
Funning started work on the paper about 12 years ago as a graduate student at the University of Oxford. He was the first to find the satellite data for the earthquakes in Pakistan, which occurred in a largely unpopulated area, and notice they occurred close together in space and time.
After dropping the work for several years, he, along with lead author Ed Nissen of the Colorado School of Mines, picked it up about three to four years ago, in part because of the possible implications for the Los Angeles area, which has a similar plate boundary, with similar faults, similar distances apart as the region in Pakistan where the 1997 earthquake doublet occurred.
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Thrust faults happen when one layer of rock is pushed up over another, often older, layer of rock by compressional forces. Thrust faults came to the attention of Californians after the 1994 Northridge earthquake, about 20 miles northwest of Los Angeles, which occurred on a thrust fault.
Thrust faults are not as well understood by scientists as strike-slip faults, such as the San Andreas, in part because they are not as visible in the landscape, and do not preserve evidence for past earthquakes as well.
E. Nissen, J. R. Elliott, R. A. Sloan, T. J. Craig, G. J. Funning, A. Hutko, B. E. Parsons, T. J. Wright. Limitations of rupture forecasting exposed by instantaneously triggered earthquake doublet. Nature Geoscience, 2016; DOI: 10.1038/ngeo2653
Note: The above post is reprinted from materials provided by University of California – Riverside.
Istanbul: Seafloor study proves earthquake risk for the first time
Curved slickenlines preserve the direction of rupture propagation
11% chance of another huge earthquake in Southern California, scientists say
Study reveals key factor in Himalayan earthquake rupture
Contradictory effect of earthquakes on submarine slopes
Stresses from past earthquakes explain location of seismic events
New method for detecting water on Mars
Study shows planet’s atmospheric oxygen rose through glaciers
Solar System Ice: Source of Earth’s Water
Terreneuvian Epoch
New element tracking method a boon for geoscientists
Enargite
3D scanning methods allow an inside look into fossilized feces
Earthquake physics on multiple scales
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Home Fossils Decline of crocodile ancestors was good news for early marine turtles
Decline of crocodile ancestors was good news for early marine turtles
Marine turtles experienced an evolutionary windfall thanks to a mass extinction of crocodyliforms around 145 million years ago, say researchers.
Crocodyliforms comprise modern crocodiles and alligators and their ancient ancestors, which were major predators that thrived on Earth millions of years ago. They evolved into a variety of species including smaller ones that lived on land through to mega-sized sea-swimming species that were up to 12 metres long. However, around 145 million years ago crocodyliforms, along with many other species, experienced a severe decline – an extinction event during a period between two epochs known as the Jurassic/Cretaceous boundary.
Now a PhD student and his colleagues from Imperial College London and University College London have carried out an extensive analysis of 200 species of crocodyliforms from a fossil database. One of the findings of the study is that the timing of the extinction coincided with the origin of modern marine turtles. The team suggest that the ecological pressure may have been lifted from early marine turtle ancestors due to the extinction of many marine crocodyliforms, which were one of their primary predators.
Jon Tennant, lead author of the study from the Department of Earth Science and Engineering at Imperial, said: “This major extinction of crocodyliforms was literally a case of out with the old and in with the new for many species. Marine turtles, the gentle, graceful creatures of the sea, may have been one of the major winners from this changing of the old guard. They began to thrive in oceans around the world when their ferocious arch-predators went into terminal decline.”
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In the study, published today in the journal Proceedings of the Royal Society B, the researchers point to evidence in the records of a dramatic extinction of crocodyliforms during the Jurassic/Cretaceous boundary. Up to 80 per cent of species on land and in marine environments were wiped out. This decline was primarily due to a drop in sea levels, which led to a closing off of shallow marine environments such as lagoons and coastal swamps. These were the homes and primary hunting grounds for many crocodyliforms.
The decimation of many marine crocodyliforms may also have laid the way for their ecological replacement by other large predatory groups such as modern shark species and new types of plesiosaurs. Plesiosaurs were long-necked, fat-bodied and small-headed ocean-going creatures with fins, which later went extinct around 66 million years ago.
Other factors that contributed to the decline of marine crocodyliforms included a change in the chemistry of ocean water with increased sulphur toxicity and a depletion of oxygen.
While primitive crocodyliform species on land also suffered major declines, the remaining species diversified into new groups such as the now extinct notosuchians, which were much smaller in size at around 1.5 metres in length. Eusuchians also came to prominence after the extinction, which led to today’s crocodiles.
To carry out the study on crocodyliforms the team used the Paleobiology Database, which is a professionally curated digital archive of all known fossil records. The team analysed almost 1,200 crocodyliform fossil records.
Scientists have known since the early 1970s about the Jurassic/Cretaceous boundary extinction from fossil records. However, researchers have focussed on other extinction events and as a consequence less has been done to understand in detail the effects of Jurassic/Cretaceous boundary extinction on species like crocodyliforms.
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The next steps will see the analysis extended to other groups including dinosaurs, amphibians and mammals to learn more about the effects of the Jurassic/Cretaceous boundary on their biodiversity.
Environmental drivers of crocodyliform extinction across the Jurassic/Cretaceous transition, Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences, DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2015.2840
Note: The above post is reprinted from materials provided by Imperial College London.
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Field of Study: Music Composition
The music of Wayne Shorter has left an indelible mark on the development of music for the last half-century. He first rose to prominence in the late 1950’s as the primary composer for Art Blakey’s Jazz Messengers. He next joined the Miles Davis Quintet becoming what that bandleader referred to as the ensemble’s “intellectual musical catalyst” before co-founding the pioneering group Weather Report. Since 2001, he has led his own highly acclaimed quartet.
“Mr. Shorter’s mastery is in knocking down the wall between jazz and classical” (New York Times) and the Chicago Symphony, Lyon Symphony, Orpheus Chamber Orchestra, Prague Philharmonic and Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra are among the orchestras that have performed his symphonic compositions. Acclaimed artists and ensembles such as Renée Fleming and the Imani Winds have also performed his works. He has received commissions from the St. Louis, Nashville, Detroit and National Symphony Orchestras, the Los Angeles Philharmonic and the La Jolla Music Society. In all, Mr. Shorter has realized over 200 compositions, works that are performed around the world by premiere artists and studied by students and scholars alike.
In his current symphonic work, Mr. Shorter continues to evolve the dynamic between fully realized score and improvisation creating, in his words, a "flashlight into the unknown”. “I want the audience to feel what might be necessary in order to continue this life in a way that has never been done before.” says Mr. Shorter, “so that we can have a new way of dialoguing based on being free of comfort zones in life and develop the courage to be fearless and not be afraid of the unexpected and the unknown.”
Shorter’s outstanding record of professional achievement includes 10 GRAMMYS including a Lifetime Achievement GRAMMY in 2015. He has received Honorary Doctorates from New York University, New England Conservatory and Berklee College of Music. In 1997, the National Endowment for the Arts presented Shorter with the Jazz Master Award. In 2013 Mr. Shorter received a Lifetime achievement award from the Thelonious Monk Institute of Jazz, becoming only the 2nd person to be so honored in the organization’s 30-year history.
Photograph credit: Robert Ascroft
American Academy of Arts and Sciences, 2016
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Joyce Ventura
Celia Duron
Mentoring: Celia Duron
Joyce co-founded the film and advertising production company UNO Ltda in 1971 in Bogotá. Since then she has produced 12 feature films and worked on more than 2,000 advertising spots for clients such as Pepsi-Cola, Marlboro and Renault, among others.
More recently she has been involved in the founding of the film-production channel G3, an international partnership project between Colombia, Mexico and Venezuela.
Joyce has conducted studies, internships and various film workshops (with Jean Claude Carriere, Gabriel Garcia Marquez among others) in Colombia, France, the USA, Germany and Cuba. A film producer with an entrepreneurial spirit, she co-founded the film and advertising production company UNO Ltda, created in 1971 in Bogota (Colombia) and has worked on more than 2,000 advertising spots for clients such as Pepsi-Cola, Marlboro, Renault, Mazda, Iberia, Unilever, Colgate Palmolive. More recently, Joyce was involved in the founding of the film-production channel G3, an international partnership project between Colombia, Mexico and Venezuela.
Joyce's work encompasses both short films and feature films. She was the director and screenwriter of a short film on child prostitution, No Hay Mal Que Dure Cien Anos (No evil can last a hundred years), which received the Grand Prize at the Moscow Film Festival in 1980.
Joyce serves as image consultant for the Colombian Tourism Promotion Fund, and has worked with the Colombian Ministry of Culture on the creation and executive production of the Film Marketing Seminar in Bogota and Carthagene.
Joyce also serves on the International Advisory Board of the Women's Forum for the Economy and Society.
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Home » Context of 'February 28, 2005: Deputy Attorney General Considers US Attorney ‘Weak’ due to Morale Problems in Office'
Context of 'February 28, 2005: Deputy Attorney General Considers US Attorney ‘Weak’ due to Morale Problems in Office'
This is a scalable context timeline. It contains events related to the event February 28, 2005: Deputy Attorney General Considers US Attorney ‘Weak’ due to Morale Problems in Office. You can narrow or broaden the context of this timeline by adjusting the zoom level. The lower the scale, the more relevant the items on average will be, while the higher the scale, the less relevant the items, on average, will be.
Fall 2004: Media Reports of Turmoil, Turnover in US Attorney’s Office Cause Concern at Justice Department
The chief judge for the US District Court for the Northern District of California sends news articles about US Attorney for the Northern District of California Kevin Ryan (see August 2, 2002) to Associate Deputy Attorney General David Margolis. For some time, San Francisco newspapers have reported on turmoil and turnover in Ryan’s office, with several experienced prosecutors leaving, allegedly due to Ryan’s management style. The judge complains to Margolis about Ryan’s leadership style. Margolis discusses the situation with Mary Beth Buchanan, the head of the Executive Office of US Attorneys, and they decide to discuss the issue with Ryan. However, they take no immediate action. [US Department of Justice, Office of the Inspector General, 9/29/2008] Buchanan will later say: “The United States Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of California had a long history of problems. The problems in the office predated Kevin Ryan’s tenure as the United States Attorney. Shortly after Kevin Ryan became the United States Attorney, there were discussions about his management style. I don’t recall exactly when these communications came to the attention of the Executive Office. What I can tell you is that, at some point, these communications escalated, and there were letters that were sent to the deputy attorney general, there were numerous newspaper articles that appeared in the press. And after the escalation of these concerns, I meet [sic] with Kevin Ryan and his first assistant along with David Margolis in an attempt to address some of the management concerns.… I know that Kevin Ryan had a number of significant computer crime and intellectual property cases, so I think that there were certainly good things that were done in Mr. Ryan’s office.” [US House of Representatives, Committee on the Judiciary, 6/15/2007 ]
Entity Tags: Kevin J. Ryan, Executive Office for US Attorneys (DOJ), US Department of Justice, David Margolis, Mary Beth Buchanan
January 9, 2005: Justice Department Official Says US Attorneys who are ‘Loyal Bushies’ Will Not Be Fired
Justice Department lawyer Kyle Sampson (see 2001-2003) responds to an email from White House deputy counsel David Leitch regarding the proposed firing of some or all of the nation’s 93 US Attorneys (see January 6, 2005). Sampson confirms that he has spoken with White House counsel Alberto Gonzales about the proposal “a couple of weeks ago” (see Late December 2004). Sampson delineates his “thoughts” to Leitch in four points. He notes that while US Attorneys serve at the “pleasure of the president,” they generally serve four-year terms. (Sampson is aware that all 93 US Attorneys have been informed that they will not be asked to resign as President Bush’s second term commences—see November 4, 2004—and is also aware that Gonzales and White House deputy counsel Harriet Miers are discussing replacing some or all of the US Attorneys—see November 2004 and Late December 2004.) It would be “weird” to ask them to leave before their terms are complete. Sampson goes on to note the “historical” practice of allowing US Attorneys to complete their terms, even if there is a party change in the administration; he does not mention that the incoming 1992 Clinton administration, and the incoming 2000 Bush administration, both asked all or almost all 93 US Attorneys to leave without regard to completing their terms (see March 24, 1993 and January 2001). Sampson then writes that “as an operational matter, we would like to replace 15-20 percent of the current US Attorneys—the underperforming ones. (This is a rough guess; we might want to consider doing performance evaluations after Judge [Gonzales] comes on board.) The vast majority of US Attorneys, 80-85 percent, I would guess, are doing a great job, are loyal Bushies, etc., etc. Due to the history, it would certainly send ripples through the US Attorney community if we told folks that they got one term only (as a general matter, the Reagan US Attorneys appointed in 1981 stayed on through the entire Reagan administration; Bush 41 even had to establish that Reagan-appointed US Attorneys would not be permitted to continue on through the Bush 41 administration—indeed, even performance evaluations likely would create ripples, though this wouldn’t necessarily be a bad thing).” Sampson predicts that “as a political matter… I suspect that when push comes to shove, home-state senators likely would resist wholesale (or even piecemeal) replacement of US Attorneys they recommended.” However, he writes, “if Karl [Rove, the White House political chief] thinks there would be policitical [sic] will to do it, then so do I.” [US Department of Justice, 1/9/2005 ; ABC News, 3/15/2007; US Department of Justice, Office of the Inspector General, 9/29/2008; US House of Representatives, Committee on the Judiciary, 7/7/2009 ; Talking Points Memo, 2011] The original email seems to come from another aide in the White House Counsel’s Office, Colin Newman, who told Leitch that Rove “stopped by to ask you (roughly quoting) ‘how we planned to proceed regarding US Attorneys, whether we were going to allow all to stay, request resignations from all and accept only some of them, or selectively replace them, etc.’ I told him that you would be on the hill all day for the judge’s hearing, and he said the matter was not urgent.” Leitch responded by forwarding the email to Sampson with the comment, “Let’s discuss.” [US House of Representatives, Committee on the Judiciary, 6/15/2009 ] Newman’s email is dated January 6, and the reference to “the judge’s hearing” seems to refer to White House counsel Alberto Gonzales’s contentious hearing on the Geneva Conventions before the Senate Judiciary Committee on that date (see January 6, 2005).
Downplaying White House Involvement - In the 2008 investigation of the US Attorney firings by the Justice Department’s Office of the Inspector General (see September 29, 2008), Leitch will say that he has no recollection of discussing the matter with Sampson, Rove, or anyone else. He will leave the White House Counsel’s Office shortly after this email exchange. [US Department of Justice, Office of the Inspector General, 9/29/2008] In 2009, Miers will testify that she does not recall specifics of these discussions. She will say: “I don’t have a recollection of that, but it wouldn’t surprise me if that happened, that would be some general discussion of, well, we have the Justice Department saying we have a certain number that we feel should be looked at and that that is better because it doesn’t create the upheaval that removing all of the US Attorneys would have. I think the original discussion did not involve the kind of plan, as that term has been used, that eventually evolved.” At this point, Miers will say, the idea of firing a large number of US Attorneys on the same day had not been discussed. The Justice Department, she will say, would make the decisions as to whom, if anyone, should be terminated, not the White House. Asked specifically about Rove’s Office of Political Affairs (OPA), she will say that it would merely play a consulting role in the process: “I did ask that they assist, in the areas where there might be removals, the location of sources for recommendations. And so the political office was as it is called; they had the political piece.” The Counsel’s Office would not ask OPA for recommendations of replacements for the ousted US Attorneys, she says: “We would turn to them for identification of the sources that you could go to and ask for people to be considered. You wouldn’t turn to them and say tell us who we ought to recommend.” However, “if they had a preference for, someone, they would state it so that they certainly had input.” [US House of Representatives, Committee on the Judiciary, 6/15/2009 ] In 2009, Rove will deny ever seeing the email or discussing the matter with Sampson, and will say, “The implication that somehow this was addressed to me and I somehow received it is inaccurate.” [US House of Representatives, Committee on the Judiciary, 7/7/2009 ] Miers claims no memory of Rove ever attending a Judicial Selection Committee meeting to discuss the removal of a specific US Attorney. She will recall discussions of the removal of US Attorney David Iglesias (see October 18, 2001) by OPA members, including Rove. [US House of Representatives, Committee on the Judiciary, 6/15/2009 ]
Entity Tags: Colin Newman, Alberto R. Gonzales, Bush administration (43), White House Counsel’s Office, White House Office of Political Affairs, Harriet E. Miers, D. Kyle Sampson, Karl C. Rove, Clinton administration, David Leitch, David C. Iglesias
January 31 - March 21, 2005: US Attorney Comes under Fire from Justice Department Officials
The latest of several experienced prosecutors quits his job at the office of US Attorney Kevin Ryan of the Northern District of California (see August 2, 2002). The prosecutor sends an office-wide “open letter” to Ryan complaining about long-standing morale and attrition problems, and credits Ryan’s poor management style with creating the issue. The letter is quickly forwarded to staff members in other US Attorneys’ offices, and to the Executive Office for US Attorneys (EOUSA) in the Justice Department. Complaints about Ryan have already been forwarded to the EOUSA (see Fall 2004). The chief judge in Ryan’s district, who made the earlier complaint, sends Associate Deputy Attorney General David Margolis the open letter and asks him to consider the issue. Margolis and EOUSA chief Mary Beth Buchanan schedule a meeting with Ryan and his First Assistant US Attorney for March 21. Margolis will later say of the meeting that he “read [Ryan] the riot act” about the issues in his office, and suggests that Ryan should ask the Justice Department to undertake a special review of his management issues. Margolis will later say that Ryan does not request such a review. [US Department of Justice, Office of the Inspector General, 9/29/2008]
Entity Tags: Kevin J. Ryan, Executive Office for US Attorneys (DOJ), Mary Beth Buchanan, David Margolis, US Department of Justice
February 15, 2005: Attorney General Appoints New Chief of Staff, Deputy Chief of Staff
Attorney General Alberto Gonzales appoints three Justice Department officials to senior positions, including lawyer D. Kyle Sampson as his deputy chief of staff. Sampson serves under Theodore Ullyot, who is now Gonzales’s chief of staff. Ullyot comes to the department from the White House, where he was a deputy assistant to the president and deputy staff secretary. Sampson has been a counselor to the attorney general since 2003 (see 2001-2003), and also serves as a Special Assistant US Attorney in the Eastern District of Virginia. Like Ullyot, Sampson also served a stint in the White House, as associate counsel to the president and as special assistant to the president and associate director for presidential personnel. [US Department of Justice, 2/15/2005] In October 2005, Ullyot will leave the Justice Department to work in the corporate realm, resulting in the promotion of Sampson to chief of staff. [Forbes, 2013]
Entity Tags: Theodore W. (“Ted”) Ullyot, D. Kyle Sampson, US Department of Justice, Alberto R. Gonzales
February 28, 2005: Deputy Attorney General Considers US Attorney ‘Weak’ due to Morale Problems in Office
Deputy Attorney General James Comey expresses his concerns with US Attorney Kevin Ryan (see Fall 2004 and January 31 - March 21, 2005) to Kyle Sampson, the deputy chief of staff for Attorney General Alberto Gonzales (see February 15, 2005) and the person in charge of the Justice Department’s planned purge of US Attorneys. On his initial list of US Attorneys, Sampson labeled Ryan as “strong” and did not list him as ripe for ousting (see January 9, 2005 and March 2, 2005). Comey tells Sampson that he considers Ryan a weak performer based on the documented morale problems in the office. Other Justice Department officials such as Associate Deputy Attorney General David Margolis and Executive Office for US Attorneys chief Mary Beth Buchanan share similar concerns with Sampson around this time. Comey tells Sampson that he knows Buchanan’s office is concerned about Ryan and is working with Margolis to address the problems. [US Department of Justice, Office of the Inspector General, 9/29/2008]
Entity Tags: Executive Office for US Attorneys (DOJ), David Margolis, US Department of Justice, D. Kyle Sampson, James B. Comey Jr., Kevin J. Ryan, Mary Beth Buchanan
March 2, 2005: Attorney General Chief of Staff Sends List ‘Ranking’ US Attorneys for Retention or Firing Based on Loyalty to White House
Justice Department official Kyle Sampson (see 2001-2003), now the deputy chief of staff for Attorney General Alberto Gonzales (see February 15, 2005) as well as the Special Assistant US Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, sends an email to Gonzales’s successor, senior White House counsel Harriet Miers. Sampson is responding to a late February request for recommendations for firing US Attorneys in case the White House decides to ask for resignations from a “subset” of those officials (see February 24, 2005 and After). In the email, Sampson ranks all 93 US Attorneys, using a set of three broad criteria. Strong performers exhibit “loyalty to the president and attorney general” (see January 9, 2005). Poor performers are, he writes, “weak US Attorneys who have been ineffectual managers and prosecutors, chafed against administration initiatives, etc.” A third group is not rated at all. US Attorney David Iglesias of New Mexico (see October 18, 2001, 2002 and November 14-18, 2005 ) and Kevin Ryan of the Northern District of California (see August 2, 2002) appear on the list as “recommended retaining.” Gonzales has approved the idea of firing some of the US Attorneys.
Denoted for Firing - US Attorneys listed for possible firing are: David York of the Southern District of Alabama; H.E. “Bud” Cummins of the Eastern District of Arkansas (see January 9, 2002 and April or August 2002); Carol Lam of the Southern District of California (see November 8, 2002); Greg Miller of the Northern District of Florida; David Huber of the Western District of Kentucky; Margaret Chiara of the Western District of Michigan (see November 2, 2001); Jim Greenlee of the Northern District of Mississippi; Dunn O. Lampton of the Southern District of Mississippi; Anna Mills S. Wagoner of the Middle District of North Carolina; John McKay of the Western District of Washington state (see October 24, 2001, Late October 2001 - March 2002, and January 4, 2005); Kasey Warner of the Southern District of West Virginia; and Paula Silsby of Maine. Sampson sends a revised listing later this evening with two more names indicated for possible firing: Thomas B. Heffelfinger of Minnesota and Steven Biskupic of the Eastern District of Wisconsin. Sampson says he based his choices on his own personal judgments formed during his work at the White House and the Justice Department, and on input he received from other Justice Department officials. He will later testify that he cannot recall what any specific official told him about any specific US Attorney. He will call this list a “quick and dirty” compilation and a “preliminary list” that would be subject to “further vetting… down the road” from department leaders. [US Department of Justice, 2005 ; US Department of Justice, 2/15/2005; Washington Post, 3/12/2007; US Department of Justice, 3/13/2007 ; US Department of Justice, Office of the Inspector General, 9/29/2008; Talking Points Memo, 2011] Days later, a Federalist Society lawyer will email Mary Beth Buchanan, the director of the Executive Office of US Attorneys, with a recommendation for Lam’s replacement (see March 7, 2005).
Later Recollections - In the 2008 investigation of the US Attorney firings by the Justice Department’s Office of the Inspector General (see September 29, 2008), Gonzales will tell investigators that he supported the concept of evaluating the US Attorneys’ performance to see “where we could do better.” Gonzales will say that he instructed Sampson to consult with the senior leadership of the Justice Department, obtain a consensus recommendation as to which US Attorneys should be removed, and coordinate with the White House on the process. Gonzales will say that he never discussed with Sampson how to evaluate US Attorneys or what factors to consider when discussing with department leaders which US Attorneys should be removed. Sampson will say that he did not share the list with Gonzales or any other department officials, but will say he believes he briefed Gonzales on it. Gonzales will say he recalls no such briefing, nor does he recall ever seeing the list. Then-Deputy Attorney General James Comey and then-Associate Deputy Attorney General David Margolis will tell OIG investigators about their discussions with Sampson. Comey will recall telling Sampson on February 28, 2005 that he felt Ryan and Lampton belonged in the “weak” category, and will say he may have denoted Heffelfinger and another US Attorney, David O’Meilia, as “weak” performers. Comey will say that he was not aware of Sampson’s work with the White House in compiling a list of US Attorneys to be removed. He will say that he considered his conversation with Sampson “casual” and that Sampson “offhandedly” raised the subject with him. Margolis will recall speaking briefly with Sampson about “weak” performers among the US Attorneys in late 2004 or early 2005, but recall little about the conversation. He will remember that Sampson told him about Miers’s idea of firing all 93 US Attorneys (see November 2004), and agreed with Sampson that such a move would be unwise. Margolis will recall Sampson viewing Miers’s idea as a way to replace some US Attorneys for President Bush’s second term, an idea Margolis will say he endorsed. He was not aware that political considerations may be used to compile a list of potential firings. He will recall looking at a list Sampson had of all 93 Attorneys. He will remember citing Ryan and Lampton as poor performers, as well as Chiara. He will remember saying that eight other US Attorneys might warrant replacement. Sampson will tell OIG investigators that he received no immediate reaction from Miers to the list, and will say he did not remember discussing the basis for his recommendations with her. As for McKay, though Washington state Republicans are sending a steady stream of complaints to the White House concerning McKay’s alleged lack of interest in pursuing voter fraud allegations (see December 2004, Late 2004, Late 2004 or Early 2005, January 4, 2005, and January 4, 2005), Sampson will claim to be unaware of any of them and say he would not have used them as justification to advocate for McKay’s termination. [US Department of Justice, Office of the Inspector General, 9/29/2008]
Entity Tags: Carol C. Lam, Kevin Ryan, Anna Mills S. Wagoner, Margaret M. Chiara, Bush administration (43), Paula Silsby, Steven M. Biskupic, Alberto R. Gonzales, US Department of Justice, Thomas B. Heffelfinger, John L. McKay, Jim Greenlee, Mary Beth Buchanan, Harriet E. Miers, James B. Comey Jr., David C. Iglesias, D. Kyle Sampson, David Huber, David Margolis, Kasey Warner, David York, David O’Meilia, Executive Office for US Attorneys (DOJ), Greg Miller, Dunn O. Lampton, H.E. (“Bud”) Cummins III
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