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Breathtaking Beaches throughout the World
4:27:00 PM Hetal Mehta 2 comments
Based on the opinions and millions of reviews of travelers, the world's largest travel site, TripAdvisor recently released its list of top beach destinations that were chosen by millions of travelers globally, reports rediff.com. Listed below are the top 5 breathtaking beaches around the world.
1.Providenciales, Turks and Caicos Islands:
First in the list of the best beaches around the world comes the white sand beach of the Turks and Caicos island of Providenciales. The beautiful calm beach is a great spot for snorkelers and divers. You can also relax with your friends and family here as this hot spot offers a breathtaking view with a serene environment. Additionally you can opt to visit destinations like Iguana Island (home of endangered rock iguanas), the country's only golf course, beautiful art galleries and a casino, if you wish to travel here
2.Palm/Eagle Beach, Aruba:
The gorgeous island of Aruba was populated since the year 1000. The Island that is rich in history and culture, Aruba treasures the Eagle beach which is a heavenly Caribbean beach. The beach is frequently visited by water sports lovers because of the various water sport activity that the beach offers. The other beach is the Palm Beach, located on the Island's west side, is also considered to be the best amongst travelers because of the perfect swimming conditions that the beach offers. Palm Beach has powdery sand and offers breathtaking view to the visitors. You can also opt to explore the beautiful Island of Aruba by a Bike or a Moped as it is only 20 miles long. And of course don't forget to visit the popular diving site, the wreck of the torpedoed tanker Pedernales.
3. Tulum, Mexico:
Situated in the south of Playa del Carmen in Mexico, Tulum is surrounded with lush bougainvillea-filled jungle at its back. You can avail the popular tourist bus from Cancun here to see the ruins some of the best preserved in the Yucatan, perch on cliffs beside the coast. If you opt to stay in Tulum itself, you can easily explore the beach by a bike. One can opt for diving or swimming in the clear crystal waters of the Caribbean as it is quite a fun filled experience here.
4.Negril, Jamaica:
One is sure to have a great experience in the wild beaches of Negril, beach resort town of Jamaica. The Seven Mile Beach, which is a home of adult oriented resorts here, is the most popular hot spot for tourists. Within walking distance you can find the West End, which offers laid-back accommodations and beaches, shops and restaurants. You can grab a cool drink at Rick's Bar and enjoy watching the mesmerizing view of the sunset. The horse back tour in the beaches is a must try.
5.Saint Pete Beach, U.S:
Sited on a peninsula off Florida's west coast, the gorgeous Saint Pete Beach, in the U.S appears to be quite attractive for travelers as it has Sugary-white sand, frolicking dolphins just off shore and eight major barrier islands. This picture perfect destination balances its oceanfront charms with top-notch art museums which includes the largest collection of Salvador Dali paintings outside of Spain. You can also enjoy kayaking in the calm waters or tour by a ferry to the nearby Caladesi Island State Park to experience the state's wild beauty.
Stupidest Technology Questions Often Googled
Technology is invading the planet. It’s literally replacing the need for human beings in every sphere. There are cars that drive itself, robots which go to work, homes which can talk and so on, no wonder why humans out there are afraid and asking so many questions, especially to Google about the stuff they think technology could do or at least they expect Google to give a satisfactory explanation.
Cracked.com compiled a list of five stupidest technology questions ever Googled by people, which never had an answer or it will.
Here are the questions.
# What Rights Do Robots Have?
This question actually lies in the brink. But as of now there does not exist even a single written law that robots have to live by. So for the time being, they can do whatever they want and apparently you can’t do anything about it. So what about the future? There may come a day when your children will be playing with their surrogate copy robot and they may also come under the laws.
# How to Stop Hearing Voices through Electronics?
Ghosts are one of the worst things ever connected to technology. They are reported to appear everywhere, as voices in recordings to the strange voice you hear while swapping through the dead TV channels.
Apparently, you can’t do anything except listening to them and do whatever it says- May be pushing your haunted car off the bridge to beating up your disturbing neighbor and according to cracked, the voice will eventually leave you alone.
# Who invented Ice?
Whoever it is, ice is the worst. It sinks ships, gets under the car tire and hit you in the face at the end of your drink.
If you are still thinking, keep thinking about it.
# Can You make a Lot of Money Reading Emails?
It must be one of the dumbest question ever asked on Google and mostly the best one used to cheat the unaware millions in the cyber-space.
But according to Wicked, you can actually make money by reading the emails- not yours but your boss’s, especially when you find some words like affair, extortion or murder!
# What Inventions Haven’t Been Made?
Many of the people are so optimistic about technology that they keep on asking the above question since the technology is likely not to stop inventing anytime in the future.
So cracked gave a list of things which you can invent now and they will pay you in long run. Here are some of them- magazines which glow in the dark, a secret translator which will make you understand what the birds and pets say and a special glass which lets you see animals with souls!
Views on India's Narendra Modi
4:19:00 PM Hetal Mehta No comments
A kaleidoscope of events – lot told, half heard and less explored - Narendra Modi’s political life has been quite eventful which on one side is being adored as a role model and the most competent leader in the country while on the other, he is still the most divisive figure and a hated pariah for much of the Western world.
“Ill-told and ill-heard” - the Modi brigade rubbishes the never-ending stories on their enigmatic leader for whom he is the most possible future prime minister of India and his opponents, despite his fast evolving image changeover, still term his a mass murder of Muslims, on the memories of the 2002 Gujarat riots - the darkest chapter that refuses to fade away from history. His rise would rejuvenate the economy of the country but his lineage of aggressive Hindutva nationalism would polarize the country on religious lines and in all possibility, would undermine the long-cherished secular identity of the world’s largest democracy and a key American strategic ally, writes Simon Denyer of the Washingtonpost.
He is being looked upon quite enviously, even by his opponents, for his administrative excellence by which he has uprooted corruption and promoted economic and industrial growth in Gujarat. The Gujarat government under the leadership of Modi attracted investment from all over the world and many leading companies, including those from America like Ford and General Motors, flocked to the new-found favorite investment destination to do business.
However, the United States didn’t seem to have taken these good records into consideration as it denied him a visa over and again for his alleged involvement in the Gujarat riots. He was accused of failing to stop the riot during which nearly 1,000 to 2,000 Muslims were massacred and is also accused of actively encouraging the slaughter.
However, what reflects in his ever swelling popularity is a public demand among certain sections of the middle classes for a strong and decisive leader who can cure the plague of corruption, challenge the Chinese upper hand in the region, prevent the recurring terrorist attacks and finally, it also represents the general impatience of the overstated liberal principles of human rights and social justice, the Washingtonpost reads.
Modi, a man with few close friends, sleeps just three and half hours a night, admits of being a workaholic and his only pastimes is an early-morning spell of yoga. The article takes a look into his office ambience and says Modi demands a similar dedication from his colleagues and the other bureaucrats who work on tight deadlines. It portrays a quite unusual and a radically different way of working as even his cabinet ministers keeps him updated about their day-to-day schedules.
His policies, often harshly criticized as pro-industry and anti-people by his critics, had made sure that every village in the state is served by a paved road and has a reliable supply of electricity and drinking water, claims the report. With aggressive investment in irrigation, Gujarat saw a great leap in agricultural sector.
It’s there Narendra Modi came to be known as a man who can get things done and that reputation made him the favorite to become India’s next prime minister. He outstripped Rahul Gandhi to be voted favorite for the top job in a recent survey by India Today magazine with 24 percent opting Modi to be their desired PM while the Gandhi scion scored just 17 percent.
If the public sentiments grow stronger for Modi and if he climb’s the Prime Minister’s chair, it would be slightly uncomfortable for the United States. US doesn’t permit its diplomats to meet with Modi and Britain wouldn’t deal with him at all while many other countries won’t be worried by his record. “Private conversations with Western diplomats suggest that there is a general desire to rehabilitate Modi,” writes Denyer who also quoted the leaked 2006 cable from U.S. Embassy by WikiLeaks which said, “We believe it would dilute our influence to avoid Modi completely.” The cable also says that waiting until Modi “achieved national stature” to engage with him could be seen as opportunistic.
While it’s not very easy to wash away the stains of his past, his supporters say it is time to move on but his critics still call for his head saying that the systematic nature of violence makes this impossible. They says his increased efforts to do an image makeover is an attempt to fetch the national job but Modi rubbishes these allegations which he puts on “some vested interest groups” and says, “because I have not done anything wrong, and I am committed to the human cause.” With his Sadbhavana mission, Modi tried to reach out to his people with his development stories and to highlight the fact that there had been no major violence between Hindus and Muslims since 2002.
Earning Less than 8 Lakh in Financial Year 2012-2013? Your Tax will Go Up
The taxpayers have one more reason to get frustrated with the recent budget. The Finance Minister not only kept the tax-saving limit under Section 80C unaltered, but the deduction under Section 80CCF for infrastructure bonds has been removed. This will cut down the total tax savings from 1.2 lakh to 1 lakh which will thrust up the payable tax for individuals.
The deduction was increased two years ago and it has to be extended every year through an amendment. Tax experts had dreaded the worst when the finance minister did not mention it in his budget speech this year. Finance Ministry sources now authenticate that the 20, 000 deductions has been allowed to tumble this year.
It has come clean by now that the change will not burn those with an income of less than 5-6 lakh a year. The taxpayers in this section generally did not invest in infrastructure bonds in a huge way as the tax benefit is lesser for this slab. In a lot of cases, these taxpayers failed to exhaust even their 1 lakh deduction limit under Section 80C.
Though for investors with an income of up to 8 lakh, the scrapping of Section 80CCF means that they will have to pay up to 2,060 more tax next year. It will be more difficult for female taxpayers, but the cruelest gust is held back for senior citizens and very senior citizens. These taxpayers will end up paying almost 4, 120 more as tax. Add the burn of the hike in service tax and you can see a bigger serving of your income going as taxes next year.
Strangely, the elimination of the deduction overlaps with the government's plan to boost the funds to be lifted up by infrastructure lenders in 2012-13. This limit has been doubled to 60, 000 crore. This is the cause, the experts thinks that the deduction should have been allowed to persist. Moreover, it comes at a time when the government wants to raise money for the cash-hungry infrastructure sector. "It is a blow to individual investors as it will actually push up their tax burden. The deduction should be restored immediately,” said DS Rawat, Secretary-General, Assocham.
From Deduction to Exemption
Spending too much time worrying about the scrapped tax deduction is not worth it. On the contrary, we should think about the exemption you can gain through the tax-free infrastructure bonds. Contrasting to the tax-saving bonds under Section 80CCF, these bonds will not cut your tax outgo. Nevertheless, the interest they earn will be tax-free. The interest earned on Section 80CCF bonds is fully taxable, which decrease the post-tax yield for investors. Besides, the tax has to be paid every year, not on the maturity of the bond.
Alternatively, the income from tax-free infrastructure bonds is completely exempted. What's more, unlike the 20, 000 ceiling in the tax-saving bonds, there is no limit to the amount that a retail investor can park in these bonds. Kamal Rampuria, Senior Vice-President, AUM Capital Market said, "While the tax-saving bonds under Section 80CCF gave better returns, even tax-free infrastructure bonds are a good option for investors in the highest income bracket.”
Royal Weddings - Most Expensive Ones
Royal weddings always have a different flavor added to it, with its rich and unique style ranging from decorations to food. The whole world looks upon these high class marriages anxiously with a glint of surprise and delight in their eyes, which cannot be matched with normal weddings. Let us have a look at some of the most extravagant and expensive royal weddings of all time-
William and Kate
The world witnessed the royal wedding of the century on 29 April, previous year when Prince William married the women of his dreams, his college sweetheart Kate Middleton. The streets of London were packed with more than 2 million viewers, who gathered around to get a glimpse of this royal wedding, which happens to be the third most expensive wedding in history with millions splashed out. The total cost of the wedding is estimated to be around $50-80 million, with floral décor costing $800,000, security arrangements -$33 million and Kate’s gown costing $300,000 to $450,000.Moreover since the day was declared as an official holiday, it cost the economy an amount of $6 billion.
Charles and Diana
The wedding of Prince Charles and Lady Diana, termed as a ‘global event’ took place in the year 1981 which captivated the entire world. This large and extravagant function was more like a fairy tale wedding which had cost around $48 million ($110 million as per today's value). The price of the wedding gown of the bride was 9000 pounds and for the cake they had to pay an amount of $6,000(rates will be double or triple as per today’s value).The estimated value of the wedding ring in today’s value is around 85,700 pounds and her gown’s 25-foot train is the longest in the history of royal marriages. Notable moments of the wedding were Diana reversing the order of Charle’s name while reading the vows and Charle’s forgetting to kiss his wife at the end of the ceremony. It took nearly 14 weeks to prepare the 27 wedding cakes and five-foot-tall main cake; moreover a duplicate cake was also made as a security measure.
Sheikh Mohammed and Sheikha Hind Bint Maktoum
The wedding of former King of Dubai, Sheikh Mohammed with his first cousin Sheikha Hind Bint Maktoum which took place in 1979 was more like a national festival which extended up to seven days and the event has found a place for itself in the Guinness records. An entire stadium which could accommodate up to 20, 000 guests was built and the total cost is estimated to be about $44.5 million (around $100 million in today’s value).The stadium featured displays of camel and horse riding, moreover an aerobatics display by the Dubai Air Force made the function even more fascinating and enjoyable. For one whole month the entire Dubai had fun and the King used to visit every village on his horse and supplied food to everyone.
Prince Felipe of Spain and Letizia Ortiz Rocasolano
The wedding between Felipe and Letizia was held at Cathedral Nuestra Senora de la Almudena in Madrin in the year 2004 and the function created big news with costs going up to $29 million, which included the security charges as well. A huge one million flower plantation campaign and the decorations along with the security of 18,000 policemen and soldiers added to the costs. During the marriage ceremony Felipe gifted Letizia with 13 gold coins as a part of Spanish tradition.
Princess Victoria and Daniel Westling
Princess Victoria accepted her former personal trainer Daniel Westling as her husband two years before an audience of 250,000.An amount of $3 million is the approximate wedding expense and it is supposed to be the most- watched royal wedding after Prince Charles and Lady Diana’s, which also included 150,000 tourists apart from the invited guests. Floral arrangements which were spread across the streets of Stockholm and building imitating the castle of the princess built in the city centre added to the charm of the occasion.
10 Global Events of 2011-2012 that Shook the Stock Market
Global economy saw a great turmoil during the financial year 2011-12. There are a few considerable incidences which have influenced this. Moneycontrol.com has jotted down such events, right from S&P’s cutting U.S. credit rating to the Chinese slowdown. Let’s have a look.
1. May 14, 2011
Dominique Strauss-Kahn, Managing Director of International Monetary Fund, was disgraced and forced to resign. He faced a trial after being accused of sexual assault on a maid in his penthouse suite of New York's Sofitel Hotel. He resigned as head of the International Monetary Fund. He was also a lead-runner at the French presidential election, but after this incidence, his presidential ambitions were ruined.
Anti-capitalism demonstrations were started in Spain on this day. These protests were a series of ongoing demonstrations in Spain started on 15 May with an initial call in 58 Spanish cities. By September, they spread to Britain and U.S. via Chile, with tens of thousands, representing across 82 countries by October.
Occupy Wall Street movement started on started, in Zuccotti Park, of New York City's Wall Street. Occupy Wall Street was initiated by the Canadian activist group ‘Adbusters’ and has led to “Occupy protests and movements” around the world. The Occupy Wall Street protests are against social and economic inequality, greed, corruption and the unjustified influence of corporations on government, especially from the financial services sector.
3. August 6
The United States lost its top AAA credit rating from Standard & Poor's, a United States-based financial services company. U.S. has lost its rating for the first time in history though there were concerns over the country's deficit and debt. “The downgrade reflects our opinion that the fiscal consolidation plan that Congress and the Administration recently agreed to falls short of what, in our view, would be necessary to stabilize the government's medium-term debt dynamics,” S&P said in a statement to Reuters. The CEO of S&P, Deven Sharma, was soon fired after this.
4. August 23
Gold price rose up to $1911.46 per ounce, which is highest monthly rise since 1999. This eventually happened after some investors sold the yellow metal on a notion of slowing economic growth. Amid crisis, U.S. Fed was taking measures to stimulate the U.S. economy. This made the investors take this decision of selling bullions.
5. September 15, 2011
Rouge trading hit one of Europe’s biggest banks, UBS, costing it up to $2 billion, which almost blow its reputation. This scandalous news pushed down its share by 10.8 percent. Director Kweku Adoboli was held responsible for this and eventually arrested. Sergio Ermotti is the new CEO of UBS.
6. October 5, 2011
World lost a genius and a visionary icon, Steven P Jobs. The Inc Chairman and Co-founder of Apple, who brought a revolution in the tech world of personal computer industry died out of Pancreatic Cancer.
Apple's market capitalization soared over $500 billion in trade. Today Apple stands at a market value of $546 billion, with around 63,300 employees.
7. November 6, 2011
Greek PM, George Papandreou, agreed to step down from power amidst crippling debt crisis. He is succeeded by Lucas Papademos, Vice president of the European Central Bank. This was a sign that the country was deep in trouble.
UN stated in a report that it has “serious concerns” about Iran’s nuclear activities and also has “credible” information that Tehran is working to develop atomic weapons. This notion alerted the West to reinforce sanctions against the Islamic republic.
Iran banned oil exports to Britain and France following sanctions put in place by the European Union and the United States in January.
9. December 8, 2011
The European Central Bank gave 489.2 billion euro in cheap, as a three-year loan to 523 banks. This step was taken in effort to seize the financial crisis in the euro zone. Though the markets cheered but this attempt did not fully pay-off and warranted a second round of easing from the ECB.
China has a trade deficit of $31.5 billion which is the biggest of the decade. This happened as imports increased faster than exports for the nation. China is trying to bring about a standard shift in functioning of the nation, by reducing the dependence only on the export.
Quit Your Job and Get Rich
Who doesn’t want to be rich? Each and everyone want to be rich. But the only thing which is required is your smartness and creativity. With that you can earn not only millions, but also your talent will increase. Quitting your job and searching for a new job is not a big deal. But your decision of quitting a monotonous job will be only appreciated once you start thinking of an idea which can make you a rich person. That doesn’t mean only wrong steps or ideas will take you forward to become a millionaire. There are other key factors which helps you to get rich, but that just requires your presence of mind and the hunger to work hard. Here are few main advantages that you can look upon by quitting a job, as reported on Make Money Website.
1. Rich people don’t work for money:
This is considered to be the hardest concept for people to understand. Many people think that those who are rich may be having lot of allowance; in fact it’s actually true and thus you need to work hard to get the allowance that helps you to become rich. But actually this is not the case. The rich people don’t actually work for money, they actually work for properties and later that properties will work for money. So in the same sense, if you are smarter enough, then buy a property that can produce you great income and work on them rather than going to a office to do the same monotonous work.
2. Quitting Your job helps you to bring out your creativity:
It is said that each one of us will be having some or the other talent inside us. But for few reasons we tend to be careless about creativity that is hidden inside us. If you work for a company, you tend to spend most of your hours of the week at your office working for that company. Many times you start working on something which you are not so passionate about. With all your work pressure at office you won’t have any time left to think about a new idea which can work for you as you would be already stressed out working the entire day. So, by quitting your job, it doesn’t mean that you have lost your creativity. Instead you will get more time to explore your inner talent. And for sure most of you will be creative enough to get the ideas which work out to you to become rich. This advantage you would never get if you are recruited somewhere working the whole day.
Other than these two ideas reported in the Make Money Website, there are few other tips reported by Rod on the Success Center website.
3. Save sufficient money, Quit Your Job and earn millions:
If you start saving your money from the very first salary without spending it much, you will get a good opportunity to spend it worthy in your future. So, if you save sufficient money for your future from your current job, in future if at all you plan to quit your job and start your own business, the money that you have saved comes to your help at this point of time. It makes setting up of your own business quite easy as you will be financially stable and you would be free from worrying about the financial support for your business. Once you start your business, try to maintain it in a way so that your business runs actively without any loss. With this method for sure you can earn lots of money.
4. Maximize your social media after you start a business:
Once you start your business you must always maximize your social media contacts because at present your social media has expanded enormously which we can say it’s mainly because of its low cost [or you can also say pretty much free] and you can get a large return on investment. It is absolutely a good way to connect with potential customers and also engage in a good way with present clients which makes it easier for them to trust upon you.
Top Priority of Gen Y ..??? - "Money, Fame and Image"
Gen Y is always an interesting area for researchers and psychologists when it comes to behavioral studies. Yeah, Millennials’ profiles have been reviewed in every perspective. In a workplace, it is important to evaluate the trends of Gen Y employees for associating them to corporate world. Baby Boomers and Gen X were not a big headache for employers, may be because of the less competition in job market. Today, the number of business ventures has increased with a parallel increase of talents in the global job market. The trend of shifting from companies to companies has also increased in such an extent.
Most studies say Gen Y is very selfish and more ego-centric. The recent study which appeared in the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology states that Millenials are more attracted to extrinsic goals which are associated to financial success, appearance, social recognition than intrinsic ones (self-acceptance, affiliation, community feeling). The research has studied around 10 million young adults from 1966 to 2009 including Baby Boomers, Gen X and Gen Y. They were asked questions based on their involvement in community services, life goals along with asking how important it is for them to make an impact in the political structure, participating in charity services and being financially sound in society to develop a significant way of life. The findings show basic differences in community values and even in personal values while Gen Y gives more priority for ‘money, fame and image’.
More astoundingly, only 35 percent stay informed about political affairs, whereas, majority of the Millenials rated community issues are least important to them. Though, they could volunteer for many causes which give appearance, achievement and recognition. The personal values and community values narrowed to a ‘me-centric’ system which can reason many personal issues like anxiety, despair, and isolation in a great level.
But the changing values of the Gen Y are more demanded in the society and in the personal level. While the tuning of Gen Y to Gen Me advantages by declining discrimination and developing equality, it makes negative impact with their detachment from community services and with impracticable expectations.
Have you thought of why Gen Y fascinated towards extrinsic goals? Well, more than reviewing Gen Y characteristics, many of the behavioral researchers are not interested to question ‘why’. Do you think, ‘what’ can make a big difference in the life style of Gen Y than ‘why’?
5 Best Mobile Apps to stay connected to IPL 2012
Every cricket fan must have these apps in their smartphone for this IPL season. It is surly a dream to watch all the IPL 2012 matched sitting at home, even if that is not possible you can stay connected with the IPL matches on the move with these apps. All these apps will provide you with live updates of every cricketing action and the match schedules. Check out the best mobile apps for IPL 2012.
1. IPL 2012 for Samsung Bada OS
The IPL 2012 for Samsung Bada OS offers real time match updates along with the player statistic. It also provides the full details about the match schedule; date, time, venue, teams and even the history of IPL series along with a detail profile of the player and his achievements in the IPL series till date.
The interesting feature of this app is the reminder, just set the match for reminder which you don’t want to miss, then the app will remind before 30 minutes of the match.
2. PlayUp for iOS
The PlayUp is a social networking app especially designed for gamers. Along with social networking the app provides real time score updates, match details and schedule. It not only offers the IPL score but also has provides the score and details about other international sports like World Football, Rugby, AFL, Hockey and much more.
You can pick any sports in the list, invite your friends and hang out during the live action. Best part of PlayUp is that it connects all this live sport to you and your friends, allowing you to instantly create private hangouts and message each another in real time around the action.
3. IPL 2012 with Live Score widget for Android
The IPL 2012 with Live Score is an amazing app available for free with a widget which provides real time live scores even if the app is not running. The app comes with a live detailed scorecard, live widget large and small, user friendly UI, player statistics, team statistics and you can even vote to your favorite team, batsman and bowler.
You can also enjoy many interesting features such as up-to-date match scorecard (even old matches), commentary, match photographs, player profile, points table, related latest news and interviews of players.
4. Official DLF IPL 2012 for BlackBerry
BlackBerry users can enjoy the IPL 2012 on the go for free with Official DLF IPL 2012. The app provides up-to-date match scores as they happen, schedule by results, fixtures and by team, teams and player profile sections, latest news and photos during the course of the tournament
and videos. The app has social media integration and also works on BlackBerry PlayBook.
5. IPL Live Streaming-Free for Android
The IPL Live Streaming-Free app allows streaming live IPL matches in normal as well as HD quality for free. You can even see the highlights of recently concluded matches. You just need to select popular channels in the apps and it streams it to your device. The app requires Flash player, make sure your smartphone supports Flash before using the app.
Tips of Warren Buffet's to Get Rich
12:02:00 PM Hetal Mehta No comments
Warren Buffet is the richest man in the world, with an estimated wealth of $62 billion. He is eminently regarded as one of the most successful investors in the world and is called a ‘Legendary Investor’.
When he began buying stocks in Berkshire Hathaway in 1962, one share cost him around $7.50 dollar. But today the entire scenario is changed and at 81, Buffet is Berkshire’s Chairman and CEO and one share of the company’s class ‘A’ stock worth is close to $119,000. He credits his amazing success to several key strategies. Here are some of Buffett's money-making secrets and tips for you to get rich -
1. Reinvest Your Profits
When you first make profit in the stock market, you may be tempted to spend more in order to gain more. But he says, “Don't.” Instead, he suggests reinvesting the profits. Buffett learnt this lesson much early. In his high school, he and a mate bought a pinball machine to pun in a barbershop. With the money they earned, they bought more machines. When the friends sold the scheme, Buffett used the proceeds to buy stocks so that he could start another small business with the profit. By 26, he'd accumulated $174,000. Even a small sum can turn into great wealth, if it is wisely invested
2. Be Willing To Be Different
Don't let your decisions be based entirely upon what everyone says or does. When Buffett began handling money in 1956 with $100,000, he started with a handful of investors. Back then he was dubbed an oddball. He worked in Omaha, not Wall Street, and he refused to inform his parents where he was investing their money. People foresaw it as a failure but after 14 years, when he closed his partnership; it was worth more than $100 million. Instead of following the crowd, he went out of the box and looked for underrated investments and ended up vastly beating the market average every single year. To Buffett, what everybody is doing is doing is the average. He says ‘to be above average, you need to measure yourself’ which he calls as ‘Inner Scorecard’, that is ‘judging yourself by your own standards and not the world's.’
3. Never Suck Your Thumb
When you need to make money investing or money making decision, gather all information regarding it in advance and solicit a friend or relative to make sure that you stick to your self decided deadline. Buffett prides himself on swiftly making up his mind, taking a decision and executing it. He calls any unnecessary sitting and thinking as “thumb sucking.” Whenever people offered him a business or an investment, he on spot answer was always, “I won't talk unless they bring me a price.”
4. Spell Out the Deal Before You Start
Your bargaining power is always at its greatest before you begin a job. This is a time when you have something good to offer to the other party. Buffett learnt this lesson the hard way as a kid, when his grandfather Ernest hired him to dig out the family grocery store after a blizzard. The boys spent five hours scooping until he could barely straighten his frozen hands. Afterward, his grandfather gave him less than 90 cents. Warren Buffett was shocked to see that he performed such backbreaking work only to earn pennies per hour. Always nail down the particulars of a deal in advance even the deal is with your friends and relatives.
5. Watch Small Expenses
Warren Buffett invests in businesses which are run by managers who are obsessed even over the tiniest of cost. He once acquired a company whose owner counted the sheets in rolls of 500-sheet toilet paper to see if he was being cheated and Buffet really appreciated this. He also admired a friend who painted only the road facing side of his office building. Exercising alertness over every expense can make your profits and your paycheck.
6. Limit What You Borrow
Living mostly on credit cards and loans will not make you rich. Buffett has never borrowed a noteworthy amount, not even to invest or mortgage. He has gotten a number of heart rendering letters from people who thought their borrowing was manageable but became overwhelmed by debt. His advice: “Negotiate with creditors to pay what you can. Then, when you're debt-free, work on saving some money that you can use to invest,” as quoted on his official website.
7. Be Persistent
With obstinacy and resourcefulness, you can even win against a well established competitor. In 1983, Warren Buffett acquired the Nebraska Furniture Mart as he liked the way its founder, Rose Blumkin, did business. She was a Russian immigrant, who built the mart from a pawnshop into the largest furniture store in North America. Her strategy was to undersell the rich ones and she was a merciless delegate who was very good in negotiation. To Warren Buffett, Rose personified the unwavering courage that makes a winner out of an underdog.
8. Know When to Quit
Once, when Warren Buffett was in his teens, went to the racetrack. He gambled on a race and lost. To get back with his funds, he bet on another race. He lost again which actually left him with nothing. He felt sick and wasted nearly a week's earnings. But Buffett learnt from this and never repeated any such mistakes. He says, “Know when to walk away from a loss, and don't let anxiety fool you into trying again.”
9. Assess the Risk
In 1995, an employer of Warren Buffett's son, Howie, was accused by the FBI for price-fixing. Warren Buffett advised Howie to imagine the worst and best case scenarios if he stayed with his company. His son quickly realized the risks of staying in the company anymore and he quit the very next day. Hew says asking yourself “and then what?” can help you much more and will let you see all the possible consequences when you're struggling hard to make a decision.
10. Know What Success Really Means
Despite his wealth, Warren Buffett does not measure success as per the number of dollars. In 2006, he vowed to give almost of his fortune to charities, primarily to the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. He’s adamant about not funding monuments to himself. He doesn’t want any Warren Buffett buildings or halls. He says, “I know people who have a lot of money and they get testimonial dinners and hospital wings named after them. But the truth is that nobody in the world loves them. When you get to my age, you'll measure your success in life by how many of the people you want to have love you actually do love you. That's the ultimate test of how you've lived your life,” as quoted in his official website.
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Passenger vessel Seabourn Encore, breakaway from wharf and collision with bulk cement carrier at Timaru, 12 February 2017
On 12 February 2017, the passenger ship Seabourn Encore was berthed at Number One Wharf in PrimePort Timaru to facilitate passenger excursions ashore. The ship was secured to mooring bollards on the wharf using its own mooring lines.
During the day the weather changed rapidly and earlier than predicted. The wind increased in intensity and changed direction so as to push the ship away from the wharf. As a result, a number of mooring bollards on the wharf progressively failed by tearing from the wharf.
The resulting load on the remaining mooring lines caused them to break, and the stern of the ship swung across the harbour and collided with a bulk cement carrier that was in the process of berthing at an adjacent wharf. The Seabourn Encore’s crew were able to establish power to the ship’s propulsion systems in time to lessen the impact and to maintain control of the ship until the wind abated enough to re-secure the ship to its berth with the aid of a harbour pilot and tugs.
As well as the damage to the wharf, the hull of the bulk cement carrier was holed near the waterline, but the damage occurred where a water ballast tank was located so did not materially affect the ship’s stability. The Seabourn Encore sustained damage to its shell plating. Nobody was injured.
The Transport Accident Investigation Commission (Commission) found that the Seabourn Encore’s mooring lines and associated equipment were in good condition and were not factors contributing to the accident. However, the mooring bollards failed because the unique method with which each had been fastened to the wharf and/or the strength of the underlying wharf structure meant they were unable to withstand the forces imparted on them by the Seabourn Encore’s mooring lines.
The Commission also found that the port company had virtually no knowledge of the actual safe working loads of the various mooring bollards on the wharf and that the mooring procedures for the port were not strictly followed.
The Commission also found that the documented port company response to a predicted weather event was not strictly followed, which was a factor in neither the ship’s crew nor the port company resources being fully prepared to respond to the predicted change in weather in a timely manner. However, the prompt actions taken by the ship’s crew when the weather event occurred very likely reduced the consequences of the accident.
The Commission identified two safety issues:
- the safe working loads of the bollards on Number One Wharf were unknown and therefore it was not possible to determine whether the mooring plan for any ship was safe
- the mooring procedures contained in the port company’s safety management system were not strictly adhered to and the procedure in the event of a high wind warning was ineffective.
The Commission made a recommendation to the port operator to address these safety issues.
The key lessons identified from the inquiry into this occurrence include:
- port companies must be aware of the safe working loads of their mooring infrastructure in order to produce safe and effective ship mooring plans
- procedures for monitoring and communicating weather conditions must be robust and strictly followed when harbouring ships that are prone to high winds.
Source: tail.org.nz
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John Mayer Calls Out Taylor Swift For 'Humiliating' Him In 'Dear John'
'It made me feel terrible,' Mayer says about ex Swift's song.
Gil Kaufman 06/06/2012
John Mayer has long been known for saying outrageous things about the ladies in his life in interviews. But the man who coined the term "sexual napalm" when talking about ex Jessica Simpson to Playboy magazine, is now complaining that he was seriously upset by something one of his other flings said about him.
Actually, sang. Mayer told Rolling Stone magazine that he was "really humiliated" when he heard Taylor Swift's thinly-veiled dis track "Dear John," which was allegedly written about him. "It made me feel terrible," Mayer said in the upcoming issue of the magazine. "Because I didn't deserve it. I'm pretty good at taking accountability now, and I never did anything to deserve that. It was a really lousy thing for her to do."
Swift wrote the song for her 2010 smash Speak Now and as soon as the record dropped, speculation immediately began swirling
about the subject of the tune from the country pop star known for putting references to ex-boyfriends in her music. "Dear John, I see it all, now it was wrong / Don't you think 19 is too young to be played by your dark twisted games, when I loved you so?" she sang on the song. "Dear John/ I see it all now that you're gone," she continued. "Don't you think I was too young/ To be messed with/ The girl in the dress/ Cried the whole way home/ I shouldn't known."
After brief relationships with Joe Jonas and Taylor Lautner, Swift was linked to Mayer in late 2009, though they reportedly split five months before the October 2010 release of Speak Now. Mayer wasn't the only subject Swift tackled on the album, with some fans speculating that "Innocent" was about stage-crasher Kanye West and "Back To December" about Lautner.
A teenage Swift collaborated with the 30-something Mayer
on a tune titled "Half of My Heart,"
which appeared on his 2009 album, Battle Studies, and the two had been rumored to have dated for a short period after they worked on the track.
Mayer told Rolling Stone he learned about Swift's heartbreak only after hearing her song. "I never got an e-mail. I never got a phone call," he said. "I was really caught off-guard, and it really humiliated me at a time when I'd already been dressed down. I mean, how would you feel if, at the lowest you've ever been, someone kicked you even lower?"
While he said he would not even touch the "too young" line, the accomplished blues pop singer said he did have some quibbles with the tune as a musician. "I will say as a songwriter that I think it's kind of cheap songwriting," he said. "I know she's the biggest thing in the world, and I'm not trying to sink anybody's ship, but I think it's abusing your talent to rub your hands together and go, 'Wait till he gets a load of this!' That's bulls---."
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Battle and trial: weapon injury burials of St Andrew’s Church, Fishergate, York
Daniell, Chris
Medieval Archaeology, Vol.45 (2001)
In 1985-6, York Archaeological Trust excavated St Andrew’s church in Fishergate. During the course of the excavation 402 articulated skeletons were discovered and assigned context numbers, along with a large amount of disarticulated bone. One sub-group of twenty-nine skeletons was noticeable because they had evidence of trauma caused by interpersonal violence (hereafter referred to as ‘weapon injuries’) consistent with the effects of projectiles such as arrows and crossbow bolts, or blades. In the earliest archaeological phasing of the church, dated to the late 11th century, there were twelve males who had evidence of weapon injuries. The phasing, the evidence of weapon injuries, and the number of examples, have led to the conclusion that these men died as a result of a single event, such as a battle. There were, however, a further seventeen burials, also with weapon injuries, within the church and cemetery that ranged in date from the 12th to the 14th centuries. These later burials are difficult to explain, but a strong possibility is that the weapon injuries occurred as a result of trial by combat.
Click here to read this article from Medieval Archaeology
TagsEleventh Century • Fourteenth Century • High Middle Ages • Medieval Archaeology • Medieval England • Medieval Military History • Medieval Social History • Thirteenth century • Twelfth Century
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You probably think that I’ve got some sort of obsession with vampire TV shows and movies. But have you considered that perhaps this is because recent vampire TV shows and movies have an obsession with history?
Most historians have not paid much attention to vampires; literary critics, on the other hand, have lavished attention on them. In 1990 Stephen Arata urged his colleagues to move beyond psychoanalytic analyses and to consider the historical contexts in which vampire literature was written and read. Since then, scholars have examined the historically contingent constructions of empire, race, gender, sexuality, class, and region in vampire literature and media. These readings of vampires are compelling; but they often ignore the ways that recent vampire shows (and others with supernatural characters) actually use history–as plot and narrative, illuminating but also erasing many cultural tensions and conflicts.
Mr. Saltzman’s history class builds a Battle of Willow Creek float for the Founders’ Ball Parade in *The Vampire Diaries*
The Vampire Diaries (CW, 2009) is a show that uses a host of familiar plot devices: an orphaned protagonist, a mysterious stranger, a love triangle involving “good” and “bad” siblings. Set in Mystic Falls, Virginia (and filmed in Georgia) the show establishes its Civil War backstory almost immediately. Two of the protagonists, Stefan Salvatore and Elena Gilbert, have a U.S. history class together and Stefan demonstrates both his historical knowledge and his rebellious attitude by correcting the teacher’s depiction of the Battle of Willow Creek, which took the lives of more than 300 soldiers and civilians in the town in 1864. Elena is intrigued; Stefan seems way too good-looking to be a history geek.
She grows even more suspicious when she sees the original guest registry of the first Founders’ Ball that includes Stefan’s and his brother Damon’s names, and a tintype of a woman who looks exactly like her, dated “1864.” In episode 6 (entitled “Lost Girls”—an homage to the 1987 vampire movie classic “The Lost Boys”), Stefan explains his history to Elena, as they wander the ruins of his family’s plantation house (ruins!).
The Salvatore House Divided on *The Vampire Diaries*
The show flashes back to wartime: Damon is wearing a Confederate uniform; Stefan is not, for reasons he does not explain. They are both flirting with Katherine, Elena’s doppelgänger, who is the archetypal Southern belle: she’s beautiful, feisty, and wearing a corset and a hoop skirt. She’s a 500-year-old vampire, but she represents herself as a “poor orphan girl from Atlanta. I lost my family in the fires” (it’s worth noting that the show also has an obsession with Gone with the Wind, reenacting many scenes from that film with both vampire and human characters). Katherine turns both brothers and then lets them think that she has been burned in the church with the rest of the “civilians” (actually, also vampires) during the Battle of Willow Creek.
The Vampire Diaries is not the only recent show to root protagonists’ backstories in the American Civil War. In the fifth episode of the first season of True Blood (HBO, 2008), after vampires have “come out of the coffin” and made themselves known to humans, the vampire Bill Compton agrees to speak at the monthly meeting of Bon Temps, Louisiana’s Descendants of the Glorious Dead.
Vampire Bill speaking to the Bon Temps Descendants of the Glorious Dead meeting on *True Blood*
He tells stories about life in Confederate camps and in battles, and articulates a Lost Cause narrative of the war: “It was there that we learned the value of human life, and the ease with which it can be extinguished. … Uneducated as we were, we knew little of the political or ideological conflicts that led to this point. … But going to war was not a choice for us. We believed, to a man, that we had a calling to fulfill, a destiny handed down to us from above.” He is flanked by a U.S. flag, a cross, and several photographs of Confederates, including Private Edwin Francis Jemison (Co. C, 2nd Louisiana) and Robert E. Lee.
Interestingly, in the current (and final) season of True Blood, the show is regularly integrating flashbacks to Civil War Louisiana. In these more recent episodes Bill is portrayed as a member of the planter elite (a commissioned officer, not an uneducated volunteer), a soothsayer (“This is a lost cause! The Yankees have better artillery, more sophisticated weaponry than we do. What they will destroy is our town, scorch our land, our livelihoods”), and a friend to Bon Temps’ slaves (he is caught trying to lead a group of fugitives out of town and to a safe house). The show, then, revises Bill’s own history, giving him much more complicated motives for his wartime service. It also erases Bill’s history of slaveholding, and any suggestion that he might have gone to war to defend the “divine destiny” of the white antebellum South.
Bill’s vampire backstory also tracks with the Salvatores’ in The Vampire Diaries. At the end of the war Bill tries to take a short-cut home, loses his way, and ends up at the cabin of a woman who tells him she is a Confederate widow; she has not heard from her husband in seven months and assumes he died fighting with the 13th Louisiana. Her name is Lorena—an inside joke for Civil War historians and enthusiasts. When Bill refuses to take advantage of her, Lorena is so impressed with his nobility that she reveals herself as a vampire and turns him so they can live together forever.
The Confederate widow Lorena right before she attacks and turns Bill Compton, a Confederate veteran on *True Blood*
What to make of these shared narratives, of white “Southern” women manipulating white Southern men and then turning them into vampires? This could reflect the twenty-first century context in which these shows are produced; power is most often determined by age rather than gender or race or sexual orientation. These shows also suggest that there is power to be found in certain historical moments. The Civil War, as a time of tremendous mobility and chaos, created opportunities for those who might have otherwise been vulnerable: single women, supernaturals. Wartime exigencies also allow these characters to explain their circumstances—sudden and inexplicable deaths, people gone missing—through narratives that are intelligible to both other characters in the show and to viewers at home.
Living (well, actually, Undead) Histories
As immortal vampires, Stefan and Damon Salvatore and Bill Compton are also living histories (as much as the undead can be) in the present day. When Stefan corrects the history teacher about casualties at the Battle of Willow Creek, he speaks with knowledge gained not from books but from actual experience; he was there. And when the high school students put on dances with historical themes (the 1920s, the 1950s), the Salvatores need only root around in their own closets for appropriate outfits. These situations are often played for laughs and there are no historical arguments or analyses here; flashbacks in The Vampire Diaries usually work only to explain relationships or to allow the actors to appear in radically different hairstyles and costumes. History is not exactly history in this show; it is memoir.
True Blood engages a bit more with the appeal of the past in the American South. The church is packed for Bill’s DGD talk; many people are there because they are curious about vampires, but there are a good number who attend because they seek direct contact with history—which only an immortal vampire can provide. One audience member asks about Tolliver Humphreys, his great-great grandfather who, like Bill, fought as part of the 28th Louisiana.
Bill (still human) tries to convince Tolliver Humphreys to stay put during a Civil War battle on *True Blood*
Bill proceeds to tell the story of Humphreys’ death; a Union sharpshooter killed him as he attempted to rescue a fellow soldier, a boy about twelve years old who was lying wounded on the battlefield. At this news, Humphreys’ descendant’s eyes fill with tears and the audience utters a collective sigh.
Vampires also serve as historical texts themselves, revealing the “truths” of events, which have often been masked by local officials and academics (a large number of human villains in The Vampire Diaries are college professors). Additionally, historical texts confirm their existence. In The Vampire Diaries, after Elena first sees Stefan’s and Damon’s names on that 1864 Founders’ Ball list, she confirms her suspicions by watching a 1950s news report in which Stefan appears, ghostlike, in the background.
And in True Blood, at the end of Bill’s talk, the Mayor—who has “been digging in the archives this week”—hands him a tintype labeled “W.T. Compton and Family.” “Can you tell us if this is a picture of you?” he asks. Of course it is. And in the third episode of this final season, Bill remembers the day he and his family posed for that photograph. For viewers who have watched the show from the beginning, this image sparks another kind of flashback, helping to build the show’s own internal history.
“Mr. W.T. Compton and Family,” 1862, on *True Blood*
The Supernatural Archive
Photographs and other texts appear with surprising regularity on these shows, and in others that depict supernatural beings and story lines. In The Vampire Diaries, the characters often use manuscripts—diaries and grimoires (magic books)—in addition to objects in order to understand the past, and to fight evil.
This use of texts reminded me of Buffy the Vampire Slayer (WB, 1997) and the significant role the high school library and later, Giles’ apartment and the magic shop play as sites of knowledge acquisition. As literary scholar and blogger Mark McCutcheon has written about reading and research in Buffy, “it’s rare that the research doesn’t pay off, in one way or another [in the show]; most often, it pays off in critical discoveries and insights, knowledge of the situations, events, and adversaries they face, of the histories that have produced them, and sometimes even of vital knowledge of self.”
The Archives in *Sleepy Hollow*
The recent hit show Sleepy Hollow (Fox, 2013), which also blends historical and supernatural narratives, continues this trend. In it the protagonists (Ichabod Crane, who died in 1781 but has been brought back to life through magic, and Abbie Mills, a police lieutenant) investigate baffling mysteries—all of them a result of dark forces gathering in Sleepy Hollow. Abbie has visions and Ichabod has Revolutionary-era memories but in order to solve these cases, they they sit down together and do some good old-fashioned manuscript research. They visit historical societies in search of information and in the police archives at an abandoned armory they create their own library of historical texts. The plat maps, letters, objects, video and audio files, and other archival documents that they collect lead, as in Buffy, to critical discoveries that allow them to defeat supernatural beings and forestall the apocalypse. There is value in historical texts in these shows, and in the ability to locate and analyze them.
Supernatural characters are increasingly popular on television and in film but not all of these media narratives engage overtly with history. However, the overlapping Civil War contexts and the turn to archival research in shows like The Vampire Diaries, True Blood, and Sleepy Hollow suggests that the conflicts, fears, and desires—both personal and political—that these shows dramatize are rooted in the historical imagination.
August 6, 2014 August 7, 2014 Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Sleepy Hollow, The Vampire Diaries, True Blood, Vampires
3 thoughts on “History Bites”
Keith Harris says:
Vampires = rad. History = rad. That these two would eventually meet seems quite natural.
I think you could do an entirely separate post on the Supernatural Archive (or multiple posts, even). Several novels that immediately come to mind are The Historian, The Physick Book of Deliverance Dane, and A Discovery of Witches.
Yes! Or perhaps *you* could write Historista’s first guest post! ; )
Previous Previous post: Into the Dark
Next Next post: Lighting out for the Territories
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Liberty becomes Virginia’s first Purple Heart University
July 27, 2017 : Liberty University News Service
Liberty University was recently designated as a Purple Heart University, making it the first college or university in Virginia to receive the honor from the Military Order of the Purple Heart (MOPH) in recognition of a university’s support of military members, including veterans and their families.
In addition to installing “Purple Heart University” signs at the entrances to campus, the university has also reserved a parking space near DeMoss Hall for Purple Heart recipients and all others who have been wounded during combat while serving in the U.S. armed forces. The space is conveniently located for student veterans visiting the university’s Veterans Center in the Montview Student Union.
Liberty President Jerry Falwell signed a resolution on Thursday, making the designation official. He was joined by local and state MOPH chapter leaders as well as several area veterans, including members of the Lynchburg Area Veterans Council. Liberty joins over 40 colleges and universities nationwide to receive the designation. The Council and the MOPH each presented Falwell with plaques recognizing the university’s support of veterans.
Gary Witt, a local veteran who serves as the commander of the local MOPH Chapter 1607 and also works at the state and national levels of the MOPH, called the day “a great day to be a veteran and to be at Liberty University.”
“When I saw the signs out on the boulevard, my heart skipped a beat,” he said. “We are so pleased that our chapter could be involved.”
He said Liberty was “already doing everything it needed to be a Purple Heart University. To become the first in Virginia is an accomplishment.”
Witt said the local chapter is one of the top five chapters in the nation, “mainly because of what we are doing today — how we interact with the community and the university.”
Falwell shared his gratitude to the groups for the designation.
“Liberty is so proud and honored that you recognized us in this way,” he said. “We have always prided ourselves in being a military friendly university. About 30 percent of all of our students have some connection to the military, and 30,000 are in our online program; it’s the only way a lot of them can get their education. It’s something we’re very proud of.”
He also visited with the veterans, thanking them for their service: “We owe our freedom to you, and we can’t say often enough and we can’t honor you enough to ever do it justice, the way you’ve served our country. Thank you.”
The Purple Heart is the nation’s oldest military award, introduced as the “Badge of Military Merit” by Gen. George Washington in 1782. It is one of the most respected medals that U.S. military members can receive. These individuals are honored nationally every year on Purple Heart Day, Aug. 7. Liberty will take part by lighting the top of Freedom Tower in purple lights.
Student veteran Jesse MacDonald, who served as an Airborne Calvary Scout and was combat wounded during his time of service, said he is grateful to attend a university that is so supportive of the military.
“The support for veterans at this university is immense,” he said. “It makes me feel like this school cares about veterans to a degree that nobody else in this immediate areas does.”
He said the Purple Heart University recognition is a testament to Liberty’s work to create and maintain a university that is supportive and accessible for all military members, both during and after service.
“There are a lot of different problems that our demographic and our generation faces, and I see a longing of the administration here to help alleviate some of those things that come along with being a veteran,” MacDonald said. “This parking space helps to show the commitment level of Liberty University to combat-wounded veterans.”
Liberty was ranked No. 4 in the Military Times’ Best for Vets for 2017 and has regularly been recognized by Military Friendly Schools.
“Liberty University is definitely the place to be,” MacDonald said. “Any veterans looking into schools should consider Liberty because of their strong support. The school has invested a great deal into veterans, and I cannot say enough about the support I receive here.”
Liberty holds Military Emphasis Week every year, with multiple opportunities for the university community to show its support of military members. This year, the week will be held on Nov. 6-11, culminating in a grand Military Appreciation Halftime Show during a Flames Football game. The annual George Rogers Champion of Freedom Award is also given at this time; many of the past award winners have been Purple Heart recipients.
This year, Liberty is also hosting Lynchburg’s Veterans Day Parade, planned for the morning of Nov. 11.
Liberty’s Military Affairs Office works throughout the year to ensure that Liberty’s military students and their families receive the support to succeed in their academic and professional careers. Visit the website for more information on education benefits and resources.
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Annual General Meeting and Meeting of the Board of Directors of April 17, 2014
Renewal of the tenure of Mr Jean-Paul Agon as Director and as Chairman and Chief Executive Officer
Renewal of the tenure as Director of Mr Xavier Fontanet
Appointment as Director of Mrs Belén Garijo
Approval of a dividend of €2.50, up by +8.7%
All the resolutions submitted to the Annual General Meeting were approved by a large majority
The Annual General Meeting of L’Oréal shareholders was held in Paris on Thursday, April 17, 2014, under the chairmanship of Mr Jean-Paul Agon, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer.
The Annual General Meeting in particular:
- approved the parent company financial statements and the consolidated financial statements for 2013;
- decided on the payment of a dividend of €2.50 per share. This dividend is increased to €2.75 for shares held in registered form continuously for at least 2 years. Dividend payment date: Monday, May 5, 2014;
- appointed a new Director, Mrs Belén Garijo, for a 4-year term;
- renewed the tenure of two Directors, Mr Jean-Paul Agon and Mr Xavier Fontanet, for a 4-year term;
- approved the related-party agreements relating to the acquisition from Nestlé of 48.5 million L'Oréal shares and the sale to Nestlé of its stake in Galderma.
The Board of Directors, which met at the end of the Annual General Meeting, has decided to renew the duties of Jean-Paul Agon as Chairman and Chief Executive Officer.
The results of the votes are available at www.loreal-finance.com. A summary of the proceedings of the Annual General Meeting will be provided in the next L’Oréal “Letter to Shareholders”, available on request and at www.loreal-finance.com.
"This news release does not constitute an offer to sell, or a solicitation of an offer to buy L'Oréal shares. If you wish to obtain more comprehensive information about L'Oréal, please refer to the public documents registered in France with the Autorité des Marchés Financiers, also available in English on our Internet site www.loreal-finance.comThis news release may contain some forward-looking statements. Although the Company considers that these statements are based on reasonable hypotheses at the date of publication of this release, they are by their nature subject to risks and uncertainties which could cause actual results to differ materially from those indicated or projected in these statements."
Contacts at L'Oréal
Individual shareholders and market authorities
Mr Jean Régis CAROF
jean-regis.carof@loreal.com
Financial analysts and institutional investors
Mrs Françoise LAUVIN
francoise.lauvin@loreal.com
Mrs Stephanie CARSON-PARKER
stephanie.carsonparker@loreal.com
For more information, please contact your bank, broker or financial institution (I.S.I.N. code: FR0000120321), and consult your usual newspapers, and the Internet site for shareholders and investors, www.loreal-finance.com, or call +33 1 40 14 80 50.
Read the news release in a pdf file
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KLAUS SCHULZE – Blackdance
Rerelease of the Klaus Schulze album „Blackdance“ out of 1974. This popular Klaus Schulze product is upgraded with a generous bonus.
Klaus Schulze about “Blackdance”:
“Blackdance” was my first album to be released in England on Caroline, a Virgin label. Before that [Virgin boss] Richard Branson had signed Tangerine Dream, and then he also contacted me. Of course, I said yes right away. Not just because Branson liked music from Germany but also since Virgin was at the time – apart from Island Records – the prestigious English record company. Nevertheless, joining Virgin was a giant step forward for me. The fact that I was now on an English label resulted in quite a different reception by the press. Furthermore, it was a worldwide deal which meant that all my records from “Blackdance” on would also be available in France, the US and Japan. For “Voices of Syn” (the longest piece on “Blackdance”), I used the voice of Ernst Walter Siemon. He was an opera singer who had rehearsed at the studio in Berlin where we had recorded the first Tangerine Dream record “Electronic Meditation” [1970]. He did a little collage for me that consisted of Verdi and a few other composers. I recorded it on my Revox tape machine and used it for this intro a few years later. I played the 12-string guitar on “Blackdance” myself, as well as Congas and Tabla. In retrospect I have to say however that I should have left the guitar out. At the time, I had been in New York and I bought a Martin 12-string at Manny’s Music Store because it sounded so unbelievably wonderful. I thought I definitely had to use that sound in a song somewhere but after I had completed “Blackdance” I found this thing with the guitar and congas and tablas not that great anymore. It sounded too much like folk to me. On the other hand many people have told me that it was actually this sound which drew their attention to my music. I can’t quite exactly remember the details of the bonus tracks. I think they originated at the The Manor Studio, owned by Virgin, back in 1975 where I produced the Far East Family Band [with Masanori Takahashi aka Kitaro] and it was possibly during a break when the guys were asleep. There are an incredible amount of tapes which I have filled with music, which are temporarily stored until [Klaus Dieter] Müller digs them out again. When even Müller doesn’t know exactly when and where I did a piece of music, then no-one knows!
Ways Of Changes 17:14
Some Velvet Phasing 08:24
Voices Of Syn 22:40
Bonus track:
Foreplay 10:33
Synthies Have (no) Balls? 14:42
Total: 73:33
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9.5 Theses for 2017: Simul tragicus et salutaris
To mark the quincentenary of the Reformation (and the tenth anniversary or our original 9.5 theses), millinerd editors have culled the following from Ron Rittgers' brilliant conclusion to Protestantism After 500 Years (2016), Thomas Oden's The Rebirth of Orthodoxy (2003), and above all, Peter Leithart's bracing manifesto, The End of Protestantism (2016).
1. "The first Protestants split from the Latin church that had, of course, already been in schism with the Orthodox church for almost five hundred years. In light of this reality, all Christian must be considered schismatics; no Christian church is immune from this accusation, including Catholics and the Orthodox" (Ronald Rittgers' epilogue to Protestantism After 500 Years, 336).
1.2 "Unlike both Catholic and the Orthodox, most Protestant churches do not claim to be the one, holy, catholic, and apostolic Church; they are simply imperfect expressions of this church. They content themselves with a rather minimalistic (perhaps too minimalistic) ecclesiology - the preaching of the Word and proper administration of the sacraments, or, simply, the presence of the resurrected Christ. Therefore they do not confront one another with the impossible choice between two mothers, both of whom have important, compelling, and yet contradictory claims of being the church. Protestantism protects from this double bind even as it protests this double bind, and this protest should not cease until the original schismatics are reconciled. Then it might be time to declare the Reformation over" (ibid.).
1.4 "Perhaps [instead of tragic and necessary] it would be better to speak of the Reformation as tragic but salutary, or as simultaneously tragic and salutary (simul tragicus et salutaris), for it was certainly both" (ibid., 337).
1.6 "2017 should not be about Protestants only, or Protestant and Catholics only.... Perhaps the larger goal of 2017 should be to prepare the way for 2054 when Christians will observe the millennial anniversary of the tragic, unnecessary schism between Catholics and the Orthodox" (ibid., 338).
1.8 "How is [a Protestant conversion to Catholicism] different from Peter's withdrawal from table fellowship with gentiles?... To become Catholic I would have to contract my ecclesial world" (Peter Leithart, The End of Protestantism, 169-170).
2. "In our desire to recover what the seventeenth-century Puritan divine John Owen called 'the glorious beautiful face of primitive Christianity,' we must go through Wittenberg, Strasbourg, Geneva, and Canterbury, not to mention Louvain, Avila, and Rome" (Timothy George, Protestantism After 500 Years, 324).
3. "The achievement of unity will involve nothing less than a death and rebirth of many forms of church life as we have known them... Nothing less costly can finally suffice" (New Delhli report, 1961).
3.2 "Disunity of the church is a disease in Christ's body, a shattering of the Spirit's temple" (Peter Leithart, The End of Protestantism, 22).
3.3 "We are not only bowling alone; we also have the technology to worship alone" (ibid., 157).
3.4 "We are all Laodiceans, boasting of our health and wealth when we are poor, blind, wounded, and naked. No tradition has bee spared the desolation of division. Every Christian tradition is distorted insofar as it lacks, or refuses, the gifts that other traditions have" (ibid., 167).
3.6 "We can live with ourselves because we have created a system to salve our conscience and to deflect the Spirit's grief. We have found a way of being church that lets us be at peace with division" (ibid., 3).
3.8 "If the reunion of humanity has not taken place, Jesus's death and resurrection had no effect" (ibid., 17).
4. "Denominationalism is not union. It is the opposite. It is the institutionalization of division" (ibid., 4).
4.2 "The marketplace analogy [for denominationalism] is itself an accommodation to worldly patterns of sociality" (ibid., 79).
4.3 "[Denominations] are not bodies but collections of eyes, hands, brains, and other disembodied parts" (ibid., 73).
4.4 "Denominationalism [in its endorsement of racial division] makes cowards of us all" (ibid., 86).
4.5 "American has not been secularized because it started out pre-secularized [i.e. its original denominational pluralism]" (ibid., 82).
4.6 "Denominationalism cannot overcome Babel because the denominational church is a Christianized Babel" (ibid., 89).
4.7 "Denominationalism is not disestablishment but rather the form that Protestant establishment has taken in the United States" (ibid., 146).
4.8 "The dissolution of denominationalism in the solvent of consumer choice may be the flood that sweeps the world clean and makes way for a renewed church" (ibid., 158).
4.9 "It is denominationalsim, not ecumenism, that minimizes the importance of doctrine" (ibid., 77).
5. "The old ecumenism was largely a liberal Protestant artifact... the new ecumenism is above all committed to ancient classical ecumenical teaching...." (Thomas Oden, The New Ecumenism).
5.1 "Protestants have as much right to the councils and church fathers as do the Antiochenes. Augustine and Athanasius are not owned by the Africans; they belong to all. The Turks do not possess Polycarp or Gregory of Nyssa. The Syrians do not possess Ephraim. Rome does not own Leo or Gregory the Great. As the common heritage of all Christians, they may be equally receved and celebrated and enjoyed by all. Believers everywhere my lay equal claim to this vast patrimony - and they are doing so in ever greater numbers. People of vastly different cultures are recognize in in these witnesses their own unity as the people of God, despite different cultural memories, foods, garments, and habits of piety." (Thomas Oden, The Rebirth of Orthodoxy, 64-65).
5.2 "The modern idea of diversity is less diverse than the ancient ecumenical idea of ecumenē.... The modern idea of inclusion is less inclusive than the classic Christian understanding of inclusion" (ibid. 115).
5.25 "No confession or creed can settle all questions for all time" (Peter Leithart, The End of Protestantism, 28).
5.3 "There must... be a way of insisting on doctrinal truth while simultaneously striving to overcome doctrinal division" (ibid., 173).
5.4 "There will be more theological battles in the reunited church than there are today, because in a reunited church believers will be reluctant to relieve pressure by breaking from the church and because Christians of different views will have to learn to live together, dwelling in each other as the Son dwells in the Father" (ibid., 29).
5.5 "Protestant churches will have to become more catholic, and Catholic and Orthodox churches will have to become more biblical" (ibid., 36).
5.6 "If our name is 'Father, Son, and Spirit,' then our name cannot be Lutheran, Reformed, or Orthodox." (ibid., 72).
5.7 "It may be that neither side has really grasped the depth of the biblical teaching on justification" (ibid., 175).
5.75 "Pursuing receptive ecumenism, Christian fall in love with the presence of God in the people, practices, and structures of other Christian traditions" (ibid., 168).
5.8 "[Orthodox] Exiles [from Russia] have played an analogous role in the renaissance of modern theology [as the exiles from Constantinople in 1453]" (ibid.131).
5.9 "Vatican II was not entirely the universal council that the Reformed hoped for. But is is the closest thing we have, and it should be received as the gift that it is" (ibid., 130).
6. "Unity is evangelical because it is the evangel" (ibid., 115).
6.5 "Christendom is being rebuilt on a human scale in town after town across America. It is an [ecumenical] model of ministry suited to our historical moment. Christendom in dead! Long live micro-Christendom" (ibid., 187)!
7. "The triad [Catholic/Orthodox/Protestant] that modern Christian have used to map world Christianity had been completely dismantled [by global Christianity]" (ibid., 127).
7.25 "The proliferation of varieties of Christianity [in global Pentecostalism] reconfigures the church and provides an opportunity to approximate more closely the unity that Jesus prays for" (ibid., 128).
7.75 "Immigrant churches... have a built-in bias toward catholicity" (144).
8. "When the withdrew from table fellowship with gentiles, Paul did not excuse him with the assurance that spiritual unity was more important than table fellowship. Paul expected - demanded - that the church's unity be visible in table fellowship, in loyalties and allegiances, in the names Christians adopt for themselves.... An invisible unity is not a biblical unity" (ibid., 19, 21).
8.2 The unity of the church in not an invisible reality that renders visible things irrelevant. It is a future reality that gives present actions their orientation and meanings" (ibid., 19).
8.4 "Being a Reformational Catholic Christian is a circus ride, a high-wire act with no net but the living arms of our faithful Father" (ibid., 191).
8.6 "Black-white, Protestant-Catholic: these are the boundaries that must be transgressed, the dividing walls that must be broken through" (ibid., 98).
8.8 "As we eat and drink [together], we show forth the meaning of Jesus's wall-demolishing death..." (ibid., 18).
9. "We are called to die to what we are so we may be what we will be" (ibid., 166).
9.25 "Reunion, when it comes, will be a gift of God, a work of the Spirit. Yet we must act, and our actions will either preserve current divisions, make them worse, or move toward the unity for which Jesus prays" (ibid., 165).
9.5 "Not knowing what comes next is one of the glories of being human" (ibid., 151).
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A Fete for the End of the End of History
By Naomi Klein - March 30th, 2001
"We are here to show the world that another world is possible!" the man on stage said, and a crowd of more than 10,000 roared its approval.
What was strange was that we weren't cheering for a specific other world, just the possibility of one. We were cheering for the idea that another world could, in theory, exist.
For the past thirty years, a select group of CEOs and world leaders have met during the last week in January on a mountaintop in Switzerland to do what they presumed they were the only ones capable of doing: determine how the global economy should be governed. We were cheering because it was, in fact, the last week of January, and this wasn't the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland. It was the first annual World Social Forum in Porto Alegre, Brazil. And even though we weren't CEOs or world leaders, we were still going to spend the week talking about how the global economy should be governed.
Many people said that they felt history being made in that room. What I felt was something more intangible: the end of The End of History. And fittingly, "Another World Is Possible" was the event's official slogan. After a year and a half of protests against the World Trade Organization, the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund, the World Social Forum was billed as an opportunity for this emerging movement to stop screaming about what it is against and start articulating what it is for.
If Seattle was, for many people, the coming-out party of a resistance movement, then, according to Soren Ambrose, policy analyst with 50 Years Is Enough, "Porto Alegre is the coming-out party for the existence of serious thinking about alternatives." The emphasis was on alternatives coming from the countries experiencing most acutely the negative effects of globalization: mass migration of people, widening wealth disparities, weakening political power.
The particular site was chosen because Brazil's Workers Party (Partido dos Trabalhadores, the PT) is in power in the city of Porto Alegre, as well as in the state of Rio Grande do Sul. The conference was organized by a network of Brazilian unions and NGOs, but the PT provided state-of-the-art conference facilities at the Catholic University of Porto Alegre and paid the bill for a star-studded roster of speakers. Having a progressive government sponsor was a departure for a group of people accustomed to being met with clouds of pepper spray, border strip searches and no-protest zones. In Porto Alegre, activists were welcomed by friendly police officers and greeters with official banners from the tourism department.
Though the conference was locally organized, it was, in part, the brainchild of ATTAC France, a coalition of unions, farmers and intellectuals that has become the most public face of the antiglobalization movement in much of Europe and Scandinavia. (ATTAC stands for Association for the Taxation of Financial Transactions for the Aid of Citizens, which, admittedly, doesn't work as well in English.) Founded in 1998 by Bernard Cassen and Susan George of the socialist monthly Le Monde Diplomatique, ATTAC began as a campaign for the implementation of the so-called Tobin Tax, the proposal by Nobel laureate James Tobin to tax all speculative financial transactions. Reflecting its Marxist intellectual roots, the group has expressed frustration with the less coherent focus of the North American anticorporate movement. "The failure of Seattle was the inability to come up with a common agenda, a global alliance at the world level to fight against globalization," says Christophe Aguiton of ATTAC, who helped organize the forum.
Which is where the World Social Forum came in: ATTAC saw the conference as an opportunity to bring together the best minds working on alternatives to neoliberal economic policies—not just new systems of taxation but everything from sustainable farming to participatory democracy to cooperative production to independent media. From this process of information swapping ATTAC believed its "common agenda" would emerge.
The result of the gathering was something much more complicated—as much chaos as cohesion, as much division as unity. In Porto Alegre the coalition of forces that often goes under the banner of antiglobalization began collectively to recast itself as a pro-democracy movement. In the process, the movement was also forced to confront the weaknesses of its own internal democracy and to ask difficult questions about how decisions were being made—at the World Social Forum itself and, more important, in the high-stakes planning for the next round of World Trade Organization negotiations and the Summit of the Americas in Quebec City at the end of April.
Part of the challenge was that the organizers had no idea how many people would be drawn to this Davos for activists. Atila Roque, a coordinator of IBase, a Brazilian policy institute and a member of the organizing committee, explains that for months they thought they were planning a gathering of 2,000 people. Then, suddenly, there were 10,000, more at some events, representing 1,000 groups, from 120 countries. Most of those delegates had no idea what they were getting into: a model UN? A giant teach-in? An activist political convention? A party?
The result was a strange hybrid of all of the above, along with—at the opening ceremony at least—a little bit of Vegas floor show mixed in. On the first day of the forum, after the speeches finished and we cheered fanatically for the end of The End of History, the house lights went down and two giant screens projected photographs of poverty in Rio's favelas. A line of dancers appeared on stage, heads bowed in shame, feet shuffling. Slowly, the photographs became more hopeful, and the people on stage began to run, brandishing the tools of their empowerment: hammers, saws, bricks, axes, books, pens, computer keyboards, raised fists. In the final scene, a pregnant woman planted seeds—seeds, we were told, of another world.
What was jarring was not so much that this particular genre of utopian socialist dance had rarely been staged since the WPA performances of the 1930s, but that it was done with such top- notch production values: perfect acoustics, professional lighting, headsets simultaneously translating the narration into four languages. All 10,000 of us were given little bags of seeds to take and plant at home. This was Soviet Realism meets Cats.
The forum was filled with these strange juxtapositions between underground ideas and Brazil's enthusiastic celebrity culture: mustachioed local politicians accompanied by glamorous wives in backless white dresses rubbing shoulders with the president of the Landless Peasants Movement of Brazil, known for chopping down fences and occupying large pieces of unused farmland. An old woman from Argentina's Mothers of the Plaza de Mayo, with her missing child's name crocheted on her white head scarf, quietly sitting next to a Brazilian soccer star so adored that his presence provoked several hardened politicos to rip off pieces of their clothing and demand autographs. José Bové, the French cheese farmer known for "strategically dismantling" a McDonald's, unable to go anywhere without a line of bodyguards protecting him from the paparazzi.
Every night the conference adjourned to an outdoor amphitheater where musicians from around the world performed, including the Cuarteto Patria, one of the Cuban bands made famous by Wim Wenders's documentary The Buena Vista Social Club. Cuban anything was big here. Speakers had only to mention the existence of the island nation for the room to break out in chants of Cuba!Cuba!Cuba! Chanting, it must be said, was also big: Not just for Cuba but for former presidential candidate and honorary president of the Workers Party Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva ("Lula-la"). José Bové, after almost landing in jail for teaming up with local landless activists and destroying several hectares of genetically engineered soy beans, earned his very own chant: Olé, Olé, Bové, Bové, sung as a soccer stadium hymn.
One thing that wasn't so big at the World Social Forum was the United States. There were daily protests against Plan Colombia, the "wall of death" between the United States and Mexico, as well as George W. Bush's announcement that the new administration will suspend foreign aid to groups that provide information on abortion. In the workshops and lectures there was much talk of American imperialism, of the tyranny of the English language. Actual US citizens, though, were notably scarce. The AFL-CIO barely had a presence (John Sweeney was at Davos), and there was no one there from the National Organization for Women. Even Noam Chomsky, who said the forum "offers opportunities of unparalleled importance to bring together popular forces," sent only his regrets. Public Citizen had two people in Porto Alegre, but their star, Lori Wallach, was in Davos.
"Where are the Americans?" people asked, waiting in coffee lines and around Internet linkups. There were many theories. Some blamed the media: The American press wasn't covering the event. Of 1,500 journalists registered, maybe ten were American, and more than half of those were from Independent Media Centers. Some blamed Bush. The forum was held a week after his inauguration, which meant that most US activists were too busy protesting the theft of the election to even think about going to Brazil. Others blamed the French. Many groups didn't know about the event at all, in part because international outreach was done mainly by ATTAC, which, Christophe Aguiton acknowledged, needs "better links with the Anglo-Saxon world."
Most, however, blamed the Americans themselves. "Part of it is simply a reflection of US parochialism," said Peter Marcuse, a professor of urban planning at Columbia University and a speaker at the forum. It's a familiar story: If it doesn't happen in the United States, if it isn't in English, if it's not organized by American groups, it can't be all that important—let alone be the sequel to the Battle of Seattle.
Last year, New York Times columnist Thomas Friedman wrote from Davos, "Every year at the World Economic Forum there is a star or theme that stands out"—the dot-coms, the Asian crisis. Last year according to Friedman, the star of Davos was "Seattle." Porto Alegre had a star as well; it was, without question, "democracy": What happened to it? How do we get it back? And why isn't there more of it within the conference itself?
In workshops and on panels, globalization was defined as a mass transfer of wealth and knowledge from public to private—through the patenting of life and seeds, the privatization of water and the concentrated ownership of agricultural lands. Having this conversation in Brazil meant that these issues were not presented as shocking new inventions of a hitherto unheard-of phenomenon called "globalization"—as is often the case in the West—but as part of the continuum of colonization, centralization and loss of self-determination that began more than five centuries ago.
This latest stage of market integration has meant that power and decision-making are now delegated to points even further away from the places where the effects of those decisions are felt at the same time that ever-greater financial burdens are off-loaded to cities and towns. Real power has moved from local to state, from state to national, from national to international, until finally representative democracy means voting for politicians every few years who use that mandate to transfer national powers to the WTO and the IMF.
In response to this democratic crisis, the forum set out to sketch the possible alternatives—but before long, some rather profound questions emerged. Is this a movement trying to impose its own, more humane brand of globalization, with taxation of global finance and more democracy and transparency in international governance? Or is it a movement against centralization and the delegation of power on principle, one as critical of left-wing, one-size-fits-all ideology as of the recipe for McGovernment churned out at forums like Davos (cut taxes, privatize, deregulate and wait for the trickle-down)? It's fine to cheer for the possibility of another world—but is the goal one specific other world ("our" world, some might say) or is it, as the Zapatistas put it, "a world with the possibility of many worlds in it?"
On these questions there was no consensus. Some groups, those with ties to political parties, seemed to be pushing for a united international organization or party and wanted the forum to issue an official manifesto that could form a governmental blueprint. Others, those working outside traditional political channels and often using direct action, were advocating less a unified vision than a universal right to self-determination and diversity: agricultural diversity, cultural diversity and, yes, even political diversity.
Atila Roque was one of the people who argued forcefully that the forum should not try to issue a single set of political demands. "We are trying to break the uniformity of thought, and you can't do that by putting forward another uniform way of thinking. Honestly, I don't miss the time when we were all in the Communist Party. We can achieve a higher degree of consolidation of the agendas, but I don't think civil society should be trying to organize itself into a party."
In the end, the conference did not speak in one voice; there was no single official statement (though there were dozens of unofficial ones). Instead of sweeping blueprints for political change, there were glimpses of local democratic alternatives. The Landless Peasants Movement took delegates on day trips to reappropriated farmland used for sustainable agriculture. And then there was the living alternative of Porto Alegre itself. The city has become a showcase of participatory democracy studied around the world. In Porto Alegre, democracy isn't a polite matter of casting ballots; it's a contact sport, carried out in sprawling town hall meetings. The centerpiece of the Workers Party's platform is something called "the participatory budget," an initiative that gives residents, through a network of neighborhood councils and a shadow city council, a direct say in such decisions as how much of the municipal budget should go to sanitation versus transportation.
"This is a city that is developing a new model of democracy in which people don't just hand over control to the state," British author Hilary Wainwright said at the forum. "The challenge is, how do we extend that to a national and global level?"
Perhaps by transforming the anticorporate, antiglobalization movement into a pro-democracy movement that defends the rights of local communities to plan and manage their schools, their water and their ecology. In Porto Alegre, the most convincing responses to the international failure of representative democracy seemed to be this radical form of local participatory democracy, in the cities and towns where the abstractions of global rule become day-to-day issues of homelessness, water contamination, exploding prisons and cash-starved schools. Of course, this has to take place within a context of national and international standards and resources. But what seemed to be emerging organically out of the World Social Forum (despite the best efforts of some of the organizers) was not a movement for a single global government but a vision for an increasingly connected international network of very local initiatives, each built on direct democracy.
Democracy was a topic that came up not only on the panels and in workshops but also in the hallways and in raucous late-night meetings at the youth campground. Here the subject was not how to democratize world governance or even municipal decision-making—but something closer to home: the yawning "democratic deficit" of the World Social Forum itself.
On one level the forum was extraordinarily open: Anyone who wanted to could attend as a delegate, with no restrictions on numbers of attendees. And any group that wanted to run a workshop—alone or with another group—simply had to get a title to the organizing committee before the program was printed.
But there were sometimes sixty of these workshops going on simultaneously, while the main-stage events, where there was an opportunity to address more than 1,000 delegates at a time, were dominated not by activists but by politicians and academics. Some gave rousing presentations, while others seemed painfully detached: After traveling eighteen hours or more to attend the forum, few needed to be told that "globalization is a space of dispute." It didn't help that these panels were dominated by men in their fifties, too many of them white. Nicola Bullard, deputy director of Bangkok's Focus on the Global South, half-joked that the opening press conference "looked like the Last Supper: twelve men with an average age of 52." And it probably wasn't a great idea that the VIP room, an enclave of invitation-only calm and luxury, was made of glass. This in-your-face two-tiering amid all the talk of people power began to grate around the time the youth campsite ran out of toilet paper.
The griping about a "coup d'état of the French intellectuals" was symbolic of a larger problem. The organizational structure of the forum was so opaque that it was nearly impossible to figure out how decisions were made or to find ways to question those decisions. There were no open plenaries and no chance to vote on the structure of future events. In the absence of a transparent process, fierce NGO brand wars were waged behind the scenes — about whose stars would get the most airtime, who would get access to the press and who would be seen as the true leaders of this movement.
By the third day, frustrated delegates began to do what they do best: Protest. There were marches and manifestoes—a half-dozen at least. Beleaguered forum organizers found themselves charged with everything from reformism to racism. The Anti-Capitalist Youth contingent accused them of ignoring the important role direct action played in building the movement. Their manifesto condemned the conference as "a ruse" using the mushy language of democracy to avoid a more divisive discussion of class. The PSTU, a breakaway faction of the Workers Party, began interrupting speeches about the possibility of another world with loud chants of: "Another world is not possible, unless you smash capitalism and bring in socialism!" (It sounded much better in Portuguese.)
Some of this criticism was unfair. The forum accommodated an extraordinary range of views, and it was precisely this diversity that made conflicts inevitable. By bringing together groups with such different ideas about power—unions, political parties, NGOs, anarchist street protesters and agrarian reformers—the World Social Forum only made visible the tensions that are always just under the surface of these fragile coalitions.
But other questions were legitimate and have implications that reach far beyond a one-week conference. How are decisions made in this movement of movements? Who, for instance, decides which "civil society representatives" go behind the barbed wire at Davos—while protesters are held back with water cannons outside? If Porto Alegre was the anti-Davos, why were some of the most visible faces of opposition "dialoguing" in Davos?
With a sweeping new round of WTO negotiations set for the fall, and the Free Trade Area of the Americas (FTAA) being negotiated in April, these questions about process are suddenly urgent. How do we determine whether the goal is to push for "social clauses" on labor and environmental issues in international agreements or to try to shoot down the agreements altogether? This debate—academic at previous points because there was so much resistance to social clauses from business—is now very real. US industry leaders, including Caterpillar and Boeing, are actively lobbying for the linking of trade with labor and environmental clauses, not because they want to raise standards but because these links are viewed as the key to breaking the Congressional stalemate over fast-track trade negotiating authority. By pushing for social clauses, are unions and environmentalists unwittingly helping the advancement of these negotiations, a process that will also open the door to privatization of such services as water and more aggressive protections of drug patents? Should the goal be to add onto these trade agreements or take entire sections out—water, agriculture, food safety, drug patents, education, healthcare? Walden Bello, executive director of Focus on the Global South, is unequivocal on this point. "The WTO is unreformable," he said at the forum, "and it is a horrible waste of money to push for reform. Labor and environmental clauses will just empower an already too-powerful organization."
But that is not the strategy leading up to the Summit of the Americas in Quebec. Several large labor organizations and NGOs have taken government money to organize a parallel People's Summit during the official week of meetings, and have yet to issue clear statements on the FTAA. Not surprisingly, there were tensions about these issues at the forum, with those favoring direct action accusing the People's Summit organizers of helping to make the closed FTAA process appear open to "civil society"—perhaps just the public relations gloss Bush needs to secure fast track.
There is a serious debate to be had over strategy and process, but it's difficult to see how it will unfold without bogging down a movement whose greatest strength so far has been its agility. Anarchist groups, though fanatical about process, tend to resist efforts to structure or centralize the movement. The International Forum on Globalization—the brain trust of the North American side of the movement—lacks transparency in its decision-making and isn't accountable to a broad membership. Meanwhile, NGOs that might otherwise collaborate often compete with one another for publicity and funding. And traditional membership-based political structures like parties and unions have been reduced to bit players in these wide webs of activism.
Perhaps the real lesson of Porto Alegre is that democracy and accountability need to be worked out first on more manageable scales—within local communities and coalitions and inside individual organizations. Without this foundation, there's not much hope for a satisfying democratic process when 10,000 activists from wildly different backgrounds are thrown in a room together. What has become clear is that if the one "pro" this disparate coalition can get behind is "pro-democracy," then democracy within the movement must become a high priority. The Porto Alegre Call for Mobilization clearly states that "we challenge the elite and their undemocratic processes, symbolized by the World Economic Forum in Davos." Most delegates agreed that it simply won't do to scream Elitist! from a glass house—or from a glass VIP lounge.
Despite the moments of open revolt, the World Social Forum ended on as euphoric a note as it began. There was cheering and chanting, the loudest of which came when the organizing committee announced that Porto Alegre would host the forum again next year. The plane from Porto Alegre to São Paulo on January 30 was filled with delegates dressed head-to-toe in conference swag—T-shirts, baseball hats, mugs, bags—all bearing the utopian slogan: Another World Is Possible. Not uncommon, perhaps, after a conference, but it did strike me as noteworthy that a couple sitting in the seats across from me were still wearing their WSF name tags. It was as if they wanted to hang on to that dream world, however imperfect, for as long as they could before splitting up to catch connecting flights to Newark, Paris, Mexico City, absorbed in a hive of scurrying businesspeople, duty-free Gucci bags and CNN stock news.
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“The key is to just go to Nepal and do it soon!” – Doc Mckerr
by Isha Balla | Mar 27, 2016 | | 0 comments
“Return To Nepal” is an independent web-based documentary that aims to highlight how important the tourism industry is after the 2015 earthquakes and help encourage people to go and visit. Each documentary is designed to be short, approximately 5 minutes, so that they are appealing to a social media audience. They do not cover everything, nor should they. The key messages are spoken from the hearts of locals telling viewers that even after such tragic events, they are indeed ready for tourists and need them to help rebuild their country.
Doc Mckerr, an ex-British Army Officer and also Britain’s goodwill ambassador to Nepal and Oliver Willkins, an Emmy award winning film director, are the major people behind the camera who made Return To Nepal possible. On 22 March 2016, the team released the first short film, “Rise of the Artisans” on YouTube. It is a commendable 6 minute short film depicting how Nepal’s artisans have never lost their ancient skills and are now rebuilding sites across the country and contributing to Nepal’s future. This in itself is a tourist attraction.
A quick conversation with Doc!
Could you please give us your short introduction?
I am an ex-Gurkha Engineer Officer and spent seven years in the British Army. In 2009-10, I served in Nepal with the Gurkha Welfare Scheme building schools across the country for the charity. On leaving the army in 2013 I went back to walk solo across the Great Himalaya Trail. After 64 days and over 1000 miles, I had completed it. Post-earthquake I was selected as one of 17 Goodwill Ambassadors to help promote tourism.
How long have you been working on Return To Nepal?
I started working on the project as soon as I was informed that I had been selected as a Goodwill Ambassador at the end of June 2015.
What motivated you to do it in the first place?
After being selected as an ambassador I was overwhelmed and immensely proud. I wanted to do more than just raise money. I wanted to look further forward and do something that would support the country in providing for itself by doing what they do best; tourism.
Could you please give us a brief summary of Return To Nepal? What will it be like? How do you think it will change the perception of people towards Nepal?
We wanted to show that although the earthquake was a terrible event for thousands of people in a number of districts, one of the biggest impacts to the country was the huge impact on the tourism industry, which was down by over 70% six months later. However, only 11 out of 75 districts were actually directly affected. The idea was to make short films that showed three key things; the impact of the earthquake, how people had rebuild their lives six months later and finally, what the future holds. The thread throughout each film is tourism.
Each film focuses on a different part of Nepal and uses locals to tell their story. We filmed in Kathmandu, (specifically around Swayambunath and,Patan), Nuwakot and the Everest region.
How was your overall experience while shooting in different places in Nepal?
It was fantastic. Half way through the planning for the project the fuel crisis started. This then became a major concern as I wasn’t sure whether we would still be able to achieve what we were setting out to do. The news reports were often very misleading which made making a decision very difficult.
In the end, we decided to go anyway and see what we could do. I knew it would take several months to get the films ready so it was now or never.When I arrived I was very surprised. Certainly the streets were quieter than normal, but life continued and we could still go where we needed to and do everything we had planned to.
How did you manage on doing that?
We just needed to be patient. It was very obvious that there were far fewer tourists than usual. This should have been the busiest time of the year, however, there weren’t many around. We knew that we had made the right decision. Apart from the focus on fuel, the key messages still needed to be told. Nepal was open for business and tourism is the best way for people to help rebuild the economy.
What was the most memorable event while shooting Return To Nepal?
It was great to finally meet the son of a friend of mine who was killed in the earthquake on the Tashi Labsta pass. He lives in a village called Thamel in the Everest Region which is about 3-4 days walk from Lukla, the nearest airport.
Is he a part of your documentary as well?
He is the main character in the second film. This is about the importance of strong communities and cultures helping people pull through such terrible disasters and become even stronger.
So basically, there are 3 short films?
At the moment, yes. We might make another one. I just need to see how much money I have left!
The third film is about rebuilding the centre of a village called Nuwakot in the same traditional designs but using new modern and safe earthquake resistant techniques. The importance of their heritage is well known by the community and rebuilding this is essential for the future of the village.
Since you have already released the first part of the documentary, when are you planning to release the other two?
Hopefully by 25 April.
What did you learn from this experience? And when are you planning to come back again?
I learnt that Nepali people are still very humble, strong willed and kind hearted. Although shocked by what has happened, they are ready to move forward and make the future count for everyone. They are excited to start seeing tourism return to normal. It is not just about the money they bring. It is also a way of life.
I am already planning my next expedition to the far north-west of Nepal for later this year, so long as I can get the time off work!
What kind of response has Rise of Artisans received so far?
Well, it has received pretty positive responses so far. People love the fact that the documentary has been filmed beautifully and deals with a positive story told by locals.
Lastly, what would you like to suggest to people who are planning a trip to Nepal?
All I would say is that people should go and experience as much as they can across Nepal when they visit. There is so much to see and do, all of which is vastly different. The key is to just go to Nepal and do it soon!
To know more about Return to Nepal, visit www.returntonepal.com.
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SAMMY HAGAR - Austin, Texas '77 - Cruisin' & Boozin' (CD)
Category: ECHOES CDs
• Explosive performance in Austin, Texas for the Rock Around The World Radio Show, April 1977
• Includes the entire WBCN-FM broadcast
Sammy Hagar, Austin Texas '77; April 1977 for the Rock Around The World Radio Show
Known in the industry as the Red Rocker, Sammy Hagar had arrived in 1977 with two solo albums under his belt having enjoyed previous notoriety with Montrose. The 'blue collar' champion would also enjoy success with anthemic rockers such as Your Love Is Driving Me Crazy, I Can't Drive 55, Heavy Metal and There's Only One Way To Rock.
Riding high on the success of his 1976 debut album Nine On A Ten Scale, both the audience and listeners are treated to a set that combines highlights from his debut and a glimpse of his latest 'Red Album'. The hard rock brand of Sammy Hagar has been adopted by many of his contemporaries such as Bon Jovi and Guns N' Roses since his 1976 debut and this 1977 performance in Austin, Texas shows just how much respect Hagar commands. It's live and alive and stands as one of his greatest performances in his post-Montrose, pre-Van Halen period.
Echoes proudly presents the entire WBCN-FM broadcast of Sammy Hagar's explosive performance in Austin, Texas from April 1977 for the Rock Around The World Radio Show.
Professionally re-mastered original FM broadcast with background liners and rare archival photos.
1. Rock 'n Roll Weekend
2. Love Has Found Me
3. Fillmore Shuffle
4. Urban Guerilla
5. Cruisin' & Boozin'
6. Silver Lights
7. Red
8. Good Rockin'
Artist SAMMY HAGAR
Title Austin, Texas '77 - Cruisin' & Boozin'
Catalogue No ECHOCD2037
ECHOES CDs
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Oklahoma Rape Defense Lawyers
Nonconsensual sexual activity is prohibited by law. Not every sex crime involves physical contact—indecent exposure or soliciting minors, for example—but of the offenses involving sexual contact, rape is probably the most well-known.
Rape is nonconsensual sex, or sexual penetration without the legal consent of the victim. Despite this seemingly clear definition, rape is actually a much misunderstood charge. Many people are unaware of the legal conditions which must be met in order for a person to consent to sex, and therefore may find themselves charged with statutory rape after engaging in sex they believed to be consensual.
Others hear the term “rape” and automatically think of forcible rape. However, even first degree rape may be perpetrated without violence.
The mere allegation of rape can bring devastating personal consequences for the person accused. If convicted of a felony sex crime, the defendant faces not only prison, but also lifelong registration as a sex offender.
One of the most important things anyone accused of rape should keep in mind is that it is never a good idea to speak about your case with anyone but your attorney. In some cases, particularly in statutory rape cases, things that you believe mitigate your crime only serve to solidify the prosecution’s case against you.
If you are accused of rape, do not speak to police or social workers without your attorney’s counsel. Do not attempt to “clear things up” with your accuser. Immediately contact a lawyer who can protect you during an investigation and any subsequent court proceedings.
Oklahoma Rape Laws
Rape is defined in 21 O.S. § 1111 as “sexual intercourse involving vaginal or anal pentetration” under one or more of a prescribed set of circumstances, including force, threat, or deception, or the victim’s inability to provide legal consent due to age, intoxication, mental illness or disability, or custodial status.
Technically, there are only three types of rape charges in Oklahoma: First Degree Rape, Second Degree Rape, and Rape by Instrumentation. However, there are a number of acts that fall into these categories of nonconsensual sex:
Spousal Rape or Marital Rape
Another criminal charge often associated with rape cases is forcible sodomy. Forcible sodomy typically refers to forcible oral sex or oral sex with a person statutorily unable to provide legal consent.
First degree rape includes child rape, forcible rape, and nonconsensual sex under the following circumstances:
Rape of a child under the age of 14 by an adult aged 18 or older
Rape of a person unable to give consent because of a mental illness or disability
Rape of a person who is “unconscious of the nature of the act”
Rape accomplished by administering narcotics or anesthetics in order to force the victim to submit
Rape accomplished through force or violence or the threat of force or violence
Rape by instrumentation resulting in great bodily harm
Rape by instrumentation of a child under age 14
By statute, first degree rape in Oklahoma is punishable by death; however, the United States Supreme Court has ruled that capital punishment is unconstitutional in all but certain homicide cases. In practice, first degree rape carries a life sentence as a maximum penalty, with a minimum sentence of 5 years.
Second degree rape is more commonly known as statutory rape. It includes all acts of rape defined in 21 O.S. § 1111 that are not specified as first degree rape. For example, second degree rape involves sex with a person who is under the age of 16—the legal age of consent in Oklahoma—or who is unable to provide legal consent as a student or a ward of the state. Second degree rape is a felony punishable by 1 to 15 years in prison.
While there seem to be significant differences between the acts of first degree rape and second degree rape, the two are equivalent when it comes to sex offender registration. Rape—whether first degree or second degree—is considered a Level 3 sex offense, the highest risk level assessment for sex crimes. Upon release from prison, anyone convicted of rape must register as a sex offender for life, providing address verification ever 90 days.
Fighting a Rape Charge
If you have been accused of rape, you may feel that the world is against you. Maybe you took advantage of a situation you shouldn’t have. Maybe you were accused of rape after a consensual sexual encounter. Maybe you didn’t realize that your willing “victim” was too young to provide legal consent. Maybe you were falsely accused by a vindictive partner, ex-partner, or child. Regardless of the situation that brings you to our office, we work carefully to protect your rights and bring your case to its optimal resolution.
Call today to find out how we can help you fight your rape charge. Act quickly to secure quality legal representation.
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Home / News & Media / Cases / Sefton Borough Council v Wainwright
Case - Sefton Borough Council v Wainwright
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20.11.2014 - UKEAT/0168/14/LA, Employment Appeal Tribunal - Louise Chudleigh
A failure to offer a suitable alternative vacancy to an employee who has been made redundant while on maternity leave is not necessarily direct pregnancy/maternity discrimination. The ET should consider the reason why the employee was not offered the suitable alternative vacancy.
Mrs Wainwright (“W”) was employed by Sefton Borough Council as Head of Overview and Security. As part of its restructuring process the Council decided to combine her role with that of a colleague, P, in the new post of Democratic Service Manager (DSM). Both W and P were informed of the situation and subsequently interviewed for the new DSM role. P was appointed and W was dismissed for the reason of redundancy. Throughout this period W was on maternity leave.
The ET held that W should have been offered the DSM role as a suitable alternative vacancy under regulation 10 of the Maternity and Paternity Leave Regulations 1999. The Council’s failure to do so rendered her subsequent dismissal automatically unfair. The ET further held that the Council’s treatment of W constituted direct pregnancy/maternity discrimination under section 18 of the Equality Act 2010.
The Council appealed both of these findings.
The ET had been entitled to find that W was redundant from the point at which it was decided her position was to be deleted. As a result the Council had been obliged to offer her the DSM role as a suitable alternative vacancy. The Council submitted that W was only entitled to protection under regulation 10 after the restructuring was complete (when P had been appointed to the DSM role and W herself had been placed in the redeployment pool). It was submitted that this was a proportionate approach which would go no further than reasonably necessary in protecting the Claimant’s interests. The EAT disagreed. Such an approach could undermine the protection offered by regulation 10 in that it allowed the employer to determine when a redundancy occurs. The relevant question was when W’s position was redundant (as defined in section 139 of the Employment Rights Act 1996). Responding to the Council’s proportionality point, the EAT said that the Council was not obliged to offer W any particular suitable alternative vacancy. The Council might still have been able to appoint P to the DSM post, if W had been offered a different suitable alternative role.
The ET erred in assuming a breach of regulation 10 automatically meant there had been direct pregnancy/maternity discrimination. Regulation 10 obliges an employer to offer an employee on maternity leave special protection. Section 18 merely prohibits unfavourable treatment because of pregnancy or maternity leave. W was made redundant and not offered a suitable alternative vacancy while she was on maternity leave, but she was not necessarily treated in this way because she was on maternity leave. The ET had failed to consider the reasons for her treatment. The discrimination claim was remitted to the ET for further consideration.
COur People
Louise Chudleigh
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ADVICE FROM EPPO ON WHAT TO DO AFTER AN EARTHQUAKE
March 2014: A message from the Mayor of W. Mani:-
Dear fellow citizens, The EPPO (Earthquake Planning and Protection) has created a new document to inform citizens about the protective measures to be taken, during the aftershock period, the initiatives that should be taken to mitigate the psychosocial impact of their family members, and the actions of the State relating to the rehabilitation of areas affected by the earlier earthquake.
For the full document in Greek, click on Metaseismiki_24-2-14.pdf or you can download as an e-book from EPPO
For a partial translation in English, click on EARTHQUAKE ADVICE - the page numbers refer to the pages of the original Greek document
How to survive an earthquake - The Triangle of Life
In 2011 we were sent information about a controversial alternative to the conventional advice of 'duck and cover' when an earthquake strikes. It is being promoted by Doug Copp of The American Rescue Team International, and referred to as the 'Triangle of life' approach. However, although it is being promoted in many countries, the 'old' advice may still be more appropriate in developed countries where building standards are higher. See link to TIME article below.
Here is a brief extract from Doug Copp's article on 'The Triangle of Life' :-
'.........My name is Doug Copp. I am the Rescue Chief and Disaster Manager of the American Rescue Team International (ARTI), the world's most experienced rescue team. The information in this article will save lives in an earthquake.
I have crawled inside 875 collapsed buildings, worked with rescue teams from 60 countries, founded rescue teams in several countries, and I am a member of many rescue teams from many countries.
Simply stated, when buildings collapse, the weight of the ceilings falling upon the objects or furniture inside crushes these objects, leaving a space or void next to them. This space is what I call the "triangle of life". The larger the object, the stronger, the less it will compact. The less the object compacts, the larger the void, the greater the probability that the person who is using this void for safety will not be injured. The next time you watch collapsed buildings, on television, count the "triangles" you see formed. They are everywhere. It is the most common shape, you will see, in a collapsed building.
Most everyone who simply "ducks and covers" WHEN BUILDINGS COLLAPSE are crushed to death. People who get under objects, like desks or cars, are crushed.
In 1996 we made a film, which proved my survival methodology to be correct. The Turkish Federal Government, City of Istanbul, University of Istanbul Case Productions and ARTI cooperated to film this test. .........'
For more information about the 'triangle of life' see The American Rescue Team International website triangle of life
The initial response by the American Red Cross challenged many of the assertions and advice : see American Red Cross response to "Triangle of Life" by Doug Copp.Response to Tof L
In February 2010 TIME magazine did a comparison of the two approaches which concluded that, the best approach depends on where you are when the earthquake hits. How to survive an earthquake.
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Hollywood's Favorite Movie Quotes-II
By Hajra Khatoon in Hollywood Tags: Hollywood, Hollywood Movie Quotes, Dialogues, Most favorite Hollywood Dialogues.
So, here we are as promised in Hollywood's favorite Movie quotes-I ,with the next batch of Hollywood’s best said dialogues . What is special about them you would say? Well, many things- the context, the amazing delivery, the power behind them and for the fact that they fail to leave our movie addicted memories! So, here’s some more of the delicious dialogues!
"I’ll be back" (Terminator, 1984)
Terminator is remembered for many things but the primary reason remains this – Arnold Schwarzenegger. This dialogue happens when Arnold’s character is refused entry to the police station. Soon after, he cheekily returns in the police car, smashing it through the door and proceeds to destroy everything in the building. Very terminator indeed.
A martini. Shaken, not stirred (Goldfinger, 1964)
Sean Connery remains the favorite Bond and his phrases deserve the same honor.Though first spoken as “Shaken and not stirred” in Dr. No; the phrase “Shaken, not stirred” figured first in Goldfinger. Since then, it is featured prominently in Bond movies.
Carpe diem. Seize the day, boys. Make your lives extraordinary (Dead Poet’s Society, 1989)
Carpe Diem is a Latin phrase that means to pick or to gather but has extensively been used to translate as “to seize”. Robin Williams amazing acting skills just went to best in the movie and this dialogue caught every movie goers attention and made the movie extraordinary!
"I’m the King of the World" (Titanic, 1997)
Besides everything the movie is remembered for, this dialogue captures the true essence of the character played flawlessly by Di Caprio.
"Well, nobody's perfect" (Some like it hot, 1959)
The dialogue which made every one stand up and take notice that after all, we are allowed to make mistakes. No one could have done it better than actor – comedian J.E. Brown
"We rob banks" (Bonnie and Clyde, 1967)
The movie was considered landmark for “breaking many cinematic taboos” but this dialogues personifies the eternal theme of the crime film.
"Badges? We ain't got no badges! We don't need no badges! I don't have to show you any stinking badges!" (The Treasure of the Sierra Madre, 1948)
Though the quote is actually a misquote, It is based on a line of dialog from a 1927 novel but continuously appears in movies, parody and prominently in the live song recorded in 1985 called “Badges”.
"May the Force be with you" (Star Wars, 1977)
You can’t be a movie fan and not have watched Star Wars; further, you can’t be a Star Wars fan and not know what The Force is! It has become a legacy in the Star Wars movies and is spoken by at least one character in each movie.
"E.T. phone home" (E.T The extra terrestrial, 1982)
The E.T Craze still lingers and the dialogue to phone home just got bigger than the extra terrestrial itself!
"You talkin to me" (Taxi Driver, 1976)
This dialogue delivered by Robert Di Niro became the pop culture and has since then, prominently featured in a number of movies and television series. It was chosen as number 10 on American Film Institute’s top 100 best movie quotes.
“But it ain't how hard you hit; it's about how hard you can get hit, and keep moving forward”. (Rocky Balboa, 2006)
And last but not the least, the editor’s choice, When senior Rocky says this to Junior Rocky; little did he know that it would become the theme for all speakers and motivational coaches around the world. It became a theme and Rocky and everyone of learnt to get up and fight back!
So, our take on the twenty one most favorite quotes that still remain a cinematic favorite. Just in case you missed it, click here for the first ten. Do add in yours, tell us what your favorite movie quote to date remains!
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Thought Leader Interview: Ajay Agrawal
Home > Back Issues > 2018 > Creative Destruction (Winter 2018) > Thought Leader Interview: Ajay Agrawal
by Karen Christensen
The founder of the Creative Destruction Lab describes its moonshot mission to create a Canadian AI ecosystem.
Describe what happens at the Creative Destruction Lab (CDL).
The CDL is a seed-stage program for massively scalable science-based companies. Some start-ups come from the University of Toronto community, but we now also receive applications from Europe, the U.S. (including Silicon Valley), Israel and Asia.
We launched the program in September 2012, and each autumn since, we’ve admitted a new cohort of start-ups into the program. Most companies that we admit have developed a working prototype or proof of concept. The most common type of founder is a recently graduated PhD in Engineering or Computer Science who has spent several years working on a problem and has invented something at the frontier of their field.
The program does not guarantee financing, but the majority of companies that succeed raise capital from the CDL’s Fellows and Associates — a carefully- selected group of individuals who themselves are serial entrepreneurs and early-stage investors. Throughout the year, our MBA students work with the start-up founders as part of a second-year elective course, helping them develop financial models, evaluate potential markets, and fine-tune their scaling strategies.
To date, more than 100 start-ups have come through the Lab. When we launched, we set a goal of generating $50 million in equity value created in terms of the aggregate value created by companies that went through the Lab. When we finished our fifth year in June 2017, we had exceeded $1.4 billion in equity value created.
What exactly does the Lab provide to entrepreneurs?
Start-up founders benefit from a structured, objectives-oriented process that increases their probability of success. The process is orchestrated by the CDL team, while CDL Fellows and Associates generate the objectives. Objective-setting is a cornerstone of the process. Every eight weeks the Fellows and Associates set three objectives for the start-ups to achieve, at the exclusion of everything else. In other words, they define clear goals for an eight week ‘sprint’. Objectives can be business, technology or HR-oriented. Our Fellows and Associates—all volunteers—are critical to the CDL’s success.
Tell us more about the CDL Fellows and Associates.
We have designed a marketplace — a community that functions under a set of rules and norms — that facilitates efficient transactions between first-time founders and experienced entrepreneurs, many of whom are also investors. Often, the two sides don’t know each other until the rookie founder seeks out the experienced entrepreneur/investor when raising capital. Knowing very little about the entrepreneur, the investor usually says no, but occasionally says yes, at which point they are very committed. By the time we hit the end of the academic year, the Fellows and Associates have met with the ventures many times, and they’ve gotten to know each other. Furthermore, the entrepreneurs have demonstrated their ability (or inability) to deliver against an aggressive set of objectives through several cycles. We don’t require Fellows and Associates to invest, but they can — and many do.
We saw mounting evidence that AI was a general-purpose technology that can be applied to a wide range of problems.
When you’re founding a company, you’re faced with a thousand different things you could be working on. The question is, what should you focus on? People who have done this before are able to triage those thousand things and prioritize the two or three most important things to focus on right now to increase value and de-risk the venture as quickly as possible. Every eight weeks, this group meets with the founders and sets objectives; then the founders carry on building their ventures.
The CDL does not charge fees or take equity. The currency for participation is performance. There were seven Fellows in our first year, so the bi-monthly sessions were named after that Group of Seven Fellows, or ‘G7’. At the end of each G7 session, we ask the Fellows and Associates to raise their hand for any companies for which they are willing to commit their most precious resource: time. We ask them to commit to meeting with the company for an hour every other week until the next session.
Any companies that don’t inspire at least one raised hand are dropped from future meetings — although they are still part of the CDL family and attend other events. The rule is that at least one company must be dropped from the G7 sessions at each meeting. In the rare case that hands go up for all companies, we raise the price in terms of the amount of time required to commit. As we proceed throughout the nine-month program, this allows us to focus more and more resources on ventures that are showing the most progress.
Three years ago, CDL made a huge bet on artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning. What prompted that?
In our first year of operation, one of the start-ups that came to us was Chematria, now called Atomwise. Its founder, Abe Heifets — a U of T PhD in Computer Science and Biology — was applying a new AI technique to drug discovery. What Abe was doing represented not just a marginal improvement, but a potentially
transformative change to the way drugs are discovered — which represents a multibillion-dollar problem for the pharmaceutical industry.
While we were working with Abe, a team of graduate students from U of T Computer Science won a high-profile competition at Stanford called ImageNet. It’s basically an image-recognition competition, whereby a computer is given a bunch of pictures and has to identify the image, whether it’s a ball, a horse or a wheelbarrow. This team from Toronto participated, and not only did they win — using a machine learning technique called deep learning, largely developed at U of T — but they won by such a margin that the following year, all of the finalist teams were using their technique.
Those are just two examples of events that inspired us to bet on machine intelligence. Overall, we saw mounting evidence that AI was a general-purpose technology that could be applied to a wide range of problems across a vast array of industries, and that’s what prompted us to dedicate a new stream of the Lab’s activity to AI.
At first, you faced resistance; why?
People said we were being too narrow, that there weren’t enough startups to fill an AI stream and that there wasn’t enough interest from investors. At the same time, we had believers. One such believer who herself had written a highly influential blog post describing the ‘landscape’ of companies emerging in the machine
learning world was Shivon Zilis — a Canadian based in San Francisco and a partner at the venture investing firm Bloomberg Beta, where she led the firm’s investments in machine intelligence. I invited her to the Rotman School to present her insightful analysis to our MBA students, and the CDL team — quickly realizing she is a star — recruited her to join forces on our AI initiatives. (Elon Musk subsequently saw the same potential and recruited her to help him build his empire.)
So, we moved forward with the new stream, but to address these concerns, in 2015 we also launched an annual conference — with Shivon as co-chair — called Machine Learning and the Market for Intelligence. The goal was to educate the Canadian business community about the importance of this emerging field. Leaders in the field — from organizations like Google, Uber, Apple, Stanford, Carnegie Mellon and MIT — came to Rotman to discuss and debate how AI is and will impact a variety of fields, from life sciences to manufacturing to retail. We held our third annual conference in October 2017.
Talk a bit about the CDL’s results to date.
The launch of our AI stream transformed the Lab from a Canadian enterprise into a global one. In our first year, our start-ups were all from Ontario, but they now come from around the world. Similarly, in our first year, our Fellows were all from Canada, and that, too, changed when we launched the AI stream. Our ML7 (Machine Learning Seven) includes William Tunstall-Pedoe, who flies in from Cambridge, England, every eight weeks. He has a PhD in Machine Learning and founded Evi, which was acquired by Amazon in 2012. Evi’s technology powers the AI engine in Amazon’s Alexa, which, to my knowledge, is still the top-selling consumer AI hardware product in the world.
The Creative Destruction Lab is home to the greatest concentration of AI-based companies of any program on Earth.
The ML7 also includes Barney Pell, who flies in every eight weeks from San Francisco. Barney also has a PhD in Machine Learning and led an 85-person team at NASA that flew the first AI into deep space. He then built an AI company called Powerset that was acquired by Microsoft, and now he’s the cofounder of Moon Express, which is essentially building a Federal Express-type service to the moon, because Barney believes the moon is going to be an important gateway for commercial space travel.
So far, the results have surpassed our expectations. Back in 2012, we accepted 25 companies into our general high-tech stream. Last year, we doubled that by adding the second cohort focused on AI, so we had 50 start-ups. This year, we doubled our intake again by accepting 100 AI-focused start-ups and adding a new stream: The world’s first program focused on launching startups predicated on quantum machine learning (QML). To our knowledge, the CDL is home to the greatest concentration of AI-based companies of any program on Earth.
Among CDL’s ‘graduating’ companies to date, which best personifies your vision?
We are proud of all of them, and different companies reflect different aspects of our vision. For example, Atomwise personifies our focus on the application of science that can have a transformative effect on society. As indicated earlier, it brought in a very early application of a new branch of Computer Science (deep learning) and applied it to a commercial focus (drug discovery).
Thalmic Labs captures the scale and ambition of our mission. They raised their seed financing largely from our G7 Fellows. About a year ago, they raised $160 million in Series B financing (US$120 million), which was one of the largest Series B financings in Canadian history.
UDIO, founded by Katya Kudashkina (Rotman MBA ‘15), captures the CDL’s entrepreneurial spirit: She immigrated to Canada without a penny to her name and really hustled to get into the top business school in the country while studying English at night. When she graduated, she was recruited into a nice, secure job at the Canadian Pension Plan Investment Board. She left that job to found a start-up, which she brought to the Lab, raising a few hundred thousand dollars in investment capital.
Early on, UDIO was focused on building robotic bees for artificial pollination in the agricultural industry. But the G7 advised Katya that it was going to take too long to get to revenue with that business model, and that she needed to be closer to her customers. So, she packed up her life and moved to California — essentially living on someone’s couch so she could focus on almond farmers in Northern California and learn their business from the ground up.
Ultimately, Katya ran out of capital before she could get to revenue and the company folded; but she wouldn’t give up and launched another start-up. She learned a lot from her first company and maintained great relations with her investors. I wouldn’t be surprised if they invest in her again, because she is so driven, trustworthy and willing to learn. She is a prime example of the persistence required of entrepreneurs.
As indicated, CDL features collaboration with both current MBA students and highly successful entrepreneurs. Can you give an example of a firm that benefited from both?
One example is Validere. One of the co-founders just finished his PhD at Harvard, where he developed a technique called Optical Liquid Fingerprinting, which identifies the properties of a liquid. Normally if you want to find out a liquid’s properties, you take a sample, send it to a lab, and wait for the results. This startup developed a process whereby they can essentially determine the properties of a liquid in real time. They came to the CDL wanting to sell this service to the luxury perfume industry, to help detect counterfeit perfumes.
After reviewing their business, the Fellows told the founders that they loved the technology but hated the business idea. So, the G7 turned to our MBA students and asked them to do a market analysis to find out where this technology would have the most value. The MBAs returned with a recommendation to move from one of the sexiest of all industries — luxury perfume — to one of the least sexy: oil and gas. And that is what they ended up doing.
One of our Fellows is Dr. Chen Fong, former head of Radiology at the University of Calgary and active investor in medical technologies as well as the energy industry. After learning about Validere’s technology and the recommendation to focus on oil and gas, Chen flew the founders out to Calgary and drove them (himself!) around the city to meet with a number of oil and gas executives to solicit feedback on their product.
Soon, the business was transformed: They attracted some significant customers and went from being unable to raise capital to being over-subscribed, with more investor interest than they could accommodate. Our MBA students learned a tremendous amount — a very different but complementary type of education than they get from reading about historical case studies. This example epitomizes CDL’s vision: A science-based innovation that will enhance society; created by appreciative, persistent, and coachable founders; national connections, insightful advice and mentoring from our G7 Fellows; and an incredible hands-on learning experience for our MBA students.
Our approach is to get ahead, make the investments, and attract all the elements of the ecosystem to Canada.
The Lab is one of the most popular second-year MBA courses at the Rotman School. Why does it resonate so much with students?
For two reasons: First, it combines the traditional mode of learning from lectures with learning-by-doing; and second, it links academic work with a sense of ownership.
The traditional approach to learning at CDL is led by our Chief Economist, Professor Joshua Gans, who developed a structure for teaching entrepreneurial strategy along with MIT’s Scott Stern. This provides students with an academic framework and context for what they’re going to experience next. Then comes the learning-by-doing part. Normally, business schools use Harvard Business School cases to provide examples in the classroom. As indicated, we replace those with real companies. Working with founders, Fellows and Associates provides students with an opportunity to roll up their sleeves. Instead of reading a 30-page case that comes with a fact set, they have to find the facts themselves and figure out — of the infinite information out there, which bits are the most valuable for their needs? They experience the messiness of the real world and the reality of having to make decisions without having full information.
The second piece is ownership. When our students work with these start-ups, every decision matters, so they have a real sense of ownership. It’s a powerful learning experience to feel ownership over the results because the consequences are so tangible.
Universities rarely adopt programs developed elsewhere. What motivated the University of British Columbia, New York University, the University of Calgary, Université de Montreal and Dalhousie University to adopt the Creative Destruction Lab program?
Every university has a program or course on entrepreneurship and start-ups, but I think the CDL stands out due to its significant results. The calibre of investors from the business community who have rallied around the CDL is unprecedented. Naturally, other universities would love for that to happen at their own business schools.
When UBC indicated interest in adopting the program, the big question was, ‘Is this replicable?’ But a very competent team, under the direction of Professor Paul Cubbon, was able to reproduce it. When CDL-West completed its first year, the results on all dimensions were impressive, and we had evidence that, yes, this program is replicable. We have since launched CDL at the University of Calgary, Dalhousie University and Université de Montreal, and in October, we announced a partnership with New York University’s Stern School of Business.
CDL Toronto’s competition is not Vancouver, Calgary, Montreal, New York or Atlantic Canada: it’s Silicon Valley. Each of the CDLs has attracted some of the top business people from its region. Our challenge now is to cross-pollinate, so that the Montreal Fellows are connecting with companies in the Toronto program and the Toronto Fellows are connecting with companies at CDL Atlantic, and so on. One of the things that makes the Bay Area so effective is that everything moves so fast. If we can accelerate the velocity of business development here, we will have raised Canada’s game as a whole.
You mentioned earlier that CDL launched the world’s first program focused on quantum machine learning (QML). What is your vision for this initiative?
It’s a bold one: By 2022, the QML Initiative will have produced more well-capitalized, revenue-generating quantum machine learning-based software companies than the rest of the world combined, with the majority based in Canada.
Why QML? First, we can leverage the leadership that CDL currently has in the commercial application of machine learning. Second, we can leverage Canada’s leadership in quantum computing at places like the Perimeter Institute and the Institute for Quantum Computing in Waterloo, Université de Sherbrooke in Quebec, and D-Wave in Vancouver, among others. Third, we can leverage the network of investors, entrepreneurs, scientists, and corporations that have rallied around the CDL and our mission of commercializing science for the benefit of humankind. [Editor’s Note: For details on the QML program, visit creativedestructionlab.com/locations/Toronto/quantum.]
Clearly, the CDL is leading the way in this arena.
I believe so. Three years ago, it felt like we were moving early on AI, but we realize now that — if we could turn back the clock — we actually should have started even sooner and moved faster. We were roughly a year ahead of everyone else, but now a number of programs in other countries are focused on AI startups — so we’re running fast just to keep our position.
With QML, we want to do in Toronto what Silicon Valley did with semiconductors in the 1960s.
In terms of QML, so far we’re the only ones doing it, and that’s because the technology is so embryonic. We might go for two or three years without a significant success, because we might be too early. The point is, once there’s a hit, places like MIT, Stanford and Silicon Valley will all double down in this field. Our approach is to get ahead, make the investments now, and attract all the elements of the ecosystem to Canada.
We want to do in Toronto with QML what Silicon Valley did with semiconductors in the 1960s. There’s nothing inherently magical about Silicon Valley. The semiconductor industry happened to start there due to the pioneering efforts of a handful of people, and once that community grew big enough, it became very hard for other regions to compete. Our view is, if we can seed it here and if the industry takes off five years from now, by that time, Canada will have such a critical mass that it will be hard for the whole community to move somewhere else. We’re trying to plant the seeds now.
Already, three top Silicon Valley venture capitalists are sufficiently optimistic about this program that they offered to invest in every one of the companies that gets into it — sight unseen. Most of these companies won’t make it — and they know that — but they want to be involved because along the way, they will get an education in QML, and there is some positive probability that one or two of these companies will figure out a commercial application.
Globally, what has been the reception to AI?
Earlier this year, the Canadian government made a series of financial commitments to attempt to maintain its position as a leader in AI research. In July, China announced a long-term AI plan that dwarfs Canada’s investment and specifies a timeline through 2030 during which China aims to become the world leader in AI. Over the Labour Day weekend, Russian President Vladimir Putin foreshadowed significant investments when he stated: “AI is the future, not only for Russia, but for all humankind. Whoever becomes the leader in this sphere will become the ruler of the world.”
There has also been caution: Tesla CEO Elon Musk has made pleas for governments to take AI safety seriously and to set up regulatory bodies to manage it. His Twitter response to Putin’s remarks was: “It begins…,” which he followed with: “China, Russia, soon all countries w strong computer science. Competition for AI superiority at national level most likely cause of WW3 imo.” Musk is concerned that AI is developing more rapidly than we realize and that there is significant risk to human civilization. He feels it needs to be regulated, not unlike communications, air traffic, financial services, healthcare and aerospace.
Will AI change the way decisions are made in organizations?
Yes. Every disruptive technology lowers the cost of something, and in the case of AI, that something is prediction. By prediction, I mean using data that you have to generate data that you don’t have. Economic theory tells us that as the cost of machine prediction falls, we will use more of it. Prediction is an input to decision-making under uncertainty. When faced with uncertainty, we need to predict the likelihood of different outcomes when we make a decision. As machine prediction becomes cheaper, we’ll increasingly substitute human prediction for machine prediction in the decision-making process.
However, prediction is not the only ingredient for decisionmaking. Judgment — the assignment of value or payoffs to possible outcomes — is also important. Machines do prediction, but only humans have judgment. I anticipate that organizations will engage in much more decision-making because a key ingredient is now much cheaper, and the value of human judgment will increase, as we demand more of it. We can only speculate on the aspects of judgment that will be most valuable, but things like ethical judgment, emotional intelligence and artistic ability are likely suspects.
Click here for a PDF version of this article.
Ajay Agrawal is the Peter Munk Professor of Entrepreneurship, Professor of Strategic Management, and founder of the Creative Destruction Lab at the Rotman School of Management. He is also cofounder of Next Canada, which includes Next AI, a not-for-profit program to inspire young entrepreneurs and technologists to explore commercial opportunities that are a direct result of advances in AI. Along with Rotman Professors Joshua Gans and Avi Goldfarb, he is co-author of Prediction Machines: The Simple Economics of Artificial Intelligence (forthcoming, Harvard Business School Press, April 2018). For more on the book visit predictionmachines.ai.
Click here for more on Professor Agrawal and his work on artificial intelligence.
This article appeared in the Winter 2018 issue. Published by the University of Toronto’s Rotman School of Management, Rotman Management explores themes of interest to leaders, innovators and entrepreneurs.
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'Pakistan is proud to have partnered & pioneered with China in Belt and Road, CPEC initiatives'
Prime Minister Imran Khan says Pakistan is proud to have partnered and pioneered with China in the Belt and Road and CPEC initiatives.
Addressing the opening ceremony of Second Belt and Road Forum in Beijing on Friday, the Prime Minister said Pakistan has been among BRI's earliest and most enthusiastic proponents.
He said the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor, one of BRI's major components and one of its earliest manifestations, has made substantial progress. Pakistan's energy supplies have increased massively and our critical infrastructure gaps are being plugged.
Imran Khan said Gwadar, once a small fishing village is transforming rapidly into a commercial hub and its airport will be the largest in the country.
The Prime Minister said Pakistan and China are now entering the next phase of CPEC, with greater emphasis on socioeconomic uplift, poverty alleviation, agricultural cooperation and industrial development.
He said we are expanding the frontiers of knowledge through closer engagement and deeper cooperation in the fields of education, innovation and technology.
The Prime Minister said along the length of the Corridor, Special Economic Zones are set to come up, offering opportunities for investments for Pakistani, Chinese and foreign entrepreneurs. He said supplementing the next phase of CPEC, Pakistan is signing an expanded Pakistan-China Free Trade Agreement.
The Prime Minister invited the participants to avail the liberal foreign investment regime offered by Pakistan and participate in the country's economy, in particular infrastructure, railways, dams, IT and manufacturing.
Prime Minister Imran Khan said we are changing Pakistan's economic landscape and the destiny of our people.
He thanked China and its leadership for their unwavering support for Pakistan. The Prime Minister said our deep-rooted friendship, partnership and brotherhood with China remains strong, resilient and unbreakable, standing tall in the face of every challenge.
Drawing the attention of forum participants towards joint efforts to mitigate climate change, the Prime Minister said we successfully planted a billion trees in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province of Pakistan.
The Prime Minister suggested that to launch a joint project to plant 100 billion trees in the next two years, so that we can mitigate the effects of climate change for our coming generations.
The Prime Minister also gave the proposal of establishing a BRI Tourism Corridor to promote people-to-people contacts and inter-cultural understanding.
To combat the scourge of white-collar crime, Imran Khan called for establishing an office of Anti-Corruption Cooperation.
He said a Poverty Alleviation Fund that supplements national efforts in the fight against poverty and malnourishment is also need of the hour. He gave the example of Pakistan, where the government has recently launched a targeted poverty alleviation programme called Ehsas, or feeling. The aim should be to emulate China's spectacular success in lifting 800 million people out of poverty within a matter of decades.
The Prime Minister also urged the need for making concerted efforts to further liberalize trade and investment flows encouraging our private sector and businesses to collaborate in projects.
He said Pakistan will partner with all those who share the vision for a peaceful and prosperous world.
Speaking at a luncheon hosted by China-Pakistan Friendship Association and International Cultural Communication Centre in Beijing, Prime Minister Imran Khan emphatically stated that Pakistani nation and government fully support multi-billion dollars China Pakistan Economic Corridor project.
Referring to the achievements made by China in poverty alleviation and the science and technology, he said Pakistan also seek Chinese cooperation in these two areas to move forward.
The Prime Minister said CPEC, being a part of the Belt and Road Initiative, has proved to be a blessing for Pakistan as it gave the country an opportunity to catch up with other nations.
He said Pakistan is supporting peaceful settlement of the Afghan conflict through dialogue amongst all the stakeholders.
About relations with India, he hoped India will come to the negotiations table after the general elections.
In his keynote speech at the opening ceremony of the Second Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation in Beijing, Chinese President Xi Jinping said that high-quality, and sustainable infrastructure should be constructed under the Belt and Road Initiative.
He said building infrastructure with such standards could help countries give full play to their advantages in resources and better integrate into the global supply, industry and value chains for interconnected development.
President Xi said China would continuously open up its market and welcome quality products from around the world besides further lowering the tariff rate.
He said China will negotiate and sign high-standard free trade agreements with more countries.
PM attends dinner at Great Hall of the People in Beijing
Prime Minister Imran Khan attended a dinner at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, hosted by Chinese President Xi Jinping.
Upon arrival, the Prime Minister was warmly welcomed by the Chinese President.
World Bank has pledged to further strengthen cooperation with Pakistan in the areas of disbursements programme lending and guarantees provision for raising external funds.
The pledge was made by Chief Executive Officer of World Bank Kristalinea Georgieva at a meeting with Prime Minister Imran Khan on the sidelines of the second Belt and Road Forum in Beijing today.
The Prime Minister appreciated the role played by the World Bank in regional connectivity, poverty alleviation, financial management, provisional projects, Dasu and other infrastructure projects and ease of doing business.
He informed the CEO World Bank of the recent steps taken by the government for improving the economic and fiscal situation in the country.
He also apprised the CEO on the socio-economic uplift measures taken up by the government and creation of "Ehsaas" social welfare programme.
PM holds meeting with Tajik President
Prime Minister Imran Khan held a meeting with Tajik President Emomali Rahmon on the sidelines of Second Belt and Road Forum in Beijing today.
Bilateral issues were discussed in the meeting.
PM arrives in China to attend Second Belt and Road Forum
Prime Minister Imran Khan arrives in China on Thursday on a four-day official visit to attend the Second Belt and Road Forum in Beijing.
PM directs to control inflation, take action against hoarders
Merit should be maintained for nomination of Civil Awards: President
PM fulfilling promise made to people by ensuring rule of law in country: Dr Firdous
‘Clean Green Pakistan’ drive vital for protection of biodiversity: Shafqat
Pakistan will not leave Afghan brethren alone in difficult time: Shehryar
FBR Chairman is not being changed: Nadeem Chan
Pakistan committed to work for achievement of SDGs
PM lauds ICJ's decision in Kulbhushan Jadhav case
Jadhav's conviction not violation of Vienna Convention: ICJ
ICJ verdict great success, moral triumph of Pakistan: FM
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10. The Multiplication of the Mission - Josh LaRavia (Acts 11) #ChurchonMission
#ChurchOnMission Series
At His ascension, Jesus commissioned his disciples to preach his gospel. That same mission continues today, unbroken and unhindered for almost 2,000 years since. The book of Acts is an encouragement for the church today as Christians contend for the gospel of Jesus Christ by the power of the Holy Spirit. How did the disciples begin executing the biggest mission in the history of the world? The Bible says that while waiting for the Holy Spirit, they devoted themselves to prayer—they talked to God. The apostles led by following Scripture—through it, God responded. Consequently, the early church experienced success—but not without undergoing failure first. What can we learn from what they did? Join us Sunday ACTS #churchonmission.
10. The Multiplication of the Mission - Antioch Acts 11
The news of Jesus Christ began to spread. God expands His Church in many ways.Christ followers should commit to getting involved when they see God at work.
Talk it Over Discussion Guide
Interpretation - What is the text telling/showing us?
Describe the issue the Jewish believers had with Peter meeting with Cornelius. What was in error concerning their criticism? Do we tend to exclude anyone from the proclamation of the gospel in our day because of their differences from us?
How did Peter choose to respond and why did his response carry the day with the “circumcision party?”
Why did God bring about Cornelius’s conversion the way He did?
It seems that no one told the believers from Cyprus and Cyrene about the issue with Gentiles (Hellenists), so they spoke to them about Jesus without hesitation. What were the results of their proclamation? Who brought about the conversions?
What do you think was behind the Jerusalem church leadership sending Barnabas to Antioch? How did Barnabas handle his responsibility, and why was it a good choice to send Barnabas?
What was behind Barnabas’s traveling to Tarsus to get Saul?
Implementation - What should the listeners response be?
When the prophet Agabus foretold of the famine to come (Acts 11:27 & 28), how did the church at Antioch respond?
What does their response say about their understanding of the gospel and their responsibility to other believers?
What are the key lessons in this chapter? State them in one sentence each.
How do these lessons apply to you? To our church?
Sermon Teaching Notes (as compiled by Pastor Dick Murphy)
Investigation - What's generally going on in this area of scripture?
In Acts 10, we saw through the story of Cornelius that the gospel is for everyone, not just the Jewish people. The Apostle Peter had shared the gospel with Cornelius and his family, all of whom were Gentiles, and they had accepted Jesus whereupon the Holy Spirit came upon them and they spoke in tongues. Peter ordered that they be baptized then stayed with them for a some days. Peter returned to Jerusalem from his stay with Cornelius. By the time he arrived there, the other Apostles and believers in Judea had heard about the gospel being received by Gentiles. Once in Jerusalem, certain of the Jewish believers criticized him for eating and drinking with Gentiles, a practice which violated the Jewish food laws.
This was a difficult issue for Jewish believers in general, and those of the “circumcision party” in particular; and it is an issue for which we should not be too quick to find fault. We must remember that Jewish people were taught from their youngest days about the Jewish food laws, about being “clean” so they could approach God and be acceptable with their worship and offerings. Gentiles were ritually “unclean” as was the food they ate. Consequently, Jewish people avoided contact with Gentiles, and certainly would not eat with them. Thus, the argument went, Peter had violated these Jewish laws in what he did. But the further argument was that a Gentile must embrace Judaism first before becoming a believer.
In short, a Gentile had to be acceptable to God to receive the gospel. While the latter aspect of this issue did not appear to come up in the discussion with Peter, it was nevertheless lurking beneath the surface. In verses 4-15, Peter responded to the criticism by explaining in detail what had happened. Presumably, by doing so, Peter was filling in gaps in the information the brothers in Jerusalem had or even misinformation. Peter’s explanation was just as what was set out in Acts 10, with the additional piece of information that God’s angel had told Cornelius that Peter was to declare the gospel message to him and his family.
Through this recitation of the facts, Peter was saying that he learned from God that the gospel was for everyone, with no distinction, that a Gentile need not follow the Jewish food laws to receive the gospel, and that the exact same thing happened to Cornelius and his family as had happened to those in the upper room when the Holy Spirit came (see Acts 11:17). The message was the same, the response was the same, and the result was the same. Thus, who was Peter to stand in God’s way! Those who Peter addressed got it; they understood, they gave glory to God for His grace, and they reiterated that “to the Gentiles also God has granted repentance that leads to life.”
So, the Church was spreading, and it was spreading to Gentiles. God’s grace indeed is for all who believe, without distinction. Luke then goes on to describe how the scattering of the Jewish believers following the martyrdom of Stephen began to extend beyond Judea and Samaria. Specifically, it was spread to Phoenicia, Cyprus and Antioch. And Luke notes that the message was preached only to Jews at first (Acts 11:19b), but that some believers from Cyprus and Cyrene began to preach the gospel to non-Jews in Antioch (Acts 11:20) as a result of which many Gentiles (or, Hellenists) responded and became believers. Antioch was the capital city of the Roman province of Syria, and was the third largest city in the Roman Empire with a population of some 500.000+/-.
A large number of Jewish people also lived there. Clearly it was an important city. The church at Jerusalem (in effect, the “mother” church) heard what was happening and responded in an uplifting way by sending Barnabas there. We had seen Barnabas in Acts 4:36 & 37, and Acts 9:27. He was well-respected by the leadership of the Jerusalem church, and described by Luke as “a good man, full of the Holy Spirit and of faith.” (Acts 11:24). Barnabas recognized that what was happening in Antioch was God’s work, and worthy of thanks to God. He stayed on to encourage and teach the new believers, and then went to Tarsus to bring Saul back to Antioch to help with the ministry of evangelizing and teaching there.
They did this for an entire year. Interestingly, Luke adds that believers were first called “Christians” (meaning “Christ followers”) in Antioch, though it is not clear from the text whether this was a term of respect or ridicule (the latter as in “Oh those nutty people, they follow that man Christ.). So, as Barnabas and Saul saw God at work in Antioch, they joined right in. And Antioch became the center of missionary activity as we shall see shortly in the book of Acts. A principle for us to follow is to observe where God is at work and then go there to join in what He is doing. That’s what Barnabas and Saul did, as God was at work bringing many into His kingdom, including Gentiles as well as Jews.
Labels: #ChurchOnMission, 44 Acts, Talk It Over
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Cryptocurrency Exchange loses access to €130m in funds
Info News
ICO Investigating Lost of NHS Flash Drive
May 12, 2010 Blog 0 Comments
ICO Investigating Lost and Found NHS Flash Drive, The UK Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) is investigating the loss of a flash drive that contains information about psychiatric patients from the NHS Forth Valley trust in Scotland. The drive was found and turned in to a Glasgow newspaper. The ICO was recently granted the authority to impose fines of up to GBP 500,000 (US $742,000) for serious data breaches. A staff member has been suspended pending an investigation into the scope of the data breach. The medical trust’s director says they are contacting affected patients. The NHS is the single largest source of data breaches in the UK, according to deputy ICO commissioner David Smith.
http://www.zdnet.co.uk/news/security-threats/2010/05/06/privacy-watchdog-looks-into-nhs-data-breach-40088863/
<blockquote>ICO Investigating Lost and Found NHS Flash Drive, The UK Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) is investigating the loss of a flash drive that contains information about psychiatric patients from the NHS Forth Valley trust in Scotland. The drive was found and turned in to a Glasgow newspaper. The... <small><br /> <a href="https://www.securityitrust.com/ico-investigating-lost-of-nhs-flash-drive/">ICO Investigating Lost of NHS Flash Drive</a> - http://www.securityitrust.com</small></blockquote>
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THE HIDDEN DANGERS BEHIND YOUR FAVORITE SEARCH ENGINE →
Meltdown and Spectre CPU Flaws Affect Intel, ARM, AMD Processors
THE HIDDEN DANGERS BEHIND YOUR FAVORITE SEARCH ENGINE
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Structural upgrade in exports, imports boosts trade between China and Russia
In 2018, trade between the two countries was more than $100 billion, according to data released by the Ministry of Commerce in January.
China’s trade with Russia could be further boosted as bilateral goods trade is undergoing a structural upgrade amid downward economic pressure and stagnant global trade, said industry insiders at the economic forum at the 125th Canton Fair in Guangzhou, capital of South China’s Guangdong Province on Tuesday.
The stable growth in bilateral trade between China and Russia, according to Sun Zhuangzhi, director of the Institute of Russia, Eastern Europe and Central Asia Studies in the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, is the result of high-level cooperation and an upgrade in the export and import business.
At the ongoing Canton Fair, more than 6,000 buyers from Russia came, representing an annual increase of 6.4 percent from last year.
The year of 2018 witnessed stable growth in the trade between China and Russia, and provided a driving force in China’s foreign trade. In 2018, trade between the two countries was more than $100 billion, according to data released by the Ministry of Commerce in January.
“In the past, the Chinese exports to Russia were mostly household products with little added value,” Sun said. “Now there is structural upgrade in the industry, with a growing trend of brand building and localizing production among Chinese companies in Russia, resulting in a significant increase in China’s exports to Russia, especially in the e-commerce sector.”
E-commerce between China and Russia in 2013 was 36 million euros ($40.8 million), but the number exceeded 338 million euros in 2018. Companies including smartphone manufacturers Xiaomi and Huawei have already established offices in Russia, aiming to build a stronger brand among the locals.
The growth can also be attributed to the high-level cooperation between the two countries, especially facilitated by a series of preferential governmental export policies, including Russia’s efforts to simplify the declaration process at customs.
Belonogov Yevgeny, secretary of the Russian Embassy in China, said at the forum that the Russian customs has been making efforts to make the declaration process as simple as possible by establishing an electronic declaration system to reduce the cost of shipping for Chinese exporters. By 2020, electronic declarations are expected to make up 90 percent of declarations from China to Russia, according to Yevgeny.
The booming trade partnership between China and Russia will have a stabilizing effect on the performance of the Chinese economy in the future, according to Jia Kang, chief economist with the China Academy of New Supply-side Economics.
“For now, the Chinese economy has outperformed some forecasts earlier this year, with the IMF predicting GDP growth will be 6.3 percent in comparison to the previously predicted 6.2 percent,”Jia said. “Stable trade with Russia will continue to contribute to a stable performance in 2019.”
Source: Global Times
Exports Imports Trad China Russia
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Tips on Making MLB Picks
BY: Ross King | Category: Sports | Submitted: 2011-11-16 01:37:29
Article Summary: "It was about a month, as the previous baseball season came to a conclusion, and that is why players are getting ready for that first step into the new season. Check out the player auction, player injuries, player line and the statistics of the game only a few moments, which are analyzed as a basis for next season's exciting. Wit.."
It was about a month, as the previous baseball season came to a conclusion, and that is why players are getting ready for that first step into the new season. Check out the player auction, player injuries, player line and the statistics of the game only a few moments, which are analyzed as a basis for next season's exciting. With regard to community rates, the initial part of the season usually dictates the pulse, which in turn affects the entire season. It pays to be ready and prepared in advance.
You can get about 2,000 baseball games that will play during the season. This means that there are many ways for you to deliver. Capitalization of all these odds and betting on a conservative start. Some ignore the whole beginning of the season to be able to assess the participants initially and get an idea of what a franchise comes with an advantage. You can use a few games; in particular, more evenly match those, but not too enthusiastically rates in the first weeks of the season.
Dark horses tend to have much hope for victory in comparison with the better-known teams on the ground that the desire to acquire the respect and gratitude of their peers, as well as their wages or franchise questions on this matter. Of course, the performance of their teams may be satisfactory during the first part, so take advantage of it. You could see that they have greatly improved and can play very well, providing you with the benefit compared to most other better. Just because the money line is usually determined by the performance of the previous season, a franchise that is performing poorly in the past season has played well this season would be expected to pay higher returns.
We can expect too much from certain players. Although they have good statistics in the tournament that they had joined earlier, maybe even a star there, they could play differently in the big leagues. Although their specific overall productivity of the early spring training as an excellent basis of their activity, is not the end all and be-all of their overall performance this season. Wait for the hype to move on before you decide whether a rookie player is really a factor in the team. Some very good beginners may simply not be in harmony with the style of play in the big leagues. Stay away from those players. There's a lot of baseball picks do you do during the season; do not lose your bankroll at an early stage, some inexperienced pitchers.
Visit: thebestbetonsports.com
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Sanctuary Equine Rehab – Pure Rehabilitation Technology
Rehabilitation Technologies
Magnetic Stimulation
Home Advanced technology
As the population ages, there is an increasing need to move health care provision from hospitals to primary and home care. Indeed, this shift, particularly important in the care of chronic diseases, is a priority in Europe.
Changing the provision of healthcare in this way not only saves costs, and relieves pressure on hospital services, but also has the potential to offer better quality and more personalised care. It is also generally preferred by patients.
However, in order to bring care closer to patients’ homes we must solve a number of problems. Adequate monitoring and treatment tools are required to make it easier for patients to manage their condition. Also, adequate tools and infrastructure for specialist professionals and/or general practitioners to supervise and support patients and their caregivers throughout the process.
A clear case in which this transformation is indispensable is stroke. The Health Plan for the Basque Country 2013-2020 includes among its objectives a “personalised early and home stroke rehabilitation plan”. This condition also has an advantage over other chronic illnesses: there is a chance of recovery.
Stroke is one of the main causes of permanent disability among adults along with heart disease and lumbago/cervicalgia. According to the report made by the Spanish Federation of Cerebral Damage in 2015 lived in the Spanish state about 420,000 people with the after-effects of a stroke.
Each year 104,701 new cases are registered. In Europe, stroke has an incidence of 1.1 million people and a prevalence of 6 million. A 34% increase is expected between 2015 and 2035 (The burden of Stroke in Europe, 2017).
Stroke is a sudden disorder of the cerebral circulation, which alters the function of the region of the brain presenting the injury. This episode causes a sudden loss of brain capacity, whose consequences in survivors can affect motor, sensory, perceptual and / or cognitive functions, or combinations that can be very varied depending on which area is affected.
One of the most common consequences of a stroke, in 75% of cases, is hemiparesis of the upper limb: it prevents daily tasks such as using a knife and fork, brushing teeth or buttoning.
After a stroke, patients usually follow a rehabilitation process, which is one of the most important parts of their treatment. However, at present, 40-45% of stroke survivors are unable to perform daily tasks such as eating or grooming after conventional rehabilitation, with the consequent loss of autonomy and quality of life and burden on their carers (Ministry of Health and Social Policy, 2009).
It is estimated that the average cost of treating a patient is around 25,000 euros, which, added to the costs of the resulting dependency of patients with disabilities, represents an expenditure of more than 45,000 million euros per year in Europe.
We are therefore faced with two main needs:
Increasing the effectiveness of treatment and the success rate of rehabilitation
Reduce your cost
According to the scientific evidence, most patients can improve if they receive an adequate therapy, which has four main requirements: an adequate dose and intensity, as soon as possible, adapted to the patient and maintaining the patient’s motivation (Kwakkel, 2004; Ward, 2015).
However, the growing number of affected population and limited health resources make it difficult to provide intensive rehabilitation care through traditional approaches.
Solutions are needed that allow more patients to be treated more effectively and with fewer but more efficient resources, that support the work of the specialist and allow him or her to treat several patients at once, but also replace him or her in primary care centres and at home, allowing rehabilitation to continue once the patient is sent home.
Along these lines, we are researching new solutions that allow rehabilitation to be as autonomous, effective and reliable as possible; attributes that, together with cost and ease of use, are indispensable for introducing advanced technologies for rehabilitation (ART) in the home.
Robotics for rehabilitation is a key field of research. Robots offer precision and repeatability of movements that can be used to provide intensive, safe rehabilitation exercises in an unsupervised environment.
Combined with serious games, which provide a fun and effective way to motivate patients to train more intensively for longer; and with telecare platforms, which offer therapists the ability to monitor adherence to treatment; they are ideal tools for continuing rehabilitation at home.
Another fundamental line of research in this area is assessment tools. The automatic evaluation of the patient’s condition is key for a training without partial or total supervision, to allow the remote monitoring of the patient’s progress by the therapist and the automatic and/or manual adaptation of the training.
These tools can also be used to monitor and promote the transfer of rehabilitation results to functional capacity in the patient’s daily life, thus ensuring a real impact on the patient’s quality of life and independence.
The combination of these technologies allows to create solutions capable of providing a daily, intensive and adapted rehabilitation to the patient at home for as long as necessary, something hardly possible in rehabilitation centers.
Clinical partners in the Basque Country and Andalusia estimate that 25% of the savings that this type of solution can represent for a rehabilitation service in terms of specialist time, hospitalisation time, ambulance trips, etc., thus increasing the rehabilitation time for each patient and the number of patients to be attended to.
In addition, this type of technology represents an opportunity for the industrial fabric in the promising sector of neurorehabilitation. Specifically, in the specific segment of “Therapeutic Neurorobotic Systems” it is estimated at 102 million dollars in 2017, with an average annual growth of around 16% until 2020 (World market of technology for Neurorehabilitation 2016-2020, Neurotech Reports).
On the one hand, they represent new business opportunities for companies that already offer products and components for the health, medical device and rehabilitation sectors.
On the other hand, for entities from other more traditional sectors such as electronics, mechatronics or information technologies, it represents an opportunity to expand their product portfolio and access new markets.
Today we are witnessing a “boom” of devices, applications, programs and utilities that unite new technologies and intervention in dementias or specifically in Alzheimer’s disease.
The use and proliferation of these means cannot be criticized; on the contrary, through new technologies, a greater number of people can have access to very diverse resources (information, training, consultation, entertainment, therapy, etc.).
and which would otherwise be difficult to obtain. A clear example in Alzheimer’s disease would be, for example, individuals and families who in the rural world do not have a nearby AFA support service and the social and health resources available in their context are not sufficient.
In the first place, terms to which the objectives of these programmes refer should really be delimited, and these terms would be “cognitive stimulation”, “cognitive training”, “cognitive rehabilitation” and “neuropsychological rehabilitation”.
Restaurants and Mexican Food
What Medical Malpractice Attorney
When Robotics Seeks Solutions to Medical Challenges
Stroke Rehabilitation: What to Expect While Recovering
What is Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation
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1996 Honda CBR900RR - Added by webmaster.sportbikerider.us on 01-Jun-2019
Average Vote: 6.60 from 5 Votes Please log in to leave comments, keep a favorites list,
Uploaded for: Nikola Marinov
More Information on the Honda CBR900RR
The Honda CBR900RR, also known as the FireBlade in some countries, is a 900 cc sport bike, part of the CBR series introduced in 1992 by Honda. It was the first of a series of large-displacement Honda models to carry the RR suffix. The development of the first generation CBR900RR was led by Tadao Baba.
CBR900RR (893cc) SC28
The first generation CBR900RR was introduced in 1992 with an 893 cc (54.5 cu in) inline-four engine. It set a precedent for light weight in the super bike class, being much lighter than other large-displacement bikes of the time. The CBR900RR was based on an advanced research stage model known within Honda as the "CBR750RR". With the objective of equaling the acceleration of competitors’ flagship sport bikes, Honda increased the stroke of its inline 4-cylinder 750cc engine and thus raised displacement to 893cc. Complementing its power performance were the bike’s dry weight of just 185 kg, wheelbase of 1,405 mm and a body almost identical to that of the advanced research stage model. At 453 lb (205 kg) wet weight, it was by just 4 lb (2 kg) heavier than the CBR600F2, while the next-lightest over-750cc machine, the Yamaha FZR1000, was heavier by 76 lb (34 kg).
Changes for the 1994 model comprise a new shift drum to improve notchy gear shifts. The second-generation CBR900RR, which debuted in 1995, incorporated changes in damping rates and spring rates. The front fork was upgraded with a compression adjuster. The upper cowl stay went from steel to aluminum, and the cylinder head cover went from aluminum to magnesium. The styling of the bike also became more aggressive: The independent dual lights became irregular-shaped multi-reflector lights known as "fox eyes" set further back and covered to improve aerodynamics, and the bike had fewer of the RR's unique fairing "speed" holes. The foot pegs were firmer and slimmer like that of the RC45 and the reversed pedal on the original was replaced with a shift linkage. Instead of measuring speed from the front wheel the speed is measured from the countershaft sprocket with an electronic speedometer.
1996 brought major changes to the CBR900RR with the third generation CBR900RR. To optimize rigidity Honda revised the suspension and chassis. Larger thinner-walled extrusions for more torsional rigidity were used in the swingarm and frame, revised shock and fork internals and 5 mm (0.2 in) raised swingarm pivot. The handle bars were raised by 10 mm (0.4 in)and swept back by five degrees to improve the riding position. A 1 mm (0.04 in) bore increase raised the engine displacement to 918 cc (56.0 cu in). Other revisions included a smaller alternator, the addition of a throttle position sensor, extra clutch plates, and a larger exhaust.
The only changes for the 1997 model were graphics and color options.
In 1998, Honda continued subtle refinements in the fourth generation CBR900RR's chassis. It got a stiffer frame more like the original, offset on the triple clamp reduced by 5 mm (0.2 in). Brakes got larger rotors on the front and new calipers and ergonomics was revised with raised footpegs. The engine got revised with 80 percent new internals in an effort to reduce friction and weight. Cylinders bore got an aluminum composites treatment and new pistons. It also got a larger radiator and a new exhaust header in stainless steel.
The fifth generation CBR900RR, known as the CBR929RR in North America, was introduced in 2000. It has a completely new 929 cc (56.7 cu in) engine, more oversquare with lighter internals. The engine also featured fuel injection and larger valves set at a narrower angle. A new all-titanium exhaust system equipped with HTEV was incorporated. The swingarm is mounted to the engine with bracing under the engine. Larger front disk rotors 330 mm mounted were also fitted and the wheel diameter was increased from 16 inches to 17 inches. The new front fork now used upside-down construction.
The sixth generation CBR900RR was introduced in 2002, in North America and Japan known as the CBR954RR. The cylinder bore was enlarged from 74mm to 75mm, increasing capacity to 954 cc (58.2 cu in). Larger fuel injectors, larger radiator, re-mapped electronic fuel injection, and a more powerful ECU were added. The restyled bodywork and fairings gave a sleeker look. The frame as well as the swingarm were strengthened, and the footpegs raised to allow for greater lean angles. Front disc size increased to 330 mm. Dry weight was reduced to 168 kg (370 lb)and the wet weight to 195 kg (430 lb). Power at the rear wheel is 130.8 hp (97.5 kW) and 67.2 lb·ft (91.1 N·m) of torque.
John McGuinness won the Macau Grand Prix in 2001.
The CBR900RR was replaced by the CBR1000RR in 2004.
All specifications are manufacturer claimed unless specified.
http://world.honda.com/CBR1000RR/history/timeline/
http://www.sportrider.com/sharpened-scalpel-honda-cbr954rr-road-test///
https://web.archive.org/web/20050312085036/http://www.motorsports-network.com/honda/cbr90098.HTM
https://web.archive.org/web/20050312085036/http://www.motorsports-network.com/Honda/mc2000/929RR.htm
https://web.archive.org/web/20050312085036/http://www.motorsports-network.com/HONDA/2002mc/954/954.htm
The photo 1996-Honda-CBR900RR-86111.jpg (1996 Honda CBR900RR - Uploaded for: Nikola Marinov) was uploaded by: webmaster@sportbikerider.us.
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The Wombats Headline Trees Dallas October 5th
Posted on July 8, 2016 July 8, 2016 by
The Wombats are a three-piece indie band which formed in 2003 in Liverpool, England. The band consists of Matthew Murphy (vocals, guitar, keyboards), Tord Øverland Knudsen (bass, vocals) and Dan Haggis (drums, vocals). Murphy and Haggis are native Liverpudlians and Øverland-Knudsen is Norwegian. The members met while they were students at the Liverpool Institute for Performing Arts. The band has released two albums, “A Guide to Love, Loss & Desperation” (2007) and “This Modern Glitch” (2011).
The three met at the Liverpool Institute for Performing Arts. The school gave them the chance to play gigs to over 20,000 people in China. This was one of the band’s first trips to play outside the UK. They spent their time traveling around the country in a Vauxhall Agila and spent most of their time drunk, as quoted by the band while on the Colin Murray show in 2007. Their debut single Lost in the Post/Party in a Forest (Where’s Laura) was released at the end of 2006. They also managed to release an album in Japan called Girls, Boys and Marsupials and reached fame over in the Far East.
The band then released a second limited edition vinyl called Moving to New York in January, 2007. This single got critical acclaim from Radio DJs such as Colin Murray and Zane Lowe. In May the band released their third single called Backfire at the Disco this then lead to the band successfully released their first full single Kill the Director in late July. This single managed to reach #35 in the U.K Singles Chart. Their last single “Let’s Dance To Joy Division” was released in October 2007, to coincide with the release of their debut album, entitled The Wombats Proudly Present: A Guide to Love, Loss & Desperation which managed to get to #11 in the U.K charts. The release is being followed by a European tour ending with a Christmas party at Liverpool Academy. Moving to New York will be re-released on January 14, 2008.
The band released their second album: ‘The Wombats Proudly Present: This Modern Glitch’ on April 25th, 2011 and their most recent album: ‘Glitterbug’ in 2015.
Heros of the modern garage revival, the Wombats were born sometime in the late 70s, somewhere in the leafy lanes of Maple Heights, Ohio. Teenage guitar strangler John Zinrich, a.k.a. Johnny Fettish (so called because he had a thing for biting women’s knees under tables, hence “John Knee Fetish”), had previously lived out the punk ideal by dropping out of high school at age 15 to join Public Enemy, noted in Cle 3.0 for doing “the fastest version ever attempted of ‘I Wanna Be Your Dog’.” Striving for a poppier sound, Fettish and his suburban neighbor Vic Halm penned a series of power-punk pop gems and entered the first national “Battle of the Garages” competition run by Bomp/Voxx honcho Greg Shaw. The ‘Bats contributed a track, “The Reason Why” to the first “Battle” compilation and played on the national “Battle” tour in 1981. Positive public reaction won them a recording contract, and between 1981 and 1984 the ‘Bats released two singles and an album, “Zontar Must Die!” on Bomp/Voxx. They also played various notable East Coast and local venues, including the first WRUW Studio Arama show and the opening night of the Lakefront (which displayed “Wombats” on its curb sign for several years as a result). Their energetic live show was notable for speedy fuzzy guitars pumped through Marshall stacks, unintelligible vocals, and the sight of 5’4″ Fettish leaping two feet in the air, against a backdrop of six-foot-tall John Lennon-lookalike Halm and equally towering bassist Tim Ratley. In 1984 the Wombats played a show with the seminal Columbus band Great Plains, who brought them to the attention of Gerard Cosloy at Homestead Records. The Wombats subsequently recorded one EP for Homestead, “Mudpuddles”, which came out in 1985. Unfortunately, the band had a falling out with Cosloy over their inability to tour, since drummer Tommy Edwards was busy studying to be a refrigerator repairman. As a result, promotion for “Mudpuddles” was almost nil and the ‘Bats found themselves once again without a label. In 1986, Fettish and Halm wrote and recorded some excellent demos for a third album which they hoped to place on a major label, but due to lack of interest this project never saw the light of day. Since then, the ‘Bats have played sporadically around Cleveland with various lineups.
The Wombats will perform at Trees Dallas on October 5, 2016.
Tickets available for purchase online now at treedallas.com
This entry was posted in Uncategorized and tagged glitterbug, Pop! Pop! Pop!, the wombats, the wombats in dallas, This Acoustic Glitch, This Modern Glitch, UK band, wombats. Bookmark the permalink.
← Crystal Castles announce tour!
Sick Puppies Announce Fall 2016 Tour Dates →
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April 24 - Max Josef Metzger, Martyr, Priest, Pacifist
Max Josef Metzger had followed the calling that spoke to him inwardly and demanded his greatest allegiance and devotion. It had led him to the priesthood of the Roman Catholic church. When World War I began to rampage through Europe he became a chaplain for the Imperial Army of Germany. He served his country while he served his Lord and calling but the war left an increasingly bitter taste in his mouth. With each funeral he officiated and each atrocity he witnessed he became more and more convinced of the world's great and desperate need for peace. At one point he wrote that “future wars have lost their meaning, since they no longer give anybody the prospect of winning more than he loses.”Max was receiving a quick and painful education in the futility of violence and domination. With each act of violence they found themselves only further away from the peace they were hoping for. In this desperation, Max began earnestly to hope for the peace that he knew God could bring and for which the world hungered and thirsted.
After the end of World War I, Max became committed not only to personal pacifism and renunciation of violence but, also, the spread of nonviolent thought among other people. Furthermore, Max feared that there was no hope for peace in the world if there was no hope for unity in the Church. If the people who were called to be the Body of Christ could not be reconciled one with another then it seemed that there was no hope for the fallen systems of the world to be raised from the ashes of death, violence, and war. He started a pacifist organization in Germany and tried to unite his group with international groups. He became active in peace demonstrations and in works to reunite the various broken portions of the Church. He drew heavy criticism for this but was allowed to do his work for many years. But as Adolf Hitler rose to power, Max found his influence and capacity for free speech and thought curtailed. Soon, it was a regular occurrence for the Gestapo to arrest Max on some trumped up charges. He went with them but he continued to resist them in his writings and sermons.
In 1943--during the heart of World War II--Max attempted to promote the cause of peace even while war was consuming the hearts and minds of the people of Germany and other countries. He did not agree with the Nazi policies and was considered by them to be an enemy and traitor. He sent a letter to the Archbishop of Sweden that looked forward to the fall of the Nazis and planned for a future of peace and reconciliation that might rise from the death of World War II and the great seduction and confusion of the German people. His letter was intercepted and turned over to the Gestapo.They interpreted his hope for peace in the future as treason in the present and he was arrested. For daring to dream of a world that might escape the need for domination, manipulation, and death he was condemned as a criminal and enemy. He was tried for this crime and found guilty. The man who was the judge at the trial pronounced his sentence--death--by noting that people like Max should be eradicated. In a world of acceptable civilian casualties and security by destruction, Max's hope for peace and reconciliation was an oddity worthy of death. He was executed on the seventeenth day of April in the year 1944.
April 5 - Agathopodes and Theodulus, Martyrs, Prea...
April 4 - Martin Luther King, Jr., Martyr, Preache...
April 3 - Theodosia of Tyre, Martyr, Young Woman, ...
April 2 - Karol Wojtyla, Pope John Paul II, Friend...
April 1 - Resurrection
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Tufnell Park Film Club 5th Anniversary Screening: The Lost Weekend (Billy Wilder, USA, 1945)
Ray Milland stars as Don Birnam, an alcoholic writer who evades a weekend retreat in the country planned by his brother Wick and girlfriend Helen, for a five-day bender in New York City. Told partly in flashbacks to explain Don's current state of desperation, Billy Wilder's Lost Weekend is a brilliant-if-at-times-harrowing depiction of alcoholism and frustrated ambition. It was nominated for seven Academy Awards and won four: Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actor, and Best Writing (Adapted Screenplay). It also shared the Grand Prix at the first Cannes Film Festival, making it one of only two films to win both the Academy Award for Best Picture and the highest award at Cannes.
The Lost Weekend feels like a fitting film to show for our last screening at The Star, seeing as our first at the venue was Billy Wilder's Sunset Blvd. And, of course, there's the fact that we're moving on because The Star's function room is being turned into a gin distillery. And speaking of booze, seeing at Tues 1 Aug is both our farewell screening and fifth birthday, we can confirm that there will be some free food (cake n nibs) and booze laid on.
Because we're expecting this last screening to be busy, we're making it Members Only. But non-members are more than welcome to join on the night (annual membership is £15 and includes free entry to all future screenings at our new venue (see below)).
We'll be back on Tues 8 Aug at our new-old venue, The Lord Palmerston with a screening of Festen.
We’d like to thank everyone who's supported us over the past 5 years and all those who took the time to peruse our list of 137 also-rans and helped us choose our fifth anniversary screening. Cheers - we really do sincerely appreciate all your support.
Heaven Can Wait (Warren Beatty/Buck Henry, USA, 1978)
Festen (Thomas Vinterberg, Denmark, 1998)
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Ottawa Citizen: Republic of Doyle still a homegrown hit
Posted by Lisa Vatcher on Feb 3, 2014 in News
BY ALEX STRACHAN / POSTMEDIA NEWS/ February 3, 2014.
It may be the wind, the fogbound coves and the proximity of the sea. It may be the folk music, with its Irish and Cornish influences. It may be the Rock itself, and a look that feels vaguely familiar and Canadian, and yet is strangely unfamiliar to anyone who doesn’t live there.
More than likely it’s the characters, salt-of-the-earth father-and-son private investigators Malachy and Jake Doyle, played with an honest forthrightness and good humour by Sean McGinley and Allan Hawco.
Whatever the reason, viewers from St. John’s, N.L., to Victoria have embraced Republic of Doyle in a way few homegrown TV dramas ever experience. Each winter, for five seasons now, Doyle has charmed and enchanted with its weekly tales of mystery and private investigations.
Doyle ends its current season Wednesday with back-to-back episodes, before making way for CBC’s coverage of the Sochi Olympics.
It will be back in the fall for a sixth season, a testament to the resilience of Atlantic Canada’s nascent drama production industry and the persistence of vision of Hawco, Doyle’s co-creator, one-time head writer and present-day leading man.
In person Hawco’s hands are steady, his step quick and light, unencumbered by the weight of showbiz hustlers and their schemes. Republic of Doyle was once again denied a nomination for best dramatic series at the Canadian Screen Awards, but Hawco has bigger fish to fry. He has the satisfaction of knowing Doyle beat the odds and has stood the test of time.
More important, he has the satisfaction of knowing that people watch — hard-working folks who earn a living and simply want to kick back at the end of a long day.
Hawco’s ambitions reach beyond Doyle. He’s an admirer of Paul Gross, who’s managed to write, act in and produce his own projects, while remaining true to his Canadian roots — but for now he takes pride in creating a program families can watch together, that his mother can watch and not feel embarrassed or humiliated.
Just as important, he says, with a flash of both pride and humility, he was able to do it in the place he was born, the place he grew up in and still calls home. Republic of Doyle has brought Bell Island and Goulds in St. John’s to life for a generation of Canadians.
“The idea had been percolating in my head since I was 19 or something like that,” Hawco said quietly. “Everybody said, ‘No.’ Every time I pitched it to directors I knew or producers at my theatre school, I kept getting the spin, ‘No, this won’t work because …’ It seems like that’s what everybody says about everything. The lesson I learned from all that is that ‘no’ is not an option. About anything. Anything is possible. You may find out eventually that something won’t work, but at least you learn that yourself. People are so afraid of disappointment they’re afraid to take that first step. We have a rule in our writers’ room: Don’t shoot down an idea before it gets any legs. People can get combative about what you’re trying to get done, but what it comes down to is you’ve really got to go with your gut.”
Hawco is no cultural snob. He watches TV as time permits, and is unafraid to admit it. The rigours of writing, producing and acting in a weekly, hour-long drama mean he can’t binge on Breaking Bad or Mad Men at will, but he finds time when he can and sometimes makes time when he can’t. He was profoundly moved by Broadchurch, even though its quiet, elegiac tone and serialized story are at odds with the lighthearted, self-contained mysteries that drive Doyle’s weekly stories. For Hawco, everything’s a learning experience. There’s much he doesn’t like — don’t get him started on the past few seasons of Homeland — but that doesn’t mean you can’t learn from studying the best.
Hawco is succinct when it comes to describing Doyle. From his point of view, he says brightly, he mostly interested in “doing cool s—.”
It’s become harder over time, though.
“In the beginning, you’re going after this thing. Your ambition fuels you. Your faith in your ability to accomplish anything fuels you. You can’t see how difficult it’s going be. You don’t know how impossible it is, because you don’t have time.
“Over five years, though, you start to realize that you can’t do it all, even though you’ve been doing it all. Writing and acting at the same time has become much more difficult for me. Writing on set, while we’re in the middle of a scene that’s really important acting-wise, it’s hard. Writing demands a lot of your energy and your creative thought, and it’s hard to separate them. You can’t stay up until five o’clock in the morning for six years, writing every night. I had to restructure things this past season. But it wasn’t easy. Because I love writing as much as I love acting. And I love acting as much as I love writing.”
Doyle will not last forever, but it will be back for a sixth season in the fall, Hawco confirmed. Beyond that is anyone’s guess.
Hawco hinted, however, that the end is in sight.
“It’s all I think about, really. Particularly now. After you go through five seasons, the first three seasons you’re thinking to yourself, ‘We have to do this. It has to be the greatest. We have to make sure we get it through.’ And then you get past Season 3 and you’re like, ‘holy s —. We’re past the threshold of is it possible to even do this. Now we have to decide how long we’re going to keep doing it.’
“Our plan all along was not to keep doing it just for the sake of doing it. We don’t want to drain of it of life. I don’t want it to leave a bad taste in people’s mouths.
“This was my first real shot. It became everything I wanted it to become. There’s no reason for us to overstay our welcome.”
Hawco believes seven seasons would be a good fit.
If true, that means Doyle will end in 2016.
“It’s fair to say that Season 7 would be a drop-dead date,” Hawco said quietly. “Or even six.
“We’ll see.”
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New Mexico School for the Arts - Large Rehearsal Hall 275 East Alameda Street Santa Fe, NM, 87501 United States (map)
New Mexico School for the Arts presents
Written by Nikolai Gogol
Directed by Barbara Hatch and Joey Chavez
Nikolai Gogol had a very short career as a writer (only 10 years) and in this time wrote three very important plays: The Marriage, The Gambler, and The Government Inspector. This last play was by far his most successful, controversial, and best known work. Completed in just two months in 1836, The Government Inspector was written during Tsar Nicholas the First’s time in power — a time of government sanctions against anything or anyone that displeased him. Amazingly enough, this play, which could be described as a farce criticizing the Russian government and perhaps the Tsar himself, was approved for performance by Tsar Nicholas, who was reported to have laughed uproariously at the treatment of government officials and of himself! But Gogol was dissatisfied with the interpretations of his play, which he deemed to be rather a commentary on mankind’s loss of spirituality.
The play refuses to be labelled — it is certainly a comedy, but it necessarily provokes laughter through tears; a sort of uncomfortable laughter as we recognize the characters we see on stage. The play brings us characters that seem to sacrifice real human values in favor of avarice and self-advancement. This does not mean, however, that any of the people portrayed are evil or vicious — they just are as they are. They are, on some level, innocent because this is how things have always been done. The character of Khlestakov, the “government inspector” (mistakenly taken for such), does not play along with the mistaken identity because he is bad, but because this is what he does. The impersonation of a government official is thrust upon him by the collective fear and guilt of the officials . . . and we all know what happens when fear and guilt are the driving factors in the world.
There is a popular Russian saying, that Gogol quotes: “If your face is twisted, it is no use blaming the mirror.” We can hold up the mirror, but ultimately our face is our face — and this is what Gogol seems to be saying.
Thursday • February 14 • 7:00 p.m.
Friday • February 15 • 7:00 p.m.
Saturday • February 16 • 7:00 p.m.
All performances will take place in the Large Rehearsal Hall at NMSA
275 E. Alameda Street
Entrance in the back of the building
$5 Non-NMSA Students
NMSA Students are free of charge
Tickets can be purchased at the door, or online here
The Big Heartless • Opening Night
We Are Hispanic, American Women . . . OK?
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Saturday's Broadcast Ratings: NASCAR Hands FOX Easy Win
(fast national numbers for saturday, february 12, 2011)
Here are the highlights of the nine ad-sustained programs that aired in primetime on the broadcast networks last night:
Coverage of the "NASCAR: Bud Shootout" (6.94 million viewers, #1; adults 18-49: 2.1, #1) put FOX (6.94 million viewers, #1; adults 18-49: 2.1, #1) over the top on Saturday.
CBS (5.01 million viewers, #2; adults 18-49: 0.9, #T2) then took home the silver with its mix of "NCIS: Los Angeles" (4.59 million viewers, #5; adults 18-49: 0.7, #T7), "CSI: Miami" (5.20 million viewers, #4; adults 18-49: 0.9, #5) and "48 Hours Mystery" (5.25 million viewers, #3; adults 18-49: 1.0, #4).
Next up was ABC (3.16 million viewers, #4; adults 18-49: 0.9, #T2) with encores of "Wipeout" (4.11 million viewers, #7; adults 18-49: 1.2, #T2) and the feature "Hairspray" (2.68 million viewers, #9; adults 18-49: 0.7, #T7).
And finally, repeats of "Harry's Law" (3.62 million viewers, #8; adults 18-49: 0.4, #9), "Law & Order: Los Angeles" (4.57 million viewers, #6; adults 18-49: 0.8, #6) and "Law & Order: Special Victims Unit" (5.82 million viewers, #2; adults 18-49: 1.2, #T2) on NBC (4.67 million viewers, #3; adults 18-49: 0.8, #4) rounded out the evening.
"Saturday Night Live" (5.0/12 in metered-market households) hosted by Russell Brand with musical guest Chris Brown, dominated its time period with the #1 rating of the night ahead of all primetime telecasts on ABC, CBS, NBC or Fox.
In the 25 markets with Local People Meters, "Saturday Night Live" averaged a 3.0 rating, 13 share in adults 18-49, making it the #1 non-sports telecast of the night, ahead of all primetime entertainment programs on ABC, CBS, NBC and Fox.
Here are the highlights of the seven ad-sustained programs that aired in primetime on the broadcast networks one year ago (2/13/10):
Night two of the "Winter Olympics 2010" (26.86 million viewers, #1; adults 18-49: 7.9, #1) kept NBC (26.86 million viewers, #1; adults 18-49: 7.9, #1) at rocket speed on Saturday.
Left in the dust then was FOX (4.58 million viewers, #2; adults 18-49: 1.4, #2) with its usual mix of "Cops" (5.00 million viewers, #4; adults 18-49: 1.8, #3), another "Cops" (5.44 million viewers, #2; adults 18-49: 1.9, #2) and "America's Most Wanted" (5.04 million viewers, #3; adults 18-49: 1.6, #4).
Next up was CBS (3.59 million viewers, #3; adults 18-49: 1.1, #3) with a repeat of "The Wedding Crashers" (2.95 million viewers, #6; adults 18-49: 1.0, #6) and a new "48 Hours Mystery" (4.06 million viewers, #5; adults 18-49: 1.1, #5).
And finally, an encore of "Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets" (2.33 million viewers, #7; adults 18-49: 0.7, #7) on ABC (2.33 million viewers, #4; adults 18-49: 0.7, #4) rounded out the evening.
[february 2011]
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Guidance: Financial sanctions, ISIL (Da'esh) and Al-Qaida organisations
Updated: Updated 'Latest HM Treasury notice, 20/03/2019, ISIL (Da’esh) and Al-Qaida Organisations (Reg 2019/431)'.
UN Security Council Resolution 1267 (1999)
This resolution (and its successor resolutions) requires all member states to take the following action against individuals and organisations associated with ISIL (Da’esh) and Al-Qaida, and Usama bin Laden/the Taliban:
freeze assets prevent entry into/transit through their territories prevent the direct or indirect supply, sale and transfer of arms and military equipment UN Security Council Resolution 1988 (2011)
This split the sanctions regime into two groups:
Al-Qaida regime Taliban regime (Afghanistan) UN Security Resolution 2253 (2015)
This renamed the Al-Qaida Sanctions List, the ‘ISIL (Da’esh) and Al-Qaida Sanctions List’. It also ensures that individuals and organisations supporting ISIL (Da’esh) are eligible for listing by the UN (also under EU in Regulation 2016/363).
EU Regulation (2016/1686)
Implemented on 22 September 2016, this permits the EU to make autonomous Al-Qaida and ISIL (Da’esh) listings.
EU autonomous listings are included in the ‘ISIL (Da’esh) and Al-Qaida Organisations’ section of the UK’s consolidated list and can be identified by the text ‘EU listing only’ in the ‘Other Information’ field.
EU Regulation (881/2002)
UN measures are implemented in the EU by Council Regulation (EC) No 881/2002.
EU Regulations 881/2002 and 2016/1686 are enforced in the UK by the ISIL (Da’esh) and Al-Qaida (Asset-Freezing) Regulations 2011 (S.I. 2011/2742 as renamed by S.I. 2016/937).
There are a number of differences between the Al-Qaida and ISIL regimes (see EU Regulations 881/2002 and 2016/1686).
Usama bin Laden
On 21 February 2013, the UN decided to remove Usama bin Laden from their financial sanctions list (following resolutions 1267(1999) and 1989(2011)).
They imposed a separate process for unfreezing funds owned or controlled by Bin Laden (in line with paragraph 32 of UNSCR 2083 (2012).
To implement this, the EU adopted Regulation 596/2013 which:
removed Bin Laden from Annex I to EU Regulation 881/2002 added him to a separate annex, Annex Ia of the same regulations (Usama Bin Laden is currently the only entry in that Annex)
As part of this change, his funds remain frozen and any attempt to unfreeze these assets requires approval by the UN Security Council’s Sanctions Committee.
However, making funds available to individuals or entities listed in Annex Ia is no longer prohibited.
Current EU regulations
12.07.2017 Commission Regulation (EU) No 2017/1251
16.06.2017 Council Implementing Regulation (EU) No 2017/998
21.09.2016 Council Regulation (EU) 2016/1686 This introduced the EU autonomous regime.
14.03.2016 Council Regulation (EU) 2016/363 Updating the name of the Regulation 881/2002 to include ISIL (Da’esh) and adding Article 2a describing what is included under Article 2.
01.08.2011 Council Regulation (EU) No 754/2011 This reflected UNSCR 1988 (2011) and UNSCR 1989 (2011) revisions to the UN Al-Qaida and Taliban sanctions regime, including splitting the Al-Qaida regime from the country-specific Afghanistan regime. It also amended 881/2002 to only cover the Al-Qaida network. Afghanistan regime targets, previously listed under 881/2002, moved to Annex I of the Council Regulation (EU) No 753/2011.
29.05.2002 Council Regulation (EC) 881/2002 This imposes restrictive measures against specific individuals and organisations associated with ISIL (Da’esh) and Al-Qaida.
Current UK legislation
the Al Qaida (Asset Freezing) (Amendment) Regulations 2016 (S.I. 2016/937). This amended the Al-Qaida (Asset-Freezing) Regulations 2011 (S.I. 2011/2742) to incorporate changes made by EU Regulation 2016/363 (to incorporate changes adopted by UNSCR 2253 (2015), which ensured, amongst other things, that persons or entities supporting ISIL (Da’esh) are eligible for listing by the UN) and EU Regulation 2016/1686 (the EU autonomous listing component)
the Al-Qaida (Asset-Freezing) Regulations 2011 is the original enforcement Regulation (this version does not show the amendments made by S.I. 2016/937)
the consolidated Regulation (The ISIL (Da’esh) and Al-Qaida (Asset-Freezing) Regulations 2011 (S.I. 2011/2742 as renamed by S.I. 2016/937)) that makes provision for enforcing EU Council Regulations 881/2002 and 2016/1686, will be made available on legislation.gov.uk in due course
General Licenses
There are general licenses applicable to individuals and entities designated under this regime. To see the areas covered by these general licenses, see counter financing of terrorism, general licenses
Local copy of isil.pdf
Local copy of Notice_ISIL_2019_431.pdf
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/current-list-of-designated-persons-al-qaida
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Only play with section believed to be in Shakespeare’s hand on display
A folio of a play thought to be written in Shakespeare’s own hand has gone on display at the Folger Shakespeare Library in Washington, D.C., alongside 50 other of the most important manuscripts and printed books related to the Bard. The Shakespeare, Life of an Icon exhibition displays pieces from the Folger’s collection plus loans from the University of Oxford’s Bodleian Library, the British Library, the Kings, Heralds, and Pursuivants of Arms, the London Metropolitan Archives, the UK’s National Archives, the University of Edinburgh, the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, the Shakespeare Birthplace Trust and The Worshipful Company of Stationers and Newspaper Makers. Many of these exhibits have never been shown in the United States before. Some haven’t been shown anywhere ever.
It’s a fascinating combination of the literary and mundane which reveal Shakespeare the man, actor and playwright. There’s Shakespeare’s copy of the contract to buy New Place, his last home in Stratford-upon-Avon, diary entries from people in the audience at his plays, the 1623 First Folio of his collected works, the only surviving letter written to Shakespeare and the only surviving copy of the first edition of Titus Andronicus which was the first Shakespeare play printed.
The only known account of Shakespeare’s death in on display as well. It’s a diary entry by John Ward, physician and vicar of Stratford-upon-Avon, written in the early 1660s, almost 50 years after the Bard’s death. He wrote: “Shakespeare, Drayton, and Ben Jonson had a merry meeting and it seems drank too hard for Shakespeare died of a fever there contracted.” Shakespeare was friends with playwright Ben Jonson and although we have no explicit records of a friendship with poet Michael Drayton, they traveled very much in the same circles and would almost certainly have known each other. No contemporary accounts of how Shakespeare died and of what have survived.
The play with Shakespeare’s handwriting wasn’t actually written by him alone. The Booke of Thomas More was the collaborative effort of several writers. Its main author was Anthony Munday who wrote it between 1596 and 1601. He submitted this copy (the original draft is lost) to Edmund Tilney who had the Spuds McKenzie title of Master of the Revels but the distinctly unrevelrous job of crossing out politically sensitive material. Once he was done marking the whole thing up in red pen, Munday brought in some help to rework the script. Henry Chettle is believed to have contributed first, possibly followed by Thomas Dekker, Thomas Heywood and William Shakespeare.
Despite all the changes, the play about Henry VIII’s Catholic Lord Chancellor who was executed for refusing to acknowledge the king was the head of the church was never printed. There are no surviving records that indicate it was ever performed. Most of the time there are no such records, so there’s no reason to assume the play was shut up in a drawer and forgotten about. It was probably staged and just not remarked up, like the vast majority of other plays from the period. The British Library’s manuscript on loan to the Folder is the only surviving copy of the play in the world.
The portion of the play thought to have been written by William Shakespeare is a three-page revision of a (fictional) speech delivered by Thomas More to anti-immigrant rioters during the Evil May Day Riots of 1517. Tilney objected to the scenes of the riots because economic hardship and potentially violent hostility to foreigners were again major issues when he wielded the censor’s pen and he didn’t want to angry up the blood, to quote Abe Simpson. In Shakespeare’s revision, therefore, the focus of Sir Thomas More’s speech was keeping the peace.
You can read a transcript of the pages here. (Scroll down to the Semi-diplomatic transcription and click Expand.) The original spelling and the formatting might make it a tad hard to read. Thimble summary: More decries the rioters’ violence, appeals to them to empathize with the foreigners, notes that their violence might beget more violence and chaos and lastly invokes the divine authority of the King which makes all violations of the King’s laws a sin against God himself.
The oratory matches the playwright’s poetic style. Because only six signatures of Shakespeare’s on four legal documents and no other writing have survived, authenticating the revision as written by Shakespeare is a challenge. With only his signed name to go on, the sample size is so small letter-by-letter comparisons can’t be definitive so the attribution is disputed by some scholars, but it’s been generally accepted since the mid-20th century. Scholars have named the contributor of the passages believed to be by Shakespeare “Hand D.”
The complete manuscript is currently being digitized. A version was published in 1911 that had photographs of some of the manuscript, but they’re blurry and not really readable. It Harley MS 7368 will be available to peruse in high resolution next month in the British Library’s Virtual Books gallery.
Shakespeare, Life of an Icon runs through March 27th at the Folger, after which the documents will move to the British Library where they will be on display as part of its Shakespeare in Ten Acts exhibition.
Here’s a timelapse video of the installation of the exhibition at the Folger. I like how they project elements onto the ceiling to give an immersive feel.
[youtube=https://youtu.be/nb6b6D7O84I&w=430]
Posted in Modern(ish), Museums, Renaissance | 1 Comment »
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John Vanderslice plays New York City: Wikinews interview
John Vanderslice has recently learned to enjoy America again. The singer-songwriter, who National Public Radio called “one of the most imaginative, prolific and consistently rewarding artists making music today,” found it through an unlikely source: his French girlfriend. “For the first time in my life I wouldn’t say I was defending the country but I was in this very strange position…”
Since breaking off from San Francisco local legends, mk Ultra, Vanderslice has produced six critically-acclaimed albums. His most recent, Emerald City, was released July 24th. Titled after the nickname given to the American-occupied Green Zone in Baghdad, it chronicles a world on the verge of imminent collapse under the weight of its own paranoia and loneliness. David Shankbone recently went to the Bowery Ballroom and spoke with Vanderslice about music, photography, touring and what makes a depressed liberal angry.
DS: How is the tour going?
JV: Great! I was just on the Wiki page for Inland Empire, and there is a great synopsis on the film. What’s on there is the best thing I have read about that film. The tour has been great. The thing with touring: say you are on vacation…let’s say you are doing an intense vacation. I went to Thailand alone, and there’s a part of you that just wants to go home. I don’t know what it is. I like to be home, but on tour there is a free floating anxiety that says: Go Home. Go Home.
DS: Anywhere, or just outside of the country?
JV: Anywhere. I want to be home in San Francisco, and I really do love being on tour, but there is almost like a homing beacon inside of me that is beeping and it creates a certain amount of anxiety.
DS: I can relate: You and I have moved around a lot, and we have a lot in common. Pranks, for one. David Bowie is another.
JV: Yeah, I saw that you like David Bowie on your MySpace.
DS: When I was in college I listened to him nonstop. Do you have a favorite album of his?
JV: I loved all the things from early to late seventies. Hunky Dory to Low to “Heroes” to Lodger. Low changed my life. The second I got was Hunky Dory, and the third was Diamond Dogs, which is a very underrated album. Then I got Ziggy Stardust and I was like, wow, this is important…this means something. There was tons of music I discovered in the seventh and eighth grade that I discovered, but I don’t love, respect and relate to it as much as I do Bowie. Especially Low…I was just on a panel with Steve Albini about how it has had a lot of impact.
DS: You said seventh and eighth grade. Were you always listening to people like Bowie or bands like the Velvets, or did you have an Eddie Murphy My Girl Wants to Party All the Time phase?
JV: The thing for me that was the uncool music, I had an older brother who was really into prog music, so it was like Gentle Giant and Yes and King Crimson and Genesis. All the new Genesis that was happening at the time was mind-blowing. Phil Collins‘s solo record…we had every single solo record, like the Mike Rutherford solo record.
DS: Do you shun that music now or is it still a part of you?
JV: Oh no, I appreciate all music. I’m an anti-snob. Last night when I was going to sleep I was watching Ocean’s Thirteen on my computer. It’s not like I always need to watch some super-fragmented, fucked-up art movie like Inland Empire. It’s part of how I relate to the audience. We end every night by going out into the audience and playing acoustically, directly, right in front of the audience, six inches away—that is part of my philosophy.
DS: Do you think New York or San Francisco suffers from artistic elitism more?
JV: I think because of the Internet that there is less and less elitism; everyone is into some little superstar on YouTube and everyone can now appreciate now Justin Timberlake. There is no need for factions. There is too much information, and I think the idea has broken down that some people…I mean, when was the last time you met someone who was into ska, or into punk, and they dressed the part? I don’t meet those people anymore.
DS: Everything is fusion now, like cuisine. It’s hard to find a purely French or purely Vietnamese restaurant.
JV: Exactly! When I was in high school there were factions. I remember the guys who listened to Black Flag. They looked the part! Like they were in theater.
DS: You still find some emos.
JV: Yes, I believe it. But even emo kids, compared to their older brethren, are so open-minded. I opened up for Sunny Day Real Estate and Pedro the Lion, and I did not find their fans to be the cliquish people that I feared, because I was never playing or marketed in the emo genre. I would say it’s because of the Internet.
DS: You could clearly create music that is more mainstream pop and be successful with it, but you choose a lot of very personal and political themes for your music. Are you ever tempted to put out a studio album geared toward the charts just to make some cash?
JV: I would say no. I’m definitely a capitalist, I was an econ major and I have no problem with making money, but I made a pact with myself very early on that I was only going to release music that was true to the voices and harmonic things I heard inside of me—that were honestly inside me—and I have never broken that pact. We just pulled two new songs from Emerald City because I didn’t feel they were exactly what I wanted to have on a record. Maybe I’m too stubborn or not capable of it, but I don’t think…part of the equation for me: this is a low stakes game, making indie music. Relative to the world, with the people I grew up with and where they are now and how much money they make. The money in indie music is a low stakes game from a financial perspective. So the one thing you can have as an indie artist is credibility, and when you burn your credibility, you are done, man. You can not recover from that. These years I have been true to myself, that’s all I have.
DS: Do you think Spoon burned their indie credibility for allowing their music to be used in commercials and by making more studio-oriented albums? They are one of my favorite bands, but they have come a long way from A Series of Sneaks and Girls Can Tell.
JV: They have, but no, I don’t think they’ve lost their credibility at all. I know those guys so well, and Brit and Jim are doing exactly the music they want to do. Brit owns his own studio, and they completely control their means of production, and they are very insulated by being on Merge, and I think their new album—and I bought Telephono when it came out—is as good as anything they have done.
DS: Do you think letting your music be used on commercials does not bring the credibility problem it once did? That used to be the line of demarcation–the whole Sting thing–that if you did commercials you sold out.
JV: Five years ago I would have said that it would have bothered me. It doesn’t bother me anymore. The thing is that bands have shrinking options for revenue streams, and sync deals and licensing, it’s like, man, you better be open to that idea. I remember when Spike Lee said, ‘Yeah, I did these Nike commercials, but it allowed me to do these other films that I wanted to make,’ and in some ways there is an article that Of Montreal and Spoon and other bands that have done sync deals have actually insulated themselves further from the difficulties of being a successful independent band, because they have had some income come in that have allowed them to stay put on labels where they are not being pushed around by anyone.
The ultimate problem—sort of like the only philosophical problem is suicide—the only philosophical problem is whether to be assigned to a major label because you are then going to have so much editorial input that it is probably going to really hurt what you are doing.
DS: Do you believe the only philosophical question is whether to commit suicide?
JV: Absolutely. I think the rest is internal chatter and if I logged and tried to counter the internal chatter I have inside my own brain there is no way I could match that.
DS: When you see artists like Pete Doherty or Amy Winehouse out on suicidal binges of drug use, what do you think as a musician? What do you get from what you see them go through in their personal lives and their music?
JV: The thing for me is they are profound iconic figures for me, and I don’t even know their music. I don’t know Winehouse or Doherty’s music, I just know that they are acting a very crucial, mythic part in our culture, and they might be doing it unknowingly.
DS: Glorification of drugs? The rock lifestyle?
JV: More like an out-of-control Id, completely unregulated personal relationships to the world in general. It’s not just drugs, it’s everything. It’s arguing and scratching people’s faces and driving on the wrong side of the road. Those are just the infractions that land them in jail. I think it might be unknowing, but in some ways they are beautiful figures for going that far off the deep end.
DS: As tragic figures?
JV: Yeah, as totally tragic figures. I appreciate that. I take no pleasure in saying that, but I also believe they are important. The figures that go outside—let’s say GG Allin or Penderetsky in the world of classical music—people who are so far outside of the normal boundaries of behavior and communication, it in some way enlarges the size of your landscape, and it’s beautiful. I know it sounds weird to say that, but it is.
DS: They are examples, as well. I recently covered for Wikinews the Iranian President speaking at Columbia and a student named Matt Glick told me that he supported the Iranian President speaking so that he could protest him, that if we don’t give a platform and voice for people, how can we say that they are wrong? I think it’s almost the same thing; they are beautiful as examples of how living a certain way can destroy you, and to look at them and say, “Don’t be that.”
JV: Absolutely, and let me tell you where I’m coming from. I don’t do drugs, I drink maybe three or four times a year. I don’t have any problematic relationship to drugs because there has been a history around me, like probably any musician or creative person, of just blinding array of drug abuse and problems. For me, I am a little bit of a control freak and I don’t have those issues. I just shut those doors. But I also understand and I am very sympathetic to someone who does not shut that door, but goes into that room and stays.
DS: Is it a problem for you to work with people who are using drugs?
JV: I would never work with them. It is a very selfish decision to make and usually those people are total energy vampires and they will take everything they can get from you. Again, this is all in theory…I love that stuff in theory. If Amy Winehouse was my girlfriend, I would probably not be very happy.
DS: Your latest CD is Emerald City and that is an allusion to the compound that we created in Baghdad. How has the current political client affected you in terms of your music?
JV: In some ways, both Pixel Revolt and Emerald City were born out of a recharged and re-energized position of my being….I was so beaten down after the 2000 election and after 9/11 and then the invasion of Iraq, Afghanistan; I was so depleted as a person after all that stuff happened, that I had to write my way out of it. I really had to write political songs because for me it is a way of making sense and processing what is going on. The question I’m asked all the time is do I think is a responsibility of people to write politically and I always say, My God, no. if you’re Morrissey, then you write Morrissey stuff. If you are Dan Bejar and Destroyer, then you are Dan Bejar and you are a fucking genius. Write about whatever it is you want to write about. But to get out of that hole I had to write about that.
DS: There are two times I felt deeply connected to New York City, and that was 9/11 and the re-election of George Bush. The depression of the city was palpable during both. I was in law school during the Iraq War, and then when Hurricane Katrina hit, we watched our countrymen debate the logic of rebuilding one of our most culturally significant cities, as we were funding almost without question the destruction of another country to then rebuild it, which seems less and less likely. Do you find it is difficult to enjoy living in America when you see all of these sorts of things going on, and the sort of arguments we have amongst ourselves as a people?
JV: I would say yes, absolutely, but one thing changed that was very strange: I fell in love with a French girl and the genesis of Emerald City was going through this visa process to get her into the country, which was through the State Department. In the middle of process we had her visa reviewed and everything shifted over to Homeland Security. All of my complicated feelings about this country became even more dour and complicated, because here was Homeland Security mailing me letters and all involved in my love life, and they were grilling my girlfriend in Paris and they were grilling me, and we couldn’t travel because she had a pending visa. In some strange ways the thing that changed everything was that we finally got the visa accepted and she came here. Now she is a Parisian girl, and it goes without saying that she despises America, and she would never have considered moving to America. So she moves here and is asking me almost breathlessly, How can you allow this to happen—
DS: –you, John Vanderslice, how can you allow this—
JV: –Me! Yes! So for the first time in my life I wouldn’t say I was defending the country but I was in this very strange position of saying, Listen, not that many people vote and the churches run fucking everything here, man. It’s like if you take out the evangelical Christian you have basically a progressive western European country. That’s all there is to it. But these people don’t vote, poor people don’t vote, there’s a complicated equation of extreme corruption and voter fraud here, and I found myself trying to rattle of all the reasons to her why I am personally not responsible, and it put me in a very interesting position. And then Sarkozy got elected in France and I watched her go through the same horrific thing that we’ve gone through here, and Sarkozy is a nut, man. This guy is a nut.
DS: But he doesn’t compare to George Bush or Dick Cheney. He’s almost a liberal by American standards.
JV: No, because their President doesn’t have much power. It’s interesting because he is a WAPO right-wing and he was very close to Le Pen and he was a card-carrying straight-up Nazi. I view Sarkozy as somewhat of a far-right candidate, especially in the context of French politics. He is dismantling everything. It’s all changing. The school system, the remnants of the socialized medical care system. The thing is he doesn’t have the foreign policy power that Bush does. Bush and Cheney have unprecedented amounts of power, and black budgets…I mean, come on, we’re spending half a trillion dollars in Iraq, and that’s just the money accounted for.
DS: What’s the reaction to you and your music when you play off the coasts?
JV: I would say good…
DS: Have you ever been Dixiechicked?
JV: No! I want to be! I would love to be, because then that means I’m really part of some fiery debate, but I would say there’s a lot of depressed in every single town. You can say Salt Lake City, you can look at what we consider to be conservative cities, and when you play those towns, man, the kids that come out are more or less on the same page and politically active because they are fish out of water.
DS: Depression breeds apathy, and your music seems geared toward anger, trying to wake people from their apathy. Your music is not maudlin and sad, but seems to be an attempt to awaken a spirit, with a self-reflective bent.
JV: That’s the trick. I would say that honestly, when Katrina happened, I thought, “okay, this is a trick to make people so crazy and so angry that they can’t even think. If you were in a community and basically were in a more or less quasi-police state surveillance society with no accountability, where we are pouring untold billions into our infrastructure to protect outside threats against via terrorism, or whatever, and then a natural disaster happens and there is no response. There is an empty response. There is all these ships off the shore that were just out there, just waiting, and nobody came. Michael Brown. It is one of the most insane things I have ever seen in my life.
DS: Is there a feeling in San Francisco that if an earthquake struck, you all would be on your own?
JV: Yes, of course. Part of what happened in New Orleans is that it was a Catholic city, it was a city of sin, it was a black city. And San Francisco? Bush wouldn’t even visit California in the beginning because his numbers were so low. Before Schwarzenegger definitely. I’m totally afraid of the earthquake, and I think everyone is out there. America is in the worst of both worlds: a laissez-fare economy and then the Grover Norquist anti-tax, starve the government until it turns into nothing more than a Argentinian-style government where there are these super rich invisible elite who own everything and there’s no distribution of wealth and nothing that resembles the New Deal, twentieth century embracing of human rights and equality, war against poverty, all of these things. They are trying to kill all that stuff. So, in some ways, it is the worst of both worlds because they are pushing us towards that, and on the same side they have put in a Supreme Court that is so right wing and so fanatically opposed to upholding civil rights, whether it be for foreign fighters…I mean, we are going to see movement with abortion, Miranda rights and stuff that is going to come up on the Court. We’ve tortured so many people who have had no intelligence value that you have to start to look at torture as a symbolic and almost ritualized behavior; you have this…
DS: Organ failure. That’s our baseline…
JV: Yeah, and you have to wonder about how we were torturing people to do nothing more than to send the darkest signal to the world to say, Listen, we are so fucking weird that if you cross the line with us, we are going to be at war with your religion, with your government, and we are going to destroy you.
DS: I interviewed Congressman Tom Tancredo, who is running for President, and he feels we should use as a deterrent against Islam the bombing of the Muslim holy cities of Mecca and Medina.
JV: You would radicalize the very few people who have not been radicalized, yet, by our actions and beliefs. We know what we’ve done out there, and we are going to paying for this for a long time. When Hezbollah was bombing Israel in that border excursion last year, the Hezbollah fighters were writing the names of battles they fought with the Jews in the Seventh Century on their helmets. This shit is never forgotten.
DS: You read a lot of the stuff that is written about you on blogs and on the Internet. Do you ever respond?
JV: No, and I would say that I read stuff that tends to be . I’ve done interviews that have been solely about film and photography. For some reason hearing myself talk about music, and maybe because I have been talking about it for so long, it’s snoozeville. Most interviews I do are very regimented and they tend to follow a certain line. I understand. If I was them, it’s a 200 word piece and I may have never played that town, in Des Moines or something. But, in general, it’s like…my band mates ask why don’t I read the weeklies when I’m in town, and Google my name. It would be really like looking yourself in the mirror. When you look at yourself in the mirror you are just error-correcting. There must be some sort of hall of mirrors thing that happens when you are completely involved in the Internet conversation about your music, and in some ways I think that I’m very innocently making music, because I don’t make music in any way that has to do with the response to that music. I don’t believe that the response to the music has anything to do with it. This is something I got from John Cage and Marcel Duchamp, I think the perception of the artwork, in some ways, has nothing to do with the artwork, and I think that is a beautiful, glorious and flattering thing to say to the perceiver, the viewer of that artwork. I’ve spent a lot of time looking at Paul Klee‘s drawings, lithographs, watercolors and paintings and when I read his diaries I’m not sure how much of a correlation there is between what his color schemes are denoting and what he is saying and what I am getting out of it. I’m not sure that it matters. Inland Empire is a great example. Lynch basically says, I don’t want to talk about it because I’m going to close doors for the viewer. It’s up to you. It’s not that it’s a riddle or a puzzle. You know how much of your own experience you are putting into the digestion of your own art. That’s not to say that that guy arranges notes in an interesting way, and sings in an interesting way and arranges words in an interesting way, but often, if someone says they really like my music, what I want to say is, That’s cool you focused your attention on that thing, but it does not make me go home and say, Wow, you’re great. My ego is not involved in it.
DS: Often people assume an artist makes an achievement, say wins a Tony or a Grammy or even a Cable Ace Award and people think the artist must feel this lasting sense of accomplishment, but it doesn’t typically happen that way, does it? Often there is some time of elation and satisfaction, but almost immediately the artist is being asked, “Okay, what’s the next thing? What’s next?” and there is an internal pressure to move beyond that achievement and not focus on it.
JV: Oh yeah, exactly. There’s a moment of relief when a mastered record gets back, and then I swear to you that ten minutes after that point I feel there are bigger fish to fry. I grew up listening to classical music, and there is something inside of me that says, Okay, I’ve made six records. Whoop-dee-doo. I grew up listening to Gustav Mahler, and I will never, ever approach what he did.
DS: Do you try?
JV: I love Mahler, but no, his music is too expansive and intellectual, and it’s realized harmonically and compositionally in a way that is five languages beyond me. And that’s okay. I’m very happy to do what I do. How can anyone be so jazzed about making a record when you are up against, shit, five thousand records a week—
DS: —but a lot of it’s crap—
JV: —a lot of it’s crap, but a lot of it is really, really good and doesn’t get the attention it deserves. A lot of it is very good. I’m shocked at some of the stuff I hear. I listen to a lot of music and I am mailed a lot of CDs, and I’m on the web all the time.
DS: I’ve done a lot of photography for Wikipedia and the genesis of it was an attempt to pin down reality, to try to understand a world that I felt had fallen out of my grasp of understanding, because I felt I had no sense of what this world was about anymore. For that, my work is very encyclopedic, and it fit well with Wikipedia. What was the reason you began investing time and effort into photography?
JV: It came from trying to making sense of touring. Touring is incredibly fast and there is so much compressed imagery that comes to you, whether it is the window in the van, or like now, when we are whisking through the Northeast in seven days. Let me tell you, I see a lot of really close people in those seven days. We move a lot, and there is a lot of input coming in. The shows are tremendous and, it is emotionally so overwhelming that you can not log it. You can not keep a file of it. It’s almost like if I take photos while I am doing this, it slows it down or stops it momentarily and orders it. It has made touring less of a blur; concretizes these times. I go back and develop the film, and when I look at the tour I remember things in a very different way. It coalesces. Let’s say I take on fucking photo in Athens, Georgia. That’s really intense. And I tend to take a photo of someone I like, or photos of people I really admire and like.
DS: What bands are working with your studio, Tiny Telephone?
JV: Death Cab for Cutie is going to come back and track their next record there. Right now there is a band called Hello Central that is in there, and they are really good. They’re from L.A. Maids of State was just in there and w:Deerhoof was just in there. Book of Knotts is coming in soon. That will be cool because I think they are going to have Beck sing on a tune. That will be really cool. There’s this band called Jordan from Paris that is starting this week.
DS: Do they approach you, or do you approach them?
JV I would say they approach me. It’s generally word of mouth. We never advertise and it’s very cheap, below market. It’s analog. There’s this self-fulfilling thing that when you’re booked, you stay booked. More bands come in, and they know about it and they keep the business going that way. But it’s totally word of mouth.
Man cleared of Belfast bomb attempt on retrial after eleven years
Media round-up: April Fools’ Day 2008
Kitchen Home Improvement (3)
Cabling (2)
Electricity Providers (2)
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Sports Recap
Butler – Duke
I was on the phone with DirecTV diagnosing why, exactly, my receivers were not picking up the MLB Extra Inning package (despite being signed up several weeks ago) and managed to miss much of the NCAA championship game.
I did manage to catch the last 12 minutes or so of the game. I was pulling for underdog Butler. When they missed a shot with less than 5 seconds remaining, I thought that they were finished. I was stunned at how close Gordon Hayward’s desperation shot came. Had he made the shot, I would have ranked it as the best moment in the history of the NCAA tournament.
It’s time to close the door on another basketball season and transition to baseball.
Is There an Editor in the House?
Earlier in the week, USA Today announced that their annual survey of baseball salaries indicated a 17% drop – saying that the average player’s salary dropped from $3.2 million in 2009 to $2.7 million in 2010. A number of sites reported this news, only to later print news of a correction. Player salaries actually ticked slightly upward (less than 1%).
I can understand some Mom and Pop sites believing this news, but struggle with how a big organization (ESPN, I’m looking at you) fell for it.
There are a number of ways to calculate this, but if we assume simply the 25 man rosters of each team, a $500,000 decrease per player would have been a $375 million decrease across baseball.
This really should have begged the question – where did this money come from? Sure, there were some players taking pay cuts, but others signed contracts that paid them more money. A few notable players retired, but they didn’t take hundreds of millions of dollars in salary with them.
I think one thing that may have made this believable was that the crop of free agents didn’t sign for as much money as last year’s crop. However, that doesn’t mean that salaries declined – it’s a completely apples to oranges comparison. The fact that Matt Holliday signed for less money this year than Mark Teixeira did last year doesn’t mean that this negatively impacted salaries. Holliday isn’t making as much as Teixeira, but he is still exceeding his own 2009 salary. That’s what we should be looking at.
Much of the blame should go to USA Today, of course. They’ve been generating these reports for many years, and yet nobody realized that there was no basis for the reported decline. The amount was large enough that it should have caused raised eyebrows and verification of the data.
The Resin Bag
I’m going to call this section – with short blurbs – The Resin Bag. Welcome aboard, Resin Bag.
Tiger Woods fielded some questions from reporters and once again apologized for his actions. OK, at this point, you either believe that he is contrite, or you don’t. Is repetition going to change your mind? Let’s move on.
Kurt Warner threw out the first pitch before the Diamondbacks game on Opening Day. It was a bit to the third base side of the plate, but not a bad effort compared to the typical first pitches we see.
Marc Bulger – who replaced the “injured and washed-up” Warner as quarterback of the St. Louis Rams and was expected to lead them back to the Super Bowl – was cut loose by the team after a 1-15 season. The consensus thought is that the Rams are paving the way to select Oklahoma quarterback Sam Bradford with the #1 pick in the draft.
Fantasy baseball heartburn began early this year, with the Youra Peeins third baseman Ian Stewart teeing off of Peeins teammate Yovani Gallardo. It’s always a bittersweet moment when one fantasy player succeeds at the expense of someone else on your team. In this case, Stewie is not only a Peein, but also a member of the real life Colorado Rockies – making it easier to cheer for him to succeed.
I also got roped into a “straight” league (as opposed to my Alphabet Soup League) as a last minute spot filler. I haven’t even had a chance to take a close look at the rules, so the other teams will probably chew up Bats in the Belfry. On the plus side, it’s an opportunity to compete in a CBS league – which I’ve heard good things about.
Baseball, Butler, Duke, Football, Golf, Tiger Woods
http://www.thesoapboxers.com/sports-recap/
Runner Lisa Koll Uhl Dispelling The Health Care Rumors
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Oecumenism
Intern. Bodies
UU > English > IBC > Statute > Appendix: The Declaration of Utrecht
Appendix: The Declaration of Utrecht
In nomine ss. Trinitatis
Johannes Heykamp, Archbishop of Utrecht.
Casparus Johannes Rinkel, Bishop of Haarlem,
Cornelius Diependaal, Bishop of Deventer,
Joseph Hubert Reinkens, Bishop of the Old Catholic Church of Germany,
Eduard Herzog, Bishop of the Christian-Catholic Church of Switzerland,
assembled in the Archiepiscopal residence at Utrecht on the four and twentieth day of September, 1889, after invocation of the Holy Spirit, address the following Declaration
to the Catholic Church.
Being assembled for a conference in response to an invitation from the undersigned Archbishop of Utrecht, we have resolved henceforth to meet from time to time for consultations on subjects of common interest, in conjunction with our assistants, councillors, and theologians.
We deem it appropriate at this our first meeting to summarize in a common declaration the ecclesiastical principles on which we have hitherto exercised and will continue to exercise our episcopal ministry, and which we have repeatedly had occasion to state in individual declarations.
(1) We adhere to the principle of the ancient Church laid down by St Vincent of Lérins in these terms: ‘Id teneamus, quod ubique, quod semper, quod ab omnibus creditum est; hoc est etenim vere proprieque catholicum’. Therefore we abide by the faith of the ancient Church as it is formulated in the ecumenical symbols and in the universally accepted dogmatic decisions of the ecumenical synods held in the undivided Church of the first millennium.
(2) We therefore reject as contradicting the faith of the ancient Church and destroying her constitution, the Vatican decrees, promulgated July 18, 1870, concerning the infallibility and the universal episcopate or ecclesiastical plenitude of power of the Roman Pope. This, however, does not prevent us from acknowledging the historic primacy which several ecumenical councils and the Fathers of the ancient Church with the assent of the whole Church have attributed to the Bishop of Rome by recognizing him as the primus inter pares.
(3) We also reject the dogma of the Immaculate Conception promulgated by Pope Pius IX in 1854 as being without foundation in Holy Scriptures and the tradition of the first centuries.
(4) As for the other dogmatic decrees issued by the Bishops of Rome in the last centuries, the bulls Unigenitus and Auctorem fidei, the Syllabus of 1864 etc., we reject them on all such points as are in contradiction with the doctrine of the ancient Church, and do not recognize them as binding. Moreover we renew all those protests which the ancient Catholic Church of Holland has made against Rome in the past.
(5) We refuse to accept the decisions of the Council of Trent in matters of discipline, and we accept its dogmatic decisions only insofar as they agree with the teaching of the ancient Church.
(6) Considering that the Holy Eucharist has always been the true focal point of worship in the Catholic Church, we consider it our duty to declare that we maintain in all faithfulness and without deviation the ancient Catholic doctrine concerning the Holy Sacrament of the Altar, by believing that we receive the Body and the Blood of our Saviour Jesus Christ Himself under the species of bread and wine.
The Eucharistic celebration in the Church is neither a continual repetition nor a renewal of the expiatory sacrifice which Christ offered once and for all on the Cross; the sacrifical character of the Eucharist, however, consists in its being the perpetual commemoration of that sacrifice and a real representation, being enacted on earth, of the one offering which Christ according to Heb. 9:11-12 continuously makes in heaven for the salvation of redeemed humanity, by appearing now for us in the presence of God (Heb. 9:24).
This being the character of the Eucharist in relation to Christ’s sacrifice, it is at the same time a sacrificial meal, by means of which the faithful, in receiving the Body and Blood of the Lord, have communion with one another (1 Cor. 10:17).
(7) We hope that the theologians, while maintaining the faith of the undivided Church, will succeed in their efforts to establish an agreement on the differences that have arisen since the divisions of the Church. We urge the priests under our jurisdiction in the first place to stress, both by preaching and by religious instruction, the essential Christian truths professed in common by all the divided confessions, carefully to avoid, in discussing still existing differences, any violation of truth or charity, and, in word and deed, to set an example to the members of our parishes of how to act towards people of a different belief in a way that is in accordance with the spirit of Jesus Christ, who is the Saviour of us all.
(8) We believe that it is in faithfully maintaining the teaching of Jesus Christ, while rejecting all the errors that have been added to it through human sin, as well as rejecting all the abuses in ecclesiastical matters and hierarchical tendencies, that we shall best counteract unbelief and that religious indifference which is the worst evil of our day.
Given at Utrecht, the 24th September, 1889.
Johannes Heykamp.
Casparus Johannes Rinkel.
Cornelis Diependaal.
Joseph Hubert Reinkens.
Eduard Herzog.
Note. – This is a fresh translation made from the German original (cf. IKZ 84, 1994, p. 40-42). The first English translation of the Declaration of Utrecht was published in The Foreign Church Chronicle and Review 13 (1889) pp. 225-227. The most widely circulated translation is to be found in C.B. Moss, The Old Catholic Movement, London, 21964, 281f. Moss claims his somewhat paraphrasing translation to have been accepted by the Old Catholic bishops as correct. It was already published in the Report of the Lambeth Conference of 1930, p. 142 (with minor orthographical and other variations). It should be noted that his quasi-official English version reproduces an abbreviated text without the introductory section, as it was in use in Old Catholic circles around 1930.
Meeting of the ecumenical workers of the UU
International Old Catholic Theologians' Conference in Wislikofen/CH
30 Sep 09:00
Visit of Catholicos Aram I to Amersfoort and meeting of the Armenian Apostolic - Old Catholic Discussion Group
Meeting of the CWC Secretaries
Do you have questions or remarks? Please contact the International Bishops' Conference here
All Documents, Photo's and video's of the 2014 Old Catholic congress.
Meeting of the Anglican Consultative Council – A report from the Old Catholic perspective.
On-going Lifelong Dialogue
She shall be a bishop. Firsthand experience of Communion with the Church of Sweden
Communiqué of the meeting of the International Anglican/Old Catholic Co-ordinating Council 2019
Old Catholic 'Summer School' in Utrecht
A Distinguished Guest for the Old Catholic Church in Switzerland
International Old Catholic Congress: 'Christians in dialogue for an open society'
A Visit to the General Synod of the Church of Ireland
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Syria starts building tourist resorts for Russians
Sunday, May 20, 2018 5:00:00 PM
The construction of tourist resorts for Russian citizens has begun in Syria, said Syria's Ambassador to Russia Riad Haddad, RIA Novosti reports.
"The construction of tourist resorts for Russians begins in Syria. There are some working facilities and even now there are some tourists,” Haddad told journalists in Yalta. He said that tourists are on vacation mostly in regions of Syria that are located on the coast of the Mediterranean Sea. "The situation is better there than in other places. Most people go there,” the Ambassador explained.
Earlier, it was reported that in the first four months of the current year, a record number of Russian tourists, three hundred thousand people came to the Turkish city Antalya.
Russia, Syria
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X-Ray Schools Home > Program Directory > Rhode Island
X-Ray Technician Schools in Rhode Island
One of the most prestigious radiology technician schools in Rhode Island is offered by Rhode Island Hospital in Providence. The Providence metropolitan area, which has more than 175,000 residents, has the highest concentration of radiology technicians in the state -- 1,130 people were employed in the field in 2009 -- and it also boasts the highest mean wages at $29.52 per hour, or more than $61,000 annually.
How to Become an X-Ray Technician in Rhode Island
Completion of the Radiologic Technology Program at Rhode Island Hospital allows students to sit for the American Registry for Radiologic Technicians exam to become a fully licensed radiological technician. The radiology technician program at Rhode Island Hospital is accredited by the Joint Review Committee on Education in Radiologic Technology.
Students interested in attending an x-ray technician school in larger Rhode Island cities such as Warwick, Cranston, and Providence also have a wide variety of online schools from which they can choose. Jobs are less competitive in the Norwich area – where there were 230 radiology technologists in 2009. Annual mean salaries in this area still were in excess of $60,000, and top wage earners in the region brought home more than $83,000 annually.
Living in Rhode Island
The beautiful coastal environment and friendly atmosphere make idyllic settings for attending radiology technician school in Rhode Island. The state has a strong and loyal following of many sports teams, and Pawtucket is home to the Boston Red Sox Triple-A affiliate, the Pawtucket Red Sox. The Providence Bruins, an affiliate of the Boston Bruins NHL hockey team, also enjoy a strong fan base. Or take a break from studying with a coastal bike ride in Narragansett. Rhode Island also has a tremendous number of museums, art galleries, and incredibly scenic state parks.
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Sanmen 2 AP1000 enters commercial operation
Unit 2 of the Sanmen nuclear power plant in China's Zhejiang province has completed 168 hours of full-power continuous operation. The unit is now deemed to be the third AP1000 reactor to enter commercial operation.
Sanmen unit 2 (Image: China National Nuclear Power)
Sanmen 2 completed the full-power demonstration test run at 9.47pm yesterday, China National Nuclear Corporation (CNNC) has announced. The reactor, it said, has now met "commercial operation conditions". Although CNNC must still obtain necessary permits and documentation, the unit is now considered to be in commercial operation.
In September 2007, Westinghouse and its partner the Shaw Group received authorisation to construct four AP1000 units in China: two at Sanmen and two more at Haiyang in Shandong province. Construction of Sanmen 1 began in April 2009, while first concrete for Sanmen 2 was poured in December 2009. Construction of Haiyang 1 and 2 began in September 2009 and June 2010, respectively.
Sanmen 1 was the world's first AP1000 to start up, achieving first criticality - a sustained chain reaction - on 22 June this year and grid connection on 2 July. It reached full power operation for the first time on 14 August and entered commercial operation on 21 September.
Unit 1 of the Haiyang plant attained first criticality on 8 August and was grid connected on 17 August. That unit began commercial operation on 22 October.
Sanmen unit 2 attained first criticality on 17 August and was connected to the grid on 24 August.
CNNC said it now has a 20 power reactors in commercial operation, with a combined generating capacity of 17,966 MWe.
Haiyang 2 - which was connected to the grid on 13 October - is expected to start up in early 2019.
Four AP1000 reactors were also being built in the USA - two each at Vogtle and Summer. However, construction of the two Summer units was suspended in August 2017. Vogtle 3 and 4 are scheduled to start operating in November 2021 and November 2022, respectively.
China Construction New build Operation and maintenance
Second AP1000 enters commercial operation Fourth Chinese AP1000 connected to grid First AP1000 reactor enters commercial operation Second Sanmen AP1000 connected to grid
Haiyang 1 Haiyang 2 Sanmen 1 Sanmen 2 Advanced Nuclear Power Reactors Nuclear Power in China
CNNC Westinghouse
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Future of reactors new and old
Reactors 1 to 4 at Fukushima Daiichi are highly likely to be written off, Tokyo Electric Power Company (Tepco) has said. The fate of undamaged units 5 and 6 may lie in the hands of local residents as may plans for new units.
The company has previously avoided speculation on the future of the reactors, despite the serious damage obvious from their external appearance. It is thought that units 1, 2 and 3 have suffered damage to their cores, but it will not be known how serious this is until the units are fully stabilised and can be examined in detail.
Despite unit 4 being out of service at the time of the tsunami, it has suffered serious damage to the reactor building due to a hydrogen explosion and fires in the vicinity of the used fuel pond. It is possible that fuel there has been damaged.
The announcement by Tepco's chairman Tsunehisa Katsumata today surprised no-one in noting that in light of the objective facts there is a high probability that the units will be decommissioned.
Reactors 5 and 6, on the same site but about 200 metres to the north, were shut down during the natural disasters and remained safe throughout although they too lost power for a time. Their operational fate is likely to rest in the hands of local people, who will surely be consulted on the continuation of nuclear power generation.
The residents evacuated from the vicinity of the power plant would naturally include thousands of nuclear plant workers, as well as their families and friends. Nuclear power would be the primary employer in the area, especially considering the Daini plant with four units only ten kilometres to the south. In real uncertainty however are former plans for nuclear expansion in Fukushima prefecture, despite the need for new large-scale low-carbon power having increased with the expected loss of the four Daiichi units.
Tepco had planned to construct two 1380 MWe Advanced Boiling Water Reactors at Fukushima Daiichi and the start of work on these was slated for 2012. This was a delayed date as a result of additional earthquake engineering flowing from what the company learnt during a July 2007 earthquake that hit similar reactors at Kashiwazaki Kariwa. Tepco contracted for 1600 MWe of new coal generation and 4500 MWe of gas to bridge the supply gap.
Further, Tohoku Electric Power Company had begun to plan for a large power reactor for the town of Namie, near Minamisoma city about 15 kilometres north of the Daiichi plant. Construction on this was pencilled in for 2017, but it can be safely said that local considerations will play a major part in future decisions.
In total, the existing units together with these plans would have seen some 13 large commercial nuclear reactors generating around 12,000 MWe - to produce around 7.5% of Japan's electricity - in the space of just 25 kilometres of coastline.
Nuclear provides about 30% of Japan's power overall and the country has not announced any change to plans that would see this grow to 40% by about 2017.
Tokyo Electric Power Co. (Tepco)Tohoku Electric Power Company
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Must Plays
Contact Worldshift Games
6 of the Most Difficult Strategy Games
by Edward on October 23, 2018 0 Comments
Strategy games are unarguably one of the most difficult games. Puzzle games can make you think but nothing can use up all of your brain cells than the strategy games, especially those that are of difficult levels. Strategy games are not created equal. There are some that would really make you think twice while there are a few that can drain not just your mental capacity but emotional and physical aspect as well .Completing these difficult level would make you wonder if the developers created these just to make your life miserable.
This type of game genre is certainly not for the faint-hearted. You can’t play these types of games if you don’t have wit and higher strategy skills. If you think this game genre is hard enough, wait until you play some of the most difficult strategy games on the list below.
Frozen Synapse
Available for: Mac, Windows, iOS, Android, Linux
Frozen Synapse shows that indie strategy games are beyond generic and simple. This is a perfect example of a gameplay that is easy to learn yet difficult to master. Regardless if you are skilled or unskilled though, you will certainly find this game quite enjoyable and exciting.
How do you play this turn-based strategy game?
You control a unit of combatants and your goal is to eliminate all of your enemy units. If you think it sounds simple enough, sorry to say but you are mistaken. What’s good about this game is that you have the ability to simulate the actions of your current turn, which allows you to see how it might play out. When you’re satisfied, all turns are simultaneously resolved.
Your enemies have smart AI, making them a difficult opponent. If you’re not challenged enough though, you can also play Frozen Synapse online against other high-skilled players. Frozen Synapse is a title that you should not miss out if you’re a fan of strategy games. It’s a game that will constantly put you on your feet.
Commandos 2
Available in: Mac, Windows, Xbox and PS2
Commandos 2 may be in the market for quite a long time, as it was released way back 2001, however it’s still considered as one of the most difficult strategy games of all time. It is known for having the steepest learning curves of any games of its kind.
In this game, you get to control a squad of commandos. If you want to accomplish a number of objectives, you must rely on tactical positioning and advancement. Many people confuse this game with turn-based game or real-time strategy game. It actually falls under the category of “real-time tactics” game, which is something of a hybrid genre.
It’s recommended that you play the PC version if you want to have the best experience on this game. The gameplay controls of this game are not really very intuitive in the console alternatives.
Available for: Mac, Windows, PS3, Linux, iOS, Android, X360
This first installment in the gigantic series titled UFO: Enemy Unknown debuted way back in 1994.It was a commercial success which led to a number of games have been released under the X-COM franchise up until around 2001. After several years, XCOM: Enemy Unknown revived the XCOM franchise. Fans did not mind the long wait as it was certainly worth it.
In this turn-based tactical game, you have to control a squad of alien-fighting soldiers. Your goal is to defend the Earth from an imminent invasion. You will undergo a series of missions which are interspersed with phases of development, research and expansion.
Critics consider this game as one of the most challenging tactical strategy games of this generation. Click here to check out other video games in the XCOM franchise.
Available for: Windows
Xenonauts and the aforementioned XCOM series have a bunch of things in common. If you’re wondering why that is so, it’s because Xenonauts got its inspiration from XCOM series, though that doesn’t mean that Xenonauts is a sequel. Despite the similarity of the gameplay and theme, it’s not a remake or a clone.
The game is divided into two distinct components: a tactical element that involves turn-based ground combat and a strategic element that involves real-time air combat. There are playability improvements created, which includes a cover system in combat, starting combat formations, and alternative victory conditions.
Xenonauts received positive reviews from fans and critics alike. It has a score of 85% from PC Gamer and a 77% on Metacritic, based on 21 reviews.
Available for: Mac, Windows, and Linux
The Europa Universalis IV is the most advanced franchise in the Europa Universalis series of strategy games.
You will find a surprising amount of depth in this game, particularly when it comes to the variation of options and actions available during gameplay. It covers a wide time period ranging from the 1400s to the 1800s.
At the start of the game, you would have to explore and scope out the unknown world. You will then move to expand your territory, exploit resources from other worlds and finally exterminate your opponents. Europa Universalis IV is perfect example of a 4X strategy game. Compared to other 4x offerings though, this game has greater lean towards diplomacy and has lesser focus on direct combat.
This real-time 4X strategy game takes place in the future when civilization lives among the stars. You can advance your own empire by conquering various star systems though diplomacy and military.
What sets Sins of a Solar Empire apart from other games is its massive scope. The 3D environment, just like true space, is an entire ocean full of celestial bodies with which you can interact. What makes this game extremely difficult is the depth is all of its game systems and technology trees. There are plenty of things that you must do that it will take you more than hours to finish a single game.
Strategy games are not only a fun way to kill time but they are also an effective brain exercise. Click here for tips and information about other strategy games.
Do’s and Don’ts in Playing Plants vs. Zombies 2
Tips on How to Start Playing Crusader Kings II
Step-by-Step Guides on How to Play Burger Tycoon
Best Strategy Games for your Kids
5 of the Best Real-Time Strategy Games on PC
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Games 2018 Must Plays
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Savannah Film Festival - Lily
December 05, 2016 by Carmela Baranowska
We all have scars.
Interview with Writer/Director Graham Cantwell
I wanted to make a film to raise awareness of bullying among young people and start a conversation about how to tackle it, and what young people who are being victimised should do to combat it. During the gay marriage referendum in Ireland a friend of mine, Eamon Farrell, wrote an article about being bullied as a young boy that really struck a chord with me. I asked him if he would allow me to take his story and turn it into a film and he agreed. I included elements from my own experiences and the experiences of friends and changed the gender, and that's how the story's journey began.
To be taken on a journey, to see the problem of bullying from the perspective of a victim, to watch a young woman struggle with her identity and attempt to overcome some pretty big obstacles. To see some incredible actors at work. To be moved and challenged.
I was bullied as a child, and I know very many people, particularly in the arts, who were too. It is such a common experience, that almost everyone has encountered bullying, either as a victim, as a perpetrator or as a witness. Lily's journey explores the trauma and uncertainty that a young person encounters when they are subjected to physical and emotional trauma, in person and online. My hope is that the film will encourage young people to open up about their own experiences, and encourage parents to discuss the topic with their children. Also as a society we are moving in the right direction when it comes to our treatment of the LGBT community, but there is still a lot of work to do. I am hoping that LILY will open a few people's minds, make them look at their own prejudices and assumptions in a different light.
Like any film, LILY has evolved at every stage of the process, from the script stage, where I asked fellow writers to read and critique the story, to the rehearsal phase, where the actors came in and put their own stamp on the characters, gave their own voices to the dialogue. Then on set, where the reality of filming on a tight schedule forced us to creatively explore ways to say more with less, and in the edit, where we trimmed as much as we could from the narrative to only keep the essential moments and figured out ways to use musical score to communicate an idea in a more concise, compact way, right up to the viewing experience, where every audience member personalizes the story for themselves.
We've had a great response, particularly from live audiences. The film seems to travel well, the humour plays with all types of audiences and the strength of the performances has led to a lot of extremely positive feedback. I've had a number of people approach me after screenings who were very emotional, saying the film meant a lot to them, particularly young people in the LGBT community. We've also been quite successful on the festival circuit, screening at some fantastic festivals, and winning the Tiernan McBride Award for Best Irish Narrative Short at The Galway Film Fleadh, Ireland's premiere film festival, putting us into consideration for the Academy Awards. We were very proud to have our North American premiere at the Savannah Film Festival, and got such a warm response from the audience. Our next screening is at the Santa Fe Film Festival.
I had hoped it would be well received, but you never know until you put the film out there, so it has been nice to have had it do so well.
I am hoping to make more people aware of the film, to generate interest and help spread the message.
We have a terrific sales agent in Network Television Ireland, but we are always on the lookout for festival directors, selectors, buyers and journalists to help us get the film out to as wide an audience as possible.
If the film manages to convince one young person that they can overcome bullying, or galvanizes just one young person to open up and talk to someone about their experience, then I will feel I have done my job, but of course I'd like it to have as big an impact as possible. The more people we can reach and encourage to address the issue, the better.
How can we eliminate bullying of young people, and what can a young person do when they are being victimised?
Lily Writer/Director Graham Cantwell
Being a teenager can be a very traumatic experience at the best of times, and when you feel different to your peers the pressures can be exaggerated and exacerbated. One of the key moments in the film comes when Oonagh, a tough as nails character, a reluctant mentor to Lily, opens up to her and advises her how to deal with the challenges she will face. Her speech is everything I wish someone had said to me at that age, and is one of the cornerstone moments of the film. My hope is that it will spark something in any vulnerable young people watching, and inspire them to take steps towards becoming more confident in themselves.
I'm working on several feature projects, including an adaptation of a Jennifer Johnston novel set in 1920s Ireland and an adaptation of 'Faraway Home', the story of a group of Jewish child refugees in Northern Ireland during World War II. Sharon Cronin, the producer, is in pre-production on her next film 'Acorn' with director Kevin De la Isla O'Neill. Clara Harte, who plays Lily, recently finishing a tour with The Abbey, Ireland's National Theatre. Amy-Joyce Hastings, who plays Oonagh, is developing a feature screenplay 'After the Rain'. Leah McNamara, who plays Violet is currently working on the History Channel series 'Vikings'.
Interview: December 2016
Graham Cantwell
Sharon Cronin, Indah Pietersz, Emma Carlsson, Ciaran Byrne
Graham Cantwell (Writer/Director)
An award winning writer and director based in Ireland. Directed IFTA nominated feature films ANTON and THE CALLBACK QUEEN and co-wrote POISON PEN among others.
Sharon Cronin (Producer)
Sharon produced her first feature, POISON PEN, in 2014. She has since worked as Production Co-ordinator on several feature films. Her latest production, ACORN, is set to film in 2017.
Key cast:
Clara Harte - Lily
Dean Quinn - Simon
Leah McNamara - Violet
Amy-Joyce Hastings - Oonagh
Paul Ronan - Dermot
Aisling O'Neill - Yvette
Lynette Callaghan - Ms. O'Shea
Buyers, Film festival Directors, JournalistsFunders:
Filmbase
Film Venture, Powerscourt Pictures
December 05, 2016 /Carmela Baranowska
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I understand the Americans have an election tomorrow. They are so self-effacing you really have to fight to find out about it. I also like the fact that an American election campaign is over so quickly: blink and you might miss it. Finally, who can't fall in love with a people who have years and years and years to fix their huge vote fraud problems, and yet decide to leave everything unfixed to make what should be a landslide into a more interesting race?
And the media, striving always to turn every possible policy issue into a celebrity issue, and thus remove even the possibility of rational discussion. In fact, the woeful ignorance of so much of the American populace - something we've seen a lot of in the reaction of so many of them to Obama - comes from a combination of native stupidity and racism, poor education, and the complete failure of the mainstream media. Via Metafilter, Peter Watkins (my emphasis throughout in red):
"THE GREATEST responsibility for the global media crisis falls on those controlling - and participating in - the American mass audiovisual media. I don't need to write here about the extreme dangers to which President Bush and his right-wing cohorts are exposing our planet. The manner in which the USA administration chose to respond to the events of September 11, 2001 - with an attitude of REVENGE rather than RECONCILIATION - has thrown global society into a state of grave instability and peril. And the point here, is that the American MAVM have adopted the USA government's militaristic and hegemonic agenda as their own, completely jettisoning any remaining vestiges of professional media equanimity or fairness, let alone plurality of views or opinions.
In a word, the American MAVM now hold precisely the same position regarding Washington, as Dr. Goebbel's propaganda machinery held vis-à-vis the Reich Chancellery in Berlin, and the Nazi Party. They have become nothing less than the propaganda arm of the state. Thus we saw 'embedded' journalists from CNN, Fox Network, ABC-TV, etc., reporting directly from Iraq, wearing their 'objective' USA combat uniforms - and having precisely the same role as the German Wehrmacht cameramen who stormed across Poland, bringing newsreel images of the blitzkrieg to non-critical and manipulated audiences throughout the Third Reich.
Striking as well, was the religious zeal with which the American MAVM adopted this posture - thereby abandoning their own officially proclaimed professional standards of 'journalistic objectivity'.
One wonders what is happening at this present time, within media education across the United States? Is professional media training also taking on board this agenda of manipulative nationalism, and inventing new 'codes of ethics and professional standards' to justify its practices?
At the same time, we should remember that - as far as the media goes - all of this has happened before. Repeatedly. Though it maybe argued that the sheer scale of contemporary events marks a watershed in this respect - that the present play for world dominance by the United States is a major step towards a totally destabilized world - we should not overlook the fact that the mass audiovisual media have been moving in this direction steadily since the mid-1970s. The role of the media during the Falkland Island Wars and the First Gulf War already offered glimpses of the machine in motion. Yet we chose (or were encouraged) to ignore the warnings.
Elsewhere, I detail the various negative aspects of the MAVM which were being put into position by the 1970s. These include the development of the Monoform, and later the Universal Clock, the commercialization of documentary and history programming, the development of a highly effective system of repression, and the growing refusal to involve the public in democratic debate about these issues.
To explain to new readers: The MONOFORM is the internal language-form (editing, narrative structure, etc.) used by TV and the commercial cinema to present their messages. It is the densely packed and rapidly edited barrage of images and sounds, the 'seamless' yet fragmented modular structure which we all know so well. This language-form appeared early on in the cinema, with the work of pioneers such as D.W.Griffith, and others who developed techniques of rapid editing, montage, parallel action, cutting between long shots/close shots, etc. Now it also includes dense layers of music, voice and sound effects, abrupt cutting for shock effect, emotion-arousing music saturating every scene, rhythmic dialogue patterns, and endlessly moving cameras.
The Monoform has several principal sub-categories: the traditional, classic monolinear narrative structure used in cinema films, TV soap-operas and police thrillers; the seemingly disconnected and fluid melange of themes and visual motifs in MTV shows; the chopped, fragmentary structures in global TV newsbroadcasts and many documentaries (what one filmmaker described as the 'cookie-cutter' method: a repeating pattern of brief talking-head interview, cut-away, narration...).
These variations on the Monoform have certain common characteristics: they are repetitive, predictable, and closed vis-à-vis their relationship to the audience. Despite any appearance to the contrary, they all use time and space in a rigid and controlled manner: according to the dictates of the media, rather than with any reference to the expanded and limitless possibilities of the audience. And it is crucial to understand that these variations on the Monoform are all predicated on the traditional media belief that the audience is immature, that it needs predictable forms of presentation in order to become 'engaged' (i.e., manipulated). This is why so many media professionals rely on the Monoform: its speed, shock editing, and lack of time/space guarantee that audiences will be unable to reflect on what is really happening to them.
At this point, it is ESSENTIAL to understand that the audiovisual process per se - the manner in which TV and cinema are shaped and presented - could encompass countless different language-forms, involving highly complex and free-ranging combinations of images and sounds, and using length, space, time and rhythm in ways which are as distant from the Monoform as night is from day. Many of these language-forms could also - partly because they are different - involve varied processes of relationship for and with the audience. These alternative processes could use length and complexity, disassociation and ambiguity, etc., to break the hierarchical grip that the Monoform and related Hollywood narrative structure now have over the audience.
Since this language-form also fragments and divides, it drives undemocratic impulses deep into the civic process. The marked lack of will for collective behaviour in Western society, and the predominance of its anti-form - increasingly egotistical, self-obsessed behaviour, and privatization - are but two manifestations of the long-term subterranean effects of the Monoform. The tightly-knit relationship between these qualities, and the power of the MAVM to drive the engine of mass-consumption, is becoming increasingly apparent."
They get you with the speed and the editing and the sheer lack of time you have to reflect on one subject before they are off to the next. I suppose the conspiracy issue would be whether the use of Hollywood editing in news programs was intentional, in order to misinform and trivialize political and policy issues, or was it an accident. Watkins on speed (is that a dig at Marshall McLuhan?):
"One disturbing legacy of the constant use of the Monoform by the MAVM is that speed - excessive, repetitive, blurring, fragmenting SPEED - has become the required 'norm', including within much of documentary filmmaking. This factor - possibly more than any other described here - has resulted in an increasingly hierarchical relationship, in the past decades, between TV-makers and the public.
Rapid pacing, in and of itself - e.g., as exemplified in cinematic montage - obviously has its own place in the language of the audiovisual media. The amazing juxtapositions by early Russian filmmakers Eisenstein and Pudovkin, for example, are one possible and complex use of fast-moving images. (The juxtaposition of two seemingly disparate images to create a third image in one's mind was a startling break from the rigidity of the traditional narrative process at that time.)
Speed can be used in creative and complex ways in the audiovisual language; as can a slow pace and a sustained length. But when the latter are eliminated almost exclusively in favour of speed, then we are in trouble. Speed usually equals brevity, and when that is made the central aspect of a language-form, it becomes anti-process - despite media academics' arguments to the contrary.
The constant use of excessive speed becomes anti-process because a characteristic feature of the human species is that we require time - length - space (in the same way that we need oxygen). We need these elements in order to consider and reflect, to pose questions, to liberate our thoughts, and to ground ourselves; we need them in countless ways as we grow and develop; we need them to communicate with ourselves and others, and with the environment around us.
Unfortunately, several decades ago, media academia pronounced that we no longer needed time / length to grasp complex ideas - we had become 'literate' in the use of fast-moving images, and it was therefore quite acceptable to continue increasing the speed of our image ingestion.
But a consistent use of the Monoform - with its total absence of time for reflection, its apparently seamless (and thus unquestionable) narrative thrust, its constant monolinear direction forward (denying flexibility of memory, and complexity of human experience) - has had both obvious and incalculable long-term effects on our feelings. It has desensitized us to many of the things that occur both on the screen, and everywhere around us (particularly to violence, and the fate of others)."
The 'universal clock', and narrative structure:
". . . the contemporary practice of rigidly formatting all TV programmes into standardized time slots (a total of 47 or 52 minutes for 'longer' films, and 26 minutes for shorter ones), in order to comply with a regulated amount of commercial advertising in each clock hour or half-hour.
In this way, pieces of audiovisual 'information' which have already been standardized by the Monoform, are further standardized in their presentation to the public by the uniform lumps of time in which they are wrapped. This neatly eliminates any priority regarding what is shown on TV, or any idea that different subjects or filming styles might have different requirements in terms of their length: all are thrown into the same time-mincing-machine and spat out in the same Monoform grid-lock.
The Orwellian assumption here - shocking in its arrogance - is not only that the meaning of time can arbitrarily be altered by TV executives (a clock 'hour' on TV = 52 minutes), but that this new 'time standard' can and should be applied globally! Thus: 'the universal clock'. Further, advertisers are (successfully) pressuring TV executives to continually increase the amount of time available for advertising, and to reduce the time available for what is euphemistically known as 'content.' One current plan is to implement special technology which - unbeknownst to the audience (and probably to the filmmaker) - will invisibly remove a certain number of frames from each second of film, in order to speed it up, and thus allow even more time within the 'hour' for advertising.
As a TV executive calmly explains in THE UNIVERSAL CLOCK, standardizing the length of all TV programmes, films and documentaries has an added advantage for TV stations which have to fill an unexpected empty 'slot': there is no problem finding a replacement programme, since all films are now precisely the same length - regardless of theme or subject matter. TV people simply reach into the film library, and pull out the first programme their fingers find - the sole criterion is that its length conforms to the 'slot'. Content is virtually irrelevant, in the sense that everything shown on TV is not only formatted, but ideologically neutered (actually, this is not true - it is ideologically shaped to fit the globalization model).
The Monoform and Universal Clock are not the only worrying standard media forms and practices. There is also NARRATIVE STRUCTURE, which is the story form governing scenes and sequences, as well as what happens within them - before being given spatial shape and rhythm by the Monoform.
Of concern here is the standard HOLLYWOOD narrative structure, with its monolinear process of (apparent) beginning, middle, and (so-called) ending, with climaxes and lulls along the way to 'sustain tension and interest'.
Here we face another aspect of the media crisis: the overwhelming obsession by the large majority of MAVM professionals, including TV journalists, not only with pace - 'the faster the better' - but also with the need for a traditional narrative structure - 'telling a good story', and "having a conclusion". Many of these professionals, including those who provide funding for TV documentaries, insist on 'a strong story line' and 'strong characters'. Should TV executives beg to differ with what I write here, test it out for yourself. Watch TV for a week, and sit in your local cineplex for another week - anywhere in the world. Dispassionately disconnect yourself from the story, actors, etc., and simply watch the form and narrative structure. The evidence is right there.
For a long time now, Hollywood executives have been denying that their films have anything to do with politics or social situations: "... all we want is to tell a good story - with emotion, passion, things like that - with good strong characters that people can relate to."
This refusal to take responsibility for the social and political effect that all films have on audiences, has long been a fundamental reason underlying Hollywood's ability to avoid any analysis of its own devastating impact on global society - especially in these recent decades.
The problem is not necessarily that of the 'story' per se - the problem is that the narrative model which Hollywood and the MAVM insist upon, has become a completely uniform one.
A second problem is that virtually all of Hollywood's 'stories' are deeply manipulative ones, with hidden social and political agendas which sustain and advance many highly questionable values and role models. These stories - and the narrative structures driving them - have played a major role in maintaining imperialistic visions and stereotypes of the worst kind, in sustaining unimaginable levels of violence, sexism and racism around the world, and in prioritizing militaristic attitudes and consumer agendas which continue to ruin our planet. That these agendas lie hidden within the seemingly 'harmless' process of 'entertaining' and 'telling a story' only compounds the danger."
Watkins is particularly hard on CNN, but doesn't let the rest of the world off the hook either (it has always seemed to me that the Toronto station CITY-TV has been a pioneer in trivialization through the use of speed and crazy editing - the news readers are moving so fast, they don't even get to sit down! - and has had a massive influence on the rest of the television news world).
Haven't changed a bit
Babushka Lady
Anti-Donkeycism
The main reason why controlled demolition makes no...
November, twenty years ago
Half-an-hour, mid-January solution
Mini nuclear plants
Trying to make a liar out of me
Commentology
Philo-Semitism
Looking for people to hang
Now they'll get to hear about the Holocaust, again...
Rahm Ari Fey Palin
Barack Machiavelli
Forgery of antiquities is big business
Towards a deeper understanding
I understand the Americans have an election tomorr...
The media and the damage done
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Technophobia
After much thought, I've taken JS-Kit up on its offer to 'fix' my Blogger template (I'm a glutton for punishment). When this turns into another disaster, I'm contemplating switching to Disqus or Intense Debate (both integrate with FriendFeed, and Intense Debate looks particularly good). Nobody seems to offer spell checking in the comments box, and, from reading various support postings, all the comments companies are, to varying degrees, surprisingly clueless about doing their jobs. JS-Kit seems to be the only hope at recovering Haloscan comments.
I'm using Firefox again, but only when I can't use Opera (blog posting is one area where Opera won't really work). The deep problem with Firefox, and one that can't really be fixed, is that extensions tend to be incompatible. Firefox tries to monitor this, but can't possibly figure out whether every possible combination of extensions will work. Twice now I've frozen Firefox completely (and the 'solution' of deleting files from AppData doesn't work). You could run it without the extensions, but then you might as well run IE. I've tried all the various IE clones, but they are all as hopelessly slow as IE. Opera is still far ahead of everybody, and, since the Abe Vigoda plugin is no longer available for Firefox, the only choice for power surfers.
at 1/31/2009 06:22:00 PM 49 comments Links to this post
The human asymptote
A few things:
Note that the root cause of the flare up at the Davos conference, besides the senile remarks of Peres, was the blatant and outrageous bias shown by the moderator of the panel, David Ignatius, a "Jewish-American journalist of Armenian descent". Jewish and Armenian censoring a Turk discussing the slaughter by the Jews in Palestine? This comment by Dan Kervick sums it up nicely:
"I have moderated my share of panels too, and understand the challenges of managing the debate and time constraints at the same time. But Ignatius seemed supremely unconcerned about time constraints as he let Peres ramble on for 25 solid minutes, while Erdogan say quietly and patiently, writing notes for his response. To then cut Erdogan off was stunning, and will naturally be viewed as a contemptuous affront."
The sheer unbridled arrogance of the Jews in their exercise of power will be their downfall.
Add a wealth tax to catch the greed of the past and I'm in.
The American government kept paying extreme nut job Laurie Mylroie for the benefit of her 'expertise' at least until 1997! The posting points out that even the neocons say she's crazy "out of annoyance that her work helps to discredit their own".
Subcomandante MARCOS, as always, right on the mark (note how a true revolutionary sees through the bullshit of the 'anti-Semitism' preoccupation of 'progressives'):
"Again, pardon our ignorance, maybe what we're saying is beside the point. And instead of condemning the ongoing crime, being the indigenous and warriors that we are, we should be discussing and taking a position in the discussion about if it's 'Zionism' or 'anti-Semitism,' or if Hamas' bombs started it.
Maybe our thinking is very simple, and we're lacking the nuances and annotations that are always so necessary in analyses, but to the Zapatistas it looks like there's a professional army murdering a defenseless population.
Who from below and to the left can remain silent?"
"And perhaps a boy or girl from Gaza will survive, too. Perhaps they'll grow, and with them, their nerve, indignation, and rage. Perhaps they'll become soldiers or militiamen for one of the groups that struggle in Palestine. Perhaps they'll find themselves in combat with Israel. Perhaps they'll do it firing a gun. Perhaps sacrificing themselves with a belt of dynamite around their waists.
And then, from up there above, they will write about the Palestinians' violent nature and they'll make declarations condemning that violence and they'll get back to discussing if it's Zionism or anti-Semitism.
And no one will ask who planted that which is being harvested."
Philip Weiss, the human asymptote, moving ever closer to the truth but, due to his background, unable ever to reach it, inches closer (from the same blog, the account of another journalist on the same path). The failed Bildungsroman Weiss is creating is interesting reading, and proves why the Jews will never be able to fix the problem they have created. "The destruction of belief in inherent Jewish goodness." It isn't goodness that is the issue. Any group that can 'stand for' a moral abomination like Israel can't be good. It's sanity. It is the sanity of the Jews that is in question, whether their racist eliminationist supremacism has rendered them incurably insane.
at 1/31/2009 05:51:00 AM 19 comments Links to this post
The war crimes evidence keeps piling up
Via Action Report Online, an article in Haaretz (my emphasis in red):
"The idea to bombard the closing ceremony of the Gaza police course was internally criticized in the Israel Defense Forces months before the attack. A military source involved in the planning of the attack, in which dozens of Hamas policemen were killed, says that while military intelligence officers were sure the operation should be carried out and pressed for its approval, the IDF's international law division and the military advocate general were undecided."
the Jewish attack could have had nothing to do with whatever Hamas was accused of doing, as it was being planned for months, down to the exact timing of the end of the Gaza police course, indeed months before Hamas had been keeping the ceasefire which the Jews eventually had to break so the Jews could attempt to claim the slaughter was because of the rockets; and
the Jews knew that the planned attack on the Gaza police graduation was an attack on civilians (and there is obviously no possible argument about human shields or whatever other legalese great Jewish minds can scheme up).
You think it's bad now?
You can start to have an inkling of where the idea of the 'blood libel' came from (my emphasis in red):
"When the leader of Israel's religious-Zionist Meimad Party recently addressed a meeting of 800 high-school students in a Tel Aviv suburb, his words on the virtue of Israeli democracy for all its citizens were drowned out by student chants of 'Death to the Arabs.'"
"Israeli soccer matches were suspended during the assault on Gaza. When the games resumed last week, the fans had come up with a new chant: 'Why have the schools in Gaza been shut down?' sang the crowd. 'Because all the children were gunned down!' came the answer."
These are the young people, the future of Israel. Things are only going to become much worse. It is time to put an end to it, to stop the killing.
The psychos and the boycotts
One of the peculiarities of Jewish psycho racist extremist eliminationist supremacism is that World Jewry will not react rationally to boycotts or similar actions. Their mental illness renders them incapable of understanding the reactions of decent people to their violent craziness. Instead, they will label it as just another example of the ubiquitous 'anti-Semitism', i.e., an example of the moral failings of their accusers, and not of their own moral failings. The short-term effect of boycott-sanctions-divestment will be a paradoxical hardening of the positions of Israel and World Jewry, as they will see the increase in 'anti-Semitism' as an excuse to act even more insanely than before.
That is not to say that boycotts aren't morally necessary (the true status of Chomsky can be seen in his continued resistance to boycotts, as he prefers to wait for his socialist-anarchist paradise to save the world from the problems caused by . . . the Americans). They will have the effect of continuing the legitimacy crisis in Israel for those Jews who aren't insane, will increase the phenomenon of sane Jews leaving Israel, and deter sane Jews outside of Israel from moving there. They will also increase the expense to the Jew-controlled American government of paying for the continuing Jewish program of slaughtering. Most importantly, however, the whole boycott program will serve as the rallying point for world-wide resistance to the Jewish eliminationist program. One of the main problems decent people face is that the total Jew-control of politicians and the media - as definitively proven by the utterly shameful reaction of all Western politicians and media to the Gaza slaughter - seems to make it impossible for decent human beings to do anything in the face of such powerful and overwhelming blood-dripping-from-the-fangs Evil. Boycotts can start us on our way.
More important than boycotting Israel, however, will be our efforts to punish those who are under Jew-control, to make it clear to the sycophants and power-followers that there are powers greater than those of World Jewry. For example, punishing the shameful BBC executives who censored a charity appeal for Gaza - just how fucking evil can you be! - by firing them and making sure no one else will hire them - except, of course, the Jewish Billionaires! - will start to send the message that we the decent and sane will no longer put up with the evils of Jew-control. It is the boycott and punishment of the enablers of Jewish evil that will have the biggest long-term effect at stopping it and establishing one Palestinian state in the Middle East.
The problem with Israel isn't just all the horrible things it has done and is doing, a list that people are now reviewing in the light of the recent slaughter. It isn't just the obvious psychopathic mental illness of the Israeli politicians coupled with a defective political system that makes change impossible. It isn't just that the political spectrum is veering rapidly to the extreme eliminationist right. It isn't just that the slaughter was supported - not just supported, but enjoyed - by the vast, vast majority of Israeli Jews and people who identify themselves as Jews around the world (moral people brought up as Jews are so disgusted by it that they no longer self-identify as Jews, hence the 'problem' of assimilationism; btw, we must stop letting them get away with the lie of distinguishing 'Jews' from 'Israeli Jews' from 'zionists' - they all have the same shared evil psychopathy). We're talking over 95 per cent support. It's outrageous that I claim blood drips from their fangs, not because it slurs them, but because it cannot do justice to the stark evil inherent in today's Judaism. Most of the few Jews who are concerned about the slaughter are 'lite', i. e., they are worried that world disgust at what the Jews are up to might delay the Project of building Greater Israel (note that another taboo, mentioning the Project, has been bravely broken, and the reaction of the fanged ones!).
No, the problem is that it is now crystal clear, to everybody who is not a Jew or a 'progressive' enabler (the 'progressive' enablers are simply covered - covered! - in the blood of Palestinian children), that the slaughter is part of a long, constantly reoccurring pattern of psychopathic violence, and that the psychos are escalating, in the three ways of escalation:
the violence is becoming more and more brutal;
the periods between violent outbursts are decreasing;
the psychos are losing control of their ability to regulate their violent outbursts.
I can predict, without even the tiniest fear of being wrong, that sometime in the near future Israel will do something else horribly violent, probably worse than Gaza or the most recent attack on Lebanon, and will continue to do so until the Jewish state is wiped off the map.
In considering options, we are often asked to compare Israel to South Africa. This is a faulty comparison, in ways that are not flattering to the the Jews. The Boers were evil racist scumbags, but they were sane. When the time came that they could no longer reasonably expect to maintain their hold on power, they sat down and negotiated the best deal they could (and a great deal it was, giving up political power but keeping all their wealth and the control of the economy). Unlike the Jews, they were not emotionally invested in the fact that they were scumbags. They were not psychopaths No reasonable person looking at the escalation of Israeli psychopathic acts can describe Israel as sane. The Jews are a racist eliminationist supremacist group. They cannot help themselves.
Consider the terrible effect that the concept of anti-Semitism has had on the Jews. The South African whites couldn't look at the rest of the world and decide that the attacks on them were solely as a result that the world was entirely filled with 'anti-Boer-ites'. They had to accept that the rest of the world held its disgust at apartheid honestly. Not so the Jews. World Jewry has an automatic excuse for every comment on the actions of Israel: anti-Semitism. Over time, this has created a monster: Jews can literally do no wrong as any third party critic of their behavior must be motivated by this one ulterior motive, hatred of the Jews. Over time, this obsession with anti-Semitism has turned World Jewry into a psychopath, never responsible for its acts as any and all criticism is entirely evidence of the failings of the critics. It is ironic that 'progressive' enablers have played a large role in this - although, to be fair, racist supremacism is built into Judaism (I still need to write about this) - and will ultimately bear moral responsibility for the end of Israel (oh well, at least they'll still feel good about themselves).
My basic mistake in all along supporting a two state solution was thinking that the Israelis, and World Jewry, were sane, and would eventually do the rational thing. They are not sane, something which should be obvious from the pattern of irrational violent behavior (which goes back even before the establishment of the State of Israel), and the escalation. We distinguish criminals, who are responsible for their acts and are punished, from the criminally violent mentally ill, who are not responsible for their acts but still have to be removed from society for the protection of everybody. Removing Israel is not intended to punish the Jews. It is a recognition that World Jewry suffers from a terrible mental illness, and the world needs to be protected from the irrational violence of Israel. Perhaps in time, with treatment, the Jews can regain their sanity.
My eyes are sore from internet reading, and I'm tired of all the tragedy, so it is time for some cartoonery:
I'm really liking Wondermark by David Malki (some of his personal favorites), including these two.
The Laugh-Out-Loud Cats is a cartoon drawn in the style of Krazy Kat (complete with a back-story, as it is supposed to be drawn by a contemporary of George Harriman), but based on the language and mannerisms of the lolcats. Is the internet self-referential, or what?
Speaking of which, 4chan (now semi-famous due to the mainstreaming of 'rickrolling') meets the lolcats meets Metallica (no idea why, but this only seems to display properly using Opera as the browser ). This may be the end of human civilization, but you have to admire the work involved.
"The Recently Deflowered Girl", by the genius, Edward Gorey.
Another Jewish gift to humanity
From an article by David Cronin (my emphasis in red):
"Israel's refusal to allow civilians any exit route from Gaza as its defence forces rained bombs down on schools and houses appears unprecedented in modern warfare, a United Nations investigator has said.
Richard Falk, the UN's special rapporteur on human rights in the occupied Palestinian territories, described the sealing off of the Gaza Strip in order to ensure that nobody could flee it as 'a distinct, new and sinister war crime.'
'For the first time in a military operation, the civilian population as a whole has been locked into a war zone,' he told a meeting of the European Parliament by telephone. 'No children, women, sick people or disabled people were allowed to leave. For the first time, the option of becoming a refugee has been withheld.'"
Oddly - bizarrely, even - timed noamian treatment of Old American Establishment influence on Hollywood movies. It is certainly true that the Establishment will use all its weapons, including propaganda, but what happens when all the propaganda outlets are controlled by traitors working for a foreign entity?
Why are they telling us this? Ha! - Immigrant Absorption Ministry!
Speaking of anti-progressive 'progressives'
Speaking of anti-progressive 'progressives' chased out of the weeds by Gaza, the discussion on this posting led me here. As I keep saying, Zionism has destroyed American progressive politics. I wonder when progressive 'anti-Semitism' - the norm of progressive thinking in the first half of the 20th century until it was sidelined by the Holocaust - will return.
The smarter revisionists are finally starting to realize that revisionism is the best gift World Jewry has ever received (in a similar vein, I never believed the Mossad killed Haider, their best friend in all of Europe: no real threat to World Jewry, but a constant source of propaganda). Meanwhile, the responsibility-to-protect crowd (Samantha Power, Michael Ignatieff) - considered by people like me to be stooges for World Jewry - have gone missing (or worse, in the case of Ignatieff) on Gaza.
If a group with an eliminationist agenda - and Israel and World Jewry clearly have such an agenda - kills a large number of members of a group on the 'do do' list of the eliminationists, that is by definition 'genocide'. No debate.
Invocation Eve
It is curious how much 'progressives' read into Rick Warren's comments to Sean Hannity. Assassination? And why do they assume that he is referring to Iran when he is talking of evildoers against whom violence is justified? Does the context not leave open the possibility that he is talking about Israel? Note that Warren's first 'yes' in this transcript is very misleading (if you look at the clip, it is clear he is not agreeing to killing Ahmadinejad, but just pausing before he addresses the entire issue). Warren has already gone out of his way to praise Syria, a move which World Jewry considers tantamount to anti-Semitism. I would think it is absolutely clear that the Christian, but not Christian-Zionist, position has to be that the only 'evildoers' in the Middle East against whom violence might be justified are Jews living in Israel.
I note that the Geigh Lobby - more 'one issue guys', and not at all progressive - is attacking Warren's efforts to stop AIDS in Africa by using the kind of slimy guilt-by-association tricks they would be the first to whine about if used by a Limbaugh type.
at 1/20/2009 02:36:00 AM 4 comments Links to this post
This is an excellent summary of the mechanics of how the Lobby works. One of the chief weapons of World Jewry against those who try to uncover their scheming is the very implausibility of how groups representing 2 or 3 percent of the American population can be leading the entire country to its obvious and complete ruination. Their sheer psychopathic ruthlessness helps, as does the fact that they are 'one issue guys'.
I'm wondering about the importance of Jewish votes and Jewish money. There aren't many Jewish votes, except in a very few areas, and the amount of dollars we're talking about is sometimes as low as a few thousand. How does World Jewry have so much influence? Obviously, we have to factor in the importance of utter Jew-control of the entire media, but we still don't have enough of an explanation for what amounts to the suicide of one of the world's great empires on the pyre of Jewish nationalism.
It has to be blackmail. We must be witnessing the largest blackmail operation in the history of politics.
Unsafe, or just supremacist?
Instructive quote from Philip Weiss:
"The core condition of Zionism is the understanding that Jews are unsafe in western societies."
My RSS reader shows that this was originally a little harsher:
"The essence of Zionism is the belief that Jews are unsafe in western societies."
Weiss goes on to point out that Jeffrey Goldberg fled the United States to Israel because of all the anti-Semitism he was experiencing, a fact which pretty much proves what we've always thought, that Jeffrey Goldberg is insane!
Anyway, Weiss' error about Zionism is instructive about the nature of lite Zionism. Zionism is simply another late 19th century ethnic nationalism, based, as always, on the supremacy of some master race. It has nothing whatsoever to do with safety. The urban intellectuals who formulated Zionism came up with it decades before the holocaust against the Jews, and at a time when anti-Semitism was on the obvious wane - not that it wouldn't continue to flare up, particularly in rural areas - and a new class of Jewish financial and intellectual leaders was starting to come into prominence. Zionism didn't come out of a feeling of weakness, just the opposite: it came out of a feeling of rapidly growing power. It is not a surprise that Zionism is reaching its obvious tragic conclusion in another era of Jewish power.
Why is there such an animus in Jews against the Palestinians? Why are the checkpoint soldiers so cruel? Why does Israel stoop to committing every single war crime imaginable? Why do a few mostly harmless rockets produce such unimaginable rage? It isn't fear. It is the fact that the continued existence of the Palestinians, their failure to capitulate, is an insult to the Master Race, a failure to acknowledge the superiority of the Jews.
The Weiss schtick is that Zionism was a defensive intellectual framework, formerly necessary, but no longer so due to the power of Jews in American society. But Zionism was never really defensive, and has always been in essence offensive, creating a base for the Master Race. The Master Race wasn't threatened by Gentiles, it was offended to have to live amongst such inferiors, and particularly insulted to have to live under the rule of inferiors. The failure of the Zionists - lite or hard core - to really understand the nature of Zionism is built right into the nature of supremacism. It is why Jews won't solve this problem.
Collective psychopathy
FAIR points to Thomas Friedman's express endorsement of what FAIR chooses to call 'terrorism' - what I would call 'collective punishment', as it avoids Bibi's 'war on terror' while making clear the sheer illegality of what Friedman is endorsing - on the pages of the New York Times. As Glenn Greenwald phrases it (in one of the Updates he adds in response to the psychopathic - i.e., Jewish - comments he receives):
". . . is it even possible to imagine an Op-Ed or column being published by a major newspaper that enthusiastically trumpeted all of the great strategic benefits that would accrue to Muslims from the violent deaths of large numbers of Israeli civilians, the way Friedman today did with regard to the deaths of Palestinian and Lebanese civilians?"
Another advantage of the slaughter - perhaps the most important in the long run - is that it has made it abundantly clear that the root cause of the problems in the Middle East is the extremist racist psychopathic supremacism of the Jewish people, so transparently reflected in the comments of a Jew like Friedman when a little pressure is applied, in this case the pressure of a few complaints about the magnitude and illegality of the Jewish slaughtering. It is this incurable - at least in the short run, but we do not have time to wait for future generations - collective psychopathy that is the real reason that the world must eliminate the Jewish State of Israel, and replace it with a state ruled by Palestinians. Of course, Jews could still live in a Palestinian state if they wanted to, but their collective psychopathic supremacism will mean that the vast majority would not choose to live under Gentile rule.
The killing continues:
The Angry Arab writes: "I won't be surprised if the New York Times decides that any mention of the civilian suffering in Palestine is in fact anti-Semitic." In fact, Canadian Jewish groups are now arguing that demonstrating against the slaughter is anti-Semitic hate speech, and presumably needs to be stopped by the Canadian government. Said government, having achieved the nadir in Canadian diplomatic history by voting alone for genocide and Israel, might very well follow its Jew masters and agree.
Speaking of which, CanWest is circling the toilet. It is not a coincidence that World Jewry is experiencing its worst financial crisis at the same time that Israel is going mad. In the case of CanWest or the New York Times, the pro-Zionist lying is so obvious, and so repulsive to the average decent person, that it is actually leading directly to the insolvency. The World's Worst Newspaper is the world's worst newspaper largely because of its lying to promote Zionism.
Israel, which we know uses human shields - against the ruling of its own Supreme Court, a ruling which the Israeli government is trying to convince the court to overturn! - complains that Hamas uses human shields, necessitating the huge civilian toll that the slaughter is causing (note that the Zionists have given up saying that no civilians have been harmed in the making of this holocaust). Gaza is the most densely populated area in the world. It is completely locked up. Short of laying down arms and giving up, where is Hamas supposed to go to get away from the civilian population? This is just another example of the type of argument - both wrong-headed and somehow deeply evil - that we are coming to associate with Jews.
More Angry Arab:
"Three factors are strategic liabilities for Israel in the technical military-intelligence sense: 1) Israeli terrorist soldiers fight with the awareness of the military superiority of Israel, unlike previous generation of Israeli terrorist soldiers who thought that Arab armies were a match and thus fought as if the life of the lousy entity depended on it; 2) there is no more Arab Jewish immigrants in Israel whose knowledge of Arabic (or Persian) can be utilized by Israeli terrorist military and intelligence (this is a point made by Amer, in fact; 3) the ideological zeal which can be an asset in battle is less of a factor. I mean, do you think that Russian or Ethiopian immigrants give a shit about the fate of the Zionist project?"
All true. People first started to notice the deterioration in Israeli fighting ability while the IDF was getting its ass handed to it by Hezbollah in Lebanon. It was Israeli military historian Martin van Creveld - the guy, you may remember, who was used to threaten Europe with an Israeli nuclear attack - who noted that armies with vast technological and material supremacy irrevocably lose their fighting morale. The phony-Jewish Russian immigrants being forced to risk their lives for the Project are the same group who spray-paint swastikas on the sides of synagogues. The soldiers are not willing to take any risk: they lob rockets and tank shells from a distance, and then use Palestinian human shields to ensure that they face no danger of running into scary Hamas.
Future Madoff fun
A prominent Canadian tax lawyer weighs in on Madoff:
"Paul will not generally complain when one robs Peter to pay Paul. In this case, however, there could be worse news downstream for the investors who have already lost millions of dollars. An additional wrinkle to the scandal is the United States Federal Bankruptcy Court decision in the Bayou case. That case held that earlier investors must give back the money that they 'earned' from the Ponzi.
Payments by Mr. Madoff to the earlier investors were fraudulent conveyances - an illegal transfer of property with the intent of committing fraud. The earlier investors were, in fact - albeit innocently - beneficiaries of the fraudulent scheme. The investors must refund their improperly earned money into the pool of assets from which all - old and new - victims will share, if there is anything to share. Thus, we can expect to hear a lot of complaining from Paul."
Sorry for the lack of posting, but I'm battling Firefox. Where, exactly, did Firefox get its good reputation? It is unbelievably unstable, and every time it updates, which is very often, half of what you've had to laboriously install to approximate Opera's functionality suddenly, and mysteriously, doesn't work. I know why it is popular. Cubical prisoners seeking something to do all day other than what they are paid to do are dying for something useless to tinker with. For them, it is perfect. We live in a world where 'retarded' - from here - is a virtue.
Three good posting from the Angry Arab (who always lets his freak flag fly). It is nice to see Israeli 'historians', who are basically propagandists and thus part of the Israeli military, removing the disguise.
I also fully agree that critiques of Palestinian resistance are wrong. The Palestinians are in an impossible position, and are doing what they can. Quibblers about the details are Zionist apologists. When the Palestinians win, the rockets will be part of that victory. I only wish they had better ones.
The guy who won the movie award didn't mention Gaza. He should give the award back. It is not an anti-war movie, it is a movie about how terrible it is that the noble Jewish soul has to be troubled by feelings as it slaughters. Very lite Zionist. Also very Golda.
The remarkable series of Israeli lies about the shelling of the UN school has finally reached its conclusion: it was a 'stray'. After each atrocity too obvious to ignore, the Israelis and their apologists always give us this series of Maxwell Smart preposterous lies, 'would you believe . . . ', and with the failure of each lie just come up with another one. It was the same thing with Cana, or when they bombed the UN observer post in Lebanon.
The mysterious hold of Zionism over American politicians
Juan Cole, who seems to be letting his freak flag fly recently, has an excellent detailed posting on the automatic control that the Israeli government has over the American government, exemplified by Olmert picking up the phone and ordering Bush around to the extent that the United States changed its mind and abstained, rather than voted for, the latest UN cease-fire resolution. This was a public slap in the face for Rice, who actually helped draft the resolution, and Olmert is crowing about it. Note the behind-the-scenes trickery of the Jew Kouchner, who valiantly worked for his homeland - Israel, naturally, not France - to try to block the resolution.
Cole concludes by raising the most important issue of all - the consideration of which is necessitated by the lack of any obvious motive for Bush to act as he did - the conspiracy theory that the mysterious hold of Zionism over American politicians is connected to blackmail. Israeli intelligence, with the aid of the secret cadre of dual-loyalty American Jews, gathers dossiers of information on characters like Bush, people who have a lot of embarrassments in their pasts, and holds it over them. Other than direct payments of cash, which probably explains Cheney, this is by far the most plausible theory for why American politicians consistently and blatantly act against American interests (sorry Noam). I wonder what the Israeli dossier on Obama looks like?
Finding the answer to a Blogger problem isn't easy, and isn't helped by the inscrutable Google style - you can see the frustration in so many similar questions asked with so few answers given! - but the problem with my disappearing comments button was a corrupted widget, probably caused by whatever indignities JS-Kit performed on my template, and the answer to the problem is to remove the offending lines of HTML, republish the template, reinsert the same words, and republish again, all as neatly described here. I've reverted to plain vanilla Blogger comments for now, until I find enough courage to embark upon another comments system (JS-Kit is dead to me).
Despite wasting - and that's the only word for it - an enormous amount of time on the subject, the 'comments' link has again gone missing, although you can comment, I think, by clicking on the time stamp under the post, getting a new window with the post and its comments, and going from there. I'm getting very close to being fed up with comments. My view on JS-Kit, who have never responded to my request for help, is like what the Jews say about the Jewish holocaust, 'never again'. There is another service called Disqus which I may try. It looks good, but it doesn't seem to be working at the moment.
at 1/12/2009 02:27:00 PM 0 comments Links to this post
Advantages of slaughter
There are a few advantages coming out of the slaughter:
Jewish apologists no longer have any possible ammunition to argue against academic boycotts, as the Israeli version of a boycott is a bomb dropped on a university or school.
There is nothing bad you can say about Israel or Jewish support for Israel, no comparison you can make to the worst holocausts in history, that can live up to the blood-dripping from-the fangs evil. Israel and the Jewish people - and Jewish support for the Palestinian holocaust puts the full blame on the Jewish people - are as evil as it gets, and everybody knows it.
I've been called an anti-Semite for daring to speak of Jew-controlled politicians and Jew-controlled media. No more of that. I blame the crypto-Zionist 'progressives' for much of the horror, all because they couldn't accept the truth about Jew control and wanted to show off how 'progressive' they were. When every mainstream media outlet and every major politician spouts exactly the same made-in-Israel words, words that are patently bullshit, which everybody knows are patently bullshit, and in direct contradiction to the knowledge and understanding of the vast majority of the population (less vast, of course, where decades of Jew-controlled media malfeasance have misled the people), there is only one possible explanation: Jew control. Let's shout it, unapologetically, from the rooftops. I await the abject apologies from everybody who has accused me of being an anti-Semite.
Sanctions, divestment and boycotting are now commonly discussed, and millions of people are now newly politically aware, and mobilized, on the issue. The demonstrations in Europe were amazing and, again, highlight Jew-control, as the Jew-slave politicians are so obviously out of line with their electorates. One would hope that the mass realization that both the mainstream media and all major politicians have been bought and paid for by World Jewry would lead to a further realization that these lying Jew-slaves need to be replaced, pronto.
We're witnessing the death of the Chomskean lie that all political evil flows out of the United States. While the Bush Administration, in its death throes, has managed one final embarrassment to the United States (one for which Americans will be paying for decades), this one is entirely to be blamed on Israel and World Jewry. Again, while acknowledging the evil of the United States in blessing this monstrosity, everybody knows who is really to blame.
We can't forget that the slaughter is encouraging a deep examination of the psycho-killer psychology of Israel and World Jewry, which, just as in the case of many psychopaths, is tinged with self-righteousness. An example of the new analysis is Gideon Levy:
"You can't have it both ways. The only 'purity' in this war is the 'purification from terrorists,' which really means the sowing of horrendous tragedies. What's happening in Gaza is not a natural disaster, an earthquake or flood, for which it would be our duty and right to extend a helping hand to those affected, to send rescue squads, as we so love to do. Of all the rotten luck, all the disasters now occurring in Gaza are manmade - by us. Aid cannot be offered with bloodstained hands. Compassion cannot sprout from brutality.
Yet there are some who still want it both ways. To kill and destroy indiscriminately and also to come out looking good, with a clean conscience. To go ahead with war crimes without any sense of the heavy guilt that should accompany them. It takes some nerve. Anyone who justifies this war also justifies all its crimes. Anyone who preaches for this war and believes in the justness of the mass killing it is inflicting has no right whatsoever to speak about morality and humaneness. There is no such thing as simultaneously killing and nurturing. This attitude is a faithful representation of the basic, twofold Israeli sentiment that has been with us forever: To commit any wrong, but to feel pure in our own eyes. To kill, demolish, starve, imprison and humiliate - and be right, not to mention righteous. The righteous warmongers will not be able to allow themselves these luxuries.
Anyone who justifies this war also justifies all its crimes. Anyone who sees it as a defensive war must bear the moral responsibility for its consequences. Anyone who now encourages the politicians and the army to continue will also have to bear the mark of Cain that will be branded on his forehead after the war. All those who support the war also support the horror."
Self-righteousness is the defining characteristic of Zionism (just read anything by Dershowitz; it is almost funny). They won't be able to get away with it any more.
The final advantage of the slaughter is that people are finally considering what is to be done to Israel to punish it for what it habitually does - another advantage of the slaughter is that the entire history of Zionism is being reanalyzed as part of a pattern of psychopathic murderous compulsion - and stop it from reoffending.
A note of caution. The lite Zionists are gearing up to protect Zionism by ensuring that the sanctions on Israel amount to no more than ineffective boycotts (especially so as boycotting Israel is illegal in the United States). They will purport to be outraged, and purport to be dealing with the problem, all the while doing what they always do - protecting the project of Greater Israel which they all secretly support. We can't let them get away with this. We now know that Zionism is an incurable violent psychological illness, and Israel will not stop murdering. Zionism has to be stopped. Permanently. The only way to accomplish this is to make a Jewish state in the Middle East impossible. We need to be figuring how to do this in the most humanitarian way, while acknowledging that there will inevitably be millions of Jewish refugees. As terrible as that is, Israel and World Jewry have made it necessary.
Graphic art of the year
Via Moon of Alabama, wow (or here). The artist is Morten M. Kristiansen (Morten M). I may just have a space for it. World Jewry loves Norwegian graphic arts.
RFK assassination: Onassis and Hamshari?
Actor Robert Vaughn resurrects an old theory proposed by Peter Evans on the assassination of Robert Kennedy, that it was the work of Aristotle Onassis and Mahmoud Hamshari, a Palestinian who Israel claimed - without any evidence - had been involved in the Munich Olympics attack (Hamshari was eventually assassinated by the Israelis with a bomb in his telephone). Note the Lisa Pease response to Evans' theory (Evans' main source seems to have been the extraordinarily suspicious Robert Maheu, who just died in August, and who was certainly trying to deflect suspicions about his own involvement in the assassination). Since the Los Angeles police spent an enormous amount of effort destroying and manipulating evidence, you have to ask the obvious question: why would they do this for Onassis and an obscure Palestinian politician? Vaughn also has real problems describing the motives of both Onassis and Hamshari.
Refutation of the current Zionist set of lies
Via Spontaneous Arising, "The Truth about Palestine and Israel" from the Republic of Lakota, a very concise, well-informed summary.
World Jewry is insane (it is the insanity that differentiates Zionism from South African white supremacism, of which more later), and so obviously insane, that it is a wonderful target of mockery. Just issue a fake press release showing a prominent Jewish group appearing to act sane or moral, and watch the fun. This type of trickery is particularly powerful, as it emphasizes the utter madness of organized Jewish representatives.
Tuncay Guney
The Toronto Star on Tuncay Guney (see also here; my emphasis in red):
"It's a fantastical tale from the slight, bespectacled man, a former Muslim who now wears the garb of an Orthodox Jew.
But Guney is not taken lightly in his home country. He is the lynchpin in a sprawling trial accusing dozens of prominent Turks of plotting to overthrow their government. Many in Turkey see the trial as the result of a power struggle between the secular military and the pro-Islamist government of the ruling AK Party.
According to Turkish prosecutors, the labyrinthine ultranationalist cabal, code-named 'Ergenekon', backed political assassinations and deadly terrorist attacks.
All the threads lead back to information provided eight years ago by Guney."
and (nine days of interrogation for a petty crime?):
"His standing among fellow expatriates is less lofty.
'Speaking as a member of the community, we are embarrassed that he lives in Canada among us,' said Lale Eskicioglu, executive director of the Ottawa-based Council of Turkish Canadians. 'Because of him, many innocent people have been interrogated. He has caused a lot of hell in Turkey.'
Guney's rise from obscure journalist to renowned whistleblower began in 2001. That year, he was arrested for attempting to sell a stolen car. Over nine days of interrogation, Guney told police he had uncovered a wide-ranging plot to unbalance the Turkish state."
"Police searched Guney's apartment, uncovering six batches of documents, some marked `Top Secret'. The papers laid out a portion of the conspiracy, naming as members some of Turkey's most prominent citizens.
'He got so much information that he cannot have gotten it by himself,' said Ergun Babahan, a former editor of the Turkish newspaper, Sabah. 'Someone gave it to him.'
Despite a travel ban, Guney was mysteriously able to flee Turkey for the United States. 'He went from Turkey to New York and then Toronto. That is not so easy to do,' said Babahan. 'I believe he has some sort of protection.'
Different factions in Turkey have variously accused Guney of working for American and Iranian intelligence; Islamist interests and Ergenekon-linked secret police units. He denies all of it. He took off his black, broad-brimmed hat and skullcap before being photographed for this article because he feared it would bolster accusations that he works for Israel's Mossad."
Mossad makes sense. But why would the Mossad want to destabilize the Turkish government and embarrass their very good pals in the Turkish military (latest development here)? Is all this part of the bigger deal whereby Turkey continues - through thick and mostly thin - to be an ally of Israel? More intrigue:
"Guney is famous in Turkey for his about-faces and provocative statements. There is also his `conversion' to Judaism since leaving Turkey. Guney claims that his family are Jews by way of Egypt who presented themselves as Muslims in order to survive in Turkey."
Blog progress
Just part of an old pattern
Saree Makdisi (my emphasis in green and blood-red):
"The brute fact of the matter is that, as long as their air force is killing an entirely defenseless people, the Israeli public and media do cheer them on. As soon as they start paying any kind of price - no matter how grotesquely out of proportion to the level of damage their soldiers are inflicting on unarmed and innocent people - their bloodlust quickly cools. In Gaza, the Israeli infantry won’t take a single step forward unless the ground in front of them - and everything and everyone in it, armed, unarmed, whoever and whatever they are - has been safely cleared away for them by the air or by artillery. 'These are ‘Georgia rules,’ which are not so far from the methods Russia used in its conflict last summer,' write Harel and Issacharoff in Ha’aretz. 'The result is the killing of dozens of non-combatant Palestinians. The Gaza medical teams might not have reached all of them yet. When an Israeli force gets into an entanglement, as in Sajaiyeh last night [where three Israeli soldiers were killed], massive fire into built-up areas is initiated to cover the extraction. In other cases, a chain of explosions is initiated from a distance to set off Hamas booby-traps. It is a method that leaves a swath of destruction taking in entire streets, and does not distinguish military targets from the homes of civilians.' I’m not sure where the 'Georgia' reference comes from: the Israelis used the very same tactics in Jenin and Nablus in 2002, and in southern Lebanon in 2006 and 1982. And it would be an act of futility to point out - for the millionth time - that the Israeli method of warfare takes place in sweeping disregard for the principles of international humanitarian law, not to mention total contempt for innocent human life. This is not to mention that most of the casualties pouring into Gaza’s morgues and hospitals are the victims of the sheer indiscriminate unleashing on densely populated civilian areas of high explosive ordnance from land, sea and air that has been characteristic of Israel's military style since at least the 1970s."
"Israel’s disregard for innocent human life is not motivated only by a desire to forestall the political consequences - especially during an electoral campaign - of Israeli military casualties. It is also a clear indicator of the contempt that Israel has for Palestinian life in general. The cold, hungry, tired, desperate, and terrified men, women and children that Israel is now sweeping away by the dozen in balls of fire and showers of shrapnel are the very same people that it had already reduced to what one UN official months ago warned was 'a subhuman existence,' the deliberate product of the siege that Israel has imposed on Gaza for over three years, beginning in 2005, before the election of Hamas. They are the same people whose political and human rights Israel has been stifling since the occupation of 1967 - twenty years before the creation of Hamas. They are the same people who were ethnically cleansed from their land in 1948 because, as non-Jews, they were inconveniently cluttering up the land that European Zionists wanted to turn into a Jewish state, no matter what the land’s actual population had to say about it.
Israel's disregard for Palestinian life in Gaza today is, in short, a direct extension of its disregard for Palestinian life since 1948, and what is happening in Gaza today is the continuation of what happened six decades ago. Eighty percent of the people crammed into Gaza’s hovels and shanties are refugees or the descendants of refugees that armed Zionist gangs, which eventually coalesced into the infant Israeli army, terrorized from their homes elsewhere in southwestern Palestine in 1948. They have been herded, penned, and slaughtered by a remorseless power that clearly regards them as subhuman. If you think I’m stretching the point, I’m not. Listen to the words of Professor Arnon Sofer, the government consultant who did so much to help plan the isolation and imprisonment of Gaza, in a interview with the Jerusalem Post in 2004: 'When 2.5 million people live in a closed-off Gaza, it’s going to be a human catastrophe,' Sofer predicted. 'Those people will become even bigger animals than they are today, with the aid of an insane fundamentalist Islam. The pressure on the border is going to be awful. It's going to be a terrible war. So, if we want to remain alive, we will have to kill and kill and kill. All day, every day.' Sofer admitted only one worry with all the killing, which will, he says, be the necessary outcome of a policy that he himself helped to invent. 'The only thing that concerns me,' he says, 'is how to ensure that the boys and men who are going to have to do the killing will be able to return home to their families and be normal human beings.'"
Golda! And more:
". . . the people being killed today are the ones for whom there is no room in the Zionist vision of the state. They are regarded as an excess population. Not even Malthus thought that a redundant population should just be lined up and shot, or bombed into the ground. But, clearly, times have changed since 1798.
This inhuman madness will end only with the end of the violent ideology that spawned it - when those who are committed to the project of creating and maintaining a religiously and ethnically exclusivist state in what has always been a culturally and religiously heterogeneous land finally relent and accept the inevitable: that they have failed."
and a nice bit on the American fuckers:
". . . it seems clear that the writing now being posted on alternative media outlets is also starting to outweigh the clumsy efforts still being churned out by America's army of paid and unpaid cheerleaders for Israel, who have forsaken what little remained of their own humanity and blinded themselves to suffering that ought to move any rational, caring, sentient human being to tears - the Dershowitzes and Foxmans, the Orens and Boots, the Krauthammers and Peretzes, the Bards and Goldfarbs, the cynical apparatchiks of CAMERA and AIPAC and the mindless busybodies and shuffling zombies of Stand With Us, the Israel Project and the Israel on Campus Coalition - who persist with their stubborn, craven defense of the indefensible. About these misanthropes there is much to be said, most of it too unpleasant to print . . ."
Psychopathic killers, escalating
Khalid Amayreh at Desertpeace doesn't pull any punches:
"For years, I have been warning that Israel is psychologically and morally capable of carrying out a holocaust or a genocide against the Palestinian people.
Needless to say, the horrible events of the past two weeks in Gaza seem to have enforced and vindicated my convictions in this regard.
Israel, government and people, seem to possess the psychological propensity that would make her embark on such a monstrosity. Yes, there is a minority of Israeli Jews and non-Israeli Jews who say 'No' to all the evils and crimes Israel is doing in the name of their name.
However, let us be honest and realistic. These people are a small minority and have very little influence if any on the Israeli government and army."
Me: I don't know the percentage of evil Israelis, but I do know that the way the country is set up, with its awful proportional electoral system that encourages and rewards political fanaticism, means that for the foreseeable future the people running things will be Zionazis. More:
"Given the Israeli mindset, Israel may well be hoping the latest genocidal onslaught could have a certain desensitizing and de-mystifying effect on people’s perceptions and attitudes.
The logic is quite simple. If the world can be bullied or cajoled into silence and apathy when Gaza is ravaged and thousands of its inhabitants are slaughtered en mass in full view of humanity, the same world can likewise be manipulated in similar fashion to come to terms with a greater genocide."
Me: of course, the attack on Lebanon, and the fact they used the levers controlled by World Jewry to get away with it, was the enabler for Gaza, just as Gaza will be the enabler for the next, greater, outrage. More:
". . . one could safely argue that the 'ideology of annihilation' now represents the mainstream in the Israeli society."
Me: dunno, but mainstream Israeli opinion doesn't matter, as described above. More:
"The Israeli hasbara machine’s main job has always been and continues to be to turn the black into white, the white into black and the big lie into a 'truth' glorified by millions, especially in the west.
To effect these obscene lies and 'virtual realities,' the Israeli government counts heavily on the Jewish-controlled or Jewish influenced media in the western world, especially in North America where telling the truth about Israel is the ultimate taboo."
Me: so, so, so, so true. If you are looking for real blood-dripping-from-the-fangs villains, look to North American Jewry. More:
"In truth, what has been happening in Gaza is a huge massacre of genocidal proportions as many conscientious Jews have testified.
What else can be said of this wanton, deliberate and indiscriminate blanket bombing of densely-populated neighborhoods and refugee camps?
I believe terms such as 'huge massacres' and 'genocidal onslaught' used in reference to the Gaza nightmare cannot be dismissed by Israel and her supporters as merely overstatements or rhetorical exaggerations.
This is unless Israel views non-Jewish pain and suffering as disingenuous, probably because non-Jews or 'goyem' are actually considered 'human animals' by a large and growing class of fanatical rabbis, politicians and military leaders."
Me: supremacism leading to genocide. More:
"On 6 January, Israeli tanks fired several artillery shells at a school at the Jabalya refugee camp, killing more than 40 civilians, mostly children and women, who had sought shelter at the UNRWA-run facility. Dozens others were injured, many critically.
Israeli army spokespersons, who are actually professional liars, claimed that Palestinian fighters were seen in the vicinity of the building and that some of these actually fired on Israeli troops from the school.
However, UN officials in Gaza strongly denied the Israeli account, with one UN official saying that he was '99.99%' that the Israeli army was lying.
Earlier, the Israeli air forces hit a mourning reception, killing 15 members of the same family."
Me: two hundred years from now, the school massacre will be read about in history books describing the end days of the State of Israel. More:
". . . if we are to accept this logic, namely that everything is fair in war, then Jews should stop complaining about what the armies of Hitler did to them during World War II.
It is just unacceptable to apply two standards of morality, one for Jews and another for non-Jews. For if what Israel is doing in Gaza is right, as Israel and her supporters maintain, then what the Nazis did in Europe several decades ago must have been right as well. And vice versa.
After all, crime doesn’t become kosher when committed by Jewish hands."
Me: what the Nazis did to the Warsaw ghetto was awful. They destroyed buildings with innocent people in them because they thought there might be one member of the resistance within. They wiped the place out, but they did it fighting, block by block. They would never have dreamed of locking the place up and bombing it to pieces. The Nazis were, after all, human beings, not animals. More:
"Facing their crimes, pornographic and outrageous as they are, many Israelis, probably the majority, are simply so gleeful that they think Israel is doing the right think and that God is standing on the side of Israel in this war and every war.
Some religious Israelis have become so euphoric, thanks to the Gaza blitz, that they think the Messiah’s coming imminent.
Other 'religious' Israeli Jews, including rabbis, readily justify the wanton slaughter by quoting biblical verses justifying genocide.
One Israeli settler leader recently argued during a conversation with a visiting American peace activist that 'if it was right to commit genocide during Biblical time, why can’t it be right to commit genocide now . Has God changed his mind,' the settler wondered sarcastically."
Me: no comment required.
Speaking of Zionist animals, more details are emerging about the massacre of 60 to 70 members of the extended al Samouni clan (my emphasis in red):
"Concerns had been growing that Zeitoun had witnessed massive civilian casualties after surviving members of the Samouni clan reached Gaza City three days ago.
They said that after the Israeli army first took the town on Saturday night soldiers had ordered about 100 members of the clan to gather in a single house owned by Wael Samouni around dawn on Sunday.
At 6.35am on Monday the house was repeatedly shelled with appalling loss of civilian life."
It pays to be 'chosen'
The nice Jewish ladies in Toronto were released without charges. Had they been Muslims, they would have been labeled 'terrorists' and jailed indefinitely without proper access to a lawyer or to the case against them.
Lull breakers
Two graphs from an article by Nancy Kanwisher, Johannes Haushofer and Anat Biletzki in the Huffington Post lead you to an unmistakable conclusion (my emphasis in red):
". . . a systematic pattern does exist: it is overwhelmingly Israel, not Palestine, that kills first following a lull. Indeed, it is virtually always Israel that kills first after a lull lasting more than a week.
The lessons from these data are clear:
First, Hamas can indeed control the rockets, when it is in their interest. The data shows that ceasefires can work, reducing the violence to nearly zero for months at a time.
Second, if Israel wants to reduce rocket fire from Gaza, it should cherish and preserve the peace when it starts to break out, not be the first to kill."
Of course, Israel always arranges things to provide an excuse for its genocidal violence. The current holocaust was set up by Israel breaking a lull to encourage the rockets so Israel would have an excuse to start slaughtering. The attack on Lebanon was started by sending some Israeli soldiers on a suicide mission. It is always the same sort of trick. The Jews are always the victims, and everything they do, no matter how vile, is always justified.
Jewish Protesters Stage Sit-In at Israeli Consulate
From Toronto: "Jewish Protesters Stage Sit-In at Israeli Consulate". The police are arresting the protesters. From Reuters:
"The Canadian government blamed the Palestinian militant group Hamas for the deaths of more than 40 civilians who were killed by Israeli shells on Tuesday in some of the most hard-line comments by any leading western nation on the deadly incident.
Medical officials in Gaza said the civilians had been sheltering at a United Nations school. The Israeli army accused Hamas of using the civilians as human shields and of firing mortars at its troops from inside the school.
'Hamas bears a terrible responsibility for this and for the wider deepening humanitarian tragedy,' Canadian Junior Foreign Minister Peter Kent told Reuters when asked for Ottawa's reaction to the attack.
'The burden of responsibility is on Hamas to stop its terrorist rocketing of Israel.'"
The only problem was finding the hole in the back of Peter Kent's pants so the Jews could get their hand up his ass to move his lips. Before he was a politician, Kent was a 'journalist', working for the Jewish Billionaires, so I guess he's used to it.
The Jewish circle of death
The 'progressives' who coddle the Jews have a lot to answer for (perhaps explaining why so many are choosing to pretend that nothing is happening in Gaza). By calling anybody who dared criticize Zionism an anti-Semite, they have allowed the Israeli national mental illness of extremist racist supremacism to progress untreated, leading directly to the unbelievable escalation we are seeing now. The irony is that a little truth earlier on might have knocked some sense into World Jewry. The real 'anti-Semites' are those 'progressives' who allowed their addiction to power and their wanting to appear to be holier-than-thou to cover up the fact of the real evil driving World Jewry, evil which has led directly to the current slaughter, and will lead eventually to the destruction of the State of Israel.
What are Israel and its enablers responsible for? Cluster bombs (of course). White phosphorus. Attacking a building identified to the Israelis as a press center. Shelling a UN school to which civilians had been sent for refuge, killing mostly children (the streets ran with blood, causing the Jews to dream of matzos), again identified to the Israelis (Israeli tank gunners used HEAT rounds for maximum civilian kill). The use of Palestinian civilians as human shields. Intentionally targeting civilians using weapons which leave cancer-causing debris. Destroying entire apartment buildings containing civilians (of course, David Frum would claim that all these pictures of dead people are fake). We can't forget the 'diet' that the Palestinians have been on, nor the fact that Israel has an obligation under international law to look after these people. The Israelis can do all these things so easily as Jewish supremacists don't see gentiles as human beings.
All of this is being watched by Jews on lawn chairs, sipping Pepsi, as a sort of ghoulish spectator sport, from the area where the Palestinian (?) rockets are falling, the rockets that were the Israeli rationale for the slaughter in the first place. Now we'll see some sort of ceasefire, and will just have to wait until the Jewish supremacist bloodlust rears its head again, so we can witness the next holocaust. This will keep happening until the Jewish supremacist state is wiped off the face of the earth.
The Good Jew
The lite Zionists continue to breathlessly report on the status of the debate within the 'community', as if anybody could give a rat's ass. Somebody writes something crazy - well, crazy in the sense that it exactly reflects Israeli national policy - like 'let's kill them all', and somebody else responds by stating that the Jews are moral - unlike everybody else - and probably should kill a little more slowly. Whatever.
But what about all the prominent Jews in the world of entertainment, the arts, and general celebrity? They are not exactly shy about expressing their opinions on anything else. What do they think about the Israeli genocide of the Palestinians? Which prominent Jewish American 'liberal' has come out with a comment that genocide might just perhaps be wrong?
Just one. The Good Jew. The only Good Jew. Roseanne Barr (her blog):
"starting with Rahm Emmanuel
remove israel's influence from american government! Their occupation of and brutality against their neighbors is the real reason we were attacked on 9-11!
Israelis must dismantle their war state and make peace or die.
Israeli soldiers must resist the urge to follow their nazi leaders blindly and refuse to 'obey orders' to kill UNARMED STARVING CHILDREN in Gaza. the UN must step in and must investigate Israel!"
"i told my friend don't go!
I said Israel will attack any boat carrying doctors and medical supplies - they have turned away the red cross already and all medical and food assistance. Israel is a NAZI state. The Jewish Soul is being tortured in Israel. The destruction of the jews in Israel has been assured with this inhuman attack on civilians in gaza. Hamas is the street gang - this is equivilent to los angeles attacking and launching war on the people of watts to attempt to kill the bloods and the crips."
Of course, she's taking hell for it.
We have them now
From kei and yuri in the comments:
"What we have heard from local and national American news is worse than usual, that is, they are literally reading IOF press releases as if it were news and quoting without attribution as though that was the way things are."
The politicians and almost all the media are reciting the same Israeli propaganda, word for word, and it obviously has no connection to reality (with Obama, it looks more and more like you can has cheezburger, but that's about it; if you miss the reference, see here and here). This is actually a good thing, as almost anybody can understand exactly what is going on, the same thing that always is going on, but not so ridiculously obvious. A number of people have noted the gross disparity between public opinion, as shown in polls and demonstrations, and the official position taken by the media and politicians. You should not have any doubts that we live in a world of conspiracies, and World Jewry is amongst the most active conspirators.
As I've said before, we all have a native understanding of the horrible injustice of what is being done to the Palestinians, which forms such a stark contrast with the official story. It goes beyond the ludicrousness of hearing all media figures and politicians recite the same nonsense. We understand that if a conspiracy can be so big and so awful - putting people in cages, half starving them to death, dropping bombs on them, and then blaming the dead people for what has happened to them! - that the same thing could happen to any of us. When we protest what is being done to the Palestinians, we are not just asserting our sense of morality (morality is, by its nature, anti-supremacist), we are also reflecting a realization that we could just as easily be the next Palestinians. The lies are so awful, and the disconnect with reality so huge, that we should all be terrified of the Jews and their power (which may be exerted in places you might not expect). It doesn't help that people like Frum and Rubin, and this monster from Israel, have such a tin ear about normal human morality that they appear to be people-eating space aliens rather than human beings.
As with Lebanon, the Jews forgot about the internet. We've worked around official pronouncements, which are all the Jews control (and I never expect anybody to dare complain about my saying 'Jew-controlled media' again!), treating the mainstream as a virus, and heading for truth. There is quite a bit of truth out there, stuff that looks even better in the light of the mainstream media truth crisis. The craziness of it all even has people like Juan Cole linking to the Truth will set you Free (I guess Cole has really given up on Yale; I can't wait for him to link to Judicial-Inc.). If all the acceptable sources are spouting nothing but obvious lies, you have to take the truth where you can find it.
Western politicians and media have never been so out of line with the facts and simple human decency. The reason they are so bent is that they have been bought by the Jews, and the reason the Jews are so bent is that they are extremist racist supremacists. We need to stop Israel and World Jewry from doing this again by:
Putting an end to Israel by changing international law to recognize that habitual state offenders have to be stopped, and the only way to stop them is to treat them as international outlaws (this isn't collective punishment as our intention isn't to punish the residents of Israel for what they have done, but to stop the state from reoffending, something we are certain will happen); and
Retaking control of our politics and media, which has never been so far from representing our interests and belief-system (not to mention their gross dereliction of duty in the world of finance), by rejecting this entire set of bought politicians and boycotting the entire mainstream media and entertainment industry.
We have them now. They've finally gone too far.
In order to have working comments I've switched to a completely new template. The comments line now pops up without having to jump on it before it disappears, but I haven't yet figured out how to retrieve the old comments. Anyway, the new template is cleaner, and looks a lot better on Firefox. I'm now trying to contact JS-Kit to see where the old comments are hidden. If you click on 'Comments', a 'Leave a comment' line appears, which, when clicked on, leads to the comment box. Still no spellcheck.
I don't know what happened to the comments. It wasn't something I did. Haloscan's operations were taken over by an outfit called JS-Kit, which basically told me that all Haloscan systems were going to be replaced by JS-Kit systems, so I might as well switch over now voluntarily, rather than wait and be forcibly changed. I'm hoping that the loss of comments is a temporary glitch, and not more Zionist thought control. (Oddly, the comments seem to be entering the JS-Kit system - I get emails of each of them - but not posted to Blogger, so maybe its the Zionists who own Blogger who are to blame.)
Self-righteousness
'traducteur' in the comments refers to this excellent piece (or here) by Ilan Pappé. Note the huge difference between a true anti-Zionist and any of the innumerable lite Zionists who appear to be trying to help (my emphasis in red):
"It is crucial to explore the ideological origins of this attitude and derive the necessary political conclusions form its prevalence. This righteous fury shields the society and politicians in Israel from any external rebuke or criticism. But far worse, it is translated always into destructive policies against the Palestinians. With no internal mechanism of criticism and no external pressure, every Palestinian becomes a potential target of this fury. Given the firepower of the Jewish state it can inevitably only end in more massive killings, massacres and ethnic cleansing.
The self-righteousness is a powerful act of self-denial and justification. It explains why the Israeli Jewish society would not be moved by words of wisdom, logical persuasion or diplomatic dialogue. And if one does not want to endorse violence as the means of opposing it, there is only one way forward: challenging head-on this righteousness as an evil ideology meant to cover human atrocities. Another name for this ideology is Zionism and an international rebuke for Zionism, not just for particular Israeli policies, is the only way of countering this self-righteousness. We have to try and explain not only to the world, but also to the Israelis themselves, that Zionism is an ideology that endorses ethnic cleansing, occupation and now massive massacres. What is needed now is not just a condemnation of the present massacre but also delegitimization of the ideology that produced that policy and justifies it morally and politically. Let us hope that significant voices in the world will tell the Jewish state that this ideology and the overall conduct of the state are intolerable and unacceptable and as long as they persist, Israel will be boycotted and subject to sanctions."
"It seems that even the most horrendous crimes, such as the genocide in Gaza, are treated as discrete events, unconnected to anything that happened in the past and not associated with any ideology or system. In this new year, we have to try to realign the public opinion to the history of Palestine and to the evils of the Zionist ideology as the best means of both explaining genocidal operations such as the current one in Gaza and as a way of pre-empting worse things to come."
"Despite the predictable accusation of anti-Semitism and what have you, it is time to associate in the public mind the Zionist ideology with the by now familiar historical landmarks of the land: the ethnic cleansing of 1948, the oppression of the Palestinians in Israel during the days of the military rule, the brutal occupation of the West Bank and now the massacre of Gaza. Very much as the Apartheid ideology explained the oppressive policies of the South African government, this ideology - in its most consensual and simplistic variety - allowed all the Israeli governments in the past and the present to dehumanize the Palestinians wherever they are and strive to destroy them. The means altered from period to period, from location to location, as did the narrative covering up these atrocities. But there is a clear pattern that cannot only be discussed in the academic ivory towers, but has to be part of the political discourse on the contemporary reality in Palestine today."
"By connecting the Zionist ideology and the policies of the past with the present atrocities, we will be able to provide a clear and logical explanation for the campaign of boycott, divestment and sanctions. Challenging by nonviolent means a self-righteous ideological state that allows itself, aided by a mute world, to dispossess and destroy the indigenous people of Palestine, is a just and moral cause. It is also an effective way of galvanizing the public opinion not only against the present genocidal policies in Gaza, but hopefully one that would prevent future atrocities. But more importantly than anything else it will puncture the balloon of self-righteous fury that suffocates the Palestinians every times it inflates. It will help end the Western immunity to Israel’s impunity. Without that immunity, one hopes more and more people in Israel will begin to see the real nature of the crimes committed in their name and their fury would be directed against those who trapped them and the Palestinians in this unnecessary cycle of bloodshed and violence."
While this is all good and necessary, I've come to see that it is not enough. The racist supremacists - and this includes the lite Zionists, although they will never understand it - will resist until everybody is dead. Supremacism has made them completely insane, unable to listen to reason or even to understand their own self-interest. Both Lebanon and now Gaza has proven that, beyond a shadow of a doubt. The boycotts and sanctions won't stop the Israelis and their enablers. The problem won't be gone until Israel is gone.
Another prediction
The international community, which until now has done nothing but parrot talking points supplied by the Israelis, will suddenly grow a conscience just in time to prevent Israel from having to invade Gaza, something the Israelis don't really want to do (they fear Hamas capturing Israeli soldiers). As a result of the Zionist slaughter, Hamas will end up stronger (which was probably the Israeli plan). Your tax dollars will then be employed to begin to pay for the damage caused by World Jewry. As nothing will be done to put an end to Israel (just as nothing was done after the outrages committed against Lebanon), the Israelis will be free to commit another outrage (and another, and another, and another . . .) as soon as the dust clears from this one.
I don't know where to start
So much to write about, I don't know where to start. I'll clean up a few links by going meta, meta-analysis being the last refuge of scoundrel bloggers:
Have you noticed how many self-styled 'progressive' bloggers are pretending that Gaza isn't happening? It doesn't fit their view of the world, so they are choosing to ignore it.
Meanwhile, the circle jerks are up to the usual, tabulating a list of the Jews who are right about the issue (because of Jewish innate morality), against a list of those who are wrong. Hopeless.
Note how Philip Weiss' definition of Zionism turns on a reaction to anti-Semitism, and not on typical 19th century ethnic nationalism. This huge mistake is the defining one of lite Zionism. The Jews are victims, at most subject to making tactical errors which are understandable given the great injustices to which they are always subject. It is because the lite Zionists will never get out of their intellectual straight-jacket that they are much worse than useless. Note how easily Blankfort, a real anti-Zionist, gets it, effortlessly putting Zionism within the context of European colonialism.
I've called the defining Jewish characteristic - a racist notion, to be sure - a lack of grace. Note David Frum and Barry Rubin. They are intellectually and emotionally incapable of understanding that they sound like monsters. The same problem infects the entire Israeli leadership, who simply cannot understand that there is no amount of propaganda from the lying Jew-controlled media and the lying Jew-owned Western politicians that will make bombing civilians in a cage look good. Everybody has a native, instinctive understanding of this except the Jews, who wonder what is wrong with crushing cockroaches. We got it when they bombed the civilians of Beirut, and we get it while they bomb the civilians of Gaza. They will never be able to understand how easily we get it, which is why they are doomed to fail.
To give a hint of how bad Jewish control is - and we simply can't emphasize it enough, particularly as those strangely silent 'progressives' define 'anti-Semitism' as pointing it out - note the caution from the Angry Arab. It is a fact that Americans kind enough to want to donate to alleviate Palestinian suffering face a very real risk of spending the rest of their lives in jail as supporters of 'terrorism'.
More on the spin numbers: the reason the Israelis can bomb apartment buildings, mosques, schools, government buildings, busy city streets and university buildings and only kill 'terrorists' is partly because all Palestinian men are defined as terrorists (more analysis here, proving the UN, except for the brave Richard Falk, is also scared of the Jews). Remember the outrage when certain Islamists claimed that all Israelis were fair targets because they all have served, or will serve, in the IDF?
Righteous comment on the inability of the Huffington Post to publish Mustafa Barghouthi's excellent analysis (also here and here, in case Jewish pressure forces them to remove it) without falling all over itself with qualifications. I look forward to reading their qualifications the next time they publish something from a Zionist.
'stevieb' wrote in the comments:
"I wonder how those 6 holocaust flicks released this month are making out at the box office..."
Six Christmas Holocaust movies, with no chance of any of them making money. Just when the Jews need a little propaganda. Coincidence? Producing a movie is a fairly massive undertaking, and can take a couple of years or more. On the other hand, 'Hollywood' knew there would be a U. S. election in November 2008, knew that George Bush was very unpopular (and that a large part of his unpopularity derived from fighting Wars For The Jews), knew that the Democrat might very well succeed on an America-first platform, and therefore knew that Israel would have to provoke an attack on the Palestinians in late 2008/early 2009 in order to ensure that the new President couldn't end Zionism by enforcing a peace on the Israelis that would preclude Greater Israel. Yet another massive media onslaught - it is the media coverage that is important, as almost nobody will go to see any of these depressing films - reminding everybody what the poor Jews - always the victims, even when they drop bombs on children in cages - are up against is in line with the entire history of Hollywood propagandizing.
Despite bleatings from the 'Hollywood'-controlled press, one of these movies, 'Valkyrie', looks likely to bankrupt one - or even two - of the major, indeed iconic, studios. That's a big price to pay for a little propaganda, and indicates how important World Jewry regards its total control of the message.
The mysterious hold of Zionism over American polit...
Jewish Protesters Stage Sit-In at Israeli Consulat...
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Anti-Semitic attacks in the US have doubled: ADL
morgan winsor
Apr 30, 2019, 11:26 AM ET
PlayMatt Rourke/AP, FILE
WATCH The latest in San Diego synagogue shooting investigation
The Jewish community in the United States experienced near-historic levels of anti-Semitism last year, with attacks against Jews and Jewish institutions doubling in number, according to new data from the Anti-Defamation League.
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The ADL recorded a total of 1,879 anti-Semitic incidents across the country in 2018, the third-highest year on record since the New York-based Jewish organization began tracking such data in the 1970s. Those incidents included cases of assaults, harassment and vandalism.
(MORE: Man who 'rushed' San Diego synagogue shooting suspect away tells his story)
The total number of anti-Semitic incidents recorded last year dipped 5 percent versus 2017. But the number of incidents in 2018 was actually a 99 percent increase versus 2015, according to the ADL.
“We’ve worked hard to push back against anti-Semitism, and succeeded in improving hate crime laws, and yet we continue to experience an alarmingly high number of anti-Semitic acts,” ADL's CEO and national director, Jonathan Greenblatt, said in a statement Tuesday.
Gene J. Puskar/AP
A group gathers outside the Tree of Life Synagogue for a vigil to honor the victims of the attack on a synagogue in California, April 27, 2019, in the Squirrel Hill neighborhood of Pittsburgh, where a gunman had killed 11 people six months earlier.
Last year marked the single deadliest attack on the Jewish community in U.S. history. A gunman shot and killed 11 worshipers at the Tree of Life synagogue in Pittsburgh on Oct. 27. Minutes before carrying out the carnage, the suspect is believed to have posted his intent to commit the massacre on Gab, a social media platform that's popular among white supremacists and the alt-right, investigators said.
The attack was one of 39 reported physical assaults on Jews in 2018, a 105 percent increase over the previous year, according to the ADL.
(MORE: Portraits of the 11 victims of the Pittsburgh synagogue shooting)
“We unfortunately saw this trend continue into 2019 with the tragic shooting at the Chabad synagogue in Poway," Greenblatt said. " It’s clear we must remain vigilant in working to counter the threat of violent anti-Semitism and denounce it in all forms, wherever the source and regardless of the political affiliation of its proponents."
Greg Bull/AP
A woman leaves flowers on a growing memorial across the street from the Chabad of Poway synagogue in Poway, Calif., April 29, 2019, following a shooting.
Anti-Semitic incidents were recorded in all but four U.S. states last year. The states with the highest number tend to be those with the biggest Jewish populations, such as California, New York, New Jersey and Massachusetts, according to the ADL.
Thirteen percent of the total number of anti-Semitic incidents recorded in 2018 were attributable to known extremist groups or individuals inspired by extremist ideology -- the highest level of anti-Semitic incidents with known connections to extremist individuals or groups since 2004, according to the ADL.
"The increased number of anti-Semitic incidents tied to extremist groups is deeply troubling and should be addressed immediately by police and prosecutors," Jack McDevitt, director of the Institute on Race and Justice at Northeastern University, said in a statement Tuesday.
(MORE: Prosecutors mull death penalty for alleged Tree of Life synagogue shooter)
Along with the release of the new data, the ADL made policy recommendations for leaders in government, civil society and tech. The group, for instance, called on Congress to hold additional hearings on the uptick in hate crimes, the rise of extremist groups and proliferation of their propaganda. Moreover, the ADL is urging lawmakers to support -legislation that improves coordinated responses and collects data on domestic terrorism.
“It is incumbent upon our leaders to continue fighting anti-Semitism at every opportunity,” George Selim, a former U.S. Department of Homeland Security official who is now ADL's senior vice president of programs, said in a statement Tuesday. “We will continue to advocate for legislative and other remedies to ensure that there is no place for anti-Semitism in our society.”
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CHARACTER INTERVIEW WITH JOHN CARENEN’S THOMAS O’SHEA
He’d promised Sheriff Payne that he wouldn’t take any more matters into his own hands. So, when on a leisurely morning drive, SEAL-trained Thomas O’Shea sees two girls attacking a boy on a sidewalk, he opts not to intervene. When the boy is later murdered in the local hospital though, all promises are off. What seems at the start to be a simple case of gang activity turns out to be far more. Even O’Shea, who has seen more than his share of evil, could not have guessed what is about to transpire . . .
“Move over, Jack Reacher!” -William Kent Kreuger
Title: The Face on the Other Side
Author: John Carenen
Genre: Mystery/Suspense/Thriller
Series: Thomas O’Shea Mysteries, book #3
On tour with: Great Escapes Book Tours
ABOUT THE CHARACTER
Thomas O’Shea, SEAL-trained private citizen, loses his wife and two teenage daughters, killed by a drunk driver. He moves from Georgia back home to Iowa to seek healing, in private. But he keeps bumping into questionable situations, begins asking questions, and uncovers bad things. And then people try to stop him, without success. He falls in love with Liv Olson, high school English teacher. He befriends an array of quirky characters in the small, northeastern Iowa village of Rockbluff.
Thomas, how did you first meet John?
We met in a bar in Iowa City. He was buying.
Want to dish about him?
Sure, he’s as big softy who likes being my friend and hearing about my adventures.
Tell us about your favorite scene in the book.
That would be when I punch a psychopathic in the mouth.
I love it when that happens. If you could rewrite anything in your book, what would it be?
I’d punch the psychopath more than once.
Tell the truth. What do you think of your fellow characters?
I love ‘em all but won’t tell them. That would be too emotional.
Do you have any secret aspirations that John doesn’t know about?
I’d like to grow prize-winning roses, but don’t tell him that. He’ll think I’ve gone soft.
What’s the worst thing that’s happened in your life?
Drunk driver killing my wife and two girls.
What’s the best trait your author has given you?
A code about honor and making things right.
What do you like best about Lunatic Mooning?
I like best that he has my back.
Least?
I like least that he won’t tell me about his wife, wives, and/or girlfriends. Very private in that area. He’s an Ojibwe Indian, so what else can you expect? Very stoic.
What’s John’s worst habit?
He doesn’t write enough about me.
How do you feel about your life right now?
I’d say I’m at peace and hope that bad things go away in my adopted home town of Rockbluff, Iowa. At this point, I wouldn’t change anything. I trust God.
If your story were a movie, who would play you?
Woody Allen. No! Seriously, I’d have xxxxxxx play me.
Describe the town where you live.
Rockbluff, Iowa is more of a village than anything else. Just a few thousand people in a picturesque place where a lovely river runs through it. Beautiful bluffs and beautiful people, except for the occasional bad ones.
What makes you stand out from any other characters in your genre?
I’d say my twisted, some say dark, sense of humor.
Will you encourage John to write a sequel?
I ordered him to, and he’s well on his way.
John Carenen, a native of Clinton, Iowa, graduated with an M.F.A. in Fiction Writing from the prestigious University of Iowa Writers Workshop and has been writing ever since. His work has appeared numerous times in Reader’s Digest (including a First Person Award), McCall’s, Dynamic Years, and other periodicals. He has been a featured columnist in newspapers in Morganton, North Carolina and Clinton, South Carolina. His fiction has appeared in regional literary magazines. A novel, Son-up, Son-down, was published by the National Institute of Mental Health. He is happily married to (long-suffering) Elisabeth, and they have two grown daughters, Caitlin and Rowe. When he isn’t writing, he thinks about getting in shape, cheers for the Iowa Hawkeyes and Boston Red Sox, and takes frequent naps. He has traveled extensively, having visited 43 states and 23 countries. He is a USAF veteran, having served in the Philippines and Massachusetts. A retired an English professor at Newberry College in Newberry, South Carolina, he is hard at work on another novel.
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Development of the Measurement Tools
Implications for Occupational Therapy Practice
Research Article | November 2012
Development and Validation of Tools for Evaluation of Orthosis Fabrication
Andonia Stefanovich; Camille Williams; Pat McKee; Eric Hagemann; Heather Carnahan
Andonia Stefanovich, MScOT, is Graduate, Department of Occupational Science and Occupational Therapy, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, and Occupational Therapist, N Zaraska and Associates, Toronto, ON
Camille Williams, MHSc, is PhD candidate, Graduate Department of Rehabilitation Science, and Fellow, Wilson Centre for Research in Education, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON
Pat McKee, MSc, OT Reg.(Ont.), OT(C), is Associate Professor, Department of Occupational Science and Occupational Therapy, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON
Eric Hagemann, MSc, is Graduate, Graduate Department of Rehabilitation Science, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON
Heather Carnahan, PhD, is Professor, Department of Occupational Science and Occupational Therapy; Scientist, Wilson Centre for Research in Education, University of Toronto; and Director, Centre for Ambulatory Care Education, Women’s College Hospital, 160-500 University Avenue, Toronto, ON M5G 1V7, Canada; heather.carnahan@gmail.com
Splinting / Education
American Journal of Occupational Therapy, November/December 2012, Vol. 66, 739-746. doi:10.5014/ajot.2012.005553
Andonia Stefanovich, Camille Williams, Pat McKee, Eric Hagemann, Heather Carnahan; Development and Validation of Tools for Evaluation of Orthosis Fabrication. Am J Occup Ther 2012;66(6):739-746. doi: 10.5014/ajot.2012.005553.
© 2019 American Occupational Therapy Association
This study is the first phase of research aimed at developing new educational approaches to enhance occupational therapy students’ orthosis fabrication skills. Before the effectiveness of training can be determined, a method for evaluating performance must be established. Using the Delphi method, we developed a global rating scale and checklist for evaluating technical competence when fabricating metacarpophalangeal (MCP) joint–stabilizing orthoses. To determine the reliability and validity of these tools, three evaluators used them to assess and score orthotic fabrication performance by experienced and student occupational therapists. The results suggest that these measurement tools are valid and reliable indicators of the technical skills involved in fabricating an MCP joint–stabilizing orthosis. Future studies should focus on building on these tools to evaluate communication skills, technical skills for making other types of orthoses, and effectiveness of training programs.
Upper-limb orthoses (splints) made from low-temperature thermoplastics are commonly fabricated by occupational therapists; as such, orthotic education is a standard part of the curriculum in most occupational therapy programs (Clark, 2002). Occupational therapy students are taught this skill through the traditional teaching methods of didactic lecture-based learning, readings, observation, and hands-on practice with fellow students who often have limbs without any pathological deformities. This situation is problematic because occupational therapy students are not given the opportunity to learn and practice the skills required to construct orthoses for people with pathological deformities and because no standard, valid, and reliable measurement tool is available to evaluate students’ technical competence at creating such orthoses. As a result, the performance of new occupational therapists may be subject to a learning curve; the consequences of this learning curve for clients are unclear.
One solution to moving students further along on the learning curve before they deal with real clients is simulation. Lammers (2007, p. 505) defined simulation as “the artificial representation of a situation, environment, or event that provides an experience for the purposes of learning, evaluation, or research.” Simulation training allows students to practice and operationalize new knowledge and transform concepts into practical skills (Lammers, 2007). Simulation training has been used successfully for decades to train professionals in various fields, including dentistry, nursing, aviation, and medicine, and it is becoming an educational standard for teaching technical skills to trainees in these fields. Students learn and practice technical skills on models and simulators to better prepare to perform such skills in the clinical environment. Binstadt et al. (2007) found that several studies have demonstrated improvements in the performance of various technical skills by health care professionals after simulation training. Although several technical skills are taught in occupational therapy curricula, simulation as a training approach to teaching technical skills has not yet been thoroughly explored. However, before the effectiveness of simulation for teaching skills such as orthotic fabrication can be assessed, instruments to evaluate students’ performance must be developed.
Next to providing opportunities for practice, objective feedback is the most crucial variable in facilitating skill learning (Ende, 1983). Thus, developing tools that can be used to provide specific feedback is important. Such structured and objective feedback can be obtained through the use of a checklist, a global rating scale (GRS), or both. Checklists have been said to have the ability to turn examiners into objective observers of behavior rather than interpreters of behavior, thus removing subjectivity from the evaluation process (Regehr, MacRae, Reznick, & Szalay, 1998). If the student or participant performs most, if not all, items on a checklist, performance is then by definition considered good (Regehr et al., 1998). However, the use of checklists has some limitations. According to Regehr et al. (1998), a novice is more likely to use a detailed stepwise approach to performing technical skills, whereas an expert, operating at a more autonomous level, may not follow all the steps but may be more accurate at problem solving. For this reason, when checklists are used as the only outcome measure for objective structured clinical examinations in the field of medicine, differentiation between the scores of novices and experts has been limited. The combined use of a GRS and checklist may help to increase a measurement tool’s psychometric properties. Valid and reliable measures, such as the Objective Structured Assessment of Technical Skill (OSATS; Martin et al., 1997), have used GRSs and checklists together as evaluative tools for technical skills in various areas of medicine.
Currently, no objective, practical, reliable, and valid tool is available to assess the skills involved in creating orthoses, specifically metacarpophalangeal (MCP) joint–stabilizing orthoses for people with volar subluxation and ulnar drift. As a result, no standardized method of evaluating competence for this skill or providing students with objective and specific feedback exists. Moreover, no standard method exists for evaluating the effectiveness of novel educational approaches such as simulation training for the construction of MCP joint–stabilizing orthoses (McKee & Rivard, 2004). Because orthosis fabrication is a technical, psychomotor skill, we believe that students may benefit from the specific and objective feedback provided by a GRS and a checklist.
The purpose of this study was to develop and validate measurement tools to evaluate the technical skills involved in the creation of an MCP joint–stabilizing orthosis. We chose this orthosis because it is less complicated to cut and mold than other commonly encountered orthoses and is also suitable for fabrication on a simulated hand. A Delphi survey with experts in orthotic fabrication was conducted to develop the measurement tools. The Delphi method is a systematic method for gathering and organizing information and opinions from a panel of experts on a complex issue or problem without having the experts meet physically (Vázquez-Ramos, Leahy, & Hernandez, 2007). The Delphi methodology was developed in the 1950s for use in the military but has since been used in many fields, including health professions education (de Villiers, de Villiers, & Kent, 2005; Palarca, Johnson, Mangelsdorff, & Finstuen, 2008). The technique has evolved over time, producing several variations (Crisp, Pelletier, Duffield, Adams, & Nagy, 1997); however, the goal and general process have remained the same: The investigators identify a question or issue and then generate an initial list of items to address the question or issue that is submitted electronically and iteratively to the members of the Delphi panel, who provide their expert opinions. Opinions are then analyzed and refined iteratively through feedback, building consensus by enhancing the individual opinions of experts (de Villiers et al., 2005; Graham, Regehr, & Wright, 2003). The process has the advantage of allowing professionals to participate in an otherwise intensive process by reducing the time and resources required to meet physically. Panelists remain anonymous so that the group process is not unduly influenced by the reputation or opinion of any one panelist (Graham et al., 2003).
Subsequent to development of a GRS and checklist, we conducted validation tests to determine whether the tools were suitable for evaluating occupational therapy trainees learning to fabricate orthoses. We hypothesized that that participants with more experience (practicing occupational therapists) would obtain higher scores than novices (occupational therapy students).
Participants in the item generation phase were required to have at least 1 yr of experience as an occupational or hand therapist but not necessarily experience fabricating MCP joint–stabilizing orthoses. Two therapists were recruited from the University of Toronto community; each therapist had >20 yr of experience in hand therapy. The therapists independently generated items for the GRS and checklist using a photo of an MCP joint–stabilizing orthosis, a sample surgical GRS and checklist as a guide and formatting reference, and their clinical knowledge and expertise. The checklists and GRSs developed by the therapists were then combined to create the initial checklist and GRS items.
For the item evaluation phase of the Delphi process, we prepared a questionnaire that would allow the Delphi panelists to rate the importance of each item on the initial list as an indicator of the technical performance of people creating an MCP joint–stabilizing orthosis. Research has demonstrated that the range for an optimal number of alternatives on a rating scale is between four and seven (Lozano, Garcia-Cueto, & Muniz, 2008), so our questionnaire used 7-point Likert scales (1 = not at all important, 7 = very important) for rating the importance of each item. Inclusion criteria for the Delphi panelists in this phase were similar to those for the item generation phase. Three new therapists from the Toronto Hand Interest Group agreed to participate; these participants had 3–19 yr experience in hand therapy. Each panelist was sent an e-mail with the initial list of items and the questionnaire for rating the importance of the items. A positive consensus was defined as at least two of the three panelists agreeing on an item by assigning it a score of ≥5 on the 7-point Likert scale. Consensus was reached for both measurement tools after this round of the Delphi process, so no further rounds were necessary.
Final consensus yielded a 7-item process-based GRS and a 15-item, task-specific, process- and product-focused checklist. The items on the GRS were respect for tissue, handling of scissors, handling of thermoplastic during heating and molding, flow of orthotic fabrication, knowledge of orthotic fabrication, overall performance, and quality of final product. To enhance ease of use, each item was scored on a 5-point Likert scale with explicit descriptive anchors at 1, 3, and 5, where 1 = lowest level of performance and 5 = ideal performance. For example, the anchors for the handling-of-scissors item were “repeatedly makes tentative or awkward cuts with scissors resulting in very rough edges,” “competent use of scissors but occasionally appeared stiff or awkward or created some rough cuts,” and “fluid movement with scissors resulting in smooth edges.” The total score for the GRS is the sum of the scores for the 7 items for a maximum total score of 35 points.
Two of the 5 process-focused items on the checklist were “appropriate choice of thermoplastic” and “checked temperature of heated thermoplastic before application to model.” Two of the 10 product-focused items were “no restriction of the wrist” and “no redness of the skin indicating pressure points.” On the 15-item checklist, each item was awarded 1 point if it was completed correctly and no points if it was incomplete or incorrect, for a maximum total score of 15 points. (We encourage interested readers to contact Heather Carnahan to obtain complete copies of the final assessment tools.)
Fifteen participants (6 experienced occupational therapists and 9 novices) were recruited to take part in the validation phase of this study. Experienced occupational therapists were defined as those having at least 1 yr work experience in hand therapy or more than 5 yr experience working in an area in which orthotic fabrication was a requirement. Although experience in fabricating orthoses was required, participants did not have specific experience creating an MCP joint–stabilizing orthosis. Therapists’ work experience ranged from 3 yr to 20 yr.
Novices were defined as occupational therapy students who had no previous experience in orthosis construction, including but not limited to fieldwork placement experience, volunteering, and previous job experiences. Novices were recruited from the 1st-year occupational therapy class of the University of Toronto. The institutional Office of Research Ethics approved the tool validation protocol, and all participants provided voluntary informed consent before participating, in accordance with the guidelines set out by the 1964 Declaration of Helsinki (World Medical Organization, 1996) and the institutional research ethics board.
All data collection took place in the orthotics laboratory of the institutional Rehabilitation Sciences building. We adapted the fabrication process for the MCP joint–stabilizing orthosis so that the strapping component was excluded to reduce the time commitment involved and to simplify the design such that participants at all levels of training could be included. Participants viewed a previously created training video demonstrating the fabrication of an MCP joint–stabilizing orthosis, which is used as part of orthosis fabrication education in the institution’s occupational therapy curriculum. Participants were videotaped while creating the orthosis on a live nonpathological human hand using 2.4-mm-thick Aquaplast® Thermoplastic (Sammons Preston Canada Inc., Mississauga, ON). Videotaped performances captured only the participants’ hands and arms, not the head or face, to ensure that participants were not identifiable.
Three raters, blinded to the participants’ level of experience, watched the videotapes, examined the final orthoses (Figure 1), and used the GRS and checklist to assess the participants’ technical skills with respect to the fabrication process and the final product. The raters had different levels of experience with hand therapy and orthosis fabrication. The rater group consisted of (1) a certified hand therapist with 23 yr experience in hand therapy and who was involved in continuing education, (2) a licensed occupational therapist, and (3) an informed nonclinician (graduate student in rehabilitation science) familiar with the task of creating orthoses through research in the area of education and clinical skills. All raters were instructed to review the measurement tools and view the training video.
Pictures of metacarpophalangeal joint–stabilizing orthoses created by (A) an experienced occupational therapist and (B) a novice occupational therapy student.
Full Size | Slide (.ppt)
Interrater reliability is an important psychometric property that refers to the consistency of measurements between independent raters (Zeller, 1990). It ensures that different raters can use the tool to evaluate learners and obtain consistent or similar results. We examined interrater reliability for each tool by comparing scores from each rater for the same performances using single-measures intraclass correlation coefficients (ICCs) with a 95% confidence interval (CI). The two-way random effects model with both absolute agreement and consistency methods was used. The absolute agreement method determines whether the raters assigned similar scores (absolute values) for similar performances, and the consistency method determines whether the raters’ scores followed similar trends for the performances even if the absolute scores were not the same. For the type of assessment for which these tools will be used (formative or summative classroom-type assessment), acceptable reliability has been suggested to be ≥.70 (Downing, 2004).
Construct validity is the tool’s ability to measure the construct that is intended—in this case, skill in creating an MCP joint–stabilizing orthosis—and can be inferred if the assessment is able to discriminate between distinct levels of skill or expertise (Thorndike, 1990). We assessed the construct validity of the GRS and checklist by comparing the scores from each rater for novice (n = 9) and experienced (n = 6) therapists. Comparisons were made using a mixed-model analysis of variance with rater (hand therapist, licensed occupational therapist, informed nonclinician) as a within-subject variable and group (novices, experienced therapists) as a between-subjects variable. Post hoc pairwise comparisons between raters were analyzed using Bonferroni adjustments as calculated by SPSS Version 17.0 (SPSS Inc., Chicago). Briefly, the adjustment controls the familywise error by correcting the level of significance to α divided by the number of pairwise comparisons (.05/3 = .016 for this study). Statistical results were considered significant at p < .05. To help determine the importance of group main effects, Pearson’s correlation coefficient r effect sizes were calculated using the formula
Grahic Jump Location
where F(1, dfR) is the F ratio of the effect and dfR is the residual or error degrees of freedom. Effect sizes were considered small, medium, and large at .10, .30, and .50, respectively (Cohen, 1988, 1992, as cited in Field, 2009, p. 57). Analyses were done using SPSS Version 17.0.
We conducted a reliability analysis using scores for experienced therapists and novices from three different raters. As seen in Table 1, the ICC values indicated that there was moderate agreement and consistency between raters for each measurement tool. Overlap between CIs also suggests that no significant differences were found in agreement or consistency between the measurement tools. Interestingly, ICC values for both consistency and agreement increased when all scores (global rating and checklist scores) were used to compute the ICC. Because these ICC values were very close to the threshold for acceptable correlation (moderate) and the lower bound of the CIs fell below the level of acceptable correlation, we did not average scores across raters when evaluating construct validity.
Interrater Reliability of Three Raters Using a GRS and Checklist to Assess Videotaped Performances and Final Products of Orthosis Fabrication
Interrater Reliability of Three Raters Using a GRS and Checklist to Assess Videotaped Performances and Final Products of Orthosis Fabrication×
Absolute Agreement Method
Consistency Method
Scores ICCa 95% CIb ICCa 95% CIb
GRS .76 [0.53, 0.90] .79 [0.58, 0.92]
Checklist .79 [0.59, 0.92] .79 [0.58, 0.92]
GRS and Checklist .88 [0.79, 0.94] .88 [0.79, 0.94]
Table Footer NoteNote. CI = confidence interval; GRS = global rating scale; ICC = intraclass correlation coefficient.
Note. CI = confidence interval; GRS = global rating scale; ICC = intraclass correlation coefficient.×
Table Footer NoteaSingle-measure ICC based on three raters. b95% CI for estimate of ICC.
Single-measure ICC based on three raters. b95% CI for estimate of ICC.×
Analysis of the GRS scores indicated no main effect of rater, F(2, 26) = 0.83, p = .45, but a main effect of group, F(1, 13) = 16.13, p = .001, r = .74 (see Figure 2). On average, the experienced therapists were rated significantly higher (mean [M] = 26.1, standard error of the mean [SEM] = 1.9) than the novices (M = 16.3, SEM = 1.5). No significant interaction was found between rater and group for the GRS scores.
Mean global rating scale scores (with standard error bars) for experienced therapists and novices, showing higher scores for experienced therapists than for novices.
Analysis of the checklist scores indicated a main effect of rater, F(2, 26) = 5.03, p = .014 (Figure 3), and post hoc pairwise comparisons revealed that ratings of the hand therapist were significantly lower (M = 9.5, SEM = 0.9) than those of the licensed occupational therapist (M = 11.1, SEM = 0.5). We also found a main effect of group, F(1, 13) = 11.88, p = .004, r = .69, in which the experienced therapists received higher scores (M = 12.8, SEM = 1.0) than the novices (M = 8.4, SEM = 0.8). No significant interaction was found between rater and group for the checklist scores.
Mean checklist scores (with standard error bars) for experienced therapists and novices, showing higher scores for experienced therapists than for novices and lower scores given by the certified hand therapist than by the licensed occupational therapist.
With the increasing workload of occupational therapy students and educators, it is important that educational programs use efficient strategies to teach and evaluate technical skills. However, to demonstrate the effectiveness of new pedagogical approaches, evaluative measurement tools are required. A measurement tool is useful to students, educators, and researchers as a measure of competence or educational effectiveness only if it measures what it claims to measure (i.e., has construct validity) and if the results are consistent across time and raters (i.e., the measure is reliable). The degree of consistency or agreement among different evaluators for a particular measurement tool is a measure of interrater reliability (Portney & Watkins, 1999; Zeller, 1990). A high level of interrater reliability is an important characteristic of a measurement tool because it ensures consistent evaluation by different evaluators, thus revealing variability in skill level rather than variability among evaluators. Both the GRS and the checklist developed for the evaluation of fabrication of MCP joint–stabilizing orthoses showed acceptable levels of interrater reliability among three evaluators with varying levels of experience with the evaluated skill. Thus, one can infer that the variability in participants’ scores is the result of variability in skill level and was only minimally affected by the different evaluators.
Although the three evaluators’ scores were moderately correlated, analyses conducted to evaluate construct validity indicated that when using the checklist, the certified hand therapist gave significantly lower scores than the licensed occupational therapist. This finding is interesting because both of these evaluators were occupational therapists who had received additional training in orthosis fabrication. The finding is important because it suggests that the evaluators’ expertise may influence the scores given, particularly for the checklist, and ensuring that all evaluators have similar levels of experience may be necessary. Further studies are required to standardize the scores appropriate for levels of experience and so determine whether the certified hand therapist was overly critical in her marking or whether the occupational therapist and informed nonclinician were too lenient in their marking.
It is interesting that no significant difference was found between the scores given by the licensed occupational therapist and the informed nonclinician for either measurement tool. Moorthy, Munz, Sarker, and Darzi (2003) identified one of the drawbacks to using a checklist and GRS to assess surgical procedures as the requirement that an experienced surgeon must take time from surgical practice to observe and score the trainees’ performances. Recruiting a certified hand therapist or even a licensed occupational therapist for evaluation of trainees may be difficult and expensive. Recruiting licensed occupational therapists who have not necessarily specialized in hand therapy or training nonclinicians to evaluate students may help to make these tools more accessible and practical to use. Further studies examining the interrater reliability among several licensed occupational therapists, other certified hand therapists, and trained nonclinicians would be beneficial to confirm these findings.
Evidence of construct validity in surgery is generally found in the measurement tool’s ability to differentiate between novice and experienced surgeons on the performance of a given task (Vassiliou et al., 2005). This same method of validation was applied to the GRS and checklist. Both were found to be valid indicators of the skills involved in creating this specific orthosis. That is, they were able to differentiate between novices and experienced therapists by showing a significant difference in scores between these groups for each evaluator’s scores. Therefore, we believe that these tools accurately measure skill level in creating MCP joint–stabilizing orthoses.
Global ratings and checklists are currently being used to complement each other when measuring technical skills in the field of medicine. The surgically based OSATS is one such tool, comprising a procedure-specific checklist and GRS consisting of more generic components mapped onto a Likert scale (Moorthy et al., 2003; Vassiliou et al., 2005). The measurement tools developed in this study likewise consist of a procedure- and product-specific checklist and a more generic process-oriented GRS. Regehr et al. (1998), as well as Vassiliou et al. (2005), have found that checklists did not improve the reliability or validity of the measurement when both were used and suggested that the GRS is “the more appropriate marking technique and extensive task-specific checklists are not necessary” (Regehr et al., 1998, p. 996).
Moreover, we believe that GRS has at least two advantages over the checklist. First, because the GRS is not specific to a particular type of orthosis, validating its use for evaluating fabrication of other orthoses will be more convenient. Second, the nature of the GRS lends itself to providing more detailed and critical feedback to trainees who would like to know the areas in which they can focus efforts for improvement. It is interesting, however, that our results do not fully support the idea that the GRS should be used by itself because the agreement and consistency between raters (as measured by ICC values) increased when scores from both the GRS and the checklist were used (see Table 1). These differing conclusions may be the result of features of the checklists used (e.g., length), this particular technical skill, or the validation process used.
We acknowledge that although our results have shown that the GRS and checklist we developed demonstrate interrater reliability and construct validity, further studies are needed to evaluate other psychometric properties, such as test–retest reliability, intrarater reliability, and responsiveness. Earlier, we discussed validity as a property of the measurement tool. However, other researchers have suggested that a more practical and useful approach is to consider validity as a property of the application of measurement tools, that is, the testing environment (Hodges, 2003; Howley, 2004), because validity is contextual and may vary with features of the test environment, such as fidelity of the hand, communication with the client, or completeness of the task being evaluated. As such, further studies are needed to validate the tools in other contexts.
We also believe that future tests should build on these tools to develop evaluations for fabrication of other types of orthoses and to incorporate assessment of communication skills (e.g., LeBlanc et al., 2009) and evaluate novel educational methods in occupational therapy, such as simulation. Uses for evaluating simulation methods may involve evaluating the educational usefulness of both nonpathological and arthritic model hands for training in technical skills of orthosis fabrication. If simulation training proves to be a safe, efficient, and effective method of training people in the fabrication of orthoses, we hope that this educational method will be adopted by occupational therapy educators in teaching other technical skills.
In summary, we have demonstrated a method for developing a checklist and GRS for evaluating orthotic fabrication skills that demonstrate both interrater reliability and construct validity. We believe that these measurement tools will help to address the need for objective, valid, and reliable measures to evaluate students’ performance and skill level and to explore and evaluate various educational methods. Results suggest that although a certified hand therapist may be more critical than a licensed occupational therapist in evaluating students, training nonclinicians to perform these assessments may be possible, which may save time and money for occupational therapy departments. Nonetheless, the GRS and checklist are practical for evaluating students and providing them with feedback on their technical skills as well as for providing researchers and educators with information regarding the effectiveness of educational interventions.
The results of this study have the following implications for occupational therapy practice:
The Delphi method can be used to develop valid and reliable measurement tools for orthosis fabrication skills in an occupational therapy curriculum.
Validated measurement tools—a GRS and a checklist—now exist that can be used to evaluate trainees’ technical skills when fabricating MCP joint–stabilizing orthoses (contact Heather Carnahan for copies). The measurement tools can be used or adapted for research evaluating the effectiveness of training interventions for orthosis fabrication, such as simulation of pathologically deformed limbs.
We thank Sammons Preston Canada Inc. for donating the thermoplastic material used in this study as well as Marie Eason-Klatt from St. Joseph’s Health Centre in Toronto and two anonymous Delphi panelists for their expert advice during the Delphi process. This research was funded by an award from the University of Toronto Educational Development Fund awarded to Heather Carnahan and Pat McKee as well as the BMO Financial Chair in Health Professions Education Research awarded to Heather Carnahan. The work described in this article was presented at the 2008 Thelma Cardwell Research Day at the University of Toronto.
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Using Model Hands for Learning Orthotic Fabrication
American Journal of Occupational Therapy, January/February 2014, Vol. 68, 86-94. doi:10.5014/ajot.2014.009001
Cross-Cultural Occupational Therapy: A Critical Reflection
Enhanced Task-Oriented Training in a Person With Dementia With Lewy Bodies
American Journal of Occupational Therapy, September/October 2013, Vol. 67, 556-563. doi:10.5014/ajot.2013.008227
DVD Training for Depression Identification and Treatment in Older Adults: A Two-Group, Randomized, Wait-List Control Study
Effect of a DVD Intervention on Therapists’ Mental Health Practices With Older Adults
American Journal of Occupational Therapy, May/June 2011, Vol. 65, 297-305. doi:10.5014/ajot.2011.001354
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Who is Matt Whitaker, the man stepping into Jeff Sessions’ role?
Iowa Republican senatorial candidate, former U.S. Attorney Matt Whitaker, looks on before a live televised debate at KCCI-TV studios, Thursday, May 29, 2014, in Des Moines, Iowa. (AP Photo/Charlie Neibergall)
Updated November 7, 2018 at 5:55 PM
After U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions was forced out of office by President Trump, Matthew Whitaker, Sessions’ former Chief of Staff, has been appointed to temporarily replace his boss as acting Attorney General.
Whitaker, a former U.S. Attorney for Iowa’s Southern District under President Bush, a former college football player, and a frequent commentator on CNN, may also assume control over the Mueller investigation into alleged Russian interference in the 2016 presidential elections.
When asked about the matter, the Department of Justice said Whitaker would be “in charge of all matters under the purview of the Department of Justice.”
The Justice Department did not announce a departure for Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein, who appointed Mueller more than a year and a half ago and has closely overseen his work since then.
Whitaker has been vocal in his criticisms about the investigation and, at times, has said Mueller has taken the probe too far. Since he has shared many of his opinions on the matter on his Twitter account, @MattWhitaker46, we have included some relevant tweets here:
US Attorney General Jeff Sessions forced out
Following over a year of public insults from President Trump, Attorney General Jeff Sessions submitted his resignation Wednesday afternoon. Sessions’ chief of staff Matt Whitaker will become acting attorney general until the Senate confirms a new nominee.
More than 600,000 poorest Americans could get health care following 2018 midterm results »
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An Adventurous Mix: The Soundtrack
Amid the film’s ravishing, interactive visuals, America Wild: National Parks Adventure rocks out to a soundtrack of popular songs as diverse as the parks themselves—from iconic rock classics to climbing-the-charts hits. As soon as he began assembling the film, director Greg MacGillivray had an inkling that the instant effervescent joy of pop songs was the right sound for this family quest into the wonders of the wild. But to pull off this new sonic approach, he turned to the composer who has been creating soulful, award-winning scores for MacGillivray Freeman films throughout its history: Steve Wood.
For Wood it was a different way of working, but he says that the songs in the film were chosen for one reason: “This film is a celebration and the music throughout brings that celebratory feel.”
He continues: “The national parks are the places we go to rekindle our spirits—so the soundtrack is also aimed at lifting the spirit. The idea was ‘let’s make this a fun movie.’ It’s designed to give families a joyful experience of what it’s like to get out there and explore. It really fits in with Greg’s philosophy that if you let people fall in love with wild places, they will naturally protect them.”
The songs include both Bruce Springsteen and Little Feat performing perhaps the most famous American pop tune of all: Woody Guthrie’s folk ode to the American spirit, “This Land Is Your Land.” Another song is Jeff Buckley’s version of Leonard Cohen’s rock hymn “Hallelujah” which adds to the hush of cast member Rachel Pohl’s adventure in the ice caves of Pictured Rocks National Seashore. The songs range from Mungo Jerry’s instantly recognizable “In The Summertime” to alternative Aussie rocker Scott Matthew’s cover of John Denver’s “Annie’s Song” and to new music from rising British star James Bay (“Hold Back The River”), singer-songwriter Andy Grammer (“Back Home”), tropical-influenced band Vacationer (“The Wild Life”), award-winning folk rockers The Lumineers (“Flowers In Your Hair”), popular crooner Jason Mraz (“Back To The Earth” and alternative country singer Brandi Carlile (“Wherever Your Heart Is.”)
Songs From the Film
“This Land Is Your Land” Performed by Bruce Springsteen
“Back to the Earth” Performed by Jason Mraz
“Annie’s Song” Performed by Scott Matthew
“Hallelujah” Performed by Jeff Buckley
“In The Summertime” Performed by Mungo Jerry
“Back Home” Performed by Andy Grammer
“Hold Back The River” Performed by James Bay
“Flowers In Your Hair” Performed by Lumineers
“Wherever is Your Heart” Performed by Brandi Carlile
Wood says his own musical connections to wilderness are complex and could be expressed in myriad musical forms but he is always eager to try new creative approaches with MacGillivray. “Greg has an extraordinary vision of the positive side of life and that’s why we’ve resonated together all these years,” he says. “With this film, he really wanted there to be a light, buoyant feeling and an appeal to audiences of all backgrounds and ages.”
Like so many involved with the film, Wood has his own treasured national park memories. “My first park trip was to the Grand Canyon at 8 years old,” he recalls. “I grew up in a beach-going California family, so I very strongly remember that as the very first time I saw snow and even an icicle. It was one of those experiences when you realize there’s a lot more to life than what you expected and its something I’ve always carried with me.”
[The soundtrack] really fits in with Greg’s philosophy that if you let people fall in love with wild places, they will naturally protect them.
Steve Woodcomposer
As Wood finalized the soundtrack, writer Stephen Judson and editors Mark Fletcher and Jason Paul were assembling the masses of footage—a huge undertaking. “Weaving together disparate story threads is often a challenge. Early on in the editing, we always try to figure it out logically, and that never quite works,” reflects Judson. “At a certain point in editing a movie, you have to accept the limitations of the footage and embrace the strengths. That’s when things really start to flow. At first glance, it might seem that our trio of intrepid climbers is at odds with the historical roots of the national parks. But they’re really not. They’re simply a 21st century outgrowth of those roots.”
Meet Max Lowe
National Parks film shot with 15 perf 65mm 3D IMAX cameras
Art in the Parks
Coming to IMAX® and Giant Screen Theatres February 2016
Filming America's Wildest Places
Narrator Robert Redford
California Giants & Florida Triumphs: Redwoods & Everglades
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Home > Vol 31, No 1 (2019) > Appleby
Speaking the same language: Navigating information-sharing in the youth justice sphere
Joanna Appleby, Dr Matthew Shepherd, Dr Barbara Staniforth
Introduction: Qualitative research was undertaken to explore professionals’ experiences of cross-sector information-sharing about the mental health needs of young people in youth justice residences in Aotearoa New Zealand.
Methods: Eight focus groups (N = 36) were conducted across Aotearoa New Zealand. Half of these were with case leaders from each of the four Oranga Tamariki – Ministry for Children – youth justice residences. The other half were with youth forensic service (YFS) clinicians who provide mental health services in each youth justice residence.
Findings: The findings showed positive cross-sector relationships, despite a lack of policy around information-sharing in this context. Themes from case leaders included the practicalities of the residential environment (including restriction on young people’s freedoms and managing group safety), and case leaders’ brokerage role between competing theoretical frameworks in residence. Themes from YFS clinicians included the importance of cross-sector information-sharing for the assessment and discharge phases of mental health input. Overall themes included the impact of relationships on information-sharing, and the importance of including residential care team staff within information-sharing practices. A proposed model of information-sharing in this context has been developed.
Conclusions: Effective information-sharing in youth justice residences is imperative to ensure that young people receive appropriate mental health input in residences, and that residence staff are supported to provide the best care for these young people. Social work has an important role within information-sharing practices with use of systems theory, translation of clinical jargon, and advocacy for the needs of young people involved in multiple systems.
Information-sharing; communication; interagency; youth justice residences; youth forensic
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Gask, L. (2005). Overt and covert barriers to the integration of primary and specialist mental health care. Social Science & Medicine, 61, 1785–1794.
Gil-Garcia, J. R., & Sayogo, D. S. (2016). Government inter-organisational information sharing initiatives: Understanding the main determinants of success. Government Information Quarterly, 33, 572–582.
Haight, W. L., Bidwell, L. N., Marshall, J. M., & Khatiwoda, P. (2014). Implementing the crossover youth practice model in diverse contexts: Child welfare and juvenile justice professionals’ experiences of multisystem collaborations. Children and Youth Services Review, 39, 91–100.
Jones, B. L. (2016). Offending outcomes for Māori and non-Māori, an investigation of ethnic bias in the criminal justice system: Evidence from a New Zealand birth cohort (Unpublished Master’s thesis). University of Canterbury, Christchurch, New Zealand.
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Lynch, N. (2016). Neurodisability in the Youth Justice System in New Zealand: How vulnerability intersects with justice. Retrieved from https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=2869502.
McArdle, S., & Lambie, I. (2018). Screening for mental health needs of New Zealand youth in secure care facilities using the MAYSI-2. Criminal Behaviour and Mental Health, 28, 239–254.
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Click to copyhttps://apnews.com/bb162f45b48f48f1b5037ca65a90a42c
St. Louis Officer Acquittal
Police give room to St. Louis protests until trouble starts
By JIM SALTERSeptember 19, 2017
University City police stand outside Doughocracy after many businesses closed early on Monday, Sept. 18, 2017, in University City, Mo. Monday was the fourth day of protests after Friday's ruling that found Jason Stockley not guilty in the 2011 death of Anthony Lamar Smith. (Laurie Skrivan/St. Louis Post-Dispatch via AP)
ST. LOUIS (AP) — Police have given demonstrators in the latest St. Louis protests a wide berth, applying a lesson learned in nearby Ferguson to offer protesters ample room to have their say, at least until trouble starts.
But critics complain that the tactic comes with an unjust catch: If vandalism or rock throwing begin, officers order crowds to disperse and block all exits. The result, they say, is an arrest net that sweeps up journalists, bystanders and peaceful demonstrators.
The most recent round of protests began Friday after a judge acquitted former St. Louis police officer Jason Stockley, who is white, of murder in the death of a black drug suspect, Anthony Lamar Smith.
In Ferguson, police drew heavy criticism for their militarized response to protests after unarmed 18-year-old Michael Brown, who was black, was fatally shot on Aug. 9, 2014, by white officer Darren Wilson, who was not charged and later resigned.
This time around, officers standing near protests do not respond to verbal abuse, nor do they intervene when demonstrators engage in minor civil disobedience like blocking streets. In fact, officers reroute traffic to keep them safe.
At times in Ferguson, police would converge on protesters throwing things at them or breaking windows, then allow the protest to continue. But now, once things take a turn for the worse, authorities declare that the protest is over.
David Klinger, a University of Missouri-St. Louis criminologist and former Los Angeles police officer, said officers face a difficult task because they do not want to break up a protest without cause, but they must act quickly to protect people and property when things go awry.
“The key to managing a gathering is to move in and catch it at that moment,” Klinger said. “When rocks and bottles start coming or people start smashing cars or windows, that’s the inflection point.”
When the trouble begins, additional officers quickly arrive from staging areas, with shields, helmets and gas masks. They form lines blocking streets. An officer on a bullhorn announces that the demonstration is no longer a lawful assembly and order people to disperse.
Then the police lines start to close in, and arrests are made. The process is aimed at containing people into a limited area — a practice known as “kettling.” But it has drawn objections from those who say it ensnares innocent people who cannot escape and subjects them to rough treatment that can include being struck by officers and pepper sprayed, not to mention detained for hours.
The tactics were used Sunday when, after a long and peaceful day of protests, about 100 people lingered and marched into downtown St. Louis. A small number of those in the group broke windows, smashed concrete flower pots and threw things at police.
Hundreds of officers in riot gear emerged and eventually encircled the group. When officers began tapping batons in unison, it seemed like a signal to move in.
Many of the 123 people arrested were caught in the kettle. But some were not protesters. Some said they were just bystanders. At least one was a journalist.
In fact, all but three of the 123 arrests were for the municipal citation “failure to disperse.” One man was arrested for resisting arrest, one for disturbing the peace and one for riding a bike on a sidewalk. No one was charged with assaulting an officer or destroying property.
St. Louis Post-Dispatch journalist Mike Faulk told the newspaper he heard repeated commands to “move back” but had nowhere to go. He said officers knocked him down, and he was pepper sprayed in the face.
Some arrested protesters said they were roughed up.
Sean Porter, 25 of St. Louis, said he could not leave despite the order to disperse because police blocked every corner.
“They threw us on the ground, sprayed us, hit us, everything,” Porter said. “It was tragic.”
St. Louis police said in a statement that the new tactics are deployed “when criminal activity arises” and that “escalation depends on the level of aggression.”
The kettling process has been used on protesters before, including at demonstrations on the day President Donald Trump was inaugurated, when 230 people were arrested in Washington, D.C. The ACLU alleged in a lawsuit that many of those arrested were innocent people.
The ACLU is considering a lawsuit over the St. Louis arrests, ACLU of Missouri attorney Anthony Rothert said.
Protesters were also angered by police chanting “Whose streets? Our streets!” Sunday night, a chant captured on video and posted on social media. It’s one of the many chants common during demonstrations.
St. Louis police spokeswoman Schron Jackson said the department is reviewing the footage.
“We hold our officers to the highest standards of professionalism and any officer not meeting those standards will be held accountable,” she said.
In a statement issued Tuesday, Mayor Lyda Krewson said the police department’s internal affairs division is reviewing complaints of misconduct. Although officers are working long hours in “tense and hostile situations,” she said, the mayor and the chief expect them to “conduct themselves professionally.”
Despite the occasional flare-ups, St. Louis County police spokesman McGuire said the protests are a far cry from those in Ferguson.
“We’re not getting shot at this go-around,” McGuire said. “The main difference now is the gunshots and the looting aren’t happening.”
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Applications Affected by Bug #44120
Application Name Description version Downloads
From Valve website: "Steam is a broadband business platform for direct software delivery and content management. At its core, Steam is a distributed file system and shared set of technology components that can be implemented into any software application. With Steam, developers are given integrated tools for direct-content publishing, flexible billing, ensured-version control, anti-cheating, anti-piracy, and more. Steam consumers enjoy the benefit of starting their favorite applications within minutes of confirming their purchase. They can access their applications from any PC. They are no longer challenged to find the latest updates for these applications. And they no longer need to wonder if their device drivers are compatible with the latest software. The Steam SDK also includes an integrated set of communications tools and Valve's Graphic User Interface (V-GUI) that provide built-in support for a variety of services such as instant messaging, configuration, and server browsing."
Steam is a content platform for Half-Life 2, Half-Life 2 Deathmatch, Counter-Strike: Source, Counter-Strike 1.6, and all mods made with either the Half-Life or Source engines. All games made to work with these engines are compatible with Wine.
Official Release Download
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The TOP 13 Greatest – and Unhinged — Multiverse Stories
Home » COMICS HISTORY » The TOP 13 Greatest – and Unhinged — Multiverse Stories
The Wrong Earth’s Tom Peyer takes you back to the good ol’, bizarre ol’ days …
One comic that’s got our name written all over it is The Wrong Earth, debuting 9/12.
It’s the first title to be launched by the new AHOY Comics, a company dedicated to celebrating the core of what we love about the medium, featuring creators like Grant Morrison, Jamal Igle, June Brigman, Stuart Moore and Tom Peyer. (Click here for the impressive initial roster of talent.)
Anyway, why are we so into The Wrong Earth, by Peyer and Igle? Because it basically answers the question of what would happen if Adam West’s Batman and Frank Miller’s Dark Knight switched places. Of course, the heroes are actually called Dragonflyman and Dragonfly and they wear varying shades of purple and green, but you get the gist. (By the way, check out Igle’s groovy character designs by clicking here.)
Now, Peyer, the company’s editor-in-chief, is a well-known comics history buff and since this series is imbued with the DNA of Silver Age multiple-earth awesomeness, we asked him to come up with this tongue-in-cheek list of the TOP 13 GREATEST – AND UNHINGED — MULTIVERSE STORIES. (Naturally, they’re all from DC.)
Check it out. You will not be disappointed:
By TOM PEYER
The Wrong Earth, my new series with artist Jamal Igle, is about a campy masked crime-fighter who accidentally swaps universes with his more modern, grim-and-gritty version. So, I’ve been giving a lot of thought to parallel worlds.
But I imagine everyone is thinking of parallel worlds. How can you get through a news day in 2018 without wanting to flee to a place where everyone’s made different choices? Wouldn’t you love to go to a world that’s just like home except you have super-powers, the spouse of your dreams, or democracy?
Comics have been routinely taking us there since the Silver Age, that time of outlandish and durable ideas. Before I think of the celebrated Crises and Multiversities of recent years, I always come back to these little-known stories that paved the way to places that are just like ours, yet shockingly different:
1. World’s Finest Comics #136, “The Batman Nobody Remembered!” Operating the Batplane in an electrical storm, Batman flies between twin peaks—he repeatedly refers to them as “twin peaks!”—and ends up on an earth where he never existed, where Superman and Robin are partners, and where the Joker is a law-abiding TV comedian. The Caped Crusader keeps pleading with people to recognize him, but of course they can’t. This was probably the first time I ever encountered the idea of parallel worlds, which should have been the thing to make me remember this story forever. But, while I couldn’t articulate it at the age of 9, the biggest surprise was seeing how Batman melts down when deprived of an appreciative audience.
2. Justice League of America #22, “Crisis on Earth-Two!” When DC consolidated its multiverse into one consistent universe back in 1985—a move I was powerless to stop—the main argument in favor of the cosmic purge was, “Things had gotten so complicated, no new reader could figure them out.” I have to concede the point. This issue, the second part of only the fourth story ever to feature heroes from Earth-One and Earth-Two, fills the entire splash with an enormous caption just to explain the issue before it.
3. Detective Comics #347, “The Strange Death of Batman!” It takes only nine pages for Batman to beat a new villain, the Bouncer, who can bounce. But just when it looks like the story is over, we switch to our Earth, where Batman writer Gardner Fox — I don’t believe he did this — replots the story we just read so that it comes out differently … “to exercise his imagination.” Gardner, what were you doing the first time you wrote the story? Exercising your imagination! And getting paid! Of all the unlikely, unbelievable, preposterous ideas Mr. Fox came up with in the Silver Age, the writer who keeps writing after work is the absolute wildest.
4. Superman #146, “Superman’s Greatest Feats!” Superman’s ex, mermaid Lori Lemaris, tells him he ought to go back in time and prevent the sinking of Atlantis. Superman’s like “Sorry, Lori, but I’ve tried to change history before, and I’ve always failed! It’s impossible!” But Lori won’t listen, so Superman drags himself through the time barrier to go through the motions. But it works! He saves Atlantis! Feeling pretty good about himself, Superman takes the slow route home, altering events in different eras along the way. He saves Roman Christians, Nathan Hale, General Custer (!), President Lincoln (skipping over slavery), and the entire population of Krypton. Then Superman realizes he’s been flying through the wrong time barrier! It’s been transporting him through the history of a parallel universe! He hasn’t changed anything that matters! So, the Man of Steel returns to (our) Atlantis and breaks the news to Lori that altering the past is not going to happen. Suddenly, she’s cool with it.
5. Superboy #117, “Superboy and the 5 Legion Traitors!” In a distant galaxy a sun goes nova, flinging Superboy into a nearly identical parallel universe where his 30th Century friends, the Legion of Super-Heroes, are evil. As in many such stories, the Boy of Steel believes he’s back on his own Earth until he puts the clues together. What tips him off? His hometown of Smallville is spelled “Smallvile,” and the Legionnaires “didn’t salute the Legion flag… though the Super-Hero Club Constitution requires them to salute it at all times!” There’s also this Superboy-narrated panel, in which we learn that, to him, there exists a creature stranger, more fantastic, more unlikely than a criminal or an ape-like being:
6. Green Lantern #32, “Green Lantern’s Wedding Day!” Hal (Green Lantern) Jordan proposes to Carol Ferris, she accepts, and they tie the knot. Guess where we are.
7. Superman #215, “Lois Lane… Dead… Yet Alive!” Strap yourself in, because we’re about to visit a parallel world inside an Imaginary Story! How non-canonical can you get? Superman marries Lois, they have a kid, a bad guy kills her, and a grieving Man of Steel spends the rest of the story trying to put the super-toothpaste back in the tube. First, he builds a robot Lois. He’s getting kind of sweet on her (it?) until he abruptly realizes that this might be unhealthy. Then Lois shows up alive, but she turns out to be a villainous shape-shifter in disguise. Finally, he finds a parallel world whose Lois really is alive. He impulsively proposes to her, which puts that world’s happily celibate Superman on the spot. So, the two Supermen swap Earths and our guy romances his second Lois (fourth if you count the robot and the villainous shape-shifter). Sample thought balloon: “I needn’t tell her I’m not the Superman she fell for, but a double from another Earth!”
8. Superman’s Pal, Jimmy Olsen #117, “Planet of the Capes!” In which we learn the lesson, “Don’t ever base a story on a play on words.”
9. Action Comics #238, Tommy Tomorrow in “Marooned in the Fourth Dimension!” Did I say that parallel worlds are shockingly different? No difference could be less shocking than this. Spaceman Tommy Tomorrow crosses over to a fourth-dimensional Earth exactly like ours, except everything is backwards! Like in a mirror! Even the writing! And people talk backwards, too! Backwards, I tell you!
10. Superman’s Girl Friend, Lois Lane #94 & #96, “The Lois Lane in the Mystic Mirror!” & “Weep for Lois Lane’s Baby!” Our Lois swaps Earths with Their Lois, who’s married to Superman and they have a kid. Our Lois is pretty happy to be there.
11. Wonder Woman #59, “Wonder Woman’s Invisible Twin!” An unseen force compels Wonder Woman to perform a series of shockingly self-destructive acts: choking herself, hurling through a plate glass window, jumping into a lake, diving into oncoming traffic. Why? Because she’s been mirroring the actions of a “twin world” Wonder Woman, who’s been choking, hurling, jumping and diving as she fights to repel an invasion.
12. World’s Finest Comics #148, “Superman and Batman — Outlaws!” On this Earth, Lex Luthor and Clayface are Your Two Favorite Heroes, while Superman and Batman are dastardly criminals—until our Superman gives Luthor the idea to brainwash them into being good guys. Happy ending!
13. Superman’s Panel, Jimmy Olsen #93, “The Batman-Superman of Earth-X!” Stop. Just stop.
Tom Peyer is the editor-in-chief of AHOY Comics. Its launch title, The Wrong Earth, ships September 12.
— BUILDING A MULTIVERSE: Jamal Igle Designs THE WRONG EARTH. Click here.
— 13 JLA-JSA COVERS to Make You Feel Good. Click here.
There was also a Supergirl story in Adventure 383 that had Supergirl blasted into a parallel world where she was dead, and she met historical figures who were also alive.
That one almost made the cut!
BUILDING A MULTIVERSE: Jamal Igle Designs THE WRONG EARTH | 13th Dimension, Comics, Creators, Culture - […] — The TOP 13 Greatest — and Unhinged — Multiverse Stories, by TOM PEYER. Click here. […]
The 13 Most Disturbing EDGAR ALLAN POE Comics | 13th Dimension, Comics, Creators, Culture - […] — The TOP 13 Greatest — and Unhinged — Multiverse Stories, by TOM PEYER. Click here. […]
EXCLUSIVE Preview: THE WRONG EARTH #6 | 13th Dimension, Comics, Creators, Culture - […] — The TOP 13 Wackiest Multiverse Comics Stories, by TOM PEYER […]
The TOP 13 GREATEST BATMAN STORIES EVER — RANKED | 13th Dimension, Comics, Creators, Culture - […] Peyer. Editor-in-chief of AHOY Comics, satirist, former editor at DC and Batman ’66 comics […]
The ULTIMATE BATMAN READING AND VIEWING GUIDE | 13th Dimension, Comics, Creators, Culture - […] Peyer. Editor-in-chief of AHOY Comics, satirist, former editor at DC and Batman ’66 comics […]
13 Great Comic Book Nerds — RANKED | 13th Dimension, Comics, Creators, Culture - […] — The TOP 13 Wackiest Multiverse Stories. Click here. […]
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The idea of publishing a new art journal was conceived in the late seventies and realized after the International Congress of Art History in Bologna (1979). Thus IRSA Publishing House was brought into being and the first number of Artibus et Historiae came out in 1980.
The International Institute for Art Historical Research (IRSA — Istituto per le Ricerche di Storia dell'Arte), as a publishing house, was founded with its headquarters first in Venice (1979-1982), then in Florence and Vienna, and recently (since 1996) — in Cracow, Poland.
The title of our art journal — Artibus et Historiae — comes from the very private experiences of its founder, Józef Grabski. ARTIBUS is an inscription on the fronton of an old and very prestigious art exhibition hall (“ZACHĘTA”, founded in 1860) in his native Warsaw. The second part of the title, ET HISTORIAE, is a tribute paid to the Countess Karolina Lanckorońska, professor in art history and editor of historical sources for the Polish history in her own “Institutum Historicum Polonicum” in Rome, Italy.
The specific sign of IRSA and Artibus et Historiae — a symbolical representation of a winged angel standing firmly on a balance, held in his own hands — comes from a Renaissance painting by Lorenzo Lotto (Portrait of a Man, Collection Doria Pamphili, Rome) and symbolises the Platonic idea of internal equilibrium between the spiritual and the physical aspects of the activities and existence of man.
Artibus et Historiae is a journal dedicated to the visual arts, published by IRSA Publishing House. The lavishly illustrated articles cover a broad range of subjects, including photography and film, as well as traditional topics of scholarly art research.
Artibus et Historiae particularly encourages interdisciplinary studies — art history in conjunction with other humanistic fields, such as psychology, sociology, philosophy, or literature — and unconventional approaches. Thus it is hoped that the current trends in art history will be well represented in our issues.
Artibus et Historiae appears twice a year, in hardback. The articles are published in one of four languages: English, Italian, German, or French, at the author's discretion. Our Advisory Committee— an international board of prominent art historians curators and museum administrators oversees editorial work and shapes profile of the journal.
As a peer review journal Artibus et Historiae is indexed in the Bibliography of the History of Art (BHA) and European Reference Index for the Humanities (ERIH) with category A. Our periodical is also indexed and abstracted in the following indexes: Arts and Humanities Citation Index® and Current Contents®/Arts & Humanities of the prestigious Thomson Reuters Web of Science; further, in CSA – Cambridge Scientific Abstracts (Proquest) and SCOPUS.
Many essays which have been of fundamental importance in shaping modern scholarship in the history of art have been published in an occasional series of illustrated volumes entitled Bibliotheca Artibus et Historiae
To learn more about IRSA Institute and its other publications see website
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Interaction of building and ground during an earthquake
Housner, George W. (1957) Interaction of building and ground during an earthquake. Bulletin of the Seismological Society of America, 47 (3). pp. 179-186. ISSN 0037-1106. http://resolver.caltech.edu/CaltechAUTHORS:20140806-115944355
A point of much interest to engineers is the interaction of a building and the ground during an earthquake. There are several facets of this problem that have a bearing on the stresses produced in a building during an earthquake. First, there is the question of the influence of the building on recorded ground motion. The majority of the accelerometers for recording strong ground motion are in the basements of buildings and hence record the motion of the base of the building. The question thus arises, How much does this recorded motion differ from that which would have been recorded at the site had there been no building? If there should be a marked difference between the motion recorded within a building and that recorded directly on the surface of the ground, there would be a possibility of designing a building so as to minimize the base motion it would receive during an earthquake.
http://bssa.geoscienceworld.org/content/47/3/179.full.pdf+html Publisher Article
Copyright © 1957, by the Seismological Society of America. Manuscript received for publication August 28, 1956. The accelerograms used in this study were obtained from the Seismological Field Survey of the U. S. Coast and Geodetic Survey.
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Angular scattering of electrons in hydrogen and helium
Harnwell, Gaylord P. (1928) Angular scattering of electrons in hydrogen and helium. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, 14 (7). pp. 564-569. ISSN 0027-8424. http://resolver.caltech.edu/CaltechAUTHORS:HARpnas28
Use this Persistent URL to link to this item: http://resolver.caltech.edu/CaltechAUTHORS:HARpnas28
In view of the recent work which has been done by Davisson and Germer (1), G. P. Thomson (2), and others in investigating the angular scattering of electrons by crystals, and the work of E. G. Dymond (3) in extending these investigations to the scattering of electrons by helium, it was thought worthwhile to see if similar results could be obtained for this mattering by other monatomic and diatomic gases.
Copyright © 1928 by the National Academy of Sciences. Communicated June 9, 1928. In conclusion it is a pleasure to thank Mr. Arnquist for his assistance in taking readings, the California Institute of Technology for the facilities extended for the work, and the National Research Council for its support which made the work possible. {G.P.H. was a] National Research Fellow.
CaltechAUTHORS:HARpnas28
http://resolver.caltech.edu/CaltechAUTHORS:HARpnas28
http://www.pnas.org/content/vol14/issue7/
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Suicide Bombers Hit Maiduguri Again, 16 Killed
The Police Command in Borno has said 16 persons were killed and 18 others sustained injuries in multiple suicide bomb attacks on Sunday at Muna area of Maiduguri.
The Police Commissioner, Damian Chukwu, confirmed the incident in a text message sent to journalists in Maiduguri.
Mr. Chukwu said the incident occurred when a male suicide bomber detonated an explosive device in a crowded area, killing 13 people and wounding five others.
He said two other female suicide bombers also detonated Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs) strapped to their bodies and injured 13 persons.
“On 22/10/2017 at about 20: 20 hours a male suicide bomber detonated IED strapped to his body at Muna Garage, killing himself and thirteen persons, while five others sustained injuries.
“In another development at Muna Dalti, two female suicide bombers detonated IEDs killing themselves and injuring 13 others.
“The Injured persons were referred to the University of Maiduguri Teaching Hospital (UMTH) for treatment and corpses were evacuated.
“Police EOD teams have been deployed to sanitise the scene.
“In all, 16 persons were killed and 18 others injured in the three explosions,” the commissioner said.
» Suicide Bombers Hit Maiduguri Again, 16 Killed
» Four Suicide Bombers, Teenager Killed In Maiduguri
» Suicide Bombers Strike At Maiduguri Market, Many Feared Dead [photos]
» 5 Die As Suicide Bombers Attack Maiduguri Mosque
» Five Boko Haram Bombers Explode Before Reaching Their Target In Maiduguri
» Breaking: 9 Killed In Suicide Bomb Explosions In Maiduguri (Photos)
» 11 Persons Die As Multiple Explosions Hit Maiduguri
Posted By cheatmaster On 11:26 Mon, 23 Oct 2017
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Browse 3 results
Address of Nelson Mandela, President of the African National Congress, on receiving an Honorary LLD Degree at the University of Fort Hare
Speech by President Nelson Mandela on receiving an honorary doctoral degree from the University of South Australia at a graduation ceremony at Fort Hare University
University of Fort Hare, Eastern Cape: [Set of 2 Still Images]
Honorary doctorate Doctor of Laws from the University of Fort Hare, South Africa
Type of entity
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Dates of existence
Located at Alice in the Eastern Cape, the institution started as the South African Native College before becoming the University of Fort Hare. It was the principal institution of higher education for Africans from 1916 to 1959 from across Southern Africa and beyond. Fort Hare alumni have played leading parts in struggles for independence and freedom and in post-liberation governments. In 1959, it was subsumed by the apartheid system, but became part of the democratic South Africa’s higher education system.
Functions, occupations and activities
Mandates/sources of authority
Internal structures/genealogy
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Relationships area
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ZA-COM-02574
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Washington Post Claims 29 Mass Murders By Concealed Carriers… But They LIED.
Posted at 4:50 pm on October 26, 2015 by Bob Owens
Christopher Ingraham was apparently hired by the Washington Post to be the gun control propagandist for their so-called “Wonkblog,” and seems to find himself debunked on our pages with boring regularity.
Today, he attempted to assert that concealed carry permit holders have committed 29 mass murders, using the propaganda of the Violence Policy Center.
Let’s take a look at the actual claims made by VPC… something Ingraham clearly didn’t do.
Michael Joe Hood shot three in 2010, not 2007. This was not a mass shooting (the FBI definition of a mass shooting is four or more), and with his documented history of mental illness, Hood should not have had a concealed carry permit, and there is some dispute over whether he did. He did not use a concealed weapon.
Jason Hamilton had a previous domestic violence conviction, and should not have been able to own any firearms. His attack did not involve concealed weapons. We can find no credible confirmation at all that Hamilton had title II weapons or a concealed carry permit, as VPC claims via a singular erroneous news report.
Terrance Hough, a Cleveland firefighter who shot five people for setting off fireworks in the street, did not use a concealed weapon.
Guillermo Zarabozo really did use a concealed weapon to murder four people in an act of piracy on the high seas. He is the first person on this list with a concealed carry permit who used a concealed weapon to commit mass murder.
Charles Johnson shot three people. This was not a mass shooting.
Aaron Jackson murdered his wife and two children before committing suicide. He did not use a concealed weapon.
Troy Brake shot three people to death, and beat a fourth victim to death. This again, was not a mass shooting by FBI standards, although it was a mass killing.
Frank Garcia did not have a concealed carry permit at all. He had a handgun ownership permit only.
Michael McLendon carried out a horrific attack that killed ten people before he took his own life. None of his victims was shot by a handgun, concealed or otherwise.
Jiverly Wong was a concealed carry permit holder who used concealed weapons to commit a mass shooting. He is the second person on this list with a concealed carry permit who used a concealed weapon to commit mass murder.
Richard Poplowski ambushed police officers who came to his home with a rifle. He did not use a concealed weapon in his firefight with police.
George Sodini is the third person on this list with a concealed carry permit who used concealed weapons to commit mass murder.
Paul Michael Merhige is the fourth person on this list with a concealed carry permit who used concealed weapons to commit mass murder.
William Maxwell murdered his wife and two children with a handgun before committing suicide. The handgun was not concealed, and his concealed carry permit was irrelevant.
Justin Matern murdered his estranged wife and children before committing suicide. He did have a concealed handgun permit, but it was irrelevant to the crimes.
Christopher Speight did kill eight people and injure several more. With a rifle. That he had a concealed carry permit was irrelevant to the crimes he committed.
Gerardo Regalado “came in running” with handgun when he shot seven women in Hialeah, Florida. His handgun was not concealed prior to the attack.
Omar Thorton was fired for theft, then returned to the job and shot eight co-workers to death before taking his life. He is the fifth person on this list with a concealed carry permit who used concealed weapons to commit mass murder.
I cannot find any evidence that Tan Do had a concealed carry permit.
Ian Stawiki is the sixth person on this list with a concealed carry permit who used concealed weapons to commit mass murder.
Paul Clifford Moore shot three people; again, this is not a mass killing by FBI standards. He retrieved a weapon from inside his own home and used it inside his own home against the victims. Concealed carry played no part in the murders.
Kevin Cleeves shot three people… once again, the VPC is adding crimes that are not mass killings. Because of a prior domestic violence conviction in Arizona, Cleeves was not eligible to possess or use a firearm, much less have a concealed carry permit.
Andrew Engeldinger did NOT have a concealed carry permit when he committed mass murder in Minneapolis. Permit applications were found at his home, but he had not applied.
Ferdarius Shine did not commit a mass shooting, killing three people. He opened fire in his own home, so a concealed carry permit was irrelevant, and there is some dispute as to whether or not he actually had a permit.
Dennis Clark murdered four people with a shotgun. Again, concealed carry was not in any way relevant to the crime.
Pedro Vargas began his attack in his apartment by committing arson, and then started shooting. Again, concealed carry was not relevant to his crimes.
Aaron Alexis, the Washington Navy Yard killer, used a shotgun in the commission of his crimes. Concealed carry was not relevant.
Kenneth Allen Keith killed three (again, less than the FBI minimal definition of a mass shooting… during a robbery attempt.
Craig Hicks killed three Muslims in Chapel Hill, NC. This was not a mass shooting, and concealed carry was not relevant as Hick ambushed the family in their home.
Christopher Ingraham, an anti-gun propagandist apparently hired for that purpose by the Washington Post, used a propaganda report by the rabidly anti-gun Violence Policy Center (VPC) to assert concealed carriers were responsible for “at least” mass murders.
Of those 29 alleged mass murders carried out by concealed carry permit holders, precisely six mass murders (using the accepted FBI definition of a mass murder, which is four or more victims) were carried out by concealed carry permit holders using concealed handguns.
Seven of the claimed “29 mass shootings” were not mass shootings.
Between four and eight of the “concealed carry permit holders” did not have concealed carry permits.
The Violence Policy Center has a long and well-documented history of “reports” that are nothing more or less than propaganda.
Any reporter that uses such overt and unverifed propaganda should be terminated, along with their editors.
Tags: Christopher IngrahampropagandaViolence Policy CenterWashington Post
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Home Profiles & Biography Biography Of The Wades (Gospel Artist)
Biography Of The Wades (Gospel Artist)
Bp-Relate
Wade Echard Mainer (April 21, 1907 – September 12, 2011)[1] was an American country singer and banjoist. With his band, the Sons of the Mountaineers, he is credited with bridging the gap between old-time mountain music and Bluegrass and is sometimes called the “Grandfather of Bluegrass.” In addition, he innovated a two-finger banjo fingerpicking style, which was a precursor to modern three-finger bluegrass styles.
Originally from North Carolina, Mainer’s main influences came from the mountain music of his family. In a career that began in 1934 and spanned almost six decades, Mainer transitioned from being a member of his brother’s band into the founder of his own ensemble, the Sons of the Mountaineers, with whom he performed until 1953, when he became more deeply involved with his Christianity and left the music industry.
After working at a General Motors factory and attending gospel revivals, Mainer was convinced that he should restart his career as a Christian gospel musician and began to tour with his wife in this capacity. He continued to release albums until 1993.
Mainer was born near Weaverville, North Carolina, on a mountain farm in Buncombe County on April 21, 1907. His family was poor during his childhood and they lived in a log cabin in the Blue Ridge Mountains. Mainer credited his father who was, in Mainer’s words, “a good singer – real stout voice”, as of one of his influences. During his career as a musical artist, Mainer would perform many of the old songs that he had heard from his father.
Mainer grew up listening to traditional mountain music and was largely influenced by his brother-in-law Roscoe Banks. He first learned to play the banjo at square dances, where he would pick up instruments left by performers and practice on them.
After moving to Concord, North Carolina and working in a series of jobs at cotton mills, he became a part of his brother J.E.’s band, known as J. E. Mainer’s Mountaineers. His entry into the band in 1934 marked the beginning of a nearly six-decade career in music. J.E. played the fiddle while Wade performed on the banjo for the string band, and they played at fiddlers’ conventions and other gatherings.
Mainer married Julia Mae Brown at the end of 1937, shortly after forming his own band. Brown was a singer and guitarist popularly know at the time as Hillbilly Lilly. She had performed from 1935 until 1937 at WSJS Radio in Winston-Salem. Brown is considered to be a pioneering female musical artist and later joined Mainer during his performances.
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Biography Of Apostle Peter Newman Anim
Biography Of Apostle S. E. Igwe
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Bennigan’s Opens Second Location in Veracruz, Mexico
Boca del Rio, Veracruz (RestaurantNews.com) Bennigan’s, one of the most iconic American restaurant brands, opened its second location in the State of Veracruz on March 22. The chef-driven neighborhood restaurant chain renowned for its generous portions, innovative drinks and Irish hospitality is now serving its uniqueAmerican fare to guests in the new Centro Comercial El Dorado Plaza on the Marina in Boca del Rio.
This is Bennigan’s second location in the State of Veracruz, both of which are owned and operated by franchisegroup Consorcio Restaurantero Athene. Consorcio has successfully operated in the bustling port city of Veracruz since June 2001.
“We are very pleased with the way Bennigan’s is being embraced across Mexico and we’re looking forward to yet another successful experience in Boca del Rio,” said Lic. Francisco Ruiz Anitua of Consorcio Restaurantero Athene. “We have taken the best aspects of the Bennigan’s concept and heritage in America and adapted certain elements to our culture’s tastes. The result is a unique combination of Irish hospitality and American fare with a Mexican twist.”
The Boca del Rio location features a terraza overlooking the Marina and incorporates many of the cutting-edge design elements of Bennigan’s new restaurant prototype. The menu features Bennigan’s traditional fare, including “Oh, Baby™ Back Ribs,” Kilkenny’s Country Chicken Salad and its world famous Monte Cristo – a lightly fried, triple-decker turkey, ham and cheese sandwich served with raspberry preserves.
Consorcio is planning to open its next Bennigan’s location in Chetumal, Quintana Roo, in late 2013, to join its restaurants in CD Del Carmen, Coatzacoalcos, Xalapa, Boca Del Rio and Veracruz.
“Just as it is in the United States, Bennigan’s is redefining casual dining throughout Mexico thanks to our partners at Consorcio Restaurantero Athene,” said Bennigan’s CEO Paul Mangiamele. “The team at Consorcio shares our commitment to delivering memorable dining experiences to every guest, every meal, every day, and they bleed green 25/8 just like us. The new Boca del Rio restaurant is sure to be one of the best in our entire system.”
Bennigan’s now operates nearly 100 restaurants across the United States and in locations throughout Mexico, Central America, Asia, the Mediterranean and the Middle East.
“We’re very excited about the newest restaurant in our global system due to its excellent location and the fact that it is being run by a model franchisee,” said Bennigan’s Vice President of International Operations Shawn Finn. “Our Legendary service has been well-received in Veracruz for nearly 12 years and we are pleased to introduce it to a new group of guests on the Marina in Boca del Rio now.”
Bennigan’s is a high-energy neighborhood restaurant and tavern that is redefining casual dining. With chef-driven food, innovative drinks and warm, friendly Irish Hospitality, this Legendary brand delivers memorable dining experiences to every guest, every meal, every day. Every member of the team “bleeds green,” and demonstrates a 25/8 focus to support its franchise community. Bennigan’s focus on reinvention, flexible prototypes, innovative food, Legendary service and other sales-generating initiatives has resulted in explosive growth both domestically and internationally. For more information, visit www.bennigans.com or call 855-GOT-BENN.
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LOL New York Comedy Club
LOL New York Comedy Club – Comedy Clubs NYC in Times Square
Sunday08/09/2015 8:00pm Host: Francisco Aldorando, Evan Williams, Dave Temple, Lance Weiss, Tyler Richardson, Dan Shaki
Our showcase format features up-and-coming acts, seasoned local talent and comic headliners with television and film credits. Our goal to is make our audience laugh, while offering a full bar and providing excellent service in a welcoming environment!
We consistently showcase the best comedic talent available; combining local, national and international acts for the very best shows that New York City has to offer. So come enjoy a night filled with entertainment & laughs!
There is a 2 drink per person in the showroom!
Venue LOL New York Comedy Club
Address: 300 W 43rd St, New York, NY 10036, United States
All Guest must be at least 16 years of age.
No Refunds, Exchanges, or Resale.
All Guest must check in 30 minutes before showtime.
Reservations are required must call LOL New York (917) 677 5481
Follow LOL New York on Twitter @Lolnyccomedy
Subway Directions
LOL New York is located in Times Square West is located at 300 W 43rd St, New York, NY 10036.
If you are arriving on the metro, the closest subway station is 42nd Street – Port Authority, which is served by the A, C and E trains, or 42nd Street – Times Square, which is served by the 1, 2 and 3 trains.
The Port Authority bus terminal is also located nearby, just 1 block North on Eighth Avenue.
We are also located within a 15-minute walk of the Jacob K Javits Convention Center.
LOL New York
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Staff success
A Soft Rebellion in Paradise – The International Premiere of a film by Chloë Brown
A new short film by Chloe Brown (Senior Lecturer in Fine Art) will receive its international premiere on Saturday 8 June as part of Sheffield Doc Fest, as Sheffield’s historic Paradise Square is set to transform into an art gallery for the major outdoor screening event. The film refers to Sheffield’s proud history where the UK’s first women’s…
May 29, 2019 in events, STA News, Staff success.
New Experimental and Computational Continuum Mechanics facility
Torsten Schenkel and David Asquith from the Department of Engineering and Mathematics have been awarded HEFCE HEIF funding for the development of a new facility that will consolidate considerable investment in research and measurement equipment over the last 4 years. They are currently finalising the infrastructure for the new Experimental and Computational Continuum Mechanics Facility…
June 26, 2018 in Engineering & Maths, Research, Staff success, Student Experience, Uncategorized.
QUEEN’S BIRTHDAY HONOURS: Knighthood and OBEs for Hallam VC and staff
The Vice-Chancellor of Sheffield Hallam University, Professor Chris Husbands, has been awarded a knighthood in the Queen’s birthday honours list for his services to higher education. Professors Laura Serrant and Sam Twiselton each received an OBE for services to health and education respectively. The news appeared in several media outlets including: ITV 1 Yorkshire East,…
June 18, 2018 in Awards, Staff success.
On the road – to the Outer Hebrides
Director and Art and Design Research Centre Professor of Film, Virginia Heath and producer Grant Keir of Faction North will screen their short film, Lift Share, at the Edinburgh International Film Festival (EIFF) on the 27th June. Edinburgh International Film Festival offers what the curators collectively describe as “a thrilling showcase of the finest brand-new…
June 15, 2018 in SIA, Staff success, Uncategorized.
Revolutionary neck support technology transforms lives of MND patients
A revolutionary neck collar designed to ease pain and make everyday tasks such as eating and communicating much easier for patients living with motor neurone disease (MND) is now available to healthcare professionals and individuals across the world. The Head Up collar, which was funded by the National Institute for Health Research’s (NIHR) Invention for…
May 31, 2018 in ACES News, Research, SIA, Staff success.
Inspirational Teaching and Inspirational Research Supervisor Awards 2018
The central element of the scheme is student involvement in nomination and assessment. Students were asked through a university survey to nominate academic or student support staff who had inspired them or had a transformative impact on their student experience, inside or outside the curriculum. A total of 2597 nominations were received and 1097 individual…
May 21, 2018 in ACES News, Awards, Staff success.
“Bonkers Jobs” – New book by Mark Wilkinson
Mark Wilkinson (Department Manager Art & Design) has recently published a book for children called “Bonker’s Jobs” which is a collection of interesting and fun stories about careers. Here’s what Mark said about the project – “18 months ago I sent off a manuscript for a book to a few publishers (co-authored with an old work…
May 16, 2018 in Staff success.
SNAPCHAT: Hallam academics talk hackers, blackmail and cyber security
Lily Canter, a principal lecturer in journalism, has written a piece published in The Sun about the risks of the social network Snapchat, following the news of a UK hacker targeting an individual’s account with blackmail. Scott Storey, an associate lecturer in cyber security, has also been quoted
April 16, 2018 in SIA, Staff success.
TV SOAPS: Hallam media lecturer talks about bringing soap characters back from the dead
Dr Ruth Dellar, media lecturer at Hallam, spoke to BBC Radio Sheffield yesterday (listen again from 20:17) where she discussed the return of Eastenders character, Kat Slater, following her ‘death’. Ruth explains it’s not unusual for soaps to bring characters back from the dead and talks about some of soaps’ most successful (and unsuccessful) storylines
March 27, 2018 in MAC, Staff success.
OSCARS: Hallam’s film expert discusses the highlights from this year’s Oscars
Dr Ruth Deller, a Reader in Media and Communication has been chatting about the Oscar’s winners and nominees with BBC Radio Sheffield [listen again from 2:07:15]. Guillermo del Toro’s The Shape of Water took home best picture this year, Ruth and Radio Sheffield’s Paulette Edwards discuss which other titles we should be watching and the…
March 7, 2018 in MAC, Staff success.
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Here Are the First Reviews for the Apple Watch
Pretty useful if you are considering one.
David Pierce / WIRED
With the Apple Watch set to hit shops on the 24th April, heres what some of the biggest tech blogs and news outlets had to say about the device. It's all pretty useful information that should help you decide whether or not the Apple Watch is for you.
"But every time I gaze down to admire it, I start seeing how the next one will look better. You could say the same about many fashion objects, but watches should be timeless (ironically). Unlike the Cartier I got for college graduation, the original Apple Watch’s beauty will soon fade. Unless you opt for the cheapest $350 sport version, you should really wait for the future."
Full review: wsj.com
"What’s most thrilling about the Apple Watch, unlike other smartwatches I’ve tried, is the way it invests a user with a general sense of empowerment. If Google brought all of the world’s digital information to our computers, and the iPhone brought it to us everywhere, the Watch builds the digital world directly into your skin. It takes some time getting used to, but once it clicks, this is a power you can’t live without."
Full review: nytimes.com
Bloomberg Business
"So Apple has succeeded in its first big task with its watch. It made something that lives up to the company’s reputation as an innovator and raised the bar for a whole new class of devices. Its second task—making me feel that I need this thing on my wrist every day—well, I’m not quite sure it’s there yet. It’s still another screen, another distraction, another way to disconnect, as much as it is the opposite. The Apple Watch is cool, it’s beautiful, it’s powerful, and it’s easy to use. But it’s not essential. Not yet."
Full review: bloomberg.com
"But Apple Watch is not a cure-all, and it’s likely not a timepiece you will pass down to your grandkids. It is a well-designed piece of technology that will go through a series of software updates, until one day, years from now, when the lithium ion battery can no longer hold much of a charge and it won’t seem as valuable to you."
Full review: recode.net
"There’s no question that the Apple Watch is the most capable smartwatch available today. It is one of the most ambitious products I’ve ever seen; it wants to do and change so much about how we interact with technology. But that ambition robs it of focus: it can do tiny bits of everything, instead of a few things extraordinarily well. For all of its technological marvel, the Apple Watch is still a smartwatch, and it’s not clear that anyone’s yet figured out what smartwatches are actually for."
Full review: theverge.com
"The Apple Watch is the most ambitious, well-constructed smartwatch ever seen, but first-gen shortfalls make it feel more like a fashionable toy than a necessary tool."
Full review: cnet.com
"Apple Watch does as much, maybe more, than competing smartwatches, but it doesn’t demand that you pay attention to it. It also succeeded in its most important task: Getting me to keep my iPhone in my pocket. That’s a pretty impressive feat.
Is my life better because of it? It’s too soon to tell. But what I do know is that I thoroughly enjoy wearing it."
Full review: mashable.com
h/t buzzfeed.com
Here Is the Perfect Way to Organise Your Apple Watch Apps
Scientifically calculated.
How the Stainless Steel Apple Watch Is Made
Everything You Need to Know about Apples New Watch
Here's What Happens to Your Facebook Profile When You Die
Morbid but useful to know.
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Feb 21 STAYING GOLD IN TULSA Emma & Karah have lunch with S.E. Hinton
[The following is an edited conversation between Belletrist & Susie. We suggest you go to Tulsa if you can, and if you can’t, follow @se4realhinton on Twitter because she’s a legend.]
Emma: We just really want to know what you're reading right now.
Susie: I am reading Prairie Fires, The biography of Laura Ingalls Wilder and her daughter Rose. I am reading The Thin Light of Freedom which is about the civil war battles in the Shenandoah Valley. I just finished re-reading Forever Amber which everybody thinks is a bodice ripper that's actually a very very accurate history of the restoration of King Charles the second--
Karah: Coincidentally a bodice ripper.
Susie: Yeah, you know bodices get ripped, but ... still there's a lot of good history in that besides that. I'm reading something--
Karah: Do you like romance?
Susie: No. ‘Matter of fact ... one reason why for a long time I couldn't read any contemporary fiction is I didn't want to see a picture of a pirate ripping the shirt off a girl anymore.
Emma: Obviously, you wrote The Outsiders, one of our favorite books, which is also an amazing film. Are you still overwhelmed that people write to you and correspond with you about the book to this day? And you just celebrated the 50th anniversary of The Outsiders! When you wrote it, did you have any idea?
Susie: Of course not. When I wrote it, I didn't even have any idea how to get it published. I had no idea how you got published. I had been writing since the third grade and it was the third book I'd written. I just had it in my drawer with all my other stuff. So, finally I got a name of an agent and I sent it to her. She sold it. I wrote it [The Outsiders] like I write almost everything... for myself. And that's because I wanted to read it. There was nothing realistic being written for teens at that age. It was all Mary Jane goes to prom. And I wanted to read something realistic about what I saw my friends doing.
Emma: We love to hear what people write in, like when you wrote this book, were you writing in a notebook with a pen, with a pencil?
Susie: No. I was typing. I taught myself to type in the sixth grade because I'd been writing a lot of stories even by the sixth grade. And I realized if I couldn't read my handwriting, nobody could read my handwriting. So I taught myself to type when I was in the sixth grade and I typed it. I've been typing for a long time and of course we didn't have computers and when you had to correct something when you were typing, you'd have to retype a ton of stuff just to correct one paragraph. Oh lordy. That's why I love my computer. It's even fun, very fun to correct this and that. It's interesting but no I typed it all.
Karah: What type of typewriter did you have? Do you remember?
Susie: Well I started on my fathers and it was an antique then, Underwood. It's like a 1930's Underwood. Man I must've had muscular fingers just to put those things down. You know, carbons and all that stuff. And then when I was in ninth grade, I saved up my money and bred my Cocker Spaniel, and when she had-
Karah: You bred your own dog?
Susie: Yeah. I had her bred, and with that money I bought my first Underwood modern computer. It wasn't very modern, but it was a modern computer. It was in third grade that I knew I was gonna be a writer. It wasn't just, "Oh, I wish I could be a writer," it was just I knew I was gonna be a writer. It was just clear in my head.
Emma: How long did it take you to write The Outsiders? Did it just come to you?
Susie: First I began it when I was fifteen. And the first draft was 40 pages long single spaced typed. But it was the basic story. A bit later, even though I was sixteen, and in my junior year of highschool, I rewrote it a couple of times. I went back and I added more detail, I added flashback and then a draft that publishers saw. And of course I get to tell you that my junior year in highschool is the year I flunked creative writing.
Emma: Okay, that's crazy.
Susie: Well, I was writing less. It probably was because I was too busy working on my own stuff to do my school work but I found out an interesting thing is: publishers do not care for spelling, they'll fix it for ‘ya. But one thing about that creative writing class though was that I came across that Nothing Gold Can Stay poem by Robert Frost and I thought, "Well this is what I'm trying to say in my book."
Karah: I just got chills.
Susie: So I went home and wrote it into the book. I would go home from school and write things into the book that were happening in high school. A kid decided to dissect his worm with a switchblade, you know in biology. Went home and wrote that in. I mean, I just kept my eyes and ears open in high school and went home and wrote that in.
Emma: Did you ever think of writing as ... from a more female perspective or was it was always this was just the story?
Susie: This was the story. I was a tomboy, most of my closest friends were guys. I was doing “guy stuff,” playing football, and I thought if I wrote this and said a girl was doing it, no one would believe it. But I found that a male point of view is so much easier for me than female point of view. It took me a long time to even understand a female point of view. You got to understand how segregated the sexes were in the 1960s. What girls got to do was stand in the john, wrap their hair and outline their eyes in black which is interesting for about an hour but not all the time. And then they would brag about what kind of car their boyfriend’s had. I wanted my own car. I didn't want to brag about what kind of car my boyfriend had. I wanted my own car.
Emma: You wanted to brag about your own car.
Susie: From then on it was just easier to write from a male point of view. I'm very lazy, and I will take an easy way out any time. I like it because there's more that's written for girls than there is guys. And girls will read boy books. Boys don't usually read girl books. So I've just stuck with it.
Emma: I think you've found a way to obviously write a book that is ageless, genderless, and timeless. Young boys, young girls, older men, older women. I mean, everyone we know has read this book. From every walk of life. I posted a picture of The Outsiders on my Instagram, and it was like the 10 most different people that follow me, responding, being like, "favorite book, favorite book."
Karah: Were there a lot of people who thought that this was for sure written by a guy?
Susie: Oh yeah! My publishers were the ones who wanted me to put my initials on it. And their reason was they just wanted to fool the first reviewers. They figured the first reviewers would pick up the book, see what the subject matter was and decide a girl would not know anything about this. And I went along with that. And it worked. All the first reviews were "this young man is writing this book." But then I went to New York, did some publicity on some TV stations. It wasn't a big dark secret. I didn’t send some little kid with a black leather jacket to do my interviews.
Karah: Like JT LeRoy.
Emma: Like JT LeRoy.
Karah: Do you know the Like JT LeRoy story?
Susie: I've heard of it.
Emma: That's what happened... I remember when I first read The Outsiders in school I was like "is it a girl or boy who wrote it?" And I remember looking at the back, there was no picture of the author.
Susie: I never want my picture on a book. I was at signing for a very famous writer and she's quite old. And this lil' boy came in with this book and he looked at her picture in the back which you know, she was a lot younger and he looked at her, and he was confused. I don't want anybody to look at me like that.
Emma: Well I think it's also important for me as a reader to know less about the author before I read and then when I finish it, I dive into learning all about the author. I think it's fun to be able to forget who wrote the book and just immerse yourself as the reader, and then afterwards, go into a deep research hole, which I definitely do.
Susie: I don't like to read a lot about an author before I read a book either, but then I do afterwards. I've got a couple biographies of Shirley Jackson. I actually like the first one the best.
Karah: Isn’t there a new one?
Susie: Yeah, and it was very kinda dry, but I loved the first one which was dismissed as gossipy... God it's a good read
Emma: Shirley Jackson of The Lottery that Shirley Jackson?
Susie: Yeah, The Haunting of Hill House. I read The Haunting of Hill House in eighth grade and slammed it shut because I was too scared to finish it. Oh, man even Stephen King said it's the scariest book ever.
Emma: I have got to read that one...Are you writing anything specifically right now? Or do you write all the time?
Susie: Well I spent so much time working on a screenplay which didn't work out, but, a few years ago, I started this very silly book which is a paranormal adult, comedy, thriller. And I've been thinking, "that might be my last book and people will be going, "Man, S.E. Hinton was really losing it there at the end."
Emma: No, that sounds good to me, I love paranormal thrillers.
Susie: But it’s got a lot of good stuff, a lot of really good stuff, and I figured out what the main solution was for all this weird stuff going on which is gonna work really well so in January and through all of Christmas, distractions everything, I'm gonna get back to it finish it up.
Emma: Can't wait to read that.
Susie: Because it's got very funny stuff and it's got very scary stuff.
Karah: Do you like writing about where you’re from?
Susie: No, not really. People think Rumble Fish is part of the “Tulsa Trilogy” and it’s not. It's set very vaguely. Francis Coppola [we did the movie together] caught all that real well. That's the one [Rumble Fish] I'm most proud of ... The most complex character I've ever have written is Motorcycle Boy who is really a smart observer.
One line I love in that Dickens movie. It's about how he's [Charles Dickens] writing A Christmas Carol and he was trying to figure out names and names of stuff. And he finally settled on Scrooge and he poof Scrooge was there. And he said, "Find the right name the character will appear" and that has happened to me like 3 times.
Emma: With which characters?
Susie: One was Ponyboy.
Emma: What was the Christmas movie again?
Susie: The Man Who Invented Christmas.
Karah: Do you have a favorite memory from filming or from the process of getting the movie together?
Susie: Francis [Ford Coppola] had me, paid me to be on the set at all times, and the boys came in, and they were little boys, they had no adult supervision. So I immediately took it upon myself to be their mother. And I had their back and I was looking out for them. They never forgot it. Tommy Howe [C. Thomas Howe, the actor] was the littlest one. They were all really good kids, they were goofy normal teenagers off camera, and on camera they were serious artists. I loved watching that transformation, but one of my favorite moments from the making of the movie was when Tommy had some kind of teen drama going on, and at one point and I was talking to him about it. I was guiding him: “Maybe you should do this, don't worry about that part…” He just walks off for a second and he looks at me, he said, "I love you Susie." It was just one of my favorite memories of him.
Emma: That's sweet. I know it's funny when you're--at least for me--whenever I'm shooting a movie--it starts to feel like summer camp and family where you can't imagine your life before or after because you're in this bubble. And it's the most amazing thing that it's hard to describe to people I think.
Susie: I learned the same thing when shooting Tex. You're all so close and then everybody goes.
Emma: There's a mourning period after.
Susie: It is a mourning period.
Emma: She [Karah] sees me after and I'm like "I need three days to just be in bed.”
Karah: Yes. You’re sick.
Susie: I know. Yeah it was, but I was also so ready for it by the end. By the end of that shoot, I felt like one of those old dogs, tits dragging around, six puppies swarming all over her.
(LAUGHTER!)
Emma: You were ready!
Susie: I was ready, but they were so good. That's one of my favorite memories about The Outsiders is how good those kids were.
Mar 7 BRIEF: Tayari Jones, Author of Belletrist February Book 'An American Marriage'
Feb 12 Q + A talking THE IMMORTALISTS with Chloe Benjamin
May 31 INTERVIEW with Gabourey Sidibe
May 1 INTERVIEW with Ariel Levy
May 10 INTERVIEW with Melissa Febos
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Tag Archives: scam artist
Francis Schlatter & Hankie Panky
Posted on May 18, 2017 by Shayne Davidson
Televangelists and their “healing” product scams have a history stretching far back in time. During the late nineteenth and early twentieth century, driven by news of events described as miracles, thousands of people lost money to clever con men (and occasionally women) posing as “divine healers.” One phony man of the cloth, going by the name Reverend Francis Schlatter, claimed to be able to cure the sick using handkerchiefs that he’d blessed. Send him your hard-earned cash, along with a handkerchief, and he’d bless it and return to you a “divine handkerchief” capable of healing whatever ailed you.
His name was as bogus as his handkerchiefs — he was born in 1838 in Switzerland and his real name was reported to be either Jacob Kunze or James Dowie. The original Francis Schlatter was an Alsatian cobbler and immigrant to the United States who, in 1894, felt the call of God in Denver, Colorado. Francis traveled around the west for two years, drawing huge crowds and supposedly healing the sick by clasping his hands together. He took no money for his services. He vanished mysteriously in Mexico and was presumed dead in 1896, though his body was never found.
Francis Schlatter, the healer, c. 1895. Collection of the Library of Congress.
The absence of Francis’s body created an irresistible opportunity for con men and imposters began popping up immediately after he disappeared. Since it wasn’t illegal in most places in the United States to use a different name from the one you were given at birth, the copycat Francis Schlatters simply started using that name, claiming they were the “real” healer who hadn’t actually died.
Kunze/Dowie partnered with a younger man named August Schrader around 1908. Styling themselves as “King” Francis and “Prince” August, the pair traveled around America and Canada organizing churches — they weren’t picky about the denomination — and officiating at weddings and funerals. They also offered prayer for a fee and the blessed cure-all hankies, sent through the mail.
August Shrader (left) and his partner, “Francis Schlatter” (right). The Oakland Tribune, Oakland, California, February 6, 1917, page 18.
They set up shop in Oakland, California, by 1910, but were asked to leave when people complained that their morals were “not conducive to the best interests of the neighborhoods where they carried on their practice.” Next they landed in Los Angeles (city of all things fake) and established their “Baptist Church, Inc.” — described as a cult — at a property they purchased in Hollywood. Garbed in long black robes, with flowing hair, thick beards and high silk hats, they attracted attention wherever they went.
It was the handkerchief scam that finally brought the pair down. Many of the people who sent money for handkerchiefs complained that they didn’t work. No one was cured of being blind or deaf (and certainly not of being dumb). In June 1916, postal inspectors arrested the men in New York and returned them to Los Angeles for indictment. The charge: conspiracy to use the mails to defraud.
News photograph dated July 18, 1918. Collection of the author.
They signed over their Hollywood property to the lawyer who represented them at trial. August, aged 49, died of pneumonia before the trial finished and was given a pauper’s burial. “Francis” declined the offer to officiate at the funeral of his friend and business partner.
He was convicted of the mail fraud charge and sent to McNeil Island Federal Penitentiary in Washington State, arriving on March 18, 1917, where he was booked into the prison as “Francis Schlatter.” It was unusual but he was allowed to wear his silk top hat in both his mugshots. (Normally the side view would be hatless.) His booking card notes that he had lost almost all his teeth and was less than five feet tall. He was released from prison on June 1, 1918.
On October 16, 1922, a man going by the name “Francis Schlatter” was discovered dead in a cheap rooming house in St. Louis, Missouri. Many newspapers reported that this was the man who’d been imprisoned at McNeil Island for mail fraud. But was it?
The Topeka Daily Capital, Topeka, Kansas, October 25, 1922, page 15.
The informant on the man’s death certificate was Luverna Schlatter, who’d been contacted because she was thought to be the ex-wife of the dead man. Luverna was divorced from a different “divine healer” going by the name Francis Schlatter. However the body of the man who died in St. Louis in 1922 was not buried in Miamisburg, Ohio, as stated on the death certificate. In a bizarre twist, the body went unburied. On May 7, 1945, it was discovered in the basement of a St. Louis funeral home.
One plausible scenario is that Luverna, who lived in Chicago, went to St. Louis and discovered that the corpse awaiting her there was not that of her ex-husband, but belonged to the man who’d been incarcerated at McNeil Island* so she left without it. The death in 1922 of the fake Francis Schlatter is as much a mystery as the death of the man he spent years impersonating.
Featured photos: Francis Schlatter, McNeil Island Federal Penitentiary. Collection of the National Archives at Seattle, Washington, record group 129.
*Update: I recently received a copy of an article from the Denver Times, dated October 19, 1922, from David Wetzel, author of The Vanishing Messiah. The article describes how the man who was imprisoned at McNeil Island was still alive at that date, when he visited the Los Angeles Times offices to tell the paper he was not the man who had recently died in St. Louis.
Posted in 1900s, 1910s | Tagged con man, confidence man, fake healer, Francis Schlatter, McNeil Island Penitentiary, scam, scam artist | Leave a comment
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Interview Policy
From PM to MCD contractor, there is a competition to deny responsibility: Bezwada Wilson
Ahan Penkar
CHANDAN KHANNA/AFP/Getty Images
On 9 September 2018, five sanitation workers died due to inhalation of toxic fumes while cleaning a sewage tank in West Delhi. Several media reports regarding the incident noted that the men did not have any safety gear, indicating that the unavailability of equipment led to their death. The police reportedly registered a case against the engineer who was in charge of managing the sewage tank,under Sections 304 and 304A of the Indian Penal Code—culpable homicide and causing death due to negligence, respectively. Following extensive media coverage, the police later added charges under sections of the Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe (Prevention of Atrocities) Act of 1989 and the Prohibition of Employment of Manual Scavengers and Their Rehabilitation Act, 2013.
There have been over 327 deaths related to manual scavenging in 2017 alone. Manual cleaning of sewage and excreta is a profession that has long been reserved for Dalits, with many who find themselves in the profession unable to escape it for generations. Most of India does not have a proper sewage system, resulting in the prevalence of dry latrines, which in turn requires sanitation workers and manual scavengers to clear latrines on a regular basis.
Employment of scavengers or the construction of dry latrines became a punishable offence in 1993 with the Employment of Manual Scavengers and Construction of Dry Latrines (Prohibition) Act. Later that year, under the leadership of its national convenor Bezwada Wilson, the Safai Karamchari Andolan, ahuman rights organisation that has been campaigning for the eradication of manual scavenging, filed a PIL listing violators of the act. The situation did not improve. In 2003, SKA approached the courts again, and fought a long legal battle to get another bill passed—the Prohibition of Employment as Manual Scavengersand their Rehabilitation Act of 2013. Though this act has been in force for over five years, its implementation has been sorely lacking—till January 2018, no convictions had taken place under it.
In light of the recent deaths, Ahan Penkar, a fact checker at The Caravan, interviewed Wilson. The SKA head discussed the challenges facing the eradication of manual scavenging, as well as the legal and social complexities of emancipating Dalits in India. He said that culprits in these cases are often charged under Section 304A of the IPC—criminal negligence—not under the MS Act. “If you arrest anybody under negligence it looks small,” he said. “You have to put it under murder. Then the people will know that you cannot do this.”
Ahan Penkar: The media and the police have said about the recent deaths that it is a safety issue. Further, cases were first filed under negligence.
Ahan Penkar is a fact-checking fellow at The Caravan.
Keywords: caste Safai Karamchari Andolan manual scavenging
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Cruz Vs. Trump: Who’s Most Islamophobic?
The competition among Republican presidential candidates to see who can be the more venal xenophobe reached a new level with Ted Cruz calling for police to begin patrolling Muslim neighborhoods across the United States "before they become radicalized."
That's apparently an attempt to one-up fellow bigot Donald Trump, who wants to ban all Muslims from entering the United States, talks about monitoring or shutting down all mosques in this country and is an unabashed advocate of using torture.
Is Cruz trying to show he can be more fascistic than Trump, who wants to round up 12 million undocumented immigrants and shipping them out of the country?
What's next? Will The Donald want to put all Muslims in their own neighborhoods and surround them with a Trump-built wall?
There's precedent. After all, he's the man whose ex-wife said he keeps a volume of Hitler's speeches at his bedside.
Maybe Donald and Ted will demand all Muslims wear crescent-shaped badges on their clothes so they can be spotted easily.
What's really terrifying is that one of these guys could be the next president of the United States.
If that happens, the first ones to build a wall on their southern border may be the Canadians.
President Obama called Cruz's proposal "inhumane," "un-American" and "contrary to our values."
The Anti-Defamation League condemned Cruz's remarks as "irrational." "Demonizing" Muslims is "misguided and counterproductive" and can "serve only to foment discrimination and hate crimes against innocent, devoted Americans," the groups said in a statement.
ADL CEO Jonathan Greenblatt called Cruz's approach is "contrary to the principles of individual rights, equality, justice, and religious freedom on which this nation was founded.”
ADL also noted that two of Cruz's top national security advisors — Lt. Gen. William G. Boykin and Frank J. Gaffney, Jr – "have a history of anti-Muslim bigotry and have promoted outrageous conspiracy theories involving Muslims.”
Naturally, Cruz blamed the situation on Barack Obama for being "too politically correct" and refusing to use the term "radical Islamic terrorism"
And if there's another terror attack in Europe, look for the two GOP candidates to call for rounding up all Muslims and putting them in camps.
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Turkey: Friend or Foe?
Turkey poses the greatest challenge to American interests in the Middle East today as it seeks to fill the power vacuum left by the fall of Hosni Mubarak in Egypt and the expected demise of Bashar Assad’s regime in Syria. Ankara is moving steadily to exploit the void in regional leadership and spreading its brand of radical Islam with the help of the Muslim Brotherhood and its allies, said Dan Schueftan, director of the University of Haifa’s National Security Studies Center.
The United States underestimates the growing radicalism in Turkish politics and society and the danger that poses, he said. It should take more seriously the threat of a non-Arab Muslim state that wants to replace the weakened and distracted pro-Western Egypt and anti-Western radical Syria.
Prime Minister Recip Tayyip Erdogan’s Justice and Development Party (AKP) is turning Turkey away from the secular, democratic republic established by Kamal Ataturk in 1923 to an Islamist-dominated government.
He wants to become the principle leader in the region and replace the other secular regimes with ones resembling his own.
Many Arabs are likely to view Erdogan’s push for regional leadership with suspicion in light of the centuries-long Ottoman rule, plus the fact he is not an Arab. Even so, however, the Turkish prime minister remains a hero on the Arab street for another reason: his intense hostility toward Israel.
At times his bitter attacks on the Jewish state seem to rival those of his good friend, Iran’s Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. Part of this may stem from a strong personal antipathy toward Israel, but more importantly it is part of a calculated campaign to position Turkey, a democratic state governed by Islamists, as a model for a new Middle East.
“Turkey threatens and tries to bully Israel into a position where Turkey will look good to radical Arabs who are impressed by such behavior,” said Schueftan.
Turkey calls itself a strong supporter of Palestinian statehood and insists it wants to help broker peace with Israel, but its actions say just the opposite.
Erdogan has virtually broken relations with Israel and aligned Turkey with the Islamist Hamas, which rejects peace with Israel and wants to replace it with an Islamist republic, while he disdains the nationalist Mahmoud Abbas and his Palestinian Authority.
Under Erdogan, the AKP has urged Western countries to “recognize Hamas as the legitimate government of the Palestinian people” and dismissed Abbas as the head of an “illegitimate government,” according to Soner Cagaptay of the Washington Institute for Near East Policy (WINEP).
Israel, the United States and most Western countries have classified Hamas as a terrorist organization.
Erdogan broke recently with Syria over its response to the uprisings there and has become a mentor to the Syrian National Council (SNC) opposition movement, providing its leaders with sanctuary, housing and security. He also has had a hand in selection of SNC members, with Islamists and anti-American figures disproportionately over-represented.
“If Assad falls, the Muslim Brotherhood would take over, and they would be completely subservient to Turkey for strategic and political reasons,” Schueftan said.
Egypt’s Muslim Brotherhood’s Freedom and Justice Party (FJP) and the even more extreme Salafis did better than expected in recent parliamentary elections, and are expected to play a critical role in drafting a new Egyptian constitution.
“An axis of Muslim brothers in Turkey, Syria, Gaza and Egypt is very dangerous,” Schueftan said.
He warned of the possibility that the empowered Brotherhood allies in those states would link with their brethren and radical Palestinians in Jordan to undermine King Abdullah and change the nature of his pro-Western regime.
“If Jordan crumbles as a buffer state the whole Middle East will change radically,” he said.
The Turkish army has been the guardian of secularism and democracy, and it has kept the government western oriented, but Erdogan is changing that by replacing the country’s top military commanders, many with close relations with Washington and Jerusalem, with his loyalists, neutralizing the military as a significant domestic political player. Erdogan also replaced Turkey’s pro-Western intelligence chief with someone very close to the Iranians.
Americans fail to realize the depth of radical feelings in this Turkish government toward the West, said Schueftan. The danger Turkey represents to American interests and its allies is that it appeals to the most radical sentiments in the region. That is reflected in its approach to Hamas and Israel’s attempts to block missiles from entering Gaza.
Turkey’s increasingly anti-Western stance raises questions of the reliability of its continued political and military cooperation with NATO and the West.
Schueftan said the United States is deluding itself if it thinks Turkey is the right combination of moderation and Islam it would like to see throughout the Muslim world.
“If you are willing to work with Hamas and your ally in the region is a terror organization, and your enemy is Israel, it says a lot about who you are,” Schueftan said. “America should ask itself, ‘When someone is the very bitter enemy of your good friend, is that the basis for a strategic alliance?’” Washington must prepare for Turkey becoming increasingly unfriendly and ultimately hostile to the United States and not entertain any expectations that it can look to Ankara for help in maintaining regional stability, Schueftan said.
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News and commentary about the changing role of business in society
The myopia of India’s CSR requirement. How the law is a good first step but ultimately misses the mark
Posted by dustinsmith64 in CSR on March 12, 2014
It’s been over 4 decades since Milton Friedman’s treatise on corporate social responsibility, but despite the time the obligations of business in society is still a hot topic of debate.
In India, however, that obligation has been laid out explicitly in new regulations set to take effect on April 1st. The bill, which was officially passed into law on August 29th, 2013, contains updates on a broad range of issues. Of interest is section 135 which outlines a company’s CSR requirements:
Form a CSR committee with at least three directors, one of which must be independent. This committee will be charged with reviewing a company’s CSR policy, making expenditure recommendations, and providing oversight.
The company must spend at least 2% of the average net profits during the 3 preceding financial years on CSR activities outlined by the board. Preference must be given to local areas in which a company operates.
These requirements will apply to companies with a net worth of 500 crore (USD $81 million) or turnover of 1000 crore (USD $162 million) or a net profit of 5 crore (USD $810,000).
Based on total economic activity, some estimates place the total amount to be earmarked for social causes around US$2.5 billion.
There are some problems with this view. First, CSR is treated as being analogous to corporate philanthropy. While this is partially true it only addresses one facet of CSR. Social responsibility is a much more holistic view of the actions of a company within a society. Simply earmarking 2% of profits for government-approved causes represents the purest form of a social tax Friedman espouses in his article.
For example, CEOs who pay their employees well above the market rate may feel that they are contributing to society but the commission has already ruled that employee compensation will not be counted towards the CSR quota.
Compare this to CSR practices in many Nordic countries whose companies frequently top the list on a variety of CSR performance indices. The corporate attitude has long been one of “implicit” CSR, where social impact is built into the foundation of how a firm operates.
Trond Giske, the Norwegian minister for Trade and Industry captured this succinctly in his remarks for a 2012 conference, “Many elements of CSR are at the core of the Nordic Welfare model, such as decent work, gender equality, involvement of citizens and social dialogue.” Surely an Indian company acting out these values could be said to be fulfilling its social contract, but how does one quantify and count these actions towards the required 2%?
Education contribution is a primary area declared as a valid CSR category for the spending requirement. Poor facilities and lack of technology has been cited as a cause for India’s poor educational system; something that philanthropy could address. However, these elements mean nothing if a student can’t go to class because their family relies on them to contribute to the family’s income. This is especially true in poorer areas as one report published in 2009 noted an average absentee rate of 25% among rural students, compared to 10% among their urban counterparts. While corporate philanthropy can begin to address educational issues, it will take a more fundamental change in philosophy to improve the more systemic causes such as poor wages.
The law restricts a business’ ability to be strategic with its social contributions. Economic, social, and environmental sustainability is achieved when a firm can align its altruistic actions with core business objectives; a concept outlined by Michael Porter as creating ‘shared value.’ Unfortunately, the shared value approach requires the commitment and alignment of all organizational functions; a state of being that is not achieved when simply contributing 2% of profits.
With that said, India is still breaking new ground by formalizing a CSR policy but at this point it still represents little more than a tax and not true innovation.
corporate philanthropy, India, Milton Friedman
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Three ways corporate social responsibility can benefit your business
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Selling in Mexico
Sourcing & Manufacturing
10 Profitable Small Business Ideas in Mexico with Low Investment
by Ken Moskal | Jul 27, 2017 | Business
Mexico has an attractive business environment, especially for foreign investors. Registering a startup in the country is also very easy since it typically takes nine days and six steps. Foreigners are encouraged to invest in the country through free trade and cooperation agreements, the most significant being NAFTA.
Before starting a small business in Mexico, you should educate yourself on the country’s business environment, culture, and laws dealing with commerce and trade. Once that is done, you can consider these 10 profitable small business ideas in Mexico.
Image Source: DepositPhotos
10 Profitable Small Business Ideas in Mexico
1. Healthcare
Healthcare easily tops the list of 10 profitable small business ideas in Mexico. The market for medicine and related equipment is among the largest in the Latin American region, ranking at number 2. Mexicans are usually divided into three when it comes to health services. The first group attends public hospitals, the second goes for private healthcare, and the last chooses alternative medical treatment. The public health sector in the country is highly inefficient, and the current government is not prioritizing systemic reforms in the said medical institutions. This means there is a huge gap for private healthcare companies and practitioners to fill.
2. E-Commerce
E-commerce is probably the best business to start in Mexico. It presently represents a small percentage of the total sales made in the country. However, the nation has very high potential in this sector, which is why large corporations have been investing in the education of Mexicans on e-commerce. The advantage of Mexico is that there is little access to goods in areas away from the large cities. Additionally, online and physical retail markets are projected to grow by about 25 percent this year, giving a market share of about $7.58 billion.
3. Consumer Products
The market for consumer goods complements that of e-commerce. As stated previously, Mexicans outside the major cities have little access to goods and services since the major stores and supermarkets haven’t opened branches in such areas. The country has a population of 112 million people, and the middle class makes up a good percentage of this number. That means you can get a slice of the retail market share by simply starting a physical store.
4. Agribusiness
Agribusiness in Mexico is growing at a healthy pace. For a long time, it has been an important sector of the country’s economy. This country is currently a major importer of agricultural products and equipment, mainly from the USA. The agricultural sector in the country has, in the recent past, been influenced by macroeconomic factors, most significantly the US dollar. A stronger US dollar increases the value of their agricultural produce because the sector operates under a deficit. Crop growing is the main agricultural activity in the country, with the major products being sorghum, corn, wheat, and sugarcane.
5. Waste Disposal and Recycling
Mexico lacks a proper waste disposal system. Formal waste recycling systems are also missing. The waste disposal and recycling market in the country is estimated to be around $24 billion. At the moment, the waste and recycling sector generates about $3 billion, and only a small group of people have tapped into the market. You can enter this market by getting involved in the selling of such waste products to a recycling company. Alternatively, you can sell the products through a ‘chatarreto,’ who will, in turn, sell them to recycling companies.
6. Car Rentals
The car rental sector in Mexico is highly promising due to the country’s popularity among tourists. In 2015, approximately 6.8 million foreign visitors went into the country for vacations. This figure increased by close to 10 percent in 2016 and is bound to keep going up. Tourists don’t usually travel with their vehicles, which means they need to rent cars to move around the country. You should, therefore, consider car rentals as one of your 10 profitable small business ideas in Mexico.
Internet use in Mexico has been progressing much slower than in many parts of the world. Currently, however, the use of the web is increasing at a rapid pace, and the social nature of Mexicans is driving them into sites like Facebook and Twitter. The number of people who are on social media is growing at around 13.5 percent per year, which means more than half of all Mexicans communicate via the internet. The increased internet use warrants a place for digital marketing in the 10 profitable small business ideas in Mexico.
8. Heating and Cooling
The country’s HVAC industry has been growing at a very rapid pace. There have also been significant investments in the power and hydrocarbons industry, and this is likely to increase the need for heat exchangers. As an HVAC practitioner with a startup Mexico firm, you can benefit from such a scenario by selling your skills to companies and residents of the country.
9. Marketing Consultancy
If you are a specialist in the marketing sector, you can take advantage of the robust business environment in the country by helping companies with their promotional strategies. Corporations are being set up in the country, many of them very big. Most of these, however, have no idea on how to sell their products in the Mexican environment. Others are also blank when it comes to the analysis of the marketing strategies.
10. Education
The use of English is growing in Mexico. The number of Mexicans taking English classes has doubled over the last decade and is still expected to rise. Currently, over 24 million people in Mexico are learning the language chiefly due to the national programs that have been campaigning for English proficiency. The language is also commonly used in business settings in the country. A lot of Mexicans end up leaving the country to study English abroad in countries like Canada and the USA. That means the market for ESL learners is vast in the nation and you can tap it by starting language classes as one of your 10 profitable small business ideas in Mexico.
Doing business in Mexico is now easier than ever. These 10 profitable small business ideas in Mexico should help you decide on what activity you should engage in. Starting a business in Mexico as a non-Mexican citizen is not complicated, given the trade agreements signed by the two countries. You will also find labor much cheaper than in the USA.
https://businessinmexico.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/VID-20180122-WA0022.mp4
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Business in Mexico © 2019
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University of Alabama?
Man, 33, fights off Taser police armed with toy LIGHTSABER: “They might be one of the more feared tools at the disposal of the police. However, it would seem the mighty Taser was no match for a humble plastic lightsaber after a man managed to fend off officers as they tried to arrest him inside a toy store. Police in Portland, Oregon, were on the receiving end of ‘The Force’ when they tried to take down a suspect with the electroshock weapon – and he retaliated using the children’s toy with surprising success. Officers said they tried to calm the man down but he kept swinging the lightsaber and shouting incoherently. So they then tried to use a Taser on him, but the man managed to break the wires free using the toy. Abandoning the Taser attempts, police then wrestled the man to the ground before taking him into custody. David Canterbury, who was arrested at the scene, was treated for injuries and taken to a hospital for a mental evaluation.
Lizard plays computer game: “When Australian Philip Gith realised his pet lizard was a better smartphone gamer than him, he didn’t euthanise it for embarrassing him – he whipped out his camera. And now the female bearded dragon he calls Crunch has become an internet celebrity due to its fondness for the smartphone game Ant Smasher. In the video Crunch is shown snapping up the on-screen ants and insects with her tongue to the tune of the Super Mario theme, and when the game stops the lizard looks up expectantly at its owner, angling for another round. Peter Harlow, manager of reptiles at Taronga Zoo, said dragon lizards were the only type of lizard that could respond to what they see on a video screen. “They have excellent visual acuity – that’s what they do, they look for little insects and then they go out and grab them,” he said, adding that Crunch would have thought that the on-screen bugs were food.”
Saddam’s dinnerware to be sent back to Iraq after it was found in NYC restaurant: “It was a gimmick proving to be quite a draw for diners at a restaurant in New York. Traditional Iraqi cuisine served on the very dinnerware used by the Butcher of Baghdad himself was being sold in an upmarket Upper East Side restaurant for $38 a head. However, now diners who were eating from Saddam Hussein’s dinner plates will have to return to more run-of-the-mill tableware. The gold-plated crockery, which was plundered from the dictator’s palace, is to be repatriated to the Iraqi administration by the U.S., New York authorities have confirmed. The items were illegally smuggled into the country and were later sold on eBay for about $3,000 to an art group in New York City called Creative Time. Iraqi-Jewish Chef Michael Rakowitz served up an Iraqi-style meal of venison and date syrup – called ‘Spoils’ – which arrived on a plate that the ‘Butcher of Baghdad’ once ate from, customers were told.”
At least he’s keeping his eyes on the road!: “A driver in China could end up being charged on two separate counts after he was caught speeding while fondling the breasts of his female passeneger. Deng Jialin was so distracted by his female companion that he neglected his speedometer – and was clocked driving at 92kmph (57mph) in an 80kmph (50mph) limit. He was captured on film juggling the steering wheel of his silver Nissan X-Trail with his left hand while reaching across to put his hand down the lady’s top. The footage was captured while Deng drove along a motorway in China. It was not the first time Deng had bee caught speeding though, this time, his punishment wasn’t simply the 200-yuan fine ($30) he had to pay in the past but the embarrassment of having the still above circulated around the globe.”
Colombian cops seize mobster’s Ferrari and re-brand it as a police car : “The Colombian Police Force has taken delivery of its latest crime-fighting tool – a drug kingpin’s beloved Ferrari. The red 1991 Ferrari 348 was the pride and joy of feared cartel boss Luis Hernando Gomez. Now the infamous mobster has to accept that his beloved sports car is being used as a propaganda tool by his number one enemy. Colombian cops decided to seize his assets when Gomez, known as ‘Scratch’, was jailed in the U.S. for trafficking more than 500,000 kg of cocaine across the borders. A complex 2005 operation saw the authorities strip the 53-year-old of around £60m of goods, including farms, homes, artwork and this, his cherished Ferrari 348. The mid-engined sports car has a 300bhp V8 and can do 0-60mph in 5.1 seconds. It has a top speed of 171mph.”
Love to see the auburn girl flash some u of k blue.well I enjoy her agirl colors,but she look better inbetter blue. Championship blue!!!
Comment by rick emberton— April 27, 2012 #
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Home Arts & Media News ‘Love’ in Latin and Spanish, and colorful aluminum
Arts & Media News
‘Love’ in Latin and Spanish, and colorful aluminum
To honor Pope Francis on the occasion of his visit to the United States, the Philadelphia Museum of Art and the Association for Public Art (aPA) installed Robert Indiana’s sculpture AMOR (1998) on the Museum’s East Terrace, where it will overlook the celebration of the Papal Mass on Sunday, Sept. 27, which culminates the World Meeting of Families 2015.
AMOR—meaning “love” in both Pope Francis’s native Spanish and in Latin—will stand at one end of the Parkway facing, at the other end, Indiana’s renowned LOVE sculpture on John F. Kennedy Plaza.
AMOR was unveiled Sept. 22 before the start of the World Meeting of Families Congress.
Robert Indiana originally conceived the celebrated LOVE image in 1965 through a series of paintings, and a year later in 1966, conceived his editions of LOVE sculptures.
He created the Latin/Spanish version of the sculpture, AMOR, in 1998, in response to the changing demographics of the United States and his desire to speak to his fellow citizens. The colorful 6-foot-high aluminum sculpture is on loan from the Morgan Art Foundation, courtesy of Simon and Marc Salama-Caro, who are dedicated to preserving and promoting Robert Indiana’s artistic legacy.
Timothy Rub, The George D. Widener Director and Chief Executive Officer of the Philadelphia Museum of Art, said, “In the traditional language of the Church, amor vincit omnia—love conquers all. The message underscores this historic moment for Philadelphia, and also speaks to the message of the Museum, a place that welcomes everyone.”
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Vain, stubborn, and inclined to do the right thing
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Tag Archives: unnamed sources
When the Scapegoats Bite Back
October 1, 2014 By The Central Standard Times in Politics Tags: intelligence community, Iraq, Islamic State, national security briefings, new york times, Obama, sophisticated consumers, Syria, unnamed sources, Washington Post 1 Comment
Having grown up on cloak-and-dagger movies, a favorite genre of our father, we know better than to provoke the wrath of an espionage agency. Those guys are always portrayed as ruthlessly efficient sorts, and they’ve put more athletic and handsome men than ourselves in perilous situations we do not wish to endure, so we make it a point not to say anything unflattering about them. President Barack Obama has apparently been watching too many “chick flicks” and arty independent releases, however, as he’s foolhardily started a public relations fight with the entire intelligence community.
It’s all a result of that Islamic State terror gang that’s lately been conquering huge swaths of Syria and Iraq and spreading the most gruesome sort of mayhem along the way, including the widely publicized beheadings of two Americans and other westerners. The situation is all the more embarrassing for the president because he had run for re-election on the boasts that American troops had been withdrawn from a stable and secure Iraq, that Islamist terrorism was “on the run” and “the tide of war is receding,” and that as recently as last winter he was telling a fawning interviewer that the Islamic State terror gang was the “jayvee team” of Islamist terrorism and nothing to worry about. Now that the “jayvees” are within a mile or so of Baghdad that the president is insisting he never called them that, a claim so preposterous that even the friendliest press won’t pretend otherwise, so he’s been casting about for another explanation that confirms his infallibility. What he came up with during a recent interview with “60 Minutes,” which is where Democratic presidents go to get some much-needed sympathy, is that his Director of National Intelligence has already volunteered that the intelligence community got it wrong.
The Director of National Intelligence might have professional reasons to throw himself under the proverbial bus, but his underlings in the various agencies are apparently less willing to take the blame. They’ve responded not with wristwatch-laser beams fountain pen explosives or the other high-tech gadgetry that always figures in the movies, but rather by reaching into their old fashioned Rolodexes for the phone numbers of well-placed reporters who owe them favors. No less a fancy-schmantzy newspaper than The New York Times, which has previously been willing to re-write the history of the Iraq war and the rules of English grammar to accommodate the president, was indebted enough to its deep-cover sources to produce a damning rebuttal to the administration line. According to the inevitably unnamed but assuredly senior intelligence and military sources, the president had been warned in alarmed language as early as late last year about the rising threat of the Islamic State but failed to pay heed.
One wonders that those unnamed sources were owed, because a close reading of the article buttresses conservatives articles that The New York Times is usually inclined to ridicule. Even the token right-winger at The Washington Post was allowed to note that it shows that Obama’s decision to withdraw all troops from Iraq rather than negotiate a new status of forces agreement has proved unwise, that the resulting sectarian violence was foreseeable, and that the president ignored the intelligence community’s warnings for political and ideological reasons. All of these revelations feed a growing public perception that the president is too busy with golf and fund-raising to be a serious steward of America’s foreign policy, and it doesn’t help to have new revelations about how often he skips his national security briefings altogether. The last time this was in the news was right after the tragic fiasco at the American consulate in Benghazi, when the administration laughed it off with claims that the president didn’t need to question is advisers because unlike his illiterate predecessor he could read reports and was “among the most sophisticated consumers of intelligence on the planet.” That explanation was sufficient to win the president re-election, but with the Islamic State at the gates of Baghdad and the cloak-and-dagger guys now in full revolt it might not prove as effective in the upcoming mid-terms.
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Experimental & Underground · LGBT & Queer · Reviews
Diamonds in the Toilet: Andy Warhol’s The Chelsea Girls
Gary Morris
Warhol’s timeless, trashy “girls” come a-callin’
More talked about than seen since its debut, The Chelsea Girls, Andy Warhol’s infamous double-projected dive into a demimonde he created, is getting a rare theatrical revival. It’s hard to imagine that this experience – it’s as much spectacle as film, really – was His Pastiness’s first honest-to-god cinematic success. After years of showing his movies to his methed-up Factory friends and the stray camp follower who wandered in off the street, and perhaps because his time had simply come, Warhol was able to sell these “girls” to the hip mainstream. The Chelsea Girls was reviewed in The New York Times and many another venue, raked in a cool (for Warhol) $300,000 in six months of exhibition, and became one of the gaudiest baubles on the charm bracelet of the urban culture vulture circa 1966.
Warhol’s “methods” (a deceptive word that indicates more planning than he was capable of) are in full flower here. The idea behind the project was to film various Factory denizens doing what they did best: prattling, prancing, fondling each other, shooting up, screaming, applying makeup, confessing secrets, smacking and upbraiding each other, and all manner of other mayhem – all in takes so long that anything was possible, including torpor. Twelve 35-minute mini-movies were shot, in various rooms of the Chelsea Hotel (and a couple of apartments), with no editing, the camera mostly as still as a cadaver (but occasionally twirling around a room or zooming in and out). The sound was recorded as it happened, to create the greatest sense of immediacy and reality and to allow the notoriously slug-like filmmaker as little involvement in the process as possible. Some of the reels are color, some black-and-white. The stars were among Warhol’s most “super”: Gerard Malanga, Ingrid Superstar, Mary Woronov, International Velvet, Marie Menken, Eric Emerson, Mario Montez, Ondine, and a few others. The original “cut” ran over six hours, so Warhol and Morrissey decided to commercialize it by combining the six 35-minute movies into pairs. In an innovative touch that must have been as thrilling to projectionists as it was confounding to viewers, the former were corralled into the artistic process, being permitted to decide the order of projecting the segments, how to pair them off, and which one to run with sound and which without.
The effect was exhilarating, one of the defining moments in the artistic history of the decade. But the avant-garde production style wasn’t the main attraction for most viewers. Warhol’s scrapes with the law for films like Couch (which featured hardcore sex) created a panting audience dying to see The Wigged One’s latest opus. That it could be seen at respectable venues like New York’s Regency Theatre (where it premiered) made it that much sweeter. And if The Chelsea Girls didn’t show penetration (there is full-frontal male nudity for penisspotters, however), it did offer some unforgettably camp tableaux of s&m dykes, hustler queens, phony popes, mute chanteuses, hopheads, and all sorts of other chattering miscreants engaging in every kind of antisocial activity imaginable.
One of the most memorable sequences belongs to the queen with the Bronx bray, Ondine. He decided to be “the Pope of Greenwich Village,” taking the “confession” of Warhol’s alleged favorite, the brainless, shrieking, drug-drenched Ingrid Superstar. Ondine is a powerful presence here, eloquently expounding on his many duties as “the Pope” in one breath and screeching his hatred of the church in the other. In a hilarious extended dialogue, he accuses her of being a lesbian – “I’ve seen you at Page Three and a lot of other dyke joints!” – while she alternately denies and embraces the idea, as the mood strikes her. “You’re a subspecies, my dear. You’re not even a vegetable!” he screams. Inevitably, the pressure of 35 minutes of improv, even for the self-consumed Ondine, proves too much, and when another woman enters the scene and denounces him as a phony, Ondine verbally and physically assaults her. Ondine’s demand that the camera be stopped after he loses control were met with a bland but incontestable denial by Warhol, whose decision to keep the camera running at all cost produces some disturbing effects. Throughout the film there are moments where his refusal to stop shooting, his encouragement of the stars’ hunger for the spotlight at any cost, skirts the sadistic. Perhaps “skirt” is too tame; Warhol biographer Victor Bokris mentions that “To turn the pressure up, Andy and Paul [Morrissey] would plant rumors about unpleasant remarks someone had made about someone else.”
Warhol’s subtle sadism is matched frame for frame by the unrepentant narcissism of his superstars. That was one of the hallmark characteristics of this crowd, though the films’ ability to make extreme self-absorption in others both fascinating and funny is a miracle in itself. In one of the sequences, doomed diva Nico is seen in a kitchen with a kid and Eric Emerson, the masturbating mute queen in Heat. Nico, in choker close-up, makes primping into an art form, silently, and sadly it seems, trimming her fringe, studying herself in the mirror, posing and preening to enervating effect. It shouldn’t be too surprising that the quiet wreck onscreen died after falling off a bicycle some years later. Another magisterial narcissist from Warhol’s stable, Mario Montez, appears as a beleaguered, heavily mascara’d housewife, chatting in her mindless manner to a middle-aged pervert who fondles a passive, underwear-clad hustler. “I’m just a housewife, that’s all,” she says, eventually breaking into tears in the outré manner of a silent star under siege while the distracted perv demands the queen return some supposedly stolen property.
Commentators have made much of the “meaning” in the juxtapositions of what’s happening on the left and right screens, but it’s difficult to support very specific claims along these lines, since it’s the projectionist who chooses the pairings, and what one person sees may be entirely different at the next screening. More quantifiable are the oppositions that occur within the frame of a particular sequence. Frequently in the Warhol (and then Morrissey) canon, there’s a pairing of two distinctly different types, a harridan (often a queen or a fag hag) with a beautiful, narcissistic, indifferent male. The Chelsea Girls has several such scenes, most effectively a bizarre ménage of gorgeous Gerard Malanga, who has to defend his supposed marriage to “Hanoi Hannah” (Mary Woronov) to his alleged mother, played by Marie Menken. While Mom fumes and screams, denouncing him as a “hippie” and Hannah as “trash,” Malanga (“Son” in the credits) barely reacts. Hannah, looking dapper in a white shirt and tie, smolders silently in a corner. Menken is one of Warhol’s few grande dames but one of several of his troupe who can maintain a harridan pose – perhaps because that’s what she was – seemingly forever, impervious to all notions of good taste or restraint.
Drugs, especially methedrine, were a crucial component of this crowd, and they’re everywhere in The Chelsea Girls. Both Ondine and Brigid Polk shoot up in their sequences, with Ondine doing so ritualistically, while Brigid unceremoniously sticks a needle through her blue jeans. Drugs too may be at the heart of some of the more passive performances here, like Malanga’s or, in the Marie Menken sequence, Woronov’s. Woronov has one of the most thrilling scenes as a butch dyke who sadomasochistically abuses Ingrid Superstar, who’s curled up under a desk, sometimes pouting and sometimes yelling back at Woronov or International Velvet. Woronov is a rarity in the Warhol canon; with her geometric face and wolfish smirk, she seems quite unintimidated by the camera’s relentless gaze, never breaking down as Ondine did. With her thrilling contralto, she’s also a superb screamer, another common trait among the Warholians.
The Chelsea Girls was one of Warhol’s last pure “art” films (in the style of Empire, Sleep, etc.) before collaborator Paul Morrissey’s business-minded ways took over and created the more commercial “Warhol films” – Lonesome Cowboys, Trash, Heat, etc. – that maintained some of the art and made much more money. The film was greeted warmly at the time in most quarters. To Newsweek, it was “the Iliad of the Underground”; the Village Voice read it as a metaphor for “burning Vietnam.” Not everyone agreed, of course; Rex Reed called it “a three-and-a-half-hour cesspool of vulgarity and talentless confusion which is about as interesting as the inside of a toilet bowl.” Warhol might be the last to object to Reed’s scatological analogies, but surely those are diamonds floating in the bowl.
— Gary Morris
Gary Morris founded Bright Lights Film Journal as a print publication in 1974; it became a web-only magazine in 1996. He is the author of the monograph Roger Corman (Twayne Publishers, 1985) and the editor of Action! Interviews with Directors from Classical Hollywood to Contemporary Iran (Anthem Press, 2009).
Previous story At last, a Cool British Film: 24 Hour Party People
Next story Recalling the Dream of Parenthood in Raising Arizona
Men in Peril, Hollywood, & Our Culture’s Skewed Portrayal of Heart Disease April 11, 2014
Babies: A Nature Doc Starring Humans May 11, 2010
Isn’t It Romantic? Hugh and Drew in Marc Lawrence’s Music and Lyrics May 1, 2007
Frederic March and Carole Lombard Find Nothing Sacred in the Big Apple October 1, 2002
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Reckoning Daze
“An actress is always a starving artist,” says Lindsay Harmon-Foster, a struggling L.A. actress in Reckoning Daze. Lindsay, 19, a former star of a canceled series, is doing a pilot that might prove to be the role of a lifetime, but her anorexia and other habits could kill her before she’s cast for the full series. She has long been self-destructive, but never more so than now, making her a threat to herself. Aside from losing the show she loved, she thought she had found her soulmate in a rising singer named Jesse, but he committed suicide and she blames herself. Will she land the new series and allow herself to find love again or will addictions – and suppressed family secrets – make her die hard? A mix of drama and satire in the vein of Bret Easton Ellis.
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Virginia Murray: Candidacy for CODATA Executive Committee
This is the seventeen in the series of short statements from candidates in the forthcoming CODATA Elections at the General Assembly to be held on 9-10 November in Gaborone, Botswana, following International Data Week. Virginia Murray Chuang is a candidate for the CODATA Executive Committee as an ordinary member. She was nominated by USA.
I qualified in medicine and joined Guy and St Thomas’s Hospital Poisons Unit and was appointed consultant medical toxicologist. In 1989 I started the Chemical Incident Research Programme and from 1995 was Director of the Chemical Incident Response Service. Here we supported emergency services and other partners for acute and chronic chemical incident response and developed evidence informed guidance for preparedness and incident management. In 2011 I was appointed as Head of Extreme Events and Health Protection, Public Health England and developed evidence base information and advice on flooding, heat, cold, volcanic ash, and other extreme weather and natural hazards events following being a first author of one of the chapters for the special IPCC report on extreme events and disasters [i] Currently I am the Head of Global Disaster Risk Reduction (GDRR) for Public Health England, which has supported my role as a member and previous vice-chair of the UN International Strategy for Disaster Reduction (ISDR) Scientific and Technical Advisory Group from 2008-2017 where she was actively engaged in supporting the negotiations
Data is critical for the implementation of the recent synchronous adoption of the 2015 landmark UN agreements of the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction 2015 – 2030[ii], the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) [iii], and the COP21’s Paris Climate Conference[iv]. It also imperative for the use of the WHO’s International Health Regulations 2005[v] and has created a rare but significant opportunity to build coherence across different but overlapping policy areas. In my GDRR role I have engaged with many science and technology partners in supporting the UNISDR STAG/ ICSU/IAP partnership to make the Sendia Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction 2015-2030 very reflective of data needs.
“Disaster risk reduction requires a multi-hazard approach and inclusive risk-informed decision-making based on the open exchange and dissemination of disaggregated data, including by sex, age and disability, as well as on easily accessible, up-to-date, comprehensible, science-based, non-sensitive risk information, complemented by traditional knowledge;”
When considered together, these frameworks make for a more complete agenda to build resilience and take action in areas including health, climate and disaster risk reduction. This integrated thinking will serve to strengthen existing risk frameworks for multi hazard assessments and aim to develop a dynamic, local, preventive and adaptive urban governance system at global, national, and local levels.
To do this we need to measure and manage data. The frameworks must be ‘strengthened [by] effective implementation and monitoring’ calling for ‘a data revolution, rigorous accountability mechanisms and renewed global partnerships’.[vi]
The benchmarking of countries’ performance against indicators linked to global agreements is a powerful way to engage governments and mobilise resources—no country wants to fall behind.[vii]
During 2017, CODATA initiated and led a discussion with data science groups and international scientific unions and associations about the timeliness of a major initiative on interdisciplinary data integration. Meetings at the ICSU HQ in Paris in June 2017 and at the Royal Society of London in November 2017 produced a report and communiqué supporting a long-term initiative and outlining some of the essential issues to be addressed. The key priorities for this initiative are to address data integration in support of major global challenges and to develop relevant data capacities across all the disciplines of science.
The CODATA initiative on interdisciplinary data integration is seeking to explore these challenges and opportunities in relation to three specific case studies in interdisciplinary research: infectious disease outbreaks, disaster risk and resilient cities. I am the lead for the disaster risk case study and work very closely wiht the infectious diseases and Resilient Cities programmes and 1 want to continue to advocate for the these case studies as we move into the development of this programme over the next three years – and these developments are best summarised in this figure below:
To me these case studies provide a concrete focus for exploring the potential of interoperability and data integration through metadata alignment via CODATA. The Interoperability of Metadata Standards in Cross-Domain Science, Health, and Social Science Applications has shown that standards are a vital tool enabling integration and semantic linking of data within and between disciplines.
However, standards tend to get developed and adopted within disciplines or application domains with little consideration of cross-discipline requirements and technologies, so data integration can often only be easily achieved within and between closely allied fields. For example:
Addressing global scientific challenges that depend on cross-discipline integration remains difficult. The challenge is to make cross-discipline data integration a routine aspect of data-driven science.
Metadata support data discovery, selection, access and use, and are critical for data integration.
I believe the commitment to the delivery of these pilots would benefit from active CODATA executive committee engagement.
More widely my current roles include being a member of the Integrated Research on Disaster Risk (IRDR) scientific committee, co-sponsored by the International Science Council (ISC) and the United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNISDR) and Co-Chair of IRDR’s Disaster Loss Data (DATA), and currently co-chair of CODATA’s Linked Open Data for Global Disaster Risk Research . I am a member the UNSDSN Data for Sustainable Development, co-chair of the recently developed WHO Thematic Platform Health and Disaster Risk Management Research Network and a visiting/honorary Professor at several universities including University College London (2013) and at the United Nations University International Institute for Global Health (2017)
[i] Murray, V., G. McBean, M. Bhatt, S. Borsch, T.S. Cheong, W.F. Erian, S. Llosa, F. Nadim, M. Nunez, R. Oyun, and A.G. Suarez, 2012: Case studies. In: Managing the Risks of Extreme Events and Disasters to Advance Climate Change Adaptation [Field, C.B., V. Barros, T.F. Stocker, D. Qin, D.J. Dokken, K.L. Ebi, M.D. Mastrandrea, K.J. Mach, G.-K. Plattner, S.K. Allen, M. Tignor, and P.M. Midgley (eds.)]. A Special Report of Working Groups I and II of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC). Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, UK, and New York, NY, USA, pp. 487-542.
[ii] United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction. Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction 2015-2030. 2015 www.wcdrr.org/uploads/Sendai_Framework_for_Disaster_Risk_Reduction_2015_2030.pdf.
[iii] United Nations. Sustainable Development Goals. 2015. www.un.org/sustainabledevelopment/sustainable-development-goals.
[iv] United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change. The Paris Agreement. 2015. http://unfccc.int/paris_agreement/items/9485.php .
[v] World Health Organization International health regulations (2005) http://apps.who.int/iris/bitstream/handle/10665/43883/9789241580410_eng.pdf;jsessionid=CEE24A3C20CA531AF6EC44F2586BA885?sequence=1
[vi] United Nations – The Road to Dignity by 2030: Ending Poverty, Transforming All Lives and Protecting the Planet Synthesis Report of the Secretary-General On the Post-2015 Agenda December 2014 http://www.un.org/disabilities/documents/reports/SG_Synthesis_Report_Road_to_Dignity_by_2030.pdf
[vii] Maini, R., Law, R., Duque III, F., Balboa, G., Noda, H., Nakamura, S. and Murray V. Monitoring progress towards planetary health – International agreements must include appropriate indicators, published regularly. BMJ 2017;359:j5279
This entry was posted in CODATA Elections 2018 on November 1, 2018 by codata_blog.
← Tony Hey: Candidate for the CODATA Executive Committee and CODATA President VIZAFRICA SYMPOSIUM 2018 →
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Summer Success: Teen Mentorship and Job Training - 6:36
with Terri Fishback of Boys & Girls Clubs of America
https://comcastnewsmakers.com/Videos/2019/6/28/Summer-Success-Teen-Mentorship-and-Job-Training
Summer employment provides teens the opportunity to gain valuable workplace skills and developmental experiences in preparation for future careers. Terri Fishback of Boys & Girls Clubs of America discusses workforce readiness and career planning for teens.
Produced by: National Newsmakers Team
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Anderson: According to the US Department of Labor, more than 20 million young people, ages 16 to 24, were employed from April through July of 2018. Summer jobs offer a paycheck, employment experience, and an opportunity to develop job skills, preparing youth for future employment. Hello, and welcome to "Comcast Newsmakers." I'm Tetiana Anderson. Studies project a shortfall of qualified workers in the near future, so more attention is being placed on workforce readiness in the United States. And joining me to talk about that is Terri Fishback. She is the Senior Director of Youth Development for the Boys & Girls Club of America. Terri, I want to start with the sort of big picture here. Where are some of the experiences -- the employment experiences -- that these kids are getting in various industries, trades, and other professional settings?
Fishback: Yeah. Most young people are looking for your typical job like when we were kids, right? And so they're looking for your retail jobs, working at the mall, becoming a lifeguard for a summer. And so there's a variety of opportunities that are available for these young people. What I think sometimes young people don't realize is that if they were to go into a skill or a trade, that they would have even more opportunities to earn an income. So there are pretty much a lot of jobs out there for young people these days.
Anderson: So it's not just lifeguarding. They're actually learning some skills here, right?
Fishback: Absolutely. They're learning skills.] And at Boys & Girls Clubs, we really dive into skill development as early as 6 years old, and really ensuring that young people know these skills that are so valued for employers today, like effective communication or problem-solving, critical thinking. So, Boys & Girls Clubs really play a role in that.
Anderson: So, you have a very specific program. It's called This Way Ahead. How does that work?
Fishback: Yeah, so, This Way Ahead is an opportunity for young people to land their first job. What it does provide is an opportunity for job training through a 12-week program. We also provide mentorship when that young person does get hired. And so they are successful on the job, we provide that mentorship after, through a job coach at the Boys & Girls Clubs. So it really is an opportunity to have a permanent or seasonal employment with our partnership with Gap Inc. That allows them to land their very first job.
Anderson: And you hit on it a little bit earlier, but I want to go back to it, 'cause it's such an important point. We're not talking about engaging kids at a specific point in their lives. This is a whole holistic approach. Can you talk about that?
Fishback: Yeah, so, the trajectory looks different at every age group, right? There are activities that we use at the Boys & Girls Clubs to engage young people in skill development. So, if you're 6 to 8 years old, we're talking about, what does it mean to be a fireman, right? What does it mean to drop the mail off, right? And so also developmentally, for those young people that become 13, 14, 15 years old, we're really honing in on, "What does it mean to develop a résumé? What does it mean to craft a cover letter? What does it mean to have employer expectations?" So, really making sure that young people are developmentally prepared to take on whatever it is for future careers or first-job experience.
Anderson: So, this isn't just about the future. This is also about sort of refocusing kids during a time in their life where they could very well get off track. I mean, we talked earlier about the whole risky-behavior aspect when children don't have something to do. Explain how this is sort of a alleviating that.
Fishback: Yeah, so, Boys & Girls Clubs is a positive, safe place for young people] to come to after school and during summer hours. And we know that having a positive place to go or something to do that's constructive after school hours is really important for you to stay away from some of those risky behaviors, like drugs or drinking. And so, really, what we're looking to do at Boys & Girls Clubs is, yes, help them to be work- and life-ready, but really support them with a caring adult relationship that also lets them know that we're there for them and that they can come to us, and we can help them become great.
Anderson: So, this is all happening, of course, at a national level, but you guys do different things in different states, according to what's going on in that community or with a certain group of people. You talked about a project I believe was in Minnesota that was fascinating.
Fishback: Yes, so, in Minnesota, there is a job-ready program that is happening with that Boys & Girls Club, where they are helping young people, again, with job-training opportunities, skill development, the opportunity to get some job training, in terms of certifications and credentials, so that they do have the opportunities to go out for some of the jobs for their future, not just the lifeguard jobs, right? And so we really want to make sure that young people have the opportunities, no matter their route that they choose. So, whether they're going to a four-year degree in college, a two-year trade school, we want to make sure that we're setting them up to be successful in whatever route that they choose.
Anderson: Success is certainly crucial for young people, and to know that they can achieve it, absolutely is absolutely crucial. What are you guys doing differently? Or what are the things that you're doing, coming up in the future? I mean, you've got this great program here, but what are some of the things that you're missing?
Fishback: Yeah, so, what I think helps us to be more unique, [00:05:21.08] I'll say, in terms of Boys & Girls Clubs, is that we are starting very young with young people in saying, "What do you want to do? How can we support you in life?" We're taking the opportunity, when they walk into our doors, 6, 7, 8 years old, and saying, "Hey, we are here for you, and we are here to help your dreams become reality and to fulfill your full potential." And so we can start that early. And a young person that stays with us over the course of time, through their club experience, is more likely then to be successful once they leave our doors, when they turn 18 years old. So it's really a positive experience that we provide for them throughout their club experience.
Anderson: We know support is crucial. Terri Fishback, thank you so much.
Fishback: Thank you.
Anderson: And thank you for joining us, as well. For more great conversations with leaders in your own community and across the nation, visit comcastnewsmakers.com. I'm Tetiana Anderson.
#National #Education #Economy and Business
Advancing Veteran Entrepreneurship
Advancing Veteran Entrepreneurship - 6:25
Advocates say that our nation’s veterans are uniquely qualified to become creators, innovators and entrepreneurs. Experience with technology while in the service, combined with discipline and an ability to overcome adversity, make veterans and their spouses strong candidates to start a new business.
David Calone, Chairman of the Board for Patriot Boot Camp, discusses resources available to help active duty service members, veterans and their spouses innovate and build impactful businesses.
https://comcastnewsmakers.com/Videos/2018/10/30/Advancing-Veteran-Entrepreneurship
Hispanic Business Empowerment
Hispanic Business Empowerment - 4:24
The Hispanic population in the U.S. has more than doubled since the 1990s, and so have the number of Hispanic-owned businesses. While there has been significant growth in the number of companies, Hispanic-owned businesses tend to start smaller and stay smaller.
Fernand Fernandez, interim president and CEO of the United States Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, joins Sheila Hyland to discuss the importance of equitable access to resources, networking and the USHCC’s upcoming national convention.
https://comcastnewsmakers.com/Videos/2018/8/1/Hispanic-Business-Empowerment
From Service to School
From Service to School - 5:57
While more than half of veterans are first-generation college students, undermatching – a phenomenon in higher education where qualified applicants are not accepted by competitive colleges – is common.
A discussion with Andrea Goldstein, CEO of Service to School, about helping veterans gain admission to top-tier schools.
https://comcastnewsmakers.com/Videos/2018/10/30/From-Service-to-School
Cultivating Leadership Skills in Young People
Cultivating Leadership Skills in Young People - 6:38
According to a recent study, half of U.S. high schoolers feel unprepared to meet the demands of college and the workplace.
Danielle Brown, National President of Jack and Jill of America Inc., joins host Sheila Hyland to discuss how her organization is developing the next generation of black leaders.
https://comcastnewsmakers.com/Videos/2019/3/3/Cultivating-Leadership-Skills-in-Young-People
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College of Communication > Faculty & Staff > Faculty A-Z > Michael Bass
Michael Bass
mbass6@depaul.edu
Mike Bass is a nationally honored sports reporter, editor and author who served on newspaper staffs in Detroit, Cincinnati and St. Paul. He most recently was deputy editor overseeing Big Ten coverage for Cox Media Group’s digital operation. Mike has covered everything from the World Series to the Super Bowl. He has gone fishing with Deion Sanders, walked a picket line with Boomer Esiason, hung out at a basketball game with Ken Griffey Jr. and Sr., and sat on the bench for a season with Bob Huggins. Mike also has freelanced for ESPN, Bleacher Report and Sporting News, among others, and taught graduate and undergraduate classes at Northwestern and DePaul.
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Home / Conscious Community Magazine / Health, Healing & Wellness / Meditation / Mindfulness and Music: Fact-Checking the Field
Mindfulness and Music: Fact-Checking the Field
April 27, 2016 Meditation, Sound Matters, The Arts
How To Use the Violet Flame to Accelerate Your Ascension
How to Connect with Your Higher Self
Forgiveness Through Yoga
By Steven Halpern
With the presidential primary in full swing now, I find the Fact Checking websites and program segments some of the most valuable.
Over the years, I’ve provided quite a bit of truth telling with respect to the sound healing and New Age music field.
One of my favorite principles is, “You’re allowed to have your own opinions. You’re not allowed to make up your own facts.”
It’s amazing how often this principle is violated, sometimes out of ignorance, other times out of disingenuousness.
Disclaimer: I’ve been an active participant and leader in these fields since their onset in the 1970s. As Dr. Phil is fond of saying, “I have a dog in this fight.”
As you may know, I was chosen to write the introduction to the two definitive books on New Age Music, including The International Guide to New Age Music, published by Billboard Books, and authored by Henk Werkhoven. Prior to that, I was honored to add an insider’s perspective to The New Age Music Guide by Patti Jean Birosik, a leading reviewer in the field.
My own book Sound Health, published in 1985 by Harper & Row, was the first book to focus on sound, health, music and healing, and introduce the concept to mainstream audiences and integrative health practitioners worldwide.
Most of what I have written and will continue to write relates to preserving the positive aspects of these fields, rather than undermine, politically or economically. I’m also passionate about not having fraudsters or rookies set listeners up for failure.
The Truth about “The Mozart Effect”
I wonder how many of you remember the initial news coverage of what became known as “The Mozart Effect” when it first splashed across newspaper headlines in 1993? I read about it in USA Today at the Chicago O’Hare airport. The lead scientist, Dr. Gordon Shaw, made no claims, only that their initial ‘pilot study’ (which had no placebo control or double blind factors in the experimental design) was suggestive of a need for serious research.
Then in 1997, a book of the same name was published, with Don Campbell credited as the author. What casual readers of the book, or media coverage of the book, took away was that only Mozart’s music was capable of providing a wide range of benefits, including “making you smarter.”
Dr. Shaw was so personally and professionally upset that his research had been appropriated and exploited by Campbell (who made millions from the book and related recordings) that he launched a lawsuit to defend his own branding and professional standing. Dr. Shaw’s essential critique: “We never made the claim that “Mozart makes you smarter. That trivializes and distorts our work.”
Since I had spoken out publicly in 1993 about the manufacturing of a ‘fact’ based on unsubstantiated research, I was deposed by his lawyer. I viewed the process as being analogous to planting a rumor, then acting as if it were true. It was, in effect, a marvelous misuse of the ‘hundredth monkey’ phenomenon.
Alas, Dr. Shaw passed away before the lawsuit could proceed further. Many of the benefits proclaimed in the book have subsequently been proven false.
And I bet that you didn’t know that many college professors who bought into the ruse lost their tenure due to its shoddy scholarship.
Apparently, I was one of the few who asked what I felt was an obvious question: “Smarter than what?” and “Compared to what?”
According to one of the music therapists who looked into the matter, Mozart was compared to rap music. She quipped, “Maybe Mozart doesn’t make you smarter, but rap makes you dumber.”
The other obvious consideration that most everyone in the media never considered was: Which Mozart? Which recording?
I really did have folks say to me during radio interviews and during workshops, “I used Mozart’s ‘Marriage of Figaro,’ and it sure didn’t make me any smarter.”
Well, that was not the composition that Dr. Shaw tested. Yet people tried to use it. That’s like drinking coffee and trying to fall asleep.
(I’m also one of the very few who visited Dr. Shaw in his office and ‘laboratory’, but that’s another story.)
Mindful Music and (Un)Mindful Music
Mindfulness has been the cover story on TIME magazine and that helped millions of people become aware of the concept.
Mindfulness involves being present, tuning in to the present moment, rather than thinking about the past or future.
Mindfulness has been described as ‘meditation without the dogma; or related rituals and philosophies of many spiritual traditions.
Being present, as in ‘Human being…rather than human doing.’
That’s always the state of mind I’m in when I’m composing and recording. I tune in to “the gap between thoughts,” as Deepak Chopra and Wayne Dyer described it, and listen to the space between the notes.
The over 100 albums that I’ve produced over the last 41 years help listeners tune in to their own experience of mindfulness. As I discovered during my research studies as a graduate student and thereafter, my music has a characteristic ability to orchestrate a virtually instant ‘relaxation response’ for most listeners.
Furthermore, brainwave biofeedback studies at the leading lab in the UK in 1977 demonstrated the music’s unique ability to balance both hemispheres of the brain.
Why is this so unusual? Because most music is processed mostly by the more analytical left hemisphere, which creates hemispheric unbalance.
The “Scalus Interruptus Syndrome” vs. Mindfulness
I discovered this effect simply by observing my own breathing, or rather, how I would often find myself breathing shallowly, or even holding my breath during certain musical passages.
I developed what turned out to be a highly effective demonstration that has helped my workshop participants, and now readers and video viewers prove it to themselves.
If you can imagine me singing a simple scale…observe what happens if I don’t sing the final note in the predictable sequence. Most people found themselves holding their breath, waiting for…that note.
It’s like waiting for the other shoe to drop. By the way, if you can’t imagine this, check out my video at https://youtu.be/-Ml8KiWH_1E.
“Look What They’ve Done to My Song, Ma”
Mindfulness is a very simple concept. It’s why my latest album, which was recorded in a deep state of meditation, came with the title, MINDFUL PIANO .
As I played each note, I was totally in the moment.
The feedback I get directly in presentations at various conferences is that it does the same for the vast majority of listeners.
So, imagine my chagrin when, shortly after I released the album and wrote about it in this column, several knock-off versions appeared on the market.
That wasn’t the worst of it. I bought and listened to all that I could find.
To my astonishment–and somewhat perverse delight–they were terrible! They were the exact opposite of mindfulness!
The classical and original compositions they included were perfect examples of the non-mindful “scalus interruptus syndrome” in full force.
I wondered how many people were suckered in by this. How many would be turned off from trying any other music for meditation, due to these shysters?
Then I found yet another scam: “A Tribute to Steven Halpern” by Steven Snow. Not one of his compositions was anything like mine.
And I should know; I am, after all, unquestionably, the world’s leading authority on the music of Steven Halpern.
I could hear both Ray Charles and Billy Preston singing in my head, “Look What They’ve Done to My Song, Ma.”
My concern was relieved a bit when Amazon let me know I might also be interested in “A Tribute to Deepak Chopra” by the same Snow job.
It was such an obvious scam. I don’t know if Deepak’s people got to Amazon before my reps did, but the album was pulled down shortly thereafter. If you see it showing up in your search, please let me know.
Yours for mindfulness through music,
Steven Halpern
Read more at StevenHalpern.com, and watch his videos at YouTube.com/StevenHalpernMusic.
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The No. 1 Source For Breaking Music and Film Headlines
Courtney Love, Frances Bean Cobain win court case sealing Kurt Cobain’s death photos
Journalist/conspiracy theorist Richard Lee had sued for access to images of the Nirvana frontman's body
by Ben Kaye
on May 15, 2018, 3:39pm
Frances Bean Cobain and Courtney Love
Photographs taken at the scene of Kurt Cobain’s suicide will forever remain sealed following a new court ruling in Seattle.
Journalist Richard Lee, described in court documents as “a conspiracy theorist who believes that Mr. Cobain was murdered,” originally filed suit against the city of Seattle and its police department in 2014. Having researched the Nirvana frontman’s death for years and even hosting a public access TV show called Now See It Person to Person: Kurt Cobain Was Murdered, Lee sought access to pictures taken of Cobain’s body under Washington State’s Public Records Act. However, Superior Court Judge Theresa Doyle threw out the case in 2015 after determining Lee had improperly served the lawsuit to the city and failed to give officials adequate time to address his public records request. Doyle added that releasing the images would be “highly offensive to a reasonable person.”
Lee appealed the ruling last year, and Cobain’s widow, Courtney Love, and daughter, Frances Bean Cobain, filed documents and testified to block Lee’s case. Now, as The Blast reports, the Washington appellate court has handed down a judgement in favor of Cobain’s family. The ruling ensures that images from four rolls of film taken at the scene in 1994 and developed by the Seattle Police Department in 2014 will likely never be seen by the public.
(Read: The Five Greatest Rock ‘n’ Roll Mysteries)
In a declaration submitted in response to Lee’s original suit, Francis Bean said,
“Releasing these photographs would physically endanger me and my mother. I once saw mock photos depicting my father’s body. That experience irreparably scarred me. I cannot imagine how terrible it would be knowing that the photographs that Mr. Lee seeks were public, and that I or any of my loved ones, included my father’s mother and sisters, might inadvertently see them. Release and publication of the photographs would shock me and exacerbate the posttraumatic stress that I have suffered since childhood.”
A handful of images from the four rolls of film in question were indeed released in the months prior to Lee’s initial suit, though none were of Cobain’s body. Conspiracy theorists have for years speculated the rock star’s death was murder and not suicide, despite officials ruling it so on numerous occasions. A documentary exploring the conspiracy theories entitled Soaked in Bleach was released in 2014 around the 20th anniversary of Cobain’s death.
Kanye West reveals tracklist for Kids See Ghosts collaborative album with Kid Cudi
Frances Bean Cobain loses Kurt Cobain’s Unplugged guitar in divorce settlement
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Don't Blame TV for ADHD Symptoms
Research finds kindergarteners exposed to TV no more likely to develop the disorder
By Serena Gordon
MONDAY, March 6, 2006 (HealthDay News) -- Does watching the flickering lights and frenetically changing pace of some children's TV programs affect a child's brain enough to cause symptoms of attention deficit-hyperactivity disorder?
Not likely, new research suggests.
While previous studies have linked early television exposure to attention problems, a new study in the March issue of Pediatrics failed to find a connection between ADHD and TV viewing habits.
White House Immigration Proposal May Harm Health of 1.9 Million Kids
"TV is designed to capture our attention and move us quickly from one subject to the next. The question is, does the young brain become different because of this?" asked study co-author Tara Stevens, an assistant professor in the department of educational psychology and leadership at Texas Tech University.
Stevens said that from this study, it appeared that was not the case. And, as far as ADHD symptoms were concerned, "It was clear that the relationship with TV viewing was close to zero."
She was quick to point out that she and co-author Miriam Mulsow weren't advocating TV viewing in children, however. But she added, "I think these findings take a little bit of the pressure off parents. It's very likely that you did not do something wrong to make your child develop ADHD."
The researchers randomly selected two samples of 2,500 children each from the Early Childhood Longitudinal Study - Kindergarten. That study includes 22,000 youngsters who started kindergarten during the 1998-1999 school year. Information is collected from the children, parents and teachers. For the new analysis, only information from parents and teachers was included.
The researchers looked at the children's behavior during their first year of kindergarten and then again near the end of first grade. They included information on television exposure, any limits placed on TV viewing, parental involvement, socioeconomic status and symptoms of ADHD.
They found no association between television exposure and symptoms of ADHD. They also found that parental involvement -- such as the amount of time parents spent in children's activities that didn't involve TV -- didn't have a link to ADHD symptoms.
Stevens said it's important to note that the children who showed ADHD symptoms hadn't been diagnosed with ADHD. Also, she said, at least one previous study that found an association between TV and ADHD included much younger children, so it's possible that results may be different for a child under 3 who watches lots of TV. That's because the brain is much more "plastic" or changeable the younger a child is, she said. So, TV viewing at 2 or 3 years of age may have more of an effect than TV viewing at 5 or 6.
Seeking to explain why previous research found an association between television viewing and ADHD and the new study did not, Stevens said parents of hyperactive children may use TV as a babysitter more than other parents, simply because they need a break or need to capture their child's attention while they make dinner or take a shower.
Dr. Jess Shatkin, director of education and training at the New York University Child Study Center, said he wasn't prepared to fully accept the new findings. "This is a thoughtful and interesting study, but there's not enough data to support the idea that we shouldn't be cautious about kids' exposure to all media. This doesn't change anything I would tell parents."
The bottom line for parents, he said, is "all things in moderation."
Some educational TV may be good for some children, Shatkin said, but "what's good for one isn't necessarily good for another." And, as far as cartoons are concerned, he said, "Children learn from observation. If they see it on TV, they often try it."
To learn more about attention deficit-hyperactivity disorder, visit the National Institute of Mental Health.
SOURCES: Tara Stevens, Ed.D., assistant professor, department of educational psychology and leadership, Texas Tech University, Lubbock; Jess Shatkin, M.D., M.P.H., director, education and training, and child and adolescent psychiatrist, New York University Child Study Center, New York City; March 2006 Pediatrics
Last Updated: Mar 6, 2006
Copyright © 2006 ScoutNews LLC. All rights reserved.
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By kccruz Bipolar Disorder, I am Me
Bipolar disorder or bipolar affective disorder, historically known as manic-depressive disorder, is a psychiatric diagnosis that describes a category of mood disorders defined by the presence of one or more episodes of abnormally elevated energy levels, cognition, and mood with or without one or more depressive episodes. The elevated moods are clinically referred to as mania or, if milder, hypomania. Individuals who experience manic episodes also commonly experience depressive episodes, or symptoms, or a mixed state in which features of both mania and depression are present at the same time.[1] These events are usually separated by periods of “normal” mood; but, in some individuals, depression and mania may rapidly alternate, which is known as rapid cycling. Severe manic episodes can sometimes lead to such psychotic symptoms as delusions andhallucinations. The disorder has been subdivided into bipolar I, bipolar II, cyclothymia, and other types, based on the nature and severity of mood episodes experienced; the range is often described as the bipolar spectrum.
Estimates of the lifetime prevalence of bipolar disorder vary, with studies typically giving values of the order of 1%, with higher figures given in studies with looser definitions of the condition.[2] The onset of full symptoms generally occurs in late adolescence or young adulthood. Diagnosis is based on the person’s self-reported experiences, as well as observed behavior. Episodes of abnormality are associated with distress and disruption and an elevated risk of suicide, especially during mixed and depressive episodes. In some cases, it can be a devastating long-lasting disorder. In others, it has also been associated with creativity, goal striving, and positive achievements. There is significant evidence to suggest that many people with creative talents have also suffered from some form of bipolar disorder.[3] It is often suggested that creativity and bipolar disorder are linked.
Genetic factors contribute substantially to the likelihood of developing bipolar disorder, and environmental factors are also implicated. Bipolar disorder is often treated with mood stabilizing medications and, sometimes, other psychiatric drugs. Psychotherapy also has a role, often when there has been some recovery of the subject’s stability. In serious cases, in which there is a risk of harm to oneself or others, involuntary commitment may be used. These cases generally involve severe manic episodes with dangerous behavior or depressive episodes with suicidal ideation. There are widespread problems with social stigma, stereotypes, and prejudice against individuals with a diagnosis of bipolar disorder.[4] People with bipolar disorder exhibiting psychotic symptoms can sometimes be misdiagnosed as having schizophrenia, another, different, serious mental illness.[5]
The current term bipolar disorder is of fairly recent origin and refers to the cycling between high and low episodes (poles). A relationship between mania and melancholia had long been observed, although the basis of the current conceptualisation can be traced back to French psychiatrists in the 1850s. The term “manic-depressive illness” or psychosis was coined by German psychiatrist Emil Kraepelin in the late nineteenth century, originally referring to all kinds of mood disorder. German psychiatrist Karl Leonhard split the classification again in 1957, employing the terms unipolar disorder(major depressive disorder) and bipolar disorder.
Bipolar disorder is a condition in which people experience intermittent abnormally elevated (manic or hypomanic) and, in many cases, abnormally depressed states for periods of time in a way that interferes with functioning. Not everyone’s symptoms are the same, and there is no simple physiological test to confirm the disorder. Bipolar disorder can appear to be unipolar depression. Diagnosing bipolar disorder is often difficult, even for mental health professionals. What distinguishes bipolar disorder from unipolar depression is that the affected person experiences states of mania and depression. Often bipolar is inconsistent among patients because some people feel depressed more often than not and experience little mania whereas others experience predominantly manic symptoms. Additionally, the younger the age of onset—bipolar disorder starts in childhood or early adulthood in most patients—the more likely the first few episodes are to be depression.[6] Because a bipolar diagnosis requires a manic or hypomanic episode, many patients are initially diagnosed and treated as having major depression.
Associated features
Associated features are clinical phenomena that often accompany the disorder but are not part of the diagnostic criteria for the disorder. There are several childhood precursors in children who later receive a diagnosis of bipolar disorder. They may show subtle early traits such as mood abnormalities, full major depressive episodes, and ADHD.[18] Bipolar disorder is also accompanied by changes in cognitive processes and abilities. These include reduced attentional and executive capabilities and impaired memory. How the individual processes the world also depends on the phase of the disorder, with differential characteristics between the manic, hypomanic and depressive states.[19] Some studies have found a significant association between bipolar disorder and creativity.[20] Some patients may have difficulty in maintaining relationships.[21]
Diagnosis is based on the self-reported experiences of an individual as well as abnormalities in behavior reported by family members, friends or co-workers, followed by secondary signs observed by a psychiatrist, nurse, social worker, clinical psychologist or other clinician in a clinical assessment. There are lists of criteria for someone to be so diagnosed. These depend on both the presence and duration of certain signs and symptoms. Assessment is usually done on an outpatient basis; admission to an inpatient facility is considered if there is a risk to oneself or others. The most widely used criteria for diagnosing bipolar disorder are from the American Psychiatric Association’s Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, the current version being DSM-IV-TR, and the World Health Organization’s International Statistical Classification of Diseases and Related Health Problems, currently the ICD-10. The latter criteria are typically used in Europe and other regions while the DSM criteria are used in the USA and other regions, as well as prevailing in research studies. The DSM-V, to be published in 2013, will likely include further and more accurate sub-typing.[44]
An initial assessment may include a physical exam by a physician. Although there are no biological tests which confirm bipolar disorder, tests may be carried out to exclude medical illnesses such as hypo- or hyperthyroidism, metabolic disturbance, a systemic infection or chronic disease, and syphilis or HIV infection. An EEG may be used to exclude epilepsy, and a CT scan of the head to exclude brain lesions. Investigations are not generally repeated for relapse unless there is a specific medical indication.
Several rating scales for the screening and evaluation of bipolar disorder exist, such as the Bipolar spectrum diagnostic scale.[45] The use of evaluation scales can not substitute a full clinical interview but they serve to systematize the recollection of symptoms.[45] On the other hand instruments for the screening of bipolar disorder have low sensitivity[disambiguation needed] and limited diagnostic validity.[45]
Criteria and subtypes
There is no clear consensus as to how many types of bipolar disorder exist.[46] In DSM-IV-TR and ICD-10, bipolar disorder is conceptualized as a spectrum of disorders occurring on a continuum. The DSM-IV-TR lists three specific subtypes and one for non-specified:[47][48]
Bipolar I disorder
One or more manic episodes. Subcategories specify whether there has been more than one episode, and the type of the most recent episode.[49] A depressive or hypomanic episode is not required for diagnosis, but it frequently occurs.
Bipolar II disorder
No manic episodes, but one or more hypomanic episodes and one or more major depressive episode.[50] However, a bipolar II diagnosis is not a guarantee that they will not eventually suffer from such an episode in the future.[citation needed] Hypomanic episodes do not go to the full extremes of mania (i.e., do not usually cause severe social or occupational impairment, and are without psychosis), and this can make bipolar II more difficult to diagnose, since the hypomanic episodes may simply appear as a period of successful high productivity and is reported less frequently than a distressing, crippling depression.
Cyclothymia
A history of hypomanic episodes with periods of depression that do not meet criteria for major depressive episodes.[51] There is a low-grade cycling of mood which appears to the observer as a personality trait, and interferes with functioning.
Bipolar Disorder NOS (Not Otherwise Specified)
This is a catchall category, diagnosed when the disorder does not fall within a specific subtype.[52] Bipolar NOS can still significantly impair and adversely affect the quality of life of the patient.
The bipolar I and II categories have specifiers that indicate the presentation and course of the disorder. For example, the “with full interepisode recovery” specifier applies if there was full remission between the two most recent episodes.[53]
Rapid cycling
Most people who meet criteria for bipolar disorder experience a number of episodes, on average 0.4 to 0.7 per year, lasting three to six months.[54] Rapid cycling, however, is a course specifier that may be applied to any of the above subtypes. It is defined as having four or more episodes per year and is found in a significant fraction of individuals with bipolar disorder. The definition of rapid cycling most frequently cited in the literature (including the DSM) is that of Dunner and Fieve: at least four major depressive, manic, hypomanic or mixed episodes are required to have occurred during a 12-month period.[55] Ultra-rapid (days) and ultra-ultra rapid or ultradian (within a day) cycling have also been described.[56]
There are several other mental disorders which may involve similar symptoms to bipolar disorder. These include schizophrenia, Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), and other personality disorders.[57]
The experiences and behaviors involved in bipolar disorder are often not understood by individuals or recognized by mental health professionals, so diagnosis may sometimes be delayed for over 10 years.[58] The treatment lag is apparently not decreasing, even though there is increased public awareness of the condition.
Individuals are commonly misdiagnosed.[59][60]
It has been noted that the bipolar disorder diagnosis is officially characterised in historical terms such that, technically, anyone with a history of (hypo)mania and depression has bipolar disorder whatever their current or future functioning and vulnerability. This has been described as “an ethical and methodological issue”, as it means no one can be considered as being recovered (only “inremission“) from bipolar disorder according to the official criteria. This is considered especially problematic given that brief hypomanic episodes are widespread among people generally and not necessarily associated with dysfunction.[19]
Comorbid conditions
The diagnosis of bipolar disorder can be complicated by coexisting (comorbid) psychiatric conditions such as obsessive-compulsive disorder, social phobia, panic disorder and attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder. Substance abuse may predate the appearance of bipolar symptoms, further complicating the diagnosis. A careful longitudinal analysis of symptoms and episodes, enriched if possible by discussions with friends and family members, is crucial to establishing a treatment plan where these comorbidities exist.[61]
For many individuals with bipolar disorder a good prognosis results from good treatment, which, in turn, results from an accurate diagnosis. Because bipolar disorder can have a high rate of both under-diagnosis and misdiagnosis,[6] it is often difficult for individuals with the condition to receive timely and competent treatment.
Bipolar disorder can be a severely disabling medical condition. However, many individuals with bipolar disorder can live full and satisfying lives. Quite often, medication is needed to enable this. Persons with bipolar disorder may have periods of normal or near normal functioning between episodes.[82]
Prognosis depends on many factors such as the right medicines and dosage, comprehensive knowledge of the disease and its effects; a positive relationship with a competent medical doctor and therapist; and good physical health, which includes exercise, nutrition, and a regulated stress level. There are other factors that lead to a good prognosis, such as being very aware of small changes in a person’s energy, mood, sleep and eating behaviors.[83]
A recent 20-year prospective study on bipolar I and II found that functioning varied over time along a spectrum from good to fair to poor. During periods of major depression or mania (in BPI), functioning was on average poor, with depression being more persistently associated with disability than mania. Functioning between episodes was on average good — more or less normal. Subthreshold symptoms were generally still substantially impairing, however, except for hypomania (below or above threshold) which was associated with improved functioning.[84]
Another study confirmed the seriousness of the disorder as “the standardized all-cause mortality ratio among patients with bipolar disorder is increased approximately two-fold.” Bipolar disorder is currently regarded “as possibly the most costly category of mental disorders in the United States.” Episodes of abnormality are associated with distress and disruption, and an elevated risk ofsuicide, especially during depressive episodes.[85]
Recovery and recurrence
A naturalistic study from first admission for mania or mixed episode (representing the hospitalized and therefore most severe cases) found that 50% achieved syndromal recovery (no longer meeting criteria for the diagnosis) within six weeks and 98% within two years. Within two years, 72% achieved symptomatic recovery (no symptoms at all) and 43% achieved functional recovery (regaining of prior occupational and residential status). However, 40% went on to experience a new episode of mania or depression within 2 years of syndromal recovery, and 19% switched phases without recovery.[86]
Symptoms preceding a relapse (prodromal), specially those related to mania, can be reliably identified by people with bipolar disorder.[87] There have been intents to teach patients coping strategies when noticing such symptoms with encouraging results.[88]
Bipolar disorder can cause suicidal ideation that leads to suicidal attempts. One out of three people with bipolar disorder report past attempts of suicide or complete it,[89] and the annual average suicide rate is 0.4%, which is 10 to 20 times that of the general population.[90] The standardized mortality ratio from suicide in bipolar disorder is between 18 and 25.[91]
Main article: History of bipolar disorder
Variations in moods and energy levels have been observed as part of the human experience since time immemorial. The words “melancholia” (an old word for depression) and “mania” have their etymologies in Ancient Greek. The word melancholia is derived from melas/μελας, meaning “black”, andchole/χολη, meaning “bile” or “gall”,[101] indicative of the term’s origins in pre-Hippocratic humoral theories. Within the humoral theories, mania was viewed as arising from an excess of yellow bile, or a mixture of black and yellow bile. The linguistic origins of mania, however, are not so clear-cut. Several etymologies are proposed by the Roman physician Caelius Aurelianus, including the Greek word ania, meaning “to produce great mental anguish”, and manos, meaning “relaxed” or “loose”, which would contextually approximate to an excessive relaxing of the mind or soul.[102] There are at least five other candidates, and part of the confusion surrounding the exact etymology of the word mania is its varied usage in the pre-Hippocratic poetry and mythologies.[102]
The basis of the current conceptualisation of manic-depressive illness can be traced back to the 1850s; on January 31, 1854, Jules Baillarger described to the French Imperial Academy of Medicine a biphasic mental illness causing recurrent oscillations between mania and depression, which he termed folie à double forme (“dual-form insanity”).[103] Two weeks later, on February 14, 1854, Jean-Pierre Falret presented a description to the Academy on what was essentially the same disorder, and designated folie circulaire (“circular insanity“) by him.[104] The two bitterly disputed as to who had been the first to conceptualise the condition.
These concepts were developed by the German psychiatrist Emil Kraepelin (1856–1926), who, using Kahlbaum‘s concept of cyclothymia,[105] categorized and studied the natural course of untreated bipolar patients. He coined the term manic depressive psychosis, after noting that periods of acute illness, manic or depressive, were generally punctuated by relatively symptom-free intervals where the patient was able to function normally.[106]
The term “manic-depressive reaction” appeared in the first American Psychiatric Association Diagnostic Manual in 1952, influenced by the legacy of Adolf Meyer who had introduced the paradigm illness as a reaction of biogenetic factors to psychological and social influences.[107] Subclassification of bipolar disorder was first proposed by German psychiatrist Karl Leonhard in 1957; he was also the first to introduce the terms bipolar (for those with mania) and unipolar(for those with depressive episodes only).[108]
There are widespread problems with social stigma, stereotypes, and prejudice against individuals with a diagnosis of bipolar disorder.[4] Kay Redfield Jamison, a clinical psychologist and Professor of Psychiatry at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, profiled her own bipolar disorder in her memoir An Unquiet Mind (1995).[109]
Several dramatic works have portrayed characters with traits suggestive of the diagnosis that has been the subject of discussion by psychiatrists and film experts alike. A notable example is Mr. Jones (1993), in which Mr. Jones (Richard Gere) swings from a manic episode into a depressive phase and back again, spending time in a psychiatric hospital and displaying many of the features of the syndrome.[110] In The Mosquito Coast(1986), Allie Fox (Harrison Ford) displays some features including recklessness, grandiosity, increased goal-directed activity and mood lability, as well as some paranoia.[111] Psychiatrists have suggested that Willy Loman, the main character in Arthur Miller‘s classic play Death of a Salesman, suffers from bipolar disorder,[112] though the term did not exist when the play was written.
TV specials, for example the BBC‘s The Secret Life of the Manic Depressive,[113] MTV’s True Life: I’m Bipolar, talk shows, and public radio shows, and the greater willingness of public figures to discuss their own bipolar disorder, have focused on psychiatric conditions, thereby, raising public awareness.
On April 7, 2009, the nighttime drama 90210 on the CW network, aired a special episode where the character Silver was diagnosed with bipolar disorder.[114]Stacey Slater, a character from the BBC soap EastEnders, has been diagnosed with the disorder. The storyline was developed as part of the BBC’s Headroom campaign.[115] The Channel 4 soap Brookside had earlier featured a story about bipolar disorder when the character Jimmy Corkhill was diagnosed with the condition.[116]
Resource: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bipolar_disorder
3 thoughts on “Bipolar Disorder”
Bipolar Manic Disorder | Is Bipolar Hereditary says:
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Women’s History Month roundup – scientists, adventurers and leaders
By Christine Sculati
In Community, Conservation, Leadership, Science
Women’s History Month roundup – scientists, adventurers and leaders2017-03-312017-04-11https://christinesculati.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/christinesculati-header-500px.pngChristine Sculatihttps://christinesculati.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/03/sallyride_usnationalarchives.jpg200px200px
In recognition of the final day of Women’s History Month 2017, this post features a roundup of stories that spotlight women breaking barriers and making history in science and the environmental fields and in the outdoors. This post’s feature photo commemorates Sally Kristen Ride (May 26, 1951 – July 23, 2012), who became the first American woman in space in 1983 (source: U. S. National Archives). The book and successful film of the same name, “Hidden Figures” (in theaters now) has also brought to light the groundbreaking stories of three African American women mathematicians who made history at the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) by overcoming racial and gender barriers. Read on for stories about a tree canopy scientist, a woman we have to thank for protection of the High Sierra and two women who made history on top of the world.
Climbing Trees for Science – Meg Lowman
I grew up climbing trees and hopping fences and today I enjoy rock climbing, but I never considered how my love for vertical adventures could have been a career in science. That is why the story of Meg Lowman, a scientist who has spent a lifetime scaling trees, struck a chord. Lowman is the Director of Global Initiatives, Lindsay Chair of Botany/Senior Scientist in Plant Conservation for California Academy of Sciences and the author of “Life in the Treetops.”
Earlier this month, Lowman spoke to Michael Krasny on KQED’s Forum about her life as a tree canopy scientist, how she overcame hurdles as a woman in science, and how she encourages women and girls to pursue science education and careers. Listen to the KQED recording here. (Speaking of tree canopy research, Save the Redwoods League recently shared a post about a new exhibit on exploration of the towering redwoods in Muir Woods National Monument.)
Unsung Hero of the High Sierra – Susan Thew
Susan Thew on Muir Pass in today’s Kings Canyon National Park. Photo credit: National Park Service.
For over 20 years I have been backpacking and climbing in California’s High Sierra, yet until recently I had never heard of Susan Thew — a woman who left a lasting impact on Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks.
The National Park Service published a spotlight on Susan Thew, illuminating the story of how Thew spent several summers traversing rugged terrain in the High Sierra, including mountain passes that are now key features of the famous John Muir Trail. She captured the beauty of the dramatic landscapes in words and images (the largest and most complete photographic record of the region to date) to demonstrate the need for preservation. Her dedication paid off. Because of her efforts, the park’s acreage tripled. Sequoia National Park’s boundaries were extended to include the Great Western Divide, the Kaweah Peaks, the Kern Canyon, and the Sierra Crest. During the campaign to create Kings Canyon National Park in 1940, photographer Ansel Adams used Thew’s approach, creating a portfolio of images for Congress. His efforts also contributed to success in passing an expansion bill for the national park.
Making History on Top of the World – Junko Tabei and Sophia Danenberg
Junko Tabei. Photo credit: Wikimedia.
Climbing and mountaineering have historically been very male-dominated activities, but every year more and more women, including women of color, are taking on big challenges in the mountains.
We can look to the trailblazing stories of Junko Tabei and Sophia Danenberg for inspiration. Both women have stood on the summit of Mount Everest, the world’s tallest mountain.
Junko Tabei, a Japanese mountaineer, was the first woman to reach the summit of Mount Everest in 1975 and the first woman to ascend all Seven Summits by climbing the highest peak on every continent. In 1969 she formed a climbing club for women, the first of its kind in Japan.
Sophia on the summit of Mount Everest without mask. Photo Credit: Sophia Danenberg, 2006.
In 2006 Seattle-based climber Sophia Danenberg became the first African American to climb to the summit of Mount Everest. She tells the story of her adventure in a TEDx talk here. Danenberg holds a degree in environmental science and public policy from Harvard and today works at Boeing and volunteers for organizations that promote active lifestyles, the environment, education and the arts.
Stories about Junko Tabei and Sophia Danenberg came to me by way of a blog post written by Shelby Jumper of Outward Bound, an organization I have worked with over the years. Organizations like Outward Bound help people to push out of their comfort zones. The rivers and mountains of the natural world serve as their classroom.
Storytelling with podcasts
News and notes – gender and racial equity, nature experiences, philanthropy
Conservation news – protecting our oceans and marine wildlife
News and notes – from Yosemite to the voting booth
Events and resources – environment, social change, philanthropy
News and notes – wildflowers, island wildlife, science for girls
Nonprofit Journalism
In this blog I highlight ideas, news and resources to spark creative thinking, action and progress for social and environmental causes. Based in Berkeley, California, I am a writer, consultant and Women’s Environmental Network board member. To receive blog post updates, please subscribe to my newsletter.
For updates from the field, please subscribe.
Copyright Christine Sculati. Berkeley, California, USA. All Rights Reserved © 2019
Why conservation programs need citizen scienceBooks, Conservation, Environment
Strong communications elevate conservation role of California’s elusive mountain lionsCommunications, Conservation, Environment, Science
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CSTPR/Aerospace/ESOC Seminar
Open data: The Global Effort for Open Access to Environmental Satellite Data
by Mariel Borowitz, Assistant Professor, Nunn School of International Affairs at Georgia Tech
SPECIAL SEMINAR: Cohosted by Aerospace/CIRES/CSTPR/ESOC
This talk will be held in the Discovery Learning Center's Collaboratory room
Understanding and addressing environmental challenges, including climate change, requires access to accurate data from many sources. In some cases, government agencies that operate Earth-observing satellites have been leaders in this regard, making their data freely available to all users. In fact, some of the earliest references to "open data" can be traced back to early government satellite projects. However, many governments continue to restrict access to their unclassified Earth-observing satellite data, and even those that now make their data freely available did not always do so. Open Data: The Global Effort for Open Access to Environmental Satellite Data examines how government agencies developed data sharing policies for their Earth observation satellites and how these data sharing policies changed over time.
Mariel Borowitz is an Assistant Professor in the Sam Nunn School of International Affairs at Georgia Tech. Her research deals with international space policy issues, primarily international cooperation in Earth-observing satellites and satellite data sharing policies. Her research interests extend to human space exploration strategy and developments in space security and space situational awareness. Dr. Borowitz earned a PhD in Public Policy at the University of Maryland and a Master’s degree in International Science and Technology Policy from the George Washington University. She has a Bachelor of Science degree in Aerospace Engineering from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, where she also earned a minor in Applied International Studies. Dr. Borowitz was on detail at NASA Headquarters in Washington, DC from 2016 to 2018.
Discovery Learning Center, Collaboratory room
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Enforcing Your Civil Rights
Title V of the Civil Rights Act of 1964: Establishment of Commission on Civil Rights
The Civil Rights Act of 1964 is significant federal civil rights legislation that prohibits against discrimination on the basis of race, color, religion and national origin in various settings including: voting, public accommodations, public facilities, public education, federally-assisted programs and employment. See the Findlaw code section for the text of the entire Civil Rights Act. Title V expands the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights, a commission created by the Civil Rights Act of 1957 to enhance the enforcement of federal civil rights. See below for the entire text of Title V of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and learn about the establishment of the Commission on Civil Rights.
Language of Statute
SEC. 501. Section 102 of the Civil Rights Act of 1957 (42 U.S.C. 1975a; 71
Stat. 634) is amended to read as follows:
"RULES OF PROCEDURE OF THE COMMISSION HEARINGS
"SEC. 102. (a) At least thirty days prior to the commencement of any hearing, the Commission shall cause to be published in the Federal Register notice of the date on which such hearing is to commence, the place at which it is to be held and the subject of the hearing. The Chairman, or one designated by him to act as Chairman at a hearing of the Commission, shall announce in an opening statement the subject of the hearing.
"(b) A copy of the Commission's rules shall be made available to any witness before the Commission, and a witness compelled to appear before the Commission or required to produce written or other matter shall be served with a copy of the Commission's rules at the time of service of the subpoena.
"(c) Any person compelled to appear in person before the Commission shall be accorded the right to be accompanied and advised by counsel, who shall have the right to subject his client to reasonable examination, and to make objections on the record and to argue briefly the basis for such objections. The Commission shall proceed with reasonable dispatch to conclude any hearing in which it is engaged. Due regard shall be had for the convenience and necessity of witnesses.
"(d) The Chairman or Acting Chairman may punish breaches of order and decorum by censure and exclusion from the hearings.
"(e) If the Commission determines that evidence or testimony at any hearing may tend to defame, degrade, or incriminate any person, it shall receive such evidence or testimony or summary of such evidence o testimony in executive session. The Commission shall afford any person defamed, degraded, or incriminated by such evidence or testimony an opportunity to appear and be heard in executive session, with a reasonable number of additional witnesses requested by him, before deciding to use such evidence or testimony. In the event the Commission determines to release or use such evidence or testimony in such manner as to reveal publicly the identity of the person defamed, degraded, or incriminated, such evidence or testimony, prior to such public release or use, shall be given at a public session, and the Commission shall afford such person an opportunity to appear as a voluntary witness or to file a sworn statement in his behalf and to submit brief and pertinent sworn statements of others. The Commission shall receive and dispose of requests from such person to subpoena additional witnesses.
"(f) Except as provided in sections 102 and 105 (f) of this Act, the Chairman shall receive and the Commission shall dispose of requests to subpoena additional witnesses.
"(g) No evidence or testimony or summary of evidence or testimony taken in executive session may be released or used in public sessions without the consent of the Commission. Whoever releases or uses in public without the consent of the Commission such evidence or testimony taken in executive session shall be fined not more than $1,000, or imprisoned for not more than one year.
"(h) In the discretion of the Commission, witnesses may submit brief and pertinent sworn statements in writing for inclusion in the record. The Commission shall determine the pertinency of testimony and evidence adduced at its hearings.
"(i) Every person who submits data or evidence shall be entitled to retain or, on payment of lawfully prescribed costs, procure a copy or transcript thereof, except that a witness in a hearing held in executive session may for good cause be limited to inspection of the official transcript of his testimony. Transcript copies of public sessions may be obtained by the public upon the payment of the cost thereof. An accurate transcript shall be made of the testimony of all witnesses at all hearings, either public or executive sessions, of the Commission or of any subcommittee thereof.
"(j) A witness attending any session of the Commission shall receive $6 for each day's attendance and for the time necessarily occupied in going to and returning from the same, and 10 cents per mile for going from and returning to his place of residence. Witnesses who attend at points so far removed from their respective residences as to prohibit return thereto from day to day shall be entitled to an additional allowance of $10 per day for expenses of subsistence including the time necessarily occupied in going to and returning from the place of attendance. Mileage payments shall be tendered to the witness upon service of a subpoena issued on behalf of the Commission or any subcommittee thereof.
"(k) The Commission shall not issue any subpoena for the attendance and testimony of witnesses or for the production of written or other matter which would require the presence of the party subpoenaed at a hearing to be held outside of the State wherein the witness is found or resides or is domiciled or transacts business, or has appointed an agent for receipt of service of process except that, in any event, the Commission may issue subpoenas for the attendance and testimony of witnesses and the production of written or other matter at a hearing held within fifty miles of the place where the witness is found or resides or is domiciled or transacts business or has appointed an agent for receipt of service of process.
"(l) The Commission shall separately state and currently publish in the Federal Register (1) descriptions of its central and field organization including the established places at which, and methods whereby, the public may secure information or make requests; (2) statements of the general course and method by which its functions are channeled and determined, and (3) rules adopted as authorized by law. No person shall in any manner be subject to or required to resort to rules, organization, or procedure not so published."
SEC. 502. Section 103(a) of the Civil Rights Act of 1957 (42 U.S.C.
1975b(a); 71 Stat. 634) is amended to read as follows:
"SEC. 103. (a) Each member of the Commission who is not otherwise in the service of the Government of the United States shall receive the sum of $75 per day for each day spent in the work of the Commission, shall be paid actual travel expenses, and per diem in lieu of subsistence expenses when away from his usual place of residence, in accordance with section 5 of the Administrative Expenses Act of 1946, as amended (5 U.S.C 73b-2; 60 Stat. 808)."
SEC. 503. Section 103(b) of the Civil Rights Act of 1957 (42 U.S.C.
1975(b); 71 Stat. 634) is amended to read as follows:
"(b) Each member of the Commission who is otherwise in the service of the Government of the United States shall serve without compensation in addition to that received for such other service, but while engaged in the work of the Commission shall be paid actual travel expenses, and per diem in lieu of subsistence expenses when away from his usual place of residence, in accordance with the provisions of the Travel Expenses Act of 1949, as amended
(5 U.S.C. 835--42; 63 Stat. 166)."
SEC. 504. (a) Section 104(a) of the Civil Rights Act of 1957 (42 U.S.C. 1975c(a); 71 Stat. 635), as amended, is further amended to read as follows:
"DUTIES OF THE COMMISSION
"SEC. 104. (a) The Commission shall--
"(1) investigate allegations in writing under oath or affirmation that certain citizens of the United States are being deprived of their right to vote and have that vote counted by reason of their color, race, religion, or national origin; which writing, under oath or affirmation, shall set forth the facts upon which such belief or beliefs are based;
"(2) study and collect information concerning legal developments constituting a denial of equal protection of the laws under the Constitution because of race, color, religion or national origin or in the administration of justice;
"(3) appraise the laws and policies of the Federal Government with respect to denials of equal protection of the laws under the Constitution because of race, color, religion or national origin or in the administration of justice;
"(4) serve as a national clearinghouse for information in respect to denials of equal protection of the laws because of race, color, religion or national origin, including but not limited to the fields of voting, education, housing, employment, the use of public facilities, and transportation, or in the administration of justice;
"(5) investigate allegations, made in writing and under oath or affirmation, that citizens of the United States are unlawfully being accorded or denied the right to vote, or to have their votes properly counted, in any election of presidential electors, Members of the United States Senate, or of the House of Representatives, as a result of any patterns or practice of fraud or discrimination in the conduct of such election; and
"(6) Nothing in this or any other Act shall be construed as authorizing the Commission, its Advisory Committees, or any person under its supervision or control to inquire into or investigate any membership practices or internal operations of any fraternal organization, any college or university fraternity or sorority, any private club or any religious organization."
(b) Section 104(b) of the Civil Rights Act of 1957 (42 U.S.C. 1975c(b); 71 Stat. 635), as amended, is further amended by striking out the present subsection "(b)" and by substituting therefor:
"(b) The Commission shall submit interim reports to the President and to the Congress at such times as the Commission, the Congress or the President shall deem desirable, and shall submit to the President and to the Congress a final report of its activities, findings, and recommendations not later than January 31, 1968."
SEC. 505. Section 105(a) of the Civil Rights Act of 1957 (42 U.S.C. 1975d(a); 71 Stat. 636) is amended by striking out in the last sentence thereof "$50 per diem" and inserting in lieu thereof "$75 per diem."
SEC. 506. Section 105(f) and section 105(g) of the Civil Rights Act of 1957 (42 U.S.C. 1975d (f) and (g); 71 Stat. 636) are amended to read as follows:
"(f) The Commission, or on the authorization of the Commission any subcommittee of two or more members, at least one of whom shall be of each major political party, may, for the purpose of carrying out the provisions of this Act, hold such hearings and act at such times and places as the Commission or such authorized subcommittee may deem advisable. Subpoenas for the attendance and testimony of witnesses or the production of written or other matter may be issued in accordance with the rules of the Commission as contained in section 102 (j) and (k) of this Act, over the signature of the Chairman of the Commission or of such subcommittee, and may be served by any person designated by such Chairman. The holding of hearings by the Commission, or the appointment of a subcommittee to hold hearings pursuant to this subparagraph, must be approved by a majority of the Commission, or by a majority of the members present at a meeting at which at least a quorum of four members is present.
"(g) In case of contumacy or refusal to obey a subpoena, any district court of the United States or the United States court of any territory or possession, or the District Court of the United States for the District of Columbia, within the jurisdiction of which the inquiry is carried on or within the jurisdiction of which said person guilty of contumacy or refusal to obey is found or resides or is domiciled or transacts business, or has appointed an agent for receipt of service of process, upon application by the Attorney General of the United States shall have jurisdiction to issue to such person an order requiring such person to appear before the Commission or a subcommittee thereof, there to produce pertinent, relevant and nonprivileged evidence if so ordered, or there to give testimony touching the matter under investigation; and any failure to obey such order of the court may be punished by said court as a contempt thereof."
SEC. 507. Section 105 of the Civil Rights Act of 1957 (42 U.S.C. 1975d; 71 Stat. 636), as amended by section 401 of the Civil Rights Act of 1960 (42 U.S.C. 1975d(h); 74 Stat. 89), is further amended by adding a new subsection at the end to read as follows:
"(i) The Commission shall have the power to make such rules and regulations as are necessary to carry out the purposes of this Act."
Talk to a Civil Rights Attorney
The Civil Rights Act of 1964 protects Americans against unnecessary discrimination. Title V of the Act helps to further develop those protections based on the expansion of a bipartisan, independent agency- the USCCR. If you suspect that you are a victim of discrimination, then you should talk to a civil rights attorney about help enforcing your rights.
Contact a qualified civil rights attorney to help you protect your rights.
Help Me Find a Do-It-Yourself Solution
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Civil Rights Attorneys
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Civil Rights Laws and Resources
Filing Civil Rights Claims
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Kyle Moffatt
Kyle Moffatt is Chief Accountant for the SEC’s Division of Corporation Finance. He previously served as an Associate Director responsible for oversight of the filing review program for public companies in the healthcare, insurance and financial services industries. Prior to joining the Division’s senior executive leadership team, Mr. Moffatt was an Associate Chief Accountant in the Division’s Office of the Chief Accountant where he provided accounting and reporting guidance to the financial services and telecommunications industry groups. He also previously served as an Accounting Branch Chief since joining the Division as a Professional Accounting Fellow in 2000.
Prior to joining the SEC, Mr. Moffatt was a Manager in the Assurance and Advisory Business Services group at Ernst & Young. He is a graduate of the University of Maryland at College Park and a member of the American Institute of CPAs.
Back to Current Financial Reporting Issues Conference
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Posts Tagged ‘Comparable Worth’
So-Called Paycheck Fairness Was the Nuttiest Idea at the Democrats’ debate
Posted in California, Discrimination, Economics, Government intervention, tagged California, Comparable Worth, Discrimination, Economics, Government intervention, Paycheck Fairness on December 20, 2015| 7 Comments »
Normally I’m very happy to work for the Cato Institute, both because it is a principled and effective organization.
But I wondered about my career choices last night because I was stuck with the very unpleasant task of live-tweeting the Democrat presidential debate. Cleaning out septic tanks would have been a more enjoyable way to spend my time.
Of all the crazy things that were discussed (you can see my contemporaneous reactions on my Twitter feed), the Clinton-Sanders-O’Malley support for so-called Paycheck Fairness legislation would be at the top of my list.
Yes, I was irked by the myopic fixation on income inequality, the support for class-warfare taxation, and the reflexive advocacy for more government spending, but messing around with the price system – because of an assertion that women are paid 77 cents for every $1 received by men – is an entirely different level of foolishness.
Here’s some of what I wrote in 2012, for instance, when discussing proposals to give politicians power over wage levels.
…what’s really at stake is whether we want resources to be allocated by market forces instead of political edicts. This should be a no-brainer. If we look at the failure of central planning in the Soviet Union and elsewhere, a fundamental problem was that government officials – even assuming intelligence and good intentions – did not have the knowledge needed to make decisions on prices. And in the absence of a functioning price system, resources get misallocated and growth suffers. So you can imagine the potential damage of giving politicians, bureaucrats, and courts the ability to act as central planners for the wage system.
In other words, higher taxes and more spending will dampen growth, and that’s no good, but pervasive intervention in the price system can screw up an entire economy. Indeed, I suspect only bad monetary policy is capable of inflicting a greater level of damage.
Moreover, the left’s theory is based on the assumption that greedy businesses and investors are deliberately sacrificing profits by choosing to pay men more when they could hire equally qualified women for less money.
To use a highly technical economic phrase, that’s friggin’ nuts.
Yet our leftist friends want to replace market-based compensation with coercion-based wages.
Consider, for instance, a report from the Pew Charitable Trusts about initiatives on the state level.
…the California Legislature…sent Democratic Gov. Jerry Brown a “pay equity” bill… California isn’t alone in acting. …the governors of Connecticut, Delaware, Illinois, North Dakota and Oregon have signed equal pay laws this year. New York legislators unanimously passed a bill that Democratic Gov. Andrew Cuomo has indicated he will sign. And Massachusetts has two bills pending. Equal pay bills also were introduced in 21 other states.
The article cited my unflattering remarks on the issue.
…some critics, such as Daniel Mitchell of the Cato Institute, a libertarian think tank in Washington, said that the new legislation would put a “catastrophic burden” on businesses. “The notion that there’s some widespread discrimination in the marketplace, there’s just no real-world evidence for it,” Mitchell said. “They’re trying to give the government widespread authority to make very abstract judgments about the value of a job in the private sector.”
And I’m not the only critic.
Here are some excerpts from a recent column in the Wall Street Journal by Sarah Ketterer.
When it comes to economically foolish laws, California is second to none. A good example is the California Fair Pay Act… Like its national counterpart, it is an aggressive attempt to eradicate a wage gap between men and women that is allegedly due to discrimination in the workplace. But this wage gap is illusory, and the legislation will have unintended consequences, including for women.
She’s right. Policy that is bad when implemented by a state can cause widespread damage if imposed nationally.
Ms. Ketterer elaborates on why the proposal is misguided.
The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) notes that its analysis of wages by gender does “not control for many factors that can be significant in explaining earnings differences.” What factors? Start with hours worked. …Men are significantly more likely than women to work longer hours, according to the BLS. And if we compare only people who work 40 hours a week, BLS data show that women then earn on average 90 cents for every dollar earned by men. Career choice is another factor. …Of the 10 lowest-paying majors—such as “drama and theater arts” and “counseling psychology”—only one, “theology and religious vocations,” is majority male. Conversely, of the 10 highest-paying majors—including “mathematics and computer science” and “petroleum engineering”—only one, “pharmacy sciences and administration,” is majority female. Eight of the remaining nine are more than 70% male. Other factors that account for earnings differences include marriage and children, both of which cause many women to leave the workforce for years.
And here’s the amazing part.
One of Obama’s top economic advisers, to maintain her academic credibility, admitted that the 77 cents number is fraudulent.
It’s unclear whether Clinton-Sanders-O’Malley know (or even care) that the number is garbage. But what is clear is that legislation based on this dishonest data could cause massive economic distortions.
Though, to be fair, Ms. Ketterer points out that trial lawyers will enjoy more business.
What California’s Fair Pay Act will do, however, is make the state, already notorious for regulation and red tape, a more difficult place to do business. Companies must now ensure that every penny of wage differential between the men and women they employ is attributable to bona-fide differences in education, training, experience, quantity or quality of work, and so on. …even attempting to do so will only add to companies’ already substantial regulatory-compliance budgets. Some of these factors—quality of work, for instance—are inevitably subjective, yet trial lawyers will swoop in to turn every conceivable pay difference into a lawsuit.
A bunch of lawsuits would actually be the least-worst outcome.
What scares me far more is pervasive controls on wages, which is what our leftist friends ultimately prefer.
P.S. You probably won’t be surprised, given their history of mendacity, to learn that the left-wing bureaucrats at the Paris-based OECD also are peddling dishonest numbers to advance this ideological agenda.
So-Called Paycheck Fairness Act Would Allow Government to Second-Guess Private Markets
Posted in Central planning, Economics, Fatal conceit, Free Markets, Government intervention, Regulation, Statism, tagged Central planning, Comparable Worth, Fatal conceit, Free Markets, Government intervention, Paycheck Fairness Act, Statism on June 9, 2012| 17 Comments »
Back in 2010, I cited the superb work of Christina Hoff Summers as she explained that we should let markets determine wages rather than giving that power to a bunch of bean-counting bureaucrats.
She wrote that article because leftists at the time were pushing a so-called Paycheck Fairness Act that would have given the government powers to second guess compensation levels produced by the private marketplace.
For all intents and purposes, proponents were arguing that employers were deliberately and systematically sacrificing profits by paying men more than they were worth (which is the unavoidable flip side of arguing that women were paid less than they were worth).
Well, bad ideas never die and the Senate recently took up this statist proposal.
That’s the bad news. The good news is that it didn’t get enough votes to overcome a procedural objection.
Writing for U.S. News & World Report, Christina Hoff Summers explains why we should be happy about that result.
Groups like the National Organization for Women insist that women are being cheated out of 24 percent of their salary. The pay equity bill is driven by indignation at this supposed injustice. Yet no competent labor economist takes the NOW perspective seriously. An analysis of more than 50 peer-reviewed papers, commissioned by the Labor Department, found that the so-called wage gap is mostly, and perhaps entirely, an artifact of the different choices men and women make—different fields of study, different professions, different balances between home and work. …The misnamed Paycheck Fairness Act is a special-interest bill for litigators and aggrieved women’s groups. A core provision would encourage class-action lawsuits and force defendants to settle under threat of uncapped punitive damages. Employers would be liable not only for intentional discrimination (banned long ago) but for the “lingering effects of past discrimination.” What does that mean? Employers have no idea. …Census data from 2008 show that single, childless women in their 20s now earn 8 percent more on average than their male counterparts in metropolitan areas.
At the risk of sounding extreme (perish the thought), let me take Ms. Summers argument one step farther. Yes, it would be costly and inefficient to let trial lawyers and bureaucrats go after private companies for private compensation decisions.
But what’s really at stake is whether we want resources to be allocated by market forces instead of political edicts.
This should be a no-brainer. If we look at the failure of central planning in the Soviet Union and elsewhere, a fundamental problem was that government officials – even assuming intelligence and good intentions – did not have the knowledge needed to make decisions on prices.
And in the absence of a functioning price system, resources get misallocated and growth suffers. So you can imagine the potential damage of giving politicians, bureaucrats, and courts the ability to act as central planners for the wage system.
But that didn’t stop the economic illiterates in Washington from pushing a vote in the Senate.
Here’s some of what Steve Chapman wrote for the Washington Examiner.
President Barack Obama said it would merely mandate “equal pay for equal work.” Senate Democratic Leader Harry Reid of Nevada warned beforehand that failing to pass the bill would send “the message to little girls across the country that their work is less valuable because they happened to be born female.” …This is a myth resting on a deception. …The gap reflects many benign factors stemming from the choices voluntarily made by women and men. …Women, on average, work fewer hours and are more likely than men to take time off for family duties. A 2009 report commissioned by the U.S. Labor Department concluded that such “factors account for a major portion and, possibly, almost all of the raw gender wage gap.” “The gender gap shrinks to between 8 percent and 0 percent when the study incorporates such measures as work experience, career breaks and part-time work,” Baruch College economist June O’Neill has written. …What the alleged gender pay gap reflects is the interaction of supply and demand in a competitive labor market. Even in a slow economy, companies that mistreat women can expect to lose them to rival employers.
Regular readers know that I’m very critical of Republicans for their propensity to do the wrong thing, particularly since they presumably know better.
But I also believe in giving praise when it’s warranted. That’s why I’ve written nice things about Bill Clinton and also why I praised House Republicans for supporting entitlement reform.
Well, here’s a case where a very bad idea was blocked because every single GOPer in the Senate held firm and voted for economic rationality. Those Senate Republicans did the right thing and prevailed, just as they were victorious when they did the right thing on taxes a couple of years ago.
Mitt Romney, on the other hand, refused to take a position on the issue, showing that he is trying very hard to be the Richard Nixon of 2012.
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Tag: News Corp.
How Rupe got away with it
On August 10, 2014 September 17, 2014 By Dan KennedyIn Media2 Comments
Rupert Murdoch.
HACK ATTACK: The Inside Story of How the Truth Caught Up with Rupert Murdoch. By Nick Davies. Faber & Faber, 448 pages, $27.
For one brief moment, it looked as though Rupert Murdoch’s international media empire might be on the brink of collapse.
In the summer of 2011, Britain was in an uproar over revelations that the Murdoch-owned tabloid News of the World had hacked the voice-mail messages of Milly Dowler, a 13-year-old girl who had been kidnapped and murdered in 2002. The scandal soon spread to other papers owned by Murdoch’s News Corp. And it nearly jumped the Atlantic, as allegations circulated that Murdoch journalists had tried to listen to cellphone messages of victims of the September 2001 terrorist attacks.
Yet, in the end, not much happened.
Read the rest at The Boston Globe.
Photo (cc) by the World Economic Forum and published under a Creative Commons license. Some rights reserved.
Why Rupert Murdoch probably won’t buy the Herald
On June 25, 2014 June 26, 2014 By Dan KennedyIn Media1 Comment
Published earlier at WGBHNews.org.
Here’s the answer to today’s Newspaper Jeopardy question: “Maybe, if there’s a willing buyer and seller.”
Now for the question: “With Rupert Murdoch getting out of the Boston television market, is there any chance that he would have another go with the Boston Herald?”
Following Tuesday’s announcement that Cox Media Group would acquire WFXT-TV (Channel 25) from Murdoch’s Fox Television Stations as part of a Boston-San Francisco station swap, there has been speculation as to whether Murdoch would re-enter the Boston newspaper market. Universal Hub’s Adam Gaffin raises the issue here; the Boston Business Journal’s Eric Convey, a former Herald staff member, addresses it as well. I’ve also heard from several people on Facebook.
First, the obvious: There would be no legal obstacles if Murdoch wants to buy the Herald. The FCC’s cross-ownership prohibition against a single owner controlling a TV station and a daily newspaper in the same market would no longer apply.
Now for some analysis. Murdoch is 83 years old, and though he seems remarkably active for an octogenarian, I have it on good authority that he, like all of us, is not going to live forever. Moreover, in 2013 his business interests were split, and his newspapers — which include The Wall Street Journal, The Times of London and the New York Post — are now in a separate division of the Murdoch-controlled News Corp. No longer can his lucrative broadcasting and entertainment properties be used to enhance his newspapers’ balance sheets.
Various accounts portray Murdoch as the last romantic — the only News Corp. executive who still has a soft spot for newspapers. The Herald would not be a good investment because newspapers in general are not good investments, and because it is the number-two daily in a mid-size market. Moreover, the guilty verdict handed down to former News of the World editor Andy Coulson in the British phone-hacking scandal Tuesday suggests that Murdoch may be preoccupied with other matters.
On the other hand, who knows? Herald owner Pat Purcell is a longtime friend and former lieutenant of Murdoch’s, and if Rupe wants to stage a Boston comeback, maybe Purcell could be persuaded to let it happen. Even while owning the Herald, Purcell continued to work for Murdoch, running what were once the Ottaway community papers — including the Cape Cod Times and The Standard-Times of New Bedford — from 2008 until they were sold to an affiliate of GateHouse Media last fall.
There is a storied history involving Murdoch and the Herald. Hearst’s Herald American was on the verge of collapse in 1982 when Murdoch swooped in, rescued the tabloid and infused it with new energy. Murdoch added to his Boston holdings in the late 1980s, acquiring Channel 25 and seeking a waiver from the FCC so that he could continue to own both.
One day as that story was unfolding, then-senator Ted Kennedy was making a campaign swing through suburban Burlington. As a reporter for the local daily, I was following him from stop to stop. Kennedy had just snuck an amendment into a bill to deny Rupert Murdoch the regulatory waiver he was seeking that would allow him to own both the Herald and Channel 25 (Kennedy’s amendment prohibited a similar arrangement in New York). At every stop, Herald reporter Wayne Woodlief would ask him, “Senator, why are you trying to kill the Herald?”
The episode also led Kennedy’s most caustic critic at the Herald, columnist Howie Carr, to write a particularly memorable lede: “Was it something I said, Fat Boy?” Years later, Carr remained bitter, telling me, “Ted was trying to kill the paper in order to deliver the monopoly to his friends” at The Boston Globe.
Murdoch sold Channel 25, but in the early 1990s he bought it back — and sold the Herald to Purcell, who’d been publisher of the paper, reporting to Murdoch, for much of the ’80s. It would certainly be a fascinating twist on this 30-year-plus newspaper tale if Murdoch and Purcell were to change positions once again.
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Project Rebirth
Survival and the Strength of the Human Spirit From 9/11 Survivors
Stern, Robin
The images of the burning towers, the heartbroken friends building memorials, the minute-by-minute accounts of the horrors of that day-all are indelibly etched on our collective consciousness. But what of those left behind after 9/11? What have they, and we, learned from the gift of time?In Project Rebirth, a psychologist and a journalist examine the lives of eight people who were directly affected by the events of September 11, 2001. Written concurrently with the filming of a forthcoming documentary, it is uniquely positioned to tackle the questions raised about how people react in the face of crippling grief, how you maintain hope for a future when your life as you knew it is destroyed, and the amazing ability of humans to focus on the positive aspects of day-to-day living in the face of tragedy.The project follows people dedicated to rebuilding, both physically and emotionally. Spirituality, resilience, and hope are at the center of their stories. Brian, who lost his firefighter brother, spent two years working at Ground Zero and then helped to rebuild the PATH train station. Tanya, who lost her fiance on 9/11, finds new love, new life, and joy as a mother in the years following, all doors she thought closed to her forever.Not a book that recounts the events of that day, and not a book about grief, Project Rebirth is a book about resilience and finding inner peace.
Published: [United States] : Tantor Media, Inc. : Made available through hoopla, 2011.
Branch Call Number: HOOPLA DOWNLOADABLE AUDIO
Characteristics: 1 online resource (1 audio file (6hr., 30 min.)) :,digital.
Additional Contributors: Martin, Courtney E.
Merlington, Laural
Read more reviews of Project Rebirth at iDreamBooks.com
Resilience (Personality Trait)
Adjustment (Psychology)
September 11 Terrorist Attacks, 2001 — Personal Narratives.
Victims of Terrorism — New York (State) — New York.
Downloadable Audio Books.
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Playboy Goes PG (Will No Nudes Be Good News?) And The Village Voice Changes Hands, Again
Two icons of 1950s print media, Playboy magazine and The Village Voice, once a beacon of muckraking investigative news and alternative criticism, announced significant changes Monday.
First, from the land of Hugh Hefner: Pull those puckered issues of Playboy out from under the bed and stash ’em away somewhere safe: They’re collector’s items. Beginning in the spring, Miss March and all the monthly Misses to follow — not to mention the brainy girls of the Daisy Chain, the hottest brokers in the Northwest and every other category manufactured during the past six decades to present naked women — will keep some of the mystery under wraps. Or other garments.
Faced with the ubiquity of Internet porn, TV sitcoms that go where only peep shows used to tread and, to get a little more serious, changing attitudes toward the “Playboy Philosophy,” Hefner’s creation is going PG.
Deadline reported on September 21 that nixing nudity was rumored to be among the changes being made to the magazine by new owners Rizvi Traverse (the former owner of talent agency ICM) and now the magazine has announced it through The New York Times. The change follows a recent decision to remove nude photography from the magazine’s online edition, and that Hefner himself, now 89 and still listed as editor in chief, signed off on the full-frontal change. Circulation has fallen — as it has with all print media — dramatically; in the case of Playboy from 5.6 million in 1975 to about 800,000 today. Hefner’s magazine has been an advocate not only of the swinging-bachelor lifestyle but also a home to literary talent, deep-focus interviews, First Amendment crusades, terrible jokes and Alberto Vargas’ dreamy pinups.
As for the Voice, owner Voice Media Group announced Monday that the paper has been bought by investor Peter Barbey of the Reading Eagle Company, a family-owned business that says it has been publishing newspapers since 1796. The announcement was made jointly with Barbey’s investment company, Black Walnut Holdings. The price wasn’t disclosed.
VM has been trying since January to unload some of its properties in one of the hardest-hit sectors of the print media economy. Papers like the Voice were built on an income stream trio of advertising, subscriptions and newsstand sales. But the Internet has made much of the information available cheaper or for free and advertising, especially personal-service ads that were a mainstay, has shifted to the web as well.
Voice management took the paper to controlled circulation — meaning it is given away free — and laid off its most experienced staff reporters and critics more than a year ago, but there’s been no improvement in profitability. Instead, what’s been left is a weak shadow of a once-essential opposition institution, with a skeleton staff and little presence in the journalistic marketplace.
“We were impressed with VMG’s professionalism and creativity, and we wanted to continue to partner with them on concepts that are beneficial to readers and our clients,” said Barbey in the announcement.
“During a time of great challenges and great opportunities in the industry, we’re thrilled that we’ve found an experienced journalist and operator with such considerable resources to take the reins at the Voice,” Voice Media Group CEO Scott Tobias likewise was quoted as saying in a statement. “We truly love and respect our staff at the Voice, and it’s fulfilling to know they’ll be in good hands.”
This article was printed from https://deadline.com/2015/10/playboy-goes-pg-and-the-village-voice-changes-hands-media-news-1201578138/
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Battle on the Ballot: Political Outsiders in US Presidential Elections
Military Hero Turned President
Old Hickory for President: Andrew Jackson, 1824 and 1828
The Whig Party and Zachary Taylor, 1848
I Like Ike: Dwight Eisenhower, 1952
Third-Party Reformers
Women Candidates
Anti-Outsider Platforms
African Americans and Presidential Politics
This hand-drawn, hand-colored illustration depicts Andrew Jackson in military uniform emerging from a cloud. Dated 1827, this image was created as Jackson prepared for the 1828 presidential election, in which his supporters promoted his record as a military hero. Courtesy of Free Library of Philadelphia via PA Digital.
No political experience? No problem!
Thirty-nine of forty-three US presidents served in elected office in roles such as state governor, Congressional representative, or vice president prior to becoming president. The number of years of service varies widely—Woodrow Wilson was governor of New Jersey for only a year before running for the presidency, while Lyndon Johnson brought twenty-four years of congressional experience to the White House. The most common profession for presidents is lawyer, but there are outliers here too: Ronald Reagan was an actor and Herbert Hoover was a mining engineer.
In 2016, Americans heard a lot about the appeal of the outsider candidate, the person who approaches the presidency from beyond the insider field of Washington politics—and not for the first time. A common profile of the successful non-politician outsider in presidential elections has been the military hero, called to lead the American people after victory on the battlefield. In the nineteenth century, Presidents Andrew Jackson and Zachary Taylor each sought an electoral victory on the basis, in whole or in part, of their military leadership. In the twentieth century, President Dwight Eisenhower followed a similar formula to win the presidency following World War II.
The circumstances surrounding each election vary, but this section will examine how each candidate turned their lack of governing experience into a political asset and why major parties—perhaps the ultimate insider institutions—embraced these outsider candidates.
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Home>Science & Nature>Cosmos & Outer Space>More Than 100 Exoplanets Discovered By Astronomers In 3 Months
Within few years, space has not been out of reach of our planet’s people who consistently tries to explore many things in this vast universe. Talking about planets other than earth, leave our solar system because astronomers keep their eye on outer systems as well.
An international team of astronomers using a combination of ground and space based telescopes have reported more than 100 extra-solar planets (here after, exoplanets) in only three months. These planets are quite diverse and expected to play a large role in developing the research field of exoplanets and life in the Universe.
Exoplanets, planets that revolve around stars other than the Sun, have been actively researched in recent years. One of the reasons is the success of the Kepler Space Telescope, which launched in 2009 to search for exoplanets. If a planet crosses (transits) in front of its parent star, then the observed brightness of the star drops by a small amount. The Kepler Space Telescope detected many exoplanets using this method.
However, such dimming phenomena could be caused by other reasons. Therefore, confirmation that the phenomena are really caused by exoplanets is very important. The Kepler space telescope experienced mechanical trouble in 2013, which led to a successor mission called K2. Astronomers around the world are competing to confirm exoplanets suggested by the K2 data.
An international research team involving researchers at the University of Tokyo and Astrobiology Center of the National Institutes of Natural Sciences investigated 227 K2 exoplanet candidates using other space telescopes and ground-based telescopes. They confirmed that 104 of them are really exoplanets. Seven of the confirmed exoplanets have ultra-short orbital periods less than 24 hours.
Extra-solar planet
Extrasolar planet, also called exoplanet, any planetary body that is outside the solar system and that usually orbits a star other than the Sun. The first extrasolar planets were discovered in 1992. More than 3,000 are known, and more than 1,000 await further confirmation.
Detection Of Extrasolar Planets
Because planets are much fainter than the stars they orbit, extrasolar planets are extremely difficult to detect directly. By far the most successful technique for finding and studying extrasolar planets has been the radial velocity method, which measures the motion of host stars in response to gravitational tugs by their planets. The first planet discovered with this technique was 51 Pegasi b in 1995. Radial velocity measurements determine the sizes and shapes of the orbits of extrasolar planets as well as the lower limits of the masses of these planets. (They provide only lower limits on planetary mass because they measure just the portion of the star’s motion toward and away from Earth.)
Three other techniques that have detected extrasolar planets are pulsation timing, microlensing, and direct imaging. Pulsation timing measures the change in distance between the signal source and the telescope by using the arrival times of signals that are emitted periodically by the source.
When the source is a pulsar (a rotating, magnetized neutron star), current technology can detect motions in response to a planet whose mass is as small as that of Earth’s Moon, whereas only giant planets can be detected around pulsating normal stars. The first extrasolar planets were discovered in 1992 around the pulsar PSR 1257+12 by using this method. Microlensing relies upon measurements of the gravitational bending of light (predicted by Albert Einstein’s general theory of relativity) from a more distant source by an intervening star and its planets.
This technique is most sensitive to massive planets orbiting hundreds of millions of kilometres from their star and has also been used to discover a population of free-floating giant planets that do not orbit any star. Direct imaging can be done by using starlight reflected off the planet or thermal infrared radiation emitted by the planet. Imaging works best for planets orbiting those stars that are nearest to the Sun, with infrared imaging being especially sensitive to young massive planets that orbit far from their star.
LATEST DISCOVERY
The formation process of exoplanets with such short orbital periods is still unclear. Further study of these ultra-short period planets will help to advance research into the processes behind their formation. They also confirmed many low-mass rocky exoplanets with masses less than twice that of the Earth as well as some planetary systems with multiple exoplanets.
Mr. John Livingston, a Ph.D. student at the University of Tokyo and lead author of the papers reporting the exoplanets, explains, “Although the Kepler Space Telescope has been officially retired by NASA, its successor space telescope, called TESS, has already started collecting data. In just the first month of operations, TESS has already found many new exoplanets, and it will continue to discover many more. We can look forward to many new exciting discoveries in the coming years.”
227 K2 ASTRONOMY EXOPLANETS Space
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Elon Musk And SpaceX Are Making A Monster Rocket To Reach Mars
Astronomers Team Discovered The Most Distant Supernova Yet
Gamma-Ray Bursts From Black Holes May Actually Be ‘Time-Reversed’
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No-No to Gitmo!
Filed under: Blog,CNN,Democrats,Economics,Election,Federal,FOX News,Government,Harry Reid,media,news,Obama,Politics,Republicans,Senate — drmyers @ 4:25 am
Tags: CNN, Conservative, Democrats, Economics, economy, Feinstein, FOX News, Gitmo, Huffington Post, Intelligence Report, Liberal, Obama, Politics, President, Republican, Senate, Terrorist, transition, Twitter, USA, White House
When President Woodrow Wilson went to Paris in 1918, he had one goal in mind. This goal was restoration and peace. Restoration to those oppressed nations that had suffered horribly during the Great War, and peace among all nations. As he introduced his 14 point plan, he spent 6 months in Paris negotiating, compromising, and holding true to the values revered so much by his American convictions! Once an agreement was made, all parties went home and frankly were happy the whole negotiation process was over. With negotiations quite strenuous to many parties, especially to Wilson, who was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize, Wilson convinced Europe to join the League of Nations but was unsuccessful in convincing the United States Congress…especially those within the Senate. It is said that the stress behind not having the Senate’s support, brought on the severe stroke that left him paralyzed on one side and in bad shape during the final years of his administration.
Barak Obama got a taste of “making promises assuming that he has the support”, but when coming down to the vote, the Senate takes another direction. He had vowed on his second day in office to close the prison within a year as part of his effort to repair America’s tarnished image abroad. This vow will now be coupled with his game plan when he speaks at the National Archives; ironically former Vice-President Cheney will be speaking at the same time.
My question is: Why did the Senate turn their support from the President. A poll done at “The Escapist” (http://www.escapistmagazine.com/forums/read/18.90564?page=3) showed that 63.7 percent of those surveyed approved of the President’s move to close down the facility while 19.6 percent were against it. A CNN poll showed after asking the question, “Do you think the policies being proposed by Barack Obama will move the country in the right direction or the wrong direction?” Those who believed his proposed policies were in the right direction 63%, those who thought they were the wrong direction 35%. If these polls are the true voice of the American public, should not the representatives who represent these constituents also reflect these results?
The major concern spouted by Senate members stated that they were opposed to the prisoners being transported to prisons on American soil. Michele Flournoy, Pentagon policy chief, says it’s unrealistic to think that no detainees will come to the U.S., and that the U.S. can’t ask allies to take detainees while refusing to take on the same burden. Senator Harry Reid stated, “We will never allow terrorists to be released in the United States…Part of what we don’t want is for them to be put in prisons in the United States. We don’t want them around in the United States.” Where do you place the POW’s?
For members of congress to question the ability and strength of the American Prison System is walking a tight rope, and it also sends signals to our enemies that our domestic security is weak, and can be penetrated…which couldn’t be further from the truth. The United States has the highest incarceration rate in the entire world. As of the year 2000, our facilities include: 3,365 local jails, 1,558 state facilities, 146 federal facilities. As of January 17th 2007, 245 prisoners remained at Gitmo equaling to 1.67 persons going to each one of our Federal Facilities.
There is one member of the Senate that stood in support of the Presidents efforts. Dianne Feinstein, who not only gained in wealth during the war (by 2005 her net worth had increased to between $43 million and $99 million), had pretty good reason to stand behind her statements to bring the prisoners to US prisons. Stating, “I believe that American justice is what makes this country strong in the eyes of the world. American justice is what people believe separates the United States from other countries. And American justice has to be applied to everyone, because if it isn’t, we then become hypocrites in the eyes of the world.”, the Senator just stated what she was vested in emotionally and financially. Feinstein holds stock in the URS Corporation, which as a major U.S. federal contractor, URS provides critical support to the Departments of Defense (DoD), Homeland Security (DHS) and Energy (DOE), as well as to National Aeronautics Space Administration (NASA), Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and other federal agencies. (No wonder she’s on the Senate Intelligence Committee!)
Obama’s showdown today will tell whether or not Congress will stand behind the promise he made to the American People. Perhaps, he could use a little advice from a former President who has approached this similar problem:
Former President Woodrow Wilson
“I would rather lose in a cause that will someday win, than win in a cause that will someday lose.”
~Former President Woodrow Wilson
Guest Blogger Steve Sherman – “The Personality of America”
Filed under: Blog,CNN,Democrats,Economics,Federal,FOX News,Government,news,Obama,Politics,Republicans,Senate,USA,Washington — drmyers @ 4:17 am
Tags: Barack Obama, CNN, Congress, Conservative, democrat, Facebook, FOX News, Huffington Post, media, Myspace, Politics, President, Republican, Twitter, USA, White House
Politics ought to be the part-time profession of every citizen who would protect the right and privileges of free people and who would preserve what is good and fruitful in our national heritage.
President Dwight David Eisenhower
During his address to congress, our president brought up an important point that has been largely lost in the debates that have followed. Barack Obama touched on the personality of America that has defined so much of our history and threatens our future.
Our president pointed out that we talk about lots of important issues but do little in our rush to the future. As President Obama pointed out we have talked about health care issues for almost 40 years but have done little. We have talked about reducing dependence on foreign oil for over 25 years. We have talked about improving our educational system for over 50 years.
The problems we are facing today are not new. They are the same problems we talked about yesterday and last year and the year before. The current economic situation is a great example.
There are no surprises with our current economic problems. Every 3 or 4 years since the inception of trickle down, or Reganonmics, we have had a financial crisis. Every 3 or 4 years since the beginning of deregulation and mega mergers there has been a financial situation that cost tax payers billions of dollars. Remember Black Monday. Or how about the Savings & Loan melt down with Silverado and the Keating Five. And Enron, and Worldcom, and the dotcom bust. Our recent history is strewn with economic disasters. Brought about by the economic philosophy that has dominated for the last 25 years.
Our president has a new vision for America. A vision that sees caring for our infrastructure instead of watching 70 year old technology crumble in the face of Hurricane Katrina. Earthen levees and aging pumps left as the Maginot line of defense for a major American city. Following Katrina many pictures appeared showing modern systems in European and even African countries of updated systems that efficiently controlled water and produced beneficial results like electric production and irrigation. President Obama is suggesting we care for and upgrade our infrastructure so there are no more bridge collapses ( a recent article suggested that up to 60% of bridges in the United States are deficient from lack of maintenance). Invest in America first.
For all of our talk about ending dependence on foreign oil, we have stood by and witnessed the rape of the planet we call home. We have watched her resources plundered at increasingly alarming rates. We stand idly by as the planet is destroyed in the name of progress. Clear mountain streams are turning into fetid flows of polluted waters that no longer cool and refresh. Our lust for the earth’s treasures that are then burned creating a second destructive force of released carbon gases that alter the atmosphere, is unquenchable. One spill of the plundered resources can destroy an entire ecological system that took millions of years to develop and balance. The current administration wants to stop talking about dependence on foreign oil by advancing renewable energy sources. Solar systems, wind power, wave power, hydrogen cells. Jobs for Americans using technology developed by Americans. Germany, France and Japan are leading the world in renewable energy usage, all with technology developed in the United States.
The second major issue our president is addressing is health care. We lead the world with medical technology, but we lag the world in the area of efficient health care administration. Untold hours of unproductive time are spent completing insurance forms because every company has a unique form. Access to medical records is time consuming because they are not computerized and transmittable. The cost of maintaining antiquated billing and record keeping systems adds millions to our health care costs. We have the best health care system in the world. We ought to listen to our president and find ways to deliver it as efficiently as possible.
Education was the single greatest factor in building a middle class America that was the envy of the world. Our education system is based on the early 1900’s idea of identifying and nurturing future managers and supervisors. The system allowed all others to struggle along until they either gave up in frustration or completed required courses at a minimal level. The administration envisions an updating of educational objectives and approaches to meet the needs of today. Modernizing education is the first step to a rebirth of the middle class. Ubder the present structure there is a declining middle class that comes closer and loser to the national poverty level.
Eliminating the economic uncertainty of tomorrow by creating new jobs to lower our dependence on fossil fuels, improving our quality of life by renewing our infrastructure with an attention to environmental issues; updating and modernizing the administration of healthcare to match the quality of available care; and insuring our future by improving education. Huge but obtainable goals that can lead us out of the morass that we face today and into a future where the American dream and the reality of America come closer together. It is not about the dollars or how much we pay in taxes. Countries that have tax rates over 50% currently have some of the highest living standards in the world. Look at Sweden and Iceland and Denmark. Like everything else it is about what you get for your investment. We can get the best by investing wisely in the programs President Obama has advocated.
The missing piece is us, the American public. Our hands off approach to government must come to an end. Our chosen form of government requires citizen intervention. Some of the most famous words of President Dwight Eisenhower and President John Kennedy encourage us to be involved. It is acceptance of lesser standards that allow the abuses of government functions. As citizens we have a higher calling than to just show up to vote, we have a patriotic duty to be aware, and be involved. We have a responsibility to future generations to pass on the best that we can do.
Dr. Obama…I Mean…Mr. President!
Filed under: Blog,CNN,Democrats,Election,Federal,FOX News,Government,media,news,Obama,Pelosi,Politics,Republicans,Senate,USA,Washington — drmyers @ 4:34 am
Tags: Abortion, Barack Obama, CNN, Congress, Conservative, democrat, economy, Facebook, FOX News, Graduation, homosexual, Huffington Post, Money, Myspace, Notre Dame, Obama, Politics, President, Pro LIfe, Pro Choice, Racism, Republican, Twitter, USA, White House
With a cool breeze coming from the St. Joseph River, excitement filled the air in South Bend, Indiana. South Bend has come a long way since its “Fur Trading” days and now supports a population of over 300,000, with steep economic ties to its main draw…The University of Notre Dame. Not surprisingly, the “Fighting Irish” was first an all male institution, just like many in its’ day, but today its founders would not have imagined, that an intelligent young lady would be giving the valedictorian address and representing the class of 2009. I am quite sure that there was another player in today’s ceremonies that the founders did not have in mind; a pro life, African-American, United States President, receiving a honorary doctorate from a university shrouded in Catholic Tradition. As the crowd descended upon the campus, all were there for different reasons, but all could not deny that one common thread tied their purposes together…Dr. Obama.
The act of awarding Honoarary Doctorate’s is a tradition that has been in practice since the Middle Ages. Within the United States, we can see the practice affecting even our forefathers (Ben Franklin received an honorary doctorate from the University of St. Andrews in 1759 and the University of Oxford in 1762 for his scientific accomplishments.) Controversies surrounding these awards have been also become somewhat of a custom, especially in America.
Students seemed to be up in arms when the Southampton College decided to bestow an honorary doctorate to a figure that had reshaped the lives of children across the world…Kermit the Frog. Although some students objected to awarding a degree to a Muppet, Kermit delivered an enjoyable commencement address and the small college received considerable press coverage. On the 300th commencement ceremony at Yale University, it was thought only fitting that the sitting President and also former Yale graduate George W. Bush, be awarded an honorary doctorate; walking out of the ceremonies, some students and teachers did not agree with the University.
The year’s old debate of pro-choice and pro-life fueled the fire of some protestors who protested outside of Notre Dame University as the President received his Honorary Doctorate. Being fully aware of their concern, Barack Obama stated “head on” his stance and feelings regarding the matter, “Maybe we won’t agree on abortion, but we can still agree that this is a heart-wrenching decision for any woman to make, with both moral and spiritual dimensions. So let’s work together to reduce the number of women seeking abortions by reducing unintended pregnancies, and making adoption more available, and providing care and support for women who do carry their child to term. Let’s honor the conscience of those who disagree with abortion, and draft a sensible conscience clause, and make sure that all of our health care policies are grounded in clear ethics and sound science, as well as respect for the equality of women.”
Although disrupted twice by hecklers, his message was received by those in which the message was intended to reach…the graduates. Little was said regarding the demeanor kept by the graduating class, when protests began around the campus this past week. Although interviewed by pundits and news anchors, the students approached this matter in a very mature manner…by welcoming the voice of a person that, although not always in agreement with, they were willing to pull out the nuggets of truth and wisdom from the advice he was willing to share with them on this, their historic moment.
One may ask; Are the students that took part in the ceremony today, examples of the kind of diplomacy that we can expect to see in our future? If so, can peace at home be a tangible reality as well as peace in the Middle East?
Perhaps Dr. Kermit the Frog stated this situation best, and how we can approach it:
“…you are no longer tadpoles. The time has come for you to drop your tails and leave this swamp. But I am sure that wherever I go as I travel around the world, I will find each and every one of you working your tails off to save other swamps and give those of us who live there a chance to survive. We love you for it.”
Dr. Kermit the Frog
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2011 Aug 10 4:28 PM
Appendix N electronic book availability
I got a new Kindle, so…. Of those books and writers mentioned in the DMG appendix N, the following are available electronically—many for free.
Andrew Lang
Leigh Brackett
Fredric Brown
L. Sprague de Camp’s Lest Darkness Fall (non-free)
P.J. Farmer
Robert E. Howard*
Sterling Lanier’s Hiero’s Journey
Fritz Leiber’s free and non-free works
A. Merritt’s works here and here*
Michael Moorcock (non-free)
Fletcher Pratt
Fred Saberhagen (non-free)
J.R.R. Tolkien (non-free)
Jack Vance (non-free)
Stanley Weinbaum
Manly Wade Wellman
Jack Williamson free and non-free
Roger Zelanzy (non-free)
Most of the above works also appear in Moldvay’s Basic reading list, but the following are in addition to those listed in the DMG.
Lloyd Alexander (non-free, young adult)
Robert Asprin (non-free)
L. Frank Baum (young adult)
John Bellairs (non-free, mostly young adult, though The Face in the Frost is usually cataloged as adult)
Thomas Bulfinch
Lewis Carroll (young adult)
E.R. Eddison’s The Worm Ouroboros
Robert A. Heinlein’s Glory Road (non-free)
Tanith Lee (non-free)
Ursula K. Le Guin (listed as young adult)
C.S. Lewis (young adult, non-free)
Talbot Mundy’s Tros of Samothrace and more Mundy works
Clark Ashton Smith**
Thomas Burnett Swann (non-free)
UPDATE: I don’t know how I overlooked William Hope Hodgson, but thanks to Scott for noticing.
* As these works may still be under protection in parts of the world with copyright terms as insane as those of the United States, it would be naughty of you to read them for free in such a jurisdiction. I couldn’t possibly recommend it.
** I suspect many of C.A. Smith’s works are now in the public domain, though Smith’s estate and Arkham House claim otherwise.
anarchist, August 11, 2011 at 4:29 AM
Tros of Samothrace: http://www.munseys.com/diskthree/tros.pdf
Clark Ashton Smith does indeed have at least some works in the public domain. See http://en.wikisource.org/wiki/Author:Clark_Ashton_Smith
Paul, August 11, 2011 at 7:43 AM
Scott, August 11, 2011 at 7:28 PM
Most of William Hope Hodgson’s work is in the public domain and available free online.
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Đáp án đề vào lớp 10 môn Tiếng Anh chuyên Lê Hồng Phong Nam Định 2017
Trang chủ » Nam Định » Đáp án đề vào lớp 10 môn Tiếng Anh chuyên Lê Hồng Phong Nam Định 2017
Mời các em cùng tham khảo chi tiết Đáp án đề thi vào lớp 10 môn Tiếng Anh chuyên Lê Hồng Phong Nam Định năm 2017 mà các bạn thí sinh vừa hoàn thành do diemthilop10.info cập nhật sau đây:
Đề thi vào lớp 10 môn Tiếng Anh chuyên Lê Hồng Phong Nam Định 2017-2018
PART A. LISTENING (2.0 POINTS)
I. PART 1: You'll hear a conversation between a man and a woman. Listen and complete the form below. You will hear the conversation TWICE. (1.0p)
Question 1-5.
PAN ASIAN AIRWAYS
LOST PROPERTY REPORT FORM
Full name: Kirsty Allen
Address: (1)______________Windham Road, Richmond
Postcode: (2)______________ Home Tel: 020 8927 7651
Mobile. Tel: (3)______________
Flight number: (4)______________
Seat number: (5)______________
From – To: New York – London Heathrow
Question 6-8. Circle THREE letters from A to F. What items did Kirsty's bag contain?
A. Her house keys B. 200 dollars C. A book
D. Her passport E. Pens F. 17 pounds
Question 9-10. Circle the letter (A, B, C or D) that correctly answers questions 9 and 10.
9. What has Kirsty done regarding to the loss of her credit card?
A. informed both the police and the credit card company.
B. informed the police but not the credit card company.
C. informed the credit card company but not the police.
D. informed neither the police nor the credit card company.
10. What must Kirsty do after the call regarding to her lost handbag?
A. Call back after one hour and a half.
B. Call back the next day if she has heard nothing.
C. Just wait for a phone call.
D. Call back after one hour and a half if she has heard nothing.
II. PART 2: You will hear a man giving information to a group of students. You will listen TWICE. (1.0p)
Question 11-15. Complete the sentences below. Write NO MORE THAN THREE WORDS AND/OR A NUMBER for each answer.
11. The man is the...............................of Student Services at Radstock.
12. The ..................................are all enrolled as students at the university.
13. The student discount cards allow students to save up to........................percent when eating out.
14. Students interested in joining a club can sign up on weekdays between.............................o'clock.
15. The man advised the students to .............................and enjoy themselves.
Question 16-20. Answer the questions below. Write NO MORE THAN THREE WORDS AND/OR A NUMBER for each answer.
16. What kind of difficulties might people experience? .......................................................
17. What is the first problem that the man mentions? .......................................................
18. How often do drop-in sessions take place? .......................................................
19. How long do drop-in sessions often last for? ........................................................
20. Who runs the workshops on personal development?....................................................................
PART B. GRAMMAR AND VOCABULARY (2.0 POINTS)
I. Circle the letter A, B, C or D to complete each of the following sentences. (1.0p)
1. What a lovely baby______!
A. do they have B. have they C. they have D. they don't have
2. Why don't you buy oranges when they are much______than apples?
A. less expensive B. not expensive C. as expensive D. lesser expensive
3. My mother______for an hour and she hasn't finished it yet.
A. has cooked B. has been cooking C. had cooked D. had been cooking
4. ______I'd like to help you out, I'm afraid I just haven't got any spare money at the moment.
A. Much as B. Try as C. However D. Despite
5. I bought some new shoes. They felt a bit strange______because I wasn't used to them.
A. first B. at first C. firstly D. first of all
6. There should be no discrimination on the______of sex, race or religion.
A. grounds B. places C. areas D. fields
7. I can't find my purse anywhere. I must______it at the cinema.
A. leave B. have left C. be leaving D. have been leaving
8. We don't sell newspapers because there is no_______for them.
A. demand B. requirement C. claim D. request
9. A policeman suddenly appeared, so the thief quickly ______on a motorbike.
A. took in B. made off C. handed in D. took over
10. She insisted that the reporter ______her as his source of information.
A. didn't mention B. doesn't mention C. hadn't mentioned D. not mention
II. Each of the following sentences has ONE mistake. Underline the mistake and write the correction in the provided blank on the right. There is an example at the beginning (0). (0.5 p)
Sentences Corrections
0. People tend to make a lot of shopping at Christmas. do
1. Although a number of police officers was guarding the invaluable treasures in the museum, the director worried that someone would try to steal them.
2. Laser treatment isn't always effective and chemotherapy isn't, neither.
3. All of mammals, dolphins are undoubtedly among the friendliest to humans.
4. Dams are used to control flooding, provide water for irrigation, and generating electricity for the surrounding areas.
5. I made every effort to contact with John two weeks ago but so far I haven't received his reply.
III. Give the correct form of the words in capital letters. Write your answers in the blanks. (0.5p)
1. She didn't want to give him the _______________of seeing her cry. (SATISFY)
2. The church was damaged in the war but it has now been ______________ (BUILD)
3. We can't tell which team will win. The result is so _______________ (PREDICT)
4. The young man was _______________for possession of drugs for five years. (PRISON)
5. Should developing countries be given more_______________by the West? (ASSIST)
PART C. READING (3.0 POINTS)
I. Read the text and circle A, B, C or D that best fits each space to complete the text. (1.0 p)
The development of writing (1)______a huge difference to the world and we might see it as the beginning of the media. Pieces of pottery with marks on that are probably numbers have been (2) ______ in China that date from around 4000 BC. Hieroglyphics and other forms of "picture writing" developed in the (3)______around Mesopatamia (modern-day Iraq), where the (4)______Sumerian civilization was based, from around 3300 BC onwards. However, the first (5)______alphabet was used by the Phoenicians around 1050 BC. Their alphabet had 22 letters and it is (6)______that it lasted for 1000 years. The first two signs were called "aleph", which in Greek became "alpha" and beta", which gave us the (7)______word "alphabet'.
The modern European alphabet is based on the Greek and (8)______to other European countries under the Romans. A number of changes took (9)______as time passed. The Romans added the letter G, and the letters J and V were (10)______to people in Shakespeare's time.
1. A. made B. took C. did D. had
2. A. invented B. displayed C. appeared D. discovered
3. A. earth B. length C. area D. distance
4. A. ancient B. old-fashioned C. antique D. dated
5. A. precise B. true C. exact D. accurate
6. A. observed B. measured C. estimated D. counted
7. A. modern B. trendy C. new D. fashionable
8. A. was B. spread C. appeared D. occurred
PART D. WRITING (3.0 POINTS)
I. Finish the second sentence so that it has a similar meaning to the first one, using the clues at the beginning of each sentence. (0.5p)
1. She felt sorry she hadn’t gone to his birthday party.
- She regretted……………………………………………………………………………………………………
2. You missed the class yesterday so you can’t do this exercise now.
- Had……………………………………………………………………………………………………………….
3. She was so physically attractive that every boy ran after her.
- Such ……………………………………………………………………………………………………………..
4. I am sure the man took the money on purpose.
- The man can’t……………………………………………………………………………………………………
5. The number of people out of work has fallen dramatically this year.
- There has ………………………………………………………………………………………………………
II. Complete the second sentence so that it has a similar meaning to the first sentence, using the word given in brackets. Do not change the word given. (1.0p)
1. I don’t intend to take a part-time job this summer. (INTENTION)
- I ……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………
2. What a pity I told John about my plan. (ONLY)
- If……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………
3. There is no way that young man can pass the coming driving test. (BOUND)
- That young man………………………………………………………………………………………………….
4. He was so scared that he couldn’t tell me what he really thought. (COURAGE)
- He …………………………………………………………………………………………………………….. ….
5. Do you think that people’s personalities are strongly affected by climate? (INFLUENCE)
- Do you think that climate……..………………………………………………………………………………..?
6. It was the heavy rain yesterday that made me ill. (FOR)
- If…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………...
7. He did not get married until he was 40 years old. (UNTIL)
- It …………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..
8. The events of that day were described in detail by my daughter. (DETAILED)
- My daughter……………………………………………………………………………………………………..
9. The phone rang again as soon as I put it down. (HAD)
- Hardly………………………………………………………………………………………………………. …..
10. My grandfather completely forgot that he had phoned me. (RECOLLECTION)
- My grandfather didn’t have …………………………………………………………………………………….
III. Write a paragraph. (1.5p)
It is obvious that there are more and more people going on holiday all over the country. What, in your opinion, are the reasons for this? Write a paragraph of about 150 words to support your answer, using examples and relevant evidence.
Dưới đây là đáp án chi tiết đề thi vào lớp 10 môn Tiếng Anh chuyên Lê Hồng Phong, Nam Định năm 2017-2018 sẽ được diemthilop10.info cập nhật sớm nhất để các em dự đoán mình được bao nhiêu điểm thi lớp 10 Nam Định trong kỳ thi THPT năm nay.
Theo dự kiến, phụ huynh và các em học sinh có thể tra cứu điểm thi lớp 10 khoảng từ 10 - 15 ngày sau ngày thi. Hãy theo dõi trang diemthilop10.info để có được thông tin sớm nhất điểm chuẩn lớp 10 các tỉnh thành trên cả nước.
Đáp án đề thi vào lớp 10 môn Văn chuyên Nam Định năm 2016 - 2017
Đáp án đề thi thử lớp 10 môn toán tỉnh Nam Định năm 2017
Điểm chuẩn vào lớp 10 THPT tỉnh Nam Định năm học 2014 – 2015
Tổng hợp thông tin tuyển sinh vào lớp 10 THPT tỉnh Nam Định 2016
Đáp án đề thi vào lớp 10 môn Toán chuyên Nam Định năm 2016 - 2017
Điểm chuẩn vào lớp 10 Nam Định năm 2017
Điểm chuẩn vào lớp 10 tỉnh Nam Định
Đáp án đề vào lớp 10 Tiếng Anh chung chuyên Lê Hồng Phong Nam Định 2017
Đáp án đề thi vào lớp 10 bài thi tổng hợp tỉnh Nam Định năm 2017
Tuyển sinh lớp 10 Nam Định và đối mới đề thi vào lớp 10 năm 2016
Phạm vi kiến thức ôn thi tuyển sinh vào lớp 10 tỉnh Nam Định 2017
Đề ôn thi vào lớp 10 chuyên Sử tỉnh Nam Định năm 2017
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Understanding the AI cloud
Posted on 22nd March 2019
Written by Kayla Matthews, Freelance Writer at InformationWeek
People typically know that the cloud is a tremendously popular storage option used by both consumers and enterprise-level users.
However, what they may not know is that cloud computing is becoming increasingly linked to artificial intelligence (AI). That relationship is permanently and substantially changing the relationship between cloud computing and AI. And this link between the two doesn’t only affect the professionals who work in those fields. Everyday people who don’t work in cloud computing or use AI apps often will find themselves impacted as well.
AI technology could boost the profits of cloud computing companies
Google and Amazon are among the big-name companies offering cloud computing options for customers. The fact that such recognisable companies offer cloud services is one of the components that continually drive the technology’s adoption rates. People typically know those big-name brands and likely have more trust in those entities compared to smaller establishments.Those companies are also predicting what they believe is the inevitable rise of AI technology in society. They realise that to ignore AI’s potential now could put them behind the curve in the wider marketplace. So they’re actively branching out and getting involved in AI technology, too.
Since well-established companies have the resources to recruit the best talent, they could develop AI technologies in-house and put themselves in prime positions to grow their immediate and long-term profits as market leaders. If that happens, the companies could become far richer than many people imagined. It’s also important to realise that this development could bring new technologies to consumers, increasing their exposure to AI technologies by making it easier for companies to develop programs that feature it. However, if cloud computing companies become too extensive due to their AI investments, the resulting wealth and influence could also cause a market monopoly.
The rise of a new type of cloud computing service
Most people have at least a basic familiarity with the types of cloud computing available, such as software-as-a-service (SaaS) and infrastructure-as-a-service (IaaS). The links between cloud computing and AI are so substantial that they spurred a new cloud computing option called AIaaS, or AI-as-a-service. The cloud computing companies that provide necessary services to their clients grew in popularity because they offered solutions for people to begin using cloud computing without making substantial on-site investments.
AIaaS offers the same advantage because it is theoretically the easiest way for people to start using AI technologies without spending large amounts of money on updates to a company’s internal infrastructure. Companies that lack resources—such as startups—could find that AI services are more readily available to them than they’d be otherwise. Then, the time to market for new AI applications could speed up, benefiting customers and companies alike.
Since AI is such a quickly emerging technology, it’s crucial for companies to make related products available as speedily as is feasible.
Companies may start to diversify their offerings
There are many pervasive myths about cloud computing, one being that the cloud is only a fad. However, the emergence of AIaaS offerings indicates that not only is cloud computing growing, but that there’s also an increasing need for what it offers. As companies keep track of trends, those that specialize in either cloud computing or AI may realize it’s cost-effective to combine their offeringsand give both kinds of services to customers. Thanks to that outcome, the rates for such services should naturally go down due to the presence of more competitors in the marketplace.
That outcome would be advantageous for the people who do business with those companies because a crowded industry would encourage companies to frequently review their rates and services offered.
Cloud computing increases overall access
Another positive aspect of the relationship between cloud computing and AI is that it gives people more access to apps and interfaces that use AI. The technology has become so abundant in modern society that many people do not realize some of the things they use every day need AI to run, such as their smartphones, email platforms and robotic vacuums.
Plus, cloud computing facilitates speedy, enhanced development of advanced AI capabilities, such as deep learning. Some current deep learning applications make security cameras smarter by spotting patterns that could indicate trouble. Such technology can also categorize images. The deep learning technology inside self-driving cars differentiates between people and road signs.
However, the adoption of AI in businesses is still in its early stages. A 2018 Gartner press release indicated 46 percent of CIOs plan to deploy AI, and only four percent have already done so. An increase in access lets those companies stay on track to help their plans happen. Moreover, more options give establishments a more comprehensive assortment of possibilities when choosing companies.
AI could improve cloud computing
Although cloud computing will likely be a factor that expands the prominence of AI in society, it’s important to realize that AI could also enhance cloud computing. Analysts believe that as the pairing of cloud computing and AI deepens, advancements will emerge that allow the two to work more efficiently while fostering continual innovation.
For example, an AI tool could lead to better analysis of the overall cloud-stored data by a certain company or give warning of a condition that may require maintenance to keep a cloud-based system working properly. Additionally, companies that store data in the cloud could use AI to analyze it and get more insights about shared characteristics of their cloud content.
AI and cloud computing could create more job opportunities
People often fear that AI will replace jobs. They raise worried opinions about how a computer-driven society of the not-so-distant future will lead to factories, stores and offices that only rarely rely on humans, thereby making many jobs obsolete.
However, another likely outcome is that the use of AI in cloud computing could create jobs that require new skills or lead to entirely new positions. After all, people will need to become experts in how AI and cloud computing relate to each other, especially as both technologies continue to progress.
Those individuals could perform troubleshooting, research and other necessary investigations.
The pairing of AI and cloud computing could also positively change the future of work because AI already lets people automate low-skill tasks. Technologies that reduce repetitive work allow employees to use their talents for other, more rewarding work in the cloud computing or AI sectors. It could also boost productivity and free up spare time, allowing workers to pursue continuing education.
These outcomes could make workforces more diverse and well-educated, helping companies and their employees alike.
The changes are ongoing
The impacts that AI and cloud computing have on each other are still in the early stages. But changes are happening, which means individuals and companies must be ready for them. This evolution is mostly promising. However, the reality of anything new means that people could notice unforeseen downsides that need to be dealt with, too.
Preparing for both the good and bad outcomes that may lie ahead makes addressing them a more straightforward process.
Originally posted here
More thought leadership
Cloud: The one certainty in an uncertain post-Brexit world
Digitisation, business transformation and the cloud
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Departments, Schools, Centers & Institutes
Honors College Theses
A Comparative Analysis of the Failure of Bathroom Legislation Aimed at the Transgender Community in Three States: Indiana, North Carolina, and Texas
Pohlmeyer, Corey J.
In recent political history, the ever-polarizing ideological nature of the United States is marked by the continued public involvement in certain key issues, which perpetuate across the country. One of these issues are regulatory measures or laws pertaining to the public access of restrooms in educational, governmental, or publicly-owned facilities, informally known as “bathroom bills.” These bills, between the dates of 2013-2018, have appeared in state legislatures across the United States; and their stories are notably marked by one thing: their abject failure. Using sources from a variety of media outlets, this paper attempts to construct narratives for three states which have encountered such legislation: Indiana, North Carolina, and Texas. Using these narratives, this paper hopes to provide some insight into this controversial wave of legislation without taking any sides in the arguments which surround it. Doing this, while also looking at the state governmental operations and procedure provide insight as to how these bills both succeeded and failed in their attempts to create policy. Ultimately, these narratives show that the downfall of these bills rests in their lack of support by the public at large, with notable influence by individuals and organizations with economic and public relation capabilities, but cannot show which reason was the death blow to these bills. While this paper was not able to ascertain which factor was the determinant cause, it does provide insight, framework, and context to this phenomenon, and how this wave may progress or not in the near future.
Pohlmeyer_Corey.pdf
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»2003 Wisconsin Act 33
33,1047d Section 1047d. 44.70 (3r) of the statutes is renumbered 16.99 (3r).
33,1048d Section 1048d. 44.70 (4) of the statutes is renumbered 16.99 (4).
33,1051 Section 1051. 44.71 (title) of the statutes is repealed.
33,1052 Section 1052. 44.71 (1) of the statutes is repealed.
33,1053d Section 1053d. 44.71 (2) (intro.) of the statutes is renumbered 16.993 (intro.) and amended to read:
16.993 Duties Technology for educational achievement in Wisconsin; departmental duties. (intro.) The board department shall do all of the following:
33,1054d Section 1054d. 44.71 (2) (a) of the statutes is renumbered 16.993 (1) and amended to read:
16.993 (1) In cooperation with school districts, cooperative educational service agencies, the technical college system board, and the board of regents of the University of Wisconsin System and the department, promote the efficient, cost-effective procurement, installation, and maintenance of educational technology by school districts, cooperative educational service agencies, technical college districts, and the University of Wisconsin System.
33,1055d Section 1055d. 44.71 (2) (b) of the statutes is renumbered 16.993 (2).
33,1056d Section 1056d. 44.71 (2) (c) of the statutes is renumbered 16.993 (3) and amended to read:
16.993 (3) With the consent of the department, enter Enter into cooperative purchasing agreements under s. 16.73 (1) under which participating school districts and cooperative educational service agencies may contract for their professional employees to receive training concerning the effective use of educational technology.
33,1057d Section 1057d. 44.71 (2) (d) of the statutes is renumbered 16.993 (4) and amended to read:
16.993 (4) In cooperation with the board of regents of the University of Wisconsin System, the technical college system board, the department of public instruction and other entities, support the development of courses for the instruction of professional employees who are licensed by the state superintendent of public instruction concerning the effective use of educational technology .
33,1058d Section 1058d. 44.71 (2) (e) of the statutes is renumbered 16.993 (5) and amended to read:
16.993 (5) Subject to s. 44.73 (5), in cooperation with the department, provide Provide telecommunications access to educational agencies under the program established under s. 44.73 16.997.
33,1059d Section 1059d. 44.71 (2) (f) of the statutes is renumbered 16.993 (6) and amended to read:
16.993 (6) No later than October 1 of each even-numbered year, submit a biennial report concerning the board's department's activities under this subchapter to the governor, and to the appropriate standing committees of the legislature under s. 13.172 (3).
33,1060d Section 1060d. 44.71 (2) (g) of the statutes is renumbered 16.993 (7) and amended to read:
16.993 (7) Coordinate the purchasing of Purchase educational technology materials, supplies, equipment, and contractual services for school districts, cooperative educational service agencies, technical college districts, and the board of regents of the University of Wisconsin System by the department under s. 16.72 (8), and, in cooperation with the department and subject to the approval of the department of electronic government, establish standards and specifications for purchases of educational technology hardware and software by school districts, cooperative educational service agencies, technical college districts, and the board of regents of the University of Wisconsin System.
33,1061d Section 1061d. 44.71 (2) (h) of the statutes is renumbered 16.993 (8) and amended to read:
16.993 (8) With the approval of the department of electronic government, purchase Purchase educational technology equipment for use by school districts, cooperative educational service agencies, and public educational institutions in this state and permit the districts, agencies, and institutions to purchase or lease the equipment, with an option to purchase the equipment at a later date. This paragraph subsection does not require the purchase or lease of any educational technology equipment from the board department.
33,1062d Section 1062d. 44.71 (2) (i) of the statutes is renumbered 16.993 (9).
33,1068d Section 1068d. 44.72 (4) (title) of the statutes is renumbered 16.995 (title).
16.995 (1) Financial assistance authorized. The board department may provide financial assistance under this subsection section to school districts and charter school sponsors from the proceeds of public debt contracted under s. 20.866 (2) (zc) and to public library boards from the proceeds of public debt contracted under s. 20.866 (2) (zcm). Financial assistance under this subsection section may be used only for the purpose of upgrading the electrical wiring of school and library buildings in existence on October 14, 1997, and installing and upgrading computer network wiring. The department may not provide any financial assistance under this section after the effective date of this subsection .... [revisor inserts date].
33,1070d Section 1070d. 44.72 (4) (b) of the statutes is renumbered 16.995 (2) and amended to read:
16.995 (2) Financial assistance applications, terms, and conditions. The board department shall establish application procedures for, and the terms and conditions of, financial assistance under this subsection, including a condition requiring a charter school sponsor to use financial assistance under this subsection for wiring upgrading and installation that benefits pupils attending the charter school section. The board department shall make a loan to a school district, charter school sponsor, or public library board, or to a municipality on behalf of a public library board, in an amount equal to 50% of the total amount of financial assistance for which the board department determines the school district or public library board is eligible and provide a grant to the school district or public library board for the remainder of the total. The terms and conditions of any financial assistance under this subsection section may include the provision of professional building construction services under s. 16.85 (15). The board department shall determine the interest rate on loans under this subsection section. The interest rate shall be as low as possible but shall be sufficient to fully pay all interest expenses incurred by the state in making the loans and to provide reserves that are reasonably expected to be required in the judgment of the board department to ensure against losses arising from delinquency and default in the repayment of the loans. The term of a loan under this subsection section may not exceed 10 years.
16.995 (3) Repayment of loans. The board department shall credit all moneys received from school districts and charter school sponsors for repayment of loans under this subsection section to the appropriation account under s. 20.275 (1) (h) 20.505 (4) (ha). The board department shall credit all moneys received from public library boards or from municipalities on behalf of public library boards for repayment of loans under this subsection section to the appropriation account under s. 20.275 (1) 20.505 (4) (hb).
16.995 (4) Funding for financial assistance. The board, with the approval of the governor and department, subject to the limits of s. 20.866 (2) (zc) and (zcm), may request that the building commission contract public debt in accordance with ch. 18 to fund financial assistance under this subsection section.
33,1073d Section 1073d. 44.73 (title) of the statutes is renumbered 16.997 (title).
33,1074d Section 1074d. 44.73 (1) of the statutes is renumbered 16.997 (1) and amended to read:
16.997 (1) Except as provided in s. 196.218 (4t), the board, in consultation with the department and subject to the approval of the department of electronic government, department shall promulgate rules establishing an educational telecommunications access program to provide educational agencies with access to data lines and video links.
33,1075d Section 1075d. 44.73 (2) (intro.) of the statutes is renumbered 16.997 (2) (intro.).
33,1076d Section 1076d. 44.73 (2) (a) of the statutes is renumbered 16.997 (2) (a) and amended to read:
16.997 (2) (a) Allow an educational agency to make a request to the board department for access to either one data line or one video link, except that any educational agency may request access to additional data lines if the agency shows to the satisfaction of the board department that the additional data lines are more cost-effective than a single data line and except that a school district that operates more than one high school or a public library board that operates more than one library facility may request access to both a data line and a video link and access to more than one data line or video link.
33,1077d Section 1077d. 44.73 (2) (b) of the statutes is renumbered 16.997 (2) (b).
33,1078d Section 1078d. 44.73 (2) (c) of the statutes is renumbered 16.997 (2) (c).
33,1079d Section 1079d. 44.73 (2) (d) of the statutes is renumbered 16.997 (2) (d).
33,1080d Section 1080d. 44.73 (2) (e) of the statutes is renumbered 16.997 (2) (e).
33,1081d Section 1081d. 44.73 (2) (f) of the statutes is renumbered 16.997 (2) (f).
33,1082d Section 1082d. 44.73 (2g) of the statutes is renumbered 16.997 (2g).
33,1083d Section 1083d. 44.73 (2r) of the statutes is renumbered 16.997 (2r), and 16.997 (2r) (c), as renumbered, is amended to read:
16.997 (2r) (c) A public library board shall provide the technology for educational achievement in Wisconsin board department with written notice within 30 days after entering into or modifying a shared service agreement under par. (a).
16.997 (3) The board shall submit an annual report to the department shall prepare an annual report on the status of providing data lines and video links that are requested under sub. (2) (a) and the impact on the universal service fund of any payment under contracts under s. 16.974.
33,1085d Section 1085d. 44.73 (4) of the statutes is renumbered 16.997 (4).
16.997 (6) (a) From the appropriation under s. 20.275 (1) 20.505 (4) (s) or (tm), the board department may award an annual grant to a school district or private school that had in effect on October 14, 1997, a contract for access to a data line or video link, as documented by the board department. The board department shall determine the amount of the grant, which shall be equal to the cost incurred by the state to provide telecommunications access to a school district or private school under a contract entered into under s. 16.974 (1) or (3) less the amount that the school district or private school would be paying under sub. (2) (d) if the school district or private school were participating in the program established under sub. (1), except that the amount may not be greater than the cost that a school district or private school incurs under the contract in effect on October 14, 1997. A school district or private school receiving a grant under this subsection is not eligible to participate in the program under sub. (1). No grant may be awarded under this subsection after December 31, 2005.
33,1088d Section 1088d. 44.73 (6) (b) of the statutes is renumbered 16.997 (6) (b) and amended to read:
16.997 (6) (b) Notwithstanding par. (a), the board department may award a school district that operates more than one high school and that had in effect on October 14, 1997, a contract for access to more than one data line or video link an annual grant for each data line or video link serving each high school covered by that contract.
33,1088m Section 1088m. 45.25 (title) of the statutes is amended to read:
45.25 (title) Veterans' tuition and fee reimbursement program.
33,1088p Section 1088p. 45.25 (1) of the statutes is renumbered 45.25 (1m) and amended to read:
45.25 (1m) Administration. The department shall administer a tuition and fee reimbursement program for eligible veterans enrolling as undergraduates in any institution of higher education, as defined in s. 45.396 (1) (a), in this state, enrolling in a school that is approved under s. 45.35 (9m), enrolling in a proprietary school that is approved under s. 45.54, or receiving a waiver of nonresident tuition under s. 39.47.
33,1088r Section 1088r. 45.25 (1g) of the statutes is created to read:
45.25 (1g) Definition. In this section, "tuition," when referring to the University of Wisconsin System, means "academic fees," as described in s. 36.27 (1), and when referring to the technical colleges, means "program fees," as described in s. 38.24 (1m) (a) and (b).
33,1088t Section 1088t. 45.25 (2) (intro.) of the statutes is amended to read:
45.25 (2) Eligibility. (intro.) An individual is eligible for the tuition and fee reimbursement program if he or she meets all of the following criteria:
33,1089 Section 1089. 45.25 (2) (c) of the statutes is amended to read:
45.25 (2) (c) The individual applies for the tuition and fee reimbursement program for courses completed begun within 10 years after separation from the service.
33,1089c Section 1089c. 45.25 (2) (d) of the statutes is amended to read:
45.25 (2) (d) The individual is a resident at the time of application for the tuition and fee reimbursement program and was a Wisconsin resident at the time of entry or reentry into service or was a resident for any consecutive 12-month period after entry or reentry into service and before the date of his or her application. If a person applying for a benefit under this section meets the residency requirement of 12 consecutive months, the department may not require the person to reestablish that he or she meets that residency requirement when he or she later applies for any other benefit under this chapter that requires that residency.
33,1089e Section 1089e. 45.25 (3) (a) of the statutes is amended to read:
45.25 (3) (a) Except as provided in par. (am), an individual who meets the requirements under sub. (2), upon satisfactory completion of a full-time undergraduate semester in any institution of higher education, as defined in s. 45.396 (1) (a), in this state, any school that is approved under s. 45.35 (9m), any proprietary school that is approved under s. 45.54, or any institution from which the individual receives a waiver of nonresident tuition under s. 39.47, may be reimbursed an amount not to exceed the total cost of the individual's tuition and fees minus any grants or scholarships, including those made under s. 21.49, that the individual receives specifically for the payment of the tuition or fees, or 85% of the standard cost of tuition for a state resident for an equivalent undergraduate course semester at the University of Wisconsin-Madison per course, whichever is less. Reimbursement is available only for tuition and fees that are is part of a curriculum that is relevant to a degree in a particular course of study at the institution.
33,1089g Section 1089g. 45.25 (3) (am) of the statutes is repealed and recreated to read:
45.25 (3) (am) Any individual who is eligible to receive reimbursement under par. (a) and received reimbursement under par. (a) or s. 45.25 (3) (am), 2001 stats., before the effective date of this paragraph .... [revisor inserts date], shall be reimbursed an amount not to exceed the amount determined under par. (a) or the amount determined under s. 45.25 (3) (a) or (am), 2001 stats., whichever is greater.
33,1089j Section 1089j. 45.25 (3) (b) (intro.) of the statutes is amended to read:
45.25 (3) (b) (intro.) An application for reimbursement of tuition and fees under par. (a) or (am) shall meet all of the following requirements:
33,1089m Section 1089m. 45.35 (14) (h) of the statutes is amended to read:
45.35 (14) (h) To provide grants to the governing bodies of federally recognized American Indian tribes and bands from the appropriation under s. 20.485 (2) (km) (vz) if that governing body enters into an agreement with the department regarding the creation, goals and objectives of a tribal veterans' service officer, appoints a veteran to act as a tribal veterans' service officer and gives that veteran duties similar to the duties described in s. 45.43 (5), except that the veteran shall report to the governing body of the tribe or band. The department may make annual grants of up to $2,500 under this paragraph and shall promulgate rules to implement this paragraph.
33,1090 Section 1090. 45.365 (7) of the statutes is created to read:
45.365 (7) The department may develop a program to provide stipends to individuals to attend school and receive the necessary credentials to become employed at the home or the southeastern facility. If the department does develop a stipend program under this subsection, the department shall promulgate administrative rules related to the program, including the application process, eligibility criteria, stipend amount, repayment provisions, and other provisions that the department determines are necessary to administer the program.
33,1091 Section 1091. 45.37 (11) of the statutes is amended to read:
45.37 (11) Disposition of property descending to state. If a member dies without a relative that is entitled to an interest in the property of the member under the rules of intestate succession and without leaving a will the existence of which is made known to the commandant of the home within 60 days of the member's death, the member's property shall be converted to cash and turned over by the commandant of the home to the state treasurer secretary of administration to be paid into the appropriation under s. 20.485 (1) (h), without administration. The amount is subject to refund within 6 years to the estate of a veteran if it is subsequently discovered that the veteran left a will or a relative that is entitled to an interest in the property of the member under the rules of intestate succession or to any creditor of the veteran who establishes right to the fund or property or any portion thereof. The department, upon being satisfied that a claim out of such funds or property is legal and valid, shall pay the same out of such funds or property, except that payment of claims for a member's funeral and burial expenses may not exceed a total of $1,500 including any amount allowed by the United States for the member's funeral and burial and the right for burial and interment provided in sub. (15) (a).
33,1092 Section 1092. 45.37 (15) (c) of the statutes is amended to read:
45.37 (15) (c) Expenses incident to the burial at the home of a member shall be paid from the estate of the decedent, except that if there is no estate or the estate is insufficient, the expense of burial, or necessary part thereof, shall be paid from the appropriation under s. 20.485 (1) (gk) and the amount expended therefor shall not exceed the amount established for funeral and burial expenses under s. 49.30 49.785 (1) (b).
33,1092g Section 1092g. 45.396 (1) (c) of the statutes is created to read:
45.396 (1) (c) "Tuition" has the meaning given in s. 45.25 (1g).
33,1092m Section 1092m. 45.396 (4) of the statutes is amended to read:
/2003/related/acts/33 true acts /2003/related/acts/33/1068d acts/2003/33,1068d acts/2003/33,1068d section true
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Panel-debate: “The effects of Brexit on business relations between Spain and the UK”
16/06/2017 /in Conferences and events English pll_5943dc1b80612 /by Cámara Oficial de Comercio de España en Bélgica y Luxemburgo
On June 15th, the Official Spanish Chamber of Commerce in Belgium and Luxembourg, in collaboration with the British Chamber of Commerce in Belgium, organized a panel-debate regarding the “effects of Brexit on bilateral trade relations between Spain and the United Kingdom”. Among the attendees, the Trade and Investment Director General from the Economy, Industry and Competitivity Ministry joined representatives of the Spanish Government and the Spanish Embassy in Belgium, members of both chambers, representatives of companies and European institutions as well as members of regional delegations.
The event, which took place at the British Chamber’s headquarters in Brussels, was hosted and moderated by Thomas Spiller, President of the British Chamber, who also welcomed and introduced the participants to the debate.
The first lecturer, Ignasi Guardans, partner at K&L Gates and member of the Executive Board at the Official Spanish Chamber of Commerce, explained the Spanish Chamber’s activities related to European affairs. Moreover, Mr. Guardans presented the main data on the Spain-United Kingdom trade forecast from the corporate perspective, emphasizing the role of the Anglo-Saxon country as one of Spain’s most important trade partners.
Next, Ignacio Molina, senior analyst at the Elcano Royal Institute, presented Brexit’s institutional approach, performing a synthesis from the think tank perspective, from the territorial conflicts in Northern Ireland, Scotland and Gibraltar, to the importance of bilateral freedom of movement, not only regarding tourism, but also long-term residents and workers.
After Mr. Molina’s intervention, Javier Arias, Head of European Affairs at BBVA, stressed the great uncertainty present in the agenda, especially in the financial sector. Moreover, he underlined the deadly effects of higher costs and an investments downfall.
To conclude, Dirk Van Ham, Corporate Relations Director at Diageo, highlighted the significance of an understanding related to a future international trade agreement which includes in its regulatory benchmark movement of goods, capital and people, as well as the need for effective cooperation at the international level.
Following Mr. Van Ham’s comments the debate began, characterized by a high participation. Topics like consumer protection, SME’s role in the trade agreement’s negotiations, the territorial conflict in Catalonia and, specially, Spain’s position on the creation of an effective regulatory agreement were discussed.
Conference “strategic and legal mechanisms for promoting private investment... II Golf Tournament of the Spanish Community at Luxembourg
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Posted by GreenDog on Thursday, 16 November 2017 in Biofuels
Font size: Larger Smaller
More California vehicles run on restaurant grease By Robert Tuttle
Bloomberg News
California’s battle against climate change is being fought more fiercely in fast food restaurants than in Tesla’s car factory in Fremont.
Seven years after the Golden State began offering credits to producers of low-carbon fuels, cities and companies across California are using diesel brewed from fats and oils to fuel everything from fire trucks to United Parcel Service delivery vehicles. Now, the value of the credits exceed those from electric vehicles fourfold and are second only to ethanol.
The company that’s benefited most from California’s embrace of renewable diesel is based 6,000 miles away in Helsinki. Neste Oyj started sending tankers of the fuel from its refineries in Singapore and Europe around 2012. It’s now the biggest supplier, according to Ezra Finkin, policy director at the Diesel Technology Forum, a Frederick, Maryland-based advocacy group.
The market “is definitely growing,” Dayne Delahoussaye, Neste’s head of North American public affairs, said in a phone interview from Houston. “Renewable diesel has become very popular with the refining community as a good tool to meet obligations.”
Renewable diesel generated almost 628,000 metric tons of credits in the fourth quarter of last year, up from about 6,000 in 2011, state data shows. The credits, which sold at a six-month high of $91.74 per metric ton in early October, are poised to surge as the state accelerates its carbon cuts to meet its goal of reducing emissions to 30-year-old levels by decade’s end. The price will more than double to $215 by 2019, Irvine, Calif.-based Stillwater Associates said in a June report.
Refiners and other purchasers of the credits have paid almost $650 million for them over the past year, costs that are passed onto consumers at the pump.
The credits will add 15 to 20 cents a gallon to the cost of fuel over the next two years, Leigh Noda, senior associate at Stillwater Associates, said in a phone interview. “Ultimately, these programs are designed to subsidize the price of the biofuel suppliers.”
In recent years, cities such as San Francisco, Oakland, and San Diego, as well as Sacramento County, have transitioned to using renewable diesel to power buses, fire engines and other city vehicles. Alphabet’s shuttle buses in Silicon Valley also burn it, and UPS said two years ago that it would buy 46 million gallons of the fuel to run its fleet of delivery trucks.
California represents more than half of the U.S. market for the biofuel, Diesel Technology Forum’s Finkin said.
CU study sees more evidence linking quakes, inject...
Solar Powered Farm
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